tmvolunteers.org

Ten months ago, I came to the realisation that I was soon to be 50 and with that brought about the decision to change my way of life. I had in mind a wonderfully luxurious holiday in some exotic paradise to celebrate my 50th but the more I thought about it the less it appealed and I had this niggling feeling that I was missing something important. Ah – isn’t it wonderful when that ‘light-bulb’ moment hits you? Volunteer work. I’d wanted to do this for years and years but there was never a right time, too many responsibilities existed, the house, the job, the son and boyfriend. Enough already, I could put anything in the way and so I took stock and made a decision which has put me on the path towards the completely unknown.

In less than a month, I shall arrive at Phuket airport, Thailand to start a three month stint as a volunteer English teacher. Believe me, that when I say that once the decision was made, it was plain sailing from there on in. I researched as much as possible about the culture, climate, food and exactly what I could do as a volunteer. I always figured it would be with animals but there’s only so much a person can do along the lines of salaried jobs with elephants, orang-utans and the like. I was so fortunate to find TM Volunteers and that by being a native English speaker I could help the Thai children learn English. That’s the plan anyway.

I’ve taken it one step further by taking an intensive course in teaching English as a foreign language so that with my practical experience of teaching in Thailand I’ll be better prepared to launch myself into the world of teaching.
Now to the important stuff….. preparation….

The Injections:
I was living in Germany and had a wonderful doctor who advised me on all things necessary. It’s important to know that some of the injections have to be taken at various stages and so a last minute decision is not always the best plan. It is entirely possible that some of the injections that I’ve had may not be considered necessary by some, but I admit to being one of those people that errs to the side of caution, every time. So here follows the list……

Tetanus x 3 Diphtheria x 2 Whooping cough x 1
Polio x 3 Hepatitis A & B x 3

Not so many! I also ordered in advance any of my regular medication – to cover all eventualities! My HRT being of the utmost importance.

The Visa:
An incredibly easy process, although it meant I had to fly back to UK to process. I went to The Royal Thai Embassy in London and put in my application on a Thursday and collected my visa the following Wednesday (the Monday was a bank holiday). No long tiresome queues, very friendly helpful people and at the cost of £45.00 I now have my ‘O’ type visa, valid for 90 days in my passport. As easy as that. A note: the visa cannot be applied for more than three months prior to travel. I leave UK on 04.11.09 and collected my visa on 02.09.09. The necessary paperwork is the letter of acceptance and recommendation from TM Volunteers, complete with registration number, passport and completed application form.

The Shopping:
Any excuse to buy new clothes – yippee – but then I realised that I wasn’t actually buying the clothes suitable for the climate of Thailand. Oh dear, so off I went again – this time being sure to buy 100% cotton and linen. Much better second time round but still had to resist the temptation of buying totally unsuitable clothing! I had to bear in mind what was suitable attire for school and what I’d need outside of school. Always a difficult task for me and I’m sure I’ll take far too much stuff. Trying to curtail the amount of cosmetics and toiletries as I’m sure I’ll be able to purchase the majority there. I veer between thinking that I’m going to a place that will have absolutely nothing suitable for a Westerner and then to the complete extreme that I’m doing them a grave injustice.

The Mind:
It’s an amazing thing, the mind. Can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Mine is firmly made up and once a decision has been made there’s no going back – it’s a God send in many ways. I am embarking on a completely new experience that will take me totally out of my comfort zone and throw all sorts of hurdles my way. Bring it on! Having said that, the fewer insects, creepy crawlies, large spiders, snakes etc, the better. I’m not the strongest of people when it comes to things of that nature, but I aim to do my best.

I’ve reached a stage in my life where, for a short time, I can put myself in to a position to help others. The majority of the time I am so excited that I can hardly contain myself. I can’t wait to meet Anders and the TM team, the children and students, to immerse myself in a totally different way of life, to discover the delights of Thailand, to understand what makes it the ‘Land of Smiles’ and to hopefully learn how to adopt some of the tranquility and serenity and be able to apply them to my own life, post Thailand.

However, and there is always a however, I do have moments of total doubt. What happens if I can’t make myself understood? That the children/students don’t like me. That the heat and humidity is unbearable. That there are so few English speaking people that I’ll be lonely. That I’ll hate the food…………..When this happens, I let it all come to the fore and then I try to answer in the positive.

I’ve bought a book and CD on Thai language and will endeavour to have a few Thai phrases under my belt to help me when I’m not being understood. There may well be children/students that don’t like me but I’m confident that equally there will be those that do. The heat and humidity will be an incredible contrast to what I’m used to, but I’ll adapt. I’ll have to make sure I spend as much time with people so that even though our conversations may well be limited, my Thai might improve as well as their English. I’ll live on salad and fruit if needs be but I’m certain it wont come to that.

I am totally open-minded; I have to be as how can one possibly know the unknown! Our lives should all be about discovery. I’ve played it fairly safe in the first 50 years of my life and now intend to walk on life’s edge for a while; you never know I might become a great adventurer! Wouldn’t that be something amazing to look back on in my twilight years!

Laney

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.

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