Students

PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

In March 2007, the Kanlayaneesithammarat English Program took nine of its students to Australia for a two week English learning experience of a life time. On this page and the attached links, you can read all about their time in Western Australia, their experiences, their thoughts and these are accompanied by a range of photos taken by the students. The whole idea of the trip was to give the students an insight into life in 'the west', to show them a totally different culture and most importantly to immerse them into an environment where they had no choice but to communicate in English.

To view the student's own reports, just click on their picture below.

The 9 students who went to Perth, Australia.

(left-right) Pim, Jern, New, Gam, Donut, Palm, Pat, May and Neen

Day One

Saturday 10^th March (Nakhon to Bangkok)

We all had to meet up at Nakhonsithammarat Airport for 1pm so that we would have time to check-in and board our flight ready for the 14:50 departure to Bangkok. Unfortunately, things did not go to plan as there was a Royal visitor to Nakhonsithamarat that day meaning that there was a Royal plane on the apron of the airport. As there were Royal visitors to our city the police and other Royal security personnel were present in large numbers. It was because of this added security that our flight up to Bangkok was more than an hour and a half late departing Nakhonsithammarat and arriving at Thailand’s new International airport, Suvarnabhumi.

Geordie, who had driven up a few days beforehand, was there to meet us and once we had collected our bags, we split up - Thomas and 4 of the students went in Geordie’s car while the other 4 students (one student was already in Bangkok) and Ajarn Mayuree boarded a taxi for the short trip to Mayuree’s second home on the outskirts of Bangkok City. We left the airport and were soon inside Mayuree’s house talking excitedly about the trip to Australia the following day. After we had done a little shopping and relaxed, we showered and went to sleep as we knew we had an early morning the following day.

Day Two

Sunday 11^th March (Bangkok to Perth)

Some of our group at Bangkok's new airport, Suwannabhumi

3:30am!!!!! Yes, that is the time that our alarm clocks went off. Very very early but we knew we had to be at the airport for 5am to check in for our Thai Airways flight ‘TG997’ to Perth. We showered and got two taxis to take us to Suvarnabhumi Airport arriving at just before 5am … perfect timing! Geordie, who had to come from Lam Lukka arrived a few minutes later. We unloaded the bags from Geordie’s pick up and then met up with ‘Poo’, who is an ex-student of both Mayuree and Kanlayanee, and who now has a business helping students wanting to study in various countries such as Australia, Canada, the USA and other countries in Europe. ‘Poo’ had our passports and tickets so it was good to see her. We checked both ourselves and our baggage in, which took quite a long time. Once we had our boarding passes and had filled in our departure forms we headed for Customs and Immigration where we were cleared to leave Thailand and had a departure stamp stamped into our passports. We were soon heading to our departure gate, Gate E10 ready to board our Thai Airways Airbus A330 that would be taking us to Perth in Western Australia.

Our Thai Airbus A330

After sitting in the departure hall for a short while, we were given permission to board the aircraft ready for our flight. Soon we were all sitting on the plane, Kanlayanee students and staff taking up the rear most 2 rows. Due to a few cargo problems we were delayed by some 45 minutes but the time went quickly and before we knew it, we were soon on our way south towards Australia. We flew down the east coast of Thailand, over Malaysia, the City of Singapore and Jakarta, Indonesia before heading out over the Eastern Indian Ocean in the direction of Western Australia. While on our flight most of us slept but there were a couple of movies shown which were very good, the best one being ‘Happy Feet’, a cartoon about a colony of penguins. Unfortunately during the flight one of the students was suffering from severe air sickness, was quite ill and didn't get to see the movies.

A few hours later and we were over the coast of Western Australia. It looked very dry from above and with very few towns. We soon learned why. Two hours later we began our descent and then landed at Perth International Airport. Australia is an island, albeit a very big island and it has very strict rules about what can and what cannot be imported into it. Many of us had some Thai food to remind us of home or Thai gifts for our host families. Many of these items were on the list of items not allowed into Australia so after a long delay, with some of our items confiscated, we finally left the airport building, boarded a coach and had a short trip into the city where we would meet our host families for the first time. Unfortunately Jern, the student who had been feeling unwell on the flight still had not recovered and it was decided that it would be best if she went to the hospital for a check up. All of the other students met their 'new' families and left for their new temporary homes, the staff went to their accommodation relaxed.

Jern in her hospital bed.

Day Three

Monday 12^th March (Perth)

We all woke up in different places, the students in their host families homes and the staff in their accommodation and unfortunately Jern, who had been kept overnight in hospital woke up there. The remaining students all went to Milner International College of English for their assessment tests in which they would be put into classes for their two weeks of English instruction. The adults went on a little tour of Perth while Geordie, Thomas and Ajarn Mayuree attended to Jern who remained in hospital. At lunch time we, the students had finished our classes and went on a walking tour of the city. First stop was food! After our lunches we walked around some of the shops, bought our travel cards and some of us bought SIM cards for our mobile phones meaning that we could phone home when we wanted. Once we had done what we wanted, some of us made our own way home while the others went up to the hospital to visit Jern who was unfortunately going to have to spend a second night there.

Day Four

Tuesday 13^th March (Perth)

The students at Perth train station

7am and the staff were all up. All the students met up at Milner College ready for the morning English classes. Thomas, Mayuree and Geordie went up to the hospital to check up on Jern. Jern was more or less fully recovered and the doctors were allowing her to leave the hospital today. Once Jern was discharged she met up with her friends at Milner College. We had a meeting and then we all went for a walk around Perth City centre allowing us to do some shopping and have some lunch. Perth is a great city because there is such a range of different foods, everything from Japanese, Korean, Thai to European and South American. We opted for Asian food as that’s what we really like. Today we were lucky because we had a free afternoon which allowed us to do what we wanted. We did our shopping, had something to eat and then we all went home to our respective places. The students to their respective host families’ homes and the staff to their accommodation.

Day Five

Wednesday 14^th March (Caversham Wildlife Park)

'Pim' and an Australian native

This morning all the students met up again at Milner International College for their morning classes. We have Australian teachers and they teach us every morning. At lunchtime we all went into the city centre and had our lunches and then rushed back to Milner College to catch our coach that was taking us to the Caversham Wildlife Park where we would be spending the afternoon. The coach soon came and we boarded and then set off to pick up our teachers before setting off for the wildlife park. After about half an hour on the road we turned off into a small road that would lead us into Caversham Wildlife Park. Geordie, one of our teachers offered a prize of A$10 to the first person who saw a kangaroo. Anyway, it was Geordie saw the first kangaroo .... so he didn’t have to give the $10 away …. I think he was cheating!! We soon arrived at the main gates of the park and were met by our guide for the day 'Amanda'. She led us around the park letting us feed kangaroos, stroke koala bears and even hold a wombat. It was very interesting for us because non of us had seen any of these animals before except on TV. After our time in the park we went to a chocolate factory and looked at some of the items they had on display. Some of us did a little shopping and then boarded the coach for the trip back into Perth City where we all went back to our respective families for the night.

Day Six

Thursday 15th March (Duncraig Senior High School)

Kanlayanee and Duncraig students

We once again met up at the Milner College for our morning classes. Then, at lunchtime we all boarded the coach as we were visiting a local high school where we were to perform some Thai dances and play some Thai musical instruments. Our drive took us through some of the suburbs of Perth and it was good to see some of the countryside away from the city. We soon arrived at 'Duncraig Senior High School' where we were met by some of the teachers and students. Some of the Duncraig students were designated guides and we were all split up and given an interesting tour of the school and its facilities. After looking at all the different departments we ended up in the music department and were given some snacks and orange juice. The students from both schools, shy at first, soon broke down any barriers and began speaking and joking with each other. One thing that the Kanlayanee students wanted to do was to show off Thai music and perform some Thai dances for their Australian audience. The Thai students went away to get changed and shortly afterwards returned and started to play some Thai songs using traditional Thai musical instruments. I don't think many of the Australian students had seen some of the Thai instruments and they seemed quite interested in not only the designs but also some of the tunes produced. After a number of songs had been played it was time for some traditional Thai dances from various regions in the country. A few different dances were performed before Jern, one of the Kanlayanee students, managed to get some of the Duncraig students up dancing too!!! I'm sure some of the students had two left feet but I think they all enjoyed themselves and hopefully these kinds of interaction can do nothing but reinforce the bonds between students throughout the world.

Day Seven

Friday 16th March (Port of Fremantle)

Looking out of the Roundhouse into Fremantle

We again woke up early in our respective houses and once we had showered and eaten breakfast, we made our own ways to the Milner College for our morning classes. At lunch time the Kanlayanee teachers arrived and together we all walked to Perth City train station. Robyn, the tour leader based at Milner went into the ticket office to buy our tickets and before we knew it we were on the train heading for Fremantle, the main port for Perth and south western WA. Our train journey took us along the beautiful coastline and soon we entered into the historic port of Fremantle. We got off the train and walked a little, soon to arrive in Fremantle marina full of interesting restaurants and many different kinds of boats. We had our lunch here, fish and chips before starting our mini-tour of this interesting town. Our first stop was only a short walk away, 'The Roundhouse', one of the first buildings ever built in Fremantle, built by convicts who were then incarcerated in the same building! We took lots of photos here and some of us (even the Principal) were even 'locked' into a replica of the original stocks - much to the amusement of all the others.

We soon left The Roundhouse and walked along the historic streets until we arrived at the famous Fremantle Market. We had some time to walk around and admire some of the strange things that were on sale there. The prices were expensive compared to Thailand so we did not buy too much. After looking around the market, we had a quick look around the rest of the town before making our way back to the train station for the return journey back to Perth. When we arrived back in Perth we all split up and went back to our host families homes.

Days Eight & Nine

Saturday & Sunday 17/18th March

We all had a free weekend giving us time to spend with our host families. Some of us went shopping, some of us went to the beach and some of us just stayed at home. It gave us all plenty of time to fully bond with 'our families' and of course we all learned more English as well as a few 'Aussie' sayings.

Day Ten

Monday 19th March (Sports in Perth)

Fun in the park

This Monday morning saw us all going to school as usual and after our classes we had our lunches as usual. Today we had a new teacher ... his name was Steve and he came from Perth. We, that's all of the students and Geordie, Thomas, Mayuree and Steve then walked the short walk down to the riverside to play some games. It was decided that we would play 'Dodgeball' a game that most of us had not played before. Steve set up a small field using our backpacks and then he went over the rules with us. Simple, we thought! Well after a bit of trial and error, we soon got to grips with the game which was actually really good fun. It was very hot under the sun so after a while we all relaxed in the shade while Mayuree went to the nearest shop to buy us all some much needed water and some snacks. Tired and exhausted we had another game of 'dodgeball' before being allowed to finally go home. Perth in the middle of a hot afternoon is not the place to play sports. It even seemed hotter than back home in Thailand!!

Day Eleven

Tuesday 20th March (Mercedes College)

Making a new friend at Mercedes College

What seems to be the normal now - we wake up at our host families, have breakfast and then make our own way to Milner for our morning classes. Once we had finished our classes today we went into the back garden of Milner College for a quick practice on our musical instruments as we were playing later in the afternoon at the prestigious Mercedes College, across the road from Milner. Practice over, we packed our instruments and made the short walk across Hay Street to Mercedes. We were given a very warm welcome by the students and staff before being given an interesting tour of the campus. After looking around the different buildings we congregated in the library and we, the Thai students went and got changed ready for our 2nd Australian performance. A few minutes later we were all ready and began by playing a few Thai instrumental songs which seemed to go down well with the audience we had. Next, it was time for the Thai dancing. Palm, Jern and Neen, dressed in traditional Thai style performed their steps flawlessly before 'dragging' the Mercedes' students onto the 'dance floor' with them. Everybody seemed to really enjoy it but sadly time soon told us that we had to finish and finish we had to. We said our goodbyes, exchanged e-mail addresses and our time at Mercedes was over. We went back across the street to Milner and we sat and talked for a little while before leaving and making our ways to our respective homes.

Day Twelve

Wednesday 21st March

Another early morning and we were all together again at Milner College. We had our classes as usual and we were lucky today because we had a free afternoon allowing us to do what we wanted. Most of us walked into the city centre and did a little last minute shopping for souvenirs etc for our friends and family back home in Thailand.

Day Thirteen

Thursday 22nd March (Perth Mint)

As usual we were up early again and once we had all traveled into the city from our respective homes, we met up at Milner and our morning classes began. Some of us have realized that we only have a couple of days left in Australia and know that we will miss not only Australia but we're also going to miss some of the friends we have made here too. Anyway, we had our classes as normal and at 1pm we all walked the short distance to Perth Mint, a very interesting place where gold and silver has been processed, melted and made into coins a nd bars. We had a very interesting guide who showed us how to make a bar of gold. We even had the opportunity to hold a gold bar that weighed around 10 kilos and was worth a little under B10,000,000!!! We were not allowed to take any photos inside the building for security reasons but it was very interesting indeed. After leaving the mint we again went shopping and then made our ways home.

Day Fourteen

Friday 23rd March

Our last full day! Today started like any other day ... early!! Anyway we all met up at Milner for our last day of classes and we also knew that we were going to be performing some Thai songs, not only to the teachers at Milner but also to all of the other students who were studying there. We changed into our Thai costumes and prepared the musical instruments that we had brought with us from Thailand. The time soon came and we in front of everybody played 5 Thai songs and we were rewarded with some nice applause. After our little 'show' Milner college gave out certificates to all of the students who were 'graduating' that week. After we had received our certificates and our koala teddy bears we sad a sad goodbye to all of the new friends whom we had met during our short time at Milner. Some of us were crying but knew deep down that we had to go back home to Thailand.

As the afternoon closed in we left Milner College to do some last minute shopping so that we could buy some souvenirs for not only our families and friends but also to remind us of our time in Australia. We then went back to our respective homes for the night knowing that we had to be up early the following morning for our flight back to Thailand.

Day Fifteen

Saturday 24th March

Going home!! We were up especially early today as it was our last morning and we had to pack and get ready for the flight home. Once packed, our host families drove us to Milner College where we met up with the Thai teachers who had accompanied us on our trip to Australia. We said a sad goodbye to our host families and boarded the mini bus that was to take us to Perth International Airport from which we would be catching our Thai Airways flight back to Thailand. We arrived at the airport with plenty f time and because we were in a group we were allowed to check in early. We said our goodbyes to Robyn, the Milner Tour organizer, checked in and then waited in the departure hall until our flight was ready for boarding.

Our transport home

That time soon came and we walked down to get onto the airplane. We found our seats and sat down. Some of us were crying because we did not want to leave Australia and the friends we had met. The plane took off and headed towards Phuket in Thailand which was a stop over before carrying on to Bangkok. At 5pm we had already been to Phuket and landed on the runway of Suvarnabhumi International Airport on the outskirts of Bangkok. We passed through immigration, collected our bags and made our way to the Nok Air check in desks for the short domestic flight down to Nakhonsithammarat and our own waiting families.

Australia Photo Album HERE