In the jungle

Our first break day began with an early wake up and plans to observe the Buddhist monks complete their Saturday morning rituals. However some miscommunication and a Brother Matthew sleep in made the adventure impossible, so we went for a stroll down the road instead. The goal was to reach a river near the school however the muddy track made it impossible to finish the walk, with plenty of shoes being drowned in the mud during so. After, a typical breakfast of toast, bananas, Milo, sticky rice and some chicken and pork skewers were enjoyed by all. Some savvy boys were also intuitive enough to buy some cereal and milk the night before and enjoyed some coco pops. Soon after breakfast, all of our group and most of the blue sky girls came on a journey to the jungle. A 30 minute bus ride took us to our destination . That destination happened to be over an hour’s trek from our real destination, a tiny village in the remote Thai jungle. The walk consisted of wet, winding mud paths up and down steep hills, past rice fields and dense jungle. The entire path was plagued by mud of unknown depths and puddles, resulting in countless falls. Indeed, we were forced to take a longer route than usual because the shorter option was too dangerous. Sherine’s slip onto her backside was a highlight. Other notable stumbles include Charlie’s (iconic/perfectly timed fall), Shae’s and Liam’s. When we finally arrived at the village, we were greeted by the parents of a trio of blue sky girls. We ate a delicious noodle lunch in their humble home, grateful for their amazing hospitality despite their limited wealth. We then proceeded to tour the tiny village, giving packs of food to every family. The walk back was made even harder due to a downpour, but we had lots of fun slipping with the girls. Sam, Ethan, Justin and Liam even went down a smoother part of the path like a slide. The drive back was much more subdued due to our exhaustion, with many of the girls falling asleep. After a brief break when we returned home, most of the boys went to Sangkhlaburi to restock with snacks at 7/11 and munch on some banana pancakes and crepes. The trip included Sherine’s admission of a special talent, getting Panadol stuck in her nasal passage. Some boys remained at the school in their absence, with Charlie and Flynn having their hair braided. Dinner commenced earlier than usual, meaning the group who visited the village arrived at the dinner table after everyone else had finished. Their lateness was not missed by the girls, who joked with them by pointing at their wrist to indicate the time. After dinner everyone congregated in one of the classrooms and played around with the girls, either playing board games, drawing, using yo-yo’s or doing homework. Our time with the girls concluded by watching a Thai version of the Bold and the Beautiful, complete with trag acting and a disturbing story line. One of the girls (Pity), even convinced teacher Mark to let them stay up past bed time and finish the show. Our day finished with a brief reflection, however the boys sleeping in the greenhouse stayed up later to create a hilarious recreation of a Maccas drive through.