Reflections on Civic Semester Courses
The Civic Semester courses are just selected to help you transition into college education and to give you an idea about the location that you are visiting. The courses are usually fun and exciting as you learn about the world and mostly about your civic semester destination.
Our first course was Civic Semester Pathways, which brought me closer to my personality and understanding of my bodily rhythm. Here, you learn concepts that help re-awaken your sense of self and appreciation for one another. Living with strangers who end up being close friends calls for ideas such as "I know that I don't know" and "Open will, open heart, and open mind!" At the beginning of all classes, we could have a purposeful pause; I bet this was so chilling and fulfilling (at least to me, it was!). One crucial aspect you learn here is the art of cultural humility—I'm sure that rings a bell!
The second course that was taken by my cohort (Thailand) is Social Change and the Sociology of Globalization. Have you ever looked at a glass for so long that you start rethinking your choices, wondering if it's a glass? Well, now that the class is for you, this class indeed penetrates your thoughts and widens the scope of looking at things. The professor himself leads you to the most extraordinary understanding of the world! If I had to return and re-take the class, I would definitely! To spice it up, sociology classes are very cool and intriguing.
After getting to Thailand, on the first week, we got introduced to the Thai language course; on the first day, for sure it didn't look easy to learn a different language, but the joy of it didn't take longer to manifest since when you talk to the local Thai people and speak even a little bit of Thai, they get very excited to even talk more with you! Of course, there are translation apps, which means you'll never hit the wall, but the fun arises when you try speaking—even though the accent might seem funny at the beginning. I learned this proverb, "mai-mii-à-rai-sǎai-gooen-gâae," whose literal meaning is "It's never too late to mend!"
Still, while on the program, we had another mind-blowing course called Intro to the History of Southeast Asia. What a course that is! We learned abundantly about the history of every country in the region and several issues such as art, migration, war, trauma, and political power. Interacting with articles written by Boreth Lys was great since they were very eye-opening. Shoutout to our professor, who was ideally our 'thinking partner,' always leading you to the answer instead of giving it to you.
Our other very significant course is the Civic Semester Internship! This class is as cool as you'd wish it to be. As you start your internship, you must learn concepts such as service learning and helping transform the 'Savior Mentality' into a 'learning while serving' one. The projects in this class give you a perspective on how community service can benefit you. The class opens a pathway towards service and learning.
Ideally, the civic semester courses make your experience lively and smooth, leading you to a path of understanding, which makes your trip memorable and enjoyable. The courses are like the final color that brightens a magical art.