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“Hey Marc! Have you heard the news yet? ” Next semester, we will no longer be learning through online platforms”. This text message from my beloved friend, Wave, a student in Journalism and Mass Communication faculty at Thammasat University or BJM, made me feel excited and slightly anxious at the same time. I had a thought in my head that I already adapted to online learning, and everything seems to be perfectly fine, but now I must “adapt” myself again to adjust my routine for the on-site class for the first time in almost two years.

“What a shame,” the university should have implemented this protocol sooner, so I don’t have to feel bad about saying goodbye to my comfortable computer chair and breakfast in the morning while learning in the MS team.

On the other hand, it is a great opportunity for me to meet my friends again after an online period. It really puts a smile on my face while thinking about what we could possibly do when we are on-site together: walk to the class with my best friend, share some time after class, or enjoy a good meal together. Perhaps this change isn’t so bad after all.

Just one fine meal with friends after long online period is such a blessing

When it comes to on-site classes, I have one routine: I always wake up at 8:30 a.m. and go straight to the university at 9:00 a.m. when I have a morning class, but this morning is completely different because it is JM310, Editorial and Article Writing.

“Listen, my brother, he is absolutely strict with punctuality, I think you had better be there on time, like 9:30 sharp,” Tan, my BJM senior, told me when I asked him about the lecturer of JM310, Bruce. This conversation caused me to wake up thirty minutes earlier and go to class before time on my first day, October 4, 2022.

My wake-up routine may change, but for my music routine, it just never changes. I remember that I listened to my all-time favorite band, Oasis. I played the loop of “Live Forever” to calm myself down and be ready to focus on the mourning lecture. By doing this, it really gives me pleasure to just listen to my favorite song, but I am not certain that I will acquire the same feeling from learning in JM310. We shall see, I guess.

“Man, I just don’t want to take journalism courses, I don’t even want to be a journalist or do something related to that field,” one of my friends said, “I don’t understand why it is compulsory for us; at least give us a chance to choose.” To be honest, I quite agree with this statement from my friend, but I do believe that it will definitely have some beneficial things we could learn in this class and adapt it to our preferred field in the near future.

Atmosphere in JM310 class

“Please take this, you’re in group 5,” said Bruce. I am shocked that it is a random group selection. It led me to several issues, such as the adaptation with some friends I do not know well or the teamwork’s problems. “It is what it is, I cannot change anything here; actually, it could be fun,” I said to myself.

Meeting with new friends is not too bad for me due to my personality, and I believe that in the future we may have to cooperate with someone we don’t like when the situation is necessary. Therefore, this may look like an “absolutely practical practice” for us now.

Throughout this course, there are several assignments for the students, for example, article writing, reflection videos, and article analysis. The one that I enjoy the most is the article analysis. Reading and grooving to excellent articles is truly my favorite part of this assignment.

Each article has different styles and techniques that I can emulate in my writing style. Even though I don’t see myself as a journalist in the future, I can utilize this skill in my marketing writing, such as advertising descriptions and key messages in marketing campaigns.

Me with my team!

The class with guest lecturer, professional journalist Susan Tam from Malaysia, on November 1st, 2022, is one of my favorite moments in this course, so I have the opportunity to learn from the master. Her experiences and suggestions are realistic and practical.

“Yeah, I get it; being a journalist is sometimes unfair when we talk about salary,” she said, “but you need to bite the bullet at first, find experience, and accumulate a solid connection. The income will increase afterwards, this is what I did, and it really helped me grow up.” This suggestion from her made me impressed with her honesty and willingness to help.

I truly learned dedication and adaptation. I must dedicate my time and effort to research, interviews, writing, and so on, to acquire the best outcomes for me and my group. I truly feel the sense of “you get what you pay.” After all, I am completely content with my final works and group projects with peers because, for me, the value of our dedication is priceless.

I must be like “water” to adapt myself to any kind of situation and different teammates. The difference is not the issue; the real challenge is what you could learn and emulate from the difference. From my experience with my group, I realize that the difference creates nothing but a “creation.” Through the creation and a helping hand of teamwork, each tiny piece of an idea can be brought together to constructively build the utmost quality of work.

Last class with Bruce

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