Bruce's Introduction: Howdy from the "Venice of the East"

Sawasdee Krap!

This is how we greet each other in Thailand or "The Land of Smiles."

I'm Bruce Avasadanond and I'm 26 years old (27 on the 22nd of November). Many of you may wonder why a Thai has an English name? Well, it is because I was born and raised in Texas, USA. I've also lived in Vancouver, Canada and Bangkok,Thailand. Many people have also asked me if I have a Thai name, and the answer is "no." I don't even have a nickname, but because many Thai's can't pronounce the "ce" in my name properly, many people, including my parents and friends, call me something like "Boot" instead.

I finished high school in Thailand, at the International School of Bangkok. I then went to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to do my bachelor's degree in Spanish Language and Literature at the University of British Columbia (UBC). After graduating in 2002, I continued my studies and pursued an on-line Master of Education degree in Adult Learning and Global Change at UBC while simultaneously enrolling in a face-to-face Master of Managmenet program in the evenings at the College of Managment, Mahidol University in Bangkok.

I've also written some articles on education for the Bangkok Post, mostly related to education.

Now, I am currently working at Radio Thailand English Language Service where I have had the opportunity to do everything – from reporting news, writing news, translating, editing, supervising, and editing sound clips, reading the news and even once mopping the floor when water leaked into our studio! I believe that this shows my versatility, adaptability and openness to accept any challenges that are presented to me. Furthermore, I take initiatives and try my best to “think outside the box” and to bring the best quality news that is up-dated and what our listeners would want to hear about. I am given then freedom and liberty to utilize my skills, experiences and sincere interests in the news media to help contribute the best news stories for our listeners on Radio Thailand.

This job has been a dream come true for me. I like working with people, telling their stories and, like many other journalists in the world, want to make a difference, no matter how big or small. I also feel lucky because I can use my language skills, that is my knowledge of both Thai and English, on a daily basis.

I'm really looking forward to this course and I'm happy to see many familiar names!