Post-Chiang Mai feelings

Without doubt, this Chiang Mai has exceeded my expectations for what I would gain from this overseas learning trip.

My desire to learn new things is a lot stronger having experienced this trip to Chiang Mai. Some of my USP peers, who double up as photographers during the trip, really impressed me with the quality of the photos that they took as opposed to the mediocre ones taken on my phone. It was rather embarrassing for me, as a communications student, to be an amateur in a field where I was expected to do well in. I had zero knowledge on proper photography techniques and I was curious how these other people, who were not communication students, were experts in this field. They told me that they learnt it on their own which really motivated me. This did spur me to want to start learning about photography. In most cases, my sudden motivation to start learning something new always arises from the mentality that I have “If others can do it, why can’t I too?” I do feel that humans are more driven in an environment when there is competition. At least for myself, I tend to work harder when I am surrounded by other people as opposed to when I am alone. Apart from such technical know-how, there were many soft skills to learn just by observing how some of my group mates carry themselves in a calm and confident manner when they speak in general. Usually, it takes a while for me to verbalize my thoughts in a coherent manner because I need to slowly plan out what I have to say in my mind. I always go through the things that I plan to say mentally before I say the actual words. I realised that this is not really viable when you have to think quick on your feet and respond almost instantaneously during interviews especially. I stumble on my words occasionally and I become less confident as a result. Observing the way my group mates carry themselves professionally did helped me a little. I guess the quick-thinking and natural confidence that some of my group mates had rubbed off me a little. There are always learning points to pick up from the people I was with during the trip. They make my learning curve much steeper which is something I am glad for.

The sights in Chiang Mai challenged a lot of the preconceptions that I had towards the country. I was not looking forward to the trip initially because I thought that it would be a very rural environment with little leisure and entertainment options for us to enjoy. Chiang Mai proved me wrong with the eclectic mix of shops, dining areas, bazaars. The street that really appealed to me was one near Chiang Mai University (CMU) which was lined up with pubs that were really fancy looking. Quite a few trees were littered with glowing orbs of lights and it was such a beautiful sight to behold. That aside, I also conceived Chiang Mai as a place to be brimming with smokers because I perceived this area to be populated with lower-educated people who are not very aware of smoking’s ill impacts and hence smoke more. It was a bit of a shock to me that sightings of smokers in public areas in the day is not very common. It was interesting to see that Chiang Mai was very different from the image I had in mind. This realisation dawning on me was one of the most impactful as I held on to the preconception I had of Chiang Mai. I felt disbelief when I knew that my preconception veered so far away from reality. I learnt a lot more about smoking in general. One very glaring difference between smokers in Chiang Mai and those in Singapore is that the former are more considerate than the latter in general. People in Chiang Mai are very aware of themselves and others. Their consideration of others is a social norm that I deeply admire.

The most impactful experiences were actually all the interviews that we conducted over the course of five days. I got to learn about smoking more in-depth first hand, which added a new dimension to the background information we collated prior to the trip. I was quite apprehensive about the whole idea of interviewing foreigners because as outsiders, I felt that we were intruding on them. I think that this state of apprehension and uncertainty will be a perpetual condition that we find ourselves in. I figured that the only way to work around it is to cast all inhibitions and doubts aside, and move forward towards one’s aim. Being naturally investigative, I was very interested in interviewing the locals to understand their opinions. In my opinion, I feel that fieldwork was a very good starting point to train us to improve our relational skills, more so given that the prospective interviewees are of a culture that is clearly different from ours. This is important given that careers in the future would be of a nature that transcends geographical boundaries and requires one to be adept in an intercultural setting. This trip did emphasize the importance of communicating well across cultural barriers. Understanding that language was a significant barrier, body language became even more important.

Pre-trip, I was looking forward to be more of a leader. Considering that leadership qualities are prized in all kinds of domains, it is natural that I would want to be more leader-like. I thought that the leadership component, in the form of an amazing race on Friday was the perfect opportunity to step up of my comfort zone and try my hands at taking charge. Sadly, I could not bring myself to act more leader-like because it seemed like I was trying hard to be someone that I am not. Until now, I still have qualms about taking charge because I keep thinking of striking the right balance between listening to others and leading the team, which causes me to miss the opportune moment to take charge. However, I am not that worried about this because I do believe that just being a bit of conscious of my behaviour in a team and putting in the effort to take charge sometimes would work wonders. Considering that I was not the same person that I was a few years ago, I think that it is not impossible to grow into someone who is more leader-like. Although I did not improve my leadership skills, I am not disheartened by it.

It was a bittersweet experience to have been pickpocketed in Chiang Mai. While this experience did make me more prepared when such situations happen in the future, I was horrified and stressed when it actually occurred. I was not expecting to be pickpocketed at all. Moreover, it was senseless of me to actually store all the money that I brought for my money in that single wallet which got stolen. In a more positive light, I had the chance to be pickpocketed. I feel that in this span of a lifetime, having more experiences, be it positive or negative, makes a life worth living. Taking pictures with trannies, squeezing on a Tuk-Tuk (common form of transport in Thailand) with five others, eating in a canteen of a foreign university and getting pickpocketed are all the “firsts” that I experienced in Chiang Mai. Not only did it give me more stories to tell my family and friends, they have made the trip even more meaningful and memorable for years to come.