MY LIFE AS A VOLUNTEER

This is how it all started, when Michella and I decided two years ago we wanted to do some volunteering. We sat at the table at work (Zadkine) and started to look on the Internet for possibilities to volunteer in Africa till be bumped into pictures of Thailand. And yes like that we decided we wanted to go to Thailand.

We signed up for a social project in Ratchaburi (FLOT 2), it wasn’t clear what we were really going to do.

The day arrived, we took a taxi from Bangkok to Ratchaburi. We stayed at the Hotel where we were supposed to meet the people of the project the next day.

As we woke up the next day the volunteers were already waiting outside. Outside we introduced ourselves to the group and talked until they picked us up.

We drove for 5 minutes and than arrived at a school and waited. Lee our coach entered the room and told us to find our spot because the projector room would be our home for these two weeks. We had to sleep on the hard floor on our sleeping bags, I got used to it very quickly tough. Not to mention the squat toilet and the 'cistern' we had to take a bath from.

Lee told us what our duties were. We had to teach English and clean the canals near the floating market of Damnoen Saduak. As an introduction in the Thai way of living she told us about the Thai culture, the do’s and don’ts, a little bit about the language. Because from than on we were no tourist anymore, we were teachers in the Ratchaburi province. The locals already heard about us, while walking to the floating market in Damnoen Saduak one man asked us: Are you teacher? All the people looked at us...two little girls followed me so I decided to take a picture of them and Lee walked to me and told that they are my students. It reminded me of when I was little, when new teachers use to make me happy :)

Our first Monday there was a ceremony at the school. All the children gathered including some teacher from the Balagsimogh School where I was assigned to work and people from the government and ministry of education. In the heat from the morning sun we stood at looked how the Thai people welcomed us. It was very beautiful to spot the children and teacher in their Monday yellow shirt in honour of the King which was born on Monday. I could feel the sweat dripping from my forehead and while the director was giving his speech, Sharay fainted. Everybody stood and look, and didn't know what to do so I start calling Lee loudly in the middle of the whole happening while Michella was trying to hold Sharay. Lee, Mya and another teacher ran to her and carried her to another spot. As they were trying to help Sharay the director closed the ceremony nicely with their mini school orchestra. Although Sharays drama the ceremony was very nice and I felt honoured to be there.

At the Balangsimogh school we had to introduce ourselves after they warmly welcomed us with another ceremony. After the ceremony I left to teach my first class. With no teaching experience I proudly walked to the other building trying to remember my own English classes way back. As I put one feet inside the classroom all the students stood up and said:Good Morning teacher. As I replied: Good Morning how are you, they replied I'm fine, thank you and you. I replied: I'm fine thank you. Than they all stood there and looked at me till I gave them permission to sit and they thanked me again with a little bow and sat. Let the class begin, I introduced myself and show them Curacao on a map Mr. Somyot (teacher/our driver) brought for me. I could see that The teachers of the Balangsimogh were pretty much interested in the culture of Curacao. They asked a lot of question about the Island, it's not common to have black people volunteering in Thailand, so we were pretty much an attraction ourselves. The people look at us very funny, trying to rub Mya's color of and touching our hair. What an experience.

The kids were very loving, polite, caring, eager to learn and were always smiling. I really liked teaching them although I was using my hands and feet to make clear what I meant. But it all worked out perfectly and I now can improvise when it comes to communication.

Everyday after teaching Mr Somyot and Noppadol made sure we had the best of Thai cuisine. Sometimes we had two different dishes, dessert and fruit. They treated us very well at the Balangsimogh school, I am so thankful they gave me the opportunity to teach and I gave it my best shot.

Everyday after teaching we had to clean the canals in a long tailed boat fishing plastic bags, bottles, ''fish heads”, shoes and other stuff that don't belong in the canals.

In the weekend we went to Kanchanaburi. We stayed in a floating guesthouse, visited the tiger temple and the bridge on the River Kwai. This bridge was a Thai and Burmese railway to support the Japanese occupation of Burma during the second world war. Many laborers died and 12.000 prisoners of war on the whole project.

In the afternoon we had a huge dinner party where we all made something typical of our own country. So Michella, Sharay and I decided to make pastechi tuna. The people really liked it. The other volunteers also made some special dishes. That day we ate French, Thai, Korean, Taiwanese, Spanish and English food. Afterwards I could barely walk.

TO THE SOUTH

We celebrated Mya's B-day in Koh Pagnan at the Full Moon Party, it was fun and crazy. The Full Moon party is a all night beach party with approximately 25.000 party animals. People getting wasted and forgetting that they might be alive the next day. With on bucket we did very well. After Koh Pagnan we went to Koh Tao. I really like Koh Tao....it was very relaxing but after the Full Moon party in Koh Pagnan lots of people go to the surrounding Islands, so all the guest houses and hotels on the Island were FULL....the first night we slept on the floor in a open Italian Restaurant trying not to catch rabies from the baths that were flying around. But we compensated it very well the next day with a bungalow on the 1 minute from the beach. Koh Tao was all about massage, swimming, sleeping in restaurants, reading.....well just relaxing. We also did a snorkeling tour....Ko Tao has beautiful coral, sharks and reefs. On our way back there was a lot of wind from the typhoon causing huge waves. At one time the boat almost capsized, people panicked, cried and hyperventilated while I was making a plan to survive but we arrived safely.

The last day on Koa Tao we did a visa-run to stay longer in Thailand. When they dropped us off at the pier. We walked into a cargo boat, I didn't really worry cause I thought we'll get on another boat like we've done before. But NO. We arrived in a cabin with lots of man, probably Burmese man on visa-run extending their work visa in Thailand. We were shocked, asking ourselves if this whole visa-run thing is legal because it seemed not. Since when do they transport people in a cargo-boat together with cars. We didn't expect this at all. After one hours some more tourist arrived and especially the women made us feel better. We were not alone anymore. So like refugees we slept the whole night sharing a one person mattress with tree people. No kidding! Quickly by boat, crossing the border getting our stamps in Myanmar and back. This time on a luxurious catamaran we arrived at our next destination, The Island of (Koh) Samui. On this Island we ended our last days in the south, the south way, partying at green mango, swimming and taking oil massage. Back to the Khao San Road. I just checked in and we'll be boarding in exactly 9 hours. Flying Emirates from Bangkok to Dubai, from Dubai to Dusseldorf and from Dusseldorf to Rotterdam by train.

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