Hi!  My name is Megan Herzog and I am currently a sophomore majoring in Linguistics with minors in English and Asian Language and Literature (I speak Korean).  I’m also working towards getting my TESL Certificate as well so that I have some teaching background when I graduate.  Over the course of this year, I mentored 21 international first-year students to help them through their transition to college in a new country.  Getting to know each of them was an absolute joy and even though they frustrated me at times, listening to their stories and being able to see them grow was an amazing experience.  Next year, I’ll be working as a communications team leader for the Office of Student Experience on campus (basically doing marketing and social media jobs) as well as working as a consultant in the Writing Center.  In the future, I want to teach English abroad in South-Eastern Asia for a few years before returning to the US and hopefully working in adult learning centers with immigrants and refugees.  Maybe I’ll end up getting a Masters degree in teaching, who knows at this point!

Typically, I don’t like to step too far out of my comfort zone.  I’m a pretty picky eater and it doesn’t help that I’m also vegetarian and allergic to tomatoes!  I tend to stick to what I know works and only venture outside of my typical zone if I’m confident in what I’m doing and I know it will turn out well.  I hope that through this trip I will be able to overcome a lot of that fear of the unknown and just have to trust my gut when it comes to things.  I think if I just let go and let things happen as they will I’ll be a lot happier.  I’m such a planner though it’s hard for me to let go of the reigns!

As I want to go into education in the future, I’m most interested in the education sectors of foreign countries and in particular, South-East Asia.  I think that that my main goal is to have a deeper understanding of the cultural influence on the school environment and policy.  I already have a slight background in pedagogy and intercultural communication so I’m interested to compare what I’ve learned through coursework and what is actually going on out in the world.  I think getting this type of hands-on experience will really help me in the future and give me unique insight into the world of teaching abroad.

Hi everyone!

I’m Mel. I’m a senior family social science major and I’m graduating tomorrow!!! In the fall I hope to be on my way to getting my master’s in social work. I can’t wait to visit Thailand as it will be a great wrap up at my time at the University of Minnesota. I’m sad it’s coming to an end, but this is an amazing way to say good-bye!

I’m stoked to go to Thailand as I’ve never visited Asia before. I love traveling and have traveled to many European countries, and I think Thailand will be something so out of my comfort zone…I can’t wait. My learning goal is to get to know people. I think a lot of what we do in Thailand will be learning from people and hear/see what Thai experiences look like first-hand.  I just want to totally immerse myself and get a different lens at life. I want to experience the temples and learn about Buddhism and everything that I’m not accustomed to. As I mentioned earlier, I hope to learn more about traditions, practices, and overall norms of people from Thailand. I hope to learn the language more so I am able to interact with the people we see (I will be learning the phrases on our long plane rides to Thailand).

I’m so excited to try new things, whether that be food, experiences, or something well out of my comfort zone. I’m excited to do things that I haven’t thought about! Overall, you can see my excitement and I can’t believe we are leaving in 4 days! See you all very soon 🙂

Hi, my name is Lydia Eichelberg.  I am a junior who is double majoring in Psychology and Family Social Science.  After college I want to go to graduate school to become a Marriage and Family Therapist.  Traveling to Thailand will be my first time outside the US and I could not be more thrilled, even though I will miss my cat!

While in Thailand my learning goal would be to gain an appreciation and understanding for Thai culture, families, and education.  Using that knowledge in my future academic and professional career will help me connect with diversity and how that looks within families.  I am excited to learn more in Thailand, especially considering most of our learning will be hands-on and provide me the opportunity to learn and grow within this culture and the many communities we will visit.

I am so excited for this experience!

Hello! My name is Sophie Meads, I am majoring in Family Social Sciences on the track for Family & Community Engagement in the College of Education & Human Development, and I am a Junior! I am originally from Minneapolis, I am a T1 Diabetic, just like Acharn Cat, and I love frogs!

One learning goal I have for myself while experiencing Thailand and studying abroad, is to get out of my comfort zone and push myself.  This is going to be an amazing and very different experience from anything I have ever done and I am looking forward to challenging myself in regard to my flexibility as an individual.  I can struggle greatly with change and my ability to adapt to new situations so I am very excited to go to a place so different from what I am used to.  I hope to learn a lot about the culture as well as myself!

• My name is Matthew Reiser, I’m a Junior majoring in Finance and Accounting with a minor in Business Law. I’m originally from the suburbs of Chicago.  I am a member of the Cheerleading team on campus.  I have been a part of the team all 3 years so far an I will be on it next year.
• On this trip, I’m most excited to experience different perspectives and learn about the Thai culture. While I have traveled to Europe before, the places I went had cultures pretty similar to the US.  I think it will be an amazing experience for me to see how other people from around the world think and act.

Sawatdee, Ka! This is Acharn Cat, instructor for the 2018 Global Change, Communities and Families in Thailand course. I’m excited to introduce 14 University of Minnesota students to an amazing country and culture over the three weeks we will be in the country. I am especially looking forward to getting to hearing students’ perspectives as they meet people and experience the culture. Stay tuned as students post their pre-departure thoughts, then continue to blog as our journey unfolds.