I think it’s safe to say that since living in Thailand I have only fully understood what is actually going on about 40% of the time - and that’s being generous. Some days I’ll wake up and know exactly what I’ll be doing and where I’ll be going and no surprises will come my way. On other days, I’ll wake up thinking I will be doing certain things or teaching certain lessons and then all of a sudden my plans will be totally changed for no understandable reason. I just have to roll with it. And of course I’ll ask questions. I think I use “tom mai” (the Thai word for why) more than any other word in the Thai language, but often times the answers to my questions make me even more confused.
That being said, I can’t think of a better example of a situation where I’ve had no idea what’s going on than Mae La Noi Daroonsik’s annual Scout Camp. And I realize that living in a constant state of confusion and uncertainty about what's happen might not be appealing for everyone, but I absolutely love it. Scout Camp was three days of me asking “why”, getting the typical response of “I don’t know,” and then continuing on with the next unpredictable activity. It was awesome.
Scout Camp 101
In Thailand, students at government schools participate in Scouts (similar to Girls Scouts and Boy Scouts) while in grades 7 through 9. Every year, Mae La Noi Daroonsik holds a three-day Scout Camp in which students get acquainted with the outdoors by hiking through the wilderness, learning to use maps, building fires, and doing other related activities. Throughout the three days students are also in competition with one another, as each class is given points for their performance. The students camp outside around MLND’s track for two nights and are expected to cook their own food in the dining facilities located in the student dorms.
The first morning of the camp started at 7 AM on Thursday. All the students in grades 7, 8, and 9 gathered for morning ceremonies and were briefed on the day’s activities. First on the to-do list was a 10-kilometer hike through town and the surrounding wilderness while carrying all cooking and camping supplies. Each class was given a piece of a map and had to travel to 5 different checkpoints to collect the remaining pieces to complete the trail. I spent a majority of my day at a checkpoint with a handful of other teachers, eating snacks and waiting for the next group of students to check in. When a group of students would arrive they were made to go through a series of call-and-response routines and then we had them dance. This was my favorite part of the day. The students had to dance to a song I like to call “Apple-Papaya-Banana-Orange” and watching shy Thai students awkwardly jerk around to a camp song has potentially been a highlight of my time here.
After about six hours of waiting for students to come to our checkpoint, we finally left the bean field we had been sitting in and returned to campus to supervise students as they set up their campsites. After the sun had set, students gathered together for a quick dance competition before heading off into the jungle for a night of obstacle courses. The next several hours were something I could never see happening at public schools in America without parents becoming hysterical and filing lawsuits left and right. In the valley behind the school a series of obstacle courses were set up for students to complete in the dark and with little concern for safety. I was at the rope bridge station, where two pieces of rope had been fastened to trees on either side of the valley and students had to shimmy across. At first I was a little horrified, seeing as how if any student fell they would probably seriously injure themselves, but after the first handful of students crossed unharmed I began to relax.
Students make their way across the rope bridge
The second day was filled with more series of activities, where students drew maps, identified flora and fauna, and learned how to properly tie a bandana. The afternoon brought a special treat for the students in grade 9: a zip-line! While once again the sight of students flying down a rope that looked as if it might snap at any moment didn’t do wonders for my anxiety levels, it was a blast to watch. The rope was strung across the school’s largest pond and each student was expected to dive into the water after reaching the end of the line, doing so either voluntarily or by force. Every time a student hit the water the crowd would erupt into laughter and applause and cheers would go out for the next volunteer.
The big finale to the day’s activities came that night as students and teachers gathered around a giant bonfire and did typical camp-related sing-offs and cheer-offs. I was also part of the final production, dancing in what everyone called the “Soulu” dance. All the new teachers were expected to wear black clothes and cover our bodies in soot and grasses and leaves. I can honestly say that before coming here I did not expect to ever have to dance around a fire to the sounds of my students cheering wildly and a crown of leaves on my head, but it was definitely an unexpected and welcomed surprise.
When talking with students after Scout Camp I got mixed reviews about the experience - some loved it and others were less ecstatic, mainly due to the intense summer heat that made any form of physical activity between noon and 4 PM almost unbearable. But for the most part, I think students came away from the camp with new knowledge, unforgettable memories… and a whole lot of sweaty Scout bandanas.
Getting ready for the big dance performance with some of the other new teachers
The exciting (and moderately dangerous) zip-line
Students drew their own maps of the 10-kilmoeter hike
Throughout the day teachers could order students to perform a series of squats at any time
Teachers paid special attention to how well students listened to commands