Volunteer Stories  |  Charlotte

Charlotte came to go to Namsom, but she fell in love at first sight with Nongkhai and spent two months teaching at a nursery here. This is her unconventional version of a SouthEastAsian story:

I thought about writing some kind of a letter to recommend Travel-to-Teach to prospective volunteers, but thought it might sound a bit staid or false, even though it would be entirely sincere, and so decided instead to come up with a definitive list of things that I either really enjoyed, or that simply made my time in Thailand so amazing for another reason.

1 Also my email address can be made available so that if anyone who's thinking about coming to Thailand can contact me if they want to. Some things on the list are quite unconventional, but I thought I didn't need to say about all the amazing scenery, as it goes without saying, though it's fully appreciated too. I think this list will be appreciated most by the people I spent the most time with in Nong Khai, and as such may appear somewhat random and obscure to others, but I think the idea will get across - go to Thailand and do lots of random and wicked things too!!! Ok, here goes...:

- the state of our bathroom (minus toilet seat, light, lock & water!)

- Brian leading us into the busiest corners of the market on our bikes- what a good idea!

- Deciding which airlines are the most dangerous, so we can risk our lives on them - Laos air anyone?!

- Brian planning on saying 'Back in Nam...'

- staff in 7- 11 knowing what I want before I ask for it

- Mike accidentally buying liver- yum...

- Elisa haggling . A true inspiration.

- Using towel to clean the floor, and consequently bringing lots of ants into our home.

- Deborah flooding the toilets at the school (and running away!)

- Woman with crazy purple hair in Vientiane

- Lightening- proof condoms in 7- 11 (one for Mike and Brian!)

- Buying clothes even though I know they'll be ridiculously too small for me

- Good Girl, Mike Tyson, Crazy Dog, Ball Sack (nee Dr Scott), White Fang, Baby (our adopted stray dogs)

- Snake soup and leeches in Chiang Mai (don't check for leeches unless there's a lighter available straight away!)

- English family in the pool playing crazy 'let's drown ourselves' game. Makes me so proud.

- Trying to sing to my class.Oh dear..

- All the different rickety transport I've tried out, often against my better judgment. Motorbike taxis in Bangkok. Oh wow..

- Sleeping in massage parlour in Ayuttaya as hotel had double- booked me.

- People being drug tested at Star Trek

- The stagnant centerpiece fountain in Vientiane

- Playing football with children from a hill tribe near Chiang Mai.

- Watching 'The Sicilian'. Sorry guys.

- Entire families on 1 motorbike. I got a photo of 6 people, can anyone beat that?

- Playing chase in the monument in Vientiane

- Who took Ida's water?

- Making crazy plans to get to the full moon party. Brian:' What if....!'

- Taking photos while on a bus.This is another reflection...'Doh!

- Pad Thai lady and her rebel son

- Dan managing to get stuck in every set of reeds whilst we were tubing

- The dirtiest menu in the world!

- Deep Rising (really bad channel 5 film) being shown on every long haul bus ride - and never working!

- Thai people saying a hello to me all the time - is no surer way to be put into a good mood.

- Spilling larvae all over the floor

- Denise getting ketchup everywhere!!

- Baisee ceremony.Realised then for sure what a fantastic set of people I was with, and how much I'd miss everyone (and I am!)

- Sunset cruise- just amazing

- The bike repair man who looks like a bare- knuckle boxer! So cool though.

- Swimming at night (and getting caught!!!)

- All of the children at the kindergarten. The sweetest kids- especially when playing musical chairs.

- The weekend in Loei

- Crazy night I spent in Patpong (yes the photos were censored for my mum!)

- Getting milkshakes at Cafe de Paris

- The internet guy - so cool.

- Waterfall 'swimming'. Or not as there's no water...

- Nothing working on the buses but people so good- natured and happy that no-one cared.

There is so much more but this list is getting so long, but on top of all of this I could add all of the Thai girls that were so so helpful, and such fun to hang out with, Kerstin, who always welcomed us in (even when armed with awful films), the teachers I worked with, who were so nice and really made me feel like I belonged, all of the children who I taught and played games with, who always made me so happy even when I was tired or unprepared, and finally the other volunteers who I did so much random stuff with, and will never forget as you're all wicked! I really can't put into words how much I enjoyed my time, and will come back asap!