I do not like to get the tourist experience I enjoy the cultural experience. By volunteering with uvolunteer I was able to live in a community with very friendly neighbors in a small town of Thailand. The town Trat I stayed in not many people have heard of. The town and the people who lived in Trat were all very nice and welcoming people. Everyone I met throughout my travels in Thailand were all the same way.
The volunteer experience for me started about 2 months before I arrived. I was able to talk to Meow the coordinator many time via email. I asked her many questions and was able to get a feel for the program. She responded very quickly and the information she gave me was very helpful. On arrival she picked us up when and where she told us she would.
The first weekend was the orientation. It was very relaxed which was much needed since I had very bad jet lag. We were able to have a Thai lesion on the beach which was very nice. We were also given a tour of the town and told some History about Thailand. It was a nice way to get adjusted to the program and the town we would be staying for the next few weeks.
The school I was able to teach English at was very nice. All the children were very adorable and friendly. They spoke littler English and all the children and even the teachers were very eager to learn English .The children very badly need English teachers. The school I was at and I was told many other schools do not have enough teachers. Many of the students will have lesions taught from a television. So when I was able to come into their classroom and teach they were always very excited and they would clap and cheer.
My volunteer experience was very rewarding and I recommend anyone and everyone to do this at least once in their lives. It will change you forever. Just to see the smiles on their faces was enough for me.
