Field Trip!! Haven't been on one of these in forever...

Thailand: Wednesday, December 30, 2015

MUIC Field Trip Day

Today was field trip day and a few of us from the dorm decided to try to walk to school today. The walk to the school was not too bad, took about 25-30 minutes, but it was really hot! Sweating is like an understatement, haha. It was more like drowning and trying to fetch for air. The campus like I said, is huge! So huge that there is a tram that transports you within the campus and if you don't feel like taking the tram, you can take a taxi, motorbike, or even rent your own bicycle.

I got to ride a double decker bus for the first time today! The bus was how they transported us for the field trip. It was really nice and had air conditioning, which was perfect after being in the hot weather. The first part of the field trip was planting trees at Buddhamonthon Park, it was really nice and we were able to feed the catfishes as well.

Sophia and I on our first MUIC field trip!

Chloe (Australia), Sophia (HPU), and I near the huge lake where we were able to feed the catfishes.                                 Sophia and I with our free snacks after planting trees. It was a hot day, thankfully we had our MUIC hats to shade us.

After planting trees, we headed to Sampran Riverside where we experienced some of the Thai culture through walking around the Thai Culture Village. At the Thai Culture Village, there were many shops with extremely beautiful things to buy. However, since it is a tourist destination, it is much more expensive compared to the prices you can bargain for at the markets. So always try to find the better deals, the prices are cheaper compared to the U.S but you can always find cheaper. The way to ask to lower the price for something is pronounced "lot (low- ot) dai." At the Thai Culture Village, we experienced an elephant demonstration and a Thai culture show.

They served us another buffet lunch and this time I was able to tackle the Pad Thai and it was SO GOOD!!! Other foods included: Thai Green Chicken Curry (also really good, but a bit spicy), fruits, Thai desserts, and so much more! I have never eaten so much. After the buffet, a few people that I met decided to venture around the venue. We took so many photos and the place was so beautiful, filled with so much culture and history of Thailand. Aside from eating, one of the other things that I did was held a snake. It costed 50 baht, and I was totally not going to do it because of how frightened I was, but I was peer pressured.

As you can see, it started off okay. Then feelings changed. Everyone, this is Mr. Charley.

The next thing I did was ride an elephant, which costed 120 baht. Although, it was not a bare back ride, it was still enjoyable and I was really glad that the mahout did not have to use the stick on her. Elephants are so adorable and I also go to feed one of them sugar cane, it was the cutest thing ever!

Traditional Thai dancing 

Lastly, was the Thai Culture show. It was very interesting to watch and displayed a lot about the Thai fighting style, wedding ceremonies, life of becoming a monk, dances, and other traditional events. As an individual with Thai descent, it was very interesting to watch because it was a brief summary and introduction to what the That culture is like and it really taught me a lot. I hope to experience more of the Thai culture while I am here. It has been a really eventful day! Hoping to intake much more cultural knowledge through this experience. Thailand has been great so far. Can't wait for what else is in store!