Thai-Singapore Bilateral camp

On 28th November 2018, 17 students and 3 teachers set off for a 14-day service trip in Mae Chaem, Thailand. In the span of 2 weeks, we visited two primary schools, Muengdek Wittaya School School and Chumchontambonthapha School, a tribal school, Somdejya School, and a rural high school, Mae Chaem School. During the trip, we aimed to stretch ourselves and discover the answer to the looming question: What is service with a heart? 

In the face of our own inexperience and the language barrier, engagement of the primary school students was a constant challenge for us, particularly in the highly dynamic classroom. Limited by the time constraints of a packed schedule, we had to think on our feet to assess the students and pitch our content as well as lessons at a suitable level. Despite the seeming multitude of constraints faced, we were struck with the realisation that in truth, the biggest barrier between us and the people we wanted to serve was ultimately ourselves. How much are you willing to give to them in your own capacity? Beyond words, sincerity was an emotion that could overcome our differences, be it age, nationality, or background. High fives of affirmation and simple acts such as an encouraging smile were the small actions that grew habitual. Perhaps, when we serve, we may find ourselves unknowingly still focused on ourselves and we want to do. We realised that we needed to distinguish what we planned to teach and change our perspective to focus on what they wanted or needed to learn. In order to serve, we had to go beyond our selfishness – particularly the selfish desire to remain in our comfort zones, and learn to focus on others. 

Perhaps in title, we were their teachers but in truth, we were their students as well. We found ourselves humbled by the hunger of the students to learn and their appreciation for the simplest of joys. Four days of our trip was spent in the tribe school, Somdejya School. The students travelled far from their villages for an education. In the school, we walked around wearing covered shoes, warm jackets and sturdy bags. On the other hand, the students followed us around in slippers or barefoot, carrying bags that they handmade out of packets used to store rice. They all carried the same pen and same notebook. Yet, each time we stood in front of the class, they scrambled to copy down the things we wrote and asked question after question. We could all recall with nostalgia of the students pointing at everything in their environment and asking “Pasa Angkrit, Pasa Chin?” (“In English or Chinese?”). Their passion and hunger to learn so that they could give back to their villages was inspirational.  The students opened our eyes to what we failed to see, that we were privileged and blessed. During the farewell, the students came together to perform for us by singing songs, one of the most impactful was the emotion that reverberated in their voices when they sang a song on their opportunity for an education. Drawing parallels to ourselves, we reflected on our own attitudes: Are we hungry to learn or do we learn out of obligation? Do we show gratitude to our unknown privileges, having our families close by, having an opportunity to receive education? Also, given so much more, why do we feel less happy? 

Next, we were also fortunate to have the opportunity to immerse ourselves into the lifestyle of the locals there by living in a homestay with our homeowners. Staying in the village with the locals, we felt the openness and warmth that was iconic to Thai culture. We are extremely grateful for the warm and loving nature of the homeowners, who were always quick and willing to help us, treating us like their sons and daughters. We also witnessed the village coming together to support the mourning of a member that unfortunately passed away, highlighting the strong communal spirit of the locals there. Our local issue of the fading ‘Kampong Spirit’ was exemplified there. Their kindness and hospitality were key learning points for us that we seek to replicate and offer to others in Singapore.

On the last two days of the trip, we trekked up to a village within the mountains. Through the extensive knowledge of the guides, they pointed out the different species of plants and how the villages utilised them. In particular, they highlighted the issue of fading traditions. For example, there is a specific harvesting timing for bamboo and weaving method to build the bamboo houses. However, valuable knowledge that highlight the resourcefulness of the locals are slowly being lost. In the village, we proceeded with a culture exchange, with the villagers teaching us a traditional dance before we taught them a dance. These exchanges throughout the trip highlighted to us the value of interaction, particularly the moving power of inclusion as they made us feel like we were apart of their family.  

As a team, we have learnt so much about the process of building a team and about leadership. A key lesson for many of us would be inculcating a growth mindset. To focus on solutions rather than problems and to focus on bouncing back rather than having fallen down. During our pre-trip training at Marymount Convent School in Singapore, we encountered their thought-provoking school motto: “A person is of more value than the world”. We will not be able to change the world, but we can start from improving ourselves and start our journey of giving from the people around us. Each and every person that we meet are of immeasurable value and if we can make a difference to them with our heart, that would mean more than the world to each of us. 

To end of, we are very thankful for the teachers, Ms Lee, Mr James, Mdm Ng and Mr Chin for their constant guidance throughout the trip and the care that they have showered us with. Our team would also like to express our heartfelt gratitude for Ms Parin and Mr Yeo for pushing us and for supporting us. 

Team Student group