Category: 2024 Tufts Civic Semester Thailand

by Nelson

Dear Mae Wan Deeh (Host Mom),

Can you believe it has been a month and a half already? It feels like just yesterday I was nervously wheeling my suitcase from Mar Tim’s house into your house, unsure and nervous of what to expect in the next month, and now, I’m writing this letter imagining what life will feel like without you and Pho Wan Lip.

I know you might never get a chance to fully understand what I wrote in this letter, but I hope you can feel the heart behind these words, even if a phone translator doesn’t get everything quite right. After all, some feelings go beyond language, don’t they? That’s something you’ve taught me every single day, living in the Huai Lan community.

I’ve learned so much from you, Mae Wan Deeh, not just about Thailand’s rich culture and delicious food but also about the small, everyday ways we care for each other despite our language barrier. You have shown me that language barriers should not be a wall but an opportunity to build a bridge––something that connects us through patience, kindness, and shared moments.

You reminded me that social change doesn’t start through wordy conversations. It starts with connection. It starts with understanding one another through shared experiences and goals, even when words fall short. Your generosity, patience, and openness have inspired me to approach my own social change journey with the same attitude––focusing on the simple ways we can connect and build relationships with those around us.

Because of you, I’ve learned that social change isn’t about imposing ideas and trying to solve a big problem at once. It’s about creating a space for mutual respect and collaboration. It’s about valuing the unique strengths and perspectives that everyone brings to the table and finding ways to work together toward a shared purpose.

Your quiet leadership and everyday acts of care have shown me that social change doesn’t need to be loud or grand––after all, actions speak louder volumes than words can ever do. I hope to carry these lessons with me as I continue my journey, striving to build connections that foster understanding and inspire growth.

I’ll miss both you and Pho Wan Lip than words on this paper can ever say. But I promise I will carry everything I’ve learned here with me back to the Tufts Campus. I hope that one day I can come back to visit––maybe this time, my Thai will be a lot better. Until then, please take care of yourself, and know you and Pho will always have a special place in my heart.

With so much love and kindness, your host son,
Nelson Chen

During Transference, we asked everyone to reflect on the greatest lessons they learned over the past 90 days…and what they want to carry forth with them after leaving Thailand. While no words can capture fully the emotions, the lessons, the meaningful connections, we are so grateful to everyone who’s been a teacher (whether they know it or not!) along our way.

Nelson:

• Appreciate the slow pace of life — you never know when you’ll get an opportunity to be here again.
• Home isn’t a physical setting — it’s the people in the community that gives home a meaning.
• Learn about the less — the marginalized communities, the conflicts that aren’t on the news, the untouched history of many.
• Be comfortable with being uncomfortable — it’s a humbling experience.
• Be unsatisfied — it pushes you to seek opportunities.

Vorleak:

• Love can be found even in the farthest and darkest place.
• Never take anything for granted; no matter how small or insignificant it may seem.
• Do not give up when faced with an obstacle because that challenge will be a memory you’ll look back at and see that it serves as proof of how far you’ve come/grown.
• Always expect to be surprised!
• Home isn’t just a place, it is something you create.

Amos:

• Humility, love, kindness, and compassion.
• Thai language.
• Invaluable family connections.
• Taking care of oneself/self love.
• Love is beyond words!

Dani:

The lessons I have learnt from this experience are immeasurable. In fact, I don’t even think I fully understand everything I’ve learnt up to this point. What I do know is that I’ve learnt so much about myself, and how I interact with others. Anyone who knew me from before this experience, would have said I was a confident person. What I have come to realize is that it was a charade of confidence, delusional confidence, one might say. So yeah, I’ve learnt a hell of a lot about myself. I am truly confident in who I am, the decisions I make, the way I hold myself, the company I keep, and the way I can continue to improve.

Karlita:

• Stay being real.
• Don’t settle for anything.
• You are valued.
• If you want it, go get it.
• After completing point B, look forward to Point C.
• Stay true to yourself.
• Have an open mind.

Jake:

Leaving Thailand (hurts to write this), I know I’m taking with me some meaningful relationships. The conversations I had may be stuck in a time and place I am no longer occupying, yet the memories and emotions will remain.

The souvenirs I am taking back have importance; they’ll be from the walking streets of the Old City where I spent hours looking for the wildest pair of Muay Thai shorts, which happened to be bright pink with a giant Red Bull logo front and center. Or maybe it’ll  be from the White Temple, where I got lost in the details of the architecture, and got an art print to memorialize that moment.

I may not be in the country anymore but the country will always be with me.

Belén:

• Kind people are everywhere.
• Patience.
• Change in environment causes change in thinking, which causes change in behavior, so with change in environment, expect and allow for yourself to change as a person.

Alonso:

I would say always addressing problems with respect, empathy, tolerance, cultural relativism, and willingness to find a solution that will mutually benefit all parts involved.

Michela:

I’m taking the feeling of the village with me — the one I know now is an un-lonely place, somebody always calling you over: here, try this som dtam I’m making, is it too spicy? Or hey, let’s go bike to the reservoir. Or look what I’m making, how I’m dancing. People ask where you’ve been and where you’re going here so much that it’s like the strings of your lives get all tied up together — like the white strings on my wrists promising sweet dreams and good luck. I want to take this tied-up togetherness with me when I go; to be the kind of person who knows sharing food leaves you fuller after.

Originally posted here.

As we spend our last couple of days here in Chiang Mai, we sit in gratitude for this beautiful country that has been our home the last 3 months. While words might not be enough to thank this beautiful country,  its generosity, its people, and all the lessons it has provided all of us, students wanted to thank Chiang Mai and Thailand. Below are their thank you notes.

Michela:
Thank you, Huai Lan. I cannot begin to express how much gratitude I hold for Huai Lan and my family there. They say it takes a village to raise a child- I felt that there. Here I was curious and new and lacking all the language I wanted at my fingertips; and Huai Lan was the village that took me in wholeheartedly. Mae Tim, before I left told me not to forget my boots or my heart and I definitely left both behind. I am beyond lucky to have been taken care of on opposite sides of the globe. Thank you for mountain mornings and peeled fruits and dancing and big breakfasts and everything else. I will miss this pretty country immensely and its people even more so.

Nelson:

Thank you, Chiang Mai for the home you have given me in the past three months. Thank you for showing me your beauty – both nature and the people. Thank you for bustling night markets. Thank you for the cheap drinks I get the opportunity to buy every day. Thank you Huai Lan- words can’t begin to describe how thankful I am for my experiences. Thank you doodle- I’ve made so much memories with you. Thank you old city – our time was short but cherished every moment. Thank you for the people in Huai Lan, CVS cohort, Dragons instructor, list goes on….

Belen:

Thank you Thailand for the food, for the connections you allowed me to form with people from completely different culture and background, for the experience of living in a city, for the experience of seeing the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen, for allowing me to see elephants, for allowing me to learn a beautiful and unique language. Thank you for showing me that genuine kindness is found everywhere even 13,000 miles away from home. Thank you for the support that I have found from friends and instructors. Thank you for giving me the most challenging conflicts in order to learn and grow from them. Thank you for everything.

Vorleak:

Thank you Thailand for showing me that love can be given from anywhere in the world regardless of how different we are. Thank you for giving me one of the greatest food journeys  I’ve had in so long. My belly is sizing up pretty fast. Thank you Thailand for giving me the most amazing and most loving host mom and host community I could ever ask for. Thank you Thailand for taking great care of me these past three months. Thank you Thailand for letting me walk on your street and create memories along the way. I will come back.

Alonso.

-Thank you Thailand for teaching me about the struggles of the indigenous people.

-Helping me to understand the value of traveling.

-Reinforcing the idea of listening to multiple perspectives.

-Showing me the importance of speaking out for myself and people in vulnerable positions.

-Helping me to deepen my understanding of empathy.

-Allowing me to meet and share time with some people I consider friends .

Jake

Thank you Thailand for the lovely people; the patience and kindness. Thank you for the beauty; the stunning landscapes topped with gorgeous buildings and temples. Thank you for the action; wild tuk-tuk rides and soccer games. Thank you for the memories.

Karlita

Thank you Chiang Mai!

-For the fun tuk-tuks  that make your hair go all over the place.

– For the amazing cafés (shout out to nes Café) that serve delicious lattes.

-For allowing me to meet my wonderful mom that I love so much.

-Endless soccer matches with new thai friends.

-For allowing me to grow as a person .

Amos

Thank you Thailand!

Through Thailand experience, I have learned to appreciate everyone, practice kindness, and embrace one another. I have seen the beautiful heart people have here, and I am inspired. Walking in the markets, the warm embrace by the people, the beautiful weather and environment, makes Thailand, one of the most beautiful destinations!

Dani

Thank you Thailand!

Today on one of our final excursions to the blue Temple, I found myself asking Michela what they thought was the meaning of time? It came from how I was thinking that in a couple of days time we would be flying back to the respective lives that we all had before in places all around the world, but not Thailand. I found myself thinking of how three months ago we arrived and were driving in our LED lit vans not knowing the adventure that this amazing, kind country held for us. Not knowing the struggles we would face and how we would change as a result. Three months ago seems like not long ago, but we have lived so much, grown so much you would think we had been here 10 years, which begs the question: why does time pass?

Originally posted here.

by Nicolly

In the Thai language, kít means to think/thinking, and thŭng means reach/reaching, but kít thŭng, together, means missing someone or something. Or, in Thai, thinking about reaching someone. This expands the definition of missing someone to me. It goes beyond celebrating memories or looking at the past, even wanting to see someone immediately. When you want to reach someone, you want to be part of their ‘now’. You want to be by their side and see them achieving their dreams and goals.

Kít thŭng makes you want to once again wake up every morning hearing your little host sister asking Pii, ti nai? (where is my old sister?) and knocking on your door. You want to sit at the table with the family that welcomed you as a daughter and ask them about their day. You want to answer aròi mâak mâak (very delicious) when they ask you if the food is aròi mái? (Is it delicious?). Kít thŭng makes you wish to bike around the village and have all the neighbors asking you bpai nai? (Where are you heading to?). This expression takes you back to lên bon (playing soccer) with all the village kids from the afternoon until dusk.

It makes you want to head to Mae (mom) Wandee’s house for lunch and eat sôm dtam (papaya salad) with kâo nǐaw (sticky rice). Kít thŭng is like an urge to wake up at 6 every morning and go mushroom picking with Mae Wanna. It makes you think about Mae Tim’s kindness and how she always invites you to everything with her family. This expression makes you want to play pool with friends in your neighbor’s shop and drink Chang beer. Kít thŭng makes ‘we win’ always, no matter what. Kít thŭng is when you want to hear his voice singing a Jack Johnson song. Or any song. Kít thŭng is seeing tears in Maes’ eyes when saying goodbyes, but so happy that we all met and had this special time together.

Kít thŭng is the feeling that overflows your heart from now on and makes you think about all the love and kindness they gave you in those 45 days of homestay. Kít thŭng is why you want to go back to Huai Lan in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Kít thŭng is saudade (word for this feeling in Brazilian Portuguese).

Originally posted here.

by Nelson

Notes from 11/22/2024:

We’re stuck in a traffic detour once again. But this time, it’s different. I’m not complaining. Rather, I’m welcoming it. These last few days in Thailand feel like it has been going by so quickly, and if sitting here just a bit little longer means I get to soak in just a bit more of this beautiful place I’ve just begun to call home a few weeks ago, then I’ll gladly savor the moment to make it last.

There’s just something so interesting about this slow, winding pause that feels so unusual, but at the same time, it feels oddly satisfying and fitting. It’s almost like Thailand itself is urging me to take it all in one last time––to notice the bustling markets along the streets of Chiang Mai, to appreciate the beauty of the sight when the sunlight beams off the harvested golden rice paddy fields, and to embrace the Chiang Mai community where I have not fully grasped the understanding of the Thai language but somehow feel such a familiar connection with it.

Reflecting back now, if there’s anything that has changed about me over these past 3 months, it’s how much I’ve grown to be unsatisfied with myself––but in a way that feels strangely liberating. It’s not the kind of dissatisfaction that drags you down or leaves you feeling stuck. It’s the kind that pulls at you.

I’ve realized how much more there is to learn, to feel, to understand––not just about this place, but about myself. Thailand has a way of showing you your own edges and then gently nudging you to step beyond them. Every time I find myself hesitating at trying something unfamiliar, I feel that little pang of “not enough.” And instead of resenting it, I’ve started to embrace it. Because every mistake, every stumble, comes with the promise of personal growth.

This feeling isn’t about disliking who I am now––it’s about knowing there’s more of me I’ve yet to discover. I think about the moments when I felt most alive here: biking across the streets of Huai Lan village, learning how to cook with Mae Wan Deeh, or simply just interacting with the villagers, learning about their culture, history, and traditions. Each of these moments lunges at me with the same truth: there’s more. More ways to connect, more ways to learn, more ways to live fully.

And so, this dissatisfaction has become my compass. It points me towards change, towards curiosity, towards a version of myself that isn’t afraid to reach for more, even if it means letting go of comfort.

The detour ends sooner than I want it to, and we’re moving again, but that sense of stillness and dissatisfaction still stays with me. I know the memories I’ve made in Thailand over the past three months will find a way to linger long after I’ve left. But for now, though, I’ll let the world pass by at its own pace, trusting that this time, I’ve truly learned how to accept my dissatisfaction with myself––and understand just how rewarding that can be.

Originally posted here.

by Vorleak

Dear Past Vorleak,

Do you remember the day you received your acceptance letter for the Civic Semester? The excitement that coursed through you when you read the words “homestay in a village in Chiang Mai, Thailand”? You probably had a million thoughts running through your head—what will the village look like? Who will your host family be? Will it be the kind of experience you’ve dreamed of?

I want you to picture this as you read: The sun rises over the mountains right across my house, painting the sky in soft pinks and oranges. By 7 a.m., I’m already awake (a once in a blue moon occurrence) greeted by barks of stray dogs and motorcycles passing by. My host mom is always in the kitchen by then, preparing breakfast, and I join her. Together, we chop vegetables and crack eggs, making the infamous Pad Thai. We chat about the day ahead with some help from Google Translate as the morning light streams through the kitchen window, and even though her English is limited and my Thai is far from perfect, our shared laughter fills any gaps.

By the time I return home from Harmony after a full day of classes and activities with the cohort, the sky has begun to fade into evening. My host dad is sitting on the porch, waving me in with a smile as he is crafting a bamboo bed for us to take naps on at Harmony. Dinner is always a feast, not just of food, but of warmth. My host mom prepares the most delicious meals; Mushroom larb, Tom Yum Kung, and homegrown cabbages; and each bite is made with love. As we sit down to eat, the conversation flows easily. We talk about everything, from her favorite dishes to the history of her family. I’ve learned that her favorite color is yellow, and that she has a deep love for traditional Thai dances as she herself used to be a talented dancer in the village. She tells me stories about growing up in the village, stories that I could listen to for hours. There’s something so intimate about these conversations; something that makes me feel like I’m not just a guest in their home, but a part of their story.

So, here’s to you, Past me. Your anticipation, your hopes; they were well placed. It’s all been exactly as you imagined when you first read that letter of acceptance, but what you couldn’t have known is how deeply this place would resonate with you, how much you would feel a part of it. I’m proud of you for taking that leap, for trusting in the journey, and for opening your heart to all the beauty that awaited you here.

With love,

Vorleak

Originally posted here.