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

Teaching English to Mums and Kids Alike!

Hey there,

My name is Alina and I'm from Stuttgart, Germany. I'm 19 years old and I finished High School this year. My volunteer programme will take three months to complete, from September to December 2015.

I decided to spend some time in Thailand because I am really interested in Asian cultures and I hope to get to know the Thai culture. I want to become at teacher later so the work at a School here will prepare me for my occupational future. I also think that it is really exciting to get to know how kids in other countries are taught and how their parents nurture them. In addition I hope that the time here will be a great and unforgettable life experience.

Because of the school holidays I spent the first 4 weeks of my volunteer programme at the Wild Flower Home. This is a home for single mothers who are either pregnant or have young children. During my time there I took care of the kids, helped in the garden or in the office and I helped to clean the Buddhist temple kitchen from where the foundation gets most of their food and drinks. In addition I taught English to some of the older kids and to a few of the mothers.

Since November I have been working at the Wat Kuang Singh school. These children are essentially refugees from Myanmar and kids from the hilltribe villages in Thailand attending the school. I teach 3 lessons a week in 3 different classes. The most difficult part is the size of the classes (up to 48 kids) and the communication barrier, especially with the little kids. But I have a Thai teacher by my side and I realize that it is getting easier from lesson to lesson.

I'm looking forward to the following weeks and every experience I will get there.

Alina

An 18 Year Old German in the Thailand Jungle!

After one month in Thailand I can say I have arrived. Maybe I adapt especially quick. Maybe the circumstances were just right for me to feel accepted and welcome. Maybe it's because I was always interested in Asian culture. Maybe it's a combination of all those and so many more factors that make me comfortably say “for nothing would I trade this unique experience!”. Working with FORRU means being flexible. Very flexible. I didn't know I was that flexible. I also didn't know i would love this job, that before I arrived I had little to no interest in, so much that it would be no problem to sometimes work a 60+ hour week. But I guess that's exactly why I decided to make this journey and leave my family and friends for six months. To learn. Not only about a different culture and a different life and work philosophy. But to learn about myself. Also not only to meet incredible people ranging from people just like me doing a gap year to people working at Oxford on firing tree seeds in to the earth using automated drones. But also to meet myself. But who am I? Not in philosophical terms. This answer would probably exceed the few lines I'm writing here. But rather how do you imagine me? 

Writing this is an 18 year old guy from Germany, though when you read this it’s very likely I have already turned 19. I just finished the German equivalent to high school and I am currently on my gap year. Even though it’s only half a year I spend abroad I like to call it a gap year. 
I decided to travel to Thailand for a multitude of reasons. First of all I wanted to get away from home. And traveling a few kilometers in one direction just wasn’t going to cut it for me. 9000 km minimum! And another big plus for me was the culture. As I already mentioned I have always had a certain affinity with Asian cultures. Not so strong that I would just go there by myself and try to survive. After all I’m still only 18 years old. That's where CCT comes in to play. They were the perfect solution for me! I’m working with the Forest Restoration Research Unit (FORRU) at Chiang Mai University and have a place to stay and eat. So I get to do something really great (helping to find solutions for reforestation! FORRU is even considering using drones to save forests all over the world!). But I’m not alone on the beginning of my journey! And trust me having incredible people around you all the time really helps when leaving home for a long period of time and coming to a place you’ve never even been close to. For an 18 yo guy wanting to travel to Thailand, CCT provides the perfect starting point and in addition to that you also get a life altering volunteer opportunity.

Phillip

Overnight Trip to Lampang

Last week I had to stay for one night in Lampang. It's a city two hours away from Chiang Mai. FORRU owns plots there so we had to monitor them. Monitoring means measuring all the trees and valuing their health, shade and weeds. Masters students from Chiang Mai University helped us. 

 

Maybe you are wondering why FORRU has plots in Lampang. Actually SCG (big cement company in Lampang) tried to plant trees in their quarries, but it didn't work. So they asked FORRU for help. I have to say I was really surprised when I saw the trees. I mean the plots are in a quarry so I didn't expect anything. But the trees were so huge and healthy. 

 

This week we were in Lampang again but just for a meeting. SCG want to try to plant more trees and FORRU needs to explain everything. It was interesting to see a meeting between the environment and economy sector.

The other days I had to work in the office because we had to collect and analyze the data from our fieldtrips, and we have had many fieldtrips recently.

Last week my friends and I rented motorbikes so we did a lot of things. Just a few impressions: We visited a Thai Boxing fight and a lake, we watched a really nice movie at Documentary Arts Asia (a kind of cabaret movie) and we orbited Chiang Mai with the bikes. There is a really nice loop road in the mountains, it was amazing!

Sawasdee Ka!

My name is Marie Eberwein and I`m from Germany. I`m 19 years old and I finished high school before I arrived in Thailand.Having  just arrived three weeks ago, but I already feel home. That isn`t difficult because Thai people are the most hearty and friendly people, I`ve ever met. Everybody smiles and you can only do the same.During Cultural Canvas Program, I`m the volunteer at FORRU. FORRU is an environment organization, which reforest the rain forest around Chiang Mai. That means that I spend a lot of time in forest. We collect seeds, tend this in the nursery, we execute germination experiments, monitor formerly planted sites and even more. I really enjoy working in  forest, because it`s kind of paradise.We also offer educational programs in order to prepare this I have to work in the office, too. Our office is in Chiang Mai University. Therefore most of FORRU staff are students and teachers.

Enough about my work I also had time off. And Chiang Mai is a city with  many sights. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep was only one of the impressing temples I visited, covered by incense sticks. I also went to many waterfalls. It`s so amazing to relax there, breathing in the fresh, cool air and chilling in clear water.

Starting from now I`ll keep you informed about my work and my free time each week.

Thanks for reading!

Marie