Thien Tran

Thien is passionate about traveling and exploring new cultures. He is involved in Interact Club and served as president in his senior year. Through Interact Club, Thien was able to partake in city-wide planning of events such as the Chinese Moon Festival, and under his leadership the chapter served over 5000 hours of community service and helped raise over $14,000 dollars toward an effort to build a new library in Bangladesh. His goals this year are to learn as much as possible and successfully immerse himself in the Brazilian culture and lifestyle. In his short few months in Brazil, Thien hopes to take every opportunity given to him and make the most of his amazing adventures.

Learn from you, learn from me

Thien Tran

2014-04-11

Ever since I’ve arrived in Joinville, I’ve been mentally struggling with the extent of religion within my host community. I can’t speak for most of the United States, but in my community back home, religion is a very private matter. Mostly everyone keeps their religion to themselves, never blatantly flaunting it. The difference between San...

A picture is only worth a thousand words.

Thien Tran

2014-04-11

“How’s Brazil! OMG, it looks amazing! “and “Looks like you are having loads of fun over there from your pictures!!”Are the usually comments I get on my facebook every time that I post a new picture. It may seem like life in Brazil only includes blue skies and beautiful beaches, but in reality it is...

Embracing The Unwanted Emotions

Thien Tran

2013-12-16

Unproductive, the feeling of not being able to yield favorable or useful results. Back home in California, I would consider myself to have a fast paced life. Always having something to do or somewhere to be. Living in a fast paced life allowed me to feel useful and productive. It allowed me to feel accomplished...

Life In Florianopolis (Video)

Thien Tran

2013-11-04

For the past month, I have been living in the beautiful coastal city of Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil with the wonderful Brazil Cohort. Here are a few of my favorite memories from In Country Orientation. Check it out! Global Citizen Year ICO Brazil 2013 Video

Bus Adventures

Thien Tran

2013-10-10

The most exciting part of my day for the past few weeks in Florianopolis can be summarized in a few short words: pegar o ônibus (to take the bus). To me, taking the bus is more than a way of transporting myself from one place to another. I see it as an opportunity to dive into the minds of...

Dream Big!

Thien Tran

2013-07-16

For a stereotypical Asian-American child, there is a path that needs to be followed: high school, college, and then medical and/or law school. The idea of a “gap year” or “bridge year” was never even spoken about in my house, let alone something that I ever thought I would consider. The path for me seemed...