Benevolence at Kanchanaburi

Kanchanaburi Montage. Cas how else would I be able to prove that I had an amazing time! Community Service and some fun is a must for students... 😂

โพสต์ที่แชร์โดย ѕняυтι (@shrutii_jhaa) เมื่อ มิ.ย. 14, 2017 เวลา 4:53am PDT

Since the second term of our school year, we had been trying to convince T. Tricia to have a community service camp for our 2017 Outreach Project. She agreed to this suggestion, and we started researching on the different provinces where we could perform considerate deeds to provide aid to the citizens of Thailand. We then found out that Habitat for Humanity (also known as Habitat Thailand here) was looking for 10-12 people to help them build a playground for a local hospital in Kanchanaburi.

Habitat for Humanity is an organisation that helps citizens of Thailand in need, by the provision of shelters. Their aim is to supply comfort, safety and happiness in every person's life.

During the course of 6 months, we performed various activities from selling french fries filled with cheese, conducting a sponge toss on teachers and hosting the "Fun Run" event. All of the proceeds we earned from these activities went to Samyod Health Promoting Hospital.

A still from the "Fun Run" charity event

Right after graduation on June 12th, we were ready to shed our sweat and drain our energies with rollicking adventures. The journey started with us seated in the van with our seatbelts buckled up, and raving to the music we mutually agreed to!

In case you were not aware of the new law regarding the seatbelts, there has been a modification in the regulation. Formerly, the law for wearing seatbelts just applied to the driver and the other person sitting in the front row. However, now individuals in the back seats are also required to wear seatbelts for assuring the safety of the residents in Thailand.

Subsequently, we reached the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery at 10 pm. There was a simplicity of the lush green lawn around the graves which acted as a shield for the graves. The sight of handwritten letters, flowers and necklaces were heart-rendering. The details of the soldiers were written in a cursive font. We started reading their ages, which ranged from 18 to 40 years old. All of us were deeply appalled to learn that these martyrs had sacrificed their lives in their youth. We did not take pictures of the place as a sign of respect for protecting their country.

Next up, was the "Bridge Over The River Kwai", which was at the heart of Kanchanaburi. There was a touch of Gothic art to the bridge. The metal walkway was narrow, however safe enough to walk on. This bridge suddenly felt like the gateway to our adulthood. We continued to stroll across the entire bridge and clicked some pictures.

Afterwards, we arrived at the Pung-Waan Resort. A sense of tranquility felt present as we entered. Soon after a few moments of settling down, we gathered around to have our lunch next to a luxurious pool.

After we had eaten lunch, we went to the Erawan Waterfall which is located in the Erawan National Park. We went up to the fourth tier, which was breathtaking. Some of us even started swimming in the slippery waterfall. While they were swimming, they glided at the natural slide and splashed towards the bottom.

I recalled the Superwoman quote from her Instagram, "Work so hard that you and your friends can go swimming in a desktop wallpaper". That's how majestic the place looked!

Following the waterfall activity, we headed back to the hotel to relax for our supervised pool time. The sound of people splashing and cacophony of voices greeted our ears at the chlorinated pool. It had aesthetic features such as decorative tiles and smart landscaping.

In due course, it was time for the river cruise dinner! We ate contentedly, while the dim lights on the boat flickered like a burning candle. It was indeed a rewarding experience, because of the confluence of adventure and fine dining.
After the dinner was over, we went to our rooms and recharged our batteries! We went to bed rather earlier, as we had a long day the next day.

The next day was really power-packed day! We reached the Samyod Health Promoting Hospital early morning. The event started off with a warm welcome by the Hospital's staff. The staff showed the procedure of mixing the cement, sand, water and stones. We then poured the mixture below the tyres.

Then after, the sand and cement were laid out on the playground; we painted the tyres and the other equipment of the playground. As the colours were dripping onto the tyres, I thought that the colours were as vibrant as the staff's nature. The blue paint dripping felt the colour of the patient's healing bruises.The playground was completely transformed with the variety of colours! 

Here is the comparision:

Overall, this experience was like the soil crunching beneath our feets. Our energies felt ignited that day. This journey perfectly sums up the sentiment of travel. This was the voyage that had just begun and would continue as my pursuit of happiness.