Arriving all alone in the city of Bangkok late at night was a little frightening. I was tired and only had a few notes to get me from the Airport to the hostel where I would stay one night before starting the BUILD program at KMUTT. This dark lonely place of scammers and people trying to sell me junk was unsettling, at least initially.

After seeing some friendly faces on the metro lines, I relaxed the grip on my pockets and realised that I felt safe in this big city. The locals were friendly and always smiling — this was an observation that remained constant for the rest of the trip. Everyone in Bangkok was so happy and pleased to meet foreigners and the local students we studied with were no different.

During the program at KMUTT, we did some cool things like play with rescued elephants, learn about environmentally friendly technologies, visit a sugar cane plantation and experience Thai culture and beliefs with our new friends from KMUTT.

The local students were terrific value and taught us some useful phrases such as “hongnam” (bathroom) and “sawadeekrap” (hello). They also took us to their favourite restaurants to try some of the traditional cuisine. One of the noodle soups included a delicious blood broth with vegetables and poultry. Another meal was “ju” which was a rice porridge with vegetables and meat.

The classes we took with the Thai students varied and we did things like build a prototype wind turbine, conduct a debate on different types of energy sources and we also studied the future of electric vehicles in Thailand. The time spent in the classroom was a fun experience, and we were able to notice the differences in teaching strategies between UTS and KMUTT. KMUTT is very hands on, walking around campus we were able to see people learning by doing. There were lots of facilities for welding, metal fabrication and testing of different materials such as concrete.

The highlight of the program was the field trip which saw us go to the All Green Learning Centre (www.facebook.com/allgreenlearningcenter) and also an elephant conservation (www.facebook.com/thaielephants) which was close to a national park outside of Bangkok. At the learning centre, we met an engineer who started the place and had the vision to teach people about different ways of living to conserve energy and protect the environment. He showed us how to make high strength bricks which had a low embodied energy and taught us about some practical sustainable building technologies.

The two-week course was finalised with a presentation on Thailands energy use in the year 2050. Presenting to our peers was another fun experience and a good way to close out the program. We also produced a short video which highlighted the similarities and differences in energy use between Australia and Thailand. The program ended with a speech from an original Colombo Plan Scholar who studied in Australia many years ago. He talked about the importance of overseas student programs and how valuable they are in shaping one’s future.

I left Bangkok feeling like I’d seen so much more than the average tourist. I felt sorry for the tourists trapped in the backpacking hotspots because of all the awesome things they missed out on in Bangkok. Upon my departure I felt more like a local than I did a tourist, It’s remarkable the opportunities that university students have to engage in cultures overseas. BUILD and other exchange programs are a must do for any student looking to explore the world.

Robert Gibson

Global Short Programs Student

Thailand a country in which I was raised in for 8 years- so you’d wonder why I would go back for an exchange when I could have applied for trips to Japan, America, Switzerland… etc. But the place wasn’t what mattered to me, what mattered to me was going through the experience. Going on academic placement, attending a Thai University and meeting fellow UTS students- these were what intrigued me about this scholarship. The whole process in which lead up to the trip was a whirl wind of disorganization- we didn’t know where we were staying, flights were filling up, and we were all running around the city trying to apply for an educational Thai visa and this all happened during an exam time.

Leading up to the night before the trip my stomach was filled with excitement and anxiety.  Touching down in Thailand- it was like coming home; hearing a dialect I had grown up hearing, and speaking Thai after 4 years felt so foreign and yet comfortable at the same time. After a good night’s rest I was ready for what the next two weeks had to bring.

The next two weeks went by in a blur and it seems that the two weeks were all contained into one day. Our university was located out in Thonburi- approximately 1 hour away from the central of the city. The university itself was very open, very different to UTS. The campus itself was like its own little suburb that was fenced off from the rest of the world. The lectures however were very questionable as most of the lectures that the “science” students attended (which were mostly biology based students) were based on physics- much more engineering based. So it was hard to find interest in the lectures they had delivered as most of us had no idea what the lectures were about. The cultural classes however were the best part of the program. Within those classes we got to learn about Thai politeness, words, and even got to make different Thai snacks and wrappings. Those classes I found to be the most beneficial. My favorite cultural class was the Muy thai boxing class in which I just fell in love with and hope to pursue now that I’m back in Sydney; and hope to continue for years to come as I think I have found a new passion. A quick summary for my two week adventures would be we: ran across roads fearing for our dear lives, melted in the hot humidity on the way to get dinner, hopped over fences, went to late night markets to eat caterpillars and crickets, got fake tattoos, did some extreme thai boxing, got massages, took tuk tuk rides, rode motorbikes in the pouring rain, got lost within the city to find some pretty cool lights, went to an amazing restaurant called cabbages and condoms and the list just continues on.

Going to university in Thailand really opened up my eyes to the differences between Asian Culture and Western culture. In Thailand even though it’s scorching hot and you could easily dehydrate, water was not accessible unless you bought it yourself from the convenience store across from the university- this lead to a notice between me and my fellow classmates that we were constantly wasting so much plastic, the more bottles that were bought. You couldn’t possibly drink the water from the tap unless you wanted a stomach ache. Australia on the other hand, has water on tap and accessible to all in all public places through fountains. As water is more of a “right” than a “luxury”. Even in restaurants in Thailand you need to order and pay for water- whilst in Australia when you ask for water in cafes or restaurants; tap water comes for free . Or even Zebra crossings were completely different- in Thailand if you cross the road you’re basically risking your life to get to the other side. Australia however, zebra crossings means cars have to give away to pedestrians. The biggest difference of all would be- money. Everything in Thailand was 1000x cheaper than anything in Australia. Meals that would cause 50$ in Australia cost only 10$ in Thailand. Or even next door to the University was a massage parlor in which a 1 hour massage cost 200 baht (Around 7$) but in Australia a one hour massage would cost you at least 45$. The cost difference was truly amazing- and it makes you wonder what is the minimum wage in Thailand?

What I truly found the best part of this trip were the people, my fellow class mates. During the two weeks abroad I shared experiences with total strangers that transformed them into my friends. We had mid-night talking sessions, played so many thrilling and dramatic games of Mafia (which lead to a lot of betrayal), great dinners out, late night markets, fake tattoos and fun “heads up” games. I met so many kind, caring and intelligent people that I am so grateful to call my friends. This whole trip would have been incomplete without them. I don’t have that many photos to share but to tell you the truth the best moments in life aren’t captured within a photograph because your too busy trying to live it.

Alina Tan Kepple

Global Short Programs Student

Thailand is a weird and wonderful place. I have heard many stories from many people about how this unique country can exist in today’s stringent society. My experiences in Thailand did not counter these stories, however I was fortunate enough to see the other side of Thai society.
Bangkok is the capital of Thailand, with a population of almost 6.5 million people. As a tourist you only really see one side of the city. Thanks to the BUiLD program I was able to see Thailand from a completely different angle. As a student studying at KMUTT (one of Thailand’s top universities) I had a better insight into the daily lives of the modern Thai people, not just what you see on international advertisements. It was interesting to discover that their lives don’t differ all that much from mine. My Thai buddy moved closer to his university to cut on travel time, like I did. He walks or rides his bike to uni and has a very active social life, like my own. Not only that but he also enjoys everything he’s doing and takes everything as a new experience from which he may learn.
While it might seem ignorant to say that I didn’t expect this from student of other nations I feel as though not many people actually believe this of other nations. This trip helped me learn more about Science and Engineering, but more importantly fully opened my eyes to the way the world works. Everyone is more or less the same, we have the same goals and ambitions, the same drives and the same enjoyment of what we do. The only difference is WHERE we are doing it. If my Thai buddies were to pack up and move to Sydney, they would not be any different to any of us.
I made many friends on this trip, both Australian and Thai and I learnt a lot about both our cultures. To say that this trip to Thailand was invaluable to me is a complete understatement. Words cannot describe my experiences and what I learnt, although I will say that the friends I made, and the things I discovered, I will carry with me for life.

Robert Fleck

Global Short Programs Student

My experience in Bangkok was vivid. I met some amazing people, and saw a side of Bangkok I suspect most tourists never get to see.

The trip was a part of UTS’s BUiLD Program, which encourages students to travel overseas to experience learning in a new environment. I chose the ‘Engineering and Climate Change’ program at King Mongut’s University of Technology, Thonburi (KMUTT), it was two weeks long, and involved not only lectures about the topic, but also a vast variety of cultural and social activities.

The trip blew me away, even though I had been to Bangkok before and loved it, I thought living in the city as a student wouldn’t be as fun as holidaying and sightseeing. I could not have not have been more wrong; touring Bangkok, and perhaps any part of the world, is a sham, you don’t experience the real people, culture or food until you live there.

The first official day was the opening ceremony where we met our new Thai buddies. Although there was a slight language barrier that might have easily caused us to stick to our own groups, we all seemed to hit it off from the beginning. The students and supervisors were exceptionally friendly and welcoming and were very curious about Australia. As we met a lot of people in one go, I was having trouble remembering all of their names, so I jokingly said that they should write down their name and draw a picture of themselves in my note book so that I could remember. One guy grabbed my note pad, and scribbled down a little face with a black eye (since he had a black eye from falling down a waterfall the day before) it was hilarious, everyone soon joined in. The waterfall kid (named Get), was subsequently nicknamed waterfall for the rest of the trip.

One of the highlights of the Trip was us going to a retreat called the All Green Learning Centre (AGLC) about 4 hours drive out of Bangkok in the country. The centre held programs for university and school students where they show them how we can all live more sustainably; they had natural dye workshops, mud brick making, solar panels, workshops on recycling and sustainable architecture. I really loved the fact that a place like this existed, in a city like Bangkok, you don’t see issues like climate change and sustainability being talked about like you do in Sydney; the centre opened my eyes to the fact that people from all around the world are really trying to change things where ever they are.

On the way back from the AGLC, we visited an elephant conservation park. The elephants there were those that had been rescued from horrible working conditions, were sick, or who were retired from work. The elephants themselves were beautiful, and we could hug them. A few of us got to go on an elephant ride too. As well as elephant conservation, the reserve also hosts a small school. The school students were the ones that gave us a tour of the park, and taught us about their animals. I was so impressed by their perfect English and public speaking skills, they had one child who could not have been older than 10 speak in front of us. It showed me how beneficial an alternative education can be (going to school on an elephant park) all you need is the right teachers.

During our stay, we were also taken to see the Royal Temples and Palace, a sugar cane processing plant, and to have a go a Muay Thai (Thai Boxing). The temples were spectacular and so detailed in their decoration, however going with some of the locals made it extra special as they gave us extra information about that they all meant; one of the students said how the patterns on one of the temples made him sad, as these were the patterns that were used during funeral ceremonies. Muay Thai was a very sweaty experience also, a couple of the Sydney students are keen to get into it back home.

In terms of actual course work, there was a series of lectures on energy generation and climate change. I found these to be very interesting as I’m studying civil engineering and this is not a topic I would usually study. We learnt about nuclear, solar, wind, wave and thermal energy generation and the importance of energy efficiency. We also learnt that if future generations want to tackle climate change in a meaningful way, it is going to take serious collaboration between governments and strict regulations and policy.

Looking back I am so extremely lucky that these kinds of programs are available to me. It was a split second decision to go, but I’m so glad that I did. The food, people, culture and all the things I learnt will stay with me for life.

Nishani Fischer

Global Short Programs Student

Swaggering off from those late night studies for exams, i left for Thailand with two friends Mia and Jasmin on the 2nd of July as part of the KMUTT program in Bangkok, Thailand. I took part in the program on two reasons, one is to refresh my mind from the stress of exams and to study new things, and the second reason is to escape the wind of winter in Sydney.

Bangkok was really hot. The tropical weather with high air humidity was so much different from the cold low degree in Sydney. We were greeted with a warm welcome from many Thai students whom did speak English with us, which make us feel so much more comfortable and familiar with. They were very nice, funny and energetic and helped us so much with the language barrier.

Our programs were splitted evenly with Lectures and Cultural/Outdoor activities. These includes:

Lectures:

• There were 4 lectures which was heavily based on Physical Sciences such as Thermoelectric, Nanotechnology or Nanoscale and etc…..  I found these lectures unfamiliar with since in Australia our contents are more based on Biological sciences however i did find these topics interesting and with first hand experiments , i found it so much easier to relate the knowledges i gained from these topic in life.
• One workshop on how to make a fermented desert via using different science techniques. This class was really and interesting as we got to use yeast to make the desert. This workshops provided me a lot of understanding about many different biological processes about these bacterias.
• Thai culture class: fun and enjoyable, where we were able to learn basic Thai and basic culture.

Cultural/Outdoor activities:

• Muay Thai class: an exciting activity , and a lot of sweats. this activity was run by one Muay Thai champion, where both girls and boys both had a go at the basics of the traditional Thai martial arts
• Field trip to the Grand Palace and Museum: wasn’t my best experience due to the extreme weather, although the architecture of the Grand Palace, the temples and the museum were worth to be gazed at 🙂 .
• All Green Learning Centre: my favourite activity in this program. we got to experience first hand on different Thai traditional activities such as dyeing, making bricks, solar panels studies, filtrating using natural processes. Even better, we got to sleep in a house that was made up off many different type of materials and were able to enjoy the nature .
• Elephants Park visit: was an exciting opportunity to see and touch these elephants and learn more about them.
• Factory Visit: arguably most of the second most interesting activity in my opinion. The wine factory was fun, but the Fish Import and Export factory was very exciting. We got to walk through every production lines of the product and was able to understand how the packaging work.

It was a very exciting program. Although the weather was not on our side most of the time we did have a lot of fun .

Gia Khai Nguyen

Global Short Programs Student

I arrived in Thailand at 12am on 4^th July knowing only a couple of Australian students on the trip and a British lady I had met on the plane. I struggled to communicate with the taxi driver because I knew no Thai and he had very little English. I finally got to KMUTT and had a good night’s sleep before the welcoming ceremony the next day.

We were welcomed with open arms and warm smiles by all of the Thai students and teachers. They endeavoured to speak to us in English, which made our stay in Thailand very easy. After the welcoming ceremony we started our lectures on energy usage and climate change, and undertook many cultural classes. We also explored Bangkok with the extensive help of out Thai buddies.

The Lectures:

We had a total of five informative lectures covering electric vehicles, renewable energy sources, nuclear energy generation and energy conservation. Each class was engaging in the sense that we learnt as a group. We had many lengthy group discussions and undertook many group research tasks and debates. I found this to be a great way to learn a broad range of information about renewable energy in such a short period of time.

The cultural activities:

One of my favourite cultural activities was the first one on the trip. We were led to a large gym that somehow happened to be hotter and more humid than the weather outside. We were met by two trainers, one of which was a current MMA champ who was preparing for a fight in 2 months. He showed us all how to kick in Muay Thai, punch, elbow and grapple. He also had a great sense of humour. He would spar with us 1 on 1 and jump back theatrically when we kicked him, or throw himself to the ground when we were grappling. He also taught me how to spar and was kicking me repeatedly (with pads and correct technique it still hurt). I asked him to perform a round house kick on me, and his heal collided with my face. It hurt, but now I can say I was kicked in the face by a current Thai MMA champion. He even showed us all of his belts, and tried to explain some of his horrific injuries in broken English. It was also interesting that he didn’t need any English skill to explain Muay Thai, he just moved around and explained everything with his body.

We also got to learn about Thai culture, language and food through two interactive classes with a very passionate woman. She made us all fall in love with the Thai way of life and taught us some easy phrases. By the end of the classes she had us all do a roll play in Thai (or attempt it at least). On one side of the class we were selling traditional Thai desserts, and on the other we were buying them. She brought in a friend who was told to only respond in Thai, and would also be the judge for the activity. Upon summing up our efforts she said something along the lines of “you could all use numbers well, but one person stood out. This person spoke many phrases, unfortunately none of them made sense together. He spoke good Thai gibberish.” I was that person. She gave me a traditional Thai garment (like a sarong tied around my waist) as a prize for speaking Thai gibberish.

Exploring Bangkok:

This was without doubt my favourite part of the trip and it was definitely made more memorable with the help of our Thai Buddies. They always showed us great places to eat, shop and of course good “drinking locations” as my friend Get would say in his heavy Thai accent. We had many unforgettable experiences in Bangkok that would take many pages to explain, so I will list some of my favourites instead.

• Assisting locals in a market back alley with crushing chillies, eggplant and fish in a mortar and pestle to be eaten with rice in a big group with the smiling locals.
• Cooking an amazing broth at a market stall under the strict instruction of the owner of the stall. We then ate together with the locals, shared a few changes (the Thai beer) and took many pictures together.
• Exploring the flower markets and Saphan Phut markets along the water at night.
• Exploring the more open and scenic Asia Tique markets.
• Being guided through the incredible royal palace and taking in the amazing architecture and colourful detail as well as many historic pieces.
• Spending two amazing and informative days at the All Green Learning Centre (AGLC) who showed us how easy it can be to live sustainably.
• Playing “Boc Dang!” for hours with all of our Thai friends.
• Meeting the elephants at the elephant conservation centre.
• Taking in a 360 degree view of the Bangkok skyline at night at the various sky bars.
• Using the boats along the canals and the river for around 15 Baht (under $1)
• Sharing the busses with locals for 15 Baht (under $1)
• Using the perfectly run train system in Bangkok (us Aussies could learn a few things).
• Learning to cook (and eat) Tom Yum Goong, Pad Thai, Som Tum, Massamun Curry, and sweet coconut sticky rice with mango.
• Losing my phone in a taxi and having another the taxi driver go through dash cam footage, call many people, and drive halfway across Bangkok to find an incredible lady who handed the phone straight back to me and refused to take my money. She only asked that I send her the photos we took together.
• Continually straying down tiny alleys, markets, river edges, roads packed with stalls and energy, and always feeling safe and excepted.

This experience has been many things, none short of incredible. I have made many lifelong friendships with an amazing bunch of people and I hope that one day I can show them around my home town in Australia and show them the love, warmth and compassion that they continually showed us.

Christopher Vosnakis

Global Short Programs Student