Multicultural Experience in Thailand Past Review
By Victoria Engel (Governors State University) - abroad from 01/02/2018 to 01/19/2018 with
GSU Counseling and Diversity in Thailand
It was definitely worthwhile. I gain a lot of knowledge about the Thai people as well as various other cultures while on the trip. Additionally, I gained a lot of knowledge during or presentations about counseling skills and different counseling interventions that can be used.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Overall, from start to finish the educational experience was always a part of my time in Thailand. Whether I was in the university actively participating in the presentations given or throughout the country with my classmates learning about the culture and way of life for the Thai people. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
FOOD WAS AMAZING AND I AM SO GLAD I WAS WILLING AND OPEN TO TRY EVERYTHING! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
At one point, I felt we were very integrated (more than any other time) with the local culture because we were in a hotel closer to the university, almost all of the restaurants and stores were local and did not cater to international visitors (nothing was in English). |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Personally, I experienced an allergic reaction to a bug bite that affected my whole arm. The host university was very helpful in taking me to the hospital, communicating with the staff for me and assisting me in getting medications to help. Compared to home, it was very cheap and much much quicker than our general hospital procedures done at home. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe at every point of this trip. Stick to being in pairs because regardless there is always safety in numbers. There are a lot of people during the visits to the local markets and we did get separated from the group but some of us were still paired with people so it wasn't nerve-racking like it could be if you had gotten separated by yourself. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Every aspect of the trip was truly enriching and provided me with a wide lense of what it is like in Thailand on a local level and at an academic level. |
Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
I was prepared for this trip and had no problem with my funds while on the trip. (Thailand is cheap which definitely helped!) |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $400 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I am a planner, so I thought about doing this trip in advance and saved up specifically for this in a savings account that I wasn't able to touch. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I don't think there is anything. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
