The following are my perceived purposes for this excursion: 

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A.    Cultural-Political 

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As this program centered within Southeast Asia’s pertinent territories, I figured that one of its purpose is to facilitate better ties within the region’s member-states. In this regard, the program could be treated not only as an educational exchange but also as a show of strength of intraregional ties – a microcosm of the larger economic and political agreements within the region. This was met successfully, as the program indeed allowed me to see the solidarity between our batch’s participating nations, namely: Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand, and allowed us to share with each other in a more personal and intimate tone our culture, history, and societal conditions.  

B.    Pedagogical

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On  my assigned school, I was introduced to a truly globalized faculty, with teachers coming from Philippines, America, Iraq, the U.K., and of course, Thailand. Teaching and learning side by side with such a culturally diverse group allowed me to form a better understanding of the things that make us teachers, regardless of origin or culture — the struggles, lives, practices, pedagogical perspectives, and professional and personal values that we all hold dear. The exchange program has thus perfectly catered my intent of being able to experience teaching foreign students and learning from an international suite of teachers. 

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C.    Personal 

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My Indonesian partner and I were sent to a private school at a province southeast of Bangkok. Unlike all our contemporaries though, we were sent to live with a foster family. Thus we stayed with the Laouzas for the better part of the month that we were there. This arrangement allowed us to truly experience the daily life of a Thai family. They were wonderful people, and we left from their care with a more profound understanding and appreciation of Thai values and culture, particularly on their emphasis on respect, cleanliness, and humane treatment of animals. The exposure and internalization of the aforementioned values more than met my needs for personal growth in the program. 

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My host university in Thailand, VRU, decided to send me to Sathit Bangna School in order to observe and teach. The school, in turn, assigned me to be advised by a Filipino teacher-mentor alongside her British co-teacher. They then decided to have me rotate between Grades 1, 3, and 4 to maximize the input and teaching experience that I could ain in the school. Within the third week of teaching, my mentor from VRU came to my assigned school and evaluated me. On the final week of the program, my teacher-mentors in the school evaluated me individually and we culminated our practicum in Thailand in a closing celebration held at VRU. 

The experience allowed me to gain better insight into the cultures and predominant values of the various nationalities that I encountered. It also reinforced my view of education as a universal language for human connection, as through it, I was able to transcend the language barrier that divided me with my learners and some co-teachers. Additionally, the program has allowed all its participants to represent their respective countries in the best light possible, leaving a general atmosphere of understanding, respect, and camaraderie in the participating nations of the program.  

There were several challenges that I encountered while doing my practicum in Thailand, but I think the one that trumps all of them would be the language barrier. It was extremely difficult to communicate with the people both within and outside the classroom. It was fortunate for me to have had a very kind and understanding foster family, as well as a slate of bilingual English speakers as my mentors because they immensely cushioned the polarizing and disorienting effect of not being able to understand, read, or write the language that pervades your day to day life. Learning a couple of everyday phrases helped too, but in terms of teaching, I guess not being able to connect to many of your learners because of a linguistic gap was the hardest part. 

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I feel very fortunate to have been part of the program, and I say this because I believe that being able to put your identity as an educator and individual into perspective, through the various cultural lenses of the people that you meet and grow to love, is a priceless experience.

This experience has been one of the major highlights of my entire college education, thus,  am very grateful to the people in SEAMEO for giving us this opportunity and to the faculty of Valaya ALongkorn Rajabhat University for providing us with the means necessary to make this experience as memorable as it was enriching. That said, I could not have asked for a better host. On the matter of suggestions, I have only one: 

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I think it would be best if an initial seminar or language course were to be given to exchange students before they are sent to their assigned country. I loved Thailand and its people but in my stay there, I could not help but wonder how much deeper my relationship with some of the people there could have been if I were able to speak or understand the language. Materials and courses are sparse for learning Thai and those that are available are quite expensive. Thus, I think it would be an incredible improvement for future exchange students to be given language courses prior to their exposure as it could definitely make the experience more meaningful and enjoyable. 

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