OCIP was great fun! Turned out that my fears for the trip were unfounded after all. Shan't rely on the photos to recount this trip since there are just too many photos and I will take a hundred years before I finish uploading all of them, with my retarded laptop and hectic schedule.
It started off with the plane ride that I was so nervous about. It turned out to be nothing to be afraid of since the pilot was quite a good one, with not more than a bumpy landing. Chao Thai Mai School has better classrooms than the Singapore ones. All I have encountered in my entire school life thus far were cement floors and they actually have concrete floorings, courtesy of donations after the tsunami. Teaching the kids English was a fruitful experience, despite the language barrier and disobedience on the first day, which was mostly our fault anyway `coz we were too nice. The kids were so obedient and sensible okay, cleaning up their school every morning without reluctance, singing their national anthem and attending lessons so enthusisatically. and my favourite boy! Umm. (:
I suppose this trip was really a wonderful and refreshing experience from life in Singapore ; learning to deal with the sudden water cut off while bathing, bathing with cold water all the while, trekking through the village under the hot sun and avoiding unknown insects, wading through the muddy mangrove swamp while watching out for watersnakes and leeches, having light and simple meals, being dragged around by the young sea gypsies, being
molested thoroughly by the kids, teaching English using hand gestures since the Thai phrases we used were not much help anyway and last but not least, the -10 stars hotel which doors can be open from the outside if you don't lock it from the inside and the cheap cheap things that we bought after many attempts at bargaining. It would have been the best if I hadn't gotten fever and missed out on almost half a day of activities. It's really amazing how attached I have grown to Umm in just a few days. And the other kids and the school itself. Such that I couldn't stop my tears during the farewell-cum-celebration for the King's birthday and when we left the school as well. Besides the kids, I made nice friends too. My group was fun! People like Kaileng always there to brighten up our group discussions with her addictive laughter, Audrey with her nonsense, Louisa with her caring nature, and Yizhen too! Plus all the other group members. (: And great facilitators Rtn Jimmy, Uncle Leslie and Ariana.
All right, refer to Yizhen's blog for more details. And pics when I finally finish uploading. (:
