tmvolunteers.org

My name is Denali, although while I’m in Thailand, I am going by “Dee” since it is a much easier name to remember.  “Dee” means “good” in Thai, so it’s a decent nickname.

I’m traveling with my older brother, Yoshi, and my good friend, Gina, and we’ve been in Thai Muang for a little over a week. We arrived at 6:30 in the morning on an overnight bus, and Anders and his friend, Tia, were kind enough to pick us up and drive us to the volunteer house about 1km from the main road.  It’s more enjoyable to walk at night time, after the sun has gone down.  People passing by have offered to give us rides to our destinations on numerous occasions.  We jump in the back of pick-up trucks, ride in the side carts of motorbikes, or sit on the back of motorbikes (this option, I’m not so fond of, since I crashed twice on a motorbike in Southern Thailand in December).

There is one bicycle shared between four volunteers at the moment, but since Yoshi rides the bike to his school a few kilometers away, he has priority on weekdays.  Gina and I don’t mind very much, because our school, Wat Muang Pracharam Primary School, is only a 25 minute walk from the volunteer house, and the beach is only a 20 minute walk from the school. (Yes, Gina and I are slow-paced walkers.)  The two of us have managed to be at the beach a minimum of once every day since we’ve arrived.  On our way to the beach, people on the streets shout out “Hello! Where you go?” to which, we reply “bai ta lay”.  This is one of the few Thai phrases I’ve mastered, and it means “Go to the sea.”  However, as wonderful as the beach has been, we have had the time of our lives teaching grades 1st through 6th.  We have each class once a week, and we have no classes on Thursday.  Gina and I have never taught before, and when we tell people that we are both 18 years old, they are always very surprised. The teachers thought we were 25.  On our first day, we arrived at 8am and watched their morning assembly- the band played music, each class stood in line for morning exercises and stretching, the flags were raised, and we made a brief speech to the school on a microphone to introduce ourselves.  Since then, we’ve said “hello” and “how are you?” a few hundred times, given loads of high-fives and handshakes (a.k.a. “shake hands”), and gotten more hugs than imaginable.  The kids have been wonderful.

I’ll write more later.

At the moment we are having a busy time here at Thai Mueang Volunteers. Eileen who has been here since November is still at Ban Huaisai Primary School where she will be until January 23. Eileen is an archeologist, in her fifties, born in Singapore, American father, English mother, traveled the world, and has been married to Klaus, who is German, for 25 years. Whew, what can I say, she is Ms International around here. It is great having her here, since she has been here for over two months and she knows her way around, she has made my job a little easier. Eileen gladly shares her knowledge with the new volunteers, both about the area and her teaching experience at a Thai primary school. Maude, a British engineering student studying at a university in Singapore is here too, she is assisting Eileen at Ban Huaisai for a couple of weeks.

Yoshi, Gina and Denali arrived yesterday and they have been introduced to the teachers and the students at the schools where they will be teaching, they will start their volunteering period tomorrow. Yoshi is going to Ban Kownoi Primary School, and Gina and Denali will be teaching together at Wat Muang Pracharam. All three of them will be volunteering for three weeks.

Volunteer Teaching with Thai Mueang Volunteers

People who think that volunteer teaching with Thai Mueang Volunteers is going to be a holiday where you go and teach English every now and then… sorry, it is the other way around…
We are NOT a “voluntourism” organization, we do not see you as a tourist but as a volunteer English teacher who is here to teach proper classes, proper lessons, so…
Our volunteers are required to create meaningful lesson plans and to be prepared for the lessons they will be teaching. Our aims and goals are for the students to expand their knowledge of the English language, foreign countries and cultures, and we want to see them improve their language skills.
When volunteers arrive they go through a day of introduction about Thai culture, teaching at a Thai school, do’s and dont’s , how to create a useful lesson plan etc. We will never send a volunteer to a school unless we have made sure that they fully understand what is expected of them and they are fully prepared for their lessons.
Volunteers also receive Thai lessons, taught by Andoo, so they can get around in their spare time, ask for directions, haggle over prices, order at a restaurant etc. There will be plenty of time to enjoy the beach and other parts of this amazing country, in your spare time after school and in the weekends.
Future volunteers should know before they make the decision to volunteer and teach English with Thai Mueang Volunteers that we expect them to bring themselves into the classroom, we want them to use their skills and talents as tools to teach the English language, creating their own lessons from scratch and not just bring in photo copies from an English book. Remember, there is always people here to assist you in planning your lessons.

A former volunteer, Turner Wright, has written an article about volunteering with Thai Mueang Volunteers at the Matador Travel website, you can read it by clicking HERE, khrup koon maa khrap Turner.

I’ve had this Calvin & Hobbes strip in my drawer for years now, and today I’ve “sticky-tacked” it on my wall, it makes me think of something my dad said about 100 years ago – “there are no stupid questions, just stupid answers”
Happy New Year
Anders

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… C: wait… SD: wait…

The last two months in Thailand has absolutely flown in. It only feels like i have been here about two weeks. You are always kept busy. You can be organizing lessons for the following week, going little weekends away to various destinations close to Thai Mueang, perusing the local markets or simply sitting at the beach.

Myself and the other volunteer, Eileen. Organized a weekend away to Ao Nang. It is in the Krabi Province about two or three hours away from Thai Mueang. Getting there is very easy. You just need to speak to a Travel operator in Khok Kloi (20 min from Thai Mueang) and your transfers are done. I would recommend a website called Travelfish.com. I organized our accommodation there and it gives various choices of accommodation all over Thailand.

Once arriving you will see it is set amongst huge cliffs touring to the sky, Ideal for rock climbers.  A Golden beach laden with Longtails waiting to take you to copious islands and little hideaways. It is like any Western beach resort. From the Costa Del Sol to Cancun to Lanzarote to Bali. It has an assortment of restaurants and bars ranging from Italian, Swiss, German, Thai and Irish. The prices will vary but almost all restaurants and bars will be double what you pay in Thai Mueang. Market Stalls lining the road wanting to sell you bracelets, bags, clothes, pictures and sunglasses. It is all very nice to see but it is all the same after 10 min.

On the Saturday morning we had arranged a 4 Island Speed boat trip. It leaves from Ao Nang early. You will see Maya Bay, made famous by the world renowned film The Beach. Phi Phi Island is also on route; here it is nearly four/five times the price of Thai Mueang. You will also see Chicken Island and when you arrive at Bamboo Island its nice just to go a walk around after the long Speed boat journey. It is definitely worth a visit. There is loads to do in the area. I never done it on this trip but on a previous visit I done Kayaking, seen the world famous Thai Boxing and seen a couple of waterfalls.

Back in Thai Mueang you have a market there which is always interesting to visit. You have the Thai Fishmongers that have fish caught from the Andaman Sea that morning. Fresh fruit and vegetables which you never see at your local Tesco or Wal-Mart. Bakers selling loads of little Thai cakes. Curio stalls selling traditional Thai Jewellery and artefacts and loads of clothes stalls selling the Thai fashion and the fashion you will see back home.

In and around Thai Mueang you can go little adventures. I loved to jump on my Moped and just decide on a road and see where I ended up. Travelling through little villages amongst the Rubber and Palm Oil Tree Plantations definitely appealed to my British nature. We always love to see new and uncharted territories where the locals stare at you as if you are from outer space. Coming across a deserted beach with not a person in sight was always highlight. Sitting there with your thoughts, watching the sunset and listening to some Ben Harper, Explosions in the Sky, Ulrich Schnauss and Groove Armada on the I-pod made me realise that I needed a change in lifestyle. Thai Mueang or experiences like this is what I need.

If you come here for the beach, food, Thai culture or to get away from your nine to five. Always remember that the teaching is reason we are here. These kids do need our help and we can make a difference, however small.
It made every day here worthwhile. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Please visit tmvolunteers.org for more information about my volunteer experience.

Cheers

Dave

Friendly Bongalows - Ao Nang, Krabi