Bruce Portugal Amoroto, M.A. in Human Rights and Democratisation, Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies

In 2012, I came straight to Thailand from my first semester at the University of Sydney. I had never been to Thailand before but I chose Mahidol University because of the good reputation of the Dean's Office of Human Rights Studies and Social Development, which is now the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies.

I was initially concerned about the challenges of living in Thailand but I soon found out that Thailand and my beloved Philippines share similarities.

Walking along the street, I feel the same heat and humidity, sidewalk vendors, and stray dogs.

While our religions are different, I feel the same degree of religiosity among Thais. I have also come to realize that even the sense of humor among Thais is relatively the same as Filipinos'.

As there are many similarities, there are also differences.

One difference I can think of is that Thais are more patient and friendlier that Filipinos, and this is probably because of Buddhism.

Overall, on the comparison between Filipinos and Thais, I think one of famous slogans captured it best: "the Same but Different." ‪#‎partofMUFGS‬

"My Philippines and My Impression of Studying in Thailand"