Trip Two
On Friday, 11 July, eight eager students began their journey to the kingdom of Thailand, accompanied by Mrs. Glover and Mrs. McGregor. After a whole day of travel, including a 9-hour flight, we arrived in Bangkok in the evening and checked into our accommodation at the Christian Guesthouse. This would be our home away from home for the beginning and end stages of our trip.
On Day 2 & 3, we visited the Good Shepherd Sisters Youth Hostel which was an amazing experience. On our first visit, everyone was a bit shy, but on the second visit there were some wonderful connections being made. Some highlights were eating traditional food together, playing games such as Uno & Spot it, teaching the Chicken Dance, Macarena and Nutbush and sharing some English words, including some Aussie slang. Whilst in Bangkok, we visited the famous Chatachuk markets and had a try at bartering for the best deal (using some newly rehearsed Thai language). Many of us snapped up a bargain or two!
On Day 4 we headed off to Pattaya where we stayed for two nights. On Day 5 we visited the Women's Refuge Centre, ate together, saw their training centre in action where they can learn English, Thai and German languages, hairdressing, nails and massage. Some of our students had their hair braided by the women and some of the women had their hair braided by us! This was an opportunity for us to learn about breaking the cycle of poverty. We heard a heartbreaking life story from Ya, a woman who attends the centre, and she reminded us about the value of education. We were able to visit a property (farm) which was donated by Australians to grow food such as mangos and bananas for the women to sell as a part of their income. After this we headed to Pattaya beach for a swim, cool off and time to process what we had experienced.
On Day 6 we travelled back to Bangkok and on Day 7 we were able to visit the Children’s Centre which catered for preschool, primary aged and some high school aged children. In Thailand you cannot go to high school unless you can speak, read and write Thai, so this centre assists the underprivileged to gain these skills to be able to enter official education. Many of the children were from extreme poverty, and we were humbled to see that they found joy in the simplest things. They loved our visit and really enjoyed having our NDC students teach them English and Maths. Our students did an excellent job in the “teacher” roles! We took some students home from school on our bus to their housing - simple structures built from corrugated iron with dirt floors. This was extremely memorable and impacting for our group.
On the last few days of our trip, we had a few opportunities to experience some tourist attractions including the King’s palace, many temples, an ancient city of ruins, a floating market, a market on a train track, fish market, a dinner cruise and a visit to Wat Po in traditional costumes.
We all had an incredible time with new connections made within the group and with our Thai neighbours. It was an experience that we will never forget and one that was truly life changing. Our biggest take away was that we are grateful for what we have and the life that we are blessed with here in Australia.
Thank you NDC and Catholic Mission for this amazing opportunity!
