Agribusiness students from Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) have just completed a series of Summer School activities at Silpakorn University, Thailand, which were held with great enthusiasm and provided various valuable experiences. This program lasted for five days with various activities designed to introduce the participants to Thai culture while also broadening their horizons in the field of agribusiness.
On the first day, the activities were opened with an Opening Ceremony and Program Orientation attended by all participants. After the opening session, the students were invited to enjoy lunch together with the buddies—local students assigned to accompany them throughout the program. In the afternoon, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, the participants engage in Cultural Exchange Activities, where they have the opportunity to meet and interact with new friends from various countries, including Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, China, South Korea, and Thailand.
The second day began with a unique experience. The buddies picked up the students at the dormitory and together they took the Electric Tram to visit several important locations such as the Aquaculture Farm, Goat Farm, Khok Nong Na Model, and Green Shop. At the Goat Farm, participants are invited to interact directly with livestock, an experience they rarely get in the classroom. After that, they visited several buildings on the Silpakorn University campus, followed by lunch accompanied by traditional Thai desserts.
On the third day, activities continued in the campus laboratory, where students conducted various experiments and research related to agribusiness.
On the fourth day, participants were invited to visit several famous tourist destinations such as Huahin Beach, Pran Buri Forest Park, Rajabhakti Park, and Huay Mongkol Temple. At Huahin Beach, they released several crabs and other marine animals into the wild as part of an environmental conservation program. After that, they enjoyed the beautiful beach atmosphere and ended the day with shopping at Market Village Department Store.
On the last day, participants engaged in a very interesting agribusiness activity, where they were taught how to make mango sticky rice and a traditional Thai drink. This program emphasizes how to manage raw materials at affordable prices while maintaining quality, as well as creativity in presenting products to make them more appealing in the market. After this session, participants are given a break before the Closing Ceremony held at 1:00 PM. The closing ceremony is filled with the distribution of certificates and a session of impressions and messages from the participants regarding their experiences during the Summer School program.
The Summer School activities concluded with a Farewell Party, a warm and memorable farewell event where participants enjoyed dinner together for the last time before returning to their respective countries.
