CIEE Khon Kaen Newsletter--2011--SP--No. 4

CIEE KHON KAEN SPRING 2011 NEWSLETTER 1

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KKU and CIEE Khon Kaen Community Public Health Program

By the time you s tep o f f the airplane in Bangkok, you feel like you re already a part of a community when you first find the sta carrying a big CIEE sign. I was so excited to ha ve someone there to welcome me in a ne w countr y where I did not know the language. I would soon find out that this hospital ity is engra ved in Tha i culture. Within the CIEE program, the

eld trips, the campus life, and the random daily activities, you will nd that there is a sense of respect and hospitality from strangers and peers alike.

Although there are sometimes the awkward stares

from Thai people because you are obviously a farang, or a

foreigner or if you blend in like me because I am Asian,

Thais will usually nd out you re a farang when you can t speak Thai , they will try their best to understand and get

you what you want/need. At our first homestay in

Praephan Village a weaving village , I was never hungry

because my host mother fed me so much and the food was

delicious. Although I felt bad that I could not adequately converse with my host family, their patience and ability to

laugh things o made

me feel welcomed. In

the vil lage, al l the

host s were our mothers , f a thers ,

brothers, and sisters.

They showed us what

their daily routines

were and t r ied to teach us Thai/Isaan

and through these

interactions, I was

able to see how big

this small community was.

Meet ing my

Thai roommate has been one of my best experiences so

far. My roommate is a great person to talk to and always

helpful. We especially like to eat together because we re always ready for unique dishes lled with spices and herbs.

Already within the three weeks that I ve been in Thailand,

my roommate has introduced me to numerous restaurants

and shops that I will visit frequently, but there is so much

more to explore.

Marcie LeUniversity of Colorado at Boulder

Molecular Ce ular Developmental Biology, Ethnic Studies

The CIEE Khon Kaen program is slowly learning how to navigate within the Khon Kaen University system. As the university administration changed a er an eight year tenure, the Community Public Health program, organized through KKU s Faculty of Public Health, was partia y delayed for a week. In the meantime, CIEEs CPH sta , headed by Arunee Sriruksa, organized a series of visits to health related sites involving private health care in Thailand, HIV/AIDS groups working with provincial hospitals, and a Thai traditional massage school. In this second week of being at Khon Kaen Universitys campus, the CPH students were able to begin their formal coursework.

In the rst two semesters of o ering the Community Public health program at Khon Kaen University, the CPH students recorded their experience by pi ybacking onto the Development and Globalization students newsletter. But this newsletter is the rst CPH productio solely created by this semester s eight CPH students.

David Streckfuss, Resident Director / Arunee Sriruksa, Assistant Resident Director


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DO YOU LIKE YOUR MOM, OR KUN CHOB MEH CON KUN MAI?

Coming into the rst Thai language class, none of us knew what to expect. The class is structured with no

English allowed, vocabulary drilled with repetition by our teachers Ajaans , and vocabulary associated with images

and actions. It may seem very nerve wracking, but two weeks in, it feels good to be able to communicate to some

extent with the locals around us.

Thai language is very tonal. The consonants are divided into 3 classes: low, mid, or high consonants.

Consonants can also be changed with the addition of short/long vowels and tone marks. It is very easy to get the tones

and words mixed up, which can lead to some memorable results. For example, one of my fellow students at our village

homestay mixed up dog mah and mom meh . The homestay mom was accidently referred to as a dog, which led to

some laughter from some villagers. I also have mixed up some phrases. For example, during the rst week, instead of saying hi sawadee krup , I said thank you kap koon krup to a Thai person. This de nitely led to some awkward looks,

but you just laugh it o and learn from your mistakes. Putting our vocabulary to good use, you can also ask some

awkward questions to your classmates, including Do you like your mom?

Every day is a learning experience. We are put into survival mode and thrown in to learn Thai rst hand

beyond the classroom. Whether you are ordering food, talking with your Thai roommate, or bargaining at the night market, you learn to pick up words along the way. Yes, we may butcher the language and the locals may not understand

us at all times, but we still have 3 months left and it will be interesting to see how much more we will learn and how

our Thai conversational skills will continue to expand.

Je ey TraUniversity of Colorado at Boulder

Integrative Physiology


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BEING A FARANG IN THAILAND

Farang: a word I heard several times on my rst day in Bangkok and many times since being in Khon Kaen.

This word, which essentially means foreigner , is used by Thais to point out visiting Westerners. It is often not meant

to be o ensive, just merely to call attention to a foreigner passing through as this might not be a common event.

Below are just a few things you might encounter day to day as a farang living in Thailand.

I have always had a deep appreciation for the diversity in America, but I can de nitely say that being a farang

in Thailand has deepened this appreciation. When I have walked around our city, Khon Kaen, and more so when in a

village, I have felt the curious eyes of Thais looking at me for just a little bit longer than they would at a native. It s

quite obvious that I m not from around here, and it s made me realize that at home, you wouldn t know if someone

was a visiting foreigner unless you try having a conversation with them. Now, when I see a farang that s not on a CIEE program, I too nd myself looking for a little bit longer or even going up to them and starting a conversation with

them.

In addition, some Thais will call out to you. Sometimes, it might be someone trying to sell you something, or

whatever words they know in English like what s your name. Some will even give compliments to you as you re

passing by. As an example, one day, I was approached by an elderly woman who took my arm in her hand and touched my chin complementing me on my paleness I don t think I have ever been complemented on that before this

semester.

Lastly, being a farang and trying to speak the language has been challenging. However, Thais are incredibly

patient when we try to speak with them and often, if a Thai person who knows English walks by and hears you

struggling, they will stop to help you out. This especially happens when trying to order food. There was one situation when a few of us were looking at someone s plate who must have noticed we were interested in what he was eating, so

he led us to where he got his dish and ordered for us!

Since I have only been here for three weeks, I know I have much more to experience. I am adjusting to living

in a completely di erent country but really love being a farang in Thailand, and I m excited to experience even more in

the next few months.

Rachel StahlUniversity of Rochester

Health Behavior and Society


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As a self proclaimed foodie, I was very excited to live in a country that is well known for its food, especially street food. Because we are living in the northeast region called Isan, the food is heavily influenced by Laotian culture making it quite di erent from the typical fare that you might nd in a Thai restaurant in the United States. We ve been introduced to a number of Isan dishes such as cow neow sticky rice with som tam spicy green papaya salad, see picture . These are often eaten together with the hands and dishes are shared rather than being served portions onto an individual s plate. Naturally, the food takes some getting used to even if you are pretty tolerant of spicy food, but it seems as though this has not severely limited the eating choices of the group.

During our orientation at a resort near Khon Kaen University KKU , we were lucky enough to be able to try a wide range of di erent foods within a short amount of time, which was a good survey of the types of food available around KKU. We were treated to many interesting snacks and savory breakfast dishes like jook rice porridge or noodles. Our second Thai class was all about food leaving us more or less ready to fend for ourselves.

I find it beautiful that the Thais have mana ged to ma inta in a sense o f re spect , appreciation, community and culture around eating that is almost absent in the United States. Rather than having a cafeteria, the KKU campus is surrounded by small food stands that seem to be

mostly family run. Despite our minimal knowledge of the Thai language, ordering food has been relatively straightforward. Quite frequently, there is a lot of motioning towards pictures or foods, which occasionally leads to some surprises, but we ve been pretty successful thus far, especially with the help of our Thai roommates. As opposed to the impersonal experience that you might have at an American restaurant, you quickly begin to recognize the o erings of each stand and the people who run them. Even if the words exchanged are few, a relationship has formed. There is a similar feeling while visiting many of the large markets across Thailand. Apart from the wealth of 7 Elevens, it seems as though much of Thailand has been spared from western ways of buying food. Buying directly from the people who make your food or who may have grown or raised it themselves creates a sense of trust and unity that can only be found at farmer s markets in the United States.

Although our group has quickly discovered the stands owned by English speaking Thais and the restaurants with menus in English, I hope that we challenge ourselves to keep practicing our Thai at new food stands and discovering more delicious dishes even if we don t always know what we re eating.

Amamda Ga aherSpelman Co eg

Neuroscienc

DISCOVERING THAI FOOD


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S a w a d e e k a , our

host mother said as

I stepped on to the

porch of our new home for the night

with a fellow CPH

student and a

l imi ted Tha i

vocabular y. I had been nervous about

this new experience

but my host

mother s smile was

so big that it eased my nerves a bit. Our

mother led us into

the kitchen where

she was making sh

soup and sticky rice for dinner. We used our butchered Thai and some universal sign language to convey that we

wanted to help wash the dishes and sweep the oor. Our

host mother laughed kind heartedly and watched us as we

made more of a mess in our attempt to clean.

The sun was setting as the three of us ate dinner on the porch. Our mother showed us o as her host

children to passer bys and we waved to other CPH

students eating outside with their families across the

street. After dinner, we sat down with our host parents to

watch a Thai sitcom on TV. We didn t understand a thing but our parents laughter made us laugh along with them.

We were sent to bed at nine but Marcie and I stayed

awake for a while as we discussed how happy and welcome

the villagers made us feel that day. Though they certainly

faced hardships, they were so relaxed and laughed and enjoyed every moment. Finally, we fell asleep to the sound

of howling dogs.

The roosters woke us up at six in the morning

and our host mother came into the room to watch the

sunrise with us from the window. After a quick breakfast of fried cow neow, a few villagers took all eight of us on a

tour. Together, we

wa lked pa s t the

sugar cane elds to

the i r vegetab le garden where the

women picked out

eight water lilies for

us. The next stop

was the local school where some of the

ch i ldren wou ld

speak English to us

and then shyly run

away. We were t reated l ike

ce lebr i t ies a s we

walked through the

school and back to

our homes everyone wanted to take pictures with us and appreciated when we tried to speak in Thai.

We nished o our home stay with a group

lunch, Isan style. The eight of us sat on the oor with our

host families eating som tam and cow neow with our hands.

One of our Ajaans was there to bridge the language barrier we were all facing. We were able to thank our families for

their hospitality and they told us that they had so much

fun welcoming us into their life even if it was for just a

day. It was great nally being able to understand what our

families had to say! As we were leaving, my host mother surprised me by giving me a huge hug. Hugs are not as

culturally appropriate in Thailand as they are in the US.

Though we could barely understand each other s

languages, the warmth I felt through her hug and her

smile spoke a thousand words. I plan on visiting the village soon once I learn a little more Thai!

Manaswi Sangraula

George Washington University

Public Health

A NIGHT AT THE WEAVING VILLAGE


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HOSPITAL OR HOTEL?During our time in Thailand, we have had the

pleasure of going on a lot of site visits. During one visit in particular, we walked into a suite and were amazed. The suite had two rooms. The rst room contained a bed, pullout couch, a balcony, refrigerator, microwave, at screen TV, and bathroom. The next room also had a balcony, refrigerator, microwave, at screen TV, and bathroom. It also contained a sitting area complete with a couch and two chairs. Sounds like we were visiting a hotel, right? Well, it was actually a suite in a private hospital, speci cally Khon Kaen Ram Hospital. They take patient care to a whole new level.

Thailand is a community centered country and that sense of community shone through in our site visits to a private hospital and to a HIV Clinic. Each bed in the patient room at the hospital has a fold out couch because Thais feel that you should never be alone. If you have to stay at the hospital it is expected that a family member or friend will be sleeping there with you. The word community descr ibes how the HIV Cl in ic in Mahasarakham province is able to function. One doctor and three nurses run the clinic. They see anywhere from 40 100 patients a day. The only reason that they are able to give excellent care to each of these patients is due to their volunteers. All of the volunteers are HIV positive; they take blood pressure, consult about medicine, answer questions, and take patient history. They are really there to be someone to lean on for new patients to assure them that their illness does not mean a death sentence. The volunteers are so grateful to the clinic that they just want to give back. They want to make sure that new patients know there is a support system for them and they are not alone in the ght against HIV/ AIDS.

Visiting the Khon Kaen Ram Hospital and the HIV Clinic made me take a step back and think about the di erence between the medical system in the United States and Thailand. Thailand is a developing country and in spite of that, they approved free medicine for HIV and cover surgeries and medicine through their universal health card. This raises a question: why can t the United States come up with a universal health care plan? In Thailand, it is still not appropriate to talk about intercourse and sexual transmitted diseases making it a challenge to educate people about safe sex. It seems that a country with an increasing rate of HIV cases per year should make it priority to nd a way to make its cultural

beliefs work with its educational needs. I feel that a lot of people in the developed world think they have everything

gured out especially when it comes to medial care. While in Thailand, I have learned that that is not the case. Each country faces its own challenges; no one has the perfect health care system. Right now it is still something to strive for.

Kathryn WolfBates Co egMathematics


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HAPPINESS AND RELAXATION: EDUCATION OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

Khaen Thong Children s Home

Prepare yourselves to be swarmed by laughing or screaming children , we were told as our group approached the door. It opened, silence and apprehensive looks for a split second, then the

ocking began. I was not two feet into the room when rst two, then four, then six children crowded around me, all trying to hold my hands and eventually anything that was loose enough to grab like my shirt and pants so I no longer was able walk any further. I sat on the oor and became the room s jungle gym with children sliding down my head, or swinging from arm to arm. My nerves about speaking Thai vanished when animal voices and teddy bear puppet shows became my means of communication. I stopped for a moment and looked at the children around me all of whom shared one thing a smile. Their pure joy became contagious as I reverted back to being a child, nding bliss in the simple things of life and living in the moment.

The Khaen Thong Children s Home in Khon Kaen, Thailand is a government run agency that cares for 205 children from newborns to 6 year olds. The orphanage provides shelter, clothing, medicine, and other necessary items for the children s wellbeing overseen by a physician and a group of nurses. Much of the day is devoted to the growth and development of the children such as skill building and intellectual stimulation. The proof of this is seen in the raw emotion radiated from the children and the interactions shared.

Thai Massage

With Buddhist Indian origins dating 2500 years back, the Thai massage works to heal and relax the body. After the Thai King was in chronic pain, an Ajaan performed Thai massage and he was cured. Thus, the phenomenon of Thai massage was born and accepted into Thai culture as a way of healing without the use of antibiotics. Slowly, local herbs and oils were incorporated and now work to relax the body, release pain, cure a cold, and stimulate blood circulation. It is an intense routine that works by relaxing the entire body by dividing it into parts feet, legs, stomach, arms, and neck and then using pressure to heal.

Simply by sitting in the massage room, I became calmed and ready for our lesson. The Ajaan taught our group self massage techniques, which can be used to relax the mind and body when stressed. At the end of our lesson each of us was given a 30minute foot and leg massage. It focused on each leg separately, slowly moving to ensure deep muscle relaxation and an overall body calm. As a group we came to a consensus that Thai massage is needed monthly to balance the stresses of school, learning Thai, and facing the everyday challenges of life.

Rebecca LeUniversity of Minnesota

Health and We ness Major


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Council on International Educational Exchang

David Streckfuss Resident [email protected]

Arunee Sriruksa Assistant Resident [email protected]

Jintana Rattanakhemakorn Language Director [email protected]

John Mark Belardo Field Studies [email protected]

I like to hug. As an American citizen, I ve come to observe the hug as a sign of love, a ection, and comfort. To touch someone is to show you care, at least in my culture. Coming to Thailand, I have been forced to conform my actions to what is culturally appropriate, to express my feelings in ways that are both understood and polite. Thai etiquette, although incredibly strict to a foreigner, is becoming more and more a part of my life and behavior.

It s often di cult to pinpoint your own culture s societal norms. What is deemed appropriate and inappropriate is subconsciously engrained in every child s brain. As an American twenty year old, adjusting to Thailand s social rules is not simple. One of the biggest di erences that I have observed is the use of something called the Wai . This is a gesture of greeting, which signi es a mutual respect and acknowledgement. Peers will Wai one another to say hello, younger people will Wai older people to show respect and everyone of the Buddhist faith will Wai monks. Where the hands are placed depends on the person you are Wai ing. This being said, it is important to realize the importance of the both respect and politeness in the Thai culture. Things such as lowering your body to walk past someone is deeply rooted in respecting those you are walking past. One should never call someone over to them, touch the head of another, or step over pillows. Avoid pointing at someone or something directly and when sitting, make sure those of your elder are seated higher than you are. In addition, make sure feet are pointed behind you when sitting, never pointed at those who you are speaking with. Traditions such as this are based both cultural expectations, religious input, and political in uence. For example, when handling money, do not let it hit the ground and if it does fall by accident, do not step on it! Because the King of Thailand is depicted on the face of the money, these actions are disrespectful. One should also dress conservatively, wear a school uniform at the university if outfit choices are questionable, and never offer your leftovers to someone. When visiting a family, take a shower. Thai people are also very clean and want to make their house guests feel comfortable. These rules are strictly followed by the Thai people but foreigners are given leeway because it is assumed that they may not have learned what is and is not appropriate yet. Mai Pen Rai or no worries! .

I have learned to Wai, sit with my feet behind me, and even shower multiple times in one day. It is not these things that de ne a culture, though. Learning etiquette is an essential step in the immersion process but creating a mutual understanding and peace with the people around you is far more important. I have learned to appreciate and become part of the hierarchical chain of respect in Thailand. As an American, being polite is not always a quality that we value but here I have embraced this quality and am able to see what an e ect this characteristic has on a society. Thailand and its rules are growing on me. Hugs are overrated.

Julie MaeuserUniversity of Colorado at Boulder

International Studies

HAPPINESS AND RELAXATION: EDUCATION OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

Documents

CIEE Khon Kaen Newsletter--2011--SP--No. 4