1. KristenDunne
1
The Adventures of a Broad Abroad: Five Months “Studying” in
Southeast Asia
Halloween Night in Bangkok
I instantly turned around after feeling everything taken out of my back pocket.
One Thai man working for the bar I was at stood solo behind me. I had always called
him Amigo as we had been joking around with each other since the beginning of the
semester. He always hooked me up with buckets1 when I saw him on Khao San road,
and I would run around with his snapback on until I was about to head home.
Apparently he wasn’t my true amigo, though, since he had just stolen my phone, in
addition to my friend’s cigarettes, lighter and money.
I asked Amigo where my stuff was and he simply shrugged his shoulders. My
persistence in asking eventually led to him handing back my friends belongings –
everything besides my phone. This irritated me even more because I was confused why
he would make it so obvious he had stolen from me.
I handed my French friend Marius his items as he watched the situation play out.
He claimed later it was obvious this man had stolen my possessions and guessed he
swiftly handed off my phone. Marius was quick to react and approached Amigo,
attempting to pat down his pockets.
Amigo instantly started fighting Marius. Seconds after I yelled “STOP!” I felt my
hair pulled from behind. Another girl that worked at the bar, which I had also spoken
with multiple times, started punching and pushing me against a nearby wall. It suddenly
felt like a riot broke out as multiple workers from nearby bars joined in to fight a few
fellow exchange students attempting to defend Marius and me.
The next thing I remember is seeing Amigo run towards the fight with a two-foot
long, thick wooden paddle. He first knocked my friend Simon out with a hard blow to
the back of the head. It was obvious Amigo was headed straight for his target. I
continued to watch him approach and attack Marius with the most animalistic behavior
I have ever seen from a human. Marius was getting hit in the head, back, and shoulders.
Blood was seeping through his destroyed t-shirt as he stood defenseless, while multiple
people watched from the street in awe.
I sobbed and yelled for help the entire time, already feeling guilty because my
friend was getting attacked for defending me. I was pushed by this girl into the
commotion and remember being hit with the paddle multiple times. In an attempt to
defend myself I crossed my arms over my head. At this point Amigo aggressively struck
my left hand with the paddle and broke my middle finger turning it sideways, causing
swelling and pain well above my wrist.
1 Bucket: Strongly mixed alcoholicbeverage sold around SE Asia.Literally provided in a plasticbucket, generally
around $2.

2. KristenDunne
2
A series of strangers became involved and the fight was broken up. My friends
and I ended up on the other side of the street, while the now empty bar only held Thai
workers eyeing us down.
Simon was carried to a tuk tuk2 and taken to the hospital where he stayed for
multiple days with a concussion. After calming down, Marius and I went to a Tourist
Police Station at the end of the road to discuss what happened. We were greeted at the
front door by two men speaking in Thai with police uniforms on. Still clearly distraught,
I explained what happened. At the completion of my story one officer said (clearly) “I’m
sorry ma’am, we don’t speak any English here” followed by chuckles from them both.
Not caring enough to respect their culture at this moment, I raised my voice and started
yelling nonsense. I exclaimed they lied about speaking English considering they are
there for tourists, and that I could easily point out who stole my phone yet they had no
interest in hearing.
After innumerable sleepless nights, meaningful lost pictures, and multiple
surgeries resulting in an unbendable finger due to ligament issues four months later, I
can genuinely say I am okay and have come to terms with the incident. Not only did my
seven weeks of casts provide me with an abundance of friends, but my eyes were opened
to a completely different side of a culture. I am aware everything is not perfect in
America and people speak about it becoming more corrupt every day, but I can promise
it will be a long time before the level of corruption here will reach a fraction of the
misconduct occurring in many other parts of the world.
2 Tuk tuk: Hand-made, open-air,loud vehiclewhich swerves through traffic and can be found around Thailand.
Crazy drivers often playingloud music.These may also beaffiliated with tourists and nightlife.

3. KristenDunne
3
Purpose of Paper
The aforementioned included, I would not change a single thing about my time
abroad. I wanted to travel as far away from central Illinois as possible, to the place I was
least familiar with, simply because of the insane learning experience it would provide.
Every moment taught a new lesson and this was the most exhilarating feeling in the
world.
I hope sharing small parts of my most memorable adventures will help others see
the importance of exploring foreign cultures. I hope it teaches people there is no reason
to be scared of the world and that unfamiliar situations often end up as the most
rewarding. I was completely unaware how much five months could open one’s mind,
and I hope these reflections may contribute a glimpse for readers into new, worldly
perspectives.
Following these anecdotes are opinions I have made in regards to study abroad
programs. Very few accounts relate directly to my “studying,” but this seems appropriate
as most experiences result in a different type of education than we are used to – a more
experiential one per se. I have tied in research to support my reflections and hope the
suggestions provided allow for a critical view of colleges current intents and attempts at
increased globalization.

4. KristenDunne
4
Hardly Ever Explain it as an Initial Culture Shock – It Was So Much More
I was on the last ten minutes of my plane ride after 28 hours of travel – grateful it
was finally dark outside, since I left Chicago in the middle of the day and stopped in
Tokyo12 hours later, where it was also the middle of the day. Although I had flown out
of Chicago at night multiple times before, my first “star-struck” moment came when I
saw the lights of Bangkok from above. The city was so vast it appeared to never end, and
even completely exhausted I remember feeling the liveliness below. I was definitely
ready.
The inside of the airport was modern and familiar and I followed the signs to the
taxis. The second I took a step outside I felt my whole world changed. The air was thick
and humid with a far different “heat” than I had ever experienced. Mind you, this was at
three in the morning. The smell was even thicker and you could nearly taste the
pollution. The majority of individuals were Thaiand many were staring. For the first
time I felt like a complete foreigner, and I loved it. I knew this trip would be exactly what
I wanted.
I approached a taxiand the driver placed my belongings in the trunk as I
attempted toexplain where we would be going. I had printed off the English and Thai
version of my destination, along with a map of Bangkok circling it, yet the driver stared
clueless at the papers. I familiarized myself with speaking the address in Thai prior and
attempted this, but it was a failure once again. He seemed to disregard not knowing our
destination and ushered me into his cab. He attempted toask a few questions in the
early minutes of my first ever taxiride, but the only one I clearly remember is if this was
my first time in Thailand. Here I made my first mistake by answering yes.
We flew through the streets and I instantly felt like I was in a movie, as my driver
weaved through traffic on the highway and drove onto the shoulder if he had no place
else to pass. I was trying to observe my surroundings but was in so much shock by
everyone’s driving that this was difficult. I looked at his speedometer and saw we were
going 130 and my jaw dropped. It took me multiple days to realize this was in kilometers
per hour rather than miles per hour.
I remember being surprised at how city-like and modern everything looked from this
perspective. We passed the downtown area and there was nothing but tall buildings,
lights and billboards. We then approached the Old Quarter, a much more historical part
of town, where I would be living for the next five months. We searched for Amarin
Mansion, my extended stay hotel, for what seemed like an hour. It was clear he didn’t
know exactly where togo and eventually dropped me off at a building in a back alley that
looked nothing like the picture I had of Amarin. Telling him this wasn’t the right spot
did not help at all as he got out and started unpacking my belongings. The meter said
380 baht which was more than I was told it would be, and the taxidriver asked me for
500. I handed him this full amount thinking the extra money was for the highway fee,
yet later realized nearly every exchange student was ripped off in the same ways during
their first taxi ride. Drivers are smart about cruising extra kilometers torack up money
on the meter, as well as asking for a much higher price than on the screen considering a
highway fee should have been 30 baht at most.

5. KristenDunne
5
Relief filled me seeing I was on Arun Amarin, the street of my hotel. I lugged my
suitcases and bags down the broken sidewalk and noticed every person staring as I
passed. I asked a few groups if they knew where Amarin Mansion was but they all shook
their head no looking confused or carelessly pointed in a random direction. I found my
soi, the Thai name for alley, 30 minutes later. Coincidentally while looking at the
numerous small lizards and geckos on the sign of a convenience store outside my hotel, I
was caught off guard by a “lizard” around three feet long slithering down the building
and in front of my feet. We later called him dragon and found out these “water
monitors” can be found in multiple places across Bangkok. For the time being my
confidence dropped and fear of the unknown exponentially increased.
I was greeted at the doors by a security guard who also could not speak English.
He let me in Amarin and called Joi, one of the front-desk ladies, who greeted me and
showed me to my room. She attempted tocomfort me about the creature I had just seen
and said to get some sleep. I took a moment to settle in and was amazed that this room
was my biggest and nicest ever, including a balcony with an amazing view. After making
my bed and video calling the parents to tell them I made it alive, I passed out with
complete exhaustion until five that night. And this is where the adventure began.
The first person I met at Amarin Mansion was a student from the semester before
that was leaving the day after I arrived. I had about 30 seconds on the elevator with him
and asked if he had any suggestions. His two were “don’t give a shit about classes” and
“never say no.” He told me to never pass up a travel opportunity or adventure out
(whether it be day or night) if my body could handle it. His words replayed in my head
so many times during my semester abroad, and I was beyond thankful for this seemingly
insignificant encounter.
He hit it spot on. There are endless opportunities, and you will see things you
may never know existed or could not fully understand without experiencing. While
abroad you meet someone one day and decide to leave for a different country with them
the next. You rent a motorbike in the scariest place in the world to do so (Vietnam) and
ride for 4 hours while it’s misting in 40-degree weather toend up in a secluded village
for a week’s homestay. You climb volcanoes, trek into rain forests and play with
monkeys. You attempt to sneak into every hotel in Bangkok with a rooftop pool. You
spontaneously decide to spend your night at a rooftop bar overlooking the city because
when else can you get drunk outside in perfect weather, with that kind of a view, for just
$10?

6. KristenDunne
6
Meaningful Anecdotes from My Time Abroad
Bombing in Bangkok
Around one week after arriving, I spent the day downtown with two German
friends. We went shopping at MBK, a massive mall with knock-off items, and went to
see our first movie in Thailand. This ended around 6pm and we had planned to walk
around the block in search for somewhere to eat dinner. We stepped outside and were
blown away by the traffic, so decided to find a less busy area where we could grab a taxi.
Exhausted from the day I was napping on-and-off in the back of the cab but kept being
awakened by sirens passing us in the opposite direction. I thought nothing of this until
we returned home to see around 30 exchange students in our lobby watching the TV.
They all asked if we heard what happened. We had not. There had been the largest
attack on Bangkok to date – a bombing at a shrine less than one block away from where
we spent all day. This was an indescribable feeling being in a completely foreign place,
as well as the attack happening on the same street we would have likely eaten. Although
an extremely unfortunate situation, I was curious to see how the following days would
play out.
The following week consisted of multiple other “confirmed” attacks around
Bangkok which were later disproved. This reminded me much of home, where one
incident spirals into countless other rumors and myths which are then spread primarily
through the media. You could sense everyone on the edge of their toes awaiting the next
attack to come, as typically bustling city streets were now nearly empty. The gushing
community support to those whom lost loved ones, the increase in security, and general
edge in the air all brought me home as well. After only being in Bangkok for around ten
days and hardly having noticed a similarity yet, this event opened my eyes tothe
remarkable similarities humans in general possess. Across the world and unable to
efficiently communicate with a majority of members in this community, I still felt like
the attack was on my home. It was a truly remarkable feeling.
Night Life and Sex Life
Prostitution is everywhere. Whether it be a local part of town, or downtown in
Sukhumvit3 , you were guaranteed to see at least one “lady” walking down the street if it
were dark outside. Customers had to be cautious, because many of these prostitutes
were actually ladyboys4 , a very common theme throughout Thailand and the rest of SE
Asia.
My first experience with night life was going to Nana Plaza, known as the world’s
largest adult playground. My friend Fabio heard there were amputee and midget
strippers on the top floor and wanted to find them, so I went along for the ride. We
showed up to layers on layers of strip clubs. There were around 60 of these, all with
names such as “Spankys,” full of employees out front flaunting themselves in an attempt
3 Sukhumvit: One districtin Bangkok.Many would claimthis as the center of its sex industry as well.
4 Ladyboy (Kathoey in Thai):Either a transgender woman or an effeminate gay male. Some see kathoeys as
belongingto a third gender, whileothers see them either as a type of man or type of woman.

7. KristenDunne
7
to bring you in. We inquired about the diverse stripping acts and were told by many
locals and tourists they were unaware, so we pushed this theory away as a myth.
Curious about this culture, we sat at an outside bar and started speaking with two
ladies sitting nearby. These workers explained they were employed by the bar and
therefore gave away half their earnings to its owner each night. They would generally
egg on both men and women while at the bar, mingling with their soon-to-be customers
and constantly asking for drinks. After a while, they offer to take this person anywhere
and suggest a price they won’t budge far from. If refused, the lady simply walks to the
other side of the bar and moves on to the next. Both ladies admitted to not liking their
jobs, yet said it wasn’t as bad when they got to take ladies home. They generally slept
with three to four people a night earning anywhere from $7 - $200. Both women were
thankful to work at Nana, confident they would have customers most nights, while this
is not the case in many other parts of town.
Some ladies had it worse. On every popular street there were tuk tuk drivers
shoving cards in your face that read “Ping-Pong Show.” After accepting their offer, you
would be driven for free to a back alley with a single, sketchy door. Once inside you paid
for entrance including a free drink, with your driver making money off this deal as well.
You were then escorted into a dark room which contained chairs surrounding a raised,
circular platform. This contained three stripper poles and was where the show would
“play.” One at a time, ladies walked on stage to perform their act, looking exceptionally
unamused. The ladies had no shirt on and would remove their underwear when it was
their turn. Their performances consisted of utilizing their vagina to perform an
assortment of tasks – such as removing chain from within, blowing out birthday
candles, shooting darts, and most importantly popping ping pong balls into the crowd.
Other exchange students claimed to have nightmares about these shows after going. Not
proud of attending this event, I still felt I had to experience it once. Disgusted and
scarred, this is not one part of SE Asia I plan to relive.
Massages are also extremely common and cheap throughout Southeast Asia. In
Thailand the average cost is 150 baht, or a little over $4 for an hour on your full body.
After getting these in every setting possible – on the beach, in garden spas, on the street
– I eventually stumbled across a slightly different parlor. I was walking with friends just
ten minutes away from our home where there were tinted glass doors and dominos
hanging from above an entrance. After walking past this several times, at first not
noticing it and later always questioning it, we decided to take a step inside. It was
obvious this place used to be, or definitely may still have been, utilized as a brothel. One
owner was sitting at a table by the front door and the room was cut in half by a piece of
glass, with women sitting on couches on the other side. This glass had marks on it to
number the ladies and you were topick which one you wanted a massage from. We all
selected and paid 100 baht for two hours, much cheaper than past massages. We were
then led upstairs to a massive room with scattered, full-sized beds, individually
surrounded by curtains. Every “room” held an old TV hanging from the wall. They gave
us pajamas to change into as we all took our bed and lady. We all spoke later about
trying to decide if we should be grossed out or feeling uncomfortable at this moment.
My masseuse then turned the TV on so that Thai infomercials played during the entire
massage. Even past hearing this, and feeling somewhat uneasy, this was by far the most

8. KristenDunne
8
amazing massage I had ever received. After leaving, we all agreed this unnamed parlor
was now our favorite.
Wealth Gap
My best friend abroad was a French boy named Benjamin. After weeks of
traveling with other groups, meeting up after, and complaining we did not have as much
of a cultural experience as we had wanted, we decided to start traveling together. We
both were very interested in going off the beaten path to walk further into the lives of
those around, knowing we would never have this same chance to explore. Once our
journeys together started, they never ended.
One organized trek we completed was near Luang Prabang, Laos. We biked 45
kilometers through the mountains to reach the start of our hike. We spent the next
couple hours walking and climbing to the 80-person village we would be staying at this
night. Upon arrival, we were eager tomeet our hosts and explore the village. We arrived
right before night and walked through the small area of land to the “shack” we would be
staying in. Our two-minute walk felt like an hour as every single member of the village
started at us, completely unamused. We did our best to smile and say “sabaidi”5 to
everyone we passed, but were welcomed with no response. After settling into our rooms
which consisted of mats on the floor covered by mosquito nets, we met our host family
who also did not seem excited by our presence whatsoever. Ben and I failed for the next
bit of time to meet villagers, so we asked our guide if there were somewhere near the
village to trek before our late dinner. He showed us the way and we headed to the top of
this village for our next journey.
Passing the last couple shacks before exiting, we noticed a man holding a little
girl to our left, both with a huge smile on their face as they watched us pass. Ben and I
saw this as our perfect opportunity and approached these two. Seconds after returning
hello’s, five more young boys ran out of their neighbors and joined our circle of bucket
chairs. These boys also seemed happy to interact with us and were ecstatic to practice
their few words of English. After 45 minutes passed, we had exchanged names and ages,
gotten the boys to retrieve a soccer ball from across the village, and made plans to meet
in the school’s soccer field at eight the next morning to play games.
Due to our attempt and willingness to interact with the locals, our Laotian guide
was very pleased and opened up to us after dinner. We had many discussions including
our guide’s current love situation and the second wife he would soon get because his
current wife was failing to produce a boy, his financial worries, and details on our
countries he was curious about. We then found locals with an area for pétanque6 and
spent our night playing this while drinking rice wine. Our guide claimed this kind of
night was unusual for him, and we were extremely pleased with how much insight he
gave into his culture.
5 Sabaidi:Lao word for “hello”
6 Pétanque: Originally French,a game where teams stand on a gravel rectangular and throw large,metal balls ata
smaller ball in order to come closestto itand gain points.

9. KristenDunne
9
We awoke the next morning to meet not only the boys from the night before at
the field, but around 20 other children they also brought along. It seemed like every kid
from the village was there to play with us and we took full advantage. We spent all
morning teaching the kids games, learning games from them, and losing in endless
soccer matches. We drew pictures back and forth on the school’s chalkboard and left for
the next village around noon, taking one of the most amazing and memorable
experiences from SE Asia along with us.
This school was remotely placed with the most beautiful backdrop of mountains I
had ever seen. After playing with the kids, it seemed they were extremely content with
their lives. Multiple parents joined us at the soccer field later as well, much more
accepting than the night before. This opened my eyes tothe endless amounts of joy
people can have when they are unaware of what else exists. It appeared these families
wanted nothing more than to not have judgmental tourists walking through their land
so they could continue their lives in peace, and were simply unsure about us at first.
They seemed content with their single chalkboard, wooden chairs and dirt floor as a
school. They seemed happy eating bamboo and sticky rice every night, showering with
buckets in front of their shacks, and enjoying the little things in life7 .
The wealth gap throughout Southeast Asia is one aspect of society I never failed
to notice. It is far more in your face than anything apparent here. This gap is a constant
reminder that many people live a polar opposite life from ours every day, and will for the
remainder of their time. One observation I made was the large difference in lives of
villagers compared to homeless people around the city. Although these groups may
possess around the same amount of assets, it was clear the sense of community in each
village provided for a much more satisfactory life. In Bangkok alone, I saw more
diversity than I ever imagined possible.
Another instance where I remember reflecting on this was when my friend Fabio
and I explored downtown for our first time since arriving in Bangkok. We just left Siam
Paragon, the most Instagrammed place in the world – likely due to its extremely
modern architecture, composition of name-brand stores, top-rated food court, and
numerous attractions you will stumble upon inside this glamorous mall. We stepped
outside and were in the middle of a massive cement patio. This was the perfect location
of city center where every place you looked made Bangkok’s downtown seem to be the
most up-to-date, bustling place in the world. We left the glamour to find a pad thai
stand across the street. After walking for about two minutes, we ran into a train track
lined with shacks and garbage piles. There were families living inside each of these
hand-made structures they created from whatever they had -- whether it be wood,
metal, broken doors, even cardboard boxes. Most people were sitting on the ground or
on top of garbage staring at the tracks, implying this is what they do each day – as if the
next train passing would be their amusement. There were animals running all
throughout the shacks and individuals moved slowly and purposeless. It killed me to see
this lifestyle while others were buying Prada purses across the street.
7 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY3b36Wa1zY “Road trip Southeast Asia 2015”Benjamin’s video made after
time abroad.

10. KristenDunne
10
I genuinely don’t see a point in making an effort to change the lives of many
villagers throughout Southeast Asia. The existence they have maintained is working and
has been preserved over time, full of culture and contentedness. The homeless are those
which should be worried about first and foremost, clearly without a chance to move up
the hierarchy and destined to a life of misfortune.
The Adventure Never Ends
My return was quite the journey in itself. I arrived tothe airport at 11pm for my
1am flight to Hong Kong that would be connecting to Chicago. I went to check in with
my 5 bags full of belongings and souvenirs, for them to tell me my flight was actually 12
hours prior. Apparently the flight had been changed when I was gone and they left a
message on my phone to tell me, although I had no phone service my entire time
abroad. I called American Airlines and was told I couldn’t leave until the next morning
and would have to pay around $1,800 for my flight home. After much arguing, I got the
employee to understand why I was so upset and received a new return flight for free.
I thought my troubles ended here until I arrived in Tokyo. I was told my flight to
Chicago was cancelled so I would be placed in a hotel room for the night. I was
surprisingly okay with this because I had a full night to myself where I could reflect on
everything that happened – and this was very useful in my opinion.
I wandered around the airport waiting for the shuttle when three men
approached me. One was holding a huge video camera and the other two pushed a
microphone in my face, asking my name and where I was coming from. After fifteen
minutes of them inquiring why I was in Tokyo(I didn’t plan to be), what I would be
doing in Tokyo(sleeping in a hotel room), and why I was wearing flip flops when it was
50 degrees outside, I asked who they were and what they were trying to do. Come to find
out, these three are the hosts and cameraman of the famous Japanese show “Why Did
You Come to Japan?” I thought this was a joke until I asked the Japanese students in my
study abroad group if they had heard of this show – and they all replied it was their
favorite. Maybe one day I’ll become famous in Japan.
The shuttle took us from the airport to the hotel and I was so confused why
everything seemed so organized. Why were all the cars driving properly and obeying
street lights? Where were the geckos? This all seemed wrong. I spent my night in the
hotel and returned for my flight the next morning, shocked by the perfection in each
part of this small journey.
We flew to Shanghai where I had an eight-hour layover, followed by a 14-hour
trip to Chicago. Over 48 hours later, having slept for nearly 30 of these, I finally arrived.
Past my exhaustion I was excited beyond belief to see my father and step foot in America
once again. This had truly been the journey of a lifetime.
Overall Reflection of How I Spent My Time Abroad
There are endless activities in Southeast Asia I desired, yet never got around to
completing. From volunteering in Cambodia to riding a scooter from the North to South

11. KristenDunne
11
of Vietnam, I will hold a wish of returning to this beautiful land at some point in the
future. I am confident every journey here provides something you can take away to
better yourself – emotionally, physically or mentally.
Although I was constantly stuck between patterns of life I could explore during
my time abroad, I did my best to see the most of this foreign world. I attempted to not
inhibit this touristic lifestyle popping up everywhere – yet still got caught up in it at
times. As much as this way of travel irritated me, I found it important to see this side of
destinations as well. In addition, I pushed myself to explore the cultural side of
Southeast Asia as this is the experience I came for. This was made difficult living with
over 100 exchange students, but was still very possible. Past my many bus rides to
random destinations, homestays, and local apartment parties, the one thing I would
have loved doing more of was exploring the local culture. I never got bored with this as it
constantly left me more enriched and excited for what was to come.
In general, I have zero regrets of my time spent in this beautiful region. I was able
to try a plethora of activities, view landscapes I couldn’t believe were real, and learn
about cultures completely foreign to myself. This experience was nothing but positive
and I hope I may contribute to other students gaining similar experiences in the future.

12. KristenDunne
12
Is Study Abroad “Working?”
Purpose of Studying Abroad
Harvard sociologist David Brooks sees college as having three potential purposes:
commercial – preparing to start a career, cognitive – learning stuff, or how to think, and
moral – developing personal beliefs on how to live confidently, courageously, and
hopefully (Deresiewicz, 26). Students are constantly moving their studies to vocational
and commercial fields such as business, health, engineering, and computer science as a
result of a societal push to do so (Deresiewicz, 27). While these newly popular fields will
benefit our communities physically with the introduction of new tools, medicines, and
computer programs, it seems they are disadvantageous in terms of maintaining societal
camaraderie. No result of these fields encourages interaction among community
members as the work of a sociologist or theater major would. As a result, only the
commercial goal is being achieved in universities today. I understand a student’s desire
to “go for the big bucks,” but I believe this is problematic if the majority follow this goal,
as it represents students no longer learning for the sake of learning.
As aforementioned, I see sociology and studying abroad to both well-embody this
innate sense of desire to explore the unknown and learn about what others take for
granted. Living in a culture vastly different from my own allowed me to do this in a
variety of ways. Additionally, this sparked a travel bug which I am confident will push
me to explore cultures for years tocome. As further students are encouraged to travel
abroad to non-traditional destinations, more will develop a concurrent aspiration, only
to prove beneficial as our world and schools become internationalized. For this I find it
extremely important for schools encouraging study abroad, including Illinois State, to
do two things.
First, study abroad must be advertised more in courses like sociology, English,
even geology – where students are gaining cognitive and moral skills in addition to
commercial. Most American colleges started out as church-affiliated organizations
where their primary goal was to form student morals. Looking at what universities have
become, it is clear there is a large opportunity for them to change in years tofollow. It is
these students who have a chance to help shape our universities properly in order for
them to provide necessary benefits of a postsecondary education. They also have an
opportunity to open the eyes of those in commercial fields to ideas and thoughts of their
own subjects. The number of students majoring in English, physical sciences,
mathematics, and similar fields has plummeted since the 1960s. This trend must not
continue if we want American universities to remain as role-models to our world
(Deresiewicz, 27).
We must also urge students in commercial fields to increase travel abroad in less
traditional places. As a business major, I can assure going to developing areas will offer
one in vocational studies a multitude of opportunities. This may be thinking up business
ideas such as creating a mechanism that will sit on bike handles and hold umbrellas over
riders rather than everyone holding them themselves. This includes an understanding of
why every building is slanted away from the main roads, or brainstorming ways to
improve public transportation and cleanliness. The mind of any student in engineering,
health, sciences, or a similar field would be buzzing the second they walked into such an

13. KristenDunne
13
evolving city. These are the students that can implement their ideas down the road and
may truly improve commercial aspects of a society, only after having experienced it
themselves.
In Regard to Education
One common educational goal many students have in mind when studying
abroad is to advance their foreign language skills. A lot of the time they travel to
English-speaking destinations in order to achieve this. Students claim that after being
forced to speak English for such a long period of time, their skills greatly advanced.
(Waters and Brooks, 1)
Unfortunately, this trend does not always continue for languages other than
English. After five months in Thailand, it was unbelievable with which how little Thai
most exchange students were familiar. I was very disappointed and think it should be
obligatory for students to take the language of whichever country they are in, even if it is
just an hour course each week. I took every opportunity topractice my Thai with the taxi
driver or person sitting next tome on the bus. Though nowhere near fluent by the time I
left, I was able to communicate with individuals on a completely different level
compared to when I arrived. I was also treated by the locals in a completely differently
manner for making an effort to learn their language. This was rewarding to say the least.
In terms of the academic education I received abroad, this was not at all
challenging. I heard many times that it is common globally for professors to be more
lenient on students abroad, as they understand and support student’s intentions of
coming this whole way, for something further than an academic education. In addition, I
also was the only student in many classes whose first language was English. A majority
of international students are used to having English language as a course in school
rather than learning all of their subjects in it, making their studies much more difficult.
It seemed many courses were geared to suit these students.
Aside from being let off the hook by multiple professors, I felt the overall
academic standards were far lower than those set at Illinois State. Part of this was due to
their means of assessment. A midterm and final, occasionally accompanied by a group
project, made up the entirety of your semester grade. There were no weekly assignments
to show we had an understanding, or lack-thereof, of the material. Simply memorizing
power points and reiterating their ideas on a test is, in my opinion, not the best means of
proving knowledge on a topic.
I also believe this scholastic structure partially influenced the amount of
involvement from professors at my host university. I had no teachers encouraging
students to attend office hours and each local student I spoke with claimed to have never
worked or talked with any professor outside the classroom. Many said this was a trend
in their schools when they were younger students as well. I see this as problematic
because after gaining a strong connection with professors at ISU, I feel they are an
important connection and have the ability to teach us much more than in the classroom,

14. KristenDunne
14
along with acting as a connection to potential groups or jobs with which we may become
involved.
An article on UK students abroad well-represented the type of education many
students nowadays seem to study abroad in hopes of receiving. For example, Jamie says:
It’s purely todevelop myself as a person so as to sort of have a more objective
understanding of the world and be able to perhaps contribute in a more positive
way…. As opposed to trying to use my academic studies for sort of monetary gain
in the future, so to speak.
Jamie’s personal objectives were highly representative of the majority of
participant’s views. While his goals may seem universal and appear to lack strategy, I
personally believe this mentality and attitude when going abroad will prove highly
beneficial (Waters and Brooks, 6).
Many individuals I met abroad were from Australia or the UK and had a gap year.
I think this is a great option for American schools to look into, as it provides students
with an opportunity to explore more options in the world before being forced into
corporate America, advancing many skills of their own which will be reputable to
employers during future job seeks.
Studying abroad is also educating students in terms of the “increasingly global
knowledge based economy” (Waters and Brooks, 18). Not only did I learn how to deal
with a different currency, but was amazed to notice how different Southeast Asian
economies functioned. Much more was traded rather than bought such as work for
housing, and bargaining changes everything about a purchase. I related this all to our
own economic structure, and grew an interest to look more into foreign economies –
especially those developing at such a quick pace.
In Regard to Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is realized, disseminated and embedded through quasi-markets,
Public Private Partnerships, the “enterprising-up” of public organizations, and the work
of charities and volunteer organizations. Indeed, our third sector can be seen as a new
governmentality rolled out under neoliberalism (Ball, 18). Over the last two decades,
neoliberal policies have transformed educational systems around the globe. Public
schools are being replaced with private, for-profit, competitive, market-based schools
that “increase inequality and undermine democracy (Ross and Gibson, 9).”
There are many negative effects resulting from this change. Not yet completely
the case in Bangkok, it is clear the city is destined for serious repercussions of this
future. It appeared to me this region was attempting to mimic American society, where
neoliberalism shines through every part of our culture. For example, Thammasat
University was starting to have more privately-run charity organizations pop up on
campus within the one semester I was there. Students claimed to have never seen

15. KristenDunne
15
something like this before. Our marketing teacher also made many references to the
issue of privatization spreading throughout Thailand. Private hospitals were popping up
everywhere, clearly only affordable by tourists or the elite.
Marxist political and educational activist Dave Hill claims neoliberalism in
education policy has “perverted the goals, motivations, methods, standards of excellence
and standards of freedom in education (Ross and Gibson, 11).” I strongly do not believe
educational systems should become hegemonized. A student will likely believe his or her
teacher, since what the child is being taught is new information and they know no
better. If all students are being instructed in the same manner and style, with attributes
Dave Hill spoke of, our education system is destined to fail. I believe we must maintain
local culture through our schools. Methods should be created to improve systems in
developing areas such as Thailand. These schools should be able to acquire better
professors and tools while maintaining their local traditions. I personally loved wearing
a uniform to college every class, and don’t believe this tradition should be removed – yet
spoke with professors about this potentially happening in years tocome.
In Regard to Globalization
Considering the past America has with most of the world, and the influence it will
have for years tocome, I find it important we continuously become more informed. For
example, it was much different viewing a Vietnam War Museum from Vietnam’s
perspective than if I were to visit a museum in Chicago. I was also able to see the
immense love Indonesian’s have for Barack Obama. Due to his past in Jakarta and
current efforts with the Indonesian President to remove discrimination and corruption
throughout this country, I was treated like a red carpet Hollywood star for the entirety of
my solo stay in Sumatra. And nearly every local I spoke with in Bangkok had a different
reason to argue why America is number one. It is always good to hear a story from both
sides. I personally see study abroad increasing diversity and bringing cultures together.
After seeing multiple perspectives one is better able to think outside the box on a daily
basis, which can only prove beneficial with many students going abroad to make our
world global as a whole.
Unfortunately, some sociologists claim that over the last 30 years, globalization
has become neoliberal globalization (Ball, 17). The hierarchical model of government is
in decline. Emerging tools are producing a new government model, in which executives’
core responsibilities no longer center on managing people and programs but on
organizing resources – often belonging to others – to produce public value (Eggers).
One example of this occurring may be seen by the start of Thammasat courses to
be offered online. This current semester was the first they tried, and professors spoke
about the school adding this to compete with other universities in the marketplace as
well as with international campuses. I see this to be a negative quality as online courses
lack personal connection and take away much of what you are supposed to receive from
an education. Professors hold less management of people and more of their resources. I
hope similar trends do not continue to spread in locations like Bangkok, where the
culture is currently very local and personal.

16. KristenDunne
16
Neoliberal globalization may destroy values, tradition, and spread incorrect
information through mass media – essentially homogenizing cultures. I do not believe it
is okay for communities to rely completely upon tourist capital, increasing heritage
commodification in certain locations as cultural themes and expressions have come to
be evaluated primarily in terms of their exchange value (Cohen, 371). Though I can
partially be blamed for falling into this “tourist gaze,” I believe an increase in students
abroad will open the eyes of those living overseas to this quickly increasing issue. We
must be able to travel abroad without ruining the traditions and expressions of the
foreign cultures we become a part of (Urry, 115).
As a Reflection of the Presence and Promotion of United States Culture Abroad
I was blown away by the presence of American culture in Southeast Asia,
specifically Bangkok. It almost seemed like they are developing with this intention to
become “Americanized” as the American dream still shines so brightly in their eyes. The
buildings are looking more like modern ones built here, fast food chains are popping up
everywhere, and the schools appear to be mimicking our education system more closely
each day.
When deciding on a destination to study abroad, I was in search for the most
“different” place from our own. In terms of people, culture, food, and every other aspect
of where I would be spending the next five months, I simply wanted to be placed as far
outside my comfort zone as possible. This is why I was shocked at being able to speak
my language with most locals at least to some extent, and to recognize stores and
corporations from close to home.
I do not remember ever seeing Americans poorly reflecting our culture. Many
international students approached us as English teachers, and every U.S. student was
beyond willing to help. It was great to have U.S. students in the actual classrooms as
well, since so many examples are related to the United States and its culture. I clearly
remember my marketing teacher always asking for my opinion on topics, being sure she
was providing a true representation of American culture. This is a great way toprovide a
more accurate representation of our lives in destinations abroad.
For Students Studying Specifically at Thammasat and in Bangkok?
It was amazing to watch the connections made between those studying abroad
and the locals in Bangkok. In such a developing area with a large number of students
traveling here for studies, I find it important for these relationships to be formed.
Multiple events are held throughout the semester with the intention of getting
international students acquainted with those in local colleges. This seemed to work well
and helped to provide the desired result most students aim for when choosing a study
abroad program.

17. KristenDunne
17
I would highly recommend even more events which encourage these types of
interactions with the locals. I noticed many fellow exchange students eating with Thai
students in the school cafeteria and mingling with them in class class, which is how my
first couple months were spent went as well. It took me until around halfway through
the exchange program to become comfortable enough to ask more Thai students to hang
out at night, away from the school setting. At this point, myself and a few international
students formed a group with students born and raised in Bangkok. Ecstatic to have
international friends, these students started to show us around. We ate at street carts
owned by the parents of our new Thai friends, hung around in their flats after class, and
went out together at night. I also learned the most Thai from these friends. These are
activities many international students never had the chance to participate in. I believe it
is important to have such experiences as they more accurately show what a student’s life
is like in this city, and allows you to learn more about their culture on a personal level.
Final Remarks
There are more anecdotes from my time abroad than I could ever remember, let
alone write about. When thinking back to Southeast Asia, it feels like I was there for
years rather than 5 months. Unlike events at home which often mush together, many
adventures abroad stick out in my mind due to their vastly different nature from any
experience I had before. Each event greatly influenced my time abroad and added to the
new perspectives I possess today.
The corruption did not end in Bangkok after my finger was broken. I received
back $20 less than I should have at the Cambodian border when paying for my Visa, and
once again the workers “could not speak English” when I tried to bring this up. Every
seller in a market will tell you a price much higher than it is worth, which is why it is
always good to bring along a local friend. Tuk tuk drivers offer to provide free rides to a
destination, only to end up at a tailor shop in the middle of nowhere. You are pressured
to buy a suit and then forced to take the tuk tuk back home, which you will pay a lot for.
It takes time to learn the tricks, but it is absolutely possible to do so. By the time I left, I
was making taxidrivers pay me 300 baht8 for a ride to the clubs.
Another example comes from Laos, led by a Communist party. Moments after
settling into Vang Vieng, a new Canadian friend bought a few grams of weed from a
restaurant next toour hostel. All shops and restaurants were selling various drugs such
as weed and opium for extremely cheap, as did many other places throughout Southeast
Asia. Not knowing much more about this city at the time than it being full of partying
tourists, I didn’t think much of it. A few of us went to sit by the river and enjoy the joint
our Canadian friend had rolled. Moments after finishing, I noticed a man walking our
direction through tall grass. Curious why he was coming from that area, I smiled and
waved regardless, excited to encounter our first local. He aggressively walked up to us
and rummaged through our belongings without saying a word – dumping everything
out of my wallet and digging into Benjamin’s pockets. I thought he was attempting to
8 300 baht is approximately $9

18. KristenDunne
18
rob us until he pulled out a nametag from under his shirt that simply read “Police.” He
admitted the seller of the weed reported our Canadian friend to the police immediately
after the sale. The police scared us into paying money for the issue, with multiple threats
to send us to the “big house” if we did not, in addition to physically hitting the men of
our group if they did not cooperate. The “officer” explained the seller would take a cut of
one money, one of many odd monopolies we saw in these areas. Unable to argue their
set price we were stuck. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize at the time that I would not get in
trouble for telling the U.S. Embassy about my situation. Lesson learned.
Learning transportation around Bangkok was one of the hardest daily tasks with
which I struggled. Whether it be the ferry, taxi, motor taxi, BTS, tuk tuk, or bus, it
seemed like I was playing a never ending game of finding the best method of
transportation at that exact time to my set destination9 . Having never lived in a big city
or used much public transportation prior, it felt as though this massive city held a world
of its own in this term.
As others have, I could write a novel on the food in Thailand alone. In this
country the streets were lined with any type of rice, meat, sweets, or nourishment you
could think up. Not only is the street food so plentiful that most locals never cook, but it
is the best I have ever indulged in, generally at less than $1 for a heaping plate. From
cow tongue to intestines, to local curries and soups, to scorpions, tarantulas, and even
dog – I tried as much as I could in my short amount of time. Getting past food poisoning
twice, with one of those times ending in the most near-death experience I remember
going through, I would take my chances with spicy Thaicuisine any day of the week.
Whether sitting in an alley, on a tiny chair at a street side restaurant, or grabbing a
snack on the way toschool, the food culture was one of its own – and it was an
extremely beautiful one at that!
Living in a world filled with Royalty and Religion for five months was an
experience far from any I was used to, and contributed to a great sense of open-
mindedness. The King and Queen are respected so much that you can get arrested for
speaking about them in public. There are also celebrations held on their birthdays,
relatable to mother and father’s day in the United States. Here blocks are lined with food
and entertainment, and a fireworks show and celebration are held in the city. Cars on
the street and pedestrians walking are stopped while a member of the Royal Family
passes by, and an honorary song is played before every movie which you are to stand up
and respect. I had never felt so much magic in the air as when I attended the Buddhist
Loi Krathong festival in Chiang Mai, as thousands of individuals sent lanterns into the
sky and made a wish upon their release. Buddhism fills the air while temples and monks
fill the streets, adding a great deal to the overall attitude of Thai citizens. The locals
never got worked up or made a scene, and were always overly nice due to the
9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVpHbvCGUTA “Krung Thep” Video made by French student Marius after
our time abroad.The canal seen is KrungThep

19. KristenDunne
19
reincarnation of themselves which they look forward to. Experiencing life with such a
differing and prominent religion was a highlight of my time abroad.
Conclusion
While riding on busses to my next travel destination, I would constantly look out
the window and try torelate what I was seeing to something at home. The stands selling
food on the side of the road reminded me of lemonade stands, but at the same time
weren’t relatable as kids at home were trying to make some extra money, learning
selling techniques in the process. These people were making a living. I would try to
relate the vehicles - but the taxis were colorful, cars drove on the “wrong” side of the
road (not to mention the driver sat on the “wrong” side), everyone ignored traffic laws
and no cops were out to get you for driving improperly. Motorbikes driving like maniacs
in-between traffic. Every moment of driving my rented motorbike through Bangkok and
in my travels was one of the most exhilarating feelings imaginable. It also was one part
of my trip I avoided telling my mom about until I made it home safely – I think the
bombing and being attacked had scared her enough for the semester.
It was incredible being completely outside my comfort zone, unable to relate
anything. No matter how bothered I was at times by every local staring and asking for a
picture either with or of me, I consistently reminded myself there was a reason for them
doing so – and this taught me something in itself. The point of all these stories is that I
personally feel like my study abroad experience far exceeded any expectation I had. Not
completely knowing what to expect made this journey incredible.
The worst parts of this experience were leaving and readjusting to life at home.
Being one of the last to leave Bangkok, I watched over 100 friends leave individually and
return to their lives. I asked a few students how things were back at home and each
replied it felt like they never left and the past months never happened – everything was
exactly the same. This seemed impossible as I continued to walk through Bangkok’s
streets. It felt as though I would return home to so many changes, thinking about how
much I changed during my time overseas. Unfortunately, my friends were right. I will
not forget riding through my neighborhood for the first time since being back, feeling as
though I had never stopped making this drive for the past 5 months. I didn’t know
where to begin with my stories to family or friends, and many admitted later to not
knowing exactly what totalk to me about when I first arrived home.
Before leaving I was more scared about adjusting to my return than I was about
doing so with life abroad, and this was easily justifiable. The next few months were filled
with many of the same emotions. Nearly four months later, I constantly reminisce on
my time in Southeast Asia. Not a day goes by where I don’t think about my international
friends whether from Thailand or another country, wondering how they are doing and
what is happening in their lives. It is crazy being with a group of people for a semester
that become your family, then leaving them to never know when or if you will catch up
again. This is the scariest part about traveling as well. With few people in my central
Illinois life to have traveled internationally, I feel as though each time I leave and return

20. KristenDunne
20
will be more of a challenge to adjust and relate. Seeing a whole other world is emotional,
as well as indescribable to anyone not having done so before.
“This changed angle of vision, however is dangerous, for once you have peered
behind the scenes and viewed life in a new light, it is nearly impossible to revert
to complacent assumptions. The old, familiar, and so very comfortable ways of
looking at life become upset when your angle of vision changes. This potential of
sociology, of course, is also part of its attraction.” (Berger, 5)
Being a “farang”1 0 for five months was the highlight of my life thus far. I learned
more about myself as well as others. I had the opportunity to gain a love for outdoor
rock-climbing, kayaking, and scuba diving – doing so with the most gorgeous
landscapes as my surrounding. I learned how to say “I want to sleep with you” and
“cheers” in six different languages. I was taught innumerable drinking games and now
better handle my alcohol, thanks to Chang beer bottles being bigger and stronger than
anything I was used to, and Sang Som being an extremely cheap and effective rum. I was
given the title “Amarin Legend” due to all the “misfortunes” and situations I got myself
into abroad, and hold this title proudly. Most importantly, I learned about the lives of
people from outside central Illinois. My eyes were opened to endless possibilities and
roads not yet traveled. And I owe it all to study abroad. So if I had to answer, I would say
yes – study abroad is absolutely working.
10 Farang:Thai word for foreigner; does not necessarily hold a negativeconnotation.

21. KristenDunne
21
Works Cited
Ball, Stephen J. Global Education Inc.: New Policy Networks and the Neo-liberal
Imaginary. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2012. Print.
Berger, Peter L. Invitation to Sociology. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Cohen E. 1988. Authenticity and commoditization in tourism. Ann. Tour. Res. 15:371–
86.
Deresiewicz, William. "The Neoliberal Arts." How College Sold Its Soul to the Market
(2015): 25-32. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.
Eggers, William D. "The Changing Nature of Government: Netowrk Goverance." Epress,
n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2011.
Ross, E. Wayne, and Rich Gibson. Neoliberalism and Education Reform. Cresskill, NJ:
Hampton, 2007. Print.
Urry, J. 1996. Tourism, culture and social inequality. In The Sociology of Tourism:
Theoretical and Empirical Investigations, ed. Y Apostolopoulos, S Leivadi, A
Yiannakis, pp. 115–33. New York: Routledge.
Waters, Johanna, and Rachel Brooks. "Accidental Achievers? International Higher
Education, Class Reproduction and Privilege in the Experiences of UK Students
Overseas." British Journal of Sociology of Education (2010): 1-24. Web. 22 Feb.
2016.
Benjamin Beraud – Road Trip Southeast Asia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY3b36Wa1zY
Marius Vanmalle – Krung Thep:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVpHbvCGUTA
Personal Video Blogs:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5ydY6b8L7E_VIbZBuoCgDZqRJ4Q0nMzF