Excerpts from Student Reflections - Other

Here are some random comments from Student journal reflections:

Student # 1 - Today I am waiting to call home – no phone service and no internet. I must find a way to call tomorrow for Father’s Day. I got a phone card today …

Student #2 – I investigated my bed – really hard with a thick quilt on it and hard sofa cushions. Luckily I brought my U-shaped airplane pillow and a “cocoon” from online. I wrapped myself in the cocoon—which is like a really soft mosquito net, and turned out the lights. There was a florescent light right outside my window. I scrambled through my suitcase and found my sleep mask. I can’t even imagine what I looked like sleeping. I had my covers on me and wrapped around my head and pillow. It would be a funny picture!

Student 3 – I am fascinated to see so much warmness from the Thai people. I feel like a celebrity. They do take it to heart to treat company like family.

Student 4 – So far, my cucarachas have been mosquitoes, wet toilet seats, and feeling obligated to eat. ... Also I am getting a little sick of the food here. I do not really care for eggs, rice, or seafood, so the food situation is always a little rough.

Student 5 – Thai food is amazing!!! The spices, the aroma, the taste, the sight, it’s like sensory overload. No words can describe true Thai food without one having to try for themselves.

Student 6 – My [host] mom took me to a Thai wedding party. It was very extravagant. It had several hundred people at a hotel. It consisted of an eight course meal. They played a slide show and video of the morning’s ceremony. The guest keepsakes were in English. The majority of the music was in English. The dress, suit, and cake were “Western.” No one at my table spoke English.

Student 7 – My only problem right now is this incredible heat. I just can’t believe how hot it is. Lunch on the river was nice until I bit into something hot. It was so hot flames were coming out of my ears. Four glasses of water later I can finally feel my tongue again, although I think it is traumatized now. I think the word of the day is HOT!

Student 8 – I had forgotten the thrill I get from speaking in a new language and having people understand me, even if it’s just two words.

Student 10 – I have already learned so much about what I take for granted back in the states. This is definitely an eye opening experience of the different things I thought was necessity is no just something extra to have and is not that important.

Student 11 – Before coming to Thailand I prepared myself mentally to taste everything I could. I told myself to not ask what was being served because if I did I wouldn’t want to eat it. So after lunch I found out I had eaten fish stomach which does not fall into the groups of food I normally eat. I must admit it was good. Kudos to the chef!

Student 12 – In response to reflection question #4 I have observed the following symptons of culture shock in myself: Fatigue – I am super tired and just want to sleep all day. … loneliness – I no longer have the convenience of picking up my cell phone whenever I am bored and calling friends and family. Longing for home – I want to eat Mexican food and sleep in my own bed. … Food anxiety – I don’t care for Thai cuisine and I worry that I will offend someone or be hungry because I don’t like the food. … This journal entry has reminded me of many times when I’ve felt like this and the one thing that is the same for all those instances is that I was okay afterwards. I will be okay this time too. I guess I would rather be here in Thailand feeling homesick instead of back in America wondering what it would have been like to be here.

Student journal excerpts - Schools and Teaching

The following are excerpts from student journals about their experiences at their schools and with teaching. Most of these were written after students had only taught for a day or two. Hope to post more on this topic in the next few days.

Student # 1 – The students were great and the lessons went well. I covered more then expected due to no electricity or CD player. I taught the first 2 hours with no fans or lights. Took the classes outside to help with the heat. I am definitely more in my element when teaching.

Student #1 – When we arrived at the school, the children chased our truck and surrounded it to greet me with “good morning!” They followed me and crowded around the office door to look at me. You would think I was a celebrity. One of the teachers brought flowers from her yard for my hair.

Student #2 – Values of Education: All the children stand up and say “good morning teacher” and they stare at you. You have to tell them to sit down. Everything is done slowly and you don’t have to worry about discipline problems. Everyone stays in their seats and does their work. Everyone takes their time and there is no rushing. … The students seem happy to be here. I like the environment of the school. It isn’t as intense as it is in the states.

Student 3 – I had my first day of teaching and it was a very neat experience. The school and classroom structure is very different than how it is in the United States. In Trang, it is a more relaxed and informal school environment. Students are left unsupervised for long periods of time. Other classrooms had no teachers, students were in the classrooms just interacting. … I also saw a lot of students outside helping with chores, playing on the playground, digging, running around, and just sitting around. … Another conclusion I made is that students can be trusted to be left unsupervised without getting into any kind of trouble, and are independent. If students were left unsupervised in the United States, hell will be raised, and not to mention lawsuits. In my opinion, I think we live in a very paranoid, uptight, and worrysome society. Again, cultures are very different, but at the same time this experience provides an opportunity to reflect on one’s values, beliefs, cultures, and standards. This is a good time to reflect and analyze our values since we are so far from home.

Student 4 – Today was my first day of teaching. I was very nervous during my first class and expected to the students to speak more [English]. … I taught my students basic greetings and colors. We played the racing game with colors and they really enjoyed it. … I look forward to teaching more tomorrow.

Student 6 – I hope my students are not disappointed in my “non-American” appearance.

Student 8 – The opening ceremony during the morning (at the high school) was quite impressive. The students were lined up, row after row, while different teachers talked in front. Keo introduced each of us and encouraged us (OK, forced!) us to say a few remarks. Classes went really well. I feel so energized when I’m with the kids, even when I sweat so profusely. The students are constantly laughing and smiling and they are very easily entertained by farang (foreign) teachers.

Student 9 – When I walked into my first class, I was so nervous. Any planning or rehersal that I did in my head went out the door. [but] the kids, they are so beautiful and eager to learn. I feel my nervousness and lack of confidence interfered with my ability to teach. When will teaching become more natural to me? Dr. Perrotta sat in on my class after lunch and she helped me so much. She gave me to the idea to do some games and it worked out beautifully! I was thrilled to see the excitement and smiles on the students’ faces. They were having fun!

Student 10 – Today was exciting but I was really nervous. The first class they gave me, the class was outside. I immediately realized how difficult it was going to be without a chalkboard, but Mai Pen Rai (no worries!). I used a notebook and was able to write the words on it. The students were hesitant to talk in front of the class, so I gave them stickers for speaking. When they saw the race car stickers, they immediately wanted to share! … Never having taught a whole lesson before really made me see how important it is to be prepared and how necessary it is to stray from the lesson plan if needed.

Student 11 – I taught my first class at 10:10 a.m. And boy did the time go by fast. I took me a couple of seconds to find out that they didn’t know much English. Well, there goes my lesson plans. I tried to come up with new ones. Right now the #1 thing is to teach them how to answer and ask questions.

Student 12 – I taught my first class this morning from 9:00 to 11:00. I was expecting 50 minutes max. My lesson went great but I feel that I had to improvise to fill the time. The students were very nice and took to me well even though I didn’t speak much Thai.

Student journal excerpts - Host Families

Here are a few excerpts from student journals about their intial experiences with their host families ...

Host Families

Student 2 – I met my host family. We went to the school where I will be teaching. I met a lot of people and they sat me down and brought chairs to surround me. They were all staring at me and they asked me to tell them something. I felt completely out of place but was trying to smile and be polite. … Turns out my family is really friendly and extremely happy. Mai Pen Rai (“no problem!).

Student 3 – Our host family is very sweet. They are so nice and always feeding us. One thing is for sure, we will never go hungry in Thailand. I really like our house, it is very modest but homey. This makes me wonder about how simple their lifestyle is. They only have the essentials, but it is all they need.

Student 4 – After much anticipation, I finally met my host family in Trang. … When [we arrived at the house] it was a dream come true. In addition to the house being beautiful, [my host mom] speaks English wonderfully and is very funny.

Student 6 – My host mother took me to a supermarket to buy me American food. I explained it was unnecessary because I will eat Thai food.

Student 7 – My host family’s home is beautiful! The family is so kind. The room is great but they are worried I don’t like it. I am so over taken by the out pouring of kindness. These people are so humble and kind. I am in awe of their kindness. I really do not know what to say except it has become so much to take in. I need some quiet time to process everything.

Student 8 – We arrived at my bungalow – paradise, and talked for over an hour (with my host mom). We walked around the property and a little on the beach.

Student 9 – I am really sad to see the group breaking up and going our separate ways. At the same time, I am ready to see the real Thailand. Bangkok is a fascinating city, but it also caters to farangs (foreigners). I am excited about having an authentic experience! … During my time alone with my host mother, I learned so much about her. She seems so shy and her English is a little bit limited and of course my Thai is extremely limited. But in that short moment, I felt close to her and happy to learn more about her.

Student 10 – As we were introduced to host families (at the reception), I as well as the others, started to feel a little sad. We realized that the 12 people chosen to come to Thailand are amazing people and we all became instant friends and now we have to leave each other. But most of all, reality set in that I was going to be living with a host family. As we said our goodbyes, the host families had an amazing expression on their face and made me feel better, comforted that they were excited to host us.

Student 11 – We all met our host families and in a blink of an eye we left with them. I was doing OK and enjoying meeting my new family, but later on I started missing everyone. I was wishing I could go back. This happened because I was surrounded by a lot of Thai people speaking their language comfortably and I did not understand. To me this was my #1 critical event. Throughout their conversation they talked about me, I know this because I heard my name said all the time. … I thought to myself that they were just as excited as I was wanted to find out about me from my host mom. I am a foreigner in their country staying in their home and that doesn’t happen that often. … Though I am starting to get used to this, I am still looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow! … [a couple of days later …] This family reminds me of my family because they are all very united and are always together. This is my home away from home.

Student 12 – Today has been the worst day for me yet here in Thailand. The reception was lovely. The people were warm and my host family is very nice. Why the worst day then? I am feeling homesick! [a couple of days later] … In the evening when I finally drove up to the house and saw my host mom and host sister standing outside waiting for us, something changed inside of me. I started to feel like these people whom I had just met already cared for me. Communication between us this evening seemed easier even though we still couldn’t speak much of each other’s language, we were laughing and joking and opening up to each other.

Exceprts from Student Reflection Journals - 1

Enough of me and my thoughts. Let’s take a look at this experience from the voices of the UTSA students. The following are excerpts from student journals. In the interest of confidentiality, and as agreed upon by the group, no names of students will be attached to the quotes. Before we left we talked about how people move along a U-curve when they encounter and live in a new culture. It starts out with excitement and wonder, but then people can quickly get frustrated with differences. Students talk about the little things that annoy them ("cucarachas"), and describe some critical moments which are highly stressful occurrences. As students accept these and move up, they start to move up the curve again.

The journal reflections below reveal how the students are on various points of the U-curve – sometimes a single student can be on different points of it within a single day. The readings we did prior to departure gave us a helpful way to talk about and deal with things as they have arisen. So far, the experience has been overwhelming positive for everyone.

There are a lot of excepts, so I'll be posting different ones on different days, plus students are still journaling so there will be many more. The ones below start with Bangkok and take us through the welcome ceremony at Hadsamran High School.


Bangkok
Student 2 – We went to some amazing places! We went to see two really cool temples – the Royal Palace and the Reclining Buddha. … The night market was neat – it had some of the exotic foods I had seen on the travel channel.

Student 3 – Arriving in Bangkok was so exhilarating. It was amazing when we went to the temples. For one, the figures/statues were so elaborate and beautiful that I was in awe for most of the time. I had only seen these temples in movies so actually being here was incredible. … There is just so much history in these places that it makes me wonder what it was like during that time period.

Student 5 – The [temple’s] structure is teaming with colors of every shade and inbetween. You almost need sunglasses from the glare of the gold paint or leaf. I was just an amazing place to see and learn the purpose of this Wat’s use and its importance among the Royal family and to the Thai people.

Student 7 – Bangkok is a busy place! The sights and sounds are delightful to this visitor! … I am so ready to try new foods, see different things, and smell new aromas! Let the social/cultural U-curve begin!

Student 11 – Traffic is horrible in Bangkok. Plus these people drive crazy! … I took the tuk-tuk back to the hotel. Unforgettable experience! … [one of my cucarachas] is seeing children on motorcycles. Everywhere I turn, there is a motorcycle with more than one person aboard. I know I get worried about their safety because of my culture, but seeing this really bothers me. I have seen very young children, as young as 4 years old, riding the motorcycle with their parents. Every time I see them I always pray they don’t fall.

Student 12 – I pictured (Bangkok) as a large capital city similar to a city like Dallas or Houston. Instead of a modern shiny buildings though, I saw old, tattered buildings that remind me of "the bad side of town." Driving around in the taxi I saw the "ugly" buildings right next to some more modern ones. I find this odd. There can be an expensive shopping mall complete with high-end stores and a Starbucks, and right outside there will be a poor person selling fruit or old cell phones. … I am amazed at the detail in all of the temples. I don’t fully understand everything about the Buddhist religion, but I can appreciate the beauty of the various temples and figures.

Floating Market

Student 1 – The floating market made me realize I like being a slow deliberate shopper. Snap decisions and impulse buying make me nervous. Pushy sellers make me quit shopping. The experience was grand though. Folks in boats were selling food and would pull up next to our boat and ang on to it while they made and sold us spring rolls, fried bananas, fruits, taco looking things with marshmellow type cream inside, and drinks.

Student 2 – We went to the floating market. This was super cool. … I tried some really good exotic fruit in the market and had some really good spring rolls. … I used the bathroom – I had to pay 3 baht to get in a use a really gross toilet.

Student 3 – The colors were so lively, bright, vibrant, and vivid that I wanted to retain every one of them into my memories. I was just amazed that such a thing existed and I was there.

Student 4 – Initially the Bargaining made me feel uncomfortable. However, after negotiating with a few people I started to feel more confident. In the end I actually enjoyed talking vendors down and found humor in it.

Student 6 – Students definitely liked the shopping. The floating made it more exciting. I hope tey made a cultural connection.

Student 9 – Today was so much fun! We went to the floating market and tried so many interesting and arroy (that means delicious in Thai) foods. I think I am truly in love with Thai food. It was fun riding in the boat trying so many different varieties of fruit that don’t even exist in the U.S. I was also very touched by the kindness of our Thai hosts. Whenever we expressed interest in something, they were quick to buy it for us. We wanted to pay, but they wouldn’t let us!

Student 11 – The floating market was interesting. I had never had such an experience in my life! Bargaining was kind of difficult for me because I feel that the vendors need the money. But after awhile I started getting used to it.

Ayutthaya
Student 2 – The ruins were amazing! There were parts of Buddha (statues) scattered throughout the entire place. You could feel peace and serenity on these grounds. … So far my only cucaracha has been the ignorance for quietude in this country. It seems like at all of the temples and sacred grounds, everyone is quiet and perhaps connecting with Go. Then comes the group of loud Americans disrespecting the Thai culture. I’m sure I am guilty of it also but I think about it and if it was quiter I could have processed more.

Student 4 – Elephants and pizza. It was a good day.

Student 5 – Today we got to ride elephants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think after skydiving, this is the coolest thing I have ever done.

Student 8 – I got kissed by an elephant today! Ayuthaya – the elephants, ruins, shopping, food – Chan chop maak! [I like it a lot !]

Student 12 – The elephant rides were interesting. It was fun to take pictures and ride on the elephants, but I was trying to look into the elephants eyes to see if they were happy or sad. If I were forced to perform for people I didn’t know constantly or face being hit. I think it is pretty sad. I couldn’t read the elephants feelings though. I wonder if they’d be better off in the wild?

Welcome Ceremony in Trang – Hadsamran High School

Student 3 – I was so moved to see the welcome reception. I felt like someone famous, and the other girls said they felt the same way. It is interesting to see the contrast between the United States and Thailand as far as how they treat teachers. Teachers are highly respected in Thailand and in the States I feel that teaching is regarded as just an ordinary profession. It feels good to be regarded and treated with such esteem and respect!

Student 5 – We headed off to Hadsamrawittayakom High School where we were greeted by the warmest reception I had in my life. The students performed traditional Thai songs, did traditional dances from both the Northern and Southern regions of the country. What a great experience watching student demonstrate with pride their respect for religion, country, and king. It truly moved me to the brink of tears.

Student 6 – Everything at Hadsamran was beautiful and well put together.

Student 7 – The welcome ceremony was so nice. I just cannot believe how much they have gone out of the their way to make us feel welcomed. The dancing and lunch was so beautiful.

Student 9 – We had an amazing reception by the students! I think most of us were very touched! I felt like a celebrity as we were made the center of attention. The students performed beautiful dance ceremonies. As I was watching the young girls dance, I thought about how they must have rehearsed and practiced just for us! It made me feel special and guilty at the same time.

Student 10 – No wonder they call Thailand the "smiling country." When we got to the school, the celebration they threw for us was amazing! They are so generous and thoughtful. They treated us as if we were royalty.

Student 11 – At our arrival to Hadsamran we were greeted by everyone there! The students danced, sung, and played music for us. I loved it!