CIEE Khon Kaen Newsletter--2010--FA--No. 2

CIEE THAILAND FALL 2010 NEWSLETTER 2

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The ‘Pood Cha Cha’ Post

The CIEE Thailand program’s philosophy of education captures the essence of intrapersonal development, self-empowerment, and direct engagement in the learning process. Nearly two and a half months ago, we arrived in Bangkok wide-eyed and apprehensive. Thus far, our experiences throughout the semester have exceeded our expectations. CIEE Thailand is based on experiential learning; a personalized, holistic alternative to mainstream education. Essentially, we have been learning by doing. Our semester is divided into five units: agriculture, urban issues, human rights in Southeast Asia, dams and water, and mining. Throughout the semester, we work together as a group to identify the themes of globalization, development, and human rights within each unit. The first few days of each unit include a classroom component. Together we read extensively about the issues and hear lectures from academics in the field. After the classroom component, we work as a group to explore the issues before departing on the unit trip. The unit trip is at the core of the program. During the trips we stay with villagers who are working towards solutions to overcome injustices within their own communities. Throughout the trip, we exchange with villagers, community organizations, NGOs, businesses, and governmental organizations. The exchanges are two to four hour-translated conversations that allow us to discuss the issues in more depth.

Unit one focused on sustainable agriculture. We stayed in Yasothon, a once self-sufficient community destroyed by the market economy and chemical agriculture. Unit two focused on urban issues. We stayed in the Khon Kaen city landfill, where villagers are subjected to injustices and human rights violations everyday. Next, we moved to a Khon Kaen slum community, where the villagers are being forced by the government to move off of their land. Rather than being confined to the classroom, we were able to live and work with villagers, and truly experience their ways of life. During unit one we worked closely with our families in the rice fields and helped sell their organic produce at the ‘Green Market.’ During unit two, we worked with our families in the landfill and helped slum-dwelling families sell their products at the city’s weekly Walking Street. Unit three allowed us the amazing opportunity to travel to Bangkok and attend the first International Conference on Human Rights in South East Asia.

CIEE Thailand’s alternative learning style offers students a cultural immersion experience unlike anything else. The program raises consciousness on development, globalization, and human rights issues while also fostering a discovery of the self. We are proud to have made it thus far and are looking forward to more adventures.

The Editors, Madeleine and Katherine

‘POOD CHA CHA: PLEASE SPEAK SLOWLY’

“Te# me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn”.Benjamin Franklin


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CULTIVATING A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING

Rarely do we, as consumers, ask ourselves important questions regarding food production. Where does our food come from? Is it locally grown? Is it chemical free? Who harvests it? During our unit on agriculture, I had the opportunity to answer these questions in the thai context. In our visit to Yasothon province, a region in Northeastern Thailand, we stayed with small-scale farmers in the midst of transitioning from the use of chemicals (pesticides and herbicides) to organic agricultural production. In Gutchoom village, small-scale farmers are organizing a regional organic movement to reclaim the right to traditional farming methods and a self-sufficient lifestyle. Allow me to illustrate the war between industrial and traditional farming in Thailand. Since the onset of the Green Revolution, Thailand’s agricultural sector has been destroyed by the influx of industrial

farming methods. National development schemes have largely encouraged the use of technology and science to cultivate higher yields of cash crops, transforming the intention of agricultural productivity. Farmers are pressured by the government to maximize cash crop production in order to increase profits and achieve economic growth. In a market economy, small-scale farmers are sabotaged by virtue of competition with colossal Transnational Corporations (TNCS’s). In Thailand, traditional agrarian culture has failed to survive in the face of globalization and modern agricultural production methods. The small-scale farmers in Gutchoom village face the reality of modern development and industrial farming trends. In order to survive, many of the farmers were forced to sacrifice their self-sufficient lifestyles and integrated agricultural production. Small-scale farmers throughout the region were pressured to grow cash crops, practice mono-cropping, and use chemical fertilizer. Despite its initial success in producing economic growth, the use of pesticides and herbicides degraded the soil and negatively affected the health of the villagers. The farmers soon realized that the use of chemical fertilizer was uneconomical, unsustainable, and expensive in comparison to cultivating organic compost. Now the farmers in Gutchoom village are fighting to reclaim their rights to culture by bravely transitioning back to organic, integrated agriculture. During our trip to Yasothon, I harvested local vegetables (such as cassava, chili peppers, and sugarcane), broke a sweat in the rice fields and even helped cultivate organic compost. I was able to identify the who, what, when, where, and why of agricultural production in Thailand. It was empowering to know that every meal I ate in Gutchoom was organic and all the ingredients were straight from the villagers’ farmland.

Katherine Cooney, University of Minnesota

THE GREEN MARKETEvery Saturday at 2am thirty women from Yasothon Province wake up to prepare for their day at the Green

Market. During the agriculture unit, my peers and I had the opportunity to experience this day. We helped out host families harvest crops and sell organic products in the city.

The Green Market was established two years ago by organic farmers who wanted to provide the urban community with fresh and chemical free produce. The market is set up every Saturday and customers from all over the Northeast region come to purchase delicious organic produce such as: local varieties of rice, coconuts, chili peppers, home-made treats (kanoms), fresh fruits and local vegetables.

The Green Market sellers take pride in their product because the process of becoming certified organic is complicated, costly, and difficult. The certification process can can take three years and requires farmers to pay a fee. The sellers are dedicated to being organic because they believe all people should have access to healthy food. As farmers, food is their way of life and they want to share it with others.

Abby Bok, Hope Co#ege


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A COMMUNITY PROFILEAt 26 years old, Panudda Sansuk is the eldest

daughter in an organic rice farming family in Gutchoom village within Yasothon province. Though she wishes to work the land like her ancestors before her have done, she is also member of a generation that increasingly scorns the farming occupation. Many of her friends from the village have moved away to seek employment in bigger cities like Bangkok. Even Panudda’s younger sister left the village and married a man from another province.

However, Panudda hopes to reverse this trend. She currently works as a 4th grade science teacher at a Christian school near her home and has had a long-term goal of establishing a Preservation Club at her school. “The students would prepare the soil and collect seeds from different villages,” she said. “They could plant them in a field near the school, and the students would keep the rice that they grew,” she continued with a smile. “Most of the students come from farming families, so I think it is important for them to learn about what their families do,” she said.

12-year-old Oom and 6-year-old Im are Panudda’s younger cousins in Gutchoom village. Like their older cousin, they hope to one day take care of the farming land that their family has cultivated for so long. They

both enjoy playing outside and tending to the ducks, chickens, pigs, cows, and water buffalo that share the land with them. “I like learning English,” said Oom. Continuing in surprisingly clear English, she said, “But I don’t want to go to America. That’s far away from home. I like it here.”

Emily Srisarajivakul, Northwestern University

THE RICE FIELDS So green your blinks don’t shake it from your vision;Your iris now the bedding for sprouts rooted in your eyelidsAs you envision the beginning; the tan, cracked fingers plantingOne…Two…Three…Till millions were sewn to make a restless tapestry;Its threads now twirling toward butterflies and tumbling frogsAs the rice stalks lean together to hear the breeze sayLeft…Right…Left…Sketched right from the lawns of distant heavens,Painted so the sun could always find it in her reach;A sight that draws more than just breath from its beholderIn…Out…In…

Jake Teeny , Santa Clara University


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WHY BOTHER?

Mae Praewan is a 44-year-old som tum and meat vendor at the Khon Kaen Walking Street. But she’s not just a vendor here. She also single-handedly supports her family consisting of two daughters and one grand daughter. Additionally, she works as a community representative for public health. She surveys the health needs of members of her slum community and acquires appropriate medications and supplies from the Khon Kaen municipal health office. Though she only has a fourth grade education, she often has to write detailed reports to give to the office in order to access the supplies. “I know I’m poor. But I always keep in mind that there is someone less fortunate than me,” she said reflectively with a sigh. “So I do what I can to help out.” So perhaps at first glance, Mae Praewan seems to be a regular vendor. Though in reality, she is much, much more than that.


A COMMUNITY PROFILE

The question “why bother” has come up several times while reflecting on the issues we’ve seen in Thailand. It’s a really good question. Sometime it seems like what I eat doesn’t matter. Recycling doesn’t matter. The efficiency of my house definitely doesn’t matter. My vote doesn’t really even count.

Tell that to millions of people around the world who would die for the chance to vote. Tell that to our ancestors who died fighting for a future where your actions and beliefs did matter. You should act upon what matters because doing so is virtuous.

For unknown reasons, we have reached a point where being virtuous is actually ridiculed. Eyes roll when a person refused to eat meat, or states they only eat organic food. Practicing forgiveness and rejecting generalizations in allowing Islamic-Americans to build a mosque at the site of terrorist attacks is somehow labeled unpatriotic. Giving to charity is deemed worthless and recycling is for hippies. Calling someone a faggot at school somehow makes you more straight and attacking someone’s character in political campaigns is now a successful norm. All of these problems seem to be so ingrained in our culture that few people question them. Why bother to fight a system that works so well for me?

Care and act so you can live your life as if people and the Earth actual ly mattered. In studying Thai agriculture, slums, and marginalized communities affected by landfills and dams, it becomes apparent that

people do matter. We’ve seen how complete disregard for consumption and waste patterns demeans future generations and destroys the environment on which we all depend.

I’m skeptical that changing my lifestyle will have an impact on the world. In fact, I think we’re probably too late in addressing climate change. I am afraid we are crossing the tipping point of no return.

But what if we are not too late? What if it’s possible to minimize these effects if we act now? It’s a bet with terrible odds, but to live a life of purpose is to make these bets.

I want to be on my deathbed thinking that I lived my life in a way that subverted the dominant paradigms as the environment crumbled. Maybe I could lay thinking that I contributed to the viral social movement that saved the world from catastrophic climate change. Or, I may lay thinking that we failed miserably, but at least I’ll know I did something to fight back.

The attitude of indifference acknowledges and accepts a broken system, admits that virtuous actions don’t matter, and shows a lack of compassion. Understanding an issue and failing to do anything at all demonstrates lack of concern for humanity. Don’t be so indifferent. You’ll be more virtuous, healthy, personally honest, and interesting for it. So I urge you to ask yourself: why bother?

Bryant Mason, University of Colorado


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SEEKING JUSTICE

HUMANSI am pretending to sleep. Katie is passed out next to me in our mosquito net. I hear mom closing up the house.

My eyes are open enough to see what is going on. But closed enough to keep her fooled.After locking the door mom comes over to our bed and gently peeks her head in the mosquito net. She looks at

us sleeping for a long time. And then she smiles. I know what she is trying to say. All moms say it. In that moment I forgot we were living in a landfill. We were just two humans trying to love each other. There

was nothing else.Abby Bok, Hope Co#ege

The First Internat ional Human Rights Conference in Southeast Asia took place on October 13th and 14th, 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand. Over 300 academics, students, NGO representatives, and activists attended the conference, and 70 papers were presented. The panels ranged from topics of specific human rights case studies around Southeast Asia to organizations developed to promote universal human rights and education. Our attendance at the conference allowed us to come together for two days and examine human rights from different perspectives. It also offered an opportunity to network with individuals and youth involved in human rights causes. One connection I made was with a young woman from central Bangkok in the midst of fighting for justice. In her honor, I will share her story of courage. Jitra Kotchadej, “Penny” is 27 years old. Her story of resistance began only a few years back. The company she worked for, Triumph Garments, (based out of Germany) produces underwear to be sold throughout Asia and the West. One day the company announced that they would be closing Penny’s plant and the workers would not be compensated for lost wages. Enraged by the company’s decision, Penny organized 2,000 laid-off workers to demand justice. They performed a sit-in in the Labour-Ministry headquarters and refused to leave until the Thai government sought reparations for the workers. This event ended in severe police brutality with 10 women losing some (or all) of their hearing from the excessive use of experimental sound grenades. This didn’t stop Penny. A group of women went to Hong Kong to protest at the corporate headquarters. No solution has yet been found but Penny started her own underwear company, Try Arm, and has been able to hire most of the former employees in her plant. Since the demonstrations, Penny’s previous employer has charged her with Lèse-Majesté. Lèse-Majesté is severe in Thailand and carries a three-year jail sentence and a lifetime of fear. It can be brought against an individual for speaking poorly of the Thai royal family. Penny was accused of doing so after appearing on

television wearing a t-shirt that supported the rights of a young man who refused to stand during the national anthem in a public movie theater. She fears she will be found guilty of this charge and is not sure if she will soon be arrested. She also communicated to me that the threat of torture is realistic because Thai prisons are harsh, over-crowded and notorious for their human rights abuses. Despite threats of imprisonment, Penny will not seek asylum abroad. “I will stay and fight, ” she assures. I do not fear torture.” I fear that this young woman may find herself in a place that exceeds our worst dreams. I am inspired by her bravery and dedication in seeking justice. The Human Right’s Conference brought out hundreds of stories like Penny’s. In the 12 countries that make up South East Asia human rights advocacy is a relatively new idea and the existence of this conference is a revolutionary step. It offered a platform for the voices of the marginalized and oppressed to tell of their suffering and their hope for a brighter future. For Penny, a new door has been opened to seek justice in a region that has long denied it to its people.

Brett Srader, Macalester Co#ege


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A COMMUNITY PROFILE

“Madeleine, it’s Monday! Take out the trash!” I hate Mondays. I do not enjoy waking up to an alarm, I miss the easy-goingness of the weekend, and...it’s trash day. Collecting trash from around the house, compiling it, and walking it out to the sidewalk has never been anything more than a chore to me. I have always been too concerned about driving an eco-friendly car, saving the ocean, and eating sustainably. To me, trash was not important. The trash man was a magician who made my trash simply disappear.

However, after arriving at the Khombon Noi landfill, located ten minutes from our apartment, reality slapped me in the face. And it hurt. Really badly. As we drove through the front gates of the landfill,all ten of us simultaneously covered our noses with our shirts. The smell was nauseating. However, as one sense was masked, another was amplified. Our eyes were attacked by a visually shocking and voluminous display of garbage. All of those colorful things that once shouted our names at the super-market surrounded us in the form of mountains, mountains of trash. And that is only what we can see. Sixty-foot canyons of trash lay below the surface. The next morning, I woke up at 5 a.m., helped meh make breakfast. After eating, I followed her to the landfill with a basket and pitchfork attached to my back. I set out in hopes of understanding the villagers’ way of life. Instead, I felt as if I was sentenced to life in prison. After spending two days in the landfill, living and working with the villagers, I realized that my trash does not simply vanish into thin air and that my trash man is no magician. While working on the landfill, collecting plastic and glass, I helped make less money than I have spent on an apple today. I can say that I am grateful. However, during my time at the landfill I finally realized the importance in transforming my lifestyle and the way I see my trash.

Madeleine Dick-God'ey, Davidson Co#ege

LOST IN A LANDFILL

Mae Yeng, 32-years-old, and her daughter are scavengers in the Khom Bon Noi landfill, collecting everything from empty bottles of beer to plastic coffee cups to plastic bags to sell. Every morning at 5AM, she sets out to work at the landfill with her husband and sister-in-law. At midday, they eat a quick lunch together. Because Mae Yeng’s constant heart problems have rendered her unable to work for long periods of time, she leaves a few hours later in order to do some light housework. Meanwhile, her husband continues to work. She has undergone two open-heart surgeries since giving birth to her daughter and has had continual issues with her sinuses due to the acrid smell of the landfill. However, if given the opportunity, she says that she would never leave the community. “All my friends live here. I have a family to take care of. Plus, this job pays alright,” she said, sweeping her arm to point out the flat-screen television screen and karaoke station in her living room. At one point in her life, she worked as a dormitory housemaid, but she quickly went back to scavenging. Concerning her occupation, she said, “Well, someone has to do it.”



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With glossy tiles floors, extravagant architecture, classy restaurants, trendy designer retail, over 350 brand name shops, a modern cinema, and 14 ‘world class’ bowling lanes, Central Plaza is a five story high-rise shopping center that represents Western capitalism’s presence in Khon Kaen. It’s hard to believe that tucked in the shadows of this symbol of progress and wealth are several city slums, including Nong Wang. When one thinks of a slum the image that usually comes to mind is something similar to the favelas of Rio De Janiro or the slums of Mumbai. It is an image of shacks made of deteriorating wood, rusted scrap metal, open sewage, lack of infrastructure, and severe overcrowding. While the scrap metal pieces are present, Nong Wang isn’t your average slum. It’s evident the slum dwellers are members of the working class, but what they lack in monetary possessions they make up for in community and hospitality. Often slums are considered dangerous. However, Nong Wang is not only safe but filled with some of the friendliest people I have ever met. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows each other. When walking around, visitors are welcomed with a warm hello. If a family is eating, anyone passing by is invited to eat too.

During my adventures abroad, I have found myself amazed by the hospitality I’ve received. Nong Wang was no exception. A group of people who lack material wealth and rights to the land they occupy offered so much in terms of love, friendship, and of course, food. During our visit to the slum community, I was treated like royalty and welcomed as family. Despite their smiles, the inhabitants of Nong Wang are in the process of being displaced by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT). The Nong Wang community, which was established long ago, resides alongside railroad tracks on land owned by the SRT. For years, SRT was aware that a slum community had settled on their property, but chose to ignore the issue. Until now. Since SRT has decided to expand the railway, slum dwellers illegally settled beside the tracks are being evicted. Within a few months time, a community that houses three generations of people, risks being torn apart. Fortunately, SRT has agreed compensate the residents and they are being relocated. The downside is that they are being sent to land that is still owned by SRT and if there is further expansion they will again be forced to move. I fear relocation may destroy Non Wang’s unique sense of community. Displacement may jeopardize the slum dwellers jobs, relationships, and livelihoods. residents. Although the community fought against the municipal government, eviction is their reality. It’s unfortunate that they will soon have to call a new place home, but I have no doubts that the people of Nong Wang will continue to smile.

Jessica Bohanon, Rochester University

THE REALITY OF LIVING IN A CITY SLUM


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EXCURSION TO CHIANG MAI

We only got to spend three short days in Hoi An before beginning our trek back to Thailand, but I will be back soon if I have anything to say about it.

Kamila Lambert, Santa Clara University

HOI AN FEVER

Several of us used a break in the program to go on an adventure in the eastern corner of Thailand. We took an overnight bus to the city of Chiang Mai, a destination that attracts nearly one million visitors each year. We visited temples, waterfalls, and went on a short trek. It was a nice change of pace, and also a nice place to grab some farang food. Since Chiang Mai such a big tourist destination, there are plenty of the western foods we’ve been missing – It was the first time I could find a burrito in two months.

We stayed in a hostel with several other youths from various parts of the globe. I overheard conversations about the tourist activities they’ve been participating in and I was troubled by some of the things I heard. Backpackers from the hostel went on treks with programs that use the Hilltribe people as an attraction. They return and discuss how cultured they are without realizing they contributed to undermining the customs and traditions of the people they paid to view like a

circus sideshow. At places like the “Tiger Kingdom” tourists pay to snuggle with drugged up tigers, then take pictures to send out as Christmas cards.

Several of the activities tourists participate in have a very grungy and exploitive tinge. It’s not the kind of tourism I wish to participate in, but it continues to be an option because people still choose to do it.

I’ve heard the backpackers here be described as pretentious hobos. Those that travel from hostel to hostel telling each other how well traveled they are never go out and see what’s real. It got me thinking; in this program we’ve been able to have some very unique and meaningful experiences. We interact directly with families and communities that are making strides to improve their lives and the lives of their neighbors. It feels like a much more authentic way to be abroad, it’s not something you can put on a postcard.

Alex Kovac, Santa Clara University

THE COMMUNITY PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM VENTURED TO VIETNAM FOR A WEEK TO EXPLORE THE COASTLINE AND STUDY THE NATION’S HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. THE FOLLOWING ARE

ACCOUNTS FROM THEIR JOURNEY TO HOI AN, HA LONG BAY, AND HONOI.

It was love at first baguette. We arrived in Hoi An in the evening after a two hour drive along the mountain-lined Vietnam coastline. Our ajaan (professor) insisted that we swiftly put our bags in our room to take a walk around the town. It took about 0.2 seconds to realize why she had been so adamant. French architecture met glowing colored lanterns on either side of a lazy river filled with long-tailed boats. Warmly lit restaurants lined the streets with second-story outdoor balconies, and as soon as I saw the bags for sale - I knew I was done for. We spent the first night wandering the cobblestone sidewalks, before eventually returning to our hotel to prepare for hospital and clinic visits planned for the next day. We had learned in the previous days that unlike Thailand, the Vietnamese healthcare system is still largely based on private health insurance as opposed to the Universal Coverage system we have been studying. During our hospital visits the following day, it was surprising to learn that doctors in the public sector seldom make enough money to support their families, and thus open their own clinics to supplement their income. Each night, we would meander out of our hotel in search of a restaurant that caught our eye. Any meal is better on CIEE money, but this food didn’t need free-ness on its side to leave me wanting more.


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HA LONG BAY

A DAY IN HANOI

The Community Public Health program visited Vietnam for ten days to learn about the healthcare system and to gain a better understanding on health trends throughout Southeast Asia. Fortunately, the program was flexible enough to give us five days free from our studies to vacation and learn about the culture for ourselves. Three of our free days were spent in Ha Long Bay, which is one of Vietnams’ top tourist destinations. It was by far one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to in my life. It is a string of thousands of islands and sea stacks on the South China Sea, that are lush, steep, and breathtaking. We booked a three day two night cruise in the bay for a surprisingly cheap price. Our journey began early in the morning when the tour guide picked us up from our hostel in Hanoi. We took a three hour bus ride east to Ha Long coast, where we were able to see the countryside and all of the farming communities. We boarded a Junk boat named the Oriental. A massive pirate like ship with huge Vietnamese sails. The next day was full of scheduled activities, where we explored a massive sandstone cave, hiked up a mountain, and went sea kayaking. At night we were taken to Monkey Island, which was a private island with a small resort, where we slept in tiki bungalow huts. The trip to Vietnam was one of the highlights of CIEE CPH 2010.

Claire Stetina, Western Washington University

Brightly lit Christmas lights, beautifully arranged f lowers , and v ibrant l y co lored poster s were everywhere. It was the perfect time to visit the city Hanoi, the capital and second largest city in Vietnam. Its residents were proudly celebrating its 1,000th anniversary and my peers and I were there to experience it. The Old Quarter is known for its abundance of handicrafts, and is one of Hanoi’s best shopping areas. Hanoi’s Old Quarter was originally arranged with each street selling one category of goods. Many of the street names represent the goods once sold, such as Silver Street, Paper Street, and Silk Street. Old Quarter was alive with people and motorbikes, all trying to squeeze onto the same road at the same time. After experiencing the madness of the Old Quarter, we relaxed at Hoan Kiem Lake. In the middle of the lake there is a small jade island, connected to the shore by a red wooden bridge. The Ngoc Son Temple stands in the middle of the island. We ended our day with a water puppet show, a very authentic North Vietnam cultural experience. The starring puppets explained various Vietnamese myths and legends using traditional live music, song, and characters.

Paola Pedroza, Santa Clara University


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ACTUALLY WORKING IN A GROUP

WE EAT CRAZY, WE SLEEP CRAZY, WE LIVE CRAZY

It is 2 in the morning and my eyelids are articulating a well thought out argument to my brain as to why they should close. But I cannot permit it. I may be exhausted, frustrated, and debating the amount of force it would take to shove my head through the opposing wall, but it is up to me and two other students to plan the course of activities that will unfold for our peers over the next couple of weeks. It is our responsibility as student facilitators to lead discussions and organize exchanges with village members, NGO’s, and even high-ranking government officials. The three of us are unit facilitators, an alternative style of learning rarely taught in western education. The premise consists of students instructing the classroom rather than a bland professorial lecture. And this is no easy task. Unit facilitating is a labor-intensive process in which you plan out, minute-by-minute, different lesson plans for your peers—everything from a discussion on the course readings to a Thai version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.Unit facilitation puts you up in front of the class leading activities, guiding conversation, and sometimes assuming a façade of confidence when you

realize you left all the supplies for class in a province six hours away. As unit facilitators, it is your responsibility to make sure the group maximizes their learning each session, gains ownership over the material they are studying, and challenges everyone to become more critically thinking individuals. While this may seem like a daunting task, it is a learning experience I have yet to receive anywhere else. I walk away from my units weary but with a sense of accomplishment. I may be starved of relaxation and free time, but I am full of invaluable knowledge in what it means to facilitate a group. Essentially, I am finally learning how to effectively work with a bunch of different thinking, different experienced people. Although unit facilitation may not be something people find initially beneficial (due to the pain in your scalp from sporadically yanking out clumps of hair), it is something everyone should experience. As cliché as it sounds, it is something that has sincerely changed the way I will interact with the world. And something I will forever be thankful for learning.

Jake Teeny, Santa Clara University

The CIEE Thailand program is a little more than we all bargained for from a study abroad experience. In the beginning we were told about the ‘group process,’ a mysterious sounding phrase to us. In addition to this confusion, we were told that three of us were to become group process facilitators. After meeting with the group, discussing each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and finally coming to a group consensus, I became one of the three process facilitators. The task is not an easy one, in fact, it is quite challenging. The number one question that is asked of us is “Where is the group at?” Well, that’s an easy question, right? The group is in Khon Kaen, Thailand. Process Facilitators, or “Pro’Facs”, attempt to facilitate a smooth working group process so we can all

function together during our Thailand journey and not kill each other along the way. Our group is going non-stop, always with the goal of moving forward. Moving forward to where you may ask? Well that I cannot answer, we are not sure, but we make the road by walking and take everything as a learning experience, or at least that is the intention. Being attached to 9 other people is not always an easy thing, and it is the job of the process facilitators to make a little sense of this crazy, unexpected world we have been thrown into. As a group, and especially as “Pro’Facs”, we pick apart as much as we can by asking “why” of everything until we get down to the bare problem of why our group is functioning, or not functioning. Pluses, minuses, and deltas have become second nature for all of us: What went well? What did not? How can we fix that for next time?

Sam Ryals, Pacific University


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Council on International Educational Exchange

David Streckfuss - Resident [email protected]

Arunee Chupkhunthod - Program [email protected]

Jintana Rattanakhemakorn - Language Coordinator - [email protected]

John Mark Belardo - Office [email protected]

สวัสดี SAWATDEE!

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CIEE Khon Kaen Newsletter--2010--FA--No. 2

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