Location: Khonburi - Nakhonratchasima, Thailand
Hi. I am Laurene, a French girl of 22 years old. I am teaching in the North-East of Thailand in Nakhonratchasima province, most commonly called Korat, in Khonburi (a small town, one hour and a half from the capital city by bus). I arrived at the beginning of July and I will go back to France at the end of September, so this is 3 months of teaching in Thailand for me.
My school, Khonburi School, is quite big with about 1800 students and 70 teachers. This is a secondary school (from mathayom 1 to mathayom 6) so students are between 12 and 18 years old. I teach about 3 classes per day, 5 days a week. There are about 30-45 students per class.
I love teaching at Khonburi School. The students are nice and respectful (most of them!). They always ‘wai’ me and say ‘Hello, good morning, good afternoon…’ when they see me. In class I teach them essentially listening and speaking because Thai English teachers teach them a lot of reading and writing already. They listen to conversations and answer questions, make conversation in front of the class, and play games divided in teams… They love games with competition. At the beginning students were shy to speak English with me but now everything is OK and they enjoy having classes with me. I learned some Thai words to use in class to make sure they understand what I say. At school teachers are warm and friendly with me. I have good laughs with them and they always help me when I need something. I have lunch with English teachers every day and some of them invite me to have dinner at their house.
I live with a Thai family whose house is 2 kilometers from the school. My family sends me to school every morning by car or motorcycle and a teacher sends me home after school. My family speaks some English, and they teach me some words of Thai, it is funny. I am like a member of their family. The mum cooks very good Thai food so I have already tried many things and I love Thai food. Moreover, Khonburi is a small city so I can find anything easily: internet coffee, supermarkets, markets … don’t worry about that!
During my free time, I visit Thailand, which is a very beautiful country, or I join Volunthai English camps. It is a good way to get to know other volunteers and Thai people in other parts of Thailand. At English camps it is very fun: we play games, sing songs and laugh a lot during two days. If you're lucky there will be a camp during your homestay.
Volunteering in Thailand is a wonderful and unforgettable experience! If you're thinking about volunteering with Volunthai in Thailand, don’t hesitate! Volunthai is a very good association and everything is well planned before you arrive there.
Laurene (laurene.couronne.35@gmail.com)
Location: Nongnakam, Thailand
My sister and I recently returned from teaching for 2 weeks at Nongnakamwitayakom in Northeastern Thailand and it was a truly fabulous experience! We stayed with a wonderful teacher, Suwatt, and were warmly embraced by all the teachers at our school.
Suwatt and his family live close to the school. They were wonderful hosts. Suwatt's wife, who we called "Mom", was the cook for the school and made the most delicious breakfasts and dinners for us. They also arranged for us to go on bike rides, play soccer with other teachers and students, play basketball with the kids, go visit silk and cotton fabrication in town, and took us on fun adventures during our weekend with them. Over the next weekend we went to an English Camp with other volunteers, which was fun, and during the down time Suwatt took us to Buddhist temples where we were able to talk to the Buddhist monks. Then we went to a market and Non Muang, an archaelogical dig site of an ancient village where they had recently discovered new bones. On Sunday we participated in a farewell ceremony and then set off for more adventures. We went to a gorgeous natural fountain where we had a picnic by the water, eating gai yan (roasted chicken), blaa (fish), som tom (papaya salad with baby shrimp, truly yum!), and delicious Thai desserts. After lunch, we went to a temple in a mountain and learned about Buddhist prayer, and then we went to the bat caves where we lounged around until dusk when millions of bats left the cave in spiralling lines, it was breathtaking.
We loved teaching English at Nongnakamwitayakom. The students were very respectful, always wai-ing and saying swatdikah when we approached. They greeted us eagerly when we came into class and were always attentive and participated in the activities. We started off reviewing body parts by singing Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes, quizzing them on spelling, and playing games. They really enjoyed when we didvided the class into teams and had them come up one at a time to write a body part on the whiteboard. The team with the most correctly labeled body parts won. Simon Says was another big hit. We enjoyed teaching together and taught around 4 classes during the day and everyday we taught Matayom 1/1 (the youngest kids in the school)afterschool for an hour. 1/1 was so smart and energetic, they caught on quickly to all the games and activities and we enjoyed getting to see them regularly. We also had fun doing Mad Libs as a class, playing games with questions, and singing songs. At the end of our two weeks we both wished we were able to stay longer with the kids.
Location: Italy
I and my wife Melanie (we're 27 and 22 years old, I am Italian and she is dual Japanese and US) spent nearly two months volunteering in Aranyaprathet, Sa Keow province, at Klongnamsai secondary school, near Cambodia. It was a middle-size, rural school with around 600 students, ranging from 10-years old to 18 years old.
Our experience was wonderful! Not only was the host family very nice (thanks a lot Mrs. Tui and Mr. Nolongchan!!) and treated us like two more members of their family, but all the school's teachers were so warm and nice towards us we were stunned!
And the children! They were the most rewarding element of the whole experience! They always greeted us with their "sawasdee-ka/krap and they always called us teachers! :) Teaching English through games was the most fun, and we must surely thank the English teachers of the school (especially Mrs. Ee and Ms. Nick) for their patience and help throughout!
All in all: a wonderful experience! Do yourself a favor and if you want to go volunteering in Thailand choose Volunthai for a safe, reliable placement!
Roberto and Melanie
P.S.
- Aranyaprathet is a border town, "plagued" by a lot of beggars and poor people. But everybody here is very nice and welcoming, something it will surely amaze you!
Location: Ireland
The school I was teaching in was 2 hours from Khon Kaen city, and was big...1800 students. Typically I taught around 20 hours per week and the students ranged in age between 12 and 18. It must have been quite difficult for them to get used to listening to an Irish girl who talks at 100kph - but eventually I learned how to poo cha cha (speak slower). I stayed with one of the teaching staff, Suwatt and his family, just a kilometre from the school. They provided me with a bike so I could cycle if I wished - which I did - every day, much to the amusement of the students who would fly past me in the morning on their scooters!
The students were quite shy at first, but once they got to see me make a fool I myself (which I did often) they became more confident. The staff were amazing, friendly and really treated my like royalty. I was never short of someone to go to lunch with and every weekend Waen (another English teacher in the school) would take me away to meet her extended family...in fact you could say I became part of her family. Living and volunteering in rural Thailand means you get to see the country as it really is. The people are warm and welcoming, their interest in you is sincere, the experiences are unforgettable, and you're not just another farang (foreigner).
I was able to experience some wonderful once-in-a-lifetime moments...I don't know any other farangs who have been invited to a Buddhist funeral or to sing karaoke at 11am on a Sunday morning after breakfast, or got to dress up as a Thai princess to be part of the parade for the Ceremony of Lights (see pic). I also had dinner with some of my student's families and was taken out to a rice farm to get a closer look at the paddy fields. I even tried my hand at picking some rice myself - but I think they'd agree I should stick to my day job!
I can't deny it was tough at times, like sometimes when I couldn't get a point across and the students stared at me blankly, but then there were the times when we played charades or hangman, or I tried to sing or dance and we'd all have a good laugh. Great memories indeed!
Location: Ban Nongkha, Thailand
Teaching at Ban Nongkha school
Rob van den Bosch, The Netherlands
On the 10th of July I left from Bangkok to Chaiyaphum. Volunthai staffer Oom picked me up from the bus station. The first day she gave me some basic training in speaking Thai and how to deal with the children. The next day the director of Nongkha school picked me up and we went to my homestay. There was a nice room and also another volunteer present so he taught me some things about the culture of the Thai people. The next day we went to our school, 1 kilometer from my homestay, and I began teaching. My schedule was: 4 lessons per day and teaching kids from 12-17 years old. Also I brought some materials with me from The Netherlands, games and stuff, that were helpful. During the 7 weeks I was there we did some grammar training, learned about telling the time, the days of the week, and especially worked on pronunciation. Thai children are really great and they were very enthusiastic and eager to learn. My stay was much too short, but now I have a good idea about living and teaching in rural Thailand.
Many thanks to Oom and Volunthai for their great support!
Cheers, Robbie
Location: Southern California, USA
Sa wat dee kah friends! I recently volunteered at Prangku Junior High School in Si Saket for 5 weeks. Prangku is a large school with around 2000 students ages 12-18. I taught 3 or 4 different classes every day. This was one of the most challenging and wonderful experiences I've ever had! Being the only Westerner living in this small village, I was truly able to embrace Thai culture. I even picked up a bit of the language rather quickly! I was completely out of my comfort zone and it was strange and wonderful. The food and the people are incredible, and I strongly suggest getting involved with after school programs. I played soccer with the kids after class and hung out with the Ponglang (traditional Northeastern music) band at their practices. I even performed in a local parade (see my pic)! The kids just love having a foreigner around and although they seem shy at first, they will take a liking to you quickly. Thailand is a beautiful and amazing country with so much to learn and explore. I can't wait to go back again one day! Email me with any questions you might have: andreamesposito@gmail.com. Cheers, Andrea :)
Location: Durham, NC, USA
Anders Wallace (feel free to contact me at aew2114@gmail.com)
Fantastic experience, immensely nice people, and teaching is a blast. You should definintely have an 'anything goes' attitude (helps to love Thai food, karaoke, and billiards!) I was teaching in a small school (250 kids) in a rural province. The kids are adorable, though the younger ones have little English and are shy so we came up with games of all stripes to get them involved. On the weekends I visited the local Buddhist temples, met the mayor for drinks, sang karaoke at the police station, and met loads of host family relatives. As a life experience, I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's so much more rewarding to experience the culture as a teacher rather than a tourist! In fact, fascinating. There are challenges; you'll have to wake up at 7 or so, and speaking to most people is tough since there is little English outside of Bangkok. I suggest learning some Thai in advance if you can. Below is a bit from my diary.
12/01/08: In anticipation of the King’s 81st birthday this Friday, we hosted a ceremony at school where the local police station donated a bunch of mango trees for our kids to grow at the school farm (under the watchful eye of Tick, the agriculture teacher). The King has been a tireless advocate for sustainable development in Thailand. Today, the people love him so completely that, to delight him on his birthday, police stations throughout Thailand will bequeath fruit trees to local schools and temples. They are to provide a means of economic development, as well as curbing greenhouse gases and erosion.
Location: Isaan, Thailand
GETTING READY TO VOLUNTEER by Michael
The photos I'm posting today are to help you better understand the homestay experience. Namely, what a school looks like, what a homestay looks like, what a Thai bathroom looks like, and what clothes are appropriate.
Also, here are some websites where you can download teaching games and ideas: www.webeans.net/hutt/ffgames.htm, http://jcschools.net/tutorials/gameboard.htm, and www.abcteach.com/directory/fun_activities/games/fo
lder_board_games/.
Location: Prang Ku, Si Sa Ket province, Thailand
One Month in Prang Ku, Si Sa Ket Province.
Paul and Monique, Holland, maffemoon@hotmail.com
Located in the rural Prang Ku district lies the ‘Prangku Junior High School’, a large school with over 2000 students (around the age of 12-18 years). It is this school's policy that volunteers see every student (if possible), thus after four weeks of teaching we have seen almost all classes. From the first day we felt a lot of warmth from our host-moms, who took really good care of us! We lived in our own homestay next to the school so we did not have one host family; instead we had many host moms who all took care of us. The people in Thailand are very nice and friendly, and in Prang Ku this feeling only grows. Whenever there is a problem (whether it has to do with spiders or a hungry volunteer), they are more than willing to help. One of the coolest things was riding the (pink!) motorbike of our first host mom, Pi Nid, through the beautiful rice fields with water buffalos on (and sometimes in) the road.
At the beginning we had to adapt to the cold Thai shower, but the total experience was more than worth the effort. The classes really love 'farang' teaching them some English, and we enjoyed playing games and singing songs with them. If they can understand it, they are far more enthusiastic than any Western student! Every time we walked through the campus the children politely wai-ed (traditional Thai greeting) us, giggled and shouted 'hello teacher'! It is amazing to experience the joy the children have, and it feels good to be a part of the Thai community, even for a month.
Location: Michigan, USA
Wow, what an amazing trip. My wife and I were in Thailand from mid-July to mid-August and had an absolutely wonderful time! Before we left for the trip I kept wondering what the hard parts would be and if a month would seem like a long time to be in a completely different culture. What a different attitude I have about it now! A month was not nearly long enough and I wish I could have stayed in Thailand much longer. After a month it seemed that we were just forming strong bonds with our students and fellow teachers. We were just getting to know all of our friends in Thailand and having a great time meeting every different class of students, each as eager to learn and have fun playing games as the last. We became experts at the "Banana Dance" just like many other volunteers before us ;o) and we just learned how to order all of the food that we loved so much. No, a month was not nearly long enough and I am already envisioning our next trip to Thailand, which will hopefully be soon.
Our trip was something that we will never forget and something that I wish I had done much sooner. Ae's family took excellent care of us during our time there and just seeing their picture brings back memories for me of how they took us into their home and treated us like dear friends. Our host teacher at Phakdee, Ao, was the same way too. She was always there for us and always made sure that we were comfortable and well fed! And it wasn't only her that took care of us, if we had questions or needed help we felt like everyone was there to help us. We would ask questions of all of the teachers and students too! We weren't strangers visiting their school, we were part of their family. They showed us a side of Thailand that we would otherwise never have known, a side of Thailand that we came to love. To this day I miss the students' smiling faces every morning, miss the questions/games/karaoke between classes, miss playing basketball and ping-pong with them every evening, miss eating and joking with our friends. I miss Thailand. I hope that everyone that we encountered knows what an impact that they have had on us (Korp kun krap!) and I hope that everone who goes to Thailand gets as much out of the experience as we did. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask me at any time. I did keep a journal of all of my experiences and hope to have that posted online sometime soon. Michael and Ae, thank you for all that you do to make trips like ours possible.
Chris Borda
chrisborda@gmail.com
