The idea of going to Thailand was “completely random” (courtesy a friend of mine). Yet it fitted so well with what I’ve been doing, post BSc graduation, that I decided to give it a try. The PGIO had advertised for interested students (and those whose work involved “sustainable development”) to apply for a bursary to Thailand. There, selected students would participate in the 4th Student World Forum themed “Sustainable Rural Development” under the auspices of the Academic Consortium for the 21st Century (AC21). When I got selected as part of 3-man team (oh, two men, and a woman!) to attend the forum, I was at once both happy and anxious – happy to be going to Asia for the first time and anxious about the prospect such an adventure held. Beyond these two states of mind, my passion for “sustainable rural development” held sway and I couldn’t wait for the day we would finally ‘land’ in Thailand!
