Post-trip Reflections

Our trip to Chiang Mai has been fulfilling. It addressed most of the concerns I had written about in my pre-trip projections. For one, it taught me valuable lessons on open-mindedness. Too many times, I found that my thoughts and ideas were constrained by convention. Travelling exposed me to different ideological norms first-hand and the visit to the Wat Rong Khun was a case in point. Even my understanding of the word “media” was challenged to some extent. Dr Ariya pointed out that foreign computer and console games play a significant role in shaping Thai youths’ perception of females (especially young men who tend to be the target audience of this medium). In these games, female characters tend to be physically well-endowed and are easily maimed. Consequently, this impression could have a subconscious effect on the players when they perceive women in reality. Yet before the interview, I had not even considered games to be a form of media. In more than one way, this trip has certainly broadened my horizons.

Experiential learning added a new dimension to my trip as I contributed to the fieldwork mostly through interviewing. I am familiar with assimilating information from textbooks and then applying them theoretically on exam questions. Eliciting responses from interviewees and later analysing their input was a different ball game. The latter was more dynamic since I had to think on my feet and modify guiding questions continuously in order to adapt to the flow of the interview. The upside to this was better retention of information since I could associate the information to my sensory experiences during the interview. I could also capture the facial expression and tone of the interviewees and this allowed me to detect undertones which were sometimes present in their responses. On the whole, I was better able to appreciate the importance of being on the ground when it came to data collection.

Indeed, female empowerment carries different meanings for different individuals. We saw it as a state where women can do what men already can, in areas ranging from academia to politics. There were many parallels between our definition of female empowerment and those of the Thai youth which we surveyed and interviewed. As previously mentioned, this was attributed to the fact that our respondents were urbanised, privileged and relatively well-educated. After all, they were sought mostly from universities and high-end shopping malls. Had we gone to a rural village to collect responses, the results could very well differ.

That seemed to be the case. According to Ms Matcha, Ho Minfong’s depiction of the deplorable state of female empowerment in rural villages is still true today. Rural villages have barely advanced on this frontier due to limited access to information and education, lagging economic growth and the omnipresence of tradition among many other factors. Furthermore, the influence of foreign entertainment media has been inhibited by the lack of means of rural villagers to purchase and consume these media (which are usually untranslated). The rural youth would then view the status quo as normal and continue to propagate this perception of women to future generations, thus establishing a vicious cycle. Ms Matcha expressed her view that the position of females in rural villages would not change much centuries later should there be no action taken.

I wondered how much of Ms Matcha’s views were coloured by her circumstances, upbringing and values. She claimed to be from an impoverished background and would thus be cognisant of the treatment and perception of women from that socio-economic status. As a director of Sangsan, a non-governmental organisation focusing on youth development in Thailand, she was definitely knowledgeable with regards to our topic. Yet I couldn’t help but realise that her passion for helping youths and marginalised was inextricable from her arguments and explanations. There was bias in those views but she was convincing nonetheless. It then seems that true objectivity is an ideal. It also occurred to me that such a realisation was more evident when one was an observing third party; it was very challenging trying to use myself as a frame of reference.

Was there a youth culture with regards to female empowerment in Thailand? It didn’t appear that way. On the other hand, the responses would seem to differ according to socio-economic status. We could not tell for sure since we did not collect data from rural villages. This later prompted us to switch our focus from Thai youths in general to Thai university students. On a personal level though, I could see that most youths share a desire for discovery. Sure, we do enjoy gaming, watching movies and taking photographs. Still, most of us really want to know more about ourselves and the world around us and this usually entails travelling overseas. I think that stems mostly from our curiosity and relative lack of obligations since most of us would not be tied down by a career or family yet. This much was gleaned from casual conversations I had with my peers and interviewees.

I had not projected about how this trip could enhance my course knowledge. This was because I had unfairly dismissed the relevance of our research to accountancy and business. What I didn’t realise was that soft skills matter as much, maybe even more than the hard skills that I associated more strongly with my education. Interviewing honed my skills in responding spontaneously even if a remark may have taken me by surprise. At the same time, I had to bear in mind the purpose of the interview and work towards drawing the required responses from my interviewee. They would definitely be handy in business communications as well.

Those skills were also useful in bargaining at the night bazaars. Initially, it was thrilling pitting my skills against those of seasoned shopkeepers. It was also amusing watching my friends stubbornly haggle despite the equalling uncompromising stance of the shopkeeper. Yet I couldn’t help but wonder about the fine line between getting a good deal and exploitation, be it us or them. We might be satisfied for a moment about the 20 baht which we saved from a bargain. Cumulatively however, our savings could hurt the bottom line of the shopkeepers. This could have other ramifications such as wage suppression and thus depressed living conditions of the rural factory workers manufacturing the wares which we bought. On the other hand, accepting any price that the shopkeepers set was a recipe for being fleeced. How does one strike the right balance? This would be an important consideration in business negotiations too.

I don’t have a clear answer to that but what I do have is gratitude. I am grateful for an education which allows me to understand and reflect on these issues. I am grateful to the people around me for having inspired me in one way or another on this trip.

Thank you Chiang Mai and USP for this memorable experience.