Reefs to Rainforests
Environmental/ Cultural Field Trip, Tet 2007
Selected students from 9th to 12th grades went on a trip to Thailand in February to learn about the unique natural ecosystems in the area. They recently presented their experience to the rest of the 9th – 11th graders at a high school assembly. They spoke of the days spent immersed in the experience, learning about the wonders of the karsts, forests, and coral reefs and the environmental problems threatening each. They also spoke of visiting and learning about Moken people living in the area, learning about their way of living and how they survived the Tsunami in 2004. Luckily, none of the Moken people lost their lives in the tsunami. However, they lost everything else: from their homes to many of other objects they use in everyday life. As part of the trip's community service, the UNIS students assisted the Moken people by donating money they raised to help the Moken community buy a motor for their boats as well as through a clothing drive, since many of the people there are short of clothes due to the tsunami.
Student Travelogue
The time we spent together in Thailand on this year’s “Reefs to Rainforests” trip was truly wonderful. Looking at it now, this one week passed by faster than anyone of us would have ever expected, yet every single day was fun and enjoyable, full of experience and new knowledge that was brought to us by the most amazing and informative tour guide anybody in this world could ever dream of – Thom Henley – a man of many answers.
Besides just having spent a wonderful and very intensive time with the Moken, a tribe that has been evident along the west coast of Thailand for as long as 40 000 years, we experienced the most incredible and beautiful wild life, forests, snow-white beaches, coral reefs, views, impressive eco-systems and simply the sounds and noises of nature – love songs of gibbon mingling every morning with the buzzing of thousands and thousands of different kinds of cicada.
“Reefs to Rainforests” was one of the most wonderful and amazing trips I have ever had in my entire life. Every day passed by, stuffed with colourful countless images that will definitely rest in our minds forever and without even noticing, we really did learn a lot.
United Nations International School of Hanoi
UNIS is a not-for-profit international school offering the full International
Baccalaureate from
Discovery (for 3 year olds) to Grade 12. It is also fully accredited
by the European Council
of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and
Colleges.
