Thai-ing up Loose Ends – Day 5

“You mean the show is still on?!”

That’s the common response I hear when I mention that I’m still a fan of The Amazing Race. To be able to travel to exotic countries, complete tasks that showcase the local culture and traditions, and most importantly have a chance to win 1 million dollars – What more could you ask for?

Thus, I was secretly excited when I heard that an Amazing Race element was going to be included in the itinerary. I was further intrigued when I heard that this was conducted by the professors, with the assistance of our seniors.

I wasn’t sure how my groupmates would react to the idea that an amazing race was going to be held during the trip. Surprisingly, we all became very enthusiastic and eager to finish the race, which I think really added to the overall enjoyment and fun we had during the race.

There was also the added challenge of a language barrier, which made things much harder. After all, for the first time, we were without our resident translator, Mohn. Several times during the race, I had to improvise with hand signs and various gestures.

The clues we had were rather challenging, and there were group tasks that we could complete to earn extra bonus points. We also had the option of completing tasks Some of the tasks ranged from humorous to educational, for example, one of the tasks required that we “photobomb” someone else’s photo. Another required us to learn about the daily routines of the monk. I thought it was really well thought out of, and I was impressed by the balance of fun and intellectualism it contained.

To me, one of the greatest joys in participating this Amazing race was learning more about the local culture and traditions, which we did not really get exposed to during the trip. We visited local temples, as well as the old city centre along the way. The location tasks also forced us to pay close attention to the details of each site, and we managed to complete all the location tasks that we visited.

Overall, I felt that the Amazing Race reaffirmed how well our group could work together. We completed all the extra tasks, and we only did not visit one of the locations. Other than that, we satisfied the objectives, and most importantly we had a blast of fun and excitement completing the race.

I felt that the race also showed our individual strengths, and I especially liked how we auto divided the tasks, and focused on what we were good at. Sure, we made a few mistakes, like finding the wrong location for the first clue, but overall, it was rather smooth sailing.

And guess what, WE WON!! Well, it was with the help of the other group, who I admit did an even better job than us, but overall it showed how well we, the Healthcare group, really worked well together. We never expected that we would emerge victorious, and being overall champions really surprised me. I felt really lucky that I’m in this healthcare group, with phenomenal group mates who really kept the energy going even when we were down at certain times.

Of course, it wasn’t all play and no work. After the race, we continued with our fieldwork, in which we visited a pastor at an education centre. The pastor was heavily involved in contact with the rural villagers, and we thought that we would gain valuable insights about smoking from him.

We were not wrong. The pastor was extremely helpful, giving us precise examples and interesting anecdotes of his experiences, and showed us a glimpse of how the villages in Chiang Mai worked. It was then when I realize it was such a pity that we did not get a chance to visit the villages of Chiang Mai, as I’m sure it would really be an eye-opener for all of us.

I was also heartened to learn about how the education centre was built on a red zone – This meant that the place used to be considered a serious danger to the locals, and people used the place for drug and alcohol abuse, as well as gang related violence. It was really inspiring to see how such a place was transformed to be a beacon of hope and aspiration, all through the form of education.

After all, I felt that education is like a torch in the darkness, illuminating and opening paths for those that are trapped in poverty. I am really glad that there are people in the world like the pastor and the staff involved, who are able to guide the children towards a better future, and making the place safer for all.

Overall, this marked the last night of Chiang Mai. It has been a long week of collecting data , exploring and witnessing the charm of Chiang Mai – But I’m really glad that I had the chance to be part of this trip. It has really opened my eyes to see how fast Chiang Mai and Thailand is progressing, and that there is certain unique allure and appeal to Chiang Mai. It was now time to tie up loose ends, and get ready for the trip back home.

With a heavy heart, I bid Chiang Mai goodbye. Who knows when will I ever have the opportunity to visit Chiang Mai again? Singapore beckons and it was time now to return home to face the realities of school and post-trip work.