Day 4

We woke up, and were terribly disappointed to leave the most beautiful place in the world - well at least I thought it was. We went to our last breakfast that we would have in Chaing Mai, packed our bags and within minutes we were on the bus leaving for the airport.


When we got to the airport we had to wait in line forever, it took hours, and the line Brittany and Theresa went in only took 20 minutes - just my luck. When I got my ticket I realized I was sitting next to Ella and Erica, and that was at least one good thing about day 4. When we got on the plane, from then on it was a disaster. The plane ride was only suppose to be 1 hour and 45 minutes but instead it ended up being an hour longer. Apparently the reason was there was something on the airplane track therefore leaving the pilot with no choice but to turn around. When we finally arrived at the airport, our bus left because we were too late, so all of the Grade 8's immediately rushed to McDonald's. It was so good, for some strange reason it felt like real food. Our bus came, and we got on it, but it took much longer than expected, so when we finally arrived at Toh Tuck we came to grouchy parents but that was OK. I really wish the trip was longer because it was the best excursion trip I have ever had!



(All photos credited to Erica Dauzacker)

Day 3

We woke up to the sound of roosters, but then fell right back asleep. Ms. O kept on telling us to wake up, but we only did until the host came upstairs with breakfast. We scrambled to get ready and the smell of food rushed us even more. We were served the really good soup from last night, eggs, toast with jam, and this delicious green mango, my absolute favorite fruit in the world. And we even had some Ovaltine, but I mixed mine with some instant coffee. It was really, really cold, I loved it so much and which Singapore could steal their weather. At 7:45 we were told to meet down at the bottom of the hill and get ready for the exciting day ahead of us. Saying thank you and goodbye to our host was challenging and we depended our life on this little notebook that had translation. When we got down and was ready to go we had to put harnesses on again, at that point I was getting really sick of them. The instructors that we had for the Flight of the Gibbon were really funny, nice, and fun to hang out with. At first it was super scary; can you imagine jumping off a 40 meter tall tree? The instructors just said ‘okay, bye’ and that added more fun to it as well. In total there were 15 Zip Wiring stations. There were so many different styles. There was the usual one where you just zipped from one tree to the other, and then there were huge and extremely long ones where you could do 180, or 360 flips. Another type was a sort of belaying style. It goes vertically down, and that is really scary. My favorite type was the ‘superman’ jump. You attached yourself onto a wire that was a little bit taller than average, and for a split second you feel like you’re flying or dying in the air. Then when you reached the other end you had to grab a net so you didn’t have to come all the way back, or even get stuck in the middle as what happened to Craig. I thought the Zip Wiring was so much fun and was as much fun as the rock climbing and the abseiling, maybe even more so. When we were done we had cold water waiting for us, something at that time was a scarce object. So everybody gulped it down quickly. We came back for lunch and had really good Thai green curry along with some nice vegetables, and that really good fish sauce.


After that day, we were even more tired than usual but really wanted to go to the market. When we got there, it was completely the opposite as to what I thought it would be. There was a butcher shop which was not very pleasant to look at; they even sold frogs and bugs to buy which I thought was pretty cool. I went around looking for that really good green mango that the host at the house served us, but couldn’t find the right one, so instead I bought a bag full of rambutans and knew Ella would eat them all. After wandering around somebody found this person who made a Thai version of a slush puppy. He grounded up the ice by hand and put the liquid over it, as well as condensed milk. It was so refreshing and good, most people had to but I just stuck with one. When we got inside the van we were all ready to get back to the Prem Center and jump in the pool. In our van Simon, Akash, and Bandera were sitting with us, Simon bought a watermelon and I thought that was pretty funny.


We finally arrived at the Prem Center, but Theresa, Erica and I just ate food in our apartment until we were allowed to go to the pool. The second we jumped in, it felt so nice. That day we were so muddy and sweaty and jumping into a freezing cold pool was just what we needed. We swam in the pool for a couple of hours until the other groups arrived. We were so happy to see them. We told each other about our trips and wish we had stayed longer to enjoy everything. That night we had a very special Khantoke dinner. I loved it so much, we got the chance to eat with our hands, and Ella and I took every advantage that we could of it. We had this really good slightly sweet chicken, and then minced up chicken with pork and this amazing spicy sauce, as well as delicious vegetables, along with sticky rice. Overall I just loved that dinner. Afterwards we got to watch many different cultural dances, there were really nice. There were several different dances with several themes. One was a music dance, another a candle, dance and my favorite was the umbrella dance.




It was the last night there so we were all really sad, but looking back on the trip, it was the best excursion week there possibly could be.

(All photos are credited to Erica Dauzacker)

Day 2

This day was amazing. We woke up and the feeling of not being home was awesome. Erica told us she would wake us up at 6:00 in the morning in order for us to pack our back for the overnight family stay, but she forgot to set her alarm to Thailand time, so she got us up at 5:00. We were too tired to yell at her, so we all collapsed back into bed. That morning we went to breakfast and had this amazing omelet, you chose what you wanted and they made it for you. They also had this really good heart shaped waffle. After I stuffed myself with all the amazing food I went back to my apartment and packed for the next two days.

Our first activity that day was rock climbing. To get to the location we took a red truck, it was so cool. The car ride was really bumpy and took an hour long, so we talked about a popular TV show called LOST. When we finally got there we were all really tired so to wake us up they made us sing a song and do actions with it. The song went like this ‘Mingo, Mingo, Mingo, HA, Mingo, Mingo, Mingo, HA, and surely enough it woke us up. We were then split into many different groups. I was in the tiger group and we went rock climbing first. Before we went on excursion week they taught us how to put on our own harness, so that has really easy. We also had to wear helmets to protect us from the falling rocks. Before we left the Prem center, I filled my water bottle with Gatorade, by the time we finished trekking up to the rock climbing location, I was stuck with hot Gatorade – not a very pleasant thing to drink- and so I had some of Ms. O’s water. Before we were allowed to do any climbing we had to listen to the rules and safety regulations and how to tie your own double figure 8 knot, it took me a while till I finally got it. When they told us we could belay somebody I got really excited as I love belaying people. The first climb I went up was fairly easy but was still a challenge. When I got down I was determined to belay somebody, so I belayed Ms. O, she got up really high but we still had to encourage her to go higher. Due to the belaying, I got a really bad blister between my fingers and so I had to wear Michael’s gloves. The hardest climb there was called the chimney, you had to bounce in-between two walls to get up, I decided to do it, and eventually made it to the top.

When we came back we had lunch. It was so good, we had fried rice with chicken and vegetables and all sorts of different things, even this amazing fish sauce. After we were done we got a small break – we were exhausted – then put our harnesses back on and started to trek up the mountain to go abseiling. We first had a practice one where it was only 5 meters, just so we would know how to belay ourselves. Then came the gigantic one, 55 meters long! I was so anxious to go that I had to go second, first would be a little bit too scary. Michael went first, and he was already down there when I was hanging in the air. I enjoyed it so much I went swinging from one part of the cave to the other. I got down there and had to wait a really long time till everyone eventually got there.

After we left, we went to the Thai village and stayed in this amazing house with a really nice host. I shared a hosue with Ms. O, Theresa, and Erica. The beds there were really cool, we slept in mattresses on the floor. Erica, Theresa, and I slept in the livingroom-ish area and Ms. O had her own room. Our beds were inside a mosquito net, thank god for that. Since we were filthy we all wanted to take showers, but we were told it was freezing cold. I didn't believe them, but when I went I realized they were telling the truth. It was absolutly freezing cold, I think it was water that came straight from the mountain or rivers. After we were changed and ready to eat, the host - who spoke no english - gave us our amazing dinner. We each got our own bowl or rice and was served fish, this really good soup, and vegetables. It was really good, and watching the sunset added a special touch. When we finished eating Erica, Theresa, and I were all exhausted but that didn't stop us from buying some soda's and gum from the shop near by, but after that we all collapsed into our beds and didn't wake up one bit, until the roosters started.

(All photos are credited to Erica Dauzacker)

Day 1

I woke up at 4 30 in the morning, something that should never be done again. I was exhausted and couldn’t even get out of the house without falling asleep. My dad called a cab; I grabbed my bag and jumped in the taxi, not knowing that I fell asleep again. I got out and saw all the other Grade 8’s and realized they were also half asleep and was glad that I wasn’t the only one. Immediately we got on the bus, right on time at 5:15 – Ms. Nah is always on time – and fell asleep again until we arrived at the airport. We met some other students there and said goodbye to Mr. Bland, Ms. Caverly, and all the parents, and by that time we were ready to leave Singapore. We stood in line and waited and waited to check in our luggage and get our boarding pass. We were at gate E3, and had 30 minutes to wander around the airport. Immediately we all simultaneously went to Starbucks, sat down and drank some coffee, Erica and I had a Caramel latte, and it woke us up instantly. I had a really bad cold at that time so I took loads of Panadol in order for my ear not to burst , but they still did. After waiting for a long time, we finally boarded our plane. I sat next to Theresa and Erica was opposite me on the other Aisle. I sat in the seat, made a tent and slept, I felt really, really sick. When the food came, I woke up – of course- it was so good, we had an omelet and really good chicken sausages, then I went back to bed. It didn’t seem like a long ride at all because after we had our food, I remember landing. A rush of excitement ran through me and I couldn’t wait to get started on the activities. We grabbed our luggage and stepped outside of the airport, the weather in Thailand is so much nicer than Singapore, it has no humidity. Group 1 – the adventure group – got into this bus that was covered with nemo pictures, Erica and I really like it. When we got on, our tour guide – Robert, he is so cool – told us that the bus ride would be an hour long, so Craig got out his deck of ‘uno’ cards and we played for a long time and I even won.


We arrived at the Prem Center, got informed of the rules, and was told to leave our bags in our apartment and go straight to lunch. The walk to the cafeteria is amazing; there are rivers, thousands of trees, and even bridges. We had this really good spaghetti for lunch, and went back to our apartments to change. I am in Group 1 one and we went mountain biking. Ms. O and Mr. Sarich were our teachers in charge and they forewarned us that the mountain bike trip would be really hard and tiring so we brought bucket loads of water. We picked out our bikes and I got this amazing Trek bike, which saved my butt from aching the entire trip. The entire mountain biking trip was 18 k; we finished in 2 and half hours, apparently much faster than last year’s group. When we first started, I thought it was going to be an easy breeze, but it was completely the opposite. The hills were humungous and I had to get off my bike millions of times. The sun was beating down on us so much that we gulped down so much water, but Simon got dehydrated and threw up. Before we finished, Thais, Akash, Micheal and I went on the right track, but the entire group got lost, so we had to wait 30 minutes for them to catch up. We finally finished, got back, and went straight to the shower. That night we had a barbeque dinner with a bonfire and we even got to roast smores. At the end, the Prem Center staff told us to make a rap about our day, it was really cool.

(All photos credited to Erica Dauzacker)

Blog Post Assignment #2

My friend is from New Zealand and when she goes there every summer she sends me photos. They make me so jealous. The beautiful scenery, the amazing farms, the gorgeous oceans, and they even have great food! My grandfather lives on a farm, we only go there once a year and I miss it, so I think visiting a farm in New Zealand (with all the sheeps!) will top off the perfect year.



Italy is the place everyone wants to go, but for several reasons. The culture, the language sounds like people singing to me, shopping, the people, and especially the food.


Santorini Greece. Everything about Greece, but especially the food. The cheeses, olives, salads, and pasta. Just looiking through pictures of Greece makes me sigh, the beautiful blue sky, sea, and pure white houses reminds me of a picture perfect holiday.


I traveled to Spain when I was really young, but it has always been a place where I wanted to go back. Everything there is incredible; the houses, the beaches, the people, and especially the food. When you walk down the streets you see thousands of colors, hear many different styles of music, and experience an amazing culture. But the thing I love the most of all about Spain, are the beaches. They are crystal clear, the perfect temperature, and gorgeous scenery.


South Africa has always been a major appeal to me. Many people who have travelled there say it is an amazing travel, and a trip you will never forget. I love watching the sunset, visiting animal parks, and especially visiting the South African culture. When I do get a chance to visit it, I with no doubt will want to stay in a tribal village and get to know the people. To me it would be an escape from the big cities and it will also be my favorite place to visit.

Blog Post Assignment #1

The Grade 8's this year are travelling to Chiang Mai, Thailand for the CASA week trip. The teachers who are accompanying us went there last year, and loved it. They shared their stories with us, showed us pictures and videos, and from that my expectations grew. I have never been to Chiang Mai so I am looking forward to an awesome -end of middle school- trip. The previous Grade 8 students told me that the elephant trekking was amazing and picturesque, but unfortunately I am not joining that group. I believe the 'Prem Center' will be really unique as I have never stayed in a boarding-like house or complex before, but I am looking forward to it. The thing I am extremely looking forward to is the amazing traditional Thai dinner at the end of the excursion.

I got put into Group 1 which I am thrilled about. Every time the Ms. O, or Mr. Sarich read out the activities for Group 1 I get excited. We will be going on a mountain bike adventure which is going to be long, muddy, and tiring, but that doesn’t stop me from looking forward to it. We will also be going zip lining, absailing, trekking, and swimming. But the two activities I am looking forward to the most are rock climbing and the overnight local village stay. Overall I think the CASA excursion week trip will be an outstanding three days.