(Photo) Tubac

คลิ๊กเพื่อดูรูปขนาดใหญ่ขึ้น

(Photo) Downtown Tucson: Half-day trip

คลิ๊กเพื่อดูรูปขนาดใหญ่ขึ้น

(Photo) Tucson Mountain Park & home stay

คลิ๊กเพื่อดูรูปขนาดใหญ่ขึ้น

Ben's Bell Project: the spread of intentional kindness

(Photo) U.S. - Mexico Border Trip

คลิ๊กเพื่อดูรูปขนาดใหญ่ขึ้น

Canyoneering: once in a life time in Arizona

You're what you read

(Photo) Year-End Retreat 2012

Canyoneering: once in a life time in Arizona

 

Observation from Internship Experience at UA

Dear Diary,

Yํou know what!

 

This's my 3rd week in Tucson.

I'm having a pleasant time doing my internship in Asian-Pacific American Student Affairs in U. of Arizona.  Faculties here are very friendly, when I've no work to do in the  office as it's summer break so the univ. is quiet and having slow pace, they've tried to find activities for me to explore and learn from other offices.

Today, Ben, my co-worker,  called Linda, Asst. dean for Educational & Student Affairs, College of Medicine. As a result,I've shadowed some offices, i.e., the office of Admission at the school of Medicine and I'm allowed to attend faculty's meetings, too.  

I'm  surprised to know that for the admission of the Medical School which is highly competitive, just about 2500 candidates will be accepted.  One of the required activities in U. of Utah is community / volunteer service as it points out that  "The medical profession is strongly oriented to service in the community.  Applicants should demonstrate a commitment to the community by involving themselves in service & volunteer activities. The minimum requirement is 36 hrs."

(http://medicine.utah.edu/admission/criteria)

Wow! I've never heard this happens in Thailand, if I'm not mistaken. It'd be good if it's utilize in any countries. What I know is that smart high school graduate will apply for it and if their GPA is very high, plus they pass the Entrance Exam for the Medical School, they can get in.  

I really appreciate this idea. 

Moreover, I've learned that the Stanford School of Medicine which's located in California has recommended that apart from academic requirements, knowledge of a modern foreign lang. specially Spanish or an Asian language are taken into committee's consideration.

I asked Linda about this, and she explained that the major minority in California are the Spanish & Asians so it'd be benefit when doctors know other languages so that they can communicate well with patients.  I got it!  

I'm not sure about medical students in Thailand.  I don't think they have to study another languages. But it's a trend that hospitals are more likely to recruit new graduates who study foreign languages, i.e., English, Korean, & Japanese to help communicate with foreign patients.   

This meeting today opened up my world perspective.  Thanks Linda & Ben who offered me this opportunity.

By the way, I also helped the Native American Student Affairs which in short is called NASA! (Sounds like Aerospace field :) to set up the convocation for the Native American Students, who're quite big groups in U. of Arizona. 

 

(In Penn State, the Native American students aren't as many as here. I attended the POWWOW Festival which aimed to promote the Native American culture and heritage. That's just a quick glimpse before moving to the land of Native Americans in Arizona.)

 

(Photo) Graduation Day 2012 @ UA

(Photo) Album 2012-05-13

(Photo) Desert Museum,Tucson, Arizona

The Public Service Award: I Got It !!!

The Public Service Award and How I become popular in one night

“The ultimate expression of generosity is not in giving of what you have, but in giving of who you are.”
                                                                               Johnnetta B. Cole

The Humphrey Fellowship Program 2011-2012 has nearly ended by 15 June 2012. 

Before Humphrey fellows separately moved to do their professional affiliations either locally or non-locally, the staff of the Institute of International Education (IIE) organized the “Year-End Retreat Program” for fellows to network and to close the program officially. I was like other fellows who would like to come to meet friends before heading home.  However, it turned out that it became the most memorable night in the U.S. that I had ever had.

While talking with friends in front of the conference room before the ceremony started, Laurence, the IIE staff, came to ask me if I would like to get “The Public Service Award”.  At first, I couldn’t hear well so I asked her to say it again. 

Wow!! I couldn’t believe what I heard! I had got “The Public Service Award”, which aims to honor the outstanding fellow who has committed and made an impact to the community during his/her stay in the U.S.!

And it was only I who received it. Such an honor award!  Penny, the coordinator from Tulane University, who announced this award, told other 203 fellows from 93 countries that since the Humphrey Fellowship Program’s establishment from 1978, this was the first time in its history that IIE gave this award to fellows. The award included the certificate signed by the director of Humphrey Fellowship Program and chief, Humphrey Fellowship and Institutional Linkages Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State and $500 monetary reward. 

Fellows were also excited as no one had heard about this award before.  Later, I found that the director of the program of each host university nominated the outstanding fellows from the campus and submitted to IIE. Now, I knew why Paul, theIIE senior coordinator, recognized me when I came to introduce myself to him at the lunch table the day before the ceremony. At that time, I was surprised how he could recognize me as I did not talk to him much.  He told me, afterwards, that he saw my name from the application form that Leila my coordinator sent to IIE.

Leila wrote in her recommendation, “Nok is a remarkable Fellow who has participated in an exceptional number of volunteer opportunities during her fellowship year at Penn State.  Nok has gone out of her way to participate in each and every volunteer opportunity that has crossed her path.”

These have included, but are not limited to:

“Friday Night Lights Out’ which raised awareness among students to conserve energy in the campus

Playing Bingo with the Elderly at Elmcroft Community

Volunteering at the Penn State Football Concession Stands to fundraise for International Ministries

Beaver Stadium Recycling Program: Distributing recycling bags for tailgaters before football games

Shaver’s Creek Clean Up: Trail maintenance for outdoor education center

Santa to the senior: Wrapping gifts party

Food for Somalia: Packing food in an assembly line to send to Somalia

Making holiday crafts with the elderly at the Centre Crest Nursing Home

Volunteering at the Discovery Space Science Museum of Central Pennsylvania

Etc.

My involvement in so many service opportunities has reached a wide audience in the local community; people of all ages and backgrounds have benefited from my volunteer spirit and passion for helping others.

I have inspired other Fellows at Penn State to participate in volunteer projects that I have done myself.  My coordinator expects this “leadership by example’ model to continue and to thrive when I return home to Thailand. 

As a consequence of this award, some Fellows came to talk and share ideas with me.  Interestingly, the frequent question I got was how I could manage my time to do a lot of voluntary activities.

 Gladly, some would like to have some collaboration with me. For example, Tam, Vietnam, who would do a project to promote women leadership in her country, told me that we could have done some exchange project together in the near future.

Peter, the coordinator from the Cornell University, wanted to do 2-month student exchange in Southeast Asian Country and he thought of Thailand after talking about the possibility of looking for homestay and host family in agricultural areas with me.

Tommy, Indonesia, planned to do a community development program in Indonesia and wanted his local staff to learn and shared with Thai community.

To give it back to the American community, I gave $ 100 ash to Leila, who would help me donate this amount of money to the United Way in Pennsylvania. I also plan to give $100 to a poor student in Thaksin University where I work, probably on the Teacher's Day. The award is also a big gift for me to take home, so I should give away some amount of money as gifts to other needy people. 

I would like to end that the spirit of volunteerism can start from ordinary people, we do not need to wait till we get wealthy to help others; it would be great to start from now.  Even small effort can make a difference.

"Volunteers polish up the rough spots in our communities."
                                             Jefferson Award Winner Alice Sandstrom

(Photo) Univ. of Arizona, Tucson

Library: I Love You

I love the place; the magnificent books; I require books as I require air.              

                                                                        ~Sholem Asch

ห้องสมุดเป็นสถานที่โปรดของเรา ไม่ว่าจะไปอยู่ที่ไหน สิ่งแรกๆที่อยากไปคือห้องสมุด

ที่อเมริกา ห้องสมุดมหาวิทยาลัย The U. of Arizona, Tucson เป็น ที่สุดท้ายที่เราจะได้เข้าไปใช้บริการและเยี่ยมชม การเข้าห้องสมุดที่อเมริกาไม่ต้องใช้บัตรสมาชิก ไม่ว่าจะเป็นห้องสมุดประชาชน หรือห้องสมุดมหาลัย คิดว่าน่าจะถือเป็นการบริการทางวิชาการอย่างหนึ่ง 

เมื่อวานมีโอกาสเข้าห้องสมุดเป็นครั้งแรก ก่อนเข้าห้องสมุดเห็นรูปปั้นเด็กขายนสพ. The News Boy เรา อดจะหยุดแชะรูปไม่ได้ ดูน่ารักจัง เข้ากับคอนเซ็บท์ที่อยากให้คนอ่านหนังสือของห้องสมุด นิสิตบางคนเหลือบดูเรา คงด้วยความแปลกใจเพราะไม่เห็นคนหยุดถ่ายรูป

หากพวกเค้าเห็นมันทุกวันคงไม่รู้สึกแปลก แต่เราเพิ่งจะเคยเห็นนี่นา

เข้าไปปั๊บเห็นรถเข็นสีแดง คิดว่าบรรณารักษ์เอาไว้เข็นหนังสือ เขยิบเข้าไปอ่านใกล้ๆ “Use Me” อ้าว มันสำหรับผู้ใช้ห้องสมุดเอาไว้เข็นหนังสือต่างหากเล่า

ที่มอ.ปัตตานี และมหาลัยทักษิณ จะใช้ตะกร้าเหมือนตะกร้า shopping ตั้ง ไว้ให้บริการเหมือนกัน อันนี้น่าชื่นชมที่อำนวยความสะดวกให้ลูกค้าเอ๊ยนักอ่าน ไอเดียรถเข็นดีตรงที่หากหนังสือหนักๆ ตะกร้าคงเอาไม่อยู่ แต่ตะกร้า(ไม่ยอมแพ้)บอกว่า “ชั้นคล่องตัวกว่า เก็บก็ง่าย ไม่เปลืองแรงขยี้ เอ๊ย ไม่เปลืองที่ ใช้ชั้นสิ” (น่าน)

ห้อง สมุดที่นี่มีกระดานแสดงความคิดเห็นด้วยล่ะ จริงๆแล้วเค้าคงเอาข้อความที่นิสิตส่งมาสอบถามและแสดงความคิดเห็น เอามาแปะให้เห็นโดยทั่วกันเพื่อความโปร่งใส ว่าปัญหาที่เธอถามมา ชั้นตอบแล้วนะ ดูแล้วใส่ใจลูกค้าและเข้าหาลูกค้าดีจัง

เรายังไม่ได้เดินไปสำรวจชั้นอื่นๆเพราะเวลามีน้อย ดั๊นไปหยุดอยู่ที่มุมคอมพิวเตอร์ เผลอเช็ค FB แป๊บเดียว อ้าว…ถึงเวลานัดหมายซะแล้ว

ได้ข่าวว่าที่นี่ขุดลงไปใต้ดินเพื่อใช้พื้นที่ทำห้องสมุดสุดกว้างขวาง ไว้ต้องหาเวลาไปสำรวจซะหน่อยแล้ว

1st week at Tucson,AZ

Long flight to Tucson, Arizona

Dear Diary,

Officially, greetings from Tucson, Arizona.
I left Penn State around noon. Thanks to Star & Vanh who gave me a ride and spent time waiting for a plane with me. 
I arrived at my guesthous at 9.30 pm. last night. Ajarn Supapan,the Thai professor at AZ was very kind to pick me up at the aiport and took me to buy a Vietnamese noodle before heading to my guesthouse. 

I felt  a bit tired of running in & off the airplane as I'd 3
laysovers ( SCE - Detroit- Columbus - Atlanta - Tuscon.)
 The funny thing was this morning I woked up at 6 am., but I
still thought that it's very early so I tried to sleep till 8 am. to
gain energy I lost yesterday.  Later, I found the reason why I didn't
want to get up, but my body clock woke me up as normally it'd be
around 9 am. in Penn State. ( PA is 3 hrs. ahead).
 So, I need a few days to adjust to new time zone, I guess :)
This morning I already visited the office of Asian-Pacific Student
Affairs and had a univ.tour with Ben, the co-worker. I thought the U. of
Arizona might be smaller than PSU,but it seems big as bldgs. are
scattered, not in the same area as PSU. There're about 35,000 - 40,000
students here while  PSU, main campus, has 44,000 students.
I'm going to explore 4 museums on campus soon.  Good to know that
there're museums on campus so that I'll get chance to learn more about
Arizona.
The weather's very hot at 81 degree,but I didn't realize that it's
very dry till I wash my clothes & hung them outside. Within 2-3 hrs.,
all were dry even my thick jacket! Wow!
(I think drying clothes in the drying machine is wasteless when
outside's very sunny.)
I managed to take a shuttle bus from - to my apt. and walked to buy
grocery produce at the store nearby.  I'm settled down now.
Tomorrow, I'll observe how the staff at the multi-cultural center
interview potential interns. Only 6 candidates are needed, but many
students apply for the post. ( I've heard that they'll get paid $2,000
for 1 academic year). I'd like to know how they recruit students and
what questions & answers are raised.
Also, the following week I'll attend the commencement ceremony of the
new graduate. I'd like to see how Americans celebrate this day and
want to listen to a guest speaker's speech.
So interesting to me.
Sounds that I find activities that interests me a lot here :)
Want to hear more? I'll update soon, ok?

 ( Tues. 2 May 2012)