CIEE Khon Kaen
Volume XIX, Issue I, Fall 2017
Isaan Insider
The Welcoming Ceremony: Calling Our Happiness Hannah Hoffman, Macalester College The welcoming ceremony began shortly after meeting our Thai roommates and settling into our rooms. We stood outside the CIEE building and were greeted by a large red mat that was spread out on the ground. American and Thai students took off their shoes and stepped onto the mat, the Thai students much less nervous than the Americans. What was this ceremony going to entail?
Even though it was rushed, we did not mind! As soon as the ceremony ended and right before the clouds broke, we all ran inside and sat on the ground with our new teachers and roommates, excited and ready to enjoy a typical Isaan style meal.
In answer to all our silent questions, Ajaan John spoke up, explaining that in Thai tradition, it is believed that during transitions and major life events, we sometimes leave our happiness spirits behind. Therefore, the following ceremony called those spirits that we might have left behind at home in the States, and brought them back to our souls here in Thailand. Unfortunately, as is unsurprising in the rainy season, a storm was brewing above as the ceremony took place, which rushed the end of the ceremony, in which the man leading the ceremony tied white strings onto each student's’ wrist.
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When it rains it pours
Flushing Away My Comfort Zone
Amy Bell, Occidental College
Sarah Wright, George Washington University “Bring toilet paper” was the most common piece of advice people gave me when I told them I was studying abroad in Thailand. I never realized how valuable this advice was until I actually arrived. When you think about going abroad, you want to experience a new culture and see and experience new things. In Thailand, these new experiences begin in the bathroom. The most common bathroom experience you will have is what I like to call the “squatty potty”. There is no sitting down to do your business, and there is rarely any toilet paper (sometimes if you’re lucky you can buy it for about 3 baht). This toilet is essentially a hole in the ground that you stand on and then proceed to squat down, trying not to fall over.
This is a picture of students on one of their latest trips to Karaoke. We left the apartments while it was barely misting outside for the five minute walk to a Karaoke room. Seconds later the sky fell and we were all soaked through. We sprinted down the street and made it and had a great night but here are some tips for staying dry in Thailand: • • • •
Bring an umbrella especially if you have a laptop No need to wear fancy sandals or heels because they will get wet Flip flops or Chacos are usually best because they can get wet Have a flexible schedule and check out a coffee shop to stay inside
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The main reason many Thai people don’t use the luxurious bathroom tissue is that you can’t flush it in Thailand due to the plumbing. Therefore, there are hoses next to the throne to spray yourself clean. You then proceed to pour water from a bucket down the toilet until it is flushed. As you can imagine, this took a lot of getting used to, but adapting to this bathroom style has taught me to always be equipped with the resources I need, and to be flexible while adapting to a new culture. Community Public Health students finished their first week at the Faculty of Public Health. Here they are showing off their uniforms!
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We’re All in This Together Andy Pham, Macalester College Interesting things happen when 16 strangers are put into a land of ravenous mosquitos, scrumptious food, and plentiful smiles. People can either isolate and guard themselves, or start to build trust and reliance upon one another. I believe that the latter has been happening in these first few weeks! We have learned to work together and care for each other to navigate this new world. On the bus back from our three day trip from Chiang Mai, one of our friends came down with a fever and stomach problems. Half a day away from our hospital at Khon Kaen, we made our sick friend's health our number one priority. We offered her our water and food, helped to call our ajaan (teacher), and attempted to make her feel as comfortable as possible. Even one of us volunteered to stay with her at the hospital until she got better! Seeing these sorts of things make me so happy because we were so willing to sacrifice our resources and time for the betterment of our friend. In the beginning, my hope was that we were strangers that would become friends. And by the end, we would be friends that would become family.
Shelby Gordon, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign It’s no secret that adjusting to a new environment can be tricky, and studying abroad for the first time is definitely no exception. For many, Thailand is the farthest place away from home that they have ever been. For others, it may seem more familiar than expected. No matter, I’ve found that students can find support from peers, resident assistants, and CIEE staff. Whether it is learning how to order your favorite dish in the Thai markets, receiving extra tutoring for a language quiz, navigating the streets of Khon Kaen, or just being overwhelmed by these new experiences, students can find support from others all around them. By pulling yourself out of your comfort zone, you will find yourself surrounded by people who know how hard this may be, and want to see you succeed. It’s never easy to leave home, but if you put yourself out there, CIEE Khon Kaen will be there to help you every step of the way.
Thai roommates took a group of students to downtown Khon Kaen to experience Walking Street, the weekly night market. Students tried fried silk worms and other Thai treats!
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Bleaching Skin Creams: Being Brown in Thailand Krithika Rao, Scripps College Farang: the term most Thai people use to describe foreigners – especially westerners. As I sat in the classroom surrounded by my American peers, the ajaan helped me say the word over and over again, ingraining it into my memory. I prepared myself to embrace this new identity: no longer Indian, no longer American, but simply farang. Over the next few days, I would learn that farang was more than just a word, but rather a state of being. We could never leave our rooms without attracting stares from the curious eyes of every Thai native that we passed. The farangs were obvious outsiders – othered from mainstream Thai society, yet always treated with respect, dignity, and deference. I would later find, however, that farang did not apply to me. When I travel alone, the curious stares are replaced by blank looks of confusion. Farangs are supposed to be white with big noses and light hair, right? So why is a dark-skinned girl with thick, black hair travelling with this group of Americans? Every time people ask me where I come from, my response as an American leads to doubtful eyes, begging to ask for my true ethnicity. Every drug store and gas station I walk into proudly displays its assortment of skinlightning supplements and lotions, all reminding me that here in Thailand, my dark skin is unwanted. My first few days in Thailand were riddled with pangs of homesickness and emotional torment – not because I particularly missed my friends or family, but because I missed being in a community of people that looked like me validated my identity. I had never before felt so alone, diminished, and un-American.
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But my friends here never let me feel isolated. My CIEE peers constantly surround me with love and support. They include me, and treat me like I am just as American as they are. My roommate and my ajaans respect me, letting me speak freely about my experiences as each an Indian and an American. I may never look like the Thais or the other farangs that surround me, but I have learned that I am the only person that controls my identity. So I call myself a farang even though others do not, and I remind myself constantly that I am an American. On the days that I feel homesick or alone, I know that I can talk to the friends and faculty here who are ready to help me through anything, or the friends back home who are only one phone call away. Navigating race is always complicated for people of color, and I am sure it will continue to challenge me over the next five months. But as I start to reclaim my identity and arm myself with the support of the community I have found here, I feel stronger and happier every day. With a majority of the program still ahead of me, I look forward to all the things that Thailand will teach me and all of the things my experiences here will teach me about myself.
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Roommates Chloe Zaloom, University of Richmond
Kaitlyn Greaney, University of Colorado Boulder
By choosing to spend my time abroad in Thailand, I had already expected a different experience from my friends studying elsewhere, many of whom chose to study and live abroad together. Naturally I had some reservations about living with a Thai roommate, mostly wondering if the language barrier would be an issue and whether we would get along coming from such different cultures.
Before coming to Khon Kaen, I was both anxious and excited to meet my roommate that I would be sharing a bedroom and bathroom with for four months.
Standing outside the CIEE center that first day, waiting to see who would flip over a sign with my name on it was nerve racking. When I met my roommate, Ploy, she immediately ran up and embraced me. I felt a sense of calm wash over me as I flashed back to my first day of college and how I shared a similar warm welcome with my freshmen year roommate. Over the next few days we grew closer as we realized we are similar people with similar interests. By the end of the week we were curled up and watching the new Game of Thrones episode together. I’ve come to rely on my roommate for daily necessities, from using her motorcycle to take me to the local shopping center for toiletries (and translating), to explaining what unidentifiable foods are before I eat them. I could not imagine what my experience would have been like thus far without my roommate, and I know my classmates feel the same way. I am so thankful to have her to guide me on my new adventures!
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On the first day of orientation, I read a letter from my future roomie and knew we were going to hit it off when she mentioned her love for music festivals and food. After I quickly read my letter, we began the roommate reveal. I was so excited to finally hug my new friend and begin talking about our shared interests and different lives. I noticed right away that my roommate did not speak impeccable English, so I have learned to utilize my little Thai knowledge and most importantly hand gestures, or what I like to call "Pictionary." We often go to dinner during the week, and I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting her friends, even though I have no idea what they are saying. Despite being only four weeks into the program, my Thai roommate has been more than a blessing to me and I see us continuing a lifelong friendship.
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Learning Thai Tluang Cer, Agnes Scott College Sawatdi kha/krap (Hello), that’s how we start most of our morning in Thailand.
taxi, asking directions and ordering foods in a restaurant.
The teacher will say di mak (very good) if we pronounce the words and sentence correctly. The teacher will say di (good) if our pronunciation is forgivable tone. The teacher will say mai pen rai if we pronounce something else we haven’t learned yet. Most of us get di mak, while some of us get mai pen rai with a smile even though we tried our tongue to roll in and out, up and down with many repeats after the teacher like a baby trying to speak their first word.
After all, learning Thai is fun especially through Thai fun activities, many snack breaks from class, puzzling picture vocabulary, and practice game competitions. Also, the relationship we build in the classroom with our ajaan and peer tutors are priceless. There is one important word we will say at the end of our class for appreciation for teaching us, and that is khop khun kha/krap (thank you), and we will use this word every single day as long as we are in Thailand.
Learning a new language can be a struggle, especially Thai, when many words do not exist in English. On the other hand, unlike English, they do not have the past and present verb tense so knowing many vocabularies is key to success in learning Thai. We have approximately six hours Thai classes with our ajaans and 1-2 hours with peer tutors in the evening to help us review the materials from the previous class each week. As intensive as Thai classes are, by three weeks, we all can now survive in Thailand, at least for introducing ourselves in Thai, asking prices and bargaining in the market, calling a
Isaan Insider, Volume XXI, Issue I, Fall 2017
Thai language teachers took the students to a market in Khon Kaen where students split up into teams and raced to find all the items on their lists, using their Thai to ask for items and bargain with shop keepers. Afterwards, the ajaans treated all of the students to ice cream!
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Nung Kai gap Mai Nam Tan: Breakfast in Khon Kaen Laura Isaza, Georgetown University Common breakfasts for CIEE students include rice porridge or eggs at one of the two Vietnamese restaurants open for breakfast. The food is delicious, so the only way to go wrong might through pointing to the picture of the meal you want and accidentally ending up with three omelets instead of one. But hey, at least the language barrier will give you some cool stories.
Coffee isn’t an option at the Vietnamese restaurants and most coffee shops don't open until noon. But if one was ever worried about missing one’s favorite coffee shop, there's nothing to fear; Khon Kaen has the cutest coffee spots and not a snobby barista in sight. The most important thing to know is mai nam tan or nid noi wan which mean no sugar and not too sweet respectively. Though if you’re a sweet tooth, you’ll be like a fish in water.
Despite limitations, earlier options exist and include a sugary 7/11 latte or, if you prefer your coffee black or sugar-free, the stand that has quickly become a CIEE favorite: Master Coffee. Students often pick up a yogurt or a hot breakfast at 7/11, then go to see Jom. Jom runs the little blue Master coffee stand, and interactions with her are among the favorite parts of our mornings.
As we've learned more Thai, we've been able to expand our conversations to a few more words than hello. Sometimes your lack of Thai means that you somehow end up with six eggs at breakfast, and sometimes it will show you how a shared love for americanos can make the words “hot or iced” the pillars of a burgeoning friendship.
Community Public Health Students had their first community visit. They met with the village health volunteers, exchanged gifts of appreciation, and got a chance to ask questions about the local Health Promoting Hospital.
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Inexpensive Foods
The Return of the Green Curry
Michelle Baik, Northwestern University
Laura Isaza, Georgetown University
I'm a big foodie. The summer before I came to Thailand, I was in Manhattan, always on the search for the best places to eat.
After our first intensive Thai lesson, for our first lunch in Khon Kaen I ordered a green curry omelet. A strategic choice, I thought to myself as I cringed slightly but said nothing of the seafood salads my new friends ordered, miles away from the ocean and full of raw vegetables that, who knew, could’ve been washed with tap water. When they brought it out steaming on the plate I dug into that omelet knowing I’d made the right choice.
Here's a picture of a bowl of ramen from a wellknown restaurant I frequently visited. This bowl cost me $17 with a $3 tip. I easily spent twenty bucks. Despite how good the ramen was, I soon realized that my dining habits were taking a toll on my bank account. Then, I came to Khon Kaen. One Saturday, I visited the night market, featuring a endless array of food options.
This wasn’t my first rodeo; that is to say, I’ve travelled before and “knew all the tricks” about how to stay healthy and safe. I’d embarked on the plane to Thailand with my trusty money belt and wits about me. When I made a new friend in the Taipei airport, I gladly engaged while making sure never to leave my bags unattended.
40 + 10 + 35 = 85 baht
Once in Thailand, I avoided ice, made sure to buy only bottled water, and didn’t eat raw vegetables. The night after my delicious omelet lunch, I wasn’t very hungry and was sure it was probably the heat. The next morning I felt awful. My stomach in knots, and I had to leave Thai class less than 15 minutes in.
I just spent 85 baht on an incredibly filling, delicious meal. That was $2.56.
“I’m going to be sick.” Ajaan Ooh asked me what I’d eaten. “A green curry omelet.”
I knew I made the right choice in coming to this country.
“Green curry? Oh…” She tried to help me by giving me medicine. It had to be taken with food.
Here's what I got, along with the incredible prices. Pad Thai + Beef Kabob + Lychee Drink
“I can’t ingest anything.”
CIEE students had a three day weekend! Many students used this long weekend to travel on a 12 hour night bus to Chiang Mai! We all had such fun and different adventures!
Isaan Insider, Volume XXI, Issue I, Fall 2017
“Maybe just this?” As soon as she held up a bag of plain crackers, I ran to the bathroom. It was everything I had tried to avoid. This was it: the return of the green curry. This was a good reminder at the beginning of the trip that even if you think you can control outcomes, there’s always something more to be learned. In addition, a reminder that a paranoid cautiousness won’t save you, at least not from the green curry. Gabriella, who ordered the seafood salad, was just fine.
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Health & Vaccines
Hospital Trip
Michelle Baik, Northwestern University
Stephanie Clark, Tulane University
Dear Mom and Dad,
This Monday, I ended up in the hospital. Although I was initially nervous to be admitted, my stay at Khon Kaen Ram was a surprisingly pleasant one. From the second I arrived, the doctors and nurses did their best to accommodate me and my limited language skills.
Hope you're doing well! I've had an interesting couple of weeks here. I’m still adjusting to a new environment— i.e. the frequent upset stomach— but I’m writing to reassure you that when it comes to health overall, I’ll be fine. I will be honest. Mosquitoes are everywhere. But that doesn’t mean you should be concerned about mosquito-born diseases like malaria or Japanese encephalitis. The CDC only recommends that we get medicated or vaccinated. Plus, the diseases aren’t common even in the rural communities of Thailand.
The hospital room itself was spacious and modern and had many amenities including a couch, a balcony, a mini fridge, and a microwave. It even had a room service menu! The room felt like it belonged in a hotel, not a hospital.
Regardless, CIEE provided a van for us students to go to the hospital and get vaccines and medication. The vaccine— $38. Malaria pills— just $9. Our Thai residential assistants accompanied us there to translate. For future reference, our teachers and staff are available 24/7 if we ever need to go to the hospital for an emergency. Don’t worry! People are here to take care of me. Love, Michelle Students on the Development and Globalization track discussed research methods and brainstormed research questions while enjoying delicious fresh fruit provided by Ajaan Ooh!
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Despite the impressive facilities, the most memorable part of my hospital stay was the CIEE staff, Thai students, and CIEE students who supported me around the clock. While I was sick, everyone worked tirelessly to help me communicate with my doctors, keep me company overnight, and check in frequently. Ultimately, I came back from the hospital feeling like I was reentering a community that I missed and that had missed me, and for that, I could not be more grateful.
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A First Glimpse at Community Life
Transportation Outside Khon Kaen
Hannah Hoffman, Macalester College
Ella De Falco, University of Rochester
Through the van’s windows, I could see the grass becoming longer and greener. After almost four hours of driving, the van began to slow down and we rolled onto a small road. Standing in front of us outside the community’s learning center were a Thai man and woman, greeting us happily. Through Ajaan Tony’s helpful translations, we were able to swap introductions and begin understanding the complex backgrounds of these people and their community.
Though there is plenty to do and see on the Khon Kaen University campus and downtown, the first few weeks of our program left students itching to explore beyond the city.
While we only stayed in the community for one night, we were able to see and learn much about the daily lives of those living in the community. We met the villagers, helped cook delicious homemade food, got to see the frogs and chickens that the grandmother in the house was raising. We even got to experience the end of a traditional Thai funeral!
The first weekend trip we all took together as a group was to Chiang Mai. We chose the night bus as our transportation as it is both inexpensive and reliable. These buses usually leave anywhere from 7pm to 9pm and arrive at your destination very early the next morning. To get to the station, you need to call a taxi (a feat we only recently mastered in Thai class!). Luckily one of our Thai roommates made sure we were headed in the right direction and off we went. The buses themselves are comfortable. The seats recline much further than on a plane, and the bus attendant gives you snacks, bottled water, and a blanket. Most of us found that we were actually able to get some sleep! However, if a 6-12 hour bus ride isn’t your style, for a few more dollars you can catch a connecting flight to the Bangkok airport. Overall, I have been surprised to find how easy it is to travel not just around Khon Kaen but around the whole of Thailand.
Most importantly though, we saw the giant dam that was built next to the community that flooded their wetlands and put their livelihood in danger, as the flooded area made it harder and more expensive to catch fish, and near impossible to harvest rice and other resources. Before we left to go back to CIEE, we had a meeting with some of the leaders of the community, discussing the dam problem, all its consequences, and the things we may be able to do to help out a little. We left the community feeling saddened, but also feeling determined and excited for the weeks ahead, in which we will be able to dig deeper and hopefully do all we can to help the community win back their livelihood. Isaan Insider, Volume XXI, Issue I, Fall 2017
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Toolkit for Transportation: Getting Around Khon Kaen Kyler Carlson, Brown University When you first arrive in the city, getting around will feel a little overwhelming. Everything you need to survive is located within a two-minute walk along the street and shops that run in between KSS (the dorms you stay at) and the CIEE Study Center, but you may start feeling claustrophobic if unable to navigate the various transportation options available to you. To help you get outside the university and into the city, you’ll have these options available to you:
Songthaew: Use For: Anywhere and everywhere in the city. The songthaew is highly useful for getting into the city center. It’s a flat rate of 9 baht, and one leaves from the bus station across from the Complex. Plus, who doesn’t love a tour of the city from the back of a pickup truck?
Motorbike: Use for: Anything your roommates want to do. The most prevalent mode of transportation in KK is the motorbike. As an international student you’re not allowed to ride one yourself, but you’ll have access to it through your roommate/RA. They’ll love to take you to dinner and their favorite free time activities. The only limitation you’ll have is the availability of your roommate.
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Taxi/ Tuk Tuk: Use For: As the sun sets, your options for getting home dwindle, but the tuk tuk will always be there to carry your intoxicated self back to your apartment. Bus: Use For: Free bus around campus, 15 baht bus from KKU to Central Mall, and a 15 baht bus around the city.
The tuk tuk fits about three people but up to six if you’re ambitious. Negotiate the fare before you go, so you won’t get ripped off, but it will always be pricier than a songthaew or bus.
The campus bus is fairly reliable and even comes with its own app that tracks them in real time! Its great if you’re heading to a campus destination like Jubilee Hall or the Agro Outlet. There’s also a 15 baht bus that goes straight to Central Mall.
Community Public Health students had their first overnight stay in their community for two nights. They spent their time interviewing village health volunteers, patients, and community members. They also collected data from the local health promoting hospital. In their free time they hiked to a temple, walked around rice farms, helped out with cooking and cleaning, and had homemade coconut ice-cream.
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CIEE Portland Study Abroad Advisor: Susan Pollis, spollis@ciee.org CIEE Pacific Rim Regional Director: Kenneth Choo, kchoo@ciee.org CIEE Khon Kaen Center Director: David Streckfuss, dstreckfuss@ciee.org Director of Academic Affairs: John Mark Belardo, jbelardo@ciee.org Director of Administration: Chananya Tangvanichkapong, ctangvanichkapong@ciee.org
Visit us on the web, at: Website: https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/college-studyabroad/programs/thailand/khon-kaen/community-public-health https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/college-studyabroad/programs/thailand/khon-kaen/development-globalization Facebook CIEE Khon Kaen Twitter CIEE Khon Kaen Instagram #cieekhonkaen
Isaan Insider, Volume XXI, Issue I, Fall 2017