I love GO ED!

Our classes are divided into thirds: we have 2 classes the 1st month, our practicum in the middle and 2 classes for the last month. We spend a lot of time doing field work and seeing museums and temples in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. We also have spent a considerable amount of time in some of the villages in the very northern part of Thailand. One of the reasons I love this program so much is because we are put in settings that are difficult, that are truly gut-wrenching. These experiences make you think, and makes you feel emotions that are some what uncomfortable. Yet, this has been one of my favorite experiences--being in these uncomfortable situations because those are the places where I grow the most.

In GO ED, our main focus is on poverty alleviation and community development. I feel that this program has a great balance: 1-allowing us to engage in what we are learning about, see poverty first hand, see exploitation and 2-have people around us we we can talk to and journey through our experiences here, where we are free to express ourselves, whatever it is we're thinking and feeling.

I will always remember my time abroad in Thailand. This experience will not just leave when I board my flight back to the USA. This experience has changed me and has inspired me to use everything I have learned in my future endeavors.