Something that I am really passionate about is making the study abroad experience more accessible to Black students. Choosing to study abroad, especially as a BIPOC, can have the potential to be a really overwhelming process and, unfortunately, there are not a lot of resources targeted specifically towards minorities to help with understanding this process more. On top of the normal considerations such as funding your study abroad experience, BIPOC students also have added concerns revolving around how their race will impact how they experience the country they choose to visit. As my time in Thailand comes to an end, I wanted to share my experience abroad. I hope that through this I can serve as a resource I wish I had when first starting this journey.
Visiting the ruins of Ayutthaya: Thailand has such a rich history and visiting Ayutthaya really felt like going back in time.When I chose Thailand for my study abroad experience, I didn’t really have any idea what it would be like living here for 3 months. I did have some apprehension because I’ve seen many Black people have mixed feelings about traveling in East/Southeast Asia because of uncomfortable experiences. There were also not a lot of resources specifically about being Black in Thailand, which added to this nervousness.
Loy Krathong Festival: I was really looking forward to experiencing festivals in Thailand and Loy Krathong did not disappoint. It was so fun being able to experience this with my local Thai friends.Luckily, my time here was overall a great experience and I would definitely return. Between people in my TEAN program and locals, I had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people and experience a rich and vibrant culture. I think what really helped me was the other Black people in my program as well as meeting other Black Americans who were traveling abroad in Thailand. In the states, I live in a predominantly Black area, so having that comfort of seeing other people who looked like me was really important for me.
While my overall experience was great, there were some moments that stood out that were not so great. While in Thailand, I didn’t really feel like people were judging me because of my race, but there were some moments where I did find myself uncomfortable because of people’s words/actions. The most notable were: 1. While touring Wat Pho, our tour guide continuously referred to me and another one of the Black girls as Barack Obama’s granddaughters. This was mainly because Barack Obama had visited the temple, but after the 10th time, it got very annoying. 2. While in Krabi, there were so many non-Black people getting box braids. This was especially upsetting because one of the people was a girl in my program did, too. Me and the other Black girls were really offended because she made no effort to ask us if it was appropriate for her to do so.
Despite these bumps in the road, I still had an amazing time in Thailand. Compared to other places I have traveled, I actually felt incredibly safe and comfortable and I would definitely love to come back again.
Thai cooking class.Alyesia Watkins, University of Pittsburgh, is studying abroad in Thailand with TEAN.
