Submitted by a student on the 2020 winter session program in Australia and Thailand sponsored by the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics…
It’s been a few days since we left Bangkok, Thailand and arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Since our arrival we have completed two cultural excursions, an elephant sanctuary called Baan Chang Elephant Park and attended a Thai Cooking School called Thai Farm Cooking School in Chiang Mai. Both of these experiences were life changing as I couldn’t have felt more immersed in the Thai culture. At the elephant park, we learned about the evolution of how elephants were treated, how sacred of an animal they are to the Thai culture, as well as a few fun facts such as their age, weight, and mannerisms. We were able to touch and feed the elephants as well as bathe them. This was an experience like no other.
During the Thai cooking school, we were split into small groups where we traveled to the Thai market to learn what vegetables and spices we would use for our meals and then we headed to the Thai cooking school for a tour of the land and then to learn how to cook traditional Thai dishes. We prepared a five course meal consisting of Tom Yam Kung soup, vegetable spring rolls, a bowl of chicken curry, sticky rice with chicken stir fry, and lastly mango with sticky rice all from scratch. We had quite a few laughs with the locals and made some lifelong friends. Overall, I felt like these excursions helped me adapt better to not only Chiang Mai but Thailand as a whole. With only a few days left in Thailand I expect to make the most of my time here. Thank you Thailand for some of the best and most memorable experiences of my life. Next stop, Sydney, Australia!
