In order to make it easier for people back home to envisage what a volunteering program with T2T will be like we have produced two films. A day in the life of a T2T Volunteer.
Both films are shot in Nongkhai and features teaching during the summer vacation. We will soon be making films of Namsom and Sangklaburi.
New coordinator for Namsom
Rick who recently co-wrote a story about volunteering in Namsom, has stayed on to be a T2T representative in Namsom. He begun his job with finding the new dorms and moving there. Rick has fallen for the Thai life style and if you ask him, he does not know when he will return to his home country, Holland.
Schools starting again
The long Summer vacation in Thailand is over and schools are starting again. For us this means a return to the norm. For the volunteers it means that they will have more continuity and play less games.
New logo, new look, new programs
T2T is in a phase of intense development. Our chief designer and business developer, Nat, helped us to make a new web site when he was volunteering here last year. Since February this year he is back and with his skills the development of our presence online has been radically enhanced.
The result of this is probably obvious to most of you. We have changed our logo, we have changed our web site banners and we will, in this step by step approach, soon change our homepage.
Nat say's that the top curve represents land and the botttom curve represents the sea, signifying traveling! Kerstin says it's the Thai "I am beautiful" sign.
But we are not only working on our exterior. We have also worked intensely with developing our programs both quality- and quantity wise. We enhance our professional standard by the day and yet we want to assure you that we are the same low key organization, with the same personal approach,
and the same care for our volunteers as before.
We are just a bit better at we are do, and now with a very positive and likable face in online.
New dorm in Namsom
Our Namsom Dorm suddenly became too small. We needed to get a new house and opted for something closer to the center of this little town.
Rick, our new coordinator in Namsom, found a house that exceeds all expectations. It has lots of Thai ambiance, a wild garden with bamboo and palm trees. It has a raised up porch in the front and a terrace for hamocks (a must have for T2T dorms).
It's close to the town center just across from the hospital.
Rocket festivals
This is the beginning of the wet season in Thailand. The summer monsoon begins in May-June and continues through September-October.
Since the main source of income in this region is rice cultivation and rice is heavily dependant on water, it is very important that the rain come in time.
To bring down the rain, Isan people send up rockets. And off course that, as almost every other event in Thailand, is good reason for a festival.
Every Wat or Tamboon (local region) has it's own festival. They set the times seperately so wherever you go in Isan at this time of the year, you will find a festival going on.
Fantastic parades, featuring events of the year and parts of Isan history and folklore. Rocket beauty competitions, highest flying rocket competitions. Isan dancing and more takes palce the this time.
This year all the volunteers from Nong Khai will join the Namsom volunteers to celebrate the rocket festival. In next months T2T newsletter we will have a photo galleries and maybe viedo footage of all the festivities.
