Thai mission for pupils

At the beginning of February we reported on the St Christopher's School pupils embarking on a trip to Thailand to help build facilities for local schools. Here, Year 13 student Georgie Bradley writes of their experiences

After all the political turmoil associated with the closure of the Bangkok airport in December it was with great relief that 33 excited students from St Christopher's School finally embarked on their long-awaited journey to Thailand!

After 10 hours of travelling, we arrived in the early hours at 6am at Bangkok. Exhausted and jet lagged, we began a tour of the city with our sunny tour guide: Sunshine!

Passing the abundant temples and historical landmarks we fell in and out of a sleepy trance. At the Grand Palace, the opulent sparkles of the temples were a distraction from the soaring heat. It became clear that religion is taken seriously as inside one of the temples we were told not to point our feet to the Buddha as a token of respect.

Squeezing through the masses on the way out proved to be overwhelming, as the high-spirited locals offered their sincerity and warmth. The hustle and bustle of the jam packed city gave us a much needed buzz to wake up for the deliciously prepared buffet at the Princess Hotel.

An array of diverse cuisines was quickly wolfed down and fresh coconut juice quenched our thirst, bringing back our energy ready to trek through the MBK mall, an outdoor market with heaps of clothing, food, electrical appliances and jewellery.

It was the shopaholic's Disneyland and sales assistants were fighting to seize our attention and money yet with their lovely smiles it made the experience unique.

Once we reached our destination in the far north of Thailand, the focus of the trip began - helping to build a medical centre and classroom as previously reported in GulfWeekly.

Brian, the resort owner, greeted us at the airport where we also finally met the Wilmington Grammar School girls, from England, who had collaborated with us on the project.

Even in the dead of night the resort area shone with aesthetic natural beauty. Up at 8am, with fully-rejuvenated bodies, we were set to have a day of meeting each other and enjoying mutual team building efforts.

Games involving concentrating, planning ahead and logic took half the day in the scorching sun.

The following day was the proper start to the working part of the trip. Getting to the school in a cramped 'tuk tuk' fitting eight to 10 people was enjoyable as the morning breeze whipped our faces and we took in the rural splendor in the background.

Essentially, the aim for our time in the Maekok village was to supply the local schools with facilities they were lacking. Our particular school, Huay Moung, needed close attention to its kitchen and cafeteria, the second school, in the nearby village of Ban Nong Ki, required a medical centre and library.

Having knocked down one of the walls, we got on with the job of mixing cement and laying it down to prepare for the later stages.

The team effort of carrying the extremely heavy cement buckets not only built up an air of enthusiasm but stronger biceps too!

Prior to the trip we had a health and safety presentation from one of our sponsors Atkins and, as suggested, we all wore gloves and sensible footwear.

During the day we rotated the tasks. Some of us were had the pleasure of teaching the children basic English while the rest attended to painting the exterior walls.

Even though the children were initially reluctant to brave a smile and accept our skin colour, their timidness was short-lived and they soon warmed to our affection. Varieties of activities and exercises were conducted as aids to their learning of colours, body parts and numbers etc. The simplest of games brought such a wave of passion that the children tired us out!

The routine at the school continued for three days and, in between our tireless work efforts, we explored the landscapes of Chiang Rai hiking the notoriously steep and potentially dangerous forests.

Perhaps the most poignant of sights were the tribal villages during our trek. The thatched and wood based houses seem to show their inhabitants have lives of utter simplicity but again their smiles read nothing short of happiness.

As a means of fully immersing ourselves in the culture, we took Thai cooking lessons. The hot and spicy chicken smothered in a creamy coconut sauce with stirred fried vegetables left mouths on fire but tummies nice and full.

Our days were ending before we could grasp the endless things we experienced. Our diligent work at the school for the children seemed to have gone down extremely well as the local teachers presented us with certificates in recognition of our achievements and impact on the school.

It was with great pleasure and pride that we completed very worthwhile projects: a canteen/kitchen, medical facility and library.

This would not have been financially possible without the help from all of St Christopher's school community who sponsored us in our epic fundraising efforts. Also, we would like to express our sincerest thanks to the two companies, Atkins and BMMI, who kindly sponsored us enabling us to buy adequate building equipment to complete the project.

The resort, where we stayed, in turn rewarded us with a special surprise with an electric parade of fireworks lasting five minutes.

Everyone had a sense of sadness as we packed up our things, but the overnight stay in Chiang Rai soon triggered extended smiles. The river boat trip was breathtaking in every sense of the word. It felt like a movie lens capturing the lush surroundings. En route, we spent time at a village where the likes of snakes and elephants were lingering.

A few brave people dared to hold the constricting beasts but we all had turbulent yet hilarious elephant rides. The night market was an envelope of energetic cacophony.

The series of stalls selling authentic Thai goods was an excuse to splurge and plunge for the last time into the culturally thriving scene.

After an eight day trip, the best part was perhaps being entirely isolated from Western Civilisation. I, for one, had no longing whatsoever to adjust back to our stress based lifestyles.

A simple and quick observation of how the Thais go about their daily lives can humble you and glue your feet firmly to the ground.

The experience could only be described as humbling and, once again, each of the students who participated in the projects felt a deep sense of pride at what could be accomplished in such a short space of time.

It is clear that with dedication and support a substantial amount of help can be given and I believe that this is an experience which everyone would benefit from at least once in their lives.