Have a look at the albums and please leave a comment.
If you have any suggestions or questions send me an email.

Spread love and kindness.

]]> http://tmvolunteer.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/thai-mueang-district-by-our-volunteers/feed/ 0 T-M-Volunteers http://tmvolunteer.wordpress.com/2009/08/11/i-have-just-watched-the-movie-burma-vj/ http://tmvolunteer.wordpress.com/2009/08/11/i-have-just-watched-the-movie-burma-vj/#comments Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:49:49 +0000 T-M-Volunteers http://tmvolunteer.wordpress.com/?p=36 ]]> I have just watched the movie Burma VJ. It is about our neighboring country to the north-west, Myanmar, known as Burma to most westerners.
Everywhere you travel in Thailand you will meet people from Myanmar, most of them are refugees, fleeing from the military dictatorship in their home country, they seek a place to live in peace, just like how most people wish to live I guess. There are so many impressions from the movie inside my head at the moment I am having trouble writing about it. This movie was shot by brave people risking their lives for freedom. Do yourself a favor, watch the movie, tell your friends that the leaders of your countries are doing nothing about this. Thank You.

Links to check out:
BurmaVJ
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

Eileen arrived last Friday and she is volunteering at Ban Huaisai Primary School, today is her first day at the school, I’m sure she will have a lot to tell us tonight at dinner. Eileen is volunteering until February.

We have been getting some emails lately from people whose first language is not English and they have been asking if they could come as volunteer English teachers, some of them are English teachers in their home country. If you have an advanced level of both written and spoken English, you are welcome to volunteer. After I have received your email about your interest in volunteering, I will call you on the phone, and we will have a conversation to see if volunteering with us is something you want to do.
With this said, please remember that the students abilities to speak English is very limited. Their written work is often very good but what students at Thai schools need to practice the most is listening and speaking.

Volunteer English teaching is a great experience for all parties involved, regardless of nationality.
Remember to read Dave’s post on our blog.

Smiles

Anders

The sacred rituals are held at the Chinese shrine in the center of Thai Mueang. The “Ma Song” are the people performing these rituals, nine out of ten are men. The rituals include walking on hot coal, long spears pierced through the cheeks, and smaller spears pierced through other parts of the body. Twice during the festival there will be parades through town with the “Ma Song’s” carrying huge chairs with a sculpture of a god on it. They walk through town and stop in front of shops and houses where a table with various fruit and tea is displayed. The house and the people are blessed by one of the “Ma Song’s” hoping that nothing bad will come to the house or the people. A huge band of fire crackers is then lit and dragged under the chair and among the carriers chasing away evil spirits. This is an impressive sight and I am surprised every year that no one is harmed.

Rules for people attending the festival:

• · Keep your body clean at all times during the festival
• · Wear white during the festival
• · Show good behavior both physically and mentally
• · No killing of animals
• · One cannot eat meat or vegetables with an odor
• · No sex
• · No alcohol
• · Grieving people should not attend the festival
• · Pregnant women should not watch any rituals
• · Women having their period should not attend any rituals

Throughout the festival fireworks and drums are sounded, especially during ceremonies. It is said that the louder they are the better, because the noise drives away evil spirits. The festival ends with merit making ceremonies at the shrine and the send-off of the gods on the last night.

So for me here at Thai Mueang Volunteers it is ten days without meat and vegetables with an odor, like garlic, one must not grave food during the festival so most of the food is quite tasteless.
Last year I lost about four kilograms during the festival even though I ate five times a day.
This year I will eat six times a day.

Of new volunteers, we have David from Scotland who should be on his way in mid-October, and Eileen who is American but lives in Germany is coming in mid-November. We are very much looking forward to seeing both of you here in Thai Mueang.

Smiles

Anders

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

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.

It has been quite a hectic start of the new school year, I myself am back at Thungpho Wittaya Secondary in Khok Kloi, about 20 km from here. It felt so good coming back to Thungpho, seeing the students, talking to them, feel the life and the vibes there are at a school is always great. I’ve also been around to the schools in our program to see if there are any changes to be made for the new year, they are all very helpful and they all asked me when they will get the next volunteer.

Our volunteer correspondent Chelsey, has gone back to Canada, she had to go back to finish her law degree. Chelsey and I started the work of getting TMV on the internet, getting the word out and getting us known on the web. It was quite a task considering that neither of us had ever done any work like this before.

Memories of Chels
I use a 3 to 4 finger system when “punching” on the keyboard, I don’t know how many fingers that are involved when Chels is “punching”, but it seems to me that the elegant attack the keyboard is being punished with… is very effective. One becomes attached to the keyboard, it becomes part of you, you have good days with the keyboard, you have bad days. Then you spill water on it! Tchaah, turn it upside down, you have to get up and do something to something that you don’t want to do anything for. Then again when you write an email to someone you love, the keys are stuck with gentle caring strokes, caressed with the fingertips and it sends a message across the globe with a blink of an eye. It is so normal to you, it is still so amazing to me.
08.30. You must have wet your bed. I still picture you standing in the fridge door, grabbing things with your right hand and just collecting with the left, “good morning” the way you walked, the positioning of your hips when standing, not sending much loving or caring towards whatever bacteria-filled breakfast (yoghurt) that was gonna continue to upset your stomach for the time being, made me understand that it would be the best for both of us if I just kept my mouth shut and went to work. Chels and I have worked together for almost a year here at the office; rarely do you meet someone that you live so close with for such a long period of time without there are sparks flying every now and then. In our case it has only happened once, I’ll spare you the details, we have laughed, cried, been mystified together, and most important we have always been there for each other no matter what. Thai Mueang Volunteers would never have been where it is today without you dear Chels, with your views, you hard work and the dedication you have shown us, the local community, and other friends of Thai Mueang Volunteers, you will always be in our hearts and we look forward to seeing you here again some time in the future. Beautiful you are, unique, so young. I have learnt so much from you.

Turner
Our next volunteer will arrive 16th of June, he is going to teach at Wat Patchatikaram Primary School starting the 19th. Turner is, 25, American, and he has been teaching English in Japan for a year, we are very exited and so are the students at the school.

My favorite memory:  All of my students. Every one of them were good students, had a good attitude trying their best and always willing to learn. This in spite of the fact that I was teaching them during their holidays. Remember how you felt about summer school? I wish all of them a bright future.
I was surprised that…  the level of understanding and speaking English was rather low. The students have a good textbook understanding of English, i.e. they can recognize and read English words. However, they need a lot of help speaking English and pronunciation needs work. That is where the volunteer can help.
My best received lesson: were ones that didn’t come out of a text book. I would have the students create something – like a map of town, or the layout of a hotel resort (for the hospitality and tourism students) – and then they would practice giving directions. It was more relevant to them if they were working with something that they created.
Tip for Future Volunteers: My tip is to expect that the students will have a low level of understanding and seek out material that teaches English in a simple way but with lots of pictures. The book I ended up using most was “Side by Side”, by Melinsky and Bliss, purchased at a Border’s book store in the U.S.
Practical tip: Take it easy when you first arrive, and do not take any trips on a motorbike on the highway until you have several days (or more) of practice. A minor fall could lead to a scrape that would only take a few days to heal at home, but could take weeks to heal here. (You can find the same advice over and over in Lonely Planet – take it). As you might guess, I learned the hard way.
Personal Paragraph: Overall the experience was very good. Thai Muang is a wonderful town located on a beautiful never ending beach that you will have to yourself. It is also close to many popular tourist locations which you can reach on the weekends. The students need to learn English if they want to get a job in the tourism sector that surrounds the area and tourism is obviously a major part of the Thai economy. These students greatly benefit from any help they receive in improving their English.

I have just finished my first week teaching at the vocational school. My students were 16 teenagers who are studying to work in the tourism/hospitality field. Although the school is officially on vacation at this time, these student were so eager to learn English that they took time off from their school holidays to spend their mornings back at school – with me!

Although I can calmly write about my first week looking back on it now, it was an intimidating experience for me at first due to my lack of teaching experience. By way of background I am a middle aged professional man who has taken time off from work to volunteer in Thailand. I had never taught in a classroom setting before. TM Volunteers is not the place to go if you are only looking for a holiday. They give you a great deal of responsibility. I was given suggestions and resources to assist in preparing my lessons and given all the support that I have requested. However, the lesson planning was up to me, and I was in charge of the class.

The students here know their English words, and are good at spelling – a good textbook understanding of the language. But they are very weak in conversational English. That is where the volunteer teacher can help. I kept my lessons relevant by dealing with themes related to the hotel and restaurant industry. The students reacted in a positive way. Even though this was only a one week assignment, I am confident that the students understand English better, and more importantly, understand the importance of continuing to study English if they want to work in the hospitality industry.

I am looking forward to my new assignment with a new group of students that starts next week.

We believe that volunteers are the perfect tool in creating new and exciting learning environments. We are not expecting volunteers to come for month placements and create fluent English speaking students. What we do expect is for them to create lesson plans based on their own personal skills, abilities and experience. Volunteers are not limited to strict teaching methodologies and are more adaptable to their current situation. They bring a variety of cultures to the Thai classroom and each person has a unique skill to incorporate into their teachings. Before arrival each volunteer must be able to explain to us what skills they have and how they would like to incorporate them into the classroom. We require each volunteer to create their own lesson plans, to ensure that the children are having a new and unique experience each time. They bring with them; inspiration to do some good, curiosity in that they are as eager to learn about a new culture as the students are to learn about them, and lastly they are a doorway to the outside, the world that would otherwise be closed due to lack of money.

Education is an empowerment tool. By providing under-funded schools with foreign volunteers, the students will not only be learning valuable English skills, they will also come into contact with different ways of life. With no disrespect to the Thai education system, we see a lack of motivation in the students to think independently and creatively. The intelligent children are focused on, and those that are slower to learn are repeatedly left behind. There is little to no reason for the children to believe that they are capable of changing anything in their lives, or to reach for anything more than the minimum expected of them. We want to teach these children that they have abilities they can build upon and prospects in their world that reach further than the next rubber tree farm or local corner restaurant.