It's Official!

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Jan 7th

Three days in to the trip, we finally had our formal welcoming ceremony! We were introduced to all of the teachers and coordinators of the program, and then proceeded to introduce ourselves in Thai. My Thai name is Sir Rii Pohn, which means blessed. During the ceremony, we witnessed a traditional Thai dance that was absolutely beautiful. We also received more gifts from our Thai buddies!

Afterwards, we visited Donkaew Health Center, which we will be spending some time at during the trip. We listened to a presentation at the community health center and learned that the focus of nursing in Thailand is very similar to ours in America: physical health, mental health, social wellbeing, and wisdom health. They served us fried bananas with a milk/sugar dip, along with a fancy purple drink during the presentation—they must have gotten the hint that Americans love to eat! During the visit to the hospital, we got a small taste of what healthcare looks like in Thailand by touring the facilities. To my surprise, the rooms were stocked with supplies and medications that resembled those in America. Apart from noticing that things in Thai hospitals do not seem to be as sterile as those in the states, one of the biggest differences I took away from the meeting was realizing that healthcare is free in Thailand! This hospital in particular allots 4,000 baht worth of care for each person, and if someone is healthy and doesn’t need to use it, the money is used as hospital funding or as care of those who are sick.

Our day ended by playing volleyball on campus with some of our new Thai friends and talking the night away in the dorms.

Lastly, one of my learning objectives was to focus on the idea of respect in Thailand. Not only was this idea very prevalent in our tour of the temple yesterday, but it is also seen in everyday life. Students give up their seats in the front of the bus to professors and those older than them. Then, in the presentation we heard in the morning, we were shown a picture of a man on his knees bowing to an elderly women. We were told that this is the appropriate way to show respect to your elders in Thailand. Respecting your elders in Thailand means something on a whole new level than it does in America.

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