25th anniversary bash
By Joanna Tan (Class of 2022)
On 14 October 2023, the Thai Language Programme celebrated its 25th anniversary by having a birthday bash at the FASS Faculty Lounge. All the alumni - even to-be alumni - were invited to gather, chat, and just have a good time together.
And have a good time together we did! Ajarn Titima opened the celebrations by calling for the graduates of different years to raise their hands/stand up, and when she started calling out those from the earlier years, it was rather amazing to see people who had graduated twenty-odd years ago standing up (some with their children in tow!). As the "roll call" went on, the sense of togetherness to simply come and celebrate a programme we all attended in common, even if we didn't actually know each other beforehand, was palpable. Ajarn Titima followed up with a speech on how far the programme had come from its early years - as a recent graduate, it was interesting hearing the different stories and seeing the old pictures of what the senior batches had done.
As the party went into full swing (with, of course, a sing-along of classic favourite Thai songs), everyone mingled around, chatting with others within and across "generations". It was nice to chat with friends that I hadn't seen in a while, as well as hear from seniors of their experiences in the Thai programme. I chatted with P'Jira - a senior who currently uses Thai in his work (and very happily so). He told me about how he loved Thai classes, and how they used to have much more contact time with the ajarns as compared to the shorter amount of time students had now.
When it came to the time for cake-cutting (cake proudly sponsored by the first batch of students), everyone gathered round the cake and sung a birthday song for the Programme, before we made our way to take photos with the ajarns in our different batch groups. The energy in the room was warm and I felt a sense of genuine community. Many of us were frankly strangers to each other - but then it felt like we were not entirely distant, as we were connected by our common experience in the Programme, and a love for the Thai language and culture.
All in all, it was a lovely afternoon - full of the kind of homeliness and easy community that I am sure has characterised so many of our experiences in the Thai Programme over the years. Happy 25th birthday to the Programme, and here's to many more to come!
​
Joanna
​
Image credits: Ajarn Rungnapa Kitiarsa