Pre-Trip Reflection

After this one semester of being in the USP programme itself, it has changed some of my perspectives on things which I doubt would have ever crossed my mind normally. Writing and Reasoning itself have a profound impact on my perspectives on different issues. I am also very thankful to be given this opportunity to be able to partake in this study trip.

The topic that my group was assigned with, Youth Culture, is closely relatable to us and I personally am interested in how the youth of other countries go on about their everyday lives and what are the determining factors or factors that influence their current behavior and culture. This trip also serves as another opportunity for me to gain new perspectives on it. With the introduction of social media in our lives, it has definitely changed the way on how we express and communicate with each other.

With the introduction of social media, it changed the way people communicate, maintain relations and how they express themselves. People are now able to reach out to a wider audience in a shorter period of time with the use of social media. With youth becoming more and more technological savvy, there is a positive correlation in the usage of social media and youth that use social media. It can be said that the usage of social media is closely tied or even inseparable to the youth as a medium for communication, maintaining relations and expression.

This trip itself will enable my group to closely examine the effects of social media on Youth Culture in Thailand itself. This will also allow me to be exposed to the youth there on how it has shaped or changed the way youth express themselves. I believe that multi-disciplinary education have to include understanding other cultures as it is the culture that shapes the behaviors of the people, policy directions and how open is their society towards foreign influences.

Majoring in accountancy, there seems to be little or no correlation on the surface to the contents of this trip itself. But I beg to differ. Immersing myself in another culture is essential for the future where it is expected for us to travel overseas regularly for work purposes. Adapting to the culture is essential for survival in a place that is totally foreign. Being term as ‘strawberry generation’ stems from us being not being able to adapt to different situations. This trip will  serve as a excellent opportunity for me to immerse myself in a different culture and a totally foreign language. Also, we have to interact with new people on a regular basis and this trip will be able to serve as a training such future purposes by approaching strangers for interview and survey.

Personally, for this trip itself, I hope that a deeper bond will be fostered where it will help to bring our batch of scholars together. I also look forward to interacting with the Thai youth so as to better understand their culture and their mindset. I also look forward to sightseeing in Chiang Mai and immersing myself in the culture there.