Traffic of Life

Greetings from Thailand! My name is Laura Cribb and I am a senior undergraduate student pursuing a degree in music therapy from the Florida State University. I decided to study abroad in Thailand because I love to travel, I have a passion for learning about other cultures, and I hope to use music therapy with international refugee populations in the future. 

One aspect of culture that I always find intriguing in any country I visit is the traffic. In the United States we are accustomed to a strict set of rules that direct how and where we drive. However, in many other countries I’ve visited there are less severe traffic regulations. Such is the case in Thailand. 

Here in Thailand I rarely see traffic lights or speed limit signs. Everyone drives as fast as they can and then slams on their breaks when changing lanes. Nevertheless, I barely ever hear the sound of horns beeping. Whether they are riding in a van, a taxi, a tuk-tuk, or a motorcycle, Thai drivers help each other out.

 Things that we would become aggravated about in the United States, like cutting in front of another car, are frequent occurrences while driving in Thailand. Even so, the Thais do not become irritated with the shifting traffic. I have personally discovered many parallels between the Thai attitude while driving and their approach to life. 

            The main word that comes to mind to describe the driving style of Thais is considerate. I see the consideration that Thais have for each other, as well as for “farang” (foreigners), not only while on the road, but also wherever we go. The kindness of the Thai people is constantly apparent through their smiles and willingness to welcome us to their country. During my time here I have had random people come up to me and ask me how I am doing or where I am from. The people in this country exude respect to everyone.

            There are many differences between the Thai and American cultures. In Thailand we often take off our shoes before entering a room. I have eaten rice for a meal at least once a day. Instead of greeting with a handshake, Thais greet each other with a gesture called a wai. One difference that has clearly stood out to me is the compassion and consideration that the Thais have for others. In life, we all go through easy times and we all go through difficult times. Sometimes we let the bad moments of life affect the way we treat others. Sometimes the perspectives we have about life become skewed. I have learned to constantly keep my perspectives in check during my time in Thailand. Like the considerate Thai drivers, in life we should help others out and treat others with kindness. A smile and a thoughtful inquiry can go a long way! 

A Universal Laugh

Sawasdee Krab! My name is Michael Detmer and I am a graduate student in the music therapy program at KU. I was born and raised in between cow farms and corn fields in the booming metropolis of Breese, IL. I graduated from Illinois State University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Music Education and a second major in Music Theatre.  

In my first semester at KU, this past fall, Dr. Dena Register mentioned the "Music Therapy in Thailand" trip and I was sold before she finished her first sentence. Not only do I love traveling, learning more about music therapy, and seeing new places, I LOVE burning my face off with spicy Thai food.

 
In great anticipation and excitement for this trip, I immediately started imagining how magical, transformative, and DIFFERENT it would be. I thought about the obvious language barriers, the potentially different cultural norms, the differences in style, the differences in x, y, z, and so on! While I could go on for hours about the differences between Thailand and the US (and even Kansas for that matter), it's more exciting to discover all the similarities. Traveling is risky, and even frightening for many, so rather than highlighting the obvious differences, I'd like to talk a little about all of the "sameness" I've noticed.

It takes a lot of concentration to find similarities between the US and Thailand, mostly the ability to turn off your ears. However, if you pause and stop listening to the sound of an unfamiliar/tonal language that you can't understand, you begin to see PEOPLE, just like you and me, who have families, who work to pay the bills, and who have inviting smiles welcoming you at each doorway. 


The same breathtaking and wondrous sun and moon that we see in the US rise and fall here; each time I look in the sky I am reminded how closely connected we still are. No matter what color a person's skin is, how old or young they are, or what their gender is, they have a recognizable laugh - a laugh that you can pick out during any conversation. The sound of laughter is VERY common in Thailand, as the Thais laugh at, with, and during anything and everything. I am a bathroom small-talk kind of guy, it's not uncommon for me to talk to the person peeing next to me or the guy looking up his nostril in the mirror. However,  during the past few weeks, I haven't been able to do that because I only know how to count to ten, say "hello", and ask "how are you" in Thai - and once they answer the "how are you" question, I always find myself in a pickle. The other day though, I was in the bathroom at the mall and I stood next to a Thai man as we both fixed our shirts and combed our fingers through our hair in the mirror. For a split second, I muted the foreign 90's love ballad playing through the bathroom speaker and found myself standing next to man (with whom I couldn't sustain a conversation for more than two sentences) and I saw a person, who just like I, was quite concerned about his hair and how wet and wrinkly his shirt was from 90 degree heat all day. Silly, I know, but it really was an awakening moment. We may be different, but we share the same concerns, the same struggles, and the same wardrobe issues.

Ok, I know, Thailand is very different from the US...that's why I came here. I just think it's so enlightening to notice the similarities between seemingly different people...the small things, the things we take for granted. We are all people, we are all working toward something, and most importantly, we all laugh the same. The sound of laughter, no matter who you are or where you're from, has continuously broken down the cultural and language barriers that have existed during this trip.

Ok, it's been fun, but now it's time for me to go swim with Nemo and his friends in the 70 degree, crystal clear water in Krabi...just like Kansas, right? ;)

Tradition: Wai Kru Ceremony

Hello everyone! My name is Shelby Riley. This coming school year I will be a junior in the Music Therapy program at the University of Kansas.  I was born and raised in Boulder Colorado. Growing up I did a lot of traveling around the United States and Mexico with my family. Traveling has always been a passion of mine and something I am so thankful to be able to pursue in college.

My experience in Thailand thus far has been unlike anything I could have imagined. Before coming here I was told by many people that Thailand was one of the best counties in the world. The reasons that topped their lists were the incredible food, the unbelievable scenery, and the fascinating traditions. These things have all played a major part in my experience in Thailand, but the Thai traditions remain at the top of my list.

On Thursday, June 6 the undergraduate students had the honor of participating in what is known as the Wai Kru Ceremony. For those of you who don’t know what a Wai Kru Ceremony is you are like most of us when first hearing about it. Wai Kru is a ceremony in which students honor their teachers as well as the spirits. They show their respect and thanks for what they have been taught and for their future education. The ceremony takes place in most schools across Thailand on the first Thursday of each semester. Why Thursday you may ask? Thursday is considered the teacher’s day. This particular ceremony that we attended was specifically for the school of music.

The ceremony begins early in the morning with teachers, students and invited monks. They pay respect to the Buddha and then the monks will start to pray. After this, breakfast is offered to the monks and the teachers and students will offer the four necessities. Everyone then prays for those teachers who have passed away.

The second part of the ceremony is the Teacher Homage Ceremony. All of the teachers from the school of music sat on stage. In groups of four they would move to the front of the group. Students would then walk barefooted onto the stage with beautiful flower arrangements. When the students arrived on stage they stopped to pay respect to the King and Buddha. The students knelt down and walked to the teachers on their knees. They bowed and presented each teacher with one of the flower arrangements. This part of the ceremony continued until all of the student representatives from different study levels had made an offering to the teachers.

The final portion of the ceremony was a prayer lead by Master Pinij Chaysuwan to honor the music spirit and music creators. This was accompanied by Thai traditional music using instruments that are only heard during a ceremony.

Thai tradition is one of the most incredible things I have ever experienced. The respect and honor that is shown through these ceremonies and offerings in day-to-day life is truly amazing.

Say What?

Hey yall ! My name is Megan Joseph and I am a second year grad student at the university of Kansas.  I received a degree in radio-tv-film from Texas Christian University in 2012.  I learned about music therapy during my undergrad and was fascinated by the idea of using music to help people enhance and improve their quality of life.  I have grown up with a love for music and a desire to help people.  This has made music therapy a natural fit, and I couldn't be happier. 

While there are many reasons why I chose to attend KU, the chance to study abroad in Thailand was a major draw.  I was blessed with the opportunity to travel a lot as a child and love taking the opportunity to experience other cultures.  That being said, I was not completely prepared for Thailand.  We walked off the plane and everything was different.  The humidity made it feel as though you were attempting to walk under the sea.  The air smelled salty, my hair immediately frizzed, and I couldn't understand anything I read or heard.

  I am not used to feeling so helpless when it comes to communicating.  Even though I am not good at Spanish I can express my needs and my shortcomings.  German can sometimes relate to English words.  Then to top it off all Western European languages have alphabets similar to English.  That isn't true in Thailand.  None of the words can be related back to English.  Their written language is beautiful to look at but has no similarity to our alphabet.  They have 44 consonants  in their alphabet and 15 vowels!

It is a bit overwhelming to realize you cannot communicate with the people around you.  You begin grasping at any foreign language you can think of.  Someone asks me a question and I immediately think "si," yes.  You want to know if I am hungry? Si, ho molto fame.  Yes, I am very hungry, it's a different language but not Thai.  Instead I find myself grasping at an odd mix of Italian and Spanish words.  The only things I can say with confidence is sawadee ka and kapkun ka.  Hello and thank you.  I don't know much, but at least I'm polite and friendly.  

The other thing that makes Thai so difficult is that the language is tonal, so depending on the tone you use, the word can have a completely different meaning.  We were taught how to ask someone what their name is, shoo arai.  We then spent a good amount of time asking children and various people shoo arai? Only to discover the way we were saying it didn't mean how are you but translated to "bad luck."  Excellent, that was exactly what I wanted to say to the children in the pediatric wing of the hospital.  You're sick and in the hospital? Well that's just some good ol' bad luck.  Eeeek!!!

Lucky for us, the people here are incredibly friendly so when we tell them bad luck they just smile and give us a weird look.  Hopefully by the end of my time here I will be able to say more than hello and thank you.  Maybe I'll even learn how to adequately ask where is the bathroom? That would be helpful.

Honor & Respect

Hey there! Ronette Hoard here, hailing from Columbus, Ohio. I received my Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Fisk University in Nashville, TN  in 2012.  I just finished my first year as a graduate music therapy student. With great interest and a strong passion for broadening my cultural and diversity awareness, I am thrilled to be studying abroad in Thailand.
 
We arrived in Thailand on May 23, and from the moment I touched Thai soil, I observed the magnitude of honor and respect that the country has for their religion. Nearly

95% of Thai people are practitioners of Theravada Buddhism, meaning that they follow the teaching of Buddha. Thai people honor Buddha by purchasing and gifting offerings at a spirit house or an alter. These places are dedicated for prayers, meditation, and reverence to the spirits of people who have passed away. These spirit houses and alters can be found on almost every city block; crowded tourists and natives partaking in the ritual worship (to learn more about Buddhism in Thai visit www.thaibuddhism.net).


 
I would like to share my observations of our group experience making an offering at the Mahidol College of Music Spirit House on our first day here. I ask that you take into consideration that I am only sharing what I observed given my limited understanding and reporting from my perspective. Offerings that were purchased and placed by other at the Spirit House consisted of flowers, fruit baskets, animal figures, and baht (Thai currency). The participant(s) would burn incense and bow on their knees with their feet turned away from the alter, and mediate and/or pray. Once the participants were finished they would bow three times, while on their knees, as a sign of respect and gratitude to Buddha and their ancestors for hearing their prayers. This routine  reminded me of the description of worshiping other Gods as depicted in the old testament biblical scriptures. 
 

I share this experience with you because I found it quite intriguing how Thai people honor their God. As a Christian watching this kind of worship, I often wondered what it would be like in the US if people were able to display their religious beliefs publicly and collectively. I contemplated participating as a cultural experience, but felt uncomfortable due to my own beliefs. I know I made the right decision because I did not want to disrespect the God that I serve and love; or the Buddist faith. In addition, I found it odd to participate in something that I was not practicing. I did not want to disrespect the Thai cultural practices or their religion. Therefore, I observed at a distance and would mediate in my own way.   
 
As I observed this ritual, I started to question my own practices; why I don’t celebrate and honor my God in the same fashion. The Thai people do not wait to worship on a specific day as we do in America, they are always practicing their religious faith. On any day and at anytime, once they notice an alter or spirit house they acknowledge their God by stopping to honor him. I noticed that I found a respect for the people’s dedication in their beliefs and faith. It was not only children participating in the worship but elders in their seventies and older. For them to get on their knees for long periods of time was delightful to see, because it revealed to me how honor is implemented at an age and continued throughout their lives. As a result of these practices, I was motivated to restructure my worship routine. I plan to implement the dedication and practices displayed here into my worship as a Christian. 
 
I am elated to take cultural practices and transfer them into my world. As a devoted Christian, I was glad I was open minded in acknowledging the sanctity of their culture and  am able to use it to benefit my spirituality. Even if I never participate in the physical worship at the altars prepared for Buddha, I embrace the dedication and reverence of the people. 

First installment of the Siriraj Chronicles: Hug your loved ones folks!

On January 24 I had the incredible privilege of spending the day at Siriraj (pronounced See-ree-rah) Hospital. Siriraj is the oldest hospital in Thailand and one of the largest in the world (2,700 beds!). This is where the King & Queen live now. Since I started working with Mahidol in 2008 it has been a goal to get services up and running here and we are finally in!

Getting there from my apartment is every bit as interesting as the day itself. I took the Skytrain to the Taksin Pier where I picked up a Chao Phraya Express boat which travels up and down the river delivering residents and tourists to a number of destinations. I'm going to take a slight "detour" from the clinical story here to share that there are any number of things that happen here on a daily basis that warrant a "only in Thailand" label and chuckle. So as I crowd into the middle of the boat (standing room only during rush hours) something down and to the left catches my eye...

Still not quite sure WHAT it was...a sugar glider? flying squirrel? It was little, fuzzy and cute but just wandering around on its owner on a very rocky boat full of people. I would ask, dear reader, that you please be impressed with my ability to snap this picture without anyone noticing. More humorous than this hot mess were the expressions on the farang to my right who looked horrified and disgusted. Unfortunately, I did not capture that on my phone. The whole scene was really quite amusing.

Back to the REAL story. Here are a couple of pictures of the hospital complex from the boat as we are approaching the pier.

 

The Siriraj complex houses many buildings (17, I think?) that include the Mahidol University College of Nursing and the College of Medicine. Our new MT program director, Dr. Montri, is a surgeon and was on faculty here for many years. He is an incredible champion of music therapy and will tell you that he is the "student" of music therapy. In my first 30 minutes walking through the "campus" it is evident that he is highly regarded here. People from all walks of life, from the custodial staff to the Deans of various departments,  stop to talk with him. I got the first rate tour and introduction!


He was my host as we made our way through several units, including dental surgery, oncology-chemotherapy, neurology and ended up for afternoon MT services in the pediatric oncology ward. The morning sessions by the MT staff from the College of Music were comprised of ambient music on the dental and chemotherapy units. The staff takes data on the decibel levels of the music and distributes feedback forms to patients regarding their experience and what music they enjoy. It never gets old to observe the response that people have to live music here. They are engaged, verbal and there is an instant rapport that I find remarkable.


This is a picture of the center of the hospital grounds which includes a statue of Prince Mahidol, grandfather of the current King. Prince Mahidol was a musician and artist and sought permission from the royal family to pursue the arts> his family would not allow the arts as a career so he became a doctor instead. I love this story for 2 reasons: 1) the current King (Mahidol's grandson), H.M. Bhumibol Adulyadej, is a Renaissance man in his own right (scientist, researcher, musician, composer, and on and on) and 2) the ability to implement music therapy in a hospital founded by a man (and family) that know and understand the essential role of music to one's well-being and healing makes me feel a part of some larger cycle that is coming together after many, many years. I should also mention that the King and Queen reside on the top floor of one of the buildings here. You will see in the photo that there are people gathered here to make offerings and pay homage. There is also a sizable area behind this statue, on the ground floor of the building just behind where visitors can write well wishes and make offerings to the King & Queen as well.

Mornings here are spent providing ambient music in the dental surgery and chemotherapy outpatient units. While there is certainly benefit to this and the feedback is great, we're working on the move to something closer to music therapy as I know (and define) it. We will train and transition in musicians from the College of Music who are interested in serving in this capacity but not interested in direct patient care as a trained music therapist.

After lunch I observed a group on the pediatric oncology unit. The unit is comprised of two fairly large open spaces that hold 8 cribs and/or beds each. Children stay here for inpatient chemotherapy treatment. There are children (from 2 years to teenagers)  milling about, some with parents, others with nurses waiting for some kind of activity. I haven't been in an environment like this since having my children. Wow, does it make you thankful for the health of your own children and also marvel at the incredible spirit of these young "warriors". They are both spirited and sweet and though they look worn out when the session starts they seem to perk up fairly quickly. Children are usually grouped by age but there are only 5 or 6 children who were all in the 6-10 year-old range this week so we had just one group.
Here is our team: Moddang (MT-BC, trained and worked in the US, now works at MU, Karn (has been working with me since 2009 and is a full time MT staff), May (just joined us and helps with admin and data collection tasks), Melissa (KU student and MT intern) and Boh (MT staff, IT and video guy for our dept.)

Every time I observe here I am amazed at how much they do with relatively few resources (few staff, little money, not many instruments and very little training relative to what our students are accustomed to). They are so committed to these patients and families and are so ready for feedback and help...what a great team we make. I have an amazing job that has paved the way for incredible experiences, relationships and service. VERY BLESSED!

Music Therapy Advocacy Abroad

In summer 2011, I started this blog as a venue for my study abroad students to post their course-mandated blogs. The writing assignments for their various "courses" included 3 entries: one on culture, one music therapy-related post and one other post about their experience in Thailand. In addition to some of the obvious reasons for assigning this task, the blog served to connect family, friends and others who were interested. One of the difficulties of a study abroad experience is that most participants are having some kind of transformative experience or "a-ha!" moment on a daily basis. They come home changed. But so much time has passed and so many things have happened that when family friends ask, "How was your trip?" there is no way to impart the impact or re-count experiences in a way that others can understand. So this blog created a regular (almost daily) conduit between the participants and the rest of the world.

As I prepare to bring another group to Thailand in May, I thought it might be nice to "hijack" the blog until that time to help those students (and anyone else who might want to know) understand the program here and what makes it (and music therapy anywhere in the world that occurs) so special. So this is the place you will find stories about my music therapy experiences in Thailand.

Now on with the show...
Just in the nick of time (with only 2 days left in the month!), I am devoting this first post to relationship between global outreach and music therapy social media advocacy month.
I enjoy the fact that I get to wear a number of different "hats": as an Associate Professor of Music Therapy at the University of Kansas, as a visiting professor at Mahidol University College of Music in Bangkok, Thailand and as the Regulatory Affairs Advisor for the Certification Board for Music Therapists. While the first two positions seem to go hand-in-hand, my role with CBMT may not seem to be as closely related to the teaching component. When I agreed to take on the challenge of working the State Recognition Operational plan,  it was because I believe that advocacy is at the heart of EVERYTHING that we do as music therapists. This thread is the one that links students, clinicians, researchers, professors, clients, and families.

This summer will mark 3 major professional milestones for me. The first is 10 years teaching at KU, the second is 5 years collaborating with Mahidol and the third is 7 years consulting with CBMT. I am amazed at how far we have come as a profession and how many advocates we have gained along the way. It doesn't matter if I am hosting an advocacy training at a conference, talking with my own students or building clinical programs in a far away land, each of these places and the people I encounter have one thing in common: HEART.

The advocacy story that I would like to highlight is the story of Ratchada and Tengmong. During my first 6 month stay here in 2009, I met them and their daughter Kim at one of the hospitals we serve. Both came to the rehabilitation group but had little interaction with each other or anyone else. Within the first few weeks of participating in the music therapy group, Kim reported changes in their behaviors and a new 'spark' from each of them. They never missed a group. Though Rathchada suffered from dementia she was not as agitated after joining the group. Tengmong was able to meet new friends and maintain the friendships outside of the group. What I find most poignant about their story is that this is the story of lots of other clients in lots of other countries and that they are so welcoming and accepting of people outside their native culture. THIS is one of the amazing things about music therapy. The MUSIC does the work. The MUSIC makes the connections and helps to establish and maintain the relationships. People are people are people. So as Social Media Advocacy Month 2013 comes to a close, here's to all of you out there who are great advocates! Thank you for all that you do!