17 Dec 2009:

Today, we visited Wirote's parents' farmhouse. About a 30-min drive from Boonsiri Guest house, we were greeted by two ferocious German Shepherds. Wirote explained that it was to guard his farm. We greeted Wirote's parents and couldn't wait to sink our teeth into some Jackfruit and mango. Ironically, Thai Jackfruit and mango are much sweeter than local ones, or so I ate lots till I had sore throat the next day. Wirote also plucked some fresh coconuts from his tree and treated us to fresh coconut juice. Fresh coconut juice is healthier than those in the cans as no sugar is added and is very refreshing.

Wirote's parents sunned their chillies which is then used for making chilli paste and used for spicing up their cooking. In Thailand, chilli is used as a condiment for every meal.

Wirote also kept a turkey and a few chickens on his farm. He explained that turkeys are very rare in Thailand and can fetch a lot of money.

Here are the photos of the third school visit. Our group (consisting of my father, Anant, Wirote and I) took the Kindergarten 1 and 2 kids so we prepared some balloons for them to play. The game went something like this, the kids tied a balloon around their ankles and tried to step and burst each other's balloon. The last one with the balloon wins the game. We also played musical chairs with the kids. You could see the agility and excellent reflexes of the children. All the children participated eagerly and it was really a joy to engage them in such fun activities.

Today, we went to a government-funded school which had better facilities than the other schools. Their parade square is tiled unlike the other schools which had mud flooring. As usual, our group (my father, Anant, Wirote and myself) took the youngest level, the Kindergarten 1 and 2. This time, we did not teach them any songs or played any games. Instead, we held a mini colouring competition to see which child could colour the best. All of them could colour very well and we were impressed. They were just as good as our local students of that age.

Saturday, 12 Dec 2009

This was the most exciting day of my life. It was the day when I flew to Bangkok, Thailand with my father and some of his friends. Upon reaching Suvarnabhumi Airport, we took a taxi to Monchit Bus Station. There, we took an eight hour bus ride to Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat). Upon reaching Korat, we boarded a public bus to a small village in Korat, called Phimai.

We passed by many padi fields on the bus ride and my father explained that Thailand was the largest rice exporter in the world. It was really very windy and I had to close my eyes during the entire bus ride so that my eyes would not be smarted by the 'gale'. I noticed that in Thailand, motorcyclists are not required to wear helmets which I thought was pretty dangerous.

The whole journey took about 8 hours and by the time we reached Boonsiri guest house, it was already evening. We were physically and mentally drained and my eyelids were about to close. We met Pastor Pauline, or Ajarn Ju in Thai, of Phimai Christian Centre, the only church in Phimai, who was arranging the school visits. In Phimai, it turned dark VERY VERY early (6pm). After the debrief with Pastor Pauline, we had dinner at a Thai roadside stall. I was introduced to tom yum soup and mango sticky rice there. One of the church members even bought us Thai roti prata for desert from the Night Market nearby, where corn is added into the dough and it is cooked till the dough turned crispy. After that, some condensed milk is sprinkled on top of the prata, adding sweetness to the dish. Thai food is relatively spicy, but I totally enjoyed the meal. We did not really have a language barrier, as the pastor could speak English, and I could speak some Thai having picked up some Thai from my dad's friend who is a Thai.

Sunday, 13 Dec 2009

The next day, being Sunday, we went for church service at Phimai Christian Centre. We were truly humbled at first sight of the church. Their church was very different from ours. Our seats were much more comfortable (like those in a cinema). But in this church, we sat on plastic chairs. There was also no air-conditioning and the ventilation was poor. The children had their service on a mud floor.

After that, we went for a prayer walk to the Phimai Historical park. This was a religious practice, where we would claim the healing and salvation of the land. We had Thai fried rice for dinner and I loved it as well.

Monday. 14 Dec 2009

Our first school visit!! I was so excited. We hopped onto two of the church members' vans, loading in 30 kg of chocolates and stationeries. Most of the chocolates and stationeries were contributed by friends and relatives of the team. We then made our way to Phimai Christian Centre to pick up Pastor Pauline before making our way to Wanghin school, a private school.

We were greeted warmly by the kids. They treated us like VIPs, asking for our autographs, and presenting roses to us. A girl even came up to give me a rose. I was touched. However, don't misunderstand me, I AM NOT IN A RELATIONSHIP OR I AM NOT IN LOVE!!!! The team was then separated into four groups (there are eight of us) and each of us took two levels with two translators from the church. I was grouped with my father and we took Kindergarten 1 and 2 for that school.

They were all very active, attentive and lively. We, with our translators, Anant and Wirote, started off by teaching them two songs, 'Head, shoulder, knee and toes' and 'I want to be your friend a little bit more'. The children, who could hardly speak English, learnt very quickly and we were impressed. After that we had a singing competition and we presented the best singer with prizes. We then played two games with them 'Ice & Water' and 'Fire, Hunter, Earthquake'. The children were all quick on their toes and they slid around the leafy floor as if they were ice-skating. In fact, I was not as quick as them!!

HAHA~~ Maybe Taek Hyeong can be faster. Anyway, that was the end of our first school visit. We presented each child with a chocolate wafer and notebook as a farewell present. I could see the eager and hungry faces of all the children and I felt really blessed compared with them.

I was pretty exhilarated as I soaked in the sights and smells. The rhythmic crashing of the waves, whistling of leaves and the chirping of birds were like music to my ears. It was a great respite from the hustle and bustle of life and school. I love coming here as it is the perfect place for de-stressing. I must say that we are a bunch of nature lovers with everybody able to enjoy and appreciate Mother Nature.

When we reached the kelong, we saw many people fishing and crabbing and we learnt from a seasoned fisherman that high tide is the best time to catch fish and prawns.

We have been to other nature reserves like Bukit Timah Hill, East Coast Park, Bedok Reservior, MacRitchie Reservoir but I still prefer Changi Boardwalk because of the breathtaking view of the coastline. So we went there, had a slow walk and immensely enjoyed ourselves as if we had no cares in the world.

This trip is really an eye-opener for me and I encourage all of you to spend more time with Mother Nature instead of planting yourself in front of the Computer or be a Couch Potato.