Volunteer Stories  |  Muriel

The moment you arrive in 'Ban Falang' (the house of the foreigners) you feel at home in Namsom. The house has a great atmosphere and it just feels good to be there.

After my arrival in Nongkhai I went straight on to Namsom with two other volunteers. To get there we had to take a samlor for about an hour to Ban Phu. There Jehab (the lovely Thai girl who helps the volunteers in Namsom) met some Thai friends and we were immediately invited for dinner. So after a Korean Barbecue, we could move on to Namsom where I met the other 2 girls and Rick (coordinator of Namsom).

During the week we went on teaching at Tasom School. It is a great school, at only a three minute walking distance of the house. In groups of two we taught English to children between 8-11 years old. I found it interesting, enjoyable, but also very tiring. Because there are about 42 children in a classroom, and the differences between them are huge. One is not even able to read or write Thai, while the other already knows the English alphabet by head.

After our lessons we were always invited by the teachers to have lunch with them. This was a very good way to get to know the Thai kitchen, because each time we were served several different dishes.

After lunch we went on relaxing, reading, preparing for the next day or just got a two hour massage! The massage is given by a blind man, and even though it does hurt a bit sometimes, in the end you feel completely relaxed, and that for only 200 baht.

In the evening most of the time we went to the lake to get ourselves some food, which we ate at home. But on other occasions we went to have dinner at Jehab her parents' house, at a school party, or we had Thai cooking lessons. But whatever we did, we were sure that the food would be delicious and spicy.

In the evening we watched a DVD, played some games or just sat down reading. And once in a while we went to the Karaoke bar (the only entertainment you can get here).

In the weekends I stayed in Namsom or went to Nongkhai. But after a weekend ''partying'' in Nongkhai I was always glad to be "back home".

For me my month in Namsom was a great experience and I really feel as if I have learned at lot more about the Thai culture and was able to contribute to the education of some Thai children over here. But most of all I will miss all the great people; the children, teachers, Jehab, Rick and my fellow volunteers!