Scout Camp

March 3rd-5th, the fourth-sixth graders as well as the teachers went out into the jungle for scout camp. Altogether, there were around 300 people that set up camp for the 3 days. A truck came

The truck filled with their things.

and picked up two big sacks for each group of 7-8 students and took it to the camp site. The students split into pairs(one group of girls and one of boys) and then had 4 different paths that they took to get to the camp. They had to use compasses and written directions to find their way to the campsite. Teachers were stationed along the way at two spots for each path to test the students knowledge and to give them a break. At the second stop they were to draw a picture of the things around them to notice the beauty of the area and take a break. The paths were at least 6-10 kilos each.

The first check point

When the students arrived at the campsite, they had signs up with their designated area for each group. Similar to finding your campsite back in the states. They then had 3 or 4 hours to set up camp, making a kitchen area complete with places to keep plates, silverware and pots, holes for wet and dry trash, sleeping area, places to hang clothes and shoes, etc... They were then given rice for the three days, as well as what was needed for that nights dinner and breakfast the next day. They were to make their own mea~ls, and cook their rice over an open fire. I was amazed at how well the students could do it, but then of course that is how most of them do it at home everyday and they have been watching people do it that way since birth.

gathering fire wood to cook with

In the evening they had an opening ceremony followed by singing and games, and then to get ready for bed.

The second day they woke up at 5 and had exercise at 5:30. Some were allowed to stay back and work on cooking breakfast. After breakfast they had campsite inspections, followed by an opening ceremony for the day. In the morning they had 4 rotations in which they learned about first aid skills, how to watch for dangerous weather patterns, how to tell if someone has been staying in an area, and how plants and trees are important to us and we need to take care of them.

opening ceremony

Then it was back to the campsites to make lunch, followed by 4 more rotations in the afternoon. The afternoon rotations were more interactive. At one they had to put their hands into two pots that had holes just for their hands to fit into. There were frogs in one and fish in the other. At the next rotation they had a zip line set up and three people from each group got to/had to go down it. At the next rotation they had a rope bridge of sorts set up between trees that they had to use to get across from one side to the other. The final rotation the leader of the group and one other person had to carry the rest of the group across the river without getting the group members wet. The afternoon was more about overcoming fears, teambuilding, etc...

zip line

When they were finished, it was back to the campsites for dinner preparation, and bathing in the river. As they made each meal, they were to send some of it to a teacher to be tasted and graded. This night they had a pumpkin dessert, so it was my job to judge the dessert as the other things were often spicy and I couldn't eat many of them the way the students made them. Overall the desserts were all really good, except one group that didn't wash the pan between things :( That one was just gross.

rope bridge

That evening they had a giant campfire, which started with an opening ceremony that had boys dressed in banana leaves and covered in black something. They ran around like crazies and had a certain dance/ritual to perform to light the campfire. That was followed by the girls dancing and then skits that 4 groups worked together to create. The skits were about problems students face, either at school, camping, teaching them to love and respect parents, etc...

getting all members of the group across the river

The next morning they were back at it at 5 am to prepare for exercise, make breakfast, and prepare for the camp inspections. After the camp inspections, they had a ceremony to hand out green flags for those that did a good job in preparing their campsites. My group was the only group of girls to get 40/40, but I can't brag because I didn't do much to help them. They mostly did it on their own. They then had the closing ceremony and it was back to the campsites to pick everything up. They had to take down everything they made, take down their tents, pack their sacks to go back on the truck, and make things look normal. They then lined back up and were released by where they live. Some were picked up by parents, while others were taken on trucks to their children's homes, or a central point they could easily walk home from.

Overall it was a good 3 days, and I was exhausted afterwards, so I went home and took a nap, then woke up and did laundry. I tried to keep my personal experience out of the narrative above, but will insert it here. So, if you were just looking to see what we did, stop reading now. If you want to know some of my personal thoughts and hardships, continue reading.

lighting the campfire

a guy helped a group make this stand to put

dishes and things on out of bamboo. I was impressed

 I am one who doesn't like to sleep on hard surfaces(air mattresses are a wonderful invention), so I packed a bag of blankets and a mat to put on the ground to help me sleep a little better. I may have also packed my HelloKitty doll to hug between me and the ground and used it as padding :) Here's the one you're waiting for I'm sure, the bathroom situation. They had said that they made 2 "toilets" for the girls and 2 for the boys. It turned out to be a hole dug in the ground with a western toilet over one and a squat toilet over the other. They were surrounded by this green see through mesh which I guess was supposed to give some privacy. They were mainly for pooping, however, they often didn't have any water available to wash your business down with, so from the sounds of things they got kind of gross. Let's just say I didn't check them out other than looking at them the first day. I lived on the theory that if I didn't eat too much at each meal I could make it through the 2+ days we spent in the jungle without pooping. Peeing was another story. However, I came up with a plan to go find a bush whenever the students were all gathered in sessions. So, I would wake up between 3 and 4 and go under the cover of darkness, then wait until their camps were being inspected at 7:30. When they were in sessions was another great time to take advantage of them being busy, then at the ceremonies in the evening, and then again before bed under the cover of darkness. It was quite entertaining to go find a place to pee, because by the second day you had to avoid "bombs" as they called them of two varieties, cow and human. Bathing was another interesting scenario, as there was just a river available. I think all the other teachers went home to shower and clean up, but it was at least half an hour home and back, and no one ever invited me to go back with them. So, I had planned ahead and took my bathing suit and my wrap. Thais will just use the wrap to bathe, but I don't find that very comforting, so I wore my bathing suit and both days went while the students were in evening sessions to sit in the river and bathe. The first night a teacher insisted on going with me so I wouldn't be alone, and the second day a child of one of the teachers went with me. It was quite an experience. Other than these few things it was like camping anywhere. We had tents and stayed together, you could walk from one campsite to another. It made me miss family camp at home, going together and doing different things. The biggest problem I found was trying to find time when the bushes weren't filled with people if you know what I mean :) Other than that I would have loved to stay in the jungle longer and enjoyed being away from technology and the busyness that life has. It was a good time to relax and get away for a few days. The first two years I was here, they had camp at the school, and many students said they like it at school better where bathrooms and their own homes are close by. However, I think it was refreshing and good to get away for a few days and enjoy the outdoors. I know where my vote will be in the future. The jungle is the way to go.

preparing for inspection of their campsite

at the closing ceremony