MFA, TVS, and Dinner Cruise

Yesterday, we met with the representatives from the Department of Information, the Department of Consular Affairs, the Peace Corps, and the Fullbright program at the Thai Ministry of Affairs.

The executive director from the Fullbright program gave us an overview of their work on cultural and educational exchange. One of the many topics she touched on was foreigner’s perception of Thailand and its people. She also touched on Thai’s perception of foreigners, including Thai-Americans. I can related to this because the first five minutes of my conversation with my Thai relatives usually involves them asking me about my condition of my skin complexion or my weight.

The Country Director of the Peace Corps/Thailand walked us through their work in Thailand. It’s amazing to know that this program has been functioning for about half a decade now. The program offered in Thailand offers Peace Corps volunteers to come teach in Thailand, which allows them to learn about the Thai culture and gain some work experience abroad.

The Department of Information had discussed how difficult it was to manage information available abroad. Often time, people are more interested in the negative aspects than positive because it sells. Part of the department’s function is to help manage these situations to provide both aspects and ultimately help improve the image of Thailand abroad.

The Department of Consular Affairs also explained how they continue to strengthen Thai community abroad.

After the high-level officials from the MFA spoke, we provided them with our perception of the challenges in Thai-American community, Thailand, and how we can contribute to both communities as young Thai-Americans.

The meeting ended with all of the participants networking, in hopes that we can collaborate in the future. It could also help our community service project after the program. That concluded our morning session.

The afternoon session was at the Thai Volunteer Service. One of their main functions is to educate volunteers before they are deployed to communities that need help. We had exchanged ideas about how we could improve the education system in Thailand. It’s good to know that there is an organization that can help educate volunteers so that they are not deployed to communities without any important tools and training.

We ended the day with a dinner cruise on the river. No matter how many times I have gone on this cruise, I continue to be delighted by the amazing views of the various buildings and bridges. For those of you who plan on going to Thailand in the future, I highly recommend that you go on a dinner cruise in Bangkok. Just remember to shop around for the cruise program that fits your schedule and desire.

Bay