LEARNING JOURNEYS
IE NCC Land and NCC Air ( Bangkok , Thailand ) The Director of Bang Toey School , Bangkok , greeted us warmly when we arrived . This was the third time NCC Land and Air offered our services to the school and she was well prepared this time with a gamut of cultural activities for the NCC cadets , such as learning Thai musical instruments and participating in the wai khru ceremony .
To build upon what our seniors had done for the school , we decided to beautify the school ’ s garden , teach the students English and Chinese , and paint a drab classroom . The gardening group planted colourful shrubs and plants at the school entrance to create an aesthetically welcoming environment . The teaching group , despite experiencing difficulties communicating with the students , persevered and managed to teach the children basic communication skills that they could use when approached by tourists . For painting , the group specially designed the classroom walls to create a vibrant environment .
When it was time to bid farewell , after 5 days with them , the Thai students wept , saying “ Thank you ” and “ I love you ” repeatedly . For we had noticed that many of them had socks with holes and so we purchased new socks for all of them . The school bags that we purchased are treasured , with some of them strapping them on for the entire day . They are also grateful that we had taught them patiently . Touched by the Thai students ’ gratitude , we wept with them . The students ’ tears affirmed us - for we care for them and that has made a difference to them .
IE Vocal Ensemble ( Kanchanaburi , Thailand ) This trip aimed to widen our horizon , immersing us in Thailand ’ s colourful and amazing culture . We travelled to the ancient city of Ayutthaya and visited the Bang-Pa In Palace compound . It was a beautiful sight to behold as we made our way through the vast , vibrant gardens , where we learned about the historic significance of the Palace and Thai culture .
Our students also visited the elephant conservation camp in Mahawang Chang on the second day . We headed to the fields where we dug out the soil and planted banana trees and the roots of Napier Grass which would eventually become the food for the elephants . Our experience with the elephants then ended with us washing them with scrubs in the river until absolutely all the dirt was cleaned off the elephants before we parted . We also visited the Nong Khao Village where we learned rice cultivation and observed a weaver in action , using the loom to make colorful cloth with intricate designs . We had also visited The Thailand Burma Railway Centre and the Don-Rak War Cemetery .
Our last day of activities came too soon as we headed to the Salakpra Wildlife Sanctuary . We were very lucky to be able to visit this sanctuary as this is the first time that the sanctuary had permitted entry by foreign students , with even local students requiring permission to enter . We shot seed balls into the forest with our catapults which will eventually grow into trees that provide food for the animals . At the sanctuary , we also created a dam by piling up rocks that are collected from the surroundings and shovelled holes in the ground to fill them with salt for animals to obtain their mineral intake .
Randy Chng ( MN302 ), Xavia Lee ( MN301 ) and Brandon Koh ( LE303 ) Planting the napier roots , and watering them
Ryan Lim ( ML301 ) planting a flower in the garden Bathing the elephants
JOSEPHIAN ANNUAL 2019 89