School in Hua Hin

So, I promised you an update about school in Hua Hin and it’s time to deliver on that promise!

The past two weeks have been busier than the first couple of weeks in Thailand for sure. Most of the groups have started on their logistics projects and have gotten a fair bit underway. We’re doing a case study on a fictive company called Steelglove Ltd and if you’ve done an engineering degree in Sweden it’s likely that you’ve done the same case study. It is actually rather tricky, but I like how it challenges us in finding knowledge that we don’t have. My group is probably sort of half way through the process of completing the project and we aim to finish it off this week. I’ll get back to you and update you further on the process of how we’re doing.

The most interesting bit about school over the last few weeks is that we’ve started a new course, Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR. It is hard to define CSR in a short and concise way but it is the study and methodology of how companies work to make sure their business is ethical, environmentally and socially sustainable. It deals with human rights, labour practices, environmental issues and so on. This is the course that I have been looking forward to the most since I started the IBE programme, hence I had high expectations on the course. So far we’ve only done two days of CSR, but during those two days I don’t think that it left anyone untouched. A few people have already said that “I want to work with CSR when I graduate.”. The course is headed by a Richard Welford who is the chairman and founder of CSR Asia, one of the biggest CSR consultancy businesses in the Asia Pacific region. Richard was a really good lecturer and super inspiring to listen to.

The CSR course will include a field trip later on in the course which most of us are really looking forward to. It is not yet confirmed where it will go or the exact dates, but preliminary info points to that we will be going to Cambodia to visit a factory in late march. Super exciting stuff!

When it comes to exams we will have the logistics exam on the 1^st of March and the presentation for the project on the 2^nd of March.

Alright, for now, peace out!

// Sebbe

Life in Hua Hin!

Alright, so a few weeks have passed since the last post, hence it is time for an update!

After the last trip to Bangkok we’ve pretty much stayed in Hua Hin for the majority of the time. There have been a few people who have seized opportunities to travel to other places in Thailand. One group did a very good job of representing the IBE crew at the full moon party at Kho Phang-Na on the 8^th of February. I wasn’t part of the pack so unfortunately I can’t provide any further detail. We might go next time though, so keep an eye out in about a month’s time!

Last weekend a few of us went on a little excursion to a beach a bit further south of the main Hua Hin beach called Hat Sai Noi, literal translation is Little Sai beach. Hat = beach, noi = little or small. We had an awesome day just lazing around in the sun going for a few swims and not doing much at all really. The way a day on the beach should be spent according to most people. Personally however I can only spend so many hours before I have to do something. The beach was beautiful and the waves were a lot of fun. The best bit about the Hat Sai Noi experience was the lack of souvenir vendors that walk up and down the beach all day trying to sell whatever they can to the tourists.

On Friday we had a party for Nasser who had his 22^nd birthday. Robert and I live at a place that is owned by a woman who lives in Helsingborg, Sweden, during the summer months. She helped us hook everything up and she cooked food for us and got us a cake for Nasser. The party was a huge success and everyone really had a blast. After the party the majority of the class continued on in to Hua Hin and kept partying to the wee hours of the morning.

There are a lot of Swedes in Hua Hin in general, and one of them has started a soccer team called the Hua Hin Vikings. Adam, Dilan,  Jesper, Nasser, Robert, Viktor and I have joined them to get some exercise and to help them win the series. There’s a game tonight in which most of the above mentioned will partake, and hopefully it will be a victory for the HH Vikings! The umpires here in Thailand have their own way of judging the games. One match we played got called off too early because the umpires wanted the thai team to tie the HHVs and another got called off too early because the thai team was getting aggressive and the umpire was afraid that something bad might happen. At least that game we won, by 12-4!

I have also taken up my biking a bit finally. There is a company here in Hua Hin called the Hua Hin bike tours, really original, I know! The owner of the company has also got a facebook page called the Hua Hin bicyclists in which more long term residents of Hua Hin can post to find ride buddies. I’ve been on two rides with them so far and am going again in two hours. Today there is a 40 kms ride followed by an Aussie bbq, yum yum yum! Tomorrow we’re doing a longer ride up to Cha Am to join in with the Hua Cha Hash bikers which will be a lot of fun! My behind will probably be a bit sore afterwards though as that ride is 90 kms return. Phew!

That’s all for now folks, I will write an update about actual school stuff soon too so you’ll be in the know!

For now, peace out!

// Sebbe