Through My Eyes, In My Words:

Thailand and Myanmar: The Challenges of Development

Taught by Neil A. Englehart, assistant professor of government and law, and David C. Stifel, assistant professor of economics and business

Andrew McCarthy of Marysville, Ohio, a Marquis Scholar majoring in international affairs, spent his junior year studying at Kansai Foreign Language College near Osaka, Japan. He now resides on the Japanese Interest Floor in Keefe Hall and serves as a teaching assistant for Japanese language learners. He is a four-year member of the Mock Trial Team.

By Andrew McCarthy ’05

The chance to spend an interim session studying abroad was one of the main selling points that Lafayette offered when I was trying to decide which undergraduate institution to attend. That the Marquis Scholar is able to attend one such interim session while incurring very little cost only makes the interim-abroad program more attractive. As my primary interest is in the field of Asian international relations, choosing an interim course posed little difficulty. In retrospect, studying economic development in Thailand and Myanmar marks one of my most rewarding experiences at Lafayette College.

That a tsunami of biblical proportions struck both countries shortly before our arrival in Bangkok offered an experience that will distinguish this interim abroad from future trips. Not only were we privy to seeing countries struggling with different stages of development, the countries were in mid-crisis, trying to maintain tourism while cleaning up and taking stock of the damage. From the tours we were given in both countries, one could hardly discern that mere miles south there was a disaster area and ongoing clean-up.

Our class experienced the best (and some of the worst) of both countries. Traveling through Thailand presented us the glitter of temples and wats intermixed with slums and hill tribes’ villages where lives of poverty are the norm. In Bangkok, buildings remain half-complete, unofficial monuments to the Asian Financial Crisis. Yet, the construction has resumed again and the skyline is filling with cranes, lending some hope that things are picking up. Aside from the touring the old and new in Bangkok, our group was fortunate to have front-row entertainment by traditional Thai dancers and to ride elephants at the Maesa Elephant Camp—once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Myanmar/Burma presented a vastly different environment—indeed it felt like walking back in time. The cars and infrastructure were much older. In many places the infrastructure was simply lacking: traveling from Mandalay to Bagan was a nine-hour trek along dirt roads and across streams. The country was littered with more temples than Thailand, but they provided an exceptional backdrop and vantage point for sunsets, particularly in Bagan. Life for the general population was clearly much harder in Myanmar than in Thailand. The government projected an ominous authority that was rather unsettling at first. And yet, despite this, everywhere we went we were greeted with smiles and, often, attempts at conversation.

The course was not all touring about the countryside and cultural immersion, however. In many of the major cities, particularly Bangkok and Yangon, we spent time taking in lectures, making notes, and contributing to discussion within the group at the end of the day. The lessons to learn from Thailand and Myanmar are vast and varied, and though this course is fun, it is not a vacation. Anyone looking for time on the beach would be better served elsewhere. An interim trip abroad is a chance to see places you may not otherwise see, to experience things beyond the boundaries and seclusion of the hilltop campus. The course in Thailand and Myanmar exemplifies this opportunity, and I am grateful to have been a part of it.