Submitted by Erin Malley on the 2020 winter session program in Australia and Thailand sponsored by the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics…
This week, we left the bustling city of Bangkok and flew to a smaller city in the north of Thailand called Chiang Mai. While Chiang Mai was smaller and moved at a slower pace, I noticed the people still maintained the same deep connection to their culture and religion. Our group woke up early our first morning in Chiang Mai to head to an elephant sanctuary, an excursion I’d been looking forward to since I bought my plane ticket to Thailand. It was an absolutely surreal experience to stand right next to these huge creatures and feed them branch after branch of sugar cane. We even had the opportunity to go in the river with the elephants and wash them, even though they ended up washing us by spraying us over and over again with water.
The next day, we had the opportunity to go to a Thai cooking school and prepare different traditional Thai dishes and learn about the organic ingredients that were staples in many dishes. Not only was the food delicious, but I gained a broader knowledge of Thai customs and norms. In Chiang Mai, we were able to better see what life outside of the big city is like in Thailand. Some people grow up with elephants as pets in the backyard, others cook daily meals with only the freshest ingredients they plant in their garden. All in all, Thailand’s culture is much different from the United States, but being able to experience it firsthand was an experience I’ll never forget. I now feel a connection to Thai culture that I know will change my perspective on life when I return to the U.S.
