Peace Arundamrongroj

Peace finished his GCSE Programme in June 2009, and is staying at d'Overbroeck's to study A levels in the Sixth Form

Why did you choose to come and study in the UK?

The reason that I chose to study abroad is because I want to be able to speak English – as nowadays it is a language that most people use and, in my opinion, it is quite easy in comparison to the other languages.

I have been in the UK for one year already which means that I started here when I was 16 years old.

The reason that I chose d'Overbroeck's is because this school is very academic and it is located in Oxford which is even better for studying, as it is a quiet city. In addition it was highly recommended by my agent.

What is boarding life like at your school?

Not everyone chooses boarding houses at d'Overbroeck's; some choose to stay with Oxford families to experience life as a 'day-schooler'.

Before I came to England I was not sure about staying with a host family. At first I couldn't get used to speaking English because of my accent and speaking skill but my host family helped me a lot and everything turned out well. It was very important to try hard to speak even though my grammar was wrong.

How have you found studying in English

I found it quite hard to study English at first, although I had 7 hours of English lessons each week plus other academic subjects; I found I had to study on my own as well as by listening to the news, radio and talking to my friends in English.

The lesson that I enjoyed the most is Biology because I think this subject has a wide range of vocabulary to remember and we had to write long answers. This helped me to improve my English writing skills.

What happens after school? And in the evenings? What sorts of activities and trips do you take part in?

After school, I either stay at home playing games, listening to music, reading books and doing homework, or I go out with my friends to do some activities together such as Basketball and shopping – depending on the weather.

In the evenings I have dinner with my friends; sometimes we also have time to go to the cinema. At the weekend I usually go out and play basketball or football with my friends and other English teens who are not from our school. It's a great way to meet new local people and have fun!

This year, I took part in Dance club and performed dances with the group at school concerts and in Oxford city events too. I was also a member of the school basketball team and I won the Player of the year, which was a great honour. I participated in lots of school trips this year as well. For example, trips to London, where we did the Sightseeing and Educational tours including Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament, National Gallery, Imperial War Museum, Bank of England, the Natural History Museum and other key points of interest ... also Punting – the popular Oxford tradition – and Longridge – an activities centre where we built rafts as a team. I also did Bell Boating along the Thames and Rock Climbing.

These activities have all been fantastic fun and provided lots of new experiences for us all.

How do you keep in touch with your friends and family back home?

I still keep in touch with my friends and my family at home: sometimes I call them but mostly I email. I don't have any relatives here in the UK, but I have some friends who come from the same school but are studying in another city.

In half-term holidays and longer breaks, I go back to my country and meet up with my friends, as they are studying in international school too, so they also have holiday at the same time.

What is the best thing about being at d'Overbroeck's?

Since I came here, I have improved my English a lot, as well as my organisation: I am able to manage my timetable more efficiently than before.

The most important point is that I have lots of friends who come from different countries, so I have learnt lots about different cultures and backgrounds from them. Having friends from Britain and other countries is a good way to improve English speaking – by talking to them and helping each other to correct grammar mistakes. From this I have also gained the experience of how to get on with others easier than before.