My Brazil Experience

In November, Jenjira was one of six teenagers from Asia to attend World Congress III on Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Brazil. Already working on issues of sex exploitation among other teenagers in her home town near Ranong, Thailand, she was chosen by her peers to represent their views at the global event.

On a plane for the first time ever, Jenjira touched down into a crowd of 3000 people, joined debates with other young people from around the world on how to combat child sexual exploitation, made friends and learned some unexpected lessons on how the world works.

On the experience

I think it is hard to explain what my experience is really like. In my opinion, the experience of going to World Congress is very valuable [because the plane ticket was very expensive :) ]

I have seen so many new things. I have met old friends and also new ones. We shared our languages. There were happy moments and sad moments as well as other moments [some I had felt before but never to this extreme and others that I had not].

Let’s just say that an experience lives in our heart and in our head. It is impossible to write it all on paper. So many things have happened.

On travelling

It was very exciting for me. It is the first time I have ever been on the plane, eaten plane food, used its toilet, been sick on a plane, experienced the freezing air-conditioning, learned about do’s and don’ts, prohibited articles, baggage search, visa stamp and how to get in and out of an airport. I also learned that in some countries people drive on the left side. They just do the opposite of what we do in our country.

On Brazil

Going to Brazil, I already sort of guessed that the food would not be good. It was as expected. Anyhow, it was a good experience. It taught me to adapt to different situations. The unforgettable experience was the 140 baht (around US$5) ice cream!! Just think about it! It was just an ice cream, nothing fancy.

What else? I got on an escalator up the mountain. I have been to one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. It was man-made. I have learned about how people in Brazil lived and learned how to bargain. I have been touched by their warmth, friendship and smiles.

I can feel that things were different but not divided.

This is going to be useful in daily life.

On advocacy

When you want to do something well you need to concentrate and stop daydreaming. Think hard. Concentrate on what you would like to achieve from it. This will do you good. No matter what you do stay calm. This is what I learned.

“Mind mapping” is a new concept for me. I think it helps expand my horizon and add something more to my experience.

On working within a group

Respect, teamwork, generosity, punctuality, discipline and liability were the things that I have gained from living with other people.

We applied basic principles of democracy. Every one has a right to speak and share ideas. We can agree or disagree. There has to be evidence-based either from our experiences or whatever to support our argument.

In conclusion, going to the World Congress III is awesome. I can apply many experiences to my daily life. “Using differences to stop CSEC, not divide,” this is what has been on my mind the entire time.