2013 Study Tour – Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam
Entry#1
As the
hours are counting down to my time of departure I am filled with overwhelming sense
of excitement, curiosity, and anticipation.
Since I first learned about this trip and signed on to be a part of it, the
topic of my future excursion has found its way into conversation countless
times with many friends and acquaintances.
The journey to Southeast Asia which will encompasses my life for the
next couple of weeks has been something I have really been looking forward to and
the sensation of such great anticipation is building up to levels that I have never felt before. The thought of going to Thailand alone is
enough to leave my senses tingling as it has been a destination that I have
desired to travel to for so long.
Additionally the following excursions to Cambodia and Vietnam add to the
overall excitement and my eagerness to travel the region will either be a thirst
that is satisfied or a taste that will leave me wanting to come back for more.
When I
think about what to expect in my upcoming trip, it is hard to say exactly what lies
upon the other side of the world for so many reasons. Having never been outside of my home country
aside from short trips to Canada, The Caribbean, and the ABC Islands, my
expectations of the region are merely garnered through text books and
media. While these might be the most
expressive mediums of transmitting some kind of expectation, I can say without a doubt that they cannot do the same
justice to a region that an actual emersion in the form a physical visit to the
places may offer. What I can say about
my expectations at the risk of being hasty, is that I presume that what I am
going to be doing abroad is witnessing, observing, and identifying with the way
in which people live in locations that are very foreign to anything else I have
ever experienced. I expect things to be
very different than they are over here in the United States, in ways ranging
from cultural practices, political happenings, and the overall impact that
differences in historical backgrounds play out in effecting people’s lives
today. As for what I expect to learn and
take away from this tour, it is also something that I will not know until
actually experiencing the region, but ultimately what I would like to gain is
perspective. I like to think that
through my education and three and a half years of studying at university I
have gained some sort of perspective from learning about other cultures and the
politics of countries around the world.
However, it does not seem to me that such a perspective is complete without
world knowledge gained through travel. Something
I really want to return to the states with is not something that takes shape in
material form nor is it anything that can be purchased. Instead it is the experience that transcends
the average American’s point of view and leads to a greater understanding of
myself within the global realm while providing an increased global
perspective.
When
seeking such a global perspective I will also be looking out for globalization
in terms of business in the region. In
Thailand and Vietnam especially, I will be observing the way business is
conducted in these countries and how it is that certain businesses have been so
successful in recent years. With
increasing GDP growth figures these countries as whole entities are becoming
more prosperous and this is great, however I am more concerned with the way in
which certain types of businesses have been so successful in the region. In particular, I am going to pay close
attention to the establishments set up in the major cities of Thailand,
Cambodia, and Vietnam to see what is currently trending as the thriving model. It would also be great to observe
international trade businesses and multi-national corporations in the region if
I get the opportunity.
All in
all, my trip to Southeast Asia is going to be an exciting one in which I will
learn how people live, interact, and conduct business on the other side of the
world and I hope to take from it the global perspective that comes with
visiting places near and far. Communication
and cultural identification will certainly be a challenge, especially given the
fact that this will be a relatively short trip.
Not knowing the languages of the countries I am visiting is surely an
obstacle and perhaps with more time in the region I would pick up a bit of the
lingo and cultural practices but in this case I am going to have to make due
and take it all in.
- Jeffrey Dietz
Reporting from Long Island, New York
>>>Next Entry To Be Reported From
Thailand
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