What an unforgettable summer! Eight weeks ago, I waved good-bye to my family, boarded on a plane, and flew half way around the world to finally see, with my own two eyes, places that I had only read about in books and had dreamed of going to, but much later down the road, perhaps after finishing up with school. The SEAS program convinced me to stop waiting until later, and helped me to realize one of many opportunities that are open for me now. As a result, I can’t say that I’m the same person from eight weeks ago. I have a greater curiosity and respect for other cultures, food, religion, people, and lifestyles. Not only has SEAS revealed a different outlook of the world and of life, but it has also opened up doors for me to interact with different people and experience a mixture of excitement, confusion, paranoia, and other feelings from being in a foreign country.
My time in Singapore and Thailand has been nothing shy of amazing, especially since I traveled with a diverse group of some of the most awesomely fun, bright, and energetic people I’ve ever met. I honestly think that I wouldn’t have gotten to know many of them, if it weren’t for this summer program. I am forever grateful for having had this amazing opportunity to see parts of the world that are, in some ways, different from mine, but in others, quite similar. Thailand is a much different place than the United States in that it is heavily influenced by Buddhism and built upon a constitutional monarchy. But I found, through my interaction with locals and MUIC students, that Thai people and Americans have quite a few similarities in values and interests. At our last farewell dinner, I saw how much we had grown together since day one of this trip. Everyone pitched in their efforts to make spring rolls, decorative fruits, green curry, Tom Yom soup, and Pad Thai, while sharing inside jokes and laughter. There was not only a close bond among the SEAS group, but also close ties between UNC students and MUIC students. The MUIC students had been so welcoming since the first day we had met them upon our arrival to Thailand. They had graciously guided us throughout our time in Thailand without holding our hands the whole time, but rather lending us a helping hand whenever we needed one. I will certainly miss all of them and hope that I might see them at UNC, as some of them expressed their interest in going to UNC.
Another thing I took away from this trip, aside from learning from and about my peers, instructors, and local people, was a greater understanding of this gray world that is far from perfect, which helped me gain a greater appreciation for the part of world in which I live and also think about how I, as a student and an individual of both the American and international community, can get involved in many of these difficult, complicated, and emotionally painful issues that we learned about in class. From Dr. Steiner’s class and outside-of-class activities, we learned a great deal about issues on refugees, legal and illegal migrant workers, and guest workers, especially in the context of Singapore and Thailand. These issues dealt with exploitation and abuse, separation of families, ineffective policies, and many more tough matters that didn’t have clear-cut solutions. Often times, I felt so confused that it was frustrating, but it made me think more deeply about problems in this world and also to discuss it with my peers not just in class, but also over lunch or when we get on an hour long bus ride. Visits to organizations such as the Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC), UNHCR, and Tham Hin Police School, revealed the deep realities of these issues and gave me a chance to meet the people working for justice and human rights.
On Thursday, we visited the Tham Hin Police School near the Thai-Burmese border area. This police school enrolls Thai students as well as some refugee students generally from 1st through 6th grade. It’s not like a typical American school, because the classes are taught by qualified police officers and the students learn more about what they could do to survive and provide for their basic necessities. They learn more about growing agriculture and raising animals rather than how to do algebra or understand chemical reactions. The sweetest and most special moment of the day came when the kids stood in front of their school, smiling and waving at us until we were at a distance. On the same day, we had the pleasure of meeting Bola, a UNHCR field officer who gave us interesting insights in her field of study and how she was working on behalf of the refugees. Someone like Bola made me realize the potential that each of us can have in at least minimizing these problems and to really make this world a better place for all of us, using our positions and access to resources.
I’m writing this as I fly back home to the States. I’m so excited to see my family. I can’t wait to share with them every little detail about this trip from the places I visited to the people I’ve not only met, but got to know fairly well. Although I might have been away from my home for eight weeks, I pulled through at my temporary home in Singapore and Thailand with my one, big happy SEAS family. I think it is about time to go back home, but at the same, I can’t help but feel sad that all this is over, or perhaps this is just the beginning, as many of us want to visit Thailand again sometime in the future and also go beyond Thailand to other countries not just in Southeast Asia, but in Europe, Africa and other parts of the world. I’m quite pleased to have been the first experimental group to spend four weeks in Thailand. Every week in Thailand was a blast with trips to see the Grand Palace, temples, ancient ruins, museums, and all these places that taught us about Thai culture and history, and with non-stop shopping adventures that eventually turned most of us into shopping addicts or bargaining experts.
So, what’s next when I get back at home? I’ll definitely spend a lot of time with my family before I go back to school, and in my spare time, I’ll be thinking about this summer and everything that has happened so far. I’m still in amazement with what the SEAS program has provided for me. The study abroad program is one of those things that you have to do in order to truly understand its effects on the individual. Fortunately, I had gone on one of the best study abroad programs UNC could offer to a student. A great, big thank you to Alston and Barbara for funding this program and to all the people who have spent considerable time and thought into making this summer one of the best and memorable events in my life.
Because pictures are really worth more than a thousand words, I posted some of my favorite ones from our last week in Thailand below:
The SEAS Iron Chefs at work
This was taken at the Tham Hin Police School.
The SEAS and MUIC family
SEAS '09 rocks my socks!!!
-Lea
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