As its name suggests, most buildings in the school are made primarily of bamboo. The pathway is lined with bamboo and various trees, of which few of them are untouched by bright paint. Seeing such serenity has made me wish that more schools, ours included, would be more in touch with nature and more colourful.
One of the many unique qualities the MEECHAI Bamboo School has is that for students who could not afford the school fees, their parents can instead pay in kind—by planting 400 trees and 400 hours of community service per year. This helps to preserve the environment and make the world a better place.
We had an ice breaking activity which involved separating us into different groups . We played many games which required teamwork and communication.
One activity was called wheelchair agriculture. In this activity, students carefully plant seeds into the soil while seated in a wheelchair. Its objective was to experience how people with disabilities manage their daily routines. This experience taught us to respect and look up to them instead of pitying them. I am grateful for this opportunity.
We had a special workshop called Social Enterprise where we learnt about entrepreneurship and how we can solve social problems with modern innovation. We were taught to create business models and to pitch our ideas with confidence. On the last day we were separated into groups of five and instructed to come up with an innovation that could alleviate the social problem our country is facing. The innovation had to be fully based on theory and knowledge. The first group came up with an app to help solve polystyrene accumulation with the help of genetic engineering and mealworms. This was followed by the second group who presented a sports centre app and finally the car for blind.
We also learnt a new method for growing plants – Hydroponics. This uses a water based, nutrient rich solution without using soil. The roots are supported by an inert medium. We planted lettuce by first pitting seeds in foam containing water and then transferring them to water bottles. It was a new learning experience for all of us.
