RPCV Lora Friedrich leads students on summer trip to Thailand
Summer school Thailand style
Friedrich to lead summer trip
by Casey Hansen
November 12, 2003
While other students are home lounging for the summer, a group of Simpson students will be making a trek to Thailand.
Instead of making the trip during May Term, this group, lead by Lora Friedrich, professor of social sciences, will visit Thailand as a summer school program.
"This is the first time the school has done a trip during summer school," said Friedrich. "It's somewhat of a pilot program."
The course will last three weeks and is structured like a May Term class. The course will count toward field experience requirements for social work majors and minors, and also as a Global Awareness cornerstone.
Friedrich, who worked as a volunteer for the Peace Corps in Thailand, has made two other trips to Thailand and hopes to get a semester program set up to allow students to study abroad.
While in Thailand, the students will have many opportunities to work with the native people. The students will also attend a HIV/AIDS conference and take part in a camp for children in Thailand help them to learn the English language.
The trip isn't all hard work, however. The group will also have the opportunity to take part in weekend sightseeing trips. One trip will allow the students to ride elephants on a trek and then return on rafts, while another takes the students to Pattaya beach, one of Thailand's biggest beach resorts. Finally, the students will venture to the ancient capitol of Ayutthaya and visit the ruins there.
As many as 30 students may go, and the trip is open to anyone. Students may sign up for the course as listed in the summer school list, or give Friedrich a call for more information.
When the students return to the United States, Friedrich will stay behind on sabbatical to teach at a school near Bangkok. Friedrich said she hopes to have more information available by Dec. 1, after she finishes up some details with the school near Bangkok.
