Trips
Grade 10
Bonding Trip @ Khao Yai The majority of us see a rotation of the same faces everyday. On the second day, we headed to the Child Development The same set of people at home, at school, and in our respective social circles. The same friends and classmates who, for the most part, have remained the same since kindergarten. Prior to this trip, I had never really considered the possibility of not knowing my classmates by heart. Of course, growing up and spending more than half of my time around these people, one would think I would have been more than well-acquainted, if not practically best friends, with them. As it turns out, I was severely wrong with my assumptions. I, in fact, did not know all that much about my “friends”, to the point that some of the things I discovered during this trip took me by surprise and completely altered my perception of them. Although now in retrospect, I can confidently say that I have developed a much deeper understanding of the people around me, and hopefully, will continue to do so after this trip, which took place on September 7-9, 2023 Upon arrival at the True Mindfulness Center in Khao Yai on the first day, Khun Varnnee had us participate in a “Speed Chatting” activity where each of us talked to another person one-on-one briefly before moving onto the next. Through this activity, I got the opportunity to converse with a few people I hadn’t spoken to in a while, or people I wouldn’t have struck up a conversation with of my own will in school. This was followed by an activity called “Candle Sharing”, where each of us shared some personal things about ourselves to the rest of the grade in one big circle before heading to bed.
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Center, where we were split into groups and had to care for preschool kids for the duration of our visit. This activity reiterated the importance of patience and understanding when dealing with young children, especially because each of their characters were so varied and they were at different stages of development. Being surrounded by the kind of bubbliness and innocence that is rarely present in our lives now, I was reminded of the fact that nobody is born a “bad” person. At some point in the past, we all resembled these children and it is simply our unique circumstances that have shaped and molded us differently. On this trip, we bonded and reflected. We learned the value of understanding and gratitude. We discovered the benefits of collaboration and mindfulness. Overall, it was an invaluable experience and I truly look forward to whatever joint trips are in store for us in the future. Sophia, G10I
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