My Grand Tour Experience: A Taste of Thai by Joshua Pratama

Grand Tour is not just about studying, but also about learning other cultures and understanding differences. Through the field trips organized during his Grand Tour in Thailand, Joshua has befriended with a Thai buffalo (!) and discovered the working behavior of the locals.

Field Trips: I mean literally and figuratively…

One of Stenden’s flagship qualities is “Real World Learning”. In line with another common adage “Learning by Doing”, I am not going to put this into an academic context only, but also my personal cultural experience. Then, why did I bring such a “heavy-content” issue for this week?  It is because of the field trips, which add valuable experiences in my quest to know more about the Thai culture.

Buffalo Village Field Trip

 Organised by RSU’s International Student Affairs in collaboration with RSU Buddy, I embarked on a field trip to Buffalo Village at Saphan Buri, a 2-hour-drive rural district from Rangsit. It was a field trip in literal sense as we visited one of the many beautiful ‘lush’ rice fields of Thailand. To be honest, this experience was not new to me, as I have seen many rice fields in Indonesia, especially in Bali, since Indonesia is an agrarian nation as well. However, what got me excited about this trip was the chance to actually walk through the rice fields, which was a first for me. Growing up in a big city, I could not imagine being soaked in mud while planting the paddies under the scorching sun just like a farmer. I finally did this! We started off planting and then moved on to the ‘buffalo show’, a unique attraction of the region, and I even got the chance to ride on a buffalo, which is another strange feeling to sit on this gigantic animal’s back. Interestingly, we learn that when someone crawls under a buffalo, it translates into good fortune. Interesting theory and I sure hope this has brought good fortune on me! Besides, these gentle giants are regarded as one of the most sacred animals in Thai culture and contributed immensely by helping Thai farmers cultivate rice for several decades before they were replaced by tractors to plough the land. It was a perfect day in my small journey to explore Thailand.

Novotel Ploenchit Sukhumvit Bangkok Field Trip

Metaphorically speaking, this was another field trip arranged by SRU’s Module Coordinator. Along with the 3^rd year strategic management students, I had to wake up in the early morning since we took off at 7 am to the heart of bustling Bangkok, Sukhumvit area. In general, I really liked the field trip to this midscale Accor’s city hotel as I got a better insight into dealing with the cultures for foreigners who would like to work in the Thai hospitality industry. Guided by Mr Peter, Human Resources and Training Manager of the property, the group had a chance for a site inspection and presentations about Thai hospitality industry as well as hotel’s dining etiquette. According to him, which I also found it is true; working with Thai people (or Asians in general) is done in a compromising way. This means that it should not be just strictly about rules and regulations from Accor’s headquarter in France for example, but also how colleagues should be respectful to each other to avoid any conflict. Otherwise, in case of unsettled dispute, “compromising” refers to finding best solutions for both parties. Unlike American’s hospitality industry, for instance, hospitality culture in Thailand tends to be more collectivistic and harmonious based on consensus. Even though language barrier may still be problematic, but Thai people are very friendly, eager to learn foreign cultures as well. Overall, it was truly an enriching field trip, which was concluded with a savoury 3-course luncheon. Khap Pun Krab Novotel!  

My Grand Tour Experience: A Taste of Thai by Joshua Pratama

My Grand Tour Experience: A Taste of Thai by Joshua Pratama

After two weeks in Thailand, our fellow student and traveler, Joshua has found the authentic taste of Thai cuisine and experienced the Thai weather. The experience reminds him of the 'Hunger Games'! Why? Check this out!

This is HUNGER GAMES!

Who does not know Suzanne Collin’s bestseller The Hunger Games trilogy? Well, you may be wondering why I relate this to my Thailand experience. The answer is because both of them are about SURVIVAL. Two things that make me survive are, surely, food and shelter. Otherwise, you may also be “hungry” after taking a little insight into my culinary journey especially when you are reading this at night :p. Let me tell you my story of exploring Bangkok as I spent my weekend in Thailand’s metropolis. 

Food

With more than 4,000 Instagram photos that are mostly food, I can proudly claim to be a food traveller. Being an essential part of life along with water of course, Thai food is probably one of the most exquisite, mouth-watering Asian cuisines that is rich in spices and herbs. Pad Thai, Tom Yum Goong or papaya salad are just a few dishes out of many spectacular traditional Thai fare. 

Highlights of my culinary experience during my 3 days and 2 nights in Bangkok are a luncheon at a beautiful riverside restaurant by Bangkok’s most important river, Chao Phraya as well as a Valentine’s Day dinner at an Asia’s Top 50 restaurant called ‘Eat Me’.  I should thank Pooy, Stenden’s alumna from Thailand, who recommends some of the best restaurants and cafes in the city, and so far my experience with her choices have been fantastic!

Shelter

Moving from Bali to Thailand is like “same-same, but different” (another popular term in Indochina countries such as Thailand, Laos and Cambodia) especially in terms of the weather. One word to describe this is BLAZINGLY SCORCH. On one side, this is good because I can travel and walk the whole day, especially within the campus complex, without worrying about getting wet. In fact, there has been no rain so far neither in Rangsit nor Bangkok.

I bet many of the Europeans are really in favour of this kind of weather. On the other hand, it can be very exhausting especially when I wear shirt, trousers and shoes which happens to be the dress code visiting different temples in Bangkok and the world famous ‘Grand Palace’. Every time I found shade, I was quick to rest and it was an added advantage that my friend always carries an umbrella as my “shelter”, for I will not allow the heat to ‘ruin’ my sightseeing tour. What can I say more about tourist attractions in the “Big Mango”? Under a scorching sun, my trip was simply stunning witnessing the magnificent history of the Thai monarchy and sacred temples. In conclusion, I totally agree with the motto of “Amazing Thailand” because it really is!

My Grand Tour Experience: A Taste of Thai by Joshua Pratama

Joshua Ega Yus Pratama is now studying his second year of International Hospitality Management at Stenden University Bali. Moving to Bali from Jakarta in 2012, he is keen to explore overseas opportunities offered by Stenden.  This February, he took off to Thailand on a Grand Tour program, where he will be spending 9 weeks of studying at Stenden Rangsit University. This full scholarship student is sharing his story with us. This article is just the beginning of his exciting journey.

Sawadee krub!: Greetings from The Land of Smiles

In between my fellow classmates

You may not be familiar with the meaning of the title’s first phrase above, but for Thais, it is “Hello!”. Guess what, the moment that I have waited for is finally here; My Grand Tour at Stenden Rangsit University (SRU) Thailand, our sister campus site. Having safely arrived at Suvarnabhumi International Airport Bangkok, I was chaperoned by Ms Ann, SRU’s Student Relations Officer to Sita Villa, a 15-minute walk student apartment from Rangsit University. Upon arrival, the other Grand Tour students who arrived here earlier than me and Mrs On (the owner of the accommodation) warmly welcomed me.  

Finally, I can meet my roommate for the first time, which turned out to be a very funny Romanian guy, Filip. He helped me settle into the new environment by introducing me to his fellow friends. Being the only Indonesian and Southeast Asian in the group makes me feel so special. Some of them, in fact, are going to continue their next Module in Bali and I am looking forward to being their host next time! 

The campus building

I did not experience any cultural shock as there are lots of similarities between Thailand and Indonesia. The language barrier is the problem I am dealing with at the moment. As we look alike, I have had many occasions where my new class mates have mistaken me as Thai. Thanks to the “yellow information card” given by SRU on my Introduction Day that has basic Thai greetings and phrases, one phrase that I will always remember is “Phoot Thai Mai Dai”, which literally means “I cannot speak Thai”. However, all this can be compensated by the warm Thai hospitality that shows tremendous efforts to communicate in English accompanied by a cheerful, big SMILE. This is why Thailand is known as The Land of Smiles.

Well, my first impression about SRU is just “Wow”! The university complex is so big that I thought to myself whether I need a GPS to go or find out which building and classroom I should go. In addition SRU itself is on the 12th floor of the tallest building in the campus complex. When I first arrived at the campus there was a “Treasure Hunt” game, which requires us to travel around the campus to find out facilities that might be useful for us, such as International Student Office, canteen or even clinic. The rule of the game is simple: the first group that completes all tasks wins a movie ticket. Although my group did not win, the good thing is that I now know my way around the campus. On the same day, I was also introduced to my two classmates, Pook from Bangkok and Hansol from South Korea who will be studying with me for the completely 9 week International Business Communication (IBC) module. 

Siam, the heart of Bangkok: The ultimate shopping paradise begins here. Follow this blog for more of Joshua's stories on traveling and...shopping!

Overall, it is just another milestone in my 19 years of life. It’s a brand new journey to study in this beautiful country, something I have never experienced before. Thanks to Stenden for making this unique, interesting experience happens. What can I say more? Carpe diem, seize the day and make this Grand Tour opportunity a one-time, enriching experience for you :-)