Thailand: The Journey of a Lifetime

Thailand is a trip that’ll forever stay with me. Every single person I spent time with and made memories with on this trip holds a special place in my heart for their own beautiful reasons, including Farhang Morady and Kyoko Murakami. I’ve acquired a new family into my life, and I couldn’t be any more elated and full of joy because of it.

Spending 10 days away from family and immersing ourselves in a new culture and environment was certainly eye-opening. The amount of seafood consumed was far beyond what we had all anticipated, but it was a great opportunity to try a different cuisine than what we are used to and explore new foods that we might not typically reach for or have access to in London.

The most meaningful part of the trip, personally, for me was living with all my friends. I have been to Uzbekistan with some of the 3^rd year DEN members, and that itself was a crazy and fun journey, and so to experience Thailand with my friends from the ‘Democratic Engagement in an International Context’ module was something new and so amazing to experience. Having our rooms next to/opposite each other in the same corridor really added to the feeling of a continuous huge slumber party full of laughs, tasty takeaways, and late-night conversations. There was never a dull moment, and I am glad I was surrounded by brilliant people as they made my trip a whole lot more enjoyable than I had foreseen.

Kasetsart University (KU) impressed me the moment we drove onto the campus. The campus itself could be a whole city in itself, and everywhere we turned, we were mesmerised. There were numerous facilities and spaces available for the students studying there, which even inspired me to bring some of those ideas back home to potentially initiate them in DEN. One similarity I realised between KU and the University of Westminster (UoW) is their incredible focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations (UN). Every corner we turned on the campus, there was some sort of mural or reminder of the SDGs and what was being or planned to be implemented, and it felt really empowering to witness and be a part of. We met many of the Thai students, but there are three that I’m particularly looking forward to hosting here in London once they come for the DEN Summer School and Conference (Dew, Lemon, and Pailin – see you in May 2026!).

The field trip significantly enhanced my academic and cultural understanding of Thailand, demonstrating that each country is both like and distinct from others. For example, the Thai royal family has a significant influence on the daily lives of the Thai people, which was clearly portrayed in contrast to the British royal family, which has a more reserved approach.

There is still so much left to say and express, but I hope that this blog gave a quick and heartwarming insight into the wonderful trip I went on with my friends, all thanks to the hard work and perseverance of Farhang Morady. I’ll forever embrace the opportunities you provide me and wish you eternal success in the phenomenal work that you do.

Negena Mahmoud