Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia: a region accentuated by the vibrant greens of rice fields and jungle forests, competing environmental needs, incredible history, profound religious beliefs and practices, and the cultural diversity of hill tribe communities: each country offers a unique cultural experience unto itself.   With modern challenges meeting social needs, the collision of urban expansion and industrialization with indigenous land rights and equal access to resources, this region is perfect for a deep dive into history, human rights, and sustainability.

This 8-week program travels from the Thai temples and old walled city of Chiang Mai to the Cambodian UNESCO world-heritage center of Angkor Wat; from the mountainous jungles of northern Thailand to the clear ocean waters of the country’s famed southern islands.  This region is rich with the warmth and hospitality of its peoples, but also complex with history and present day challenges affecting those same people. 

We will explore not only the challenges posed by development in this region, but the many solutions (lived and potential), paying special attention to this area's rich history and traditions that have and will continue to guide the way.  

This program is designed for change-makers who want to proactively engage in solutions for climate, social justice and human rights.  Retreats and reflections are interspersed throughout the semester to allow you to focus on looking inwardly, so that you take action outwardly.   

Week 1: Orientation in Siem Reap.  Following a long flight, your group will take a few days in Siem Reap to ground and build a strong foundation for your semester.  Your Overseas Educators (OEs) will run a series of sessions to help you connect and gain the skills to travel safely in another country, and when you are ready, you and your friends will venture out on a scavenger hunt. Siem Reap is home to one of the seven wonders of the world- Angkor Wat. Spend a day biking around the temple complexes and seeing local village life around Siem Reap.  Our local partner will help you contextualize the long history here, from the renowned majesty of the Khmer Empire to the recent pain and suffering of the genocide of the Khmer Rouge.  One day here will be spent meeting a Nobel Peace Prize winner and learning about efforts toward reconciliation. The time in Siem Reap will provide a foundation that will help you make sense of your time in Cambodia and provide a strong group foundation for your whole semester. 

Week 2: From Siem Reap, make your way down to Battambang, known for its Khmer temples, Colonial architecture, and a world-famous circus school  Our partner here is a local  NGO whose mission is educational along with accompanying projects to make the organization locally controlled and operated and economically self-sustaining.  Your days here will be spent on a mix of things, from helping the community with identified service projects, like building toilets or repairing roads, to working in the classroom with kids.  When not working, you will learn about the city and its history and experience the wonders of the circus and other creative arts-focused groups. 

Week 3:  Arrive by slow boat on the Mekong to the Floating Villages, where you will live with homestay families.  Spend 4 nights in the Tonle Sap Floating villages, where families do everything on their boats. Learn about some of the challenges affecting the communities on the lake and meet with local NGOs working to address them.  During your time there, you will contribute to environmental and educational projects and share meals with your homestay families.   Say goodbye to your homestay families and make your way to the bustling city of Phnom Phen. Take some time to visit the sites of Phnom Phen. Your group will take in the solemn sites of Tuol Sleng and the Killing Fields as you learn about the not-so-distant genocide that took place in Cambodia.  Take some time to see celebrations of life, where young Cambodians meet and mingle, and learn about an NGO using breakdancing to give kids opportunities.

Week 4: Leave the city behind and head to the countryside, where you will spend time and connect with the young inspiring dreamers building Vitamin Air, an intentional community dedicated to resilience and regeneration.  Your nights will be spent in tents under the open sky, and your days will be spent in nature, learning from the community about how they live a communal life in harmony with nature.   

Week 5:  Our start to Thailand will be in the big, dynamic fast paced city of Bangkok.  Adjust to a new country and bring your orientation to Thailand as you and your group will put your travel-savvy skills to the test as you navigate this bustling metropolis.  Our local contact here will connect you with exciting eco-communities around the capital as you learn about urban sustainability.  Your time in the capital city will be split between exploring the sights and sounds of this dynamic city and connecting with local communities engaged in sustainable lifestyles. 

Week 6    Take an overnight train up to Udon Thani, where you will spend a week in an ecovillage as you take part in all of the daily activities that the community engages with: from yoga to natural building and conversations on permaculture as you explore creative solutions to natural living and sustainability.  This amazing intro to eco-village life is a favorite of students, and you will get your hands involved in everything from making your shampoos to learning about building houses. 

Week 7: Make your way over to Chiang Rai, a mountain town near the border with Laos and Myanmar (Burma), to learn about the diverse hill tribe communities and human rights issues as you work with an NGO and spend time in local homestays and engage in a service project.   This unique community experience will see you spend your days with the locals and share in project work during the day.  Close your time with them with a meaningful night of celebration in the local traditional way.  Before heading south, spend a few days in Chiang Mai, where you will get a chance to experience the life and culture of this famous temple and market city.  

Week 8: Leave the mountains behind as you travel to southern Thailand and the beaches.  Experience a different culture here as you travel to Koh Tao, an island famous for its amazing marine life.  Here your group will take part in a PADI certification program as you learn about marine ecology and embrace island living.  Your semester would not be complete without Student Directed Travel.  For this portion of the program, you and your cohort determine the adventure and put your travel-savvy and group skills to the test as you plan the final portions of logistics and itinerary.  Will you stay down south and explore other islands?  Will you go inland?  This part is up to you.  You will need to make your way back up to Bangkok, where the program will end, and your OEs will create a special closing ceremony to celebrate the epic journey you have been on.

*Carpe Diem reserves the right to make changes to the program at any time, and indeed has the responsibility to do so in some instances; changes may be required to provide the best possible experience,  protect the safety of participants, or respond to changes in weather or political conditions.

Questions We'll Explore: 

• What does human migration look like in Southeast Asia?   What leads to people leaving their homes and families in search of a better life.  What conditions do they face as they seek to find safety.  What can be done?
• How are communities in Southeast Asia approaching sustainability? What traditional practices can be revived to allow us to live in harmony with our natural world. 
• How are identities formed?  What role does a country's history play in its people's identities?  What does this mean for marginalized groups?
• How can we be agents of change?  What inner work needs to happen? What outer action needs to be taken?  How can Buddhist practices help us approach creating change for ourselves and others?