Sawaddee kah! I am Uzma “Zeem” Daraman, a Thai undergraduate student from a small college called Grinnell College in Iowa, USA. I am passionate about development work in Thailand, which led me to major in Anthropology with a concentration on Global Development Studies. I’m currently interning with Andaman Discoveries for my concentration and I choose AD because I am impressed with the success of their community-based tourism program and because I would like to know more about the ways that can make tourism in Thailand sustainable.
Although I came here during the monsoon season, I won’t let the rain bring me down! During my internship, I will be working on implementing village guide training, assist with marketing, evaluate homestay programs, and update activity matrix. By working with AD, I hope to gain insights about community based tourism in Thailand, to experience working in a professional NGO, and to learn about local people’s way of life and how it has change due to the 2004 Tsunami and the growing tourism industry. I was born and raised in Thailand, so I would like to use this opportunity to learn and use the knowledge I have gained from college in the US to improve the programs as a way to give back to my country as well.
