33.ฝึกงานในสถานทูตแล้วได้อะไร
อาชีพนักการทูตเป็นที่ใฝ่ฝันของคนรุ่นใหม่ทั้งในอดีตและในปัจจุบัน โดยถูกมองว่าเป็นอาชีพที่ทรงเกียรติ เป็นตัวแทนประเทศในต่างประเทศและอยู่ในสังคมชั้นสูง ซึ่งก็มีส่วนจริงไม่น้อย แต่ก็ไม่ใช่ทั้งหมดของชีวิตนักการทูต เมื่อมีผู้สนใจและอยากจะมาสัมผัสงานการทูต ผมจึงมักจะพิจารณาด้วยดี เพราะอยากจะให้ประชาชนได้รับทราบถึงการเป็นนักการทูตที่แท้จริง
ในต้นเดือน พค.ที่ผ่านมา มีนักศึกษาคนหนึ่งเป็นลูกหลานคนไทยในโคลัมโบ น.ส.เพชรรัตน์ ศักดิ์ศิริเวทยกุล เพิ่งเรียนจบมัธยม 6 ในโรงเรียนนานาชาติที่โคลัมโบแสดงความประสงค์จะขอมาฝึกงานช่วงสั้นที่สถานทูต ผมพิจารณาแล้วเห็นสมควรให้มาฝึกงานได้เพราะเธอมีความมุ่งมั่นที่จะเรียนรู้และใฝ่ฝันที่จะเป็นนักการทูตในอนาคตอีกทั้งอยู่ในโคลัมโบอยู่แล้ว จึงสะดวกที่จะใช้เวลามาเรียนรู้งานของสถานทูตก่อนที่จะไปศึกษาในระดับมหาวิทยาลัย
เพื่อที่จะได้ให้เธอรู้งานหลายด้านจึงได้ให้ไปฝึกกับเจ้าหน้าที่โต๊ะต่างๆ ได้แก่ กงสุล วัฒนธรรม ศาสนา การเมืองและเศรษฐกิจ ช่วงเวลาประมาณเดือนกว่าเอง ผมได้ให้การบ้านเธอขอให้เขียนเล่าถึงการเรียนรู้ในช่วงดังกล่าว โดยเฉพาะ ”ได้อะไร” บ้าง ในวันก่อนสุดท้าย น้องเมย์หรือคุณเพชรรัตน์ ได้ส่งการบ้านเป็นข้อเขียนเพียงไม่กี่หน้าแต่ก็ถือว่าได้ถ่ายทอดความรู้สึกได้ชัดเจน จึงขอนำรายงานการฝึกงานจากนักศึกษาคนหนึ่งมาให้อ่านกัน เมื่อเธอได้อะไรกลับไป ผมก็หวังว่าผู้อ่านจะได้อะไรจากการอ่านข้อเขียนนี้เช่นกันและนี่คือประโยชน์ของการบริหารจัดการความรู้
Experience from the Royal Thai Embassy, Colombo’s Internship
To be able to have a chance to learn from the field and experience the daily’s work at the Royal Thai Embassy has improved me in many different directions. I have learnt the important of history, decision making, and learnt to accept many perspectives. By taking an internship here will be a solid benefit for my future education life and it is truly a lifetime’s experience that I cannot get anywhere else.
A month at the Thai embassy has opened my perspective about Thailand and Sri Lanka even wilder. I was in Sri Lanka for 2 years to study at a High school and surrounded in European diplomat society which is separated from the rest of Sri Lankans life. A Thinking process between European people and Asia people are so different, regarding the background, education and cultures. Long before, I personally thought Sri Lanka was an unorganized country that has good religions background and beaches. At the Royal Norwegian Embassy where everything is organized and all the work process can automatically go through the systems, it is efficient but in another way, it lacks a chance to connect with the local Sri Lankan people. Here, I have a chance to travel with the ambassador and diplomats in many places in Sri Lanka, met some interesting people and talked to many visitors. The most memorable place in this whole journey would be samaneree temple, there; I felt the important of diplomacy and how much the ambassador cares about Thai residences in Sri Lanka.
I have assigned to work on the essay competition, “Contribution of Venerable Upali Maha Thero of Autthaya in the revival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka”. I personally had not much of the background and experience on both Upali and history before, but since I had assigned to advertise and promote the essay, I must have done research beforehand. In this research, have learnt in the depth of Sri Lanka history that related to Buddhism and how important religions mean to them. I called many schools, institutions and colleges around the country to promote the essay which I seemed that people are interested on this topic, even thought there are not many solid information. In the same time, I have learnt how to deal with people and talk in formal occasions, got to know different roots of people. Since I have been here with Buddhism surrounding, my calmness has improved. At the end, we have received 52 essays, which was more than our expectation and I am glad to be a part of this project.
When I was young, I always dream to be an ambassador, helping people from our own country, improve the relationship between countries and always like learn different things. As now, I can see that the Thai ambassador in Sri Lanka has fulfilled my dreams and my young objectives. He is somehow my idol in working area. To be able to be an ambassador, you need good and round visions. As the ambassador said on my last days:
You will not success on managing people if you don’t know what/how are they working. These words are not just related to work but basically everything. To have a higher inner peace you need to understand others, and separate yourself in many sections and always looking from outside too. The ambassador has taught me many thoughts about life and how interesting everything is which I think it will be a great advantage for me when I am going to university.
All the diplomats and local staffs at the embassy are all friendly and helpful. Everyone would love to give advice and hand to make works done. All the diplomats here have long experience in ministry work. They guide and explain what to do each day and what to do in the future to get here. From my interviews and talked to Thai residencies in Sri Lanka, they are glad to have such a close and care taking embassy in their town. They don’t feel the distant between embassy and them as it was before. They even enjoy coming to the residence to greet with monks, have lunch and meet other Thais once a month. They have a chance to ask of process of paper work in an informal occasion. For the Thais in Sri Lanka, as for them, this is something to be proud of their own country. The work cannot be nicely done if the ambassador, his family and the diplomat don’t put hand and heart on it. They work until late night every day, Saturday and Sunday even. Each section has a lot of work to do, which I think they should hire some good quality local staffs to help them work. I have heard that the embassy is planning to move soon, which I think it is a good idea because the location is a bit cramp and they would have better environment to work with. For some facility section, electronic working machines, computer, printing machine, I think they embassy should try to upgrade or maintain that it is up to date because it’s starting to effect on work. Sometimes it would takes 10 minutes just to open an email and this should not be main problem at the embassy. I think somehow, the embassy should start to develop a program on visa application, to be able to keep on track on each applicant and it is definitely less time consuming.
As for all, I would not have done it if Mr. Panuwat Prommanon wasn’t there to guide me all the way through. I worked with him closely every day, followed him to work in many places. He is the best teacher and a friend. He showed me the system of the embassy, how are all the paper works and goes through the process. He gave me many chances to write letters, corrected them for me and let me do the second draft. He taught me to think not even twice but triple before doing something, because diplomat work is very sensitive to both countries. One occasion that impressed me the most of when he had to pick up the guess from the airport and drop them at the residence 3.30 in the morning, he said the ambassador and his wife was waiting for the guess too. Right at the morning, 7 am, ambassador, his wife and Mr. Panuwat were already greeting the guests.
I have to thank you all for helping me gain such a lifetime’s experience. I do hope that I have done something for the country, even for a tiny part. If there is an opportunity in the future to work with anyone at the embassy in the future, it would be a great pressure to work and learn with again
May Petcharat Saksirivetkul
19 July 2012
Trainee ( 17 June – 20 July 2012)
The Royal Thai Embassy Colombo. [email protected]
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