Embarking on a round the world trip, Thailand was to be our last stop and the one we were most looking forward to. Many months ago we had arranged, from home, to teach English in Bangkok. However, upon arrival in January, the whole thing had fallen through. We were determined to find an alternative and fortunately stumbled across the ECC and learn2give website. We read about the project and the previous volunteers' experiences and it sounded perfect. Within the space of a few days we found ourselves pulling out of Hua Lampong station on a huge sleeper-train, and were soon speeding our way to Ubon Ratchathani.
Stepping off the train in Ubon and feeling a mixture of both nerves and excitement, we had little idea of what was in store for us. Our nerves soon calmed as we were met by the tiny, but beautiful, Aom. She greeted us warmly on the platform and we were then driven to UBU (Ubon Ratchathani University). It was there that we first met members of the English Crazy Club, who were full of enthusiasm and made us feel right at home. Gai, with the unmistakable smile, was one such student who instantly engaged us in conversations about anything and everything! We were each given Thai names, Nam-Pheung (honey), Nam-Fon (rain) and Nam-Khan (dew drop), and were invited to an ECC training weekend for new members, which we eagerly accepted, keen to learn more about the club and to meet more of our Thai friends-to-be.
From UBU myself and Claire were taken to Det Udom and Laura was taken on to Nam Khun where we would teach in both primary and secondary schools as well as in non-formal education. Having not taught before we were apprehensive and unsure if we would meet the schools' expectations but we threw ourselves straight into it and both the teachers and students seemed truly appreciative to have us there. The children really made our teaching time fun, enjoying the games and songs we taught, even if we were a bit out-of-tune. We were amazed at how excited the children were to learn from us, giving us their full attention during class and often following us during breaks, practising their English by asking us questions. We became 'farang' celebrities, signing books and posing for photos! We were made to feel so special- it was a strange, but brilliant feeling. Both students and teachers were very welcoming and within a few days we settled into our teaching routine.
During our first weekend we rejoined the ECC members and headed to Surin for their training weekend. Out of our four weeks in Ubon it was the most eye-opening experience, seeing first hand the real enthusiasm the members had to both learn and teach English. The weekend was an energy-filled, fun and heart-warming couple of days, which blew us away. Each and every one of them are an inspiration and helped put a little perspective in our lives. We also picked up tips for teaching and made great friends with the university students, meeting up with them every weekend during the rest of our stay. We were invited to stay at our good friend Jan's family home on many occasions and she, and her lovely family and boyfriend, did everything to make us feel comfortable and relaxed.
Every day of our stay was an adventure, experiencing new things and meeting great people. The teachers and hosts were brilliant and took great care of us. We really got immersed into Thai life- the food, music, clubs, markets, sights and sounds. Living in a more rural area of Thailand, the villagers didn't speak much English and so we took a keen interest in learning Thai. Our ECC friends were great in helping us, with Aom even ordering food over the phone in Thai until we learnt how to do so ourselves. We are extremely grateful to have had this experience and thank Netting and Aom for making it happen. Also, thanks to all the teachers especially Ajan Sujitra, Patsy-B and Jew (Nam Khun), and our hosts at the schools and to Jan and Fah for hosting us during the weekends.
Although our original volunteer plans fell through, we experienced more than we could have imagined and will never forget our time there and the amazing people we met. We have seen how appreciated volunteers are and, now back in chilly Ireland, will do our best to encourage more people to do the same and hope learn2give and ECC continue to grow and inspire.
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