On the morning of the 24th of September, a group of 28 groggy students and 2 brave teachers completed the 17 hour journey to the Maekok River Village Outdoor Education Center in Chiang Mai where we spent the next week being challenged both in terms of physical strength and intellect, acquiring new skills and experiences, tested to the absolute limits of our abilities… and we loved every second of it. From handstands on self-built rafts on the Maekok River to serene hilltop Glass Temples, distinctly absurd details in these memories will best describe the excitement-provoking atmosphere of this year’s trip.
As awesome as these challenges and activities were for us expand our strength and skills, this trip exposed us to larger global issues that we are sheltered from in the protective bubbles of our classrooms.
Through touring local villages, school teaching visits and cement-mixing, we learnt about the poverty that affects infrastructure, agriculture, and education standard in the area. We carry these experiences, these lessons, and this knowledge with us everyday, feeling grateful of our situations and lifestyles, and the incentive to get involved with global issues such as the poverty we witnessed this trip.
The whole trip blurs into a buzz of joy, awe, and satisfied exhaustion. That unique buzz will always be the mental association trip. An infinite amount of thank you’s to the group of students, instructors, and teachers who made the trip simply amazing.
Camille, Year 12