Twenty-eight students at the University of Idaho traveled across the world to live in Thailand from August to December.
They came back to UI filled with education, culture, and a new mindset on the world.
The study abroad program at UI has several plans, dates, and majors that equip students with the need and desire to educate and explore many places around the world.
Thailand, also known as the “Land of Smiles,” is offered for the fall or spring semester, over the summer, or even year-long. Students travel to study the Thai or Chinese language, culture, and sustainability.
One student Koby Johnson, a senior at UI explained how he found himself in Thailand for the love of the culture, inexpensive pricing, and the desire to travel.
“Interacting with a whole other culture, seeing a different view on the world made everything seem so life-changing,” Johnson said.
Grace Eterl, another senior, made it as a part of her final lap in college to travel and explore while she still could. She made it her goal to get everything and more done while taking part in the excursion. She even went on a few trips of her own.
The main reason for Eterl choosing Thailand came from a long-time friendship she had since she was 16. Eterl met her Thai friend on a family vacation and ever since, they have been keeping in touch.
“She said that if I was ever in town that I would definitely have a place to stay,” Eterl said.
Eterl spent 3 days with her friend after the program but was surprised at where she was staying.
“Her place to stay was, out of all places, a sanctuary with four elephants,” she said.
This was the most emotional part of Eterl’s trip. She not only connected with an old friend but also gained more of an understanding of life there.
“I got to not only visit the elephants but hear all of her stories on the proper care the elephants need, and not what everyone sees” Eterl described. “It was honestly a dream come true and felt very full circle.”
The students stayed in Chiang Mai, Thailand, at Chiang Mai University in the dorms. Students went to classes four days a week in uniforms of white and purple to learn about Thailand’s cultural studies, environment, and religion. Ertel explained her favorite was learning how to meditate, the history of monkhood, and the values of meditation from monks in the region every Thursday.
“We learned how to cross your legs and why they cross their legs in a certain way, as well the importance of all the stepping movements,” she said.
On the weekend the uniforms came off as the students traveled to learn and experience the civilization of Thailand. The students went on a total of five field trips for the first few weeks there, all led by two of the campus’s advisors Sirisorn Sittirin and Araya Amaekngan. The adventures they endured included bamboo rafting, biking, trucking tours, and two hill field studies.
The most memorable aspect of the trip for these students was the food. Johnson expressed his love for fried garlic pork over rice topped with an omelet, saying he ate it almost every day of the week, while Eterl was more fascinated by the coffee freshly made and grown by villages they had visited.
“I have had a lot of coffee before, but this was 100% the best I have ever tried,” Eterl expressed, “One of the villages was famous for their coffee. They showed us the entire process from growing, to harvesting and finally making the coffee.”
Johnson and Eterl gave some tips that made their experiences abroad great.
“Don’t be scared to take action,” Johnson said. “Be super open-minded to all the opportunities and experiences you can get from traveling abroad.”
“Embrace your surroundings cause you’re not going to experience the same things in your hometown,” Eterl said, “You can possibly see yourself fitting in somewhere or finding a passion you didn’t know you had.”
Sofia Newell can be reached at [email protected]