Thailand Study Abroad Week 3+4: Chiang Mai>Chon Buri>Bangkok

(Front note: These notes represent my own interpretations of our program thus far, and the visit names are translations provided to us, which do not always translate in a manner that would represent how we might opt to position, describe, or label a disability in English)

This is Part Three of a three-post series highlighting our four-week, joint, interdisciplinary study abroad program between Social Entrepreneurship (me, Lerner College of Business and Economics) and Disability Studies (Dr. Laura Eisenman, College of Education and Human Development), held in Winter 2025 through the University of Delaware. If interested in looking at our exciting Week One in Bangkok (recap here) or Week Two going to Chiang Mai and rural Northern Thailand (recap here), check out those recaps as well!

In these last two weeks (Weeks Three and Four), we traveled from the Chiang Mai area to Chon Buri in Eastern Thailand and then, returned to Bangkok for our final days before returning home.

Day 15: Into the Wild Elephant Camp, Northern Thailand

Elephant camps in Thailand are very tricky to navigate. While there are common understandings of ethical practices with elephants, because of how big of a business tourism is here in Thailand, there is a breadth of actors in the space. So, we were keen to either omit this type of activity or find an organization that fit our needs. We went with Into the Wild, which was a full-day immersive experience with elephants. Its staff is from the hill tribe communities, and its elephants are free to roam on a wide stretch of land. In our orientation, they mentioned how these elephants--while they grew up around people--are still wild animals. Accordingly, we were taught how to engage with them, where to stand, and what to do and not to do to stay safe. Compared to our three elephant interactions in 2023, I was really appreciative of this approach, and I liked how our students had a breadth of activities with the elephants. We fed them and made a medicine ball for them. Our students got to walk with them, help coat them in mud, and wade near them in a lake, getting to occasionally wash them with lake water. The elephants sprayed them back, which was fun to watch.

Another "win" with the students is that there were eight-week-old puppies from the residents' dogs (as well as baby chicks too). Many cuddles and photos were taken of the puppies, including this one of Charlotte (below) who discovered the puppies' cuteness first in our group. We had lunch all together, got cleaned up, and went back to Chiang Mai for our final night there.

Days 16-17: Travel and Downtime to Chon Buri (Bangsaen Beach, Eastern Thailand)

Day 16 started with us checking out of the Chiang Mai hotel and flying back to Bangkok. Upon arrival, we did a pitstop back at a holding room at our primary Bangkok hotel for a luggage switch out and returned to the vans to catch lunch en route to our next hotel in Bangsaen Beach, Chon Buri. We were heading to Eastern Thailand, which has thriving industrial zones with many different types of factories. To me, the areas we explored felt suburban, which offered a nice contrast to our other locations, and when we got to Bangsaen Beach, the students quickly realized that we were not kidding when we said our hotel was near the beach. From the lobby, it was a one-minute walk to hit the sand.

We happened to be there during "Koff Fest 2025," a coffee festival with some of the region's top coffee roasters. Having a spouse who is BIG on specialty coffee, I spent way, way, way too many hours at the festival trying to figure out what he would like. I felt like I was one of only a few tourists there as well, as the town is, primarily, a local beach town. It was a cool experience being in the Koff Fest crowds, with live music playing and happy, well-caffeinated people walking alongside you. I also came up with a new expression I will use in my entrepreneurship teaching: be a tea stand at a coffee festival. The coffee stand lines were all reasonable, being that there were so many to choose from. Tea-only stands though? I went to one of only two(ish) tea-only stands at the coffee festival, and accordingly, it was the longest wait time for a tea I've ever experienced at approximately 42 minutes from me getting in line to getting my hojicha oat milk latte.

...Did I know it was going to be 42 minutes of waiting? Not at all, but this was from my own cultural and linguistic barriers of being one of only a few tourists there. Was it worth it? I tried not to think about that question too long, but the tea was divine. I took the picture below of me with the tea walking along the beach, in part, because of the long wait; I felt like I needed to capture the tea for longer than it would take to drink it. While I don't want to wait 42 minutes for a drink again, I made a good time of it--It was a happy moment of being in the sun on the beach in January with a delicious tea drink, becoming a mindful moment of introspection.

So, again, if you want to create a good business, be a tea stand at a coffee festival.

Okay, above is a fire dancer, and below is the MOO DENG. What are these photos? Okay, I had dinner with Dr. Eisenman, her husband, and Ajaan T, and we had a dreamy, front-row seat to a gorgeous sunset and fire-dancer show. Likewise, our students also had free time and used it for other fun things. One group went to see Moo Deng at the local zoo (I've seen the zoo before in 2023, so I opted out...with a medium level of FOMO afterward), and one group of students caught a soccer game. Not just any soccer game though--The day before, students in the back of the plane were seated amongst a whole soccer team, Chiangmai United. They started talking and got complimentary tickets to their game the next night against Chonburi FC. Both of those student adventures were very cool ways to spend free time, so I wanted to share them here!

Day 18: Class @ Burapha University (BUU), Chinese Temple, Monkey Feeding, a Secret Project, and Group Dinner

While we have been working with our local contacts at Burapha University (BUU) for the whole time, today was the first day that the students were able to see the BUU campus. It's a WORLD. The campus is full of modern, colorful buildings and green spaces. With it being an exam period at BUU, we saw students studying in their uniforms on campus. There is a uniform students are asked to wear, but it is up to the faculty member to enforce that expectation. During exam periods though, the students especially use the uniform as a signal of seriousness and studiousness, or at least, that was my understanding from how our main contact, Dr. Theeraphong ("T") Bualar explained it.

We were spoiled with a high-floor classroom, which had a gorgeous view of campus outside our classroom door (see below). We held both class sessions (ENTR451: International Social Ecosystems-Thailand and DIST301: Disability & Diversity in Thailand), with a tea and coffee break in between (below are some action shots of our classes). In the social entrepreneurship class, Week Three helped to cap off our exploration of rural ecosystem challenges and opportunities from Week Two and start reflecting on the role of social enterprises and other ecosystem partners in filling institutional voids, with a reflection on Martin and Osberg's table of whether an entity is maintaining or improving the existent system or if it is helping to create a new system.

Afterward, we went to the mall across the street for a lunch stop and did some cultural and program activities for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

We took the vans up to feed some monkeys on the hillside and visited a Chinese-style temple while, along the way, checking out some pretty views of the coastline. I got to see the temple in 2023, so this year, I had other plans...

...so, at one point, the students and professors did a name-draw to buy a t-shirt for another person in the program. As someone anxious about gift-giving, I was worried about this task. However, I got a student who told me about a funny market interaction he had while in Bangkok. I had a vision in my head that I could try to find a place that does custom t-shirts, but I was not sure where to start. When I was in Chiang Mai, I floated my idea past Ajaan T (BUU), and he mentioned that one of the social enterprises we were going to visit in Chon Buri made custom, screen-printed t-shirts. PERFECT. However, so that the recipient did not see this happening, T (in bright blue below) and I ran over when the students were at the temple, instead of attempting it during our scheduled academic visit time. I picked out a t-shirt color, and T helped me send the logo image that I made the night before. A father (yellow) and son (navy) team created the t-shirt for us within minutes. A custom t-shirt made by a social enterprise? That's a very "me" present. A few days later the student organizers of the exchange informed us that they were canceling the activity, but if I already got my person something, I could opt to keep it or give them the t-shirt. Oh, with this love and effort, my student is getting this shirt whether he wants it or not (ha!).

That evening, we had a sunset dinner by the water as a large group (where the headlining photo of the post was taken). The view was stunning, and there was live music playing. It was a great way to kick off the week.

Day 18: Ang Sila Autism Foundation and Baan Kon Pisat Social Enterprise

We had two academic site visits to connected organizations. The foundation (morning visit) serves its community in a variety of ways: education, training, advocacy, and community building/support, with its target groups being young people with autism and their families (mostly parents). The second visit was to its affiliated social enterprise, which hires people with disabilities in full- and part-time positions to make jackfruit chips, coconut rolls, soaps, and a range of handicraft products (shown below). In both the foundation and social enterprise, parents play an important role as trainers, educators, organizers, and supervisors, both for their children and others. At the foundation, which has classrooms and vocational training areas, some of the children are residential students, and others are day students. Amongst the day students, some of the family members volunteer one or multiple days a week, as their schedules permit, after an onboarding training with other parents (i.e., a train-the-trainer model).

At the social enterprise, the employees focus on multiple stations and product lines. From my observation, its employed people fall into two categories: people with a registered disability (eligible for Section 33) and their immediate family members (eligible for Section 35). The social enterprise has big plans, but it faces the common challenges of securing sustainable funding and seed money to scale up its equipment and hiring more employees, especially full-time ones.

The students had great observations about this visit, as they focused on the opportunity of social enterprise as a key driver of employment opportunities for vulnerable and historically disadvantaged populations. However, they noted the significant limitations of finding a sustainable business model. We discussed the difference between building products based on the resources at hand and building products to serve a market need. This visit highlighted how the social enterprise was faring after entering the saturated markets of food products and handicrafts, which was further challenging outside the robust ecosystem and reach of the capital (Bangkok). The speakers also mentioned skills gaps in important roles--like marketing, social media, and PR--all of which would help them to differentiate their products within the saturated markets they operate in.

Especially because many of the entry-level and internship positions at U.S. companies ask for social media marketing skills, the students had good discussions about the opportunities and potential setbacks of hiring temporary, unpaid employees, interns, and volunteers for high-need roles like marketing. We reflected on how social enterprises should think about paid versus unpaid positions and how hiring for key skills can help drive forward the organization's mission.

A lot of food for thought, along with some tasty coconut roll samples along the way.

Day 19: The Redemptorist Foundation/Father Ray Foundation (incl. the Redemptorist School and MANY affiliated social enterprises) and the Sanctuary of Truth (Pattaya)

Today, the students got to hear about a side of history most knew little about. The Father Ray Foundation's activities started as an orphanage for a local seaside--at the time--town (not yet a city), Pattaya, which was a popular destination for American soldiers during the Vietnam War. I mention its popularity with American soldiers, as most of the orphanage's children were offspring of Thai mothers and American fathers, who had left after their service had ended. Mixed-race children--along with mixed-race marriages and fatherless children--all carried stigmas, so many desperate Thai women felt they needed to give up their children to Father Ray. The orphanage turned into a school and residence for children in need of more support due to poverty, a lack of family support, and disabilities. Now, According to its website, the Father Ray Foundation "provides care and educational services to 850 disadvantaged children and students with disabilities."

During the visit, we got to hear about the many--MANY--things the foundation and its affiliated entities are involved in. From the social enterprise perspective, one thing that they offer is a partnership to provide companies with accessible office spaces for them to be able to hire remote employees for their organizations (under Section 33, direct employment). They also have several organizations that have different informational hotlines and apps for people with disabilities, which have staff with disabilities.

The visit provided a good contrast point to the visit the day before, as the Foundation grew its organizations and entities from various needs, which meant they had immediate needs from a target group and--many times--a customer/market, willing to fund or pay for those services.

After doing a tour of the Foundation's campus, we had a lunch break, and went over to a new--and very unique--temple, the Sanctuary of Truth, which is constructed (and still being constructed, hence, the hard hat photo below) from carved wood. This temple and its coastal vantage point were stunning. It was definitely worth a visit!

Day 20: Independent Living Chonburi and Class @ Burapha University (BUU)

As our group's last(!) academic visit, we went to Independent Living Chonburi, one of only ten locations of an Independent Living (IL) center in Thailand. In contrast, IL Chonburi pointed out that the United States had well over 400 IL centers. Their organization plays several important roles in the local and national support for people with disabilities, including providing skills training, peer counseling, personal assistants, informational and referral support, and advocacy to people with disabilities.

One of the most powerful parts of the visit was the testimonial of a 31-year-old man who was shot when he was 20, which caused him to be paralyzed and disabled. For ten years, he spent his life isolating himself away from loved ones. Earlier last year, he encountered someone from the IL center who encouraged him to engage with their support network. They taught him about better hygiene practices to tend to his wounds, which has kept him out of the hospital (he used to go to manage frequent infections). They set him up with a peer counselor, someone who also had a disability, to walk him through basic life skills of going to a grocery store, running errands, etc. Through those interactions, he was able to feel a sense of independence and self-worth. After five months of hard work with IL Chonburi, he gained back some of his independence and was even able to accomplish his goal of being able to drive. He made so much progress that he was able to secure a job at IL Chonburi and was even a featured speaker on behalf of IL Chonburi at a regional conference.

We all were stunned. To have someone lose ten years of their life isolated, depressed, and hopeless, all to make such important strides in such little time, all because they were coached and supported by a peer community on how to be more independent---just wow. Powerful.

This visit also highlighted the interconnected nature of our visits, as they held multiple partnerships with others we met in previous weeks, which allowed us to reengage in the afternoon class about the importance of ecosystems for social progress and collective action. Two examples came forward in the (1) collective advocacy to improve the physical accessibility of public transportation in Bangkok and (2) collective efforts to bolster and promote travel, leisure, and tourism activities for people with disabilities, especially physical accessibility needs.

We ended the day with lunch, a joint class session at BUU to debrief the week's visits and upcoming assignments, and a pit stop at the BUU campus shop for souvenirs. The most popular items were the BUU shirts and polos, but I opted for a hot/cold water bottle that has many premium features, like a handle and dual spouts (not pictured, but you can imagine its awesomeness and practicality, right?).

Days 21-23: Return to Bangkok & Long Free Weekend

We checked out of our Bangsaen Beach hotel around noon and did the two-hour drive back to Bangkok (with a lunch break along the way), which was great timing to arrive back at our Bangkok hotel at the start of check-in time. About a third of the students opted to stay beachside (but in Pattaya), coming back to Bangkok on Sunday instead. On Friday (Day 21) and Sunday (Day 23), I caught up with my emails, did some administrative work for the program, and completed some course grading and end-of-term clean-up tasks.

On Saturday (Day 22), I took a group tour (by myself) of the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and Maeklong Railway Market. The floating market boat ride was lots of fun, and the train market was very crowded but worth the experience. After we hit traffic on the way back, I made my way back from ICONSIAM Mall to our hotel to meet with my former master's degree classmate, Roger, for dinner. We estimate that we have not seen each other in person since 2009 (time flies!), so it was a wonderful coincidence that both of us, who do not live in Bangkok, happened to be here at the same time for work.

Day 25: Class @ The Asia Hotel, T-shirt Reveal, & River Boat Cruise

Today was our last academic day of the program, with a three-hour power block of our two classes and a joint Q&A session held with me, Dr. Eisenman (UD), and Dr. Theeraphong ("T") Bualar (Burapha University, "BUU"). Before everyone arrived, I caught the student who was to be the recipient of the custom-designed t-shirt.

In the final social entrepreneurship course, we concluded the course with an application exercise of their learning, allowing them to reflect on how they might provide recommendations to the entities we visited over the last four weeks. After my class, Dr. Eisenman (UD), and Dr. Theeraphong Bualar ("Ajaan T") of Burapha University ("BUU") held a joint "Ask the Ajaans" session. Because we have been to every site visit and Dr. Eisenman and I sit in on each others' classes, this session helped to bridge the gaps and answer any remaining questions the students might have. After the class block, we built in some free time in the afternoon to work on assignments and course and program evaluations, which seemed to be good for all involved as time to catch up with things.

In the evening, we regrouped for the last time to have the capstone experience of our program, which has been in place since our first running in 2023: a sunset riverboat cruise. This is such a fun event because it's just pure happiness, relaxation, and celebration. There was eating, dancing, singing...all in the company of--very kind--strangers.

Days 26-27: Final Free Day & Travel Home

We built in a free final day (Day 26) to allow students to catch up with classwork and do some last-minute exploring of Bangkok (...and some much-needed desk time for us faculty). Our first group left around 10 pm for the BKK Airport (flying out early on Day 27) and our final groups departed later in the morning. For me, it was very bittersweet. This year's program was nearly 50% graduating seniors, and with my sabbatical starting in about three weeks, I am likely not going to see many of the students again. I hope we'll stay in touch though.

As some final thoughts, I feel so lucky to have spent this time in Thailand again and with these particular students. They're all doing such exceptional work in their respective disciplines, and I am honored to have had the opportunity to cross paths with them. Further, I have now spent two months of my life in Thailand, and while I have yet to fully process this last travel period, I can say that I am feeling much more familiar with everything here. It feels like seeing old friends when we reconnect with BUU contacts or return to a visit I saw two years ago. It's pretty incredible to be somewhere so different but for it to start feeling more... familiar. Again, I would not go so far as to say, "like home," but things were different this time around. That was a happy, unexpected outcome of being here this year: the feeling of starting with a good context of Thailand already and being able to see and focus on the little, nuanced things I did not catch last time---it was very rewarding!

Dr. Stephanie E. Raible is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship (Business Administration) and Faculty Director of Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware. She has received institutional, local, national, and international awards for her work as an entrepreneurship educator, including being recognized as one of the top 50 Undergraduate Business Professors by Poets & Quants (Dec. 2024). She is on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE, 24-27), and in Spring 2025, she will be a Visiting Fulbright Scholar at the Management Center Innsbruck (MCI) in Innsbruck, Austria. She is co-author of the book, "Social entrepreneurship: A practice-based approach to social innovation" (with J. H. Kucher). Her research interests center on entrepreneurial identity, women's entrepreneurship, and career transitions. Her top initiatives in practice are fostering interdisciplinarity in entrepreneurship education and mentoring students and junior faculty.