Day 1, Tuesday           
Relax and prepare yourself for your adventure on world-class Singapore Airlines. Meet other students, watch on-demand movies and unwind. A Rustic Pathways Flight Leader will accompany each of our escorted group flights from Los Angeles, making sure that your journey is easy and enjoyable
           
Day 2, Wednesday    
Ghost Day - After flowing through different time zones and passing the International Date Line today is ‘lost’ in the ambiguity of international travel. Don’t worry - you’ll be able to pick up a free day on your flight home. For those of you who lose your birthday on a ghost day, not to fear – we’ll throw a party for you as soon as you arrive at the Ricefields Base!
           
Day 3, Thursday      
Sawat dee and welcome to Thailand! The morning begins as you arrive into Singapore in the wee hours of the morning. You’ll be met by Rustic staff who will welcome you and make sure all is running smoothly. Stretch your legs and enjoy one of the world’s nicest airports for a couple hours, before connecting with your Tiger Airways flight directly to Udon Thani. In just a couple of hours, you’ll be at the Ricefields Base. Upon your arrival at the Base, you will be welcomed by the dozens of western and Thai staff, as well as other students already here. We’ll help you find your room, or “hong”, and get a sense of your surroundings. Once you have had a chance to meet your new “hong mates” and “hua naa hong” or room leader, grab a snack, jump in the pool or take a long awaited shower. In the afternoon, you’ll have orientation where you’ll get a run-down of everything you need to know about life at the Base, as well as the basic daily schedule. You’ll have the rest of the afternoon to make yourself at home, make some new friends, play some pick-up soccer or Frisbee, or chill out by the pool. Welcome to life at The Ricefields Base!
           
Day 4, Friday
Looking out the window, the morning light over the rice fields will help you begin to settle into the laid-back Thai life. Don’t be alarmed if you wake early top the sound of bells ringing softly at sunrise - days start early in Chiang Yuen - it is only the monks preparing to begin their morning walk to collect alms throughout the village.  

After a hearty buffet-style breakfast, you’ll get straight to work on one of the many community service initiatives running that day. You’ll learn about the specific community service project from the staff team managing the project, and you’ll get acquainted with Thai Culture and customs from our local Thai staff members.

The meals are served at the Base and will introduce you to the exotic and diverse flavors of Thailand, plus a few reliable American staple foods. After lunch it is time to dive right into the next community service project in the afternoon. Make new friends with similar interests from across the country and the world while joining these real service projects which benefit the surrounding community in many ways. Smiling locals will step in and join the project when they can, excited to meet you show their appreciation for your hard work.

Evenings at the Ricefields
Night time at the Ricefields is full of fun. While each night will differ, there will always be supervised activities, as well as a chance to relax with new friends at the Base. Learn Thai Dancing, skip to the sounds of local Thai musicians, receive a traditional Thai massage, or sit down with the local monks and learn about Thai Buddhism. Whatever the night, there is always plenty of buzz around the base. If you are tired from the hard days work, you can always chill out by the beautiful pool with new friends, pondering if the stars look the same in Asia as they do at home. Our days are always busy here, and students always sleep easy after an honest day’s work to rest up for the next day’s activities. Lap fun dee, na! (Have sweet dreams!)
           
Day 5, Saturday And Day 6, Sunday -
Weekends at the Ricefields
We will wake-up in the morning and after fueling up for the day, it is time to head out into the surrounding villages. On weekends, we generally do a morning service session as a larger group, giving students a chance to meet and spend time with other people at the Base. Weekend community service projects commonly include visits to the local orphanage for some playtime with these wonderful underprivileged children, helping Chiang Yeun farmers plant rice, and community trash pick-ups. By working in larger groups you’ll be amazed at how much we can accomplish in a short time.
          
After “getting the chores done in the morning” it is time to relax at the Base or head out on an excursion. You may choose to depart with other students to do some touring in the Udon Thani area, round-up your new American and Thai friends for a game of pick-up soccer or ultimate Frisbee, or just relax by the pool and work on your tan while listening to some tunes. Ting, one of the many Sanboon family members, is the Ping Pong King here at the Ricefields Base and is always ready to defend his crown, so if you are up to the task all are invited to come challenge the throne!
Weekends are also a great opportunity for you to get out and explore the area with your hong. Trips into town for a movie, bowling, or a traditional Thai massage are common, and there are sometimes crazy scavenger hunts that will bring you to places you’ve never imagined.

Day 7, Monday Through Day 9, Wednesday    
It is back to our 12 service project options on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  After breakfast, we’ll split-up into small groups and head out into community. While the exact schedule may vary, generally we will be doing the following projects during the morning hours: Buddhist Life & Service, Swing Sets, Coloring Books and Kiddies, Connecting the Ricefields, Welcome Homes, Hands in the Dirt.

After we complete our morning projects, it is time to return to the base to fuel up on freshly cooked local cuisine and share the morning’s experiences. After lunch we will jump right back into another educational project for the afternoon. The normal afternoon activities will be: Teaching the Children, Language Exchange, Bobbing and Floating, Orphans & Open Arms, Meals on Flip-flops. For more in-depth details about the activities of each specific program, please see the details on the main page at www.rusticpathways.com/2008/thailand/trb.htm.

At about 5:30 we will wrap-up work for the day and head back to the Ricefields Base for the evening’s activities.

Wednesday Night Goodbye Party!

Wednesday night is time to say goodbye to those students who are heading home this week, and the Sanboon family always makes sure to that each student who visits the Ricefields Base receives a heartfelt farewell. This event varies each week, and students always have fun suggestions on new themes that we can try each week. Usually we’ll throw a pool party, showcase a performance of your new Thai dancing skills, and cook up a tasty BBQ in addition to any other cool ideas. After the evening’s activities conclude, make sure to swap emails and say goodbye to your departing friends.  Students heading home will depart for Singapore first thing in the morning, while students connecting to other programs will head off to their next destination in the early afternoon, so be sure to swap e-mail addresses with all of your new friends before parting ways. 
           
Day 10, Thursday      
Tour to Nong Khai
After your first week of dedicated service at the Ricefields Base, today is a well deserved day-off from community service projects and a chance to do some touring in the area! Our destination varies from week to week, but a popular destination is Nong Khai, a town on the Thailand-Laos border, settled on the banks of the mighty Mekong River, the heart and life of Southeast Asia. This river begins hundreds of miles north in the highlands of China, flows through the limestone peaks of Laos and the plains of Thailand, finally reaching the ocean in Cambodia. Take a walk around the ‘Smuggler’s Market’ and search for that perfect souvenir, or enjoy a cool drink in the shade by the riverside. Enjoy the view of the Laos countryside across the mighty Mekong, and watch the many long-tail boats skip from shore to shore. Next we’ll head to Sala Keaw Ku to explore a sculpture garden with intriguing elements of Buddhist and Hindu influences. This statue garden is always a hit with students, as it is the perfect backdrop for some great pictures. Another popular event which we usually mix in to the day is the Rustic Mystery Tour, a new favorite activity at the Ricefields Base, which shows students truly ‘unseen Thailand’. After a full day of adventure, return to the Base and greet all of the newly arrived students who you’ll be sharing the next week with.              
           
Weeks Three, Four, and Beyond…
One of the real pleasures of the Ricefields Base is settling into the groove of the laid-back lifestyle of rural Thailand. After you’re first week, the schedule will remain much the same though as your relationships with the Sanboon family, your fellow students, staff and Baan Chiang Yuen get stronger. As you become a more familiar face around the Ricefields Base, you will begin to notice that you start to become part of the family here. You begin to learn more about the welcoming culture here, learn some new phrases in Thai, and spend more time with the Thai people all around you, greatly enhancing the quality and meaningfulness of your experience. In the upcoming week or weeks, you have the opportunity to pick a new focus project or remain with your previous projects and continue the special bonds which formed during week one. The same goes for evening activities, where you can try new things which you may not have done in the previous week, as well as return to those things which you enjoyed most. Students consistently report that the ability to customize their stay here allows each individual to create their ideal experience and makes the Ricefields programs some of our most popular programs.

Weekend Side Trips!

New this year, we’re proud to offer Weekend Side Trips for students staying at the Ricefields Base for 2 weeks or more. These trips offer students unique opportunities to do things not available on other Rustic Pathways programs, and are a great way to explore the region. For students staying at the Ricefields for an extended period of time, these Side Trips keep the experience very fresh and add a great deal to the overall experience. For more information about these weekend adventures, please see www.rusticpathways.com/sidetrips .

Want to know more about our Ricefields Base?

The Ricefields Service Base has grown into something truly special over the past several years, and it must be experienced to be really known.
For a complete tour of the Ricefields Base and the latest news, check out www.rusticpathways.com/2008/ricefields/virtualtour.

An Important Note about Schedule Changes :
Rustic Pathways reserves the right to change, alter, or amend the daily itinerary for this trip at any time. Changes can be made for various reasons including changes in flight or program schedules, changes in the schedules of various external tours incorporated in our trips, the addition of new activities into a trip, or the substitution of an old activity for a new activity. The itinerary shown here provides a good outline of the anticipated daily schedule for this program. As with any travel program, some changes may occur.

Two of Thailand's Programs are based at the Rustic Pathways' Ricefields Community Service Base in Udon Thani Province - Introduction to Community Service in Thailand and Ricefields, Monks & Smiling Children. If you are on either of these programs, you will be living at our Ricefields Base and working in our host village. If you haven't done so yet, please check out the Ricefields Base Virtual Tour at: http://www.rusticpathways.com/2008/ricefields/virtualtour.htm .

Notes on clothes for teaching
The village where you will be staying is friendly and casual, and you will not have any need for fancy clothing or any particular supplies. However, you should bring 2 or 3 pairs of lightweight pants (linen, thin cotton, etc.) to wear while teaching in the classrooms. When teaching, students must dress respectfully and are not allowed to wear shorts, "spaghetti strap" shirts, or low cut shirts. Shirts for boys and girls must have a collar and cover the shoulders.

The base is traditional Thai style, but very comfortable and welcoming, and facilities here include hot water showers, modern flush toilets, an internet connection (WiFi also available), and a really warm and easy-going environment to live, play, and share your life with the local people. Our base has a washing machine, and some of the relatives of our extended host family wash and press clothing for our students as a small side-business. There is also a tailor in town who will make silk shirts or dresses for you, and a cool market where you can buy t-shirts ($ 2 or $ 3 each).

Notes on Gifts
The one thing you will want to consider when staying in this traditional village are gifts for the young Thai students in the village school, gifts for your Thai staff members, and gifts for some of the extended family that will take care of you while you are here. You don't need to spend a lot on gifts, and if you start planning now you will find that you already have many things at home which you can recycle and bring over to give away. You may also want to get some gear with your school logo for your favorite staff, or something nice to leave at our base (a book, a game, a decoration, a toy, some sporting equipment) that will stay and be used or enjoyed after you go.

For the children in the village, you could bring colored paper, writing paper, small tablets or notebooks, pens, pencils, rulers, and basic school supplies that would be useful for students between 3 and 14 years of age. For the kindergarten and first and second grade students, you could bring simple games, blocks, coloring books and crayons, and anything they could use to play in the classroom. Another GREAT idea is a gift that will help their health…toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, chewable vitamins, etc. These may seem boring to you, but they’ll do a lot for a kid with brown teeth. There is no need to bring anything at all, but whatever you do bring will be generously accepted and used by the teachers who get by with very little in the way of supplies and materials. Bring as much or as little as you want - students often find it easiest to pack one bag with their clothing and personal gear, and a second suitcase full of gifts and giveaways that they have recycled from home, gotten from their schools before they get chucked out, etc.

For the Thai Host Family that looks after our base and all of our students, you can really bring almost anything. Our staff love t-shirts, and most Thai people wear either medium or large shirts. Shirts with your school name or logo, or a sporting name or logo, are always popular. You could also bring some small gifts for the ladies in the house - they cook, clean, laugh, care, fuss, iron, and shop to ensure that everyone is well looked after. You could bring some hand cream or face cream, some small perfumes, some costume earrings, or something that any lady would like. The four sisters who work at our base full time are between 23 and 35 years old. The older ladies that help us are your parents and your grandparents' age. If you want to bring something special to leave at the house as a gift for the program manager Kadum Sanboon and his family, consider something like a picture book of your area or your state, an atlas, or a small knick-knack that will remind them of you and your stay. As with your gifts for the children at the school, there is no obligation to give anything, but you will almost certainly want to give something to these kind people.

In addition, many of you have treasures in your closets and your drawers at home that would be a big help to children and adults in the village. If you have running shoes or tennis shoes you no longer wear, sweaters, sweatshirts or dress shirts you don't use, or school supplies that are just sitting idle collecting dust, clean them off, pack them neatly, and give them away while you are here. There is no need to spend a lot, and you can kill two birds with one stone by bringing used clean used clothing and supplies that would otherwise be pitched out. If you are bringing used things, please wash them and press them before you come over.

If you are packing nothing else for your stay here, make sure that you bring your kindness and your gentleness, and a big smile. These are unusually kind and giving people living in a culture that puts great value on the nature of a person's heart and little value on material possessions. So before packing your material gifts, prepare your thoughts and your heart to live in a place that places infinite value on thoughtfulness, laughter, generosity of spirit, and showing care for others.

There is no need to bring a big and bulky sleeping bag and sleeping pad. What has come in handy (especially if you are joining more than one program) is to make a lightweight sleeping liner. To do this, just take a lightweight bedsheet and fold it in half the long way and then sew it together. Make sure it is long enough for your entire body. Some students even put buttons on the side so they could open and close it.

When you leave here, the family will present you with gifts to take back home. They spend much of the year working on handmade silk pillows to give to all of the students. You will also find that older people in the village and the local monks will come to tie strings around your wrist (a blessing) and pray for you before you leave.

Students come back to this village often, and their stays usually get longer and longer. When parents ask how a student should prepare for a trip to a culture like this, I tell them leave as much of their material "baggage" behind as they can and prepare their minds to shift gears to a whole different pace (slower, calmer), a whole different tone (more gentle, more cyclical), and a whole different emphasis (the showing of kindness, the giving of gifts, the pleasure of laughter and being satisfied with what is in front of you).

Ricefields, Monks and Smiling Children FAQ's

This program looks really similar to RICEFIELDS, MONKS, and SMILING CHILDREN… is it?
Yes! This is the same program – just the one-week version!

Do I have to choose one service project, or can I try different projects on different days?
You can do as many different service projects as you’d like. You can sign up for the projects on a first come, first served basis the night before.

Will I have any free time?
Students have a little free time after lunch (a great time to dip in the pool!), and again when you get home from your service projects in the evening. There are always pick-up soccer and volleyball games, dozens of little Thai kids to play with, hammocks, musical instruments, ping-pong, and all kinds of other activities going on before dinner. After dinner, depending on the night, we arrange trips to local markets, trips to the city, bowling nights, movie nights, slideshows, traditional dance performances, multi-cultural music jam sessions, and much more.

What is the food like?
The cooking staff at the Ricefields Base are well accustomed to preparing food that our students like. Expect dishes to include a great assortment of mild Thai food, lots of fresh fruit, and plenty of favorites at home. They also do a great job of offering vegetarian options at every meal!

What is the housing situation?
Students can expect to stay with 4-6 other students in their room. Generally, boys sleep in one zone, while girls sleep in another area. The rooms all have comfortable mattresses and air conditioning, which is only turned on in the early evening.

Is there lots of supervision at the camp?
In short, yes. During most weeks there will be about 20 Western (mostly American) staff, and about 30 Thai staff, so there are plenty of us around. We’re usually the ones trying to organize a walk around the village, a pick-up soccer or ultimate Frisbee game, or a movie night. And you can expect your Hua Na Hong (The Boss of your Room) to make sure you keep your room in good shape, your air conditioning stays off during the day, and that you’re up and at ‘em bright and early each morning!

Will I have access to the internet at the Base?
Yes – you will have access to the internet, but we do try to encourage our students to use the internet only for a limited time, and only for corresponding with their family and friends. Students can pay for their internet usage, laundry, and phone calls directly out of their allowance account.

I’m really interested in the Weekend Side Trips. . . How do these work?
The Weekend Side Trips run only on demand – there must be enough students signed up for the trip, or it will not run!! Places in these Trips are available on a first come, first served basis. Students will be eligible to sign up for the Side Trips about 5 days before they depart, and must be confirmed and paid 48 hours before departure. NOTE: STUDENTS MUST PAY FOR THEIR WEEKEND SIDE TRIPS OUT OF THEIR ALLOWANCE ACCOUNT OR IN CASH! Rustic Pathways will not bill you for these trips – you must pay for them with your money before you go!

Are the Weekend Side Trips Supervised?
Yes! These trips are supervised by staff from the Ricefields Service Base.

If I stay for 3 weeks, does that mean I can do 2 different Side Trips?
Yes! You may choose to do Side Trips on your second and third weekends at the Base.