Rustic Pathways: Thailand

Over the summer, I got an amazing opportunity to travel to Thailand with Rustic Pathways, a company specialising in group and high-school travels. I was first introduced to Rustic in a college exhibition here in Oman, where I was told that there are scholarships that students could apply for. I applied, and amazingly, I was accepted as one of 25 international students to be an International Ambassador!

It was my first time ever flying East of Oman. It was a 6 hour flight, which I considered to be relatively long, but once I arrived I arrived at Bangkok international airport and started talking to the other students there, it was nothing compared to their 26 hour flights.
We all boarded another flight heading to Udon Thani province in north-east Thailand. We arrived at our beautiful base, which is a huge farm with many houses, a pool and many rice fields, and were introduced to our hong leaders and hong mates, which were just group leaders and roommates. Our base is called the Ricefields base, it not only serves as a base for students on medical programmes, but also for other community service programmes.

• Day 1:

On our first day, all of the new students had were introduced to Thai culture, following which we visited temples in our area, and were introduced to Buddhism. We learned about many Buddhist traditions, and were even blessed by a monk. When we came back to the base, I started my training to certified in Wilderness First Aid and CPR by attending a class where we learned the basics of medicine. That evening, all the students at the base were divided into teams where we played different games and competed in challenges. Later that night, we also had Fear Factor night where some of us ate crickets, worms, chicken intestines, and even chicken fetus!

• Day 2:

On day 2, students on the base all went to a local orphanage, where we danced, sang, acted, and played games with the orphans there. Also, we started to build their football field. It was inspiring to see the orphans living happily with smiles on their faces, and this day made me appreciate the little things in life. That afternoon, we visited the traditional Thai silk market where most the girls -including me- spent their money on Thai pants, as well as a surprisingly exciting visit to Tesco (similar to Carrefour, Walmart).

• Day 3:

Day 3 was excursion day! We visited a temple close by, then we also went to another temple about 45 minutes further. We were supposed to have lunch at a restaurant and visit a third temple, but we went back to the base to have a lecture with a Thai nurse and we got the chance to find out more about the country's medical system. That night, we also had a relaxing movie night.

• Day 4-5:

These days all had basically the same schedule; medical students would get to apply their skills in local clinics and schools early in the mornings, learn more about our certification topics in the afternoons, and have a fun activity with the rest of the base at night, such as music night, more shopping, and Thai nights (where we got to choose whether to learn more about Thai language, cooking, or martial arts). During these days, we also visited a major hospital in the province and got an all access exclusive tour around it. And, before I forget, we got some much-needed Thai massages near the Udon Thani mall.

• Day 6-7:

On our final day at the base, we finally got certified and had our final day of service. That night, most students were busy packing for the next day, but before that, we had a wonderful time watching traditional Thai dancers, and we all danced around a huge bonfire. Before the night ended, we left our prints on the walls of the base. The next morning, all departing students said their goodbyes to the awesome people they met and the wonderful place they've called home for the past few weeks.

All in all, that one week of adventures and learning was one of the best weeks of my life. It allowed me to meet people from all around the world who I now consider my best friends in different countries. It inspired me to explore the world, to step out of my comfort zone and experience new things, to value all the little things that I take for granted, and most importantly, to believe in my self and be proud of who I am. It taught me that the possibilities are endless if we just take a chance.

Thank you so so much to Rustic Pathways for allowing me to go through this amazing experience, and to all of you who are considering going on a trip with Rustic, what are you waiting for? GO!