Our school took the Mateum (7th grade and up) students on a three day and two night bus trip to Southern Thailand and to Songkhla. We English Teachers were invited to go along. Lena and I opted in for the experience.We were to arrive at the school at Dtee See Krueng (4:30 AM) on Wednesday to leave at 5:00 AM. We did, and were loaded into one of six luxury (!) buses. We were very happy, considering that local buses consist of a truck bed with benches. Check these buses out.
We were in the smaller lower level room, while most of the students were on the upper level. The only downside to this posh travel mode was that Thai rock and karaoke was blasted at high volume constantly on the video monitor (good thing I like rock music).On the first day we visited a sustainable and ecologically friendly farm, with huge produce. They have many innovative techniques, including infusing banana trees with flavors to make flavored bananas.
We stayed at a Navy base that night, but were lucky to have the military guys drag mattresses into the room for us and only four of us in one room that night.
Up at 5 AM and back on the road.
The next day we arrived in Songkhla at a beautiful folklore museum that showcased the artistry of the Thai culture and people. I was able to buy a sarong there (more on that later).
The next stop was the Songklah zoo where Lena and I were a major attraction. Lena had pointed out that there were no other "farangs" (foreigners) at the zoo and that we were of great interest. A group of Muslim students was looking at us and shyly approached me. One boy said a few words of English and I spoke to them in Thai and English. Soon they were all wanting to have their photos taken with me. Even the adults were snapping photos. Then they asked for autographs! (I think our students were puzzled by all of this attention, since we are hardly the strangest looking farangs that they have seen. Farangs can be quite outrageous looking and in attire - or lack thereof - in Phuket).
That night we stayed in big rooms catering to visitors at a school campus. Behind the rooms was an outside area with communal bucket showers. The women and girls all undress under their sarongs and pour the buckets of cold water over themselves and bathe in the sarongs, then get dressed again under the sarongs.
If I had not purchased one, I would have made a big faux pas! (on the right is our bathing area and our wet sarongs)Even though we could sleep in until 6 AM the next morning, the girls were up and lights on and talking and showering again at 3:45 AM! Ugh.
It was an exhausting trip with lots of distance, tedious food consisting of a Styrofoam container of rice with a baggie of chicken or something to go on top, too much 7-11 and convenience store snacking, too little sleep,
etc. But it was a great experience to be with our students and our colleagues.We were the first English teachers to ever go on a trip with the Thai students and teachers, and we were welcomed and watched out for, and we were part of the larger school. We met new students and new teachers and they got to see that we are not too different. Despite limited language, we enjoyed being together and shared lots of smiles and photos.
I would do it again in a minute.
To the right, we are Samila beach in Songkhla on the Gulf of Thailand