Dreaming in Thailand

Whitney Ludwig Start Date: Mar 9, 2016 - End Date: Mar 8, 2017
  • Bangkok Thailand
  • Sukhothai Thailand
  • Chiang Mai Thailand
  • Pai Mae Hong Son Thailand
  • Khao Sok Chon Buri Thailand
  • Krabi Thailand

My Travel Story

by: Whitney Ludwig Start Date: Mar 9, 2016 - End Date: Mar 8, 2017
My dream is to be an advocate for women in women's health. Throughout my educational experience at the University of Michigan, I've been able to observe Obstetricians in their clinical hours as well as in labor and delivery, opening my eyes up to some of the most empowering moments of womanhood. However, the University hospital is located in the priviledged city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, limiting the range of different kinds of people who may have the means to access the hospital and its services. As a woman wishing to work in the medical field, I want to be as knowledgable as possible of not only my community but also the global world. I truly believe that I will be able to provide a more holistic, personalized relationship with my patients having explored many different areas of socioeconomic status, and seen individuals with very different struggles from my own. My passion to travel is driven by this curiousity to understand where people come from and open my eyes to cultures that are very foreign to me.

This trip to Thailand is going to be especially meaningful to me because I will be able to work alongside the Thailand community, volunteering with the Elephant Nature Foundation, as well as backpacking through the country, coming in to contact with many different social spheres. The Elephant Nature Foundation is located in the North Western part of Thailand, giving elephants who have been abused or abandoned a place to call home. Elephants are highly intellectual animals who have striking similarities in their emotional depth when compared to humans, and deserve just as much justice in their path to rehabilitation. Along with this incredible volunteering opportunity I plan on going on a rock climbing and caving adventure, hiking and kayaking in the jungle of the Khao Sok National Park, exploring the Railare Peninsula, staying in an ethnic minority village, attending lectures on the history, environment, culture and society of Thailand, and so much more :)

I can only hope that I can make this dream a reality and create long lasting relationships with the native people, and experiences that will inspire me on my journey in to the medical field and beyond. 
  • Bangkok Thailand
  • Sukhothai Thailand
  • Chiang Mai Thailand
  • Pai Mae Hong Son Thailand
  • Khao Sok Chon Buri Thailand
  • Krabi Thailand

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