Ticking things off my packing
list, a warm feeling of excitement and anticipation filled me.
We were finally
leaving for the Thailand trip we had all been eagerly awaiting. Four students-
Gaurav Makhija, Manat Jolly, Nirvaan Krishnan and myself were going to Thailand
for a cultural immersion and self-discovery program along with Ms. Indira.
After hurried goodbyes and sighs filled with anticipation, we finally boarded
the airplane and bid Delhi farewell.
What followed were days filled
with excitement, adventure,
learning and teaching. Right from visiting the Old
Town in Chiang Mai, exploring numerous temples such as Wat Prah Singh and Wat
Chedi Luang, chatting personally with a monk about what made him change his way
of life, climbing 309 steps uphill to reach Wat Doi Suthep, gaining an
invaluable insight on Buddhist beliefs and traditions and absorbing Thai
culture, visiting the museum of illusion art and seeing how looking at things
from a different angle can completely change the picture to bargaining at the
world famous Sunday Market which was filled with rows upon rows of stalls
loaded with knick-knacks, clothes, shoes and handmade craft items amongst a
host of other things while the aroma of delicious food wafted through the air-
we left little unexplored. And this was only in the first 3 days!
On the 4th day, we travelled to Chiang Kham,
where we met the Thai students from the other two schools. At first a few shy
smiles and hesitant hellos were exchanged but after the icebreaker games like
the Greek Greeting Dance, we all felt a bit more comfortable.
Once we were
divided into our groups for the community service project, we all put our heads
together to chalk out a plan for the next 3 days. Teaching the young, primary
school Thai students as a part of our community service program was a very
challenging yet entertaining task. It was a little frustrating, not being able
to convey my thoughts easily, but it did teach me patience. It gave me an
insight to the troubles our teachers take to plan a lesson and execute it. But
the students were great learners and caught on to everything we taught them
very quickly.
In the evening, we had a talent
night, where the Thai students showcased their skilful musical skills while
Manat and Nirvaan performed a contemporary dance. Later, we learnt how to play
their instruments and taught the Thai students bhangra. By the end of the
night, we were all sitting together, singing merrily to the guitar, so lost in
music that it seemed like we had known each other forever, all the hesitation
and shyness forgotten.
We attended self discovery
workshops where we played games such as Pruee- the silent monster; which at
first seemed to be just for fun but we later realized that it was a lesson on
how there are so many ways to reach a goal and failure only takes you closer to
success. On the second last night, the Chaing Kham school students had put up a
cultural night for us where they showcased numerous songs and dance
performances accompanied by mouth-watering delicacies.
This was the first time I had
experienced Thai hospitality and I must say that the staff at the school went
out of their way to make us feel comfortable and were absolutely wonderful
hosts. We were completely at home and so well taken care of. To show them our appreciation
for everything that they did for us, we in turn gave them a little taste of
India by performing on a medley of songs from Bollywood and a traditional Garba
Dance. Our performance was highly appreciated. Everyone was so fascinated with
our traditional attire and soon there were blinding flashes everywhere as
people started getting pictures clicked with us, treating us like celebrities
and VIPs.
In Thailand, there is a tradition
of floating lanterns on a special occasion or when you have visitors, so
sticking to the tradition the night ended with all of us releasing bright,
floating lanterns in the sky with our wishes attached to them in the form of
dolls that we had made ourselves, allowing our wish to float into the universe
so that we wouldn’t have to worry about failing as the wish would become a part
of the universe and the universe would help us achieve make it come true. The
night sky was filled with these bright, yellow and orange lanterns making it
seem absolutely magical- the perfect way to end a perfect day.
Lastly, I would like to thank
everyone who made it possible for me to have this life-changing experience. I
have truly grown and changed as a person, especially due to the self-discovery
workshops. I have made so many new friends whom I will never forget,
strengthened old bonds and most of all, made so many beautiful memories. We
would all like to thank our parents for sending us on this trip, the school
management for giving us this opportunity and Indira maam, for being our mother
away from home and taking such good care of us. A special thank to Mr. Satheesh
and Ms. Bade, from MindVisa for organizing this trip and being so accommodating
and wonderful. Thank you all, for giving us this experience of a lifetime.
