Thailand: Friendly dogs, clever innovations in baby care, and delicious bubble tea!

Friendly dogs, clever innovations in baby care, and delicious bubble tea— three things I never thought I’d find in a provincial Thai hospital! The pleasant surprises didn’t stop coming through my whole trip to Bangkok for an exchange with Mahidol University. The hospitality and generosity of the Thai people, the richness of their culture, and the incredible atmosphere of their city made for an experience that I won’t forget anytime soon.

And the food! Incredible. I ate enough noodles to last a lifetime. Nothing beats wandering around the night markets, stopping every two meters to marvel at whatever dish was being prepared. Tom Yum soups, stir-fried yellow noodles, and papaya salads were a real highlight. What I really loved, though, was how much you could eat here that I wouldn’t know where to find in Australia— grasshoppers, crocodile meat, fried worms. All quite tasty especially with a Thai juice or milk tea for a chaser.

I just loved how the staff at Mahidol went out of their way to give us an authentic experience. We toured maternity wards and got to ask questions of staff and lecturers, who delivered fascinating presentations on the state of Thai midwifery and maternity care. I had my eyes opened to just how fortunate we are to have a thriving midwifery workforce in Australia and how hard other nations are working to deliver the best care for women and families by promoting midwifery education. There is a proud tradition of nursing in Thailand and through partnership and advocacy they’re hoping the same will emerge for midwifery. It was a privilege to support them in their journey and this trip opened my eyes to the global solidarity between midwives.

There are a million reasons I’d recommend this trip— the new perspective gained from a once-in-a-lifetime immersion in Thai university and hospital life, the joy of sharing the Nutbush, Steve Irwin, and Bondi Rescue with a room full of Thai students and academics, the feeling of flying down a Bangkok street on a motorcycle taxi, the incredible vintage markets that stretch as far as the eye can see… all things I never anticipated and never would’ve experienced if I didn’t take the leap.

Ebony Fuelling
Faculty of Health
Faculty Led – HEALTH – Mahidol University Midwifery in Thailand
New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant recipient