Josh, Richard and myself had breakfast
at our favourite Joma Bakery Café before heading back to our room to clean up
and pack for our departure at 11:00am. We had a group photo with Khankeo at the
new Laos airport that only opened a week ago and said our thank yous &
goodbyes to him. He was an excellent tour guide and I look forward to giving
detailed feedback on his high level of expertise when I return home.
We arrived safely in Bangkok and had a
six hour gap between when we had to be back at the airport. We went to MBK and
The Paragon, two seven storey shopping centres. I’m not sure about the girls
but us guys were beginning to have had enough of shopping after a few hours. I
found that MBK was more of a market shopping centre where as The Paragon was a
higher class with famous brands and retail stores.
We were on our flight back to home to Brisbane by midnight, set for a eight and a half hour flight. Unfortunately that night and on the flight home I started getting sick with flu-like symptoms.
I think this whole volunteer experience has helped me to gain a greater understanding of my university studies. I have found that on this trip I have used and implemented theories & concepts learnt in classes to teach the local community, committees, boards and officials to further grow further in their designated area.
Conversely, putting these theories/concepts into practice has made me better understand the purpose of studying them and how widely they can be used to benefit others, even from a volunteer experience.
We arrived in Brisbane at 11:40am and
used our last duty free opportunities before heading through immigration to
collect our baggage. Once we all had our bags we began to say our goodbyes and
departed. I am surprised to say how sad it was to suddenly say goodbye to the
fourteen other people I have lived with and shared the same experiences over
the last eleven days.
I believe together as a whole group us
student leaders of the Griffith Business School have bonded very well and
developed friendships that will last a lifetime. For it was this amazing
volunteer experience and the ability to help others that has brought us closer
together for the purpose of developing villagers in Laos. This was a unique
opportunity and has taught me more than I could have anticipated about giving
back to the wider community. Furthermore, I would recommend for anyone to take
an opportunity such as this, for the experience is invaluable and one I will
never forget.
