I had the worst night’s sleep the day we arrived because I couldn’t sleep and I was having a bad headache. I didn’t sleep well and in the morning I was having a nose problem and a dried throat and woke up at 6 AM. After I showered we went to the cafeteria and ate food such as fried eggs, fried rice, chicken sausage and more. After breakfast we got in a bus and went on an hour road trip to a river on the mountain. I slipped and got wet but I still had fun and we tested some aspects of the river including: the acidity, velocity, average depth, and the animals that live there. The first site was probably the most enjoyable, because the site was fun and natural. The second site was a bit dirty. I was stressed out with the car ride.

Later we got to rest and eat lunch. We learned Thai language, which was very fun. After Thai language and culture class we learned Muay Thai. In the Muay Thai we learned some of the traditional moves and techniques when fighting. After Muay Thai, me and my friends went swimming and played “Who can hold their breath underwater the longest,” I cheated by tickling people to make them laugh so I could win, but it didn’t work because I lost either way. After swimming we went to a barbeque dinner near where they hold campfires. Today was very fun and exciting because it was my first time doing something without my parents outside of Cambodia

-Student 1

 

On our first full day we started with a good breakfast, which included fried rice, fried egg, omelet, sausage and hot chocolate. After breakfast we got into a van and went on an hour car ride to a river. We tested the acidity, speed, depth, and tried to find all of the animals that lived in the river. I had lots of fun because I slid down the rock and got very wet. The second site was not enjoyable because everyone was sleepy and the atmosphere felt very different, the infrastructures around it were man-made making it a lot dirtier. At both sites, we found river crabs, water mites, water spiders and much more!

After lunch, we started our Thai language and culture class. I learnt words such as hello, my name is, thank you, and how to talk when trying to buy something. Muay Thai was right after which I was super excited for. I learnt the moves and techniques when fighting, the excitement ended when I accidently got elbowed in the lips and got it started to bleed. Even though I had a small injury Muay Thai was still the highlight of my day.

After Muay Thai, I went swimming with my friends. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I was expecting, because I had a headache so I wasn’t able to put my head under water. We had a barbeque dinner right afterwards which was very delicious.

I am very glad I came on this trip because I was able to experience activities I wasn’t able to do in Cambodia. I am looking forward to tomorrow because we going to be doing a community service.

-Student 2

 

Today we went to two-river site to study the velocity, depth and creatures that live in the rivers. We found animals such as river crabs, snails, tadpoles, fish, beetles, etc.… It was a brave, educational experience. I got some blood and bruises that I will keep as souvenirs from Thailand. After we returned from the river sites to Traidhos, some people went swimming. We also learned some Thai basic communication and tried on some Traditional Thai clothing. Next we learned Muay Thai, which is a type of thai boxing. I was forced to be brave during those two lessons, because we had to stand and talk in front of the class. At around 6:30 pm we gathered around a camp and ate BBQ together.

My favourite part of today trip was the river study, where we caught insects and creatures and matched it with the book. I was surprise that every animal that we caught matched with the identification page. My other favourite part of the trip was learning Muay Thai boxing and Thai basic communication.

The first day of experience week was exhausting, educational and brave. Everyone of us behaved well (in my opinion). We cooperated with each other to finish our projects, we got to know more about one another and I’m really looking forward to the coming days.

-Student 3