Going to market

The noise level in Bangkok is unbelievable. If it's not a motorcycle zipping past at a speed way too fast for the amount of traffic, then it's a store or restaurant playing music several decibels too loud. If it's not either of the two, then it's a band of blind beggars wailing away on cheap synthesizers and home made drum kits. Perhaps two stray dogs fighting over a scrap of food, or the whistle of a traffic cop at the confluence of a six lane intersection. In Bangkok, there is seemingly no escape from noise pollution, not to mention the air pollution. The industrial boom that Thailand has experienced over the last third of a century has given Bangkok's air a brownish hue. Each time you cross the street you are reminded of it, with billows of black smoke rising up to the foot bridges, choking your lungs and clouding your vision. For better or worse, ones senses feel heightened when in Bangkok.

 My six month stay in Bangkok, though brief, had a huge impact on me. I was tired of the same old routine at Temple University; coming and going everyday; hitting the books every night; studying until my eyes were tired and bloodshot.  I needed to really delve into my study of Asia. To leave behind the vicarious facts and discover it for myself. I knew I wouldn't be satisfied with just doing the standard TEMPLE UNIVERSITY JAPAN stint. I needed to get away from the traditional grind and do something a bit out of the ordinary.  So I researched other schools, ones outside of the Temple program, hoping to get a dose of inspiration.  I knew that I wanted to head to Southeast Asia.  I had made the region the focus of my college career, regardless of the fact Temple offered very few courses related to it.  Sure enough, I found a school that fit my needs and after getting the right signatures from the right administrative people at Temple I was off to Thailand and a brand new experience.

Mahidol University is located in Salaya, Thailand -- a small suburb of Bangkok and only a 20 minute bus ride from the heart of the city. The school offered an “American style education” at the Mahidol University International College, teaching an array of courses from Tourism and Hospitality to Southeast Asian studies -- the latter being what I wanted. The level of education was quite impressive, especially when one considers the cheap price tag.  It cost me a little over US$2,000 for everything, for the semester.  That includes tuition, room and board. Most of the teachers were American or European transplants. Class sizes never exceeded 20 or 25 and the facilities were state of the art, despite the puny gymnasium.

MUIC really reminded me of an American high school, in its layout. It was all housed in one five story building, with all the classrooms around the perimeter and an atrium in the center. All students were required to wear uniforms, but the policy was rather relaxed when it came to foreign exchange students; a common theme in Thailand. As a farang (foreigner) I found myself excused for many things that any Thai would typically get a reprimand for -- both in school and out.

Aside from myself, there were about 20 other exchange students enrolled at MUIC, coming from as far away as Germany and as close a Burma. The eclectic mix of exchange students made for an interesting experience in itself. How often is it that you can discuss Burmese politics with a Karen girl who fears assassination for seditious activities against the Burmese government, or swig down bottle after bottle of Singha beer with the son of a Fijian diplomat?  Encounters such as these are the icing on the cake. 

The foundation of the experience comes from the place itself.  When not in school or in the company of friends, I was constantly on the move, milling about the city like a dog of his leash. The main boulevards and traditional shopping districts didn't hold my interest for very long, so I would follow the side streets to where ever they would lead me.  Maybe I would chance upon a little park tucked away behind a highway or a small strip of Thinly nightclubs.  More often then not I would wind up in or near a shanty town. They're quite pervasive in Bangkok. You can't go more than a few hundred yards without encountering one. The city's official population is listed at around 7 million, but if you include all the squatters, that number swells to around 10 million -- maybe more. The shanty towns tend to spring up around railroad tracks, or on the banks of canals. You can always spot them by the rusted corrugated tin that the houses are built of.  Supposedly the drug problem in these slums is far more problematic than what we have here in America.  An estimated 750 million methamphetamine pills stream across the border from Burma every year and invariably wind up in Bangkok's makeshift villages.

I discovered even more adventures in the heart of Bangkok, in the vicinity of Silom Road where the Patpong district still thrives off of the “horizontal trade.”  In recent years it has been transformed into a family oriented red-light extravaganza.  It is not uncommon to see young European and Japanese couples having a peep at the various vaginal feats of a Patpong working girl, i.e. chopsticks, ping-pong balls, razor blades or cigarettes. 

For those more interested in an authentic red-light experience there is Sukumvit road -- the League of Nations as far as nightlife entertainment goes.  I had the grave misfortune of venturing into one of the local coffee bars and unwittingly joined a League conference with patrons from the world over.  You'd never believe how many traditional enemies assuage their bellicose ways with the company of Thai women.  American soldiers are still given leave for R&R in this area, 28 years after the Vietnam war.  I never tired of seeing these areas.  Maybe it was the never ending stream of compliments that were extolled upon me by buoyant young women, each one prettier than the next. 

(Please keep in mind that Thailand has perpetuated its economic growth via tourism as much as any other industry.  The first tourists were to arrive bulk were foreign men who sought out the venal women of Thailand.  Due to the fact that sex tourism was the initial type, much of the tourist infrastructure was designed to cater to their needs, and is therefore omnipresent.  Though it might seem distasteful, I highly recommend experiencing a red-light district in Thailand.  Both sexes will discover that they offer much more than cheap thrills). 

Of course, for the more tasteful adventurer there is always Khao San road, home to Thailand's largest concentration of foreign travelers.  A pseudo intellectuals paradise, or hell depending on how you view things.  And what would a trip to Thailand be without seeing some of the hundreds of Buddhist temples and palaces, lavishly adorned with golden gargoyles and mother-of-pearl inlays.  To be honest though, my sentiments regarding the temples are rather bleak: once you've seen one you've seen them all.

Bangkok is but the tip of the iceberg.  The rest of the country has even more to offer culturally and tends to be less expensive (if you can believe that).  Thailand has a transport infrastructure that is second to none.  Bus routes have been established that take people regularly to destinations throughout the country and at affordable prices.  Or if you prefer, there are the more comfortable trains, for a few dollars extra.  The dozens of port cities offer boat rides to a number of islands in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.  The beaches are beautiful, but are quickly getting over developed.  It actually made me sad to see the traditional fishermen who inhabit these islands getting pushed off their land so that a bunch of hot-shots from Bangkok and foreign tourists can have a place to party.  But this problem is widespread throughout Thailand, and I imagine much of the third world in general.

Furthermore, for those like me who really have a zest for exploring, it is possible now to cross the border into Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia.  I managed to work my way to Laos and Cambodia, myself.  To say that the 4 days I spent in Cambodia were just as rewarding as the 5 months I spent in Thailand is the least I can say.  I would do it no justice trying to summarize the sites I saw there.  It is something one has to find out for themselves. Lets just say that Phnom Penh is the quintessential Southeast Asian city, with dirt roads, motorbikes a-plenty and a lack of skyscrapers.  Its hectic appearance was nullified by the relaxed attitudes of the locals and the cities rustic charm.  But I have to admit that the Laotian capitol of Vientiane is even more laid back and rustic than Phnom Penh. 

Fishing, Thai style

In review, the process of finding an appropriate program in Asia, though perhaps tedious, is not difficult at all.  The faculty at Temples International Programs office was quite accommodating and helped me along in the process of getting over there.  Remember to make sure that your credits will transfer back to Temple, otherwise the schooling aspect of your journey will be a waste of time.  Getting a passport and student visa for the country you want to study in is a bit more time consuming, but again, not anything that should discourage you from going. Once there, give yourself a few weeks to get accustomed to the new surroundings and culture before you let your home-sickness consume you, which it very well may.  After that, explore, explore, explore!!!  But be careful.  After all, you will be in a foreign land where the laws are different from here.  It would definitely be beneficial to do some research regarding your rights in the country before you leave, just to be on the safe side.  It would be even more helpful to inform yourself about cultural taboos and differences.  You would not want to find yourself breaking these codes, it can bring embarrassment and even scorn from the locals. 

Finally, I can not really convey in words the amount of insight and knowledge my stay in Thailand brought me. It truly broadened my perspectives on life in general and made me acutely aware of the fact that life DOES exist outside of the United States -- a fact that it seems many people in this day and age take for granted.  Traveling is a luxury that most can't afford, take advantage of it while your young and full of zest. There is no better opportunity to do than now.

Useful links:

• Thai Embassy
• Thai language study

Phil Jablon
Asian Studies
Fall 2002