This February I applied to the IFMSA SCORE Research Exchange Program for a practice in Thailand. The Angkor Wat in Cambodzia was in my bucket list for so long. I found it a great opportunity to make my dream come true. During the preparation at home I didn’t expect that I will have so much adventure during my staying in Thailand. This was my first visit in Asia, but definately not the last. I got entrance to the Chulalongkorn University which is the best university in Thailand. I was so happy because it is situated in the capital, in Bangkok. I applied to the Parasitology Department. I got my second chosen program which was the Leishmania Siemensis in Thailand. I am interested in tropical diseases, but we didn’t learn much about them in the Microbiology course. Before my arriving I tried to search for basic description about the infection and I found some articles from the same Parasitology Department. In May I got my invitation letter from the university and also a little survival kit from my contact person, Aum. I had some specific questions what Aum didn’t know, but overall she
really tried to do her best. I landed on 1rst August in the morning, and after finding the dormitory and doing the documentation about my arriving Aum showed me the laboratory and the head of the Department. Fortunately the professor saw that I was exhausted and he let me home. The next days I was supposed to get to the lab for 9 am and leaving it at 4 pm. The next two weeks I had lectures with other professors and tutors about the main infections in Thailand. The work in the laboratory was mostly about recognising the different species of mosquitos and sandflies, and the DNA extraction from them to do PCR examination. On the third week my tutor took me for a short trip to the northern part of Thailand to collect mosquitos for the upcoming examinations. And on the last week we made a small study about it. There were other Europian medical students in the university who made their hospital practice. We stayed in the same dormitory in the rooms of 4. The room included AC, but the bathroom was common for the whole floor. On the last weekend we had a very great social program. All the international students in Bangkok was invited for spending a day together. We gathered in the morning and went to Amphawa floated market, visited two temples and finally had a super dinner and goodbye party in a cruise. Getting by in Thailand is absolutely easy. You can visit safe not only Bangkok but the whole country. I made a weekend trip to HuaHin, to Ayutthaya, to Chiang Mai and in the end to Siem Reap. I would recommend the program for unexperienced or low budget travellers too. I am so thankful for everyone who helped to make my exchange month fantastic!