Volunteer Stories | Daniel and Kim
If you don't like working in a big city, want to meet a lot of Thai people and don't mind power failures every once in a while, then Namsom is the place for you. In the summer of 2007 we took off to this little town, just 2 hours away from Nongkhai. Even the road to the town is an awesome tour by itself, crossing mountains and lots of jungle.
When we arrived in Namsom, there were only 4 of us in the dorm, also known in Namsom as Ban Farang. The house is almost entirely made of wood and is probably one of the most beautiful houses in the neighborhood. We immediatly felt at home. The living room is big enough to play with the children who visit the house almost every day, there is a nice place to hang around in hammocks and plenty of space on the balcony for relaxing.
We started working at Thasom primary school, just around the corner of Ban Farang. The school is one of the best in the region, and many students come from far away to study here. Since we started at the same time as the new term, many students had never seen volunteers before and were very excited. We have probably shaken more hands than we ever did in our lives. Also, the teachers of Thasom school were very happy to have us and took care of us every day. Not only at school, but even on the weekends. They would take us to temples, national parks or other places outside Namsom.
Next to teaching at Thasom, we were also teaching English at the hospital of Namsom. The people at the dentist department somehow know when new volunteers arrive in Namsom and will literally beg you to teach them. If you want to teach English and get free dental check-ups and fruits while doing so, this is the place to be.
Namsom is very different then the bigger volunteering towns such as Nongkhai. Everyday life in Namsom is much easier but people are so much more friendly. Do as we did, and always smile when you are outside. In return, Namsom will invite you to everywhere you want to go.
Kim de Boer and Daniel Middel, the Netherlands.