Post trip reflections – Lessons in Chiang Mai

Picture of Healthcare group in CMU, picture credit: Ng Xinyu 

To briefly sum up my pre-trip reflections – I wanted to become more open-minded, I wanted to gain good exposure in research and I wanted to improve my interpersonal skills. Besides that, I hoped to make new friends in Chiang Mai. Now that I’ve been back a couple of weeks already and have had the chance to really reflect on the trip, I’m happy to say that I’ve done most of what I had set out to do and more than what I was expecting. Overall, I felt that most of my expectations (and ‘non-expectations’) were met through little lessons I learnt throughout this trip.

#1: I learnt to be more open-minded. Before this trip, I did not think much of smokers. To be honest, I thought that this was a pretty mild research topic. While other groups got to learn about poaching in Thailand, all I had to work with was smokers. Initially, I thought that was a little disappointing because we can so easily find smokers here in Singapore too. I did not think there would be much difference between smokers in Chiang Mai and smokers in Singapore. But through the trip and the many interviews held, I found greater significance in the research. Actually talking to the smokers reminded me that they were people too, that they were more than just a mere statistic. Their thoughts on smoking and their own personal experiences really made me more open-minded about this research study. For instance, a young man we interviewed said his smoking often attracted many disgruntled looks from strangers. While he was used to the unfriendliness, he admitted that it still hurt to see people judge him so openly just for smoking. On the other hand, another lady we interviewed said that she would never feel ashamed for smoking. She said that smokers are human beings too – why should they be defined by their tobacco usage? I found that this was a very refreshing opinion amidst all the usual negative opinions of smoking that I’ve been so used to hearing my whole life. As I learnt more and more from the locals, I started to find purpose and meaning in what we were researching. The research study felt more than a 3AU module that we had to clear. Once I started immersing myself in what the locals were saying, I realised that this project was actually more meaningful than I had initially thought it was.

#2: I learnt to be more flexible. When my group first realised how all of our pre-trip expectations were wrong, it was very intimidating and scary to start our project anew. We had to rethink our research question and our study aims. Most painful of all, we had to scrap all of the surveys we had prepared prior to the trip. Usually I like to approach all of my problems by thinking over all of my plans first. I would meticulously relook at all of my different approaches to the problem and evaluate their individual effectiveness. Naturally, having had to completely let go of all of our plans at the beginning of the trip was terrifying to me. It felt like swimming in uncharted, choppy waters. But in the end it was a good decision to start the project afresh while in Chiang Mai. It was scary but it also showed me that in life, things and plans change, and we might not be able to always account for all of these changes. What we can control though is our reaction to unexpected surprises. We can control how fast we react and plan a new route of action. This trip definitely taught me the value of being flexible, particularly when times are stressful. Despite how turbulent the beginning of this trip felt, I am glad for the valuable lesson it taught me. Plus, this is a great experience for me to learn from when I embark on future group projects or research studies!

#3: I learnt to be appreciative. While walking around the streets of Chiang Mai, I found that it really is apparent how different Singapore is. Gone were the tall skyscrapers and the long highways. Instead, I found myself in a street of little, cramped shophouses with food vendors on carts at every turn. Both cities were definitely bustling. But there was a certain endearing charm I found in Chiang Mai. Despite not having much themselves, the people in Chiang Mai were so ready to give more – give us directions, give us the time for interviews, etc. They were very much at peace and happy with what they had in life. This was a stark contrast to Singaporeans, who I find are always busying themselves with new goals and targets to reach. We are never quite satisfied, are we? There will always be better grades to be scored, more money to be made, more events to organise – the list goes on. On the other hand, the Thais always seemed so thankful and happy with their lives. While I wasn’t expecting this, I think this is a worthy lesson to take away from Chiang Mai. To slow down and take a breather, to really look around and see how much we have in our lives already. Its so easy to continuously look ahead for bigger, better things, we often forget to stop and look at what we have now. These things we have now may not always be here and it would do us all good to remember to be grateful for what we have now.

#4: I learnt to be reflective. I don’t think I’ve ever had to reflect so much for a graded assignment. Initially, the thought of graded reflective diaries was kind of unsettling to me, and I wondered how I could reflect for 5 whole days straight. But actually coming to Chiang Mai, and really embracing my surroundings, it has been pretty easy and sometimes even comforting to take an hour or so to just reflect. This is pretty surprising to me, because I am not a very reflective person by nature, and definitely did not expect to learn to appreciate these reflections so much. It became a very therapeutic part of my routine over the week in Chiang Mai. I’ve found that it is very nice to just let all of my thoughts flow out of the dwellings of my mind and onto something concrete – something I can look back onto in the future.

#5: I learnt from others. What will truly stay with me throughout this trip will definitely be the friendships and memories I’ve made with my peers during Chiang Mai. Its very comforting to know that even in my last year of university I will be able to recall this trip and remember the cabaret show I visited with my friends, the many street foods I tried with them and of course, all the shopping we did. It was so nice to be able to bond and spend quality time with all of my fellow USPians and I feel so happy knowing that I’ll get to see them so much over my university years. They’ve taught me lessons during our short week-long trip as well.

My roomies taught me how little, considerate things we do for one another goes a long way in a friendship. They actually turned off the lights in the room while they did their work so that I could sleep better, I was so, so touched by this – thank you Joyce & Xinyu!

My group mates taught me that patience is an incredibly valuable virtue. I am a very impatient person and I’m really glad that my group’s calming energy helped to absolve my frustration many times during the trip – especially when our research wasn’t going according to our plans. They were also very patient with me. Particularly when I was tasked to be a videographer during some of the interviews. Besides Instagram, I am not at all good with a camera. So, I’m really glad that I had group mates who were so understanding, despite all of my rookie camera mistakes. It has been such a breeze working with them, and I’m looking forward to more dinner dates with them this semester!

My seniors and professors taught me the value of experience. Whenever my group mates and I felt awfully lost, they were always there to provide us with valuable nuggets of advice and reassurance. Talking to them always managed to calm my nerves about this project, and I’m really grateful for their presence during this trip.

And finally, the people of Chiang Mai taught me the power of kindness. They were truly the sweetest, most giving people I’ve ever met. From the CMU students we met, to all of the kindly stall vendors and even to the ‘ladyboys’ we met at the cabaret show. None of them were ever rude to us – a group of (at times, rowdy) young adults. They were always so tolerant of us and our noisy, ‘touristy’ actions. And of course, Monh, our CMU student attach. He was an absolute gem to have with us during the trip. I am confident that without him, we wouldn’t have been able to conduct any interviews at all. Besides helping us with our research, he was also so helpful during our OTOT time. He always helped to order all of our food first and was always willing to explain anything we asked about (Adeline asked him MANY questions about food in Chiang Mai, ha!). I feel that the people of Chiang Mai have definitely been the most impactful aspect of my trip. Their hospitality will definitely be something I will take home with me, and remember for a long, long time.

This trip is one that I will hold close to my heart. My expectations were definitely met, though it was tough at the beginning and things didn’t look so fantastic. This trip definitely gave me great exposure in research and taught me things I certainly would not have learnt in a classroom. I’m glad that I stuck through the difficult times and kept a very positive outlook on things! Overall, all turned out good, if not better than expected!

Thank you Chiang Mai, I’ll see you soon.