Volunteer Zachary from Boston

One afternoon I had just gotten back from Tungpho Wittaya Secondary School when I received a phone call from Zachary App, he called me from his home in Boston. At first I was a bit confused by his phone call, it is not often we receive phone calls from overseas, he had made arrangements with another organization and he had 10 days where he wanted to come to Thai Muang before he went north to join the other organization. Normally we do not take volunteers for such a short period of time, minimum one month, but there was something in our conversation that told me that Zach was a serious volunteer and he wanted to spend his time in Thailand volunteering and not just come as a tourist. I went to see teacher Fon at the vocational college and she wanted Zach as a volunteer even though it was for just one week.
Zach is 20 years old, a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, here is what he wrote about volunteering with Thai Mueang Volunteers:

Sawatdee khrap. Pom cheu Zach leh pom a yu yisip pee. Pom ma jak brah te America leh pom ben naksiksa University of Massachusetts Amherst.

I arrived in Thai Muang three weeks ago. Initially, my plans were to spend a week here with Thai Mueang Volunteers then head north for Volunteers for Peace. I was placed at Thai Muang Industrial and Community Education College as an English teacher. I think its hard for anyone to forget walking into class on that first day and hearing a class full of students, all in unison, yell “Hello teacher! Good morning! How are you!” I know I won’t. They yelled that phrase each morning, louder than I thought necessary, as I am not a teacher. I am just a volunteer. Either way, they were more welcoming to me than I could ever have hoped for, and I thank them for that. I guess I had a bad view of how foreigners are treated from seeing it back home and I can remember thinking to myself – “I’m glad I’m not that guy.” And although now I am that guy, the token farang, I also learned very quickly that life is much different here and the people are too.

I think it was during one particular game of hangman my first week here that I knew I wasn’t leaving. The class was split into three teams and the word was “fireman.” Getting down to the last letter, it went from being a review game for basic vocabulary to zach tug-of-war with me sandwiched between twenty screaming kids fighting for the opportunity to give the last letter. Sometimes we have too much fun and I have to remind myself why I’m here. Since then every day has been better than the day before and if there is one piece of advice I can give to future volunteers it is to stay as long as you can. During the first week or two the students will be adjusting to you. It took me about a week to get to know the students and how to make good lesson plans.

The food is very spicy and rice is served with just about every meal. The other day was a Buddist holiday so the school went to the temple in Thai Muang. One of the students bought me an ice cream off a vendor before we went in. I guess I should say that I shouldn’t have been surprised to find rice at the bottom, but I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t expecting that.

The majority of classes I teach are the students studying to work in the hotel and tourism industry. They need to hear English spoken from native English speaking people. If they don’t learn English now they may have trouble getting jobs after they are through with school. There are no foreigners at the school or in the town, so they have nobody to practice speaking with. The more they are exposed to it and use it now, the more they will retain it. From primary school on, they are taught English in school by Thai teachers, so volunteers can especially help with their pronunciation. They want to learn. Everyday when we do dialogues they all surround me and put their papers in front of me pointing at a certain word. The students have a very, very basic level of English. Patience is key as it is a very slow process. I have made some good friends here, both students and teachers, that I will leave behind when I go.

Zach

Turner Wright in Thai Muang

A warm welcome to Turner, here is what he wrote after his first two weeks:

Whether you think you are or not, you’re still running the gauntlet. I’m exaggerating of course, but any first-time teacher who says he isn’t terrified that moment when 20 sets of eyes fall on him, and the only way to break the silence is well-planned words emanating from your mouth, is lying. Through their teeth.

Teaching in Thailand is no exception. I arrived on Monday, June 16th, to a three-person welcoming party and dinner on the beach. And despite my confidence at having already lived in a foreign country, I must admit, I had forgotten some of the difficulties: the constant attention involved with being the token farang (foreigner); the language necessary to order food, mail a letter, haggle over a price, travel by bus, or just shoot the breeze. More to the point, I had never been to Thailand, nor studied the culture too extensively.

These reasons, among others, are why it was such a comfort to me that TM Volunteers are slowly adjusted to their new environment with tours of the surrounding beaches, short visits to the school, and time to think and prepare classes.

As to the school itself?  I had the “misfortune” of starting my work on Teacher’s Day, set aside for students to honor those educators.  Let me paint a picture… in less than an hour, 200 students had kneeled in front me, letting their foreheads touch the pavement to show the most respect.  With little knowledge of Thai or the expected reactions, I pretty much just sat there and smiled, hoping that would suffice for the students.

Aside from that interesting experience, the school, staff, and kids have been fun; the principal makes great efforts to speak English to me when attempting to pass along tidbits about living in Thailand; the teachers are always ready with a smile and a wai in the early morning when I arrive; and the students, although some still see me as some kind of magical creature with brown hair, are receptive to what I’m trying to tell them.

I was very surprised at the style of teaching in this particular school. Maybe my memories of primary school are tainted, but I can’t help but see a very hands-off approach from Thai teachers: giving their students some work, then basically leaving them alone in the classroom to finish the assignment without any assistance. Very little interactive discussions, Q & A, or even lecturing.

As far as Thai Mueang is concerned, it’s a quiet, but very peaceful area. Close to the beach (2 km), with access to most amenities.  It’s been a little bit of a problem getting around during the rainy season (from July), but otherwise, it’s a good place to live and a decent stepping-off point for Phuket or Suratthani.

I haven’t quite achieved the same level of energy or strength that I’ve been used to since getting on a Thai diet.  Not to say that the food isn’t healthy or tasty – quite the contrary; Thai food is usually either very very sweet or very very spicy. But, I haven’t been able to find as many citrus fruits for a quick energy boost or too much variety in the restaurants around Thai Mueang.

All in all, it’s educational. I’m still kind of treating the experience as though I’m still in Japan: my instinct is to speak Japanese when I can’t understand something in a foreign tongue; I find myself comparing Thai students with Japanese, Thai food with Japanese, Thai weather to Japanese… Obviously this is not a good idea, and I need to wipe the slate clean and approach a life in Thailand with little to no influence: don’t let anyone tell you “this is the way it is in Thailand”. Take some time, and judge for yourself. It may be true, but filling your head with others’ attitudes and possible misconceptions does nothing for your experience.

Pros:
- Thai Mueang area – tropical and easy access to the beach
- Thai food, savory and nutritious
- Cost of living, cheap and easy
- Acceptance of foreigners to a point
- The students, relatively receptive and intelligent
- The volunteer house – big, clean, and quiet
- Thai language lessons for volunteers – useful and interesting
- Follow-ups – Anders checks in with you on lessons and life

Cons:
- The rainy season
- Transportation around town, i.e. there isn’t any unless you feel like riding backseat on a motorbike in the rain
- Thai food – way, way, too spicy for comfort
- Exposure to other foreigners, other POV’s, not very likely in Thai Mueang
- The volunteer house – a little bit of a walk in/out of town

Read about Turner’s experiences teaching English in Japan at Keeping Pace in Japan.