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Somkiat

"My name is Somkiat Sajjapunyathikun and my nickname is 'Tik.' I was born on October 31, 1985 in the province of Chiang Mai. My way of life is not the same as that of city people. I am currently studying for a university degree in Humanities and am especially interested in English.

"My family crafts decorative pieces from materials such as bamboo and teakwood. Ours is a small family enterprise, so everyone helps; my mother is also a seamstress. In my family, I am the third of four children and we coordinate the family's work. We opened a small shop and I helped my parents there during high school. Since I entered the university, I come back home on weekends to work in our shop.

"I'm always planning how to spend my time. During the week, school takes up all my time and I have many friends from many places. I take care to manage everything by myself and am becoming increasingly responsible. I occasionally participate in the student assembly and, as I love to play sports, I am a member of an indoor sports club too.

"In 1998, I began creating woven bamboo decor on teakwood, a very painstaking and delicate process. I have trained in handicrafts ever since I was a young boy, because this is my family's occupation. Everyone in my family creates items to sell in our shop, and our designs are as varied as coat hooks, Thai musical instruments, bows and arrows, and many decorative accents and souvenirs.

"Some day I would like to be an executive with my own business. But crafting decorative items is so interesting and diversified that I never feel bored and will continue to do this for a long, long time. It pleases me to know that what I do every day will be sold through Novica's website and be displayed abroad, in someone's home. Our Thai products are beautiful and utilitarian, but they also carry our friendship, our skills, and a bit of our own lives!"