Post-trip Reflections

The USP trip to Chiang Mai was most memorable for various reasons. First and foremost, we bonded very much as a cohort, especially within our groups. My batchmates in Youth Culture were most friendly and helpful, and I was glad I got to know them better.

Secondly, we got to analyse another culture rigorously, and probe into social and political issues. This would definitely not be possible if it were not an educational trip. It was heartwarming to see youth help us with our surveys readily. It was interesting to note that female youth were more likely to help us than male youth. However, I failed to find a plausible explanation for such a phenomenon.

Prior to the trip, we foresaw a culture of youth utilising social media to voice opinions on social and political issues. In doing so, we had overlooked the current regime managed by the military junta, which had censorship policies. Yet, according to the Press Freedom Index 2015, which is an assessment of countries’ press freedom and policies made to respect such freedom, Singapore (#153) was behind Thailand (#134) in ranking. (Refer to: https://index.rsf.org/#!/) This is an interesting fact to mull over, and we have thus decided to conduct comparison studies in Singapore to supplement our research.

Education is a key part of a youth’s identity, and as such, for our focus group discussion broaching on social and political issues, we chose to branch out from the key issue of education. This was an informed decision, and the participants at CMU responded well to it, suggesting certain reforms which would empower students in education. One interesting point would be that the teachers were different in the south from the north of Thailand. Teachers in the south were more liberal as compared to the north, where teachers were more likely to command the students, and there was strict hierarchical order observed. One of the students I interviewed said that if citizens have been used to the mentality of being yelled at even as university students, it is hard for them to not be forced into cowardice. They would then not find fault with oppression by the government. Yet, one could arguably say that a school has a different purpose from that of a government, having an added responsibility to instil discipline in students. However, this argument should apply only to primary and secondary education; whereas university students ought to be treated as “mature, responsible and thinking young adults”, quoting certain buzz words, and given more freedom in proposing club activities, initiating events, etc.

There were similarities across cultures definitely. Students in Chiang Mai also liked café hopping, and staying in cafés to study. However, one CMU student’s defining word for Chiang Mai youth culture was “individualism”. This is, in fact, similar to Singapore. There is a café hopping trend definitely, but it would not be a “culture” per say, as it is not that widespread. Hence, over the course of the trip, I learnt to evaluate the word “culture” carefully, and ensure that I was indeed observing Chiang Mai youth culture, not hastily labelling them. I was really glad for the focus group discussion in CMU, and felt lucky to have been the moderator of the discussion. The students had diverse opinions, which served as good training ground as I tried best to evaluate and moderate discussion in a neutral and logical manner.

Moreover, I am grateful to the passers-by who tried to understand us, and decided to help us without a second thought when we explained that we were Singaporean youth researching on Chiang Mai. They found our research interesting, and it was heartening to see that they saw meaning in what we were doing.

During the trip, we did not stick to the schedule entirely, and played by ear. When we realised that street interviews were of no use to our group, as we needed to target political science students with interests in political and social issues, we discarded the idea and focused on focus group discussions. I learned that flexibility was indeed key to having a fruitful trip, and it was economical to divert attention to key research methods which would reap useful data for research.

I was generally receptive to the differences in cultures there, and tried venturing out of my comfort zone, such as by trying new food and meeting new people. Aside from breaking down on the third day because I had been forcibly sociable for an extended period of time, I guess it was a remarkable improvement from my usual anti-social self.

Throughout our research, I was careful to check with my groupmates to ensure that I was documenting and inferring conclusions from evidence in a logical manner without any bias attached on my part. I was also afraid of force-fitting evidence into the preconceived hypothesis, but as our findings were radically different from our hypothesis constructed before the start of the trip, I had a lower chance of lapsing into such a mistake.

However, I did not manage to look out for distinctive features in Thai language use. Indeed, having been ill-prepared and not actively learning Thai beforehand, I was unable to communicate well. I was hence unable to glean any material related to linguistics or language throughout my trip, which was most regrettable. As a self-identified budding linguist, I realise I could afford to be far more observant of my surroundings in the future.

The trip was an eye-opener indeed, and made me appreciate the safe streets in Singapore, and public transportation. It was only on the last day (hence my proclamation that I should be more observant in the preceding paragraph) that I realised the city of Chiang Mai did not have public transport, as it was dominated by the red taxi company. This had to do with the ties between the owner of the taxi company and a local politician, obviously concerning under table money. As such, transport for the people of Chiang Mai was relatively expensive, and it was more economical for them to own their own car. This translates to the overcrowding of roads, especially with Chiang Mai also being a tourist hub with numerous tour groups utilising the roads too.

Contrastingly, the government in Singapore is relatively free of corruption, and they ensure that we have affordable transportation. Also, our roads are safe, and most people generally follow traffic laws in Singapore. After this trip, I have learnt to appreciate my homeland a little more. It is always good to take a step back and appreciate one’s fortunes and privileges, before potentially losing them someday.

Overall, the USP trip was an enriching experience incorporating work, play, heritage, and bonding between my peers.