International Sustainable Development Studies Institute

I studied Thai language, culture and ecology but I took away with me skills for how to approach people, places and situations that I am unfamiliar with. Everything is interconnected, and knowing how to speak a new language, be a good host, ask good questions, pay attention to the landscape, learn in a cohort of students while traveling were all important skills that I had never had to rely on so much before. My semester in Thailand gives me hope that I can live or work with deep knowledge of the places I end up.

We practiced describing our semester to our friends and family before heading home from Thailand, but I still feel that I never have enough time to explain the richness of existence I felt during the ISDSI semester. As an Environmental Science major and Education minor, I feel that my biggest takeaway is that my learning in college is now more contextualized and meaningful. Close relationships with local instructors and field instructors personalized our learning about ecological, political, and social systems. I find myself remembering conversations, feelings, and personalities of Thai friends and host families as I navigate my classes. ISDSI challenged me just the right amount to grow interpersonally and intellectually. I'll never forget learning about handicrafts in Mae Hong Son, eating moo ping and som tam, and making lifelong friends from Thailand and the US.

I never know where to start when describing my experience with ISDSI, other than that it was incredible. There are plenty of accounts already about the amazing and life-changing way ISDSI approaches education, so I won't try to repeat what has already been said. Instead, I'm going to list a few things that I think make ISDSI unique:

1. Learning directly from farmers who are experiencing the challenges of sustainable development everyday gives a whole new perspective on the issue. ISDSI has an incredible relationship with all of the communities they work with. This is one thing I think really distinguishes the program.

2. ISDSI classes are challenging in a way I've never experienced before. Experiential learning sometimes feels more like play than work (I mean, you get to backpack through Thailand!), but you learn so much and it is constantly forcing you outside your comfort zone.

3. The students that were in the program with me were from all majors - environmental studies, biology, economics, and sociology just to name a few - and it was amazing how this diversity allowed us to look at sustainable development through different lenses.

4. The ISDSI faculty and staff are almost entirely Thai natives - they really put sustainability into practice.

5. Yes, you will learn to have full (if simple) conversations in Thai. I didn't think it would be possible to learn how to converse in an entirely new language in 4 months, but halfway through our group led an entire interview in Thai without a translator. I also had a full conversation with one of my host dads about Karen culture.

6. I'm still in touch with my Chiang Mai host family. Kee-tung!

7. The "this could be your classroom" promos are not exaggerating. I kept thinking those words to myself all semester.

If you like the outdoors and adventure and are looking for an immersion program that will challenge you - this is the best you can get.

The four months I spent in Thailand were the best four months of my college experience. I was not sure when I would ever have the chance to go over to Southeast Asia so I was extremely excited about this program. We traveled all around Thailand learning about sustainable development from local people. We studied forests, agriculture, oceans and the city of Chiang Mai. The best part of this program was how integrated you are with the Thai culture. You live with a host family which is nerve-wracking because of the language barrier, but at the end of the semester, everyone in the program was competent in the Thai language. But this only happened by our integration into the community. Thai culture is beautiful and lively and not to mention the food is incredible. I was not ready to leave Thailand at the end of the semester. I still talk to my host family and it has been over a year since I was last in Thailand. This program is unlike any other programs because of the experiential learning. I highly recommend this program to everyone, no matter your major!

ISDSI was the most incredible experience, and really pushed me outside of my comfort zone. The semester was like nothing I have experienced before, and I value it above most things in college for the eye-opening opportunities it provided me. The home stays were incredible, the food is amazing, and the connections I made there will continue throughout the rest of my life. It's an intense semester, so be prepared to have your brain 'turned on' for four months straight without much of a break. Sometimes that can be overwhelming, and the only thing ISDSI could have done better would be to have better mental health support/communication, or support in general for students who might be struggling, for whatever reasons. Overall, though, I LOVED and miss my semester with ISDSI very much.