Tag: Summer School

Learning about self-reliance and sustainability in Thailand – Lelani Mannetti

In May I was fortunate enough to travel to Thailand to attend the fourth AC21 (Academic Consortium of the 21st Century) Student World Forum (SWF).  Under the topic of ‘Sustainable Rural Development’, more than 60 students from across the globe (including Thailand, Japan, China, Laos, USA, Germany, Australia, Indonesia, Moldova and South Africa) came together at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok to learn about sustainable rural development initiatives in Thailand and to share perspectives from around the world.

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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 4^th Student World Forum themed “Sustainable Rural Development” under the auspices of the Academic Consortium for the 21^st 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!

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Recently Andreas Keller attended the AC21 Student World Forum in Thailand. Here is his experience.

Preparation – Getting There

Two days to go before departure to the Land of Smiles – Amazing Thailand. The excitement is palpable, having been there before some 5 years ago, I have an inkling of what to expect: warm and friendly people, mouthwatering street cuisine, beautiful temple architecture, giant golden Buddhas, exotic fruits – in shapes, sizes and flavours unknown to the South African palate.

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