Joanna's Pre-Trip thoughts

Hello!! My name is Joanna Deng and I am going to be a 2nd year pharmacy student at the UofA College of Pharmacy Tucson. I decided to go to Thailand with IPSF this year because I believe that this will be an amazing opportunity to learn about the pharmacy field internationally. Along with learning about the pharmacy field at various universities and hospitals in Thailand, I get to immerse myself with the culture of Thailand while getting to spend time with my fellow classmates. Thailand will be a distinctive experience for me to learn and practice within their culture. As a student pharmacist, this experience will ensure that I am exposed to the various aspects and different traditions of how the pharmacy field is internationally, and then I will be able to incorporate or practice these similar ideas within my own community. My time in Thailand will allow me to lend my services, help educate and promote others about the responsibilities and opportunities that pharmacist have as a health care provider. However, one thing I am concerned about is the HUMIDITY.... I'm only use to living in a DRY heat.

Pre-Thailand Post

Hello, my name is David Perez. I will be starting my second year of pharmacy school at the University of Arizona this fall. I quickly decided that I wanted to be a part of this trip because I love to travel and learn about different cultures. I have never been to Asia, so I am anxious for this experience. I anticipate to benefit from this experience both personally and professionally. Personally, by exposing myself to a different culture, foods (I love spicy foods), and scenery will broaden my understanding of Thailand and its culture. Professionally, I am eager to learn about education, pharmacy practice, and healthcare in Thailand. I am also looking forward to meeting those from Mahidol University and Chulalongkorn University, who will be hosting my classmates and I. I believe strongly in the importance of international relationships and as a future pharmacist, I understand the benefit associated with healthcare. I am eager to travel with my classmates and gain as much as possible from this experience. My only concern being native to Arizona is the humidity in Thailand.

Pre-Thailand

Hello everyone, my name is Alejandra Arredondo I will be starting my second year of pharmacy school in just a few weeks. This will be my first time visiting Asia! I have a feeling this trip will be a great opportunity to immerse myself in Thai culture, gain greater perspective on how pharmacy is practiced in this Southeast Asian country, and create a greater bond with my fellow classmates. Professionally, this trip will allow me to obtain a broad image of how Thailand might tailor their pharmacy practices to their culture and the needs of their community. I am curious to discover their daily circumstances, health disparities, and approaches to wellness. My only concern is the weather—I am a desert girl and humidity terrifies me. 

Pre-Thailand Post - Kendall

I am very excited for this trip! I choose to go on this trip because I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to explore this part of the world. I haven't done much traveling out of the states so I am excited to be able to go to Thailand. I think it is a unique opportunity as well to be able to combine world travel with pharmacy education and connections. Professionally, I look forward to getting to visit the Thailand universities and meeting the pharmacy students there. Although I'm sure their education may be different then ours, it's cool to know we can still be connected through the pharmacy professions. Personally, I am also excited for all the great Thai food we will get to eat! I don't have many concerns about this trip. I'm mostly just excited and ready to experience a culture that is quite different from our own here in the US.

UACOP is going to Thailand!

On August 4, 18 UA College of Pharmacy students will be in Bangkok to start a 10 day pharmacy study abroad experience. This will be our 4th annual study abroad trip, and our 2nd time to Thailand. The students participating in the trip, all 2nd year (P2) students, seem excited about their upcoming experience. Two years ago we had 8 students on the Thailand trip, so having 18 will be more challenging from an organization and logistics standpoint. Supranee Soontornprueksa, a student who participated in the trip 2 years ago will be helping me supervise the experience, and Supranee's aunt, Jonglak Kit will again be our tour guide. Families, please be assured we will take good care of your student.

My goals for the students who participate on this trip are simple--I want them to learn about pharmacy practice and education in Thailand, and I want them to learn a about about Thai culture.  The UA students will have the opportunity to interact with Thai students from our hosts, Mahidol University and Chulalongkorn University, and my hope is that the students will develop long-standing relationships and stay in touch long after they graduate. For many students, having an international experience can be truly life-changing.  My secret goal (maybe no so secret now) is to change the world (at least the pharmacy parts of the world) one student at a time.

The trip will consist of about half pharmacy-related experience and "cultural experiences", aka sightseeing, socializing and eating LOTS of amazing food. For the pharmacy experiences, we will visit both host universities and several hospitals and community pharmacies.  Most of the arrangements were made by Dr. Lakkana (Jane) Suwannoi from Mahidol University (and one of my former residents) and Dr. Krittin (Top) Bundithankul from Chulalongkorn University.  Many thanks to Jane and Top for all their help.  We have a variety of sightseeing excursions planned, within Bangkok (Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun and others) and outside of Bangkok (floating market, Ayatthuya, Pattaya). While many students are familiar with Thai food, we will be eating in mostly non-tourist, "where the locals go" places and we will encourage the students to be adventurous. Our schedule is pretty packed, but we want the students to experience as much as possible during our short stay.

I have asked each student to share their experiences in this blog, not only travelogue summaries of what they did, but also their impressions, thoughts and reactions to their experiences.  The blog is openly accessible for reading by anyone, and I hope the students' writings will be shared within the UA College of Pharmacy Community and students' family and friends. You also can react to and share your impressions of the students' postings in the comment box after each posting.

All 20 of us are looking forward to our trip, and I hope you enjoy reading about it.

Mike

Tiffany Nguyen's Introduction

Hi everyone! My name is Tiffany Nguyen and I am an incoming second year at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy - Tucson Campus. I chose to go on this trip because I really wanted to explore this part of the world, while learning and making connections about the pharmacy profession in Thailand. Professionally, I am looking forward to learning the workflow and Thai culture about health and medicine throughout various aspects of pharmacy and how that compares to the United States and seeing what we can learn from each other. Personally, I am very excited to see Thai culture, food, and natural wonders!! What concerns me the most are... MOSQUITOS.

IPSF Thailand Trip: Pre-Trip Post

Hello everyone, my name is Kassie Notbohm, and I'll be starting my second year this fall. I chose to join the Thailand trip because I desire to learn more about the Thai culture and what pharmacy is like there. I'm looking forward to our excursions and eating Thai food the most. It will be fun to travel around and explore with my fellow pharmacy students. Professionally, I am looking forward to meeting and learning from pharmacy students and professors at the Thailand universities. This will be a unique experience that I cannot get inside the United States. I do not really have any concerns about the trip, but I hope I can adjust to the time change ok. All in all, I'm very excited to get this trip started!

Intro -Trevor

My name is Trevor Bermingham and I will be a second year pharmacy student. The opportunity for me to join along on this trip is still a bit overwhelming for me. I have always been very curious with the rest of the world and the diversity it nurtures amongst the people who share its lands. Traveling to the corners of the earth has always been an aspiration of mine, to learn about these cultures and the secrets the world holds, and this trip is providing more than just a spectator's experience. We've been welcomed by the pharmacy community to actively engage in their daily practice and to learn the unique variances between our own practices and theirs. Building bridges to new ideas is the key to success and innovation and no one got there by repeating the same process over and over. This is an opportunity to leave my comfort zone behind and the time to start transcending those new bridges.