So how does going on a weekend with over 40 teenagers sound to you? I must admit, I wondered at first what was in store for me when I accepted the position of chaperone on the annual 7th grade field trip to Sukhothai in northern Thailand. All in all, it turned out to be a wonderful time getting to know a great bunch of kids and learning more of the history of Thailand at the same time.
The weekend started off with a 5 hour bus ride from our school in Bangkok to a resort in Sukhothai. After laying down the ground rules to the kids for the weekend, we got off the bus at the
Legendha Resort ready to enjoy our new home for the weekend. And what a wonderful place to stay, complete with outdoor buffet, interactive cultural displays, pool and park-like surroundings.
It’s an understatement to say there was ‘added energy’ on this trip than I am used to, but the staff was successful in channeling this energy toward riding bicycles, walking through markets, creating Thai handicrafts, feeding catfish and, generally, anything to keep them busy.
Our first stop on Saturday morning was at the
Old Sukhothai Historic Park, which is the site of the capital of the Sukhothai kingdom in the 13th and 14th centuries (see
Sukhothai post for details).
Later in the day, we were able to make dessert called
Kanomtakoh (where leaves are made into little cups that are filled with a coconut mixture and topping), weave Thai crafts like
Platapian (a traditional baby mobile) and bake a famous pancake-like snack over open fire which is still popular today. Only thing the kids didn’t do was grind their own rice and flour but they pretended as though they did.
Our last evening was spent at a local night market, full of sights, sounds and flavor.
Sunday morning I had the privilege of leading a devotional on finding peace, love, strength, joy, resources, and all the other things we desire in life. We discussed how these things are not always available to us through what the world has to offer but they are
promised to us by God if we commit and trust our lives to Him. How great to end our weekend together with promises of hope!
When all was said and done, it was definitely one of the more active weekends I’ve spent this semester but well worth the expended energy! If I ever go back to Sukhothai, I already have a great idea of where I would stay and what I would see in greater detail.
