Thailand

Thirteen Year 10 and 11 students had the experience of a lifetime over the Easter Break when they travelled to Thailand on a Round Square Service project to build a water tank for a small village.

They stayed in Omkoi and each day travelled to the village where they had breakfast, and helped mix concrete and pour it over the foundation of the tank.

The villagers showed the girls how to make local dishes and performed a goodbye ceremony for them with traditional Thai dances upon completion of their project.

After their service project was complete, they flew to Bangkok to see the sights.

Other highlights of the trip included zip-lining in the forest and spending time at an elephant sanctuary where they fed and bathed domesticated elephants.

Mia Oleksak, Y10, said: “The trip was a life-changing and eye-opening experience for me in so many ways.

“While the actual building aspect of the trip was physically challenging, the villagers were immensely helpful in showing us how the construction was done.

“Helping to complete such an essential part of the tank gave us a strong sense of achievement and we were so happy to help the villagers. Thailand was a beautiful country, and it amazed me how many traditional ways of life we were able to witness during the trip — so different to our own!

“The trip also gave us many chances to step out of our comfort zones, whether it was zip-lining, cutting iron, or eating worms and rat meat!

“Overall, it was an incredible trip filled with unforgettable moments, which I am immensely thankful I was able to experience.”