Roslyn Castle, Australia
castleroslyn@yahoo.com.au
Just recently I returned from a three-week visit at Ban Pho School in Chaiyaphum Province. I am not sure where to begin in describing my experience as every day I encountered and undertook some amazing (and at times quite surreal) things. I was living with the director of the school and his wife who introduced me to a wide array of Thai food, including ants and crickets which I discovered were rather tasty.
They also took me many places as a tourist, so I got to see much of the surrounding countryside and beyond. I sang karaoke on floating rafts, danced the Macarena, and made it to national TV. I joined a team of ladies playing volleyball and competed in a competition, all the while cheered on (and later I joined the cheering) by people dressed in fancy dress costumes. I gave food to the monks in the morning, went with the family to the temple and was part of the service there, and travelled to a field of sunflowers where people gave food to thousands of monks.
At school I taught English to the different levels and soon became known as "teacher Ros" wherever I went. The students were always happy to see me and I introduced them to cat’s cradle and of course after my effort with the Macarena taught them that too. I apologize in advance for a new generation of Thai students learning the Macarena. ;-) I played soccer and volleyball with them as well as singing and dancing with many of the little ones. The amount of "teaching" undertaken was not onerous nor did it require a lot of planning, as the students’ English was very basic and the teachers were always there to help me if I needed. I didn't know any Thai at all before I landed in Thailand but quickly picked up the basics, and was also given a sheet by Volunthai with basic classroom commands. All else failing, charades seemed to make us all laugh and get the idea across.
I would thoroughly recommend becoming a volunteer teacher for a time. Instead of simply passing through as a tourist you get to become part of the Thai culture and give something back. I had an amazing experience and the fact that most times I had no idea what we were about to do made it far more entertaining.
Location: Thailand
Yvonne Hendrych, Germany
y.hendrych@gmx.de
I was a volunteer in Prang Ku, a small town in Si Saket Province, rural Northeastern Thailand. I can only report that I had the most wonderful time teaching and living there. Everyone was incredibly nice and helpful and I felt at home right away. My hosts were like my new family in Thailand and we got along well even without speaking the same language. My host mother made a great effort to learn some English and I did my best to learn some Thai words. Teaching was great fun but also quite challenging because I was teaching many different classes and all different levels of English. So I always had to first check and then quickly adapt to the level of English they had. But luckily some previous volunteers kept a teacher’s diary and wrote down their experiences with the students so I could check in advance what kind of games or exercises they had been doing. Anyway the emphasis is on conversation, which is best done through little games or quizzes. Students love competitions and teaming up against each other. It sometimes takes a bit to involve them because often they are very shy. But once they warmed up it was so much fun. I must say I enjoyed all my classes and never had a boring moment! On Sundays I went to a temple school to teach the little ones (5-8 years old) together with Thai teachers from Prang Ku who teach there on a voluntary basis. All the teachers at Prang Ku are committed and engaged and dedicate so much of their free time to the school and the students. It is really remarkable. And the students were just wonderful. They were so nice and polite and really eager to learn English. I can only recommend this experience to anyone who enjoys being with children and to anyone who is interested in getting to know a new culture.
Thank you Volunthai, this is really a remarkable initiative which offers unforgettable experiences for both sides.
Hello to you all (future) volunteers for Thailand! I should have posted this months ago but my crazy "western style life" hasn't left me much free time since I got back from Thailand. My experience with Volunthai was simply AMAZING. I spent only two weeks teaching, but I have just one wish: to go back and spend some more time there!
The Volunthai family are great at handling all the organization details and they are always there to help if necessary... My host family was just perfect and, as I was traveling alone, they really made me feel at home.
My two weeks in Thailand are full of memories that even now, 6 months after my experience, are very strong... I met wonderful people, participated in fantastic festivals, and I passed the most difficult challenge of my life when teaching the children. I had five 30-minute classes a day for children from 4 to 6 years old and it was just fantastic to be with them every day.
Thank you to Michael and Ae for this experience! :-)
Alina, France (contact me if you wish):
alina.servillat@yahoo.fr
Location: Thailand
Kim, USA
kim.lang.09@gmail.com
Up at 5:30 for a cold shower (a little more refreshing than I had hoped for, but at least it woke me up) and to take in my laundry. My host has a washing machine, then the clothes dry on a line outside.
At 6:00 the monks came, and we gave them the food and got the blessing and a smile back. I’m getting a little better at this.
By 7:30, we rolled up to school, where everyone was dressed in their scouting finest. And instead of teaching my first two classes, there was a parade! And not just a little parade once around the school yard. No sir, this was a serious parade. All 117 students climbed into the back of several pickups and were shuttled into Ban Pho village, where they lined up with banners and everything. I’m not sure if it was an awareness thing for malaria (there were posters with mosquitoes painted on) or for a Buddhist holiday/announcement/??? (there were flyers with a photo of someone who appeared to be meditating). But it didn’t really matter – it was fun even not knowing. The students marched (to the beat of several very enthusiastic Pratom 5/6 drummers) all through the village and eventually back to school in time for lunch. I walked with teachers and parents, especially a few middle aged women who grabbed my hand and linked arms with me, saying “Suay (beautiful).” They got groups together for photos with me and even made a little toddler stand by me for a picture (which was kinda funny, because she kept looking at me as if to say, “Who the heck are you?”). Really really odd to feel like such a celebrity (but can’t say I didn’t like it). And on the tail end of the march, several little girls grabbed my hands and we all walked together. Now they do the same at school too. It’s really adorable. They also pet me and smile as I walk by sometimes, which I just find funny. They’re so cute.
Then I did end up teaching the class I had missed – the students came up to me just before the competition and said “Teacher Kim, English?” Aww! So I made up the lesson later.
Location: Netherlands
Dave, Holland
How to describe an amazing and unforgettable experience..?! I taught for six weeks at Phuduang Suksalai School in Chaiyaphum. Being the first foreign teacher at the school, without any teaching experience, this was a most challenging and educative period. With teaching an average of three classes a day I could teach all 200 students once or twice every week. The teachers and students were most friendly and enthusiastic, a bit shy at first but confident and interested soon after.
My host family was very hospitable and kind. Especially Ao, my guide and host, put a lot of effort in showing me around and introducing me to everyone and everywhere. Living with and like the Thai in Isaan is a life changing experience! Their warm and welcoming character is truly relaxed and generous.
I hope I managed to broaden the students’ English skills and motivated them to study and use English more often. And if there’s a possibility to return to the school, as a visitor or teacher, or to my host family, I’ll definitely go back!
So the only advice I can give to those thinking of volunteering is: just do it and have a once in a lifetime experience!
Location: Thailand
Yvonne, Holland, yvonne.blokland@gmail.com
Volunthai has given me the opportunity to teach English as a volunteer at Matthayom Trakan Phuetphon School for just a little under four weeks. For me it has been a very interesting and educating experience and I hope my visit has been useful for the students and the school as well.
Literally everyone in the English department has really gone out of his or her way to give me the best time as possible. All this kindness and attention was heartwarming and made my time at the school very, very enjoyable. However, maybe due to people’s enthusiasm, there sometimes was a lack of communication and it was unclear for me where to go or what to do. This should however not be considered too big an issue; I think that this also comes down to a cultural difference. Western people tend to be very rigid and stressful when it comes to appointments, in a country like Thailand people are much more relaxed. To be honest, I prefer the latter. I am just not used to it, hence my occasional confusion.
The students in Matthayom Trakan Phuetphon are eager to learn, but most are insecure about their capabilities. It is the speaking that is the problem; students are shy and afraid to make mistakes. Also, they are not used to hearing English with a foreign rather than a Thai accent. I am aware that this problem is well-known to the teachers and noticed that they are trying to overcome this in many different ways. Despite their insecurity students are very enthusiastic. Clearly, the most successful interactions I have had with students were outside rather than inside the classroom. In more informal settings students were a lot less shy. They would come up to me in the hallways and ask me some questions or tell something about themselves.
The countryside of Ubon Ratchathani Province and around is literally breathtaking and I really enjoyed all the sightseeing trips people have taken me on. Pae Taem National Park, rice fields, a silk farm, and many, many temples: I had already seen so much of Thailand in those four weeks even though my actual travels would only just start after this volunteering period. Every day I was presented with another type of Thai fruit or dish that I had never seen before and in most cases there was only one possible conclusion: ‘Arroy mahk mahk!’ (Delicious!)
I appreciate Volunthai’s friendly and personal approach. It was lovely to meet the family and they absolutely take good care. It has been a very interesting experience to see so much of Thai culture and habits and to get to know something about Thai education. I realize I have probably learned a lot more myself than I have been able to teach the students…
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
5 Weeks at Phakdee School- Jeremy Kaelin (Switzerland)
kaelin5@etu.unige.ch
Well, my 5 weeks of volunteering at Phakdee school are already done. And there is only one thing I want to do right now : go back to Thailand!
My stay in Phakdee was one of the best experiences I ever had in my life. I would like to thank again all the teachers, the staff and the students for their hospitality and their kindness. I've never seen such open minded people!
About the teaching, I was the only foreign teacher at the school. I was pretty busy almost every day of the week (between 4 and 5 hours of teaching every day). But every lesson was a pure moment of joy. I was wondering what I could teach before traveling to Thailand, but I only understood once I met the teachers and the students, and then everything became really easy and fun. Like every Thai person says, mai pen rai (no problem).
For the rest: activities, food, people, there is so much to say that the only way to understand it is to go there and experience it by oneself. If you're the right kind of person (see the website for qualifications), you will not regret it, trust me!
Location: Vienna, Austria
I volunteered in Phakdee Chumpon, at Jiang Tong school for 4 weeks. Jiang Tong is a school with about 1000 students ages 12-18. The teaching part was really challenging and we also had a lot of extracurricular activities in August, like speech competitions, sport days,...
The students are quite shy at first, but after some time they feel more confident and they always treat you with a lot of respect.
For me it was really good to see how school works in Thailand, because at some time I will be a teacher in Austria and I have some ideas now, how different school can be.
My host family were really great and they always looked out for my needs. We spent a lot of time preparing delicious thai foods, so I never went hungry! And every day I ate with my family at least 2kg wonderful fruits! So I saw a side of Thailand that I would otherwise never have known.
I think that this project is a very good thing for Thai students as well as for volunteers. Both sides can learn a lot about the other's way of living.
Raphael (Austria)
Location: Sweden
Ylva Bergh, yllefilt@msn.com (email me if I can help!)
When my friend Sofie and I arrived in the rural town of Nongkha, in Chaiyaphum Province, we were very nervous. We were only nineteen, after all. But from the moment we got there people were nothing but nice to us.
We arrived on a Friday and got a chance to adapt to the Thai culture and get to know our host family before we started teaching. It did not take long before we felt like a part of the family. Different relatives came over every night for supper on a mat on the living room floor. The food was spicy and it took us a while to adjust to it, but there was always alternatives for us like rice, fish and bananas. Later on the teachers tought us to make Pad Thai, our favorite dish. It was always fun to spend time with the teachers, they had a great sense of humor.
On that Monday we had our first English lesson. It was a bit tricky; it would definitely have made it easier if I spoke their language. To start with, the students were afraid of speaking English, but as time went by they started to trust us and were not as afraid of making mistakes as before. We discovered that drawing was a good way to comunicate, since drawings represent the same thing regardless of the language.
We had three lessons per day and the students were 5-18 years old. It might sound like few lessons, but I liked it since it was the time in between the lessons that I really bonded with both the teachers and the students. For some reason the students opened up in a whole new way when they weren’t behind the school desk. The girls tried to speak English with me as they braided my hair. We talked about celebrities, movies and each other’s countries. They even tried to teach us to play volley ball, which they are phenomenal at. We, on the other hand, were not that great…
I am really glad that I took this opportunity. I have never learned and experienced so much in such a short time.
