Valentina Zihlmann (January 2011)

Our first Swiss volunteer with English Crazy Club, her name is ‘Valentina Zihlmann’ a 20-year-old law student from University of Lucerne in Switzerland. She taught high school students at Srikhoonwitthayabunlung School in Amnat Charoen province for almost a month. She was in Thailand before as a traveler. Valentina was interested in learning more about Thailand, after she had visited for the first time in Khao Lak for 2 weeks. After arriving Bangkok she directly headed to the South to do the English camp with our ECC crew. Let’s learn more what she learned though volunteering with L2G!

L2G: As we know that this is your second time in Thailand, what inspires you to come back again?

Vally: Well actually I just wanted to volunteer in South East Asia. I chose Learn2Give because the camps and the whole idea of Thai university students helping Thai kids were very appealing to me. Only after that I started to look further into Thailand... and found out that all we Europeans know is just what we see in Phuket, Bangkok or Koh Samui! (A little example: I told my father that some of the kids there have never seen a white person before. My father: "Really?? But it's Thailand... I mean there are so many tourists (white persons) there!" haha) So yeah, after Aom (one of Learn2Give coordinators) informed me a bit about the project I got really into the idea of getting to know Thailand from another perspective.






L2G: Can you briefly tell us about the impressive moment joining the English camp you did with English Crazy Club staff?

Vally: It was crazy! Haha it was absolutely great, a weekend full of fun. And the team I worked with were great people, we had so much fun together. It was cute to see how the Thai kids enjoyed the games and the dances. Some of the other Thai students have never been in that area before, so we travelled a bit around and stayed with Ann (a university student from Suratthani province who I met during my trip) and her lovely family. It was an amazing week and I hope we could inspire many kids!



L2G: We heard that you were very keen to learn Thai during your stay in Thailand, but it turned out to be that you were surrounded by Isaan speaking people when you are in the community. How did you feel and how did you think about that situation?

Vally: Well I had a little travel dictionary with me, so I tried to say some things in Thai, such as "I don't understand" or "I am an English teacher in Amnat Charoen." But I stayed there way too short to speak Thai to the people from the school, I couldn't even figure out if they were speaking Thai or Isaan! So in the end I learned a bit of Thai to deal a great price with the sales people in Bangkok ^^ And I still remember some things, such as "nung, song, sam...." or "lod noi dai mai?" ^^


L2G: We have seen some pictures of the Northeastern local food you puton your facebook, can you tell us more about this kind of exotic food? Have you tried them yet? Did you like them?

Vally: I absolutely loved the sticky rice!! I can't eat spicy food, but all the people at school knew that, so they always helped me choose the non-spicy food in the canteen. And it was always great! But I have never tried insects or crickets or ant eggs.... Well now I think I should have done it, just to try it!! Because we don't eat these things in Europe, so when I first saw that food it was a bit repellent to me (but I believed all the Thais who told me it tastes great!)
So I told myself to try it.... one day!



L2G: Please tell us about students you taught and the English teachers you worked with. Did you have any challenges with your teaching and how could you cope with it?

Vally: The biggest challenge was that I had no idea how good their English was. I figured out that they actually know the words, but are too shy to talk. So we often played games where the kids had to laugh and so dared talk in English! There was one lesson I remember very well: I talked to some elder students (about 15 years old) about the world, where they speak English, what a "capital city" or a "continent" is etc. So when I asked them "What languages do they speak in Switzerland?" and a girl responded with "English!" I said "No... it's German, French and Italian!". The girl said "....but.... why is your English so good then?" and I replied "I learned it at school, just like you!" And then you should have seen the students' faces :-) So I hope I could inspire at least that class to learn a lot of English :-)





L2G: Growing up in the West, do you find any challenges from the cultural differences? If yes, how was it like?

Vally: Umm, yes, the bathroom! I am a bit ashamed to confess that, but I actually had no idea how to use a squat toilet (which was due to the fact that I didn't know the word "squat", literally translated to German, the word "squat toilet" becomes "stand toilet" ! ) Luckily I had Ann, a Thai student who demonstrated me how it works! Haha.

And sleeping on the ground was quite something to get used to.....!

The people in Thailand are extremely friendly and they smile a lot, which is what we Europeans love about Thailand. But exactly that friendliness worried me a bit, as I was scared of doing something wrong or rude without even noticing it myself!



L2G: You were living in the typical house of the local village, staying away from modern and comfort zone and warmly welcomed by your host family, please share us that moment and how did you feel?

Vally: I realised how spoiled I am by having my own room with my own big and comfy bed and a washing machine and running water and cooking plates and so on! The family I stayed with had a beautiful house and they were taking very well care of me (as all the teachers did), but still I realised how much changes there are, it is like two different worlds. I didn't notice that change so much when I was at the camp with the students who live in Bangkok, and when I stayed with Pang, one of the university students, she said she knew exactly how it feels to be in a different culture, as she has stayed in England and Australia before. But I think the people in Amnat Charoen didn't know that, so first when I couldn't get used to everything there, I felt embarrassed that they might consider me very spoiled! But after a while I got used to everything, and the people there are so friendly, they made me feel welcome very soon.



L2G: Comparing to your European culture, what aspects of Thai culture that you found funny and interesting?

Vally: Sleeping on the ground, while they all have mobiles and a facebook account. I didn't understand how having facebook could make me more important to them than having a proper bed! But I think when you grow up with it, you see it from a different perspective and mayb think it is unnecessary to have a bed, but very important to have an i-phone :-)

Oh and how everyone loved my skin colour! All the time when I saw people that couldn't speak English, they said something to me and all the time the teacher I stayed with, P'Tann, translated for me: "She said you look very beautiful" or "she likes your skin". I found it funny how everyone in Europe wants to be tanned and people in South East Asia want to be white! That made me think about how we always want something we can't have.



L2G: Have the L2G project changed the way you view the world? If yes, how?
Vally: It made me appreciate what we all have in Switzerland. And it made me want to travel more and get to know different cultures!



L2G: Do you believe that your voluntary experience with us can change the world?
Vally: Actually.... no. But I believe that it can change some children’s life. That they get inspired and try to learn a lot of English, and may get eager to learn more and more and get a good education. And I believe that Learn2Give and English Crazy Camp will achieve this. And it makes me feel proud that I was a little part of this :-)