Until next time...

Once again, it is now time to say goodbye… but not for long! We will surely be back again. As we left for Singapore, it was comforting to know that when we return, we shall still be greeted by the familiar faces from our new friends in ThaiCom – Mee, Khun Nong, Khun Dao, Fon, Tu and last but surely not least, Ah-Wood aka Woody, our all-knowing, all-seeing, ever resourceful driver from the hotel we were staying at :P

Looking forward to our next “11 minutes” ride with you, Woody!

“This has been an awesome experience for me. It has also been my dream to inspire hope to the next generation of youth beyond our shores; and this is a realization of the dream. I can’t express how honoured I feel to be part of this inaugural movement. It becomes so clear that if you follow what you deeply care about, the joy that resonates within your whole body is so immense. I forgot about my bosses’ demands, I forgot about my work back in the centre, I forgot about the conference I was looking forward to… This opportunity to be part of Trybe makes me realize where my true passion originates. It is working with people, and making that commitment to nurture and grow the talents and creativity in our youths.” - Elijah Wee

“This has been a great privilege for me to be a part of. And what an eye opener! I leave Thailand with a greater understanding and respect for it’s people and culture.. that and just a little bit of shopping. =) “ – Mariel Mok

“This is a dream come true for me to see this program to go to other nations and be an influence in the life of youth in other countries and Thailand is a great place to start because of the unique and lively culture they have specially in Bangkok.” - Raffy

“It was soooo exciting to see the Trybe (used to be THumbs Up!) profiles in Thai!!!! and to see the games played in Thai and to hear the student's sharing in Thai!!!...

Not only that, i now have MSN contacts in Thai!! and i just disovered that "55+" means "haha+" because the number 5 in thai is pronounced as "ha"... how COOL is that!?” - Ivy Toh

Trybe @ Assumption College

Assumption College was a whole new experience for me personally. Actually, it’s probably the first all boys school I’ve been to in all my 5 years of volunteering for Trybe! Strangely enough, though the boys seemed a lot quieter than the girls we met in Mater Dei, they warmed up pretty fast to the team when we were in their classrooms. These young man had such clarity of what they wanted to do with their lives!

I was significantly moved by this one guy that was in the class I was in. His name was Jing and though he spoke very little in the class, when asked what his dream in his life was, Jing spoke with such a confidence and certainty. He said, “I want to become a pharmacist, because I think that Thailand has many herbs and I think that I can discover new medicines with these herbs to help other people.”

As he spoke, there was such a sense of purpose and earnestness, not in his own ability but in the importance of this task that he has set his heart to do.. and I couldn’t help but think to myself that I’m very possibly looking at someone who will go on to discover the cure for cancer or Aids some day! These youths such great dreams; they only need someone to come alongside and believe with them and encourage them. The future world changers and shakers are here in Thailand!

Trybe for Volunteers and Parents

It was sooo great to meet such a bunch of like-minded Thai people that had such a heart to build the youths of Thailand. We had the opportunity to train over a hundred Thai volunteers in the Trybe program as well as 70 parents and children on this day. Exciting to see how people with the same heart and vision can come together in spite of language and cultural differences! :)

“Heard at least two testimonies on lives devoted to serving and loving the youth of Thailand .. and realized that I too, lo and behold, care about the future of these kids! THAT’S WHY I volunteer for Trybe. =P” – Mariel Mok

“So glad that there are so many people how are interested to come and attend the program and wants to be a volunteer to help the youths!” – Stephanie Ng

“I truly enjoyed the Parents sessions (being the first time in such a group) as they were so open-responsive and eager to share about themselves and their children… I believe there will be a great demand and need for the parents training program in the future!” – Elaine Matsuwaki

Rest and Recreation...

A day of rest and recreation.. on this fateful day, Trybe volunteers raided the famous Chatuchak and MBK armed with their never-say-die attitude. We have not seen such perseverance at such intensity since……?

Trybe @ Mater Dei Institute

YAY!! Finally.. our VERY FIRST Trybe Thailand School Run! The girls at Mater Dei Institution really reminded me of the IJ girls here in Singapore in terms of their mannerisms and behavior though definitely more genteel than I’d like to admit :p

These 188 girls were such a super energetic, lively and fun bunch. In fact, what really bowled me over was at the end of the program, the girls put up an impromptu item just to thank the Trybe volunteers. One of the girls rapped her way into training hall to Thai pop star Ice Sarunyu’s song Kon Jai Ngai as the hall lights dimmed. In fact, the whole school starting singing and dancing at her lead! The volunteers were invited to dance along with them and as game as Trybe volunteers normally are, we did!

Not only that, we were also immensely touched by their many gestures of gratitude: One of the girls actually gave a formal thank-you speech on behalf of the group and later on, the girls came up one by one to present all the volunteers with a flower garland. I have never felt so loved and appreciated on such a large scale before! *tear*

The girls from Mater Dei (are) brave and smart, were great to work with.. enjoyed spending time with them thoroughly.. working with the team was a blast!”- Dick Su

Incredible energy from the girls at MD. It struck me that although the girls in each group were made up of students from different classes; they banded together and seemed to know each other fairly well. There wasn’t the usual competitive spirit between the classes which I thought was a great help in facilitating the activities… Extremely touched by the farewell. All volunteering should be this rewarding!” – Mariel Mok

Arrival & Cultural Immersion Day in Thailand

18 staff and Trybe volunteers woke up early this morning to head to Bangkok for our very first Trybe run in Thailand! Amidst and groggy eyes, “I-just-woke-up” hairstyles and coffee breath, there was such an air of excitement between all of us. We were going to see Trybe executed in another nation for the first time as a team!!

One of the key highlights of this day was our amazing three hour cultural training session with super Cross-Cultural Trainer Master Jyap and Puii up at Hua Hin! Jyap not only taught us how to do the ‘wai’ properly, but also educated us on the fine nuances of the Thai culture. After the session, I believe all of us were promptly humbled by our ignorance of the respectful nature of the Thai people and most of all, their love for their King. I must say, I was extremely grateful to have gone through this session before we were “released” to meet the crowds of Thai people. With their gentle and respectful ways, I am certain most of us would have come across almost barbaric if we had not learnt how to adapt to their culture.



My cool discovery of the day: Did you know that the name of Bangkok in Thai holds the world record for the longest city name?!?! Jyap couldn’t even say it in one breath… it took a WHOLE song to say it! Is that cool or what??? “Krungteph mahanakorn ammon ratanat gosin……pope nope parat ratchathani burirom....”