Summer Issue, 2013

Airi Yamamoto, a Japanese exchange student of the Faculty of Social Sciences Wonderful Country, Wonderful People Last summer, Airi and her team assisted the local NGOs in building a school for the refugee children. “I thought that we would be able to start building the school right away and complete our job in about a month, but the reality proved to be quite different. We were faced with a sudden disagreement from the Thai community, who objected to us building a school not for Thai children, but for Burmese migrant children. We continued to negotiate with the Thai community, while nding schools that needed the most help.” “My fondest memories are things like the pineapple full of bees attracted by the sweet smell; Aiya, the restaurant where we gathered to hear the local bands and to learn about the local culture; the time I was sick from food poisoning; the D.K. Hotel and the staff who waited for us every night; the night market where we met the child beggars; the children who jumped on my back… I will keep contact with them and see these wonderful people again in the future.” 1. An architectural model of the school 2. Kids at the school construction site 3. Students had a “mud bath” when they were laying the school foundation SERVICE 100 1 3 photos: BuildingTrust International 2 39