Pre-trip projections – Fay (Youth Culture)

                                                 Pre-trip projections

                                                                                                     Fay, Fuyang Shen

To me, a USP scholar should not be one that only excel academically, but also be one who is willing to get out of his/her comfort zone and do something meaningful for the greater society. I believe this trip to Chiang Mai will enable me to develop myself holistically by not only expanding my world views but also honing various skills.

I chose Communications major primarily because I was impressed by media’s power to effect changes in society. Being a change maker to help uncover truth and help those in need is my ultimate life goal. My Youth Culture subgroup will conduct a research study about women’s status in Thailand. By knowing more about the level of empowerment Thai women currently enjoy, we will better understand the state of gender equality (or inequality) in Thailand. Our research will thus shed light on Thai women’s situations and make their voices better heard should the research capture broader attention from the academic world or political groups. That said, carrying out a research with a team of talented young individuals and gathering data and conducting interviews by ourselves are already an eye-opening experience. I feel privileged to have this peerless opportunity to learn about something that I care about (gender issues) and take on different challenges during the trip (working under pressure and talking to people who speak a different language, etc.).

I also foresee this trip to be an excellent platform for me to pick up a variety of useful skills.

1. Soft skills such as effective communication and coordination among my group mates and professors.
2. Photography/ Videography skills through doing media deliverables.
3. Organizational skills through conducting field work research in different places of Chiang Mai (planning focus group discussions, conducting interviews etc.).
4. Effective data-gathering and desk research.
5. Leadership skills through leading group discussions and solving problems encountered during the trip etc.
6. Basic conversational Thai speaking skills by self-studying and learning from Thai friends made during the trip.
7. Problem solving skills through quickly finding an alternative fix should anything that goes against our plan happens.
8. Enhanced writing skills through a series of essay and diary writing.
9. Skill to winnow erroneous or anomalous data from useful data

This trip will definitely enrich my university experience as I have never embarked on an overseas study trip before. This trip literally brings learning out of the classroom and encourages students themselves to take the lead in searching for fresh perspectives and new knowledge. I appreciate how USP has designed this highly intellectually stimulating course to make us more independent learners and even have a taste of being researchers. Already, during our group discussions, new ideas kept being raised and challenged. Sometimes our views can be poles apart, but it is exactly the differing views that make us more open-minded towards opposing viewpoints and sometimes realize flaws in our own argument. I believe there will definitely be more heated group discussions along the way, each discussion a perfect platform for us to commend and critique each other’s views, eventually making reciprocal learning possible.

Also, I look forward to interacting with the religious body in Thailand, to understand how the same forces that shape us shape them. For example, I wish to communicate with the monks in Thailand to understand why they have to go through such a process, the significance of it and what they hope to achieve from their time as monks.

I am cognizant that one cannot be perfect and hence need skill sets of others to complement oneself. As such, I, as a student of the social science discipline, lack and thus hope to be in company of students of mathematical, economic and practical disciplines. Hence, I appreciate the opportunity to work with s group of talented scholars from diverse disciplines.

In addition, this trip will allow me to gain new experiences and possibly unlock new achievements. This will be my first time going to Thailand. I believe I will surely gain a deeper understanding about Thai culture, broadening my international visions. Aside from doing serious research, I also look forward to sightsee and relish some best local delicacies there. I also want to interact with locals there to know more about their culture and experiences, through which I will learn to appreciate our differences and bring back valuable knowledge and insights into a foreign culture. As a Communications student, I believe some of my interpersonal communication skills can be put into real practice. Another bonus point from this trip is that it gives me hands-on experience on how to conduct a research, which will give me better insights into an academic research. This will come in handy when I take the mod titled Fundamentals of Research in my school WKWSCI.

In sum, I feel that this Study Tour will definitely provide me with ample opportunities to learn, to feel, to experience and to reflect.