This week I was lucky enough to take part in Boy Scout Camp with my schools. Boy Scouts is a mandatory program in all Thai schools and each year the school take some sort of Boy Scout camping trip, just as each school takes part in Sport Days. The girls are also involved in this, though it is not quite the same as the girl scouts we have in America. And no cookie or popcorn sales are involved in the Thai version of boy/girl scouts, so clearly something is not right hahaha. I was picked up around 7am on Monday only knowing that I needed to bring clothes with me and that I was coming back sometime on Tuesday. I had also been told we were going to Nakhon Phanom, which to me means the city and I wasn’t too sure I understood correctly because well, it was supposed to be camping. So we go to school where all of the P.4-6 students are assembling, with their uniforms pressed to perfection, wooden walking sticks, hats, scarves, and bags. They all stood in neat rows like a little army, while of course waving hello to me and posing for my pictures when they caught me taking them.
Now, the next issue is how to transport over a hundred students to this so called camping trip? School buses don’t exist here, and we’d need a ridiculous amount of pick-up trucks to get all of them there … oh wait, I know … let’s cram 50 boys in the back of a truck like livestock! Great idea!!!
And of course there were also girls in the school van, the 4 pick-up trucks with teachers driving, and I believe one sawng-tao rented for the occasion.
We arrive in Nakhon Phanom just as I was told, to a Boy Scout camp just on the edge of the city. The students are lined up by the entrance to pray to the spirit house and then walk over to the main camp area, where they are greeted by the posted rules and this giant Tiger Tunnel. I believe it is called a “soom”. Each student must through it and get splashed on the other side with a baby powder and water mixture to signify that they are ready to begin training. I found it quite hilarious and entertaining to watch – Here is the mouth of the tiger.
Next, everyone was assembled for typical morning ceremonies, including lighting candles and praying, learning their boy scout stances, and raising the flag/singing the national anthem.
Next the students were split into groups for their morning activity rotation, which included learning about the flag and whistle signals, knot tying, how to read a compass, the process of how to stand in lines and take commands in those formations, and I believe the history. Each group lasted about 15 minutes and then the rotated.
We ate lunch and then it was time for the obstacle courses, which were scattered around the camp and mostly through a small patch of woods that was on the property. I walked through quickly one time with Sumet, in which I took part in the courses I felt I could handle/wanted to try to do. Only one rope burn occurred.
Then I walked through about half of the rotation a second time with a group of boys, half of which were from NongHee and many of them were some of my favorites to pick on – so that was quite entertaining. One of my P. 5 boys James, who is so lovable and likes to hang out in my doorway was hooking his arm in mine while we walked to each new station and playing with my hair along with some of the other boys – it was most adorable.
It was then time for the main event and possibly one of the most death defying and scariest things I will ever do in my lifetime – jump from and 34ft high tower while harnessed to a zip line. – WHAAAAT??!?!?!!? Who am I ?!?!?!!? watch the video!
Luckily you can’t hear my screams over my students cheering for me and I only had to pay 50 baht for the experience. Hahaha I think my favorite part is when I gracefully take and knee at the landing. Hahaha My PaawAw (director) went first and the falang (me) went second – so when I walked back over to the “staging area” mostly all of my students (predominately boys) were standing in line waiting for their turn and as soon as that harness came off of me I exasperatedly held up one finger and sat down Indian style on the ground – much to my students’ amusement. I think they were laughing at me for a good 5 minutes – though through that I got many thumbs ups – so that was nice. Child after child jumped from the tower for another 2 hours probably, while I hung out with my students and such. Then it was time for shower, dinner, and when the sun went down (about 6:30pm here) the campfire. There was an awesome ceremony to light the campfire – much like that of Native Americans – it quite possibly could be related since this is legit boy scouts – I was amused though.
This brings us to each of the nine schools at the campout to perform their skits and/or dances which music and freestyle dancing in the middle and after each performance the students congratulating and cheering for the school that just performed. Then finally at around 11pm it was time for bed. I slept in a tent in a house-like structure on a cement floor with only a blanket underneath of me – sooo comfortable – was the woken from my peaceful (sarcasm) slumber at 4:45am for aerobics at 5:30am. WOW Boy Scout camp is fun and relaxing! Hahaha Aerobics went on for a while, then the students ran around a bit, then we finally got to eat breakfast, then we sang more songs, THEN at 10am it was finally time to pile all back into our trucks to head home, tired and yet happy about all of the fun and adventure we had.
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