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Living.UWC Thailand
Why it may be time to move to phuket … hours away, a world of difference
Hong Kong families find schools, fresh air, and a lifestyle upgrade in phuket
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estled between the jungle-covered hills of a national park and acres of rubber plantations, UWCT is a breath of fresh air for families used to hectic and cramped city life. The greenspace was one of the big attractions for Benjamin and Denise Gilmartin— parents of Tess and Lexi— who left Hong Kong three years ago. “Everywhere we’d send our kids to school [in Hong Kong], they’d have to play football in an enclosed gym. You can’t see anything green.” At UWCT, students walk outdoors to get to the cafeteria, the library, the
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gymnasium. They run around and climb aboard the “pirate ship”, a large bamboo play structure in the middle of the campus. “The pace of life is slower and calmer, there is far less competitive tension and little to be stressed about, the air is clean, we have ample opportunity to spend time outdoors with our kids. Fresh fruits and vegetables are bountiful, delicious and cheap,” explains Denise Gilmartin Built on the foundation of the International Baccalaureate programme, the school aims to help students ages 2-18 years develop a “Good Heart, Balanced Mind, and Healthy Body”. As part of the United World College family, an international network of 18 schools, it shares the mission of making education a force to unite people, nations, and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. Over 60 diploma level scholarship students from around the world call the school home for two years, studying, sharing and training to become the next generation of global leaders. Denise notices the difference those students bring to the campus. “I love the community of students. The bigger kids get involved with the little kids. The secondary kids come into nursery and have this personal connection. You have kids of different ages integrating well and playing well together.” windowonphuket.com
window.on.phuket.magazine
