Truthfully, only two weeks have gone by since we all parted ways to enjoy the rest of summer vacation, but it seems like it’s been forever since the 3J Court and ferry boat days. I’m the only one from the trip still lost in Thailand and I often find myself missing the coffee in front of our dorm or wanting to back to ปิ่นเงิน, the shopping area across from Central Pinklao. It’s not THAT far from me, considering the rest of us are back in Cali, but Thonburi isn’t a place I visit often.
In the few spare moments I have to recollect on the TUAA trip experiences, I always find that I miss them. No matter how awkward or tired or uncomfortable the situation was, I learned something every moment.
What did I learn? Where do I start?
Living in Thailand by myself (sort of) expanded my mind even more than before. I tried new things. I tried -so- many new things that I would normally never have the chance or interest in. Everything on this trip was new to me, even though I lived in Thailand for three whole years. Dorming, transportation, the various companies we visited, and everything we learned in the classroom were all things I never really knew about firsthand in Thailand.
Even though our time spent at Thammasat was so short, we are officially Thammasat Alumni now. Here, I’m not just affiliated with UC Irvine, a school that most Thai people don’t really recognize, but I’m also affiliated with Thammasat. I have classmates and schoolmates and school pride here. Yellow and red…that’s me! Pink? Whateverr… This month I also have two relatives graduating from Thammasat and seeing them wear their graduation robes with the Thammasat logo on them stirs up some pride in me too. ^^
Only us five, Duan, Tanya, Michael, Jo and I can know how honored we are to have been a part of this program and given this amazing opportunity. Although we are on the same program as EAP Study Abroad, only TUAA could have given us these one-of-a-kind outside-the-classroom extras that taught us so much more. We also had two beyond-amazing professors that….I don’t even know what to say. You guys, Duan, Tanya, Michael and Jo can understand how I feel I’m sure. In simpler terms, Professor Mano and Professor Akkharaphong are bomb. =P
Near the end of our trip, I remember recollecting with Jo about everything we experienced. One thing that really struck me was our increase in confidence. From language to transportation to dining, we became confident in being in Thailand more. Even though Thailand is the country of our ancestors, it was still an unfamiliar land to us American-borns but now we are familiar with how things work around here. We have really tapped into our “Thainess” and I think that is the most fulfilling goal we have achieved.
Thank you so much Khun Pui and TUAA, for giving us this opportunity. You may not realize exactly what kind of impact this trip had on us but hopefully it will be more clear to you when we bring back what we have learned and integrate it into Thai American society.
