G11 School Build

A Story by suuyuwriteyunu

school magazine entry

Before anything at all, I am proud to say that my year finished building this schoolhouse in one and a half days, when it should’ve taken us three. Isn’t that such an accomplishment? CO’27, if you’re reading this, give yourself a pat on the back! We were so focused on working the whole day that time slipped away, so when the clock struck half past noon, all the chaperones waiting near the kitchen all startled, then looked at each other.

“Wait, did they have lunch yet?”

They did not, indeed, have lunch yet.

And so we were then dragged out of the school house, (wish I could’ve said screaming and crying), to eat the most scrumptious meal I have ever tasted. Locally cooked Thai food just hits different, especially after a hard day’s work. After that, of course, it was back to building a school: an amazing feat in itself!

This experience was incredible---if not life-changing---for me. Not only was I able to try every skill from painting walls, to drilling panels, to painting murals, I was pleasantly surprised by how well my year was able to come together and cooperate on this project. It felt like we were in a movie: moving in sync, handing things to others, receiving things from others, always taking up new tasks, always doing something, painting and drilling, sketching and mixing, all in perfect synchronisation. I learned so many new survival skills, became much more aware of our excessive daily resource usage as well as our privileged position, and shared so many comical moments with my year, as well as my chaperones (They’re the best and most courageous. Truly!). Even though going up a mountain---or the thought of going up a mountain---became something that made me all panicky and nauseous now, I like to think that it’s a small token of trauma I earned from this trip. A small souvenir.

So, despite my car almost falling down the road into the river, being stranded without a chaperone for six hours, waking up from the roosters and the snoring, the tents leaking, the dogs peeing on a luggage, the dogs fighting and biting each other in the middle of the night, the vicious wasps stinging two of my friends, everyone getting leeched (seven leeches on one leg), the dangerously bumpy and slippery road up the steep mountain, and eventually getting sick at the end of the trip, I truly loved building this schoolhouse. It was worth it knowing that this project will make a difference in all these people’s lives (even though we met none of the children, only dogs. They were cute, though. A win’s a win).

Most importantly, it’s all thanks to the school build project that I finally got to see the stars.

I know now what people mean when they say they can draw out the constellations. I know now what people mean when they say they can see stars at night.

Because I have seen them too.

And I wouldn’t have traded that moment for anything in my entire life.