Aidan got home last night, after a week in Chaing Rai, Thailand. (No, he wasn't in Chaing Mai where the elephant refuge is.) Usually when you ask Aid how his trip was, he'll respond with, "Yeah, it was fun. Can I go out? My friends are hanging out." We picked him up at school last night and it was so good to see him. Just to look at him. You don't see your kid for a week and you just enjoy looking at them.
I was expecting to have to poke and prod him for information. No need! He started talking about it in the cab on the way home. When we got home 2 minutes later, he was drawing the layout of the place where they stayed and going through the trip day by day. He was so enthusiastic about everything. He had an AMAZING time!
He was at a resort that also caters to schools and conducts outdoor education activities. It had a climbing wall, pool, beach volleyball set up, ropes course, high ropes course, jungle area, and more. The great part was that everything was so right on the premises - the majority of their time was spent doing activities, not being transported around. The week sounded like a perfect blend of team building, free time to play, and community service with a local school.
He talked about a confidence course that was over a body of dirty water. Most people fell into the water, but Aidan was able to make it though. He said it was really difficult, but he pulled it out in the end! The course included walking across on a lose chain with lose ropes to hold onto and other, monkey bars, rings and other balance type of activities. Apparently it was funny to watch everyone fall in! I'm a fan of the TV show Wipe Out, so I can totally relate to that!
They also had jungle survival and he had to create a shelter that could withstand a fake hurricane! He had to make a cup, bowl and chopsticks out of bamboo! He had to start a fire by striking metal against magnesium. It was Aidan vs. Wild! Another fun game was where they wore all black, went into the jungle at night and had to get all 10 team mates from one lighted hut to another one that was about 200 meters away...without getting caught by two flashlight toting counselors. I'm afraid of the dark, so this sounds petrifying, but they had a great time.
He actually raved about the community service part, which isn't always the case. Sometimes that part is awkward and forced. The SSIS kids painted a mural at a local school, taught lessons (Aidan's group taught about weather!) and played with the kids. The little kids loved the SSIS kids so much that they visited them after school everyday. The admiration was mutual and the big and little kids played until curfew time. He said some of the little kids were crying when the older kids left on Saturday. It's so great that the kids connected, regardless of their very different lives.
Apparently the counselors were awesome! You can probably picture them - granola, bohemian, 20-21 years old, having the time of their lives in a Thai jungle! Their cool factor was not lost on my son. He loved the last night when they had a big bonfire, guitars, singing (cool songs like Coldplay and Linkin Park), laughing, bonding. Good times, good times!
As a mom and a teacher, this is exactly the kind of experience I want my children and my students to have. He was challenged, both physically and mentally, he had opportunities to bond with his classmates, local kids and some really hip counselors, plus he found the value in helping those less fortunate. I couldn't ask for anything more.
P.S. I forgot to mention that he had to make his own raft that he than paddled down the river. He learned how to tie a bunch of knots during this activity. His raft didn't sink! They also had a cooking class and he made Green Curry Chicken, which is a favorite for me and Mike. Yum!!!
