In January, Bridgend College advertised a trip to Thailand. To be successful, I needed to write an essay explaining why they should select me, and what I would get out of the trip, so I gave it a go. After succeeding (only nine students were chosen to go on this trip), I realized how lucky I had been.
After finding out that I had successfully been chosen for the trip, I had to attend several meetings. This was to ensure passport and DBS checks, and also to make sure everyone had the correct vaccinations. After a few mandatory sessions, it started to feel as if I was really going to Thailand!!
On the 1st of March 2024 at 3.20 in the morning, we left Bridgend College for Gatwick airport. We had a long journey ahead of us. The group flew from Gatwick airport to Shanghai in China where we had a three-hour stopover. We then had a five-hour flight to Chiang Mai, and a bus ride for another four hours before arriving at our hotel in Mae Sariang!
After completing our full day of travelling, I was completely jet-lagged and needed a bed. How would you feel after completing a full day of travelling? Probably better than I felt!
Once we had settled in Mae Sariang, the aim for the first week in Thailand was to work in local schools, delivering workshops suitable for children. We had four days to do this, and we needed to deliver these workshops as a group. We had four days for our project with children in the local schools. On our first day, we needed to create helicopters using paper. This was really difficult to do (to be honest!), however we all did well.
On the second day, we created cars out of bottles, and on the third day we created paper rockets before the competition final, which was on the fourth day. Having completed the workshops in the schools with children aged between 4-13, I now know a bit more of the Thai language than I did before the experience.
After a busy (but fun-filled!) week, delivering educational workshops to local schools in Mae Sariang, we travelled for four hours to Chiang Mai, where we had the weekend to relax and use our leisure time exploring temples, eating out and browsing around numerous markets.
On Monday the 11th of March, we left Chiang Mai city, driving for an hour to the Elephant Nature Park. This is where we worked during our second week in Thailand.
I thoroughly enjoyed working at the Elephant Nature Park, mainly because I got to complete activities that I wouldn't normally do every day. For example, my group and I had to clean elephant cages (this was very messy work) as well as remove corn husks and prepare food for the elephants. This work was out of my comfort zone, but I enjoyed it.
We had a lot of free time as well, during which we played games, explored the area, and also ate delicious food. My highlight during our second week was meeting Lek, the founder of the ENP (Elephant Nature Park). She is a wonderful woman with many powerful stories.
On Saturday the 16th of March, it was time to say goodbye to the elephants and all the lovely people who live in Thailand, before travelling for 35 hours back to Bridgend College. To reflect my time at the school in Mae Sariang, as well as working in the Nature Park, I have developed many different skills, and had amazing experiences. I have also made lifelong friends while undertaking the journey. I would like to thank Bridgend College, Challenges Abroad and the FutureSense Foundation for allowing me to have this amazing experience in Thailand.
