What it looks like to attend a Thailand residential from a Year 6 lens…
Travel Day:
Most of us arrived at the airport from 8:45 - 9:00am. We met at aisle A and found our group leaders. Then we said our goodbyes to our parents before we headed off to the check-in counters. We went through immigration procedures, arrived at our gate, and started snacking and playing games! About one hour later, we were informed about the delay of our flight and change of gates. We waited one hour more and, in the end, boarded the plane. At 1:45pm, we took off. We ate our lunch and most of us watched TV. Our lunch included a delicious, scrumptious Häagen-Dazs Cookies and Cream ice cream. As soon as we landed, we hopped on the bus, met the barge staff, and got dinner which included finger-licking fried chicken. After a long ride, we were all exhausted and ready for bed. The barge staff gave us our keys and we went to sleep.
Survival Day:
We woke up bright and early and went to breakfast where a buffet was waiting for us. We grabbed some food for energy and left to our destinations. We made tie dye with natural pigments such as turmeric and butterfly pea flower. After that we made shelters out of bamboo, banana leaves, and natural ties. Water was poured over the shelters to test its durability. After that a winner was selected, we went back to check our tie dye and was mesmerised by the unusual patterns that had been created. The best part of this day was the jungle cooking, where everyone had a specific task to fulfill for lunch. Some chopped vegetables, some made salsa and some prepared and chopped the chicken and pork. We ate lunch with our hands, and it was so delicious! After that we went swimming in the refreshing, cool water, under the burning heat of the sun while the others played water games. Everybody met up for dinner and discussed their fun day!
Community Service Day:
The day started off with elephant themed games such as the mahout game and habitat crunch where we stepped into the shoes of the elephants. Then, we split up to do various activities which were: exploring the elephant museum, shopping, making poo paper, inspecting poo and watched the elephants eat the nutritious banana leaves. After that we went on the banana truck, where we listened to blasting music and headed into the jungle. When we got off the truck, we wore sombreros with cloaks to prevent the sticky banana leaves syrup getting on our clothes. We collected the banana leaves that the mahouts had already cut off. We sped back in the truck and headed to the observation deck where we watched the elephants bathe while we drank strawberry lemonade and ate sweet sticky rice with an egg custard.
WWII History Day:
During WWII History Day, we learnt about the struggles the Prisoners of War had to face and the brutal and cruel conditions they were forced to live in. At the Death Railway Museum, they displayed artifacts from the war and lots of information. We visited many memorable places this day such as the Donrak Cemetery and Hellfire Pass. We got to stand on the railway itself and saw the actual railway tracks! Inside our booklets we drew the railway and the bridge over the River Kwai, this really got our creative juices flowing. We ate our lunch at the floating restaurant on the River Kwai, and it was really good. After such busy day, we got back on the buses and went back to the hotel.
Evenings:
On the first night, we had lots of group rotation team-building games with all our friends, which was an extremely fun way to end the night. On the second night, there was a campfire talent show and we saw many acts of singing, dancing, and comedy. Mr Oscar (part of the barge community) participated in the talent show and performed a classic banana dance which earned him the nickname ‘Banana Man’. After that we toasted golden-brown marshmallows. Some of us set it on fire and the marshmallows turned black but some of us got the perfect golden hue! On the third night, we had a disco party where many of us got to display our dance moves! There was even a dance-off. It was the most popular night, and everyone loved it. We even got prizes!
Travel Day:
We woke up at 4:00am and got on the bus on the way to the airport. We said goodbye to the Barge staff and went to check-in. After checking in everybody headed to the gate where we played lots of games with our friends and ate our lunch. At 12.15 we got onto the flight and took off. After takeoff we got a second lunch! The flight went by very quickly; we landed in Hong Kong just before 5pm where we were reunited with our parents, a very happy end to a fantastic week!
by Arya, Sofia, Miu Miu and Kaylee - 6E
Neurodiversity Celebration Week
Neurodiversity Celebration Week is marked worldwide from 16th to 20th March 2026. This is an opportunity to recognize and value the different ways of how our brains function.
At NAIS Hong Kong, we value all students and foster individual growth. This means learning more about oneself and their peers. Hence students will be exploring what is neurodiversity and its unique strengths throughout the week within their classrooms.
To conclude the celebration on Friday, 20th March, we invite all students to accessorise their uniforms with bright colours (socks, scarves, or jewelry) to represent the infinite variety of human minds.
If you would like to explore your understanding of neurodiversity, feel free to peruse through the websites linked below:
The inclusion team will be happy to answer any queries that you may have. You can reach them @Raazia Shaikh or @Noemi Laudit
Thank you for your collaboration in making NAIS HK a thriving place for all students.
The Inclusion Team
Please see below dates that may be of interest in the coming months, may be subject to changes. This week only I have added dates for Summer Term to help families plan ahead for Spring and Summer Term.
Best regards,
Stephen Sharma
Head of Primary
