Teaching... With a Twist!

From the 2nd November to the 18th of December I taught English at the Wat Kuang Singh school in Chiang Mai. 

The biggest challenge was the communication with the kids, because most of them had only learned English for a short time and so they understood next to nothing of what I was trying to say. But with the help of tooth and nail, pictures, a Thai speaking teacher or google translate, everything was possible. 


I taught 3 different classes and discussed different topics in every class. With the youngest (6-7 years old) I talked about pets and the numbers until 20. We learned new words with pictures and played pantomime games. 

The middle ones are about 8-10 years old and we spoke about our families and the different rooms in a house. We drew our family trees and the ground plots of our homes. 

The oldest ones are about 10-12 years old and they were the biggest class with about 48 students. It was really hard to work with such different levels in one class. But they all had fun when we talked about weekend activities or the western Christmas. Furthermore we played a lot of hangman to learn and remember new words. 

The other teachers were really nice and from my first day on I was a part of the team. One day we made a school trip to Doi Suithep and to the Bhubing Palace. Because the guided tour was in Thai the teachers did everything to explain the whole tour to me. And at the temple a few girls took me with them and showed everything to me.



Furthermore I learned how to build a krathong, a traditional, boats like structure made from banana leaves and flowers as part of the Loy Krathong Festival. I was a bit helpless at the beginning but the teachers and also the students showed me how to fold banana leaves and how to fix them on the banana trunk. 

The father's day ceremony was also a great experience. Everybody wore a yellow shirt and girls of all ages performed traditional thai dances. They also sang the National Anthem and other Thai songs and every adult had to write greetings for the King in a book. After the ceremony every class made their own chilli paste and then sold them. 

I should also say something about the food because I've never had such delicious food at a school. I am really impressed that one person is able to cook such good food for so many people.

All in all I had a awesome time here and I am really upset that this time has ended so fast. But the time here showed me that I really want to become a teacher in the future and I'm thankful that I was able to have all these experiences.


Alina, Germany

A Day in the Life of Volunteer Teaching in Thailand

Hello,

My name is Tang and I am from the University of Kansas. My major is Global and International Studies along with a minor in Anthropology. 

I am currently volunteering as an English teacher at Wat Khuang Singha School in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Thai students that I teach English to range from ages 6 to 12 years old. Almost every day I assist the Thai teachers with teaching English and one day a week I teach on my own, which has become a wonderful experience.

To be honest, I am loving this volunteer work! The Thai teachers and students are very polite and respectful towards everyone and I felt very welcomed when I first arrived at the school. There are so many things that I enjoy about this school, such as everyone singing the Thai national anthem every morning, the food, and the people. I really enjoy teaching the Thai students because they love to participate which makes teaching much easier for me. 

I would recommend this volunteer work to anyone who loves kids and who loves to teach. You don’t even have to be highly experienced in teaching because the volunteer work itself assists and provides you with the necessary skills. It’s not difficult, nor is it easy, but once you get the hang of it you will enjoy teaching as much as I am, especially with these wonderful Thai students.

Until next time, 

Tang

IT’S NOT A GOODBYE, IT’S A “SEE YOU LATER”

I don’t even know how to start telling how wonderful this experience was for me. As I said before, everyone was just so kind and welcoming! But aside from that, I definitely need to say how Chiang Mai was beyond any of my expectations. I just love how the city is surrounded by rivers, how street food is the best and the cheapest, and how you feel so safe walking at night. That being said, I do have to point out my favorite places / attractions:  The Elephant Nature Park , Zoe’s, Bus Bar, Tiddin, Sunday Walking Street Market, Doi Suthep and the Night Bazaar.

As for my teaching project, it was wonderful! As the kids got to know me, they were asking for my autograph (it was crazy, I loved it!) and kept telling me they loved me and were making “I Love You” hand-signs. It was too sweet. On my last day of teaching, everyone seemed pretty upset I was leaving. During the morning one of the teachers I was closer to gave me a scarf and said she was going to miss me! 

At lunch time they asked me to go up to the stage in the cafeteria and make a farewell announcement. I just didn’t know what to say, it was very unexpected, so I just thanked all of them, said it was wonderful, and that I was really going to miss everything and everyone. After that, a couple of kids gave me a teddy bear with “Thank You Teacher” written on a piece of paper and some Thai treats! I just didn’t know what to say, it was a lovely gesture! 

Finally in my last class, the kids made me Goodbye Cards and asked for my Facebook profile! Soooo sweet. I truly did learn a lot from these kids and teachers, they are very different, not only for being Thai, but because they truly respect one another and try their hardest to make you feel welcome and special!

Other than work, I had a nice time with the other volunteers and the Cultural Canvas staff. On my last night, we all joined in for a night out at Zoe’s.  It was a fun way to say goodbye.  Everyone at Cultural Canvas is just awesome! And I really love how they have family dinner every Wednesday, it’s such a nice way to have a fun night, get to know everyone a bit better and have plenty of laughs. I just wished I had more time to get to know everyone better, although I already feel like everyone is just so kind, wonderful, and funny.  So thanks everyone for making me feel welcome.

I’m always going to remember this experience. It was a nice way to get to know an NGO and another country while helping others at the same time. I would definitely recommend this to everyone. I know I only stayed for 3 weeks, but in that short period of time I got to experience and see things from a different perspective and appreciate the Thai culture. That being said, I definitely want to come back to visit, or volunteer again. So this is definitely not a goodbye, but a “See you later”. Thank you Cultural Canvas and Thank you everyone at the school and the other volunteers! You all rock!

Change is Afoot at CCT

Cultural Canvas Thailand and Art Relief International recently bid a sad farewell to its Art Director (ARI) of the last two years, Sarah Lovett. Sarah has been a much loved member of the CCT team and has brought lots of passion, enthusiasm and creativity to the ARI program, not to mention structure and strategy. CCT has been lucky to have her, and we wish her well in her return home to the USA to continue work on her own arts outreach NGO, Paint The World (www.paint-the-world.org). We'll miss you Sarah!

But with sad endings comes new beginnings, and CCT is very excited to introduce its two newest members of the team, Emma and Dan, in the respective roles of Art Director (ARI) and Assistant Director (CCT). Here's a little bit more about them...

Dan Hales

Hi! I'm Dan, from Adelaide, Australia.

I originally completed a Bachelor of Social Work in 2004, before undertaking roles in community development and counselling, predominantly with young people, the LGBTQ community and within HIV Prevention.

Having completed a Graduate Certificate in Tourism (Festival and Event Design and Management) in 2009, I have more recently been working as a Project Coordinator within the arts, festival and community cultural sector.

I am also a qualified Yoga Teacher and a trained dancer.

I volunteered for three months with Art Relief International in 2014, after falling in love with Chiang Mai during previous visits. I enjoyed my time so much I couldn't help but apply for this position when I saw it advertised.

I am extremely passionate about social justice and human rights, and I plan to continue to forge a career in community cultural development and theatre outreach. I also love travelling, the beach and macadamia ice cream!

Emma Gabriel   

Hello, my name is Emma Gabriel and I am the new Art Director for Cultural Canvas Thailand's Art Relief program. I come from Newfoundland, a small island in Eastern Canada, and am happy to call Chiang Mai my new home.

Making the decision to move here has been exciting, as I love to travel and adapt to new settings, learn new cultures, and meet new people!

I have a background in languages and visual art, focusing on an array of media throughout my studies, though my favourite being stained glass and pen and ink drawing. I also love experimenting with new media and have a current fascination with street art, stencils and spray paint.

The other aspect of this position that I love is the ability to help people in using art as therapy. It feels so amazing to create a sense of inclusion and community and to empower, inspire, and educate through art. I couldn't be happier to be a part of this team!

A Brazilian in Chiang Mai

 Hello there! 

My name is Jessica, I am 19 years old and I’m from Brazil. I arrived in Chiang Mai on January 10th and right from the start, the wonderful staff from Cultural Canvas and the other volunteers made me feel very welcome. 

I am staying at a guest-house 10 mins away from the volunteer home-base, but I just spend most of my time at the house along with the rest of the girls.  My day usually starts at 7am when I go to the volunteer home-base to eat breakfast and get picked up at 8am. I get to the Wat Kuang Singha School, where I teach English, usually about 8:30am.  At 9 am the classes start and I usually have to teach three 1h classes per day, so from 9 to 3:45 I spend my time teaching, planning my future classes, and just talking to the other teachers at the school. 

Everyone in the school is so wonderful, they are always asking me about my life in Brazil and are very interested to know my future plans even though they don’t speak English very well. Aside from the teachers at the school, the kids are also amazing and VERY special.  Whenever I get to a class, the students stand up and say altogether “Good Morning teacher” and whenever I’m leaving a class they stand up and say “Thank you teacher, goodbye” and always do the “wai” for me whenever they see me. 

I teach 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 year-olds, so I definitely need a different lesson plan for all these classes. The 4 and 5 year-olds are a bit crazy, they just want to play the whole time and they definitely need something in their hands all the time. As they get older they really learn to appreciate their teacher and my classes with the 10 year olds are always so mature and insightful. They don’t always understand what I say, but try their hardest to figure it out. It’s really hard teaching kids a completely different language when you don’t even know how to speak Thai to explain what each word means, so I do a lot of pointing, drawing, dancing and singing (thank god for Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes). 

On the weekends I just visit the city and hang out with the rest of the volunteers. Doi Suthep is definitely a “must see”, and the Sunday Walking Street Market is also a good place to visit.  





It’s incredible how the Thai culture is so different from most of Western cultures. Simple things like touching someone’s head is seen as a “bad” gesture, or the different types of Wai they do for the different types of people. Even the transportation here is different; we usually take Red Trucks to get around, it’s very cheap (20 baht), or the tuk-tuk which is a type of taxi. The food is also so different, since I got here I haven’t eaten pizza, fries, red meat or basically any western food, I just eat a lot of curry, pad thai, and spring rolls. It’s so delicious. 

I’ve only been here for 2 weeks, but I really love it! The Thai culture is wonderful, along with its food, extremely kind people, amazing views and temples, and its cheap prices. Being here really made me appreciate simple things from home, like hot showers, my comfy bed, and even the food. Seeing how the Thai people live a simple life and are just so happy, makes me appreciate everything. I’m loving this experience, you learn so much from it and from the people you spend time with, it’s crazy.

Thanks for reading xx

Wildflower Home Blog 7

Although I wrote a lot about my weekends in the last blogs, eighty percent
of my life in Chiang Mai is determined by my work at Wildflower Home. A
few things have changed at Wildflower Home and with it my tasks have
changed as well. I work in the farm until lunch break. This involves
cleaning pig stables, fastening bank slopes and setting up a vegetable
garden. I like the work there. It is rhythmic and it is dynamic. Your head
is absolutely empty. There is just the sound of your rake hitting the
ground and the smacking sound of the soil giving in. This is accompanied
by the choir of roosters crowing all around you. No deadlines are pressed
but instead you´re just giving your best. You work to your tempo, taking
breaks when ever need them. If it´s not ready, you´ll finish it tomorrow.
I have learned a lot about my physical limits, but I was also surprised by
some of my skills. Skills which I never would have assumed I had. I have
learned that hard work brings people together. The breaks provide a great
opportunity to get to know the members of Wildflower Home better. It gives
you time to hear their stories and to understand why they are at WFH.
Overall, working in the farm is definitely the highlight of my day.

In addition to my work on the farm, I´m teaching English in the afternoon.
This is one activity which is really fun. Beside that, I am doing crafts
and handmade cards. I find that these can be dreary. But the kids provide
a light to the tedium with their running around and playing with our art
supplies. They always seem to be giggling and screaming. Since some
mothers with older kids have left, there are only three kids around two
year’s age. Therefore, there is no nursery currently functioning. Whoever
is around simply watches the cluster of children. Though their presence
makes the card production slightly slower, when a happy two year old jumps
on your lap the interaction brings the biggest smile to your face.

Saying goodbye (Rita Boyle)

Hi there - Well after three truly wonderful weeks my journey at CCT has come to an end.   My last week was a busy one with mixed emotions as I said goodbye to my students and fellow students.  They were all so nice to me and I couldn't have asked for a nicer school.  Teacher May presented myself and another volunteer teacher with a lovely bag each and I had photo shoot with P5 and P6 (my students)  Teacher May also took us to her house for a wonderful dinner.   The friendship and warmth of the Thai people is something that I will never forget and will always be grateful for.

As the teachers were at a seminar last Thursday and Friday I got to close out the “Dress Code” Guidelines when volunteering with CCT that I was working on with Wad.  I also got to attend two of the Art Workshops which was a wonderful experience, it was truly inspirational to see how the children brought a blank piece of canvas to live with their imagination and talent.  The team are going to have a tough job trying to choose which pictures will make it into the Exhibition in October, let's just say rather them than me! 

 

On Friday afternoon, it was time for another photo shoot, this time with the CCT staff and fellow volunteers, well I couldn't go back to Ireland without a photo of the people that made this experience possible and who were there to support me every step of the way during my journey.

On Saturday, I went to the Elephant Retirement Park. Here I got to see the elephants roam free, no elephant rides, just feeding and bathing them in mud before giving them a nice shower, mind you I think by the end of the day I ended up with more mud on me than on the elephants..... - but well worth the trip.

 

Well that’s about it from me. On a closing note I would just like to say, if you are considering volunteering, speaking from experience you couldn't pick a more genuine organization than CCT, they do amazing work and the team are one of the best I have ever had the pleasure of working with.  So just go for it, you won't regret it, but remember you’ll get out of it as much as you put in to it. Keep an open mind and if you are willing to be flexible and embrace the experience you will end up with memories and friends for life.

 

I don’t really believe in goodbyes so until me meet again take care.

 

All the best

 

Rita

 

The journey continues (Rita Boyle)

Hello Everyone,

It's hard to believe another week is over, my time here in Thailand is going way too quickly.  I am glad to report though that I am really enjoying the experience and getting see and do lots of different things both at the school, with my fellow volunteers that I share the house with and I have also done a bit of exploring on my own.  

After last two school outings last week it was back to full time lessons for the students this week.  P6 are learning all about the weather and the different seasons.  I talked a bit about the weather in Ireland and the students were very interested to learn more about "snow". It made me realize that living in Ireland I take for granted that I get to experience many different weather types even if it does rain far more than I like it to!!  The students are very good and their main Teacher May has a great teacher : student relationship which is really great to see.  Last Thursday I got to participate in a workshop that my fellow volunteers run every week at the school I am teaching in.  This was great fun and it was lovely both to both get an opportunity to  work with my colleagues and to experience first hand another one of the many excellent projects that CCT manage.

As I mentioned last week, I am only teaching 1 - 2 hours a day so I spend the rest of the day in the CCT office.  Last week I worked on preparing a "Quick Reference Guide on Thai Culture and Volunteering with CCT" .  It is just in a table, A4 size that calls out the key points to remember while in Thailand. I know from my own experience that when you sign up for volunteering you receive a lot of reading material and a "Quick Reference Guide"  would have been really useful to have to hand to refresh my memory.    So hopefully this is something that future volunteers will find beneficial.  

So on the social side of things what have I been up to.... On Wednesday, I had my second  "Family Dinner" with all the volunteers and staff at CCT.  The food as always was great, who doesn't like Spring Rolls....  On Friday, Steph was leaving the house to return home to Scotland, so we all went out for drinks.  I can't remember the name of the bar, not because I had too much to drink but because the name totally slips my mind.....but anyway it was great, we started out on the rooftop but due to rain we went one floor down to inside bar which was equally as nice.  From there we headed over to another bar for one more before heading back to Riverside.  Me being the oldest of the volunteers bailed out at this point, I can't party like I used to:-)  

On Saturday, I went on a Thai Cooking Class.  It was excellent.  I was picked up at 9:00 a.m. and then we went to the local Market.  Here we saw how coconut milk is extracted from coconuts, Sammy (Chef) went through the local ingredients with us and we then had some time to look around the market before we continued on our journey to Sammy's Organic Farm.  Once inside we got to taste some freshly baked rice cakes and then we put on our aprons and got cooking!!    First I cooked Thai Green Curry followed by Chicken Stir Fry and Cashew Nuts, both turned out really well considering that I do not do much cooking at home, in fact my reputation for cooking in Ireland is so bad,  my friends bought me a mug as a present a few years about that read "I only have a kitchen because it came with the house"!!!  Of course I had to take some photos as evidence that I actually managed to cook a decent dish"😊  After we demolished our dishes we then had an hour to relax in one of the lovely hammocks, this was so relaxing and a real  treat.   Once we recharged our batteries it was back to the kitchen to prepare our final two dishes, Spring Rolls and Sticky Rice and Mango, both of which were delicious.  Everyone got a cookbook to takeaway so I guess I don't have any more excuses for not cooking a nice Thai meal when I get back home from my travels.

                                                                                                                   

On Sunday, I went into Chiang Mai and walked around the city, the weather was beautiful and it was really nice strolling around and exploring the many streets and visiting the temples.  In the evening I went to the SundayMarket and bought some gifts for my family.  I then met up with Nicola and we went for some food and a catch up before walking home.  Before I knew where I was the weekend was over and I found myself getting ready for my last week at Wat Muen Nyeun Gong School.

Well that's about it for now, catch up again later.

Rita