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Regent’s students well represented in Kenya, part 2
From the top left: Naomi Kuria,
Miss Redler, police commissioner,
district commissioner, chief, Mr Walton. From the bottom left: Uh Sang Ahn,
Jae Geun Lee, and Tyler Hoinkis.
The Regent’s School was well represented in the 2009 RSIS
Project Kenya. Three students: Tyler, Jae, Uh Sang and the leader Miss
Redler participated in this year’s project, joined by Mr Walton and his
family. The aim was to build a library for Ilbissl Girls Secondary School
and give access to the wider community. The project gave the students a
unique experience and made a lasting impression on their lives.
RSIS Kenya 2009
Uh Sang Ahn
I never thought that I’d make such strong emotional ties with people
I’ve never met before in just a matter of three weeks. Especially when you
know that you possess a shy personality. I remember when I first boarded the
plane I almost panicked, fearing this project would lead to my remorseful
days of loneliness despite the fact that I had two other guys from our
school going with me. But I didn’t want to talk to them much either as I
knew hanging around people I knew would just make me even more unsociable.
The negativity of the project was broken as soon as I stepped into the
grounds of Starehe Boys School and before I knew it, I was in a paradise of
Starehe boys and other international students.
 It’s
hard work.
The guys I met at Starehe were magical; I seemed to like them the minute I
started to talk with them. When a conversation began, I was amazed to find
that I had very similar tastes to the boys in music, films and even books,
resulting in hours of debating, laughing and joking around. It still makes
me smile whenever I recall and imagine their voices in my head; one boy
cracking a joke and the other telling a good story. I knew from that very
moment of conversing that I would never forget them.
The Ilbissl girls I met during the course of the project were also very nice
to talk to despite the fact that they were, for the first few days, a little
hard to get to know. I got to know them mostly through the building site and
domestic groups and the Starehe boys sometimes helped me to break through
the language barrier through simple translations and before I knew it, I
felt extremely comfortable around them.
 Stretching
out in the morning to make sure we didn’t pull any muscles.
But what really inspired me was the fact that Kenyans pursued education with
pure determination and enthusiasm despite their poor backgrounds. Again, a
sense of shame struck me because I realized how lucky I was, but it didn’t
last long for their humor and stories kept me and the boys entertained. I
still miss them to this day.
Eighteen days… If you say it like that, it seems like a long time but the
course of the project itself flew past within a blink of an eye. All the
memories I have, I know I will cherish forever. I ended up in tears like
everyone else when we left. But I know for sure, thanks to globalization,
that I’ll keep in touch with all my new friends that I have made and I know
for sure that I’d come back to Kenya, sooner or later. Therefore I don’t
think this project is actually the end at all. In fact, this project is just
the beginning of my newly sculptured life.
The Kajiado district commissioner, the Police commissioner and the district
chief met with Mr. Walton and Miss Redler to inspect the building of the
library for the Ilbissl community. They were impressed and congratulated
Round Square for the positive impact they have made on the community.
The district commissioner told Mr Walton, “We cannot overemphasize the
positive impact that Round Square International Service has made to us,
i.e., students, teachers, parents, and the entire Ilbissl community. So far,
a lot has been achieved in terms of enrolment, academic performance and
confidence in the students. Round Square has been a positive force in girls
education in the Maasai community.”
The school has registered tremendous growth in terms of enrolment due to the
facilities provided by Round Square. Madam Kuria, the Principal, reported,
“This year alone, 50 more girls have been enrolled. In 2010 we expect to
admit 100 more girls to form one. This will increase the school population
to 420 girls from the current 320 girls. We attribute this to the increased
facilities and infrastructure from the Round Square International Service
Projects.”
Last year Ilbissl Girls registered the highest improvement in the national
exams in the whole district. The school was awarded by the Ministry of
Education and this has brought about a lot of competition among the girls.
All the girls who did their national exams, qualified to join universities,
diploma colleges or certificate in various parts of the country.
The people we met were
tremendous.
The local villagers treated us
like family.
Two youngsters receive new wheelchairs from Charity Club of Pattaya
|
Pirapat in his new wheelchair
in December. |
Puwandon sits
in his
new wheelchair with head support. |
Christina Boden
The Charity Club has two more children from Isaan who need their
help; 5-year-old Puwandon and 10-year-old Pirapat.
Pirapat - Aged 10 years old is from Ban Gutklong in Krasang. He has been
brain damaged since the age of 4 months old. His parents are both rice
farmers and they needed a wheelchair for their son. We asked the
hospital to advise us on the best chair available for him, and the one
they suggested cost 13,000 baht. We were able buy the wheelchair from
money raised through donations from Auspro last October.
Puwandon - Is a 5-year-old little boy who lives with his grandparents in
Ban Tadii Krasang. His parents left when he was born. He has already
been in hospital in Bangkok as he had a cancerous tumor removed from his
nose. He is on tablets for epilepsy and has water on the brain. He also
needed a wheelchair that would give him good head support. Again, thanks
to the donation from Auspro we have been able to order and get his
wheelchair to him very quickly.
Anyone who would like to help with a donation of cash, food, clothing,
bedding, children’s clothing, shoes, toys and games can contact the
Charity Club at any of the following; Christina on 0895454185 Malcolm on
089 7441040 or take your donation to the Queen Victoria inn Soi 6.
[email protected]
Asian University Alumni come ‘home’ to the campus
Susan Joyce
Since the first student intake at Asian University in 1998,
there have been many graduates and MBAs who are now taking their places
in Thailand and the world.
 Nichasil
Tantivejkul gives a lively presentation about his work experience and
predictions for the next twenty years in Thailand.
The Alumni Homecoming on January 22 was a chance for them to return to
campus and share some of their experiences with the current students and
with faculty who taught them over the years.
Dr. Viphandh Roengpithya, the university president, welcomed the
visitors and the students with an interesting talk covering many aspects
of his business career, including starting his first company and how he
made his first million. He also advised the students from families with
family businesses, to get some working experience with other companies
before returning home. There is a lot to be learnt by seeing how other
businesses are run.
 Bell
and Qatar make a recording for posterity.
The students and alumni then held a “getting to know you” session, to
learn about the successes of the alumni, and the stories of their
experiences. There was plenty of catching up to do.
After lunch, Nichasil Tantivejkul, who graduated BBA in 2006 and is now
working for the government in NESDB (National Economics and Social
Development Board) gave a lively presentation about his work experience
and then gave predictions for the next twenty years in Thailand.
After graduating from Asian University he studied for a Master’s degree
in Australia, and gained worked experience with Nectec, General Motors
and Siam Cement Group before his current job.
For the future, he predicted better integration of the regional
infrastructure (roads, water, power, telecoms) and referred to the
twenty first century building blocks: atoms, bits, genes and neurons.
Everyone enjoyed sports organised by the university sports staff, and
the alumni beat the students at Chairball and football, while the
students won the basketball game.
The day was rounded off with an excellent barbecue, and the sharing of
experiences continued.
Graduates had plenty of
catching up to do.
The Alumni Homecoming on
January 22 was a chance
for graduates to return to campus and share some of their experiences.
Students sleep with the fishes
One of the instructors
points out a rare fish species swimming in the aquarium.
Mark Beales
Students from the Anglo Singapore International School in Bangkok spent
a night sleeping with the fishes as part of a dynamic maths and science
camp last week.
Around 80 budding-Jacques Cousteaus visited Underwater World in South
Pattaya and a turtle conservation centre in Sattahip as part of the
programme.
The students took part in the event from January 28-30.
 English
teacher Andy Mansfield-Page interviewed on Pattaya Mail on TV.
The youngsters came face-to-face with hundreds of different types of
fish and walked through a specially-made tunnel where they were
surrounded by sharks, rays and turtles. They were also given special
worksheets which they had to complete following various presentations.
English teacher Andy Mansfield-Page said it was an invaluable chance for
students to learn more about conservation and what issues were affecting
the world’s marine creatures.
He added, “It’s very difficult in education knowing what goes into a
student’s mind and usually experiencing things is the best way of
learning.
“They are coming to see these places so that they can feel it, they can
see the creatures, and they can learn first-hand from the experts what
the problems are. The classroom doesn’t give that to them and we want
them to experience first-hand, if possible, all the problems we are
having in the world with conservation and development.”
He also praised Underwater World for providing a safe environment and a
wide range of activities for the students.
 Students
receive last minute instructions before heading into Underwater World.
A guest speaker told students about the dangers of global warming and
they were given a special night-time tour of the aquarium. Once the tour
was over the students got out their sleeping bags and spent the night
sleeping with the fishes at Underwater World.
Teacher Paul Gerdes said, “The aim of this outdoor mathematics and
science camp is to provide Anglo Singapore students with the
opportunities to learn beyond the classroom and textbook. It is hoped
that through this educational and experiential learning, the students
will become more aware of the impact humans have on the environment.
“We believe that involving students with real-life science and
mathematical experiences enables them to learn and understand concepts
that can’t be experienced inside the classroom.
“Not only is this interactive approach to math and science effective, it
allows for some fun.”
The students seemed to agree. Name Chaimaneekarakate, 14, said, “It’s
pretty interesting to learn about marine life. Sitting in the classroom
you can learn many things but you can learn more outside and you can see
many things with your own eyes.”
Megan Moran, 13, added, ‘We went to see the turtles and they were really
very amazing, some of them were sick but it was great to see them. We
learned about their life cycles and about how dangerous it is for them
at sea when they’re not protected.”
Student Jazlina Sutauto said she had a booklet with questions about
marine life that had to be completed during the visit. She added it was
an interesting way to learn and that it was important for students to
understand more about the impact of global warming.
For more on the school visit www.anglosingapore .ac.th or to learn more
about the attraction go to www. underwaterworldpattaya.com.
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