Round Square Service Project

Louis Van Den Rijse, Head Student writes:

Round Square is an internationally diverse network of 250+ like-minded schools in 50 countries. Round Square holds International Service Projects in different countries and I applied to participate for the project in Thailand in the Prachuap Khiri Khan Province.

Following an application procedure where I had to prove my suitability and state my achievements, with a reference from Radnor, luckily I was selected for the project.  The aim was to turbo-charge an ongoing sustainable project to tackle issues relating to human-elephant coexistence. There were two different teams: the "Big Build" and "Environmental" team.  The task of the "Big Build" team, which I was on, was to construct a community research centre. 

I departed Heathrow with curiosity and landed in Bangkok 12 hours later. I was welcomed by staff from different countries including Australia and India. This was when the journey began. After staying in Bangkok the first night and meeting my fellow peers (there were 59 of us), we left the city and headed for the campsite in Kui Buri National Park. The next 10 days or so were spent camping, eating Thai food (SPICY) and working on the project. Our project involved mixing water, mud and straw which formed a clay-like substance called "cob". We wrapped this cob around the bamboo which we cut to form a wall - it took us 10 days of hard work to finish the building.  In the evenings we played games, interacted with the local Thai people and enjoyed the unique atmosphere. Some of the highlights included learning about many different cultures and,  although I was the only one from the UK, I really enjoyed getting to know everyone and since returning, I have stayed in contact with a number of students. As with any expedition, we did face some challenges including the local wildlife: a Tarantula and a snake in camp!!!   

Along the way we learnt about Thai culture, history and elephant behaviour and the RS organisation encouraged us to have some deep reflective moments! So the experience has been great for character building and confidence building; I've learnt about sustainable structures and it has been an unforgettable experience that I would strongly recommend.  Big thanks to Mr Scott for organising!

Kop khun krap,