USAC THAILAND: Khon Kaen - Business, Marketing, and More

I studied abroad in Khon Kaen, Thailand, for a semester from February to June 2024 with the USAC program. I chose Khon Kaen because of my deep interest in Thai language, culture, and food, and I was excited to immerse myself in an entirely new environment. Academics: The academic structure in Khon Kaen was a bit different from what I was used to. All my classes were three hours long, held once a week, as opposed to the typical 50-minute classes I’m accustomed to back home. While I didn’t love the longer class durations, I adjusted to it over time. The courses were taught in English, which made it easier to follow along, although it was challenging at times to fully engage with the material, especially since I was balancing a completely new environment and culture. Cultural Experience: Living in Thailand gave me the chance to fully immerse myself in the local culture. I was able to practice some of the Thai language I had learned and enjoyed participating in local traditions and activities. One of the highlights was my USAC program pairing me with a Thai buddy, who helped guide me through the country and introduced me to local spots. I’m deeply grateful for this connection because, as a foreign student, making local friends can be challenging, and I sometimes struggled to connect with others. Accommodation: I stayed in a dorm shared with both Thai and international students. While it was convenient, I didn’t have as much interaction with others as I would have liked. I spent a lot of time in my dorm alone, but my Thai buddy helped alleviate some of the loneliness by inviting me out and showing me around. Social Life & Travel: Exploring Khon Kaen was an exciting experience. On weekends, I would visit the night markets, which offered an array of food, snacks, clothing, accessories, and more. I also frequented local gyms, malls, and restaurants. Thanks to the guidance of the friends I made along the way, navigating these places was relatively smooth. I was able to experience Thai cuisine firsthand and enjoyed tasting a wide variety of dishes. Although I did make a few friends from my classes and other international students, it was tough to find people with similar interests and vibes. That being said, I was lucky to meet some great individuals who made my time in Khon Kaen much more enjoyable. Challenges: Homesickness was something I struggled with at times. When I felt lonely, I found comfort in video calls with my family, which helped me stay connected with home. I also had moments when I felt out of place, especially since my dorm was often quiet and I was alone. However, my Thai buddy’s regular invitations to hang out made a significant difference, and I’m incredibly thankful for those moments of support. Another challenge I encountered was the heat and humidity, particularly from March to June, as this is Thailand’s summer season. The weather was something to adjust to, and it definitely required a lot of hydration and energy to cope with the constant warmth. Also, for anyone with dietary restrictions, it’s important to note that pork is a staple in Thai cuisine, so it’s helpful to do some research on meal options ahead of time. Advice for Future Students: Learn Basic Local Phrases: Familiarizing yourself with basic Thai phrases can make daily interactions much easier and enrich your experience. Embrace Travel: Take every opportunity to travel around Thailand and the surrounding region. It’s one of the best parts of studying abroad, and there’s so much to explore! Be Prepared for the Heat: Thailand can be hot and humid year-round, especially during the summer months (March to June). Make sure to stay hydrated and pack accordingly. Dietary Considerations: If you have dietary restrictions, do some research about the availability of food options and be mindful of the prevalence of pork in Thai cuisine. Conclusion: Overall, my study abroad experience in Khon Kaen was a memorable one. I had the opportunity to travel internationally for the first time, which was both exciting and a little nerve-wracking. The excitement and positive mindset I maintained helped me navigate the challenges that came my way, and I’m grateful for the ups and downs of the journey. I met incredible friends who supported me throughout my experience, and I look back on my time in Thailand with gratitude. I would highly recommend this program to anyone looking to immerse themselves in Thai culture and explore Southeast Asia. P.S. A lot of Thai food is spicy.

I learned so much about myself and how we are often products of our environments. Going across the globe where almost everything is different, I realized that in an environment with different social pressures my desires shifted. It made me wonder what makes me me? I learned how to recognize my privilege and reserve my initial reactions to new things. For example, certain foods were shocking to me and would not have considered eating. But some of these foods were staples in this culture and often consumed because they were affordable. Phenomenal learning experience with incredibly supportive and passionate faculty. * Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program On site staff are fantastic!! The international college department at Khon Kaen University take care of so many international students mainly from Southeast Asia. They organized so many activities for us including cultural immersion trips, cooking classes, and exploring the Khon Kaen region. * Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? The housing arrangements took some adjusting but I felt very safe and exposure to bugs/critters was an opportunity to grow out of comfort zone. And living on the 5th floor ensured that I got moving at least twice a day!! * Food: Food is delicious in Khon Kaen. Unfortunately vegan options are incredibly limited, if not practically impossible. So flexibility is definitelt important in this program. However I did find vegetarian and some vegan options! * Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture? I felt SO integrated!!! I only knew my 2 classmates from the United States that were from states so far from mine and had such unique perspectives. Otherwise everyone I met was from primarily Southeast Asia! Met people from over 27 countries! The collectivist mindset of society in Thailand made me feel so welcomed and accepted. I never once felt homesick. Students would come introduce themselves on the bus just to be friendly and practice their English. It was truly heart melting just how kind everyone was. * Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program? I fortunately didn't need to utilize any healthcare services however there were two hospitals very close by and one we, USAC students, were designated to use. I studied the healthcare system in Thailand and learned what an efficient and high quality system they have. You can find pharmacies on every corner and they are able to prescribe medication for 16 common illnesses on site without visiting a Dr.'s office. Thai traditional massage is also incredibly common and not expensive. The university has a spa! * Safety: I felt incredibly safe in Khon Kaen. Mind you, I rarely was out past 10pm. But my housing had 24 hour security and I never went out alone at night. If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes Absolutely!!! I learned so much about the culture, language, healthcare system, traditional medicine. It was all so new and fascinating. I appreciated the bridge of spiritual and evidence based reasoning of medicinal practices and the integration of both traditional and modern medicine. The respect between faculty and students was remarkable. Faculty actually felt approachable and truly took time to help students. Finances * Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget? (1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) It is incredibly feasible to do this program on a budget! I spent no more than $5-10 on a whole day's worth of food. Cost of living is very low compared to cost of living in the US. Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $35-50 Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Even though everything seems inexpensive, your money still goes fast. So be careful going on shopping sprees. But also, treat yourself! Thailand has the best markets and the most adorable clothes!!! What did you like most about the program? Traditional Thai Medicine Clinic visit International School Field trip Volunteering in Pediatric Cancer wing to sing to children * What could be improved? A little more downtime because it was hard balancing cultural/social opportunities with International School with workload A little more structure in Healthcare in Thailand class * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Just to worry less before I left to Thailand. Its normal to get pretravel nerves but I didn't have anything to worry about!! Also be prepared to bring back a lot of amazing souvenirs!!!

In my few months living in Thailand it has been a great expense for me, there is so much that I have learned while living in Khon Kaen. One of my biggest change for me was the foods, mostly all the foods in Thailand is spicy but in my class of Thai language my teacher teach me how to say no spicy in Thai for me that was a big help!!! Also the next things is that I have meet new friends a long the away while studying in living in Khon Kaen!!! Now I keep in touch with them, even though I live across the other side of the world. On my last day there it was hard for my to say good bye to my new friends that I meet in the university, but I know that our paths will cross again one day! Over all this program has really opened my eyes and my mind to see how it really is in the world! I don't regret my decision that I made in going over there! For me I have grown as a person being away from my life for the first time and I have learned so much more of what I want to do in the future. Lastly I would recommend to any one that travel abroad is a great choose that they can do in there life, at first it can be hard but once you learn and experience a lot in a new country you'll want to travel again and again.