IYF WORLD CAMP 2014 A REPORT

About IYF:
International Youth Fellowship (IYF) was founded with the intention of cultivating leaders of next generation who are endowed with humble character and mindset. To realize its cause, it directs mutual cooperation through international exchange and conducts youth education. Its ultimate vision is to realize a brighter and healthier society with the motto of Change, Challenge and Cohesion.

Report: Introduction:
This report is a brief summary of events that happened at the IYF world camp held at Phetchaburi -Rachapat University,Thailand during February 3rd,2014 to February 8th, 2014. The description goes in a first persons point of view to give a passionate glimpse of the experiences. First Flight: February 2nd, 2014 is a memorable day in my life as it was the first time, I visited an airport. I was so much excited to board the flight , that too the carrier to a foreign destination. I was accompanied by IYF Chennai team of about 30 members. I was happy that Our Dean Dr. Chellappan sir has accompanied us in the journey. Day1 (3rd February, 2014): We reached the Don Mueang International airport, Bangkok in the early hours of Monday. We are taken to IYF regional centre for refreshal . We were served breakfast but I was shocked that only non vegetarian was served. Earlier, I assumed that Thailand with Buddhism as major religion will have some vegetarians. But , then I realized that even Buddhists eat non vegetarians and Thai people eat only non vegetarian. Being a vegetarian, I had to request them for vegetarian. The Hosts knew only Thai and I knew only English. So, body language and gestures formed the core communication. My conception that English is accepted all over the world turned out to be myth. They gave me some cooked Korean shrubs. Although I felt little uneasy, I liked the hospitality and tried to adjust to the alien culture. I could see Koreans, Chinese, Indians mingle at the rest place. I roamed in the neighborhood streets in search of currency exchange counter. This is the first time I was roaming all alone in an alien country with

nil restrictions. I could feel the spirit of freedom. Inspite of language barrier, the locals tried to help me locate my place. Journey to PhetchaBuri: We started by bus around 2pm for Phetchaburi which is about 150 miles from Bangkok. It is a long journey lasting for more than 3.5 hours. We were told that buses are not allowed to halt on the highway as per Thai Traffic rules. I could see the wonderful flyovers and buildings and shopping malls from the window. Later, I was told that Thai roadways were laid by Japanese engineers. This was the reason for the long straight routes and minimal turns. We reached the Rachaphat University around 5:40pm . Inaugural Ceremony: We are welcomed by women in different costumes with Savadhika (Namaste) . They depicted the cultures of various nations such as Thailand, China, India, Korea and Japan. We filled the registration forms and later taken to the inaugural function with cultural performances of various nations. This included a Bollywood song. Later, we had dinner at the university and taken to Puktian Beach resort for accommodation. Day2 All participants are divided into three classes Change, Challenge and Cohesion. Each class is again subdivided into a number of groups with each group consisting of 10 memebrs and a trainer. Schedule was given based on the class. I belong to Challenge class, group 31 under Richard Pastor from Hyderabad. In the morning, we had a guest lecture on life with respect to bible. After this, we