CHAPTER FOUR
International Education
IE Badminton , Judo , Pipe Band and Table Tennis ( Batam , Indonesia ) 25 students from SJI Pipe Band , Table Tennis , Badminton and Judo CCAs went on their IE trip to Batam from 18 - 22 November . This trip allowed them to experience a different culture , learn beyond the classroom , and to give back to society through service .
For the first two days , the boys were involved in the refurbishment of an orphanage , including painting the walls of the common area , staircases and gates , unchoking the kitchen area , assembling a shoe rack from scratch , replacing the lights and cleaning up the house . While these activities were taking place , Our Josephians rostered themselves to play and get to know the children . We spent our third day interacting with the children , brought them to purchase brand new sets of uniforms and shoes at a nearby market . Thereafter , we headed to the Outdoor Activity center where many of the children had their first try at paint-ball shooting and flying fox .
The children gathered to sing two songs for us to thank us for our service . It was a heartwarming experience for all of us and we felt sad to part with them . The most rewarding part of the trip was the joy we brought to the children as well as the love shown to us by the children and the head of the orphanage .
It was an enriching experience for the boys and it has inspired them to want to return to do more for the children in the orphanage .
IE Canoeing , Fencing and Sailling ( Bangkok ) 22 students from the Canoeing , Fencing and Sailing CCAs were in Thailand from 18-22 November .
They experienced the finest of Thai Culture through their visit to the Grand Palace , a sample of an ancient Siamese Court and learned about their myths and folklore by watching a Thai puppet show . A visit to the interactive Nithas Rathanagosin Exhibition helped them gain knowledge of Thai history and way of life . They also had the opportunity to watch Thai dance and enjoy the rejuvenating spicy Tom Yum .
At Bangkok ’ s Wat Saima Community School , our Josephians carried out upcycling projects like making pencil cases and piggy banks from used plastic bottles with the Thai students . They also taught them to make lanterns from red packets . The Thai students on the other hand demonstrated how to make air refreshers from pandan leaves and kaffir lime . The warm comradery shared by the group despite communication difficulties presented by the lack of a common language , was amazing .
Apart from these activities , our students did mural paintings based on the message of care for our family , community and the environment . Our Josephians also learnt more about the face of service by visiting Bangkok ’ s Paper Ranger , a group that produces handmade notebooks for children who could not afford stationeries . They made 25 books during their twohour visit and contributed them towards the good cause .
Bonding with the children
Everyone plays his part to make sure that the mural painting is one he can be proud of .
Collective effort at wall painting At the grounds of the Grand Palace
86 ST JOSEPH ’ S INSTITUTION