The Final Word…

We’ll leave the final words (at this point) to the students. When they come home tomorrow, they will have a reflection sheet to share with you in the car on the way home, or at dinner. Here’s a little snapshot of their reflections:

Braden – I challenged myself when I climbed the rock wall because I have a fear of heights

Ruby – The most special experience was seeing the kids and seeing how happy they are with how little they have

Nicole – The most special experience was being able to sit in the garden at night and get to know people better, as well as have a good time together.

Ella M – The most special experience was the night markets and shopping with your friends and just having heaps of fun

Sam – I have leant how to build an awesome raft and ticked something off my bucket list at the same time

Lacei – The best part about this trip was riding the elephants and then getting squirted with mud, then washing the elephants

Ethan – I learnt that you don’t have to have a good lifestyle to be happy

Lila – the most special experience was riding the elephants. It was amazing getting to feed, bath and ride them.

Conor- The most special experience was teaching the children, playing some of their games and just getting to know people, even though they speak a different language

Jess R – The most special experience was teaching the children at the school and riding the elephants.

Zoe – I have learnt that Thailand has a very different culture to Australia and that Australians are very lucky with their lifestyle

Montana – I challenged myself when I had to teach Thai kids because I am a shy person and I was not comfortable with it, but I got used to it in the end.

Scout – The  most special experience was teaching the kids at the school (even though it hurt) because I learnt so much about how they learn.

Ollie – I have learnt how to offer the monks food.

Ella H – The most special experience was riding the elephants and learning about the monks rules that they must obey.

Tatum – three words that describe this trip are ‘exhilarating’, ‘challenging’ ‘physical’

Kate K – the most special experience was teaching the kids at school and playing games with them.

Amber – The most special experience was playing with the kids at school and seeing the smiles on their faces

Mikaela – the most special experience was sharing the trip with a bunch of friends and seeing the difference between our cultures

Wilsen – the most special experience was definitely the elephants – it’s something I’ve never done before and I enjoyed it tremendously.

Gracie – The most special experience was bonding with the local children and seeing how happy they are with so little.

Will – I learnt to be independent and buy stuff.

Alistair – I learnt to push my limits and strength to get the best resuly.

Jess C – The most special thing about this trip was giving back to the community and knowing that you were helping the next generation of Thai leaders.

Marina – The best part about this trip was essentially everything! It was a whirlwind of great memories that I’ll carry with me forever – from being blessed by a monk to riding an elephant. It was a truly memorable trip.

Tiegan – I challenged myself when I had different HOT foods. I am normally very picky but I am happy that I tried different things in Thailand.

Nicola – my favourite experience was when we were with the school kids and got to experience what their school life was like, with only a small amount of resources. We take so much for granted.

From the Teachers

After returning from our community project, we’ve had a great time hiking, cooking Thai food, and taking on the challenge of high ropes and the confidence course.

QUOTABLES:

“Is it gymNYST or gymNAST?”

“Who needs eyebrows anyway?”

“Go you good thing!” (As staff and students were watching the Wallabies at 2am!)

SUPERSTARS:

Tiegan and Tatum – for waking up super early to watch the rugby!

Kate Knowles – for taking on the high ropes and conquering her fear of heights

Will – most creative cooking (who knew you could boil garlic for a stir fry?)

Wilsen – for helpfulness to peers and staff

Stay tuned for a report on the hike and temple visit from Ethan and Wilsen.

🙂 Ms Norbury, Mr Barrett and Mr Cleary.

On the work site – by Sam

After teaching in the classrooms the day before and waking up from an awful sleep (there were dogs fighting outside our tents, temple bells ringing and don’t even get me started about the the dog that weed on the outside of our tent) it was time to start building the floor for the new canteen at the school. Straight away the Thai heat hit us and the sweat started to roll down our faces. The sun was ferocious making it even harder to get the job done. This gave us a great insight into what a Thailand builder has to go through every day. We started off by shoveling sand into 16 buckets and then moved on to rock where we shoveled 16 more buckets. After this we brought over the huge bag of cement which weighed a TON! We put all of these things into a pile and mixed and mixed and mixed until the pile turned to a light grey colour. We made a hole in the middle and then started to add 8 buckets of water. This had to settle a bit before we started to mix again. After this was done we shoveled the cement into buckets and gave it to the workers so that they could lay it properly. This was then repeated about 18 times more. By the end of this our clothes were ruined, our faces were dirty and the sweat was real. I think all of us were about ready to head back to the Outdoor Education Centre and have nice big shower!

By Sam R.

Teaching English – by Jessica C. and Marina

Excitement. Dread. Anticipation. These emotions played across our faces as our hearts beat steadily in our chests; we were going to teach English to a classroom of young Thai children. What if they couldn’t understand us? What if we couldn’t sustain their attention? Our group exchanged nervous glances the night before as we began preparing for our classes. We’d been given the unexpected topic of different sports, around which we creating an individual class curriculum. This included charades, flash cards and other interactive games (which would all take place in the space of twenty minutes).

We greeted the children as they walked into the classroom, happy to see their smiling faces. Using the little Thai language that we knew and the little English they understood we communicated with children aged 6-13. It felt as though a coin had flipped and our roles in education had been reversed, we were now the ones standing in front of eager faces (or not) and having to put what we knew to the test. They relied on us to feed them correct information, lest an erroneous lesson stick with them for life.

As our class continued we discovered the importance of confident, especially when our “curriculum” only lasted for ¾ of our lesson. We had to think on our feet and create new games and new activities for the children. Thankfully we discovered that ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’ can entertain Thai children for an awfully long time. The different classes varied in enthusiasm, with some kids jumping around as though they’d just eaten their body weight’s worth of sugar and others sitting quietly with their friends, but we remained confident throughout. It was lovely to see the Thai children enjoying our company and learning new words like archery and tennis.

Confidence. Happiness. Accomplishment. These emotions radiated from our smiles as we paraded from the classroom as our hearts beat steadily in our chests. We each now brandished the accessory of a hugging Thai child who was reluctant to let go. It was truly a fulfilling experience.

By Jessica Collins and Marina Lima.

From the Teachers

Well, it’s been a very busy couple of days as we’ve completed our community project and worked at a local school. Students traveled in two groups to Pa Daeng, near the Myanmar border. They began their experience by teaching several English lessons to groups of students ranging in age from six to thirteen. Our students were given a word group topic (colours, time, animals etc) and had to come up with a range of activities to teach the words. After our time in the classroom, we moved on to our project – constructing the floor of a new canteen building. In the evening we were treated to traditional Akha dance performances and the students were able to play some games with their new Akha and Lahu friends. After an interesting evening camping on the school oval, we got straight back to work mixing and laying concrete. As teachers, we are so proud of how all of the students stepped outside of their comfort zones to teach English, mix concrete, and communicate with the school staff and students. They’ve worked so hard, and I think it will be early to bed tonight!

QUOTABLES:

“I played with a rock for a whole hour and I didn’t get bored!”

“Squat and swing!”

“There’s no toilet paper!” “Is there a hose?” “Yes. Why? Ohhhhh…”

SUPERSTARS:

Conor – for being the most helpful and positive friend and team-mate

Lila – for working exceptionally hard at the work site!

Oliver and Alistair – for allowing themselves to be dressed in a traditional Thai ladies costume!

Nicole, Braden and Scout – for presenting the gifts to the school and speaking very well in front of a large audience!

From the teachers

Hi Parents,

Just a reminder – we are heading out to our community visit now and will be out of range until Saturday afternoon. The students will post about their experience when we return.

🙂

Ms Norbury, Mr Barrett and Mr Cleary.

Alms Offerings by Oliver

The whole adventure of greeting and offering the monks today started by waking up at 5:30 in the morning.  We headed off on a walk to greet the monks. When it was my turn to give my offering to the monks, I was a little scared at first because I have never really got to know a monk’s culture. I offered the monks my rice, doughnuts, water, milk and stir-fry. The overall experience of the ritual was very complicated because I had to first walk over to the monk and bow to them then take my shoes off. I then placed my offerings in the monks bucket and I had to make sure that I did not touch the bowl or it would be disrespectful to the monk. I then sat on the ground while the monk blessed me with a sacred chant. Overall the whole experience was amazing and I am sure that I have learned a lot of from this experience of making offerings to monks.

By Oliver.

From the Teachers

From the Teachers

We started our day very, very early with a walk to a food van where we purchased offerings for the monks. As monks took their morning walk, we learnt how to ‘wai’ and place our offerings in their alms bowls, before kneeling while they blessed us. After we had all made our offerings, we headed three and a half hours north-ish to the Maekok Outdoor Education Centre where the students have enjoyed some team building activities.

QUOTEABLES:

“Which way is right?”

“Don’t entrance.”

SUPERSTARS:

Alistair – for being amazingly respectful as he was lucky enough to be blessed by the local abbot (the most important monk!)

Nicole – for taking time to pick up extra litter (without being asked)

Oliver – for all round awesomeness and helpfulness

Stay tuned for a post on our alms offering, written by Oliver.

🙂 Ms Norbury, Mr. Barrett and Mr. Cleary

Elephant Camp Experience by Conor and Braden

Yesterday we got the opportunity to ride, feed and bathe elephants. After having breakfast we caught buses to the Ran-Tong Elephant Rescue Centre where we were introduced to an elephant in its 15^th month of pregnancy. After seeing our first elephant we were given some clothes to get dirty in – they were very traditional and homemade clothes.

We then started feeding the elephants bananas and sugar cane, some of the elephants favourite foods. We then split into two groups and started with our activities. Our group got to ride the elephants first. My elephant was called Superman and he was the smallest boy, yet he still had the biggest tusks. Riding the elephants was one of my favorite parts of the day.

After a ride we switched with the other group and made some protein balls. The making involved crushing rice with several other ingredients using a large stick. After a quick lunch of chicken with noodles we rode the elephants a second time, however this time we got to ride the elephants into a lake. All the elephants were splashing and squirting water everywhere with their long trunks. It was so fun and washing the elephants was an experience I will never forget.

Later on we had to walk through the fields and collect some sugarcane to feed the elephants. When we got back we were boiling and all dived into the nearest dam for a swim. Overall the day was a very memorable and exciting experience that we all loved.

By Conor and Braden

From the Teachers

Today was a special day for our students as we visited the Ran-Tong Elephant Camp about an hour outside of Chiang Mai. Students had the opportunity to ride and bathe the elephants, collect sugar cane to feed them, and mix up vitamins for them.

QUOTEABLES:

“Does pad thai have peanuts?”

“How do you say thank you in Thai?” “Danke?”

“Is this mud or poo?”

SUPERSTARS:

Lila Redman and Nicola Weyer – for not being afraid to get their hands dirty mixing up vitamins for the elephants

Jessica Collins – for guiding the whole group back from the markets last night

Ella Malic – for remaining positive after receiving a full face of mud from an elephant’s trunk!

Stay tuned for a full report on our very special elephant experience from Conor and Braden.

🙂 Ms. Norbury, Mr. Barrett and Mr. Cleary

Girls mixing vitamins for the elephants

Meeting our new friends

Elephants eat a LOT of sugar cane!

The group and some of our elephant buddies