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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.
Day
One
Saturday 10th
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 11th
March (Bangkok
to Perth)
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.
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.
Day Three
Monday 12th
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 13th
March (Perth)
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 14th
March (Caversham
Wildlife Park)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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.
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.
Thank you
very much KNEP!
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