I selected this particular program, Cultural Communication in Thailand, because I was curious about a culture very different than my own and considering that I wanted to take the opportunity to travel somewhere new where I can share this experience with fellow peers who share this similar interest. The trip will offer me to explore tribes, beauty of islands, spiritual practices and foods I have never tried that will make me understand the land and its people. The tribes I will see would be in the mountain villages of Akha Ban Huay Pong, Lisu Ban Don Loong, and Ban Pha Nok Kok where conversations will revolve around the tribe’s views and their daily lives such as farming and learning their techniques to raise traditional foods, bamboo houses raised on wooden stilts, and no technology nor connection with outside world. Moreover I will visit temples where artisans work on creating original pieces. Another village I would see is Karen Long-neck Hill tribe located by the jungles where they have bamboo houses, rice paddies and along the way seeing the Mai Ya Waterfalls. I will be able to see an Alms Giving Ceremony to the monks where people would make an offering of food in return for a blessing and travel between holy sites using traditional Thai rickshaw in Chiang Mai. Another area I will visit is Koh Samui, where I will explore the city, beaches and other offshore islands. The third area I will visit is Bangkok where we will also see temples including seeing Wat Traimit , Wat Pho, the Grand Palace, and the Wat Phra Kaew where the Emerald Buddha statue lies from the 14th century. Furthermore, I would get a chance to go on the canals in a traditional “long tail” boat with the tour of seeing Wat Arun towering over the Chao Phraya River. Later, go the former capital city of Ayutthaya where I will see the Bag-Pa-In palace and later head north to see the ancient temple ruins and pagodas use to forms Thai’s large settlements. On another day, I will be able to go to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, the Mae Klong Railway Market, and eat at a dinner place where they would host a dance show depicting the rich, vibrant history of Thailand including stories of classical Thai literature and traditions making up the Ramakian, originally only performed for royal courts.

I will be studying Asian cultures and communication, as the course I chose is COM3410 Cultural Patterns of Asia.

My educational and career goals are to study various cultures to become a counselor with a better idea of interacting with people and what it takes to respect and interact with them.

This program relates to my chosen degree program where I can become familiar with Thai clients who have a different perspective such as being more of a collectivist culture, considering more about the group than individually, the diets they have, high context communications such as reading the atmosphere to figure out one’s wants and needs, and talking respectively without making anyone feel bad. Moreover, on the parenting styles that may be more authoritative as well their family situation such as roles of the parents and gender-based views. Also, to learn about their interpersonal skills and how they are skillful at hospitality and mannerisms, enjoying life leisurely due tot the nature of their environment and level of demands compared to Western societies.

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Moreover, I will be in famous sites where I describe the moment of being inside, meditating like how people there see their worldview, as well as activities to do during free evenings and days including going to the Thai Farm Cooking School where I can apply what I learned there to practice my own cooking skills and spread the knowledge, viewing dance performances and arts, Tiger Kingdom, Elephant Nature Park, and the Doi Inthanon National Park where I can experience the different temperatures, view unique sceneries, and be familiar with native plants and trees, temples, and Hmong hill tribe market.