Jackelyn Alvarado, 26, USA

I had the amazing opportunity of being able to spend one week living with a Thai family and volunteering at a school in the Warincharamp district of Ubon Ratchathani. I have always wanted to travel to Thailand and have had a huge interest in Thai culture. I knew that the best way to experience true Thai culture would be to live with a family there while volunteering, and was excited for the opportunity.

Upon my arrival to the Ubon airport, I was greeted by Aom and It. Immediately I felt welcome and comfortable with both of them. They took me to It’s house, where we sat down to enjoy a delicious Thai meal. Aom and I talked about what would be happening in the week and she also taught me my first Thai words. It and Aom also gave me my Thai name on my first day, “Gaawta,” – meaning one’s beloved. They told me that the direct translation actually means cornea – which is the most important part to people’s eyes. If a Thai daughter receives this name, it means that the parents will take care of them tenderly.

Monday morning, we left early to pick up Aom and then drop my things off at the host’s family’s home. I have to admit, I was a little nervous that morning. I wasn’t sure what to expect – with the students, the family I’d be staying with etc. But similarly to how I was welcomed by Aom and It, the family welcomed me immediately as well. We all drove into the school that morning, and you could tell the students were all very curious about me, yet shy about approaching me as well. That morning, the principal introduced me to the students and staff, and I said a few words to everyone – which of course, Aom had to translate into Thai for me!

And so the first day began, which turned into a week of a truly unforgettable experience. Everyday I was greeted by the students with – “Good morning teacher, how are you today?” The teachers tried to make sure that I spent time in different classrooms with different aged students – this school went from kindergarten to the eighth grade. This was nice because I had an opportunity to work with almost all of the students throughout the week. By the second or third day, I noticed that I would periodically have “visitors” peek into the classroom to see what I was doing. Of course, the second I noticed them, they would laugh and run away. When I would take a break, at lunch, or if I had free time in the morning, I would try to spend time with the students – playing games, specifically volleyball!

My week ended with the opportunity to go to a festival at the Temple located right next door to the school. This was an all day festival where they made offerings to Buddha and where I was able to learn more about the Buddhist religion. They had all types of festivities and at night had a concert with dancers and singers. The students were given the day off for this special occasion, but I was still able to see them throughout the day as they came and celebrated at the festival.

Overall, not only was this experience amazing but it was truly unforgettable. One week definitely was not long enough and passed by extremely fast! Being that it was so short and I enjoyed it so much, it gives me more of a reason to return to Thailand in the future and stay for hopefully a much longer time next time.

Reference: http://jackelynalvarado.blogspot.com/