Today we visited Bumrungrad International Hospital. Before going, our professors told us that we would be amazed; that was an understatement. The hospital focused on designing an atmosphere that patients would feel comfortable in. They wanted it to feel like a hotel. The CEO gave a great presentation, and I feel like I learned a lot about Bumrungrad and medical tourism. The processes that the hospital uses is simple, yet so efficient. In the lobby, patients can find a desk where they check in, where they pay, where they pick up their prescriptions. Everything is in one place, and it appears that there is little room for errror. We were given the opportunity to see the “VIP” rooms at the hospital. For the room that we got to see, a patient can check it out for recovery for about 18,000 baht a night (about $600 USD). In the room, there was a private room for the patient and a private bathroom. Also, in the same room, there was another tv, a long sofa, a kitchen, and another bathroom for family to stay in. When we left, I was in shock that a health care atmosphere can be so simple, so cheap, and so comfortable for patients; I feel as though our country could learn a lot from the setup at Bumrungrad.

On Friday we spent the day with the students at Chiang Rai Ratchapat University. We went to an art garden, the library, and to a garden made for the kings mother. When we first met with the students it reminded me of a dancing lesson that you would have in gym class during middle school. The boys and girls (or in this case UMN/UMD and CRU students) stand on opposite sides of the room talking among our own groups, a little nervous, a little scared, and staring at one another until the teachers partnered us up. When we were finally paired up with a student on the bus and I started to talk to my partner, Jay, it didn’t take me a long time to figure out that communicating was going to be more difficult than I thought. I had to slow down my speech and use simple words. As I spent more tie with my pernter I tried to think of my first spanish class and the words and types of phrases we first learned. Unfortunately, making a connecion with these students was going to be harder than I had anticipated.
When we all went to ride the elephants before some of the students communicated with the guides through singing or simply making noises. When I was in the oxen cart I started to say “ahhhhhhhhhh” because the ride was really bumpy, and the driver started to copy me and soon we were all saying “ahhhhhhhhhh” and other carts were staring at us. It was a lot of fun and halarious. A similar thing happened when I was riding on the moped with my partner. I would point at things and he would point at things and I would say ooooh! and he would make noises and I would copy. While we couldn’t speak to eachother it was halarious and I had a lot of fun riding around campus on the moped with Jay.
These experiences at the elephant rides and at CRU were really fun and some of my fondest memories thus far and I wasn’t even speaking a language. It might seem childish or silly, but it was a form of communication that allowed me to make a connection. That night me and few other students went out with some of the CRU students, and even though we didn’t understand eachother all time, just dancing and sharing that experience with them was enought for me to consider themmy my friends that I made in Thailand. It was prety cool and created a memory that I will never forget.

I have alsways thought of American as a place that has lost it culture with how modernized it is; it has lost it’s traditions, it’s values and it’s depth. I thougt that it was one of the reasons why people from other countries didn’t like America (because we have no real culture). Being in Thailand has caused me to look at what culture is about here versus what culture is about in America. While America is not necessarily as unique as Thailand in terms of cultural traditions, it does have it’s common values among the people. I know that Americans value timliness whereas Thai’s in general have a tendecy to live in the moment and let the schedule flow with the conversation. Americans also value directness and getting to the point; and Thai’s in my experiences thus far have been uncomfortable with the directness of Americans in places such as restaurants. Americans value a lot of things that are also repeated over and over in media and advertisements including my passport such as freedom, security, and justice.
I have noticed that Thailand culture (and I believe Asian cultures in general, value personal relationships that are buile between friends, businesses or even schools. When we spent a day with students from CRU the vice president kept on saying that he wanted our relatiship to last forever in our memories. He wanted us to remember the beautiful dinner and dances and all the fun that wehad wit the other students throughout the day and for some of us through the night 🙂 It was the beginning of a long relationship.
While America does not have dances similar to the ones that the students did for us at CRU or the dances that the hill tribe people performed at the new years celebration or as much emphasis on relationships, we do have local traditions in Minnesota. We have hot dishes, potlucks, graduation parties, block parties, and importantly the state fair. As I reflect on my cultural experiences in Thailand, I realize that America has definitely not had as much time to build that culture, but we are not without culture.
As society becomes more modern and we loose the cultural traditions that were tied to the land that we lost and the way in which we used to live we hold onto the things that are important to us in the end. Being in Bangkok for a few day has allowed me to see that although is becoming increasingly more modern they will not loose their culture as I worried before. They will hold on to their food their relationships and the things that bring them together because communities uphold culture. For Minnesotans we hold onto potlucks, blockparties and the MN state fair. With more crowded places we are forced to modernize and think of more efficient ways to live and maintain a livable standard of living. I think that when I thought of culture I used to think of living in a village in the jungle and hunting and gathering for food and living in a shack. Now that I have been to a village and I have been to the city I see culture a little differently.

I am quite familiar with alternative medicine such as chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, and several other types due to the many sport injuries I have had and the healing has worked for me very well. However, I recently had the privilage to get a famous Thai Massage and let me say it is in a whole other league compared to what I have had before. I was able to get a full body massage for 30 minutes and my massage therapist just so happened to know every spot on my body that needed to be worked on. At times it was a little painful, but after it was worth it. It was so relaxing! I am not sure what makes a Thai Massage so different, but whatever it is it works!

Aside from alternative medicine, we were able to go to Bumrungrad International Hospital and look at western medicine here in Bangkok. This hospital was literally one like I have never seen before. It looks and feels like a hotel that was decorated by Ikea. That is one aspect that it prides itself on is the fact that it makes patients feel comfortable and not like they are at a hospital. The rooms are beautiful! They look like they could be a small apartment with a kitchen, living area, and even two bathrooms. And the cost of one of these rooms is nearly half of what the cost is in the U.S. Everything that is needed for healthcare is all right there, it is a one stop shop. One aspect that I though was really interesting was the amount of patients they get from all over the world. This is not only becsause the service and care is one of the best in the world, but also because the cost is so low. In addition to the cost, the way things are run in the healthcare system makes sense. The cost of care, the rate at which things are done, and the whole system in general is simple, but yet so efficient. In my experience with hospitals back in the U.S. things can get pretty complicated and take days to get results. For example, dealing with insureence companies can be quite the process, but here they are more worried about the patient rather than the payer. I think the U.S. should take some pointers from Thailand!

Today was our first full day in Bangkok. Compared to Chiang Mai and Chiang Ria, Bangkok seems to be a lot more busy and chaotic. Today we went to the Royal Palace and temples there were both tourists and Thai people everywhere. After tha we went to get a traditional Thai massage. It was much needed. I have a lot going on in this back of mine, so it was nice to have someone really dig in and get all my knots out! To end our busy day we went to a market here in Bangkok. It was crazy and overwhelming. We got assigned to do a scavenger hunt, and it turned out to be very stressful for everyone! After that we walked around and did some shopping. The market is divided up into sections of merchandise, but being a foreigner, it was still very hard to navigate throughout. Bangkok is biggest city I have ever been to and it shows through the congestion of people, cars, and my nost. Somewhere along this trip, I have picked up a cold and it is making me very drowzy. I hope I can kick it, especially before my birthday which is coming up in a few days! I cant wait to celebrate in Thailand!!!!!!

We’ve only just gotten to Bangkok, yesterday, and it’s already certain it is a different animal than the rest of Thailand. When we first got to Bangkok I honestly thought of Chicago, then New York City. Two very large cities I’m relatively familiar with. The city is a city, a very large city with what I think to be beautiful modern sky scrapers. However, it still is Thailand and that’s obvious as soon as one steps onto the street outside our hotel. I say that because markets fill the sidewalks with little shops, scooters fill the streets, and the weather is wonderful – if you like it hot. Last night a couple of friends and I went to a part of Bangkok with markets and bars that’s a popular destination with tourists; we got the tip to go there from a travel book. It turned out there was probably a 1:1 ratio of “farangs” and Thais – and the 1 Thai was probably working. Yet, we had a fantastic time. The city feels busy like a NYC but has a relaxed sense like somewhere ocean side in California. It has a sky train that’s easy to navigate and plenty of different forms of taxi. The view from my hotel window is gorgeous and fills me with energy. Once again, Thailand has caught me by surprise and I’m eager to get out and do more exploring.

Communication is a difficult process for everyone, even when everyone speaks the same language. When we met with the students from the University of Chiang Rai University, CRU, everyone was excited – both Thai and American. I didn’t pick up on that from talking with students, but from the giddy atmosphere and the excitement written on everyone’s face. Something, on both sides, had all of us excited. We didn’t need to be able to speak with one another to understand the unspoken agreement to which we all had already committed to. We, no matter the complexities of our personality shared one common denominator; we wanted to learn more about different people and a different way of life. The Thai students were extremely welcoming and kind. All of us had to be patient and creative when trying to communicate. “My guy” from CRU was named Nest. He was about a foot shorter than me but was the coolest cat around. My new friend was so nice he even came to the hotel to pick some of us up to show us around Chiang Rai later that night. And, I can call them my friends as it’s “facebook official” now. When one is able to have a friend that lives in a foreign country show them around, it makes the experience much more interesting. Not only because they can help you navigate the city and find the hot spots, but because one gets a deeper more intimate understanding of their culture. I wish people always had the respect for one another that all of us showed that day. The word Thailand actually means freedom; so, we Americans probably have much more in common with them than we think.

Hello from Bangkok! We are all in a new city, and it is all very exciting. We arived from Chiang Rai yesterday afternoon. Today we toured around the Royal Palace and Temples. It was very beautiful. I liked learning about the buildings and how the Thai people relate to those spiritual locations.

Following that, we all went to a school that tought traditional Thai Massage. It was interesting to learn their methods. It was also nice to know what kinks of classes they offer. The traditional massage has to do with much more than what Americans do in relation to a massage. The Thai way uses the whole body (from the feet to the head). For some reason I always thought that a massage only worked with a person’s back. All the students were lucky enough to get a massage at the end of the sesson. It was very relaxing and enjoyable.

After that, we all traveled to a market where we did a scavanger hunt. It was fun, but a bit time consuming. It pushed us all to travel around the entire market in order to locate the items on the list. I thought it was super fun, and I think we learned a lot.

I hope that everyone takes care back home, and I will post again soon.

So excited to be in Bangkok!! Just arrived here earlier today! I can already tell that I am going to like it here. We got a chance to walk and find somewhere to eat lunch when we first got here. A place called Gulliver’s complete with both Thai and American food. A few of us even ended up going there again for dinner! I am really excited that we have some places that are only a walk away from our hotel. That isn’t something that was really possible in Chiang Mai or Chaing Rai. Downside, they charge for internet at this hotel, I guess we have just been spoiled for too long with the free wifi at the other hotels! Tomorrow we get to go to a temple and do some more shopping at a market (which I am really excited about). Excited to experience this next week in Bangkok!

Today was a pretty great day! We went to the Royal Temple in the morning, had a traditional Thai massage in afternoon, and then we went to the market. The market was overwhelming. There was so much to look at, and there were people everywhere. I wanted to eat a cooked bug while we were there, but we ran out of time before it closed; I will make this happen before we leave Thailand though! When we left the market, we caught a Tuk-Tuk back to our hotel. I had not taken one in Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai, so this my first time. It was quite an experience, and I am not so sure I will be taking one again through the heart of Bangkok. Our driver (and other drivers) are crazy over here. We weave in and out of traffic so fast, I now fully understand why traffic accidents are the leading cause of death in Thailand. We made it back in one piece though, and I am excited for what tomorrow brings! 🙂