Dzongs & Dumplings

Post written by Courtney, Justin, Noime, and Daphne: "We went to the Dzong fortress today whereby one of us wore a Gho (a traditional Bhutanese men dress). As to pay respect for the royal family, the Gho needs a scarf  and the colour of the scarf represents the person's hierarchy,…

Healthy body, healthy mind = happiness

What a morning. We couldn't have asked for better weather for our first big hike of the trip. We drove out of Thimphu along the river to the foot of the mountain leading up to Cheri Goemba, a small monastery. It was a challenging hike up, but we have great students…

Its Rockin’ in Thimphu!

More shots from today as well as our private concert with Misty Terrace, the most famous band in Bhutan! We even got Sari up to sing! Earlier today: Misty Terrace concert Here is a sample of their music (They threw in a few English songs): IMG_0426 We've got a hike…

It’s not hard to be inspired

After a little morning hike up through the pine trees up the mountain we saw Bhutan's national animal, the Thakin. Hunting is strictly prohibited in Bhutan, and all living animals are cherished. As our guide Sangay said, "We are rich in natural resources, and and we could all be wealthy…

A place where things grow

Pictures of our arrival: We headed out for lunch with a beautiful view of the fortress. We ate Bhutanese food including the infamous Chilli Cheese! 4-star hotness! After lunch we visited a temple with giant Buddha on top of the mountain. Christina (Gr. 10) had this to say about her experience:…

Arrived in the clouds

After a stunning descent into Paro airport we were greeted by our two guides: Sangay and Sonnam. They greeted us by placing a white scarf around our necks. We then had a beautiful drive through the canyon to our hotel in Thimphu. Students were greeted with tea and Bhutanese biscuits.…

Day 1 – Thailand puts the “Yum” in Tom Yum

After checking into The Cottage, we headed to the Paseo Market and Mall which is quintessential Bangkok. Open air, fruit juices, market vendors, with a touch of western style (aka Starbucks). After a few hours of pounding the markets we had a delicious Thai dinner with some interesting dishes some…

Arrived in Bangkok

Arrived in Bangkok. A few people managed to get some sleep on the flight...   Will update later!

Sleep well and see you tomorrow!

We hope everybody is almost finished packing and settling in for a good night's sleep. We'll meet Saturday morning at 7:00 am in the check-in area of the Macau airport. Looking forward to this great shared experience.

Reflecting on a week of service

Students should feel proud of what they will take away from this week. They stepped outside their comfort zones and provided a tangible support to those in their school community and beyond. An insightful quote from Christina today: "After teaching them, I’ve realized sometimes simple makes perfect, the easiest way…