1. Investigation – (finding a group and location and focus)
We began the Project Week process by establishing our group, and as a group of six, we faced certain challenges on accommodating to everyone’s needs and had to work hard to collaborate successfully. We began by brainstorming what type of project we would want to do, and decided that we wanted to spend a week doing a mix of cultural and outdoor activities as the services we wanted to work with we were unable to for various reasons. We initially planned our trip to Borneo, and got far into the planning of the trip. However, this did not work out as our trip provider could not accommodate us. As a result, we had limited time left to plan an alternative Project Week trip elsewhere. We then chose Bangkok as our destination, a city rich with culture, but somewhere that we could also fulfil our activity requirements. Despite choosing our destination quickly after this turn of events, we had to work effectively together as a team under time constraints and stressful circumstances in order to execute our trip. I learned a lot about working effectively as a team and trying to reduce stress levels in order to maintain good relations within the group.
2. Preparation (the planning of the trip- research, itinerary, medical etc)
The preparation for the trip itself took lots of combined effort, group planning and coordination. It was also required for everyone to be organised and diligent in their own respected tasks. Additionally, as chose Bangkok as our destination, we had to keep in mind certain medical conditions first and foremost, as I have a medical condition and my medication requires constant refrigeration. We researched numerous potential tour groups who would be able to help us with transportation and plan our activities which would gain approval from the school. We were able to get in contact with Buffalo Tours Bangkok, and arrange our trip through them. We had an excellent tour guide, and were able to plan our whole itinerary, flights and hotel through our contact at Buffalo Tours. By having contact with Buffalo Tours, the process became much more efficient and we were able to plan an itinerary that catered to our CAS project and what we wanted to do. Additionally, it allowed us to do so in a safe and informed manner. Travelling with my medical condition can be quite stressful, so I had to make the necessary preparations in advance to be prepared for this. This experience helped me to hone my organisational skills, and helped me to become a better communicator with the members of my group as well, as it was necessary for me to be transparent with them at all times about how I was feeling in regards to my illness. Additionally, this experience helped me to become more responsible, as it was the first time I was travelling indecently from my parents or any other adults, and I had to ensure that I was being safe. Through this experience, I learned a lot about myself and how I am able to cope when put in certain situations that our foreign to myself, and I learned that I am able to deal with a lot more than I originally thought. The skills I have learnt here are extremely applicable to real life, when I will have to be responsible for myself and ensure that I am taken care of.
3. Action (the actual trip itself)
During the actual trip, we had a variety of cultural events and tours and vigorous activities planned. On our first day, we arrived in Bangkok and became acquainted with our extremely informative tour guide who provided us with an abundance of information on Bangkok, and its culture and history. We visited a variety of temples and The Grand Palace. During our tour, we learned about the history of the Palace and the significance of the temples in relation to the religion of the Thai people, and what each individual temple represented. Another cultural aspect of our trip was our Thai Cooking Lesson. We visited a local market and bought fresh produce which we used during our cooking lesson, and learned to make five traditional Thai dishes: Tom Yum Soup, Thai Green Curry Chicken, Thai Yellow Curry Chicken, Pad Thai and Mango Sticky Rice. It was extremely interesting learning about what specific ingredients go into each dish and makes them unique, and being able to shop at a local market provided insight into life as a local.
For the activity portion of our trip, we drove two hours out of Bangkok to a National Park where we hiked in the rainforest. Here we were able to see the natural flora and fauna of Thailand, and on the drive, we saw much of the countryside as well. Another activity we did was biking. We spent a whole day biking out of Bangkok and into the country side. This was a really nice but challenging experience, as we biked for 40km. However, we were able to see a lot of Bangkok, and the more rural areas of the city as well that we would not have normally been exposed to. Additionally, this experience pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me have to work harder physically. On the day where we had our biking, an interaction that I had was with one of my group members, where they consistently checked to make sure that everyone was okay and had enough water. It was these small interactions throughout the trip that communicated to me the level of support within our group and how we had grown as a team from the beginning, where we had planned this trip together and worked effortlessly to divide up the tasks and continued to support one another.
Project Week compared very differently to other experiences I have had previously. For example, in the past I have gone on numerous school trips and service trips as well. Although on those trips I was also extremely passionate about the activities we were doing and the service partners we were working with, the difference with Project Week was that it was a such a student led trip that the outcome of it was much more rewarding. The amount of independence with the planning and the responsibility given to us with our choice in what we were able to do made the experience extremely meaningful, especially as we were able to decide on a project that we as a group were collectively passionate and interested in doing. Overall, project week was an amazing and enriching experience.
