Year 12 Trip - Koh Phi Phi, Thailand

Wednesday Blog by Fiona and Bam

We continued digging up the trench today, which was physically challenging and mentally frustrating,  especially since all our muscles were sore from yesterday. 2 litres of sun block were used. There weren't any clouds blocking the sun so full sunlight was blazing on at our backs throughout the whole day. Today was way hotter than yesterday, 10 litres of sweat was produced and this has made the whole process a lot more irritating and difficult.

The art picture mural on the wall of the library looks great. We just need to add the final touches which is to put on our finger prints and names which we will do tomorrow because the paint is still wet.

Wednesday Blog by Tinh Van and Hieu

Once again we were put to the ultimate physically enduring test, for most of us our first physical test in a long while. There were two achievements today: the mural and the ditch.

The first: the ditch.

We woke up with the weariness that lingered on from last night. Our fingers hurt. Our backs hurt. Our shoulders hurt. But we were all determined to leave a mark that would be the signature of our stay here. Today was hotter than yesterday. The sun came out sooner and our shirts were soaked after only two shifts. Because of the excruciating heat, our half hour shifts change from a 5-to-1 ratio of work to rest to a 1-to-1. We did not achieve the goal we determined at the start of the day, but we did manage to shift two thousand kilograms of soil. Although this may be a trivial accomplishment to the completion of the PICC, the next people to come would have had two thousand kilograms of soil moved for them. And that, for us, is something worth knowing.

The second: the mural.

Everyone had their own designs for the wall. But somehow Ben 10, the mermaid, the unicorn, the Thai pirate ship, the island with pencils as coconut trees and the bean stalk work together. For us, it is a library of imagination, an accumulation of fantasies that would live and relive themselves every time they visit the library. The paint will dry, the spillages on the floor will wear away, but our mark will remain.

Digging was tiring. Painting was tiring. Ice did not come until lunch. The sun was boiling hot. But we feel happy by the end of the day. We've left our mark. They were not perfect, but that is what we've come to do. And that is what we will leave behind. And that will be the signature of our stay.