Fieldwork and Documentation

Day 1 (4 Jan) Posting

“Apart from hông náam you can also use sù-kăa, which literally translates to ‘pleasure room’, if you want to refer to the toilet.” “Mae Fah Luang is the title which the local people refer to their current king’s mother and the university was established as a tribute to her contributions to her people.” These were…

Post Trip Reflection: Identity

As once said by Ernest Hemingway, “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” In all our preparation before embarking on this overseas study trip and a goal in mind to research on our topic of youth culture, our time spent in Chiang…

1/4.0: What is Heritage?

For our first full day in Chiang Mai, we kicked our research off with a series of back-to-back lectures at the Fine Arts Division of Chiang Mai University. At the entrance of the University stood a gigantic sculpture of the Elephant, considered a sacred animal in thai culture. I wondered how much of current art has…

Day 5: Taking That First Step

Like many other leadership workshops I have attended, this morning amazing race was a great platform for me to learn more about leadership and myself. Before we embarked on the race, Prof Zachary introduced to us the objective of this leadership training session and led us to a brief discussion on our perception of an…

Day 4: Job Well Done!

Uncertainty troubled me this morning. I did not know what to expect of today’s research. The possibilities are limitless and the outcome is eminently beyond our control. Lined up today is a focus group discussion and numerous interviews. The findings could either better our research or pose more challenges. Deep down, I cried out for…

Day 3: Chilling With My Thai Iced Tea

Featured Photo Credit: Crystal Hong Living in Singapore’s fast-paced society, we are often caught up with the hustle and bustle of life. As students, we have to juggle between studies, family and numerous school commitments. I find myself constantly on the rush and leading a very hectic lifestyle. Work is never ending. Each day, I…

Day 2: A Warm Society

Wat Chedi Luang temple is the location for our monk chat today – the second interview scheduled for us on this fieldtrip. Prior to our departure from Singapore, Prof Natalie had kindly introduced us to one of her Thai PhD student – Chirabodee, who was once ordained a monk. Chirabodee shared with us his experiences…

Day 1: Hello, Mae Fah Luang University

Featured Photo Credit: Natalia Chioang It was only yesterday that we arrived at Chiang Mai yet the next morning we were immediately whisked away to our next destination – Chiang Rai. Our aim of the day? To conduct our very first interview with a sociology professor at Mae Fah Luang University. Man, I hardly even…

Post-Trip Reflections

Setting foot back onto Singapore ground, with the ever-welcoming and familiar Changi Airport, rouses some kind of nostalgia in me. It feels good to be home with all the familiar sights, and not worrying about being lost in a foreign city. Or at least it seemed to me this way? This trip to Chiang Mai…

Day 5 (8th Jan)

Unknowingly, it is the second last day of the trip. The morning was spent doing the Amazing Race which the Leadership Team has planned for us. Though there were some problems we faced during the race itself, I am glad that we were able to work as a sub-group to achieve our objectives and to…