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 3rd 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!
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