Volunteer Stories | Lacy
Desperate for a break after pushing myself to receive my masters by age 23, I decided that leaving home and my native culture was the way to do it.
Nervous about signing up to fly across the world via the internet, I contacted someone externally who was involved with the program and got the feeling of security I needed. Less then two months after I first contacted Jessica, the International coordinator, I was on a plane bound for Bangkok for a one month stay in Nongkhai, Thailand and three weeks in Nha Trang, Vietnam.
Due to inclimate weather, I arrived a day later then expected, and without luggage. My normal inclination would be to get very stressed, but I quickly adopted the mai-ben-lai ("it doesn't matter" or "no worries") mantra of the Thai's. Within an hour of arriving in Nongkhai I was already joining the other volunteers at the local bar. About 25 friendly volunteers coming from all over Europe and Australia greeted me. By the end of the first week, I already felt like I had been there for months; spending my mornings teaching teachers at CBAT, relaxing on hammocks in the afternoon and trying to coordinate 10+ people for dinner and drinks each night. Never before in my life, had I acclimated to anything so quickly. Every week I would announce to everyone how much fun I was having and I would worry that the next week would pale in comparison, yet somehow it never did. Through traditional teaching, and two summer camps I was able to participate in, I had four straight weeks of great experiences and amazing memories.
It was tough to say goodbye to Nongkhai, but I was excited to head to the premier beach town in Vietnam, Nha Trang. I was overwhelmed by the differences, upon arrival, but quickly adjusted. Instead of 25 volunteers from all over, there were 5 other volunteers from England and America. Instead of two huge dorms where there were people around all the time, we lived in separate hotel rooms. Instead of teaching at many different sites all over town, we all taught in the same classroom throughout the day that was located behind the most popular bar in town. However, despite the differences, it didn't take long for me to fall in love with Nha Trang in its own right.
My mornings were spent teaching in two person teams, afternoons usually spent on the beach or in private tutoring and the evenings were spent chilling out in the bar, which was attached to the classroom. Since there weren't many volunteers we were inclined to befriend the local population. Many afternoons and nights were spent with a mixed group of volunteers and Vietnamese locals. We were also able to explore more of the area since there weren't as many of us to try to coordinate. I was able to climb waterfalls, visit museums and even go scuba diving!!
Nongkhai was very easy going with plenty of other volunteers to keep you occupied and enjoy the culture along with you. Nha Trang, however gave you a chance to really become a local and fully emerge yourself into the culture. Either way, in both areas I was able to feel as though I was giving back to the community while having an amazing time.
Teaching while traveling is a great way to really appreciate and understand a culture. As a tourist all you see are the major attractions with a bit of history attached. Through teaching however, I was able to not only see what they see, but fully immerse myself in their culture. This included everything from Thai showers/toilets, to eating on the street, and appreciating a good rice whisky. Being a future Social Studies teacher, I now have first hand experience with many cultures that I knew little of before. In some ways I learned more about history in the two months I was in South East Asia than in the 5 years I was in college and graduate school. My only wish is that I could have stayed longer, but unfortunately I had a job to come home to so I begrudgingly left South East Asia with memories, friends and experiences that will last a lifetime.
