Learning About a Semester Abroad in Thailand and Malaysia

If you have ever seen the movie Anna and the King, you know a little something about the unique history of Thailand, a country once known as Siam. During a semester abroad in Thailand, you may start to appreciate why the musical The King and I is banned in that country as well.

Thai means “freemen,” and the name is appropriate. During the 19th Century, the region of Southeast Asia known as Indo-China (so-called because Indian and Chinese cultural influences are nearly equally strong) was being carved up by Great Britain and France as colonies of empire; Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos ultimately wound up under French control while Burma fell under British rule.

During the mid 19th Century, King Rama IV – also known as Mongkut – was the ruler of Siam. He is known today as the king who brought Siam into the Industrial Age; his reforms and considerable political skills kept Siam from becoming yet another European colony, for which he holds a place in Thai history similar to that of Thom Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln in U.S. history. (Incidentally, King Mongkut never offered war elephants to President Lincoln for the Union Army during the Civil War; he had actually written to Lincoln’s predecessor, James Buchanan, but his letter didn’t arrive until Lincoln had taken office.)

Thailand is located very close to Malaysia; in fact, part of the country is located on the Malay Peninsula. When you spend a semester abroad in Malaysia, you’ll find yet another unique culture with its own fascinating history. However, while Thailand is one of the oldest nations in Southeast Asia, Malaysia is one of the newest, having come into existence less than fifty years ago in 1963. It is actually a federation of fourteen smaller countries that had at one time been part of the British Empire. (Singapore left the federation after only two years.)

In addition to South Pacific, Chinese and Indian cultural influences, you’ll also find much that derives from Arab countries; Islam is the predominant religion of Malaysia and has been for centuries. You may remember stories about “Sindbad the Sailor;” these stories were based on the voyages of sea-faring Arab merchants who brought their culture and religion to the peoples of the Southwest Pacific.

Despite the many cultural differences, you’ll find when you study abroad in Malaysia that the country is much like the U.S. in terms of diversity; in addition to Malays (who are also indigenous to the Philippines), there are many ethnic Chinese and Indians; although Islam is practiced by 60 percent of the people and is the nation’s official religion, there are also substantial numbers of Buddhists, Christians and Hindus as well as a small Jewish community.

By: Anne Harvester

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Anne is director, student services and programs, for AsiaLearn. Their semester abroad in Thailand and semester abroad in Malaysia program led to her experience growing in these studies, such as the study abroad in Malaysia program.