Sluse field trip to Thailand and Cambodia

Here in Copenhagen, during the last weeks, we have been extremely busy preparing our field trips to Asia.

Some of us are going to Chiang Mai in Thailand and others to the Banteay Meanchey province in Cambodia. We are working in small groups of students from the University of Copenhagen, preparing our research questions, data collection methods and time schedule for when we are in the field. Once we arrive in Thailand or Cambodia, respectively, we are going to meet Thai and Cambodian students who are going to work together with us on the various research topics.

Rada, our Cambodian study mate here in Copenhagen, and me are with our group looking into the potential for intensification in rice production in a community in Banteay Meanchey. So the past days have been spent on designing interview guidelines and questionnaires that can yield the information we need once we get into contact with local farmers and representatives of various institutions. This is by no means a trivial task and we are racking our brains to find the best way to get complete and relevant information from our target informants.

But obviously the study trip will not only concern our research as such. It will as much be about learning to work in an intercultural environment and under previously unknown conditions; it will be about working together in teams and dealing with the problems this involves and with all the unexpected things that might occur on the way. And of course it will be a unique chance to get an insight into two exciting countries that are unknown to most of us, and to see how people live their everyday life in these places.

In a few days we are leaving for the field and I am personally tremendously excited about it! Naturally, I will update you on everything we experienced – regarding our field work, but obviously also all the gossip about Agris Mundus students that you are all waiting for! :)

Hilsen Maria

Note: more information about Sluse can be found on www.sluse.dk