ハビタット・フォー・ヒューマニティ・ジャパン
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海外建築ボランティア体験談
Overseas Building Volunteer Report

Thailand: Seisen International School

Team NameSeisen International School (Seisen International School)
CountryThailand HRC North
Work siteChiang Mai
1 Family
Itinerary12 Day(s) 12-Jun 2008(THU) ～ 23-Jun 2008(MON)
MemberTotal: 19 Adult(M): 1 , Adult(F): 2, High School(F): 16
ExpenseTraveling:82930 JPY（taxes included）/person
In-country:3000 JPY（taxes included）/person/day
RouteTokyo-->Bangkok->Chiang Mai (Thai Air)
Chiang Mai-->Bangkok-->Tokyo(Thai Air)
ReportOur initial impression of the CH Hotel was unfavourable, as the dinner on arrival I had ordered, was not prepared. Also, an excess of rain recently meant that some toilets were non-functional! However, afterwards things greatly improved as the staff tried very hard, and I would strongly recommend this hotel to any future Habitat team, especially as the twin rooms only cost $25 ! The rooms are spacious with good A/C and good, hot showers; and after toiling at the construction site our students greatly appreciated the small swimming pool. I would recommend eating in the hotel restaurant every alternate night or so as the food proved to be plentiful, tasty and extremely good value at 120 Baht p.p. The hotel is located immediately adjacent to the night market, and we found that it was safe to allow the girls to wander by themselves in groups of four, up to 9:30 p.m. Very near the hotel is an efficient and cheap laundry (60Bt/Kg to wash, dry and iron; I carried the team’s dirty clothes there every two days or so), and next door to this there is a respectable Thai massage salon with well-trained professional staff (200Bt/Hr) - the girls greatly enjoyed this and returned repeatedly. There is also adjacent a 7/11 shop and an ATM machine. The construction site itself was excellently organised by the local Habitat staff (Malinie, Art and others) with safety considerations paramount. The briefings, constructional instruction, toilet and lunch provision, medical emergency arrangements etc were all meticulous. Malinie in fact was an ideal local leader - friendly, hardworking, and helpful in every possible way!
Concerning the weekend recreational trips, on one day I would recommend visiting...
(a) the Ban Hmong hill tribe centre (excellent)
(b) the orchid/butterfly farm, where lunch can be obtained
(c) the snake farm (spectacular - a highlight!)
(d) the San Kamphaeng silk village (time permitting)
(e) the Walking Street market (after dinner)
On another day...
(a) the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple
(b) a walking tour inside the city walls of the 3 major temples located there (take umbrellas). [I think the students would benefit from a brief introduction to Thai architecture and culture before the trip!]
The elementary school visit (on a weekday afternoon) was a tremendous success, and I would like to thank Art for planning the games and gifts - his ideas worked very well! A third weekend possibility, low-key, but greatly enjoyed by the students, and recommended as a culmination of the whole trip, was to the Mae Taeng elephant centre, with a demonstration, an hour’s elephant ride, and an hour’s bamboo rafting down-river. At the end of our working week, the house-dedication ceremony was extremely moving, bringing tears to the eyes of the new home-owner, and provoking the students to reflect seriously on what they were achieving.Just before leaving, we visited a local HIV orphanage, and also went to see the impoverished and rather shocking accomodation that our home-owner was being released from. All this contributed to the education of our students. We actually held pre-dinner 45 minute “reflections” four times over the trip, in a meeting room provided by the hotel, and these were genuinely valuable in encouraging articulation of the student’s observations and thoughts, we felt.
Lastly, in terms of funding the 2009 trip, and taking into account increasing costs, I would recommend the parents be charged a flat fee of 100 000 yen (except for any scholarship cases), thus allowing sufficient money for a sizeable donation to the very well-run and worthwhile local Habitat organisation; but still direct a major effort towards Seisen fundraising by the students themselves i.e via the Talent Show, the free dress day, the Teacher’s Banquet, the White Elephant Sale, ice-cream, hot-dog and twice-weekly Bake Sales etc. In 2008 the total amount raised by these and other activities exceeded 800 000 yen, but be warned, it was hard work!
PhotoUpper left: with homeowners
Upper right: building
Lower left: finished building
Lower right: hotel



* Click the image to zoom-in.

投稿者: Habitat for Humanity Japan 日時: 2008年06月12日 14:58 |



 

 
 
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