Thailand: Practicing Sustainability & Service (Summer)

From Bangkok's buzzing metropolis to the verdant mountains and rice paddies of the north, Thailand's staggering beauty leaves one enchanted. Explore the idea of reciprocity: participate in a three-day Theravada meditation retreat in the cool mountains or Chiang Rai, help out on a community-driven learning service permaculture project, and live with marginalized hill tribe communities.

Our summer abroad program begins in Sukhothai, where students are oriented to the cultural, spiritual, and culinary nuances of the Land of Smiles before boarding the slow train north to Chiang Mai, the art and cultural hub. We explore the city’s many temples and meet with grassroots NGOs and activists working on gender equality, migrant worker rights, environmental protection, and elephant conservation.

We move further north into the mountainous hill tribe regions in Mae Hong Son, where we hike from village to village through tea plantations and coffee fields, staying with ethnic minority communities to catch a glimpse into their traditional way of life. Then, we enter a small Theravada Buddhist monastery before venturing to a Thai-run eco-village to study permaculture.