Travel to Teach: Thailand and Vietnam Combination Stay Volunteer Story

Caroline Orr, 23, Northern Ireland

Thailand or Vietnam? (Do both!)

With my last ever exams, together with a friend from Unviersity, I jumped on a plane heading for Bangkok. I wasn't quite sure of what lay ahead - I'd never done this before! I initially spent 10 hectic days travelling the islands in the south of Thailand (well recommend!) before reaching Nong Khai where I became ensconced in all things Nong Khai - the 'LA' bikes, the Tuk-tuks, Baranana, the 'cheeky' monks, Pad Thai from the street vendors, delicious banana pancakes, beer Changs at the kiwi bar, oh, and the teaching! I easily got used to the chalk in my hair, and having the teachers gush over my mosquito bites and burnt skin!

My placement was in Teseban secondary school, teaching kids aged 13-15. The teachers were really friendly and helped when needed, but it was basically me, the chalk board, and the really unhelpful English book that the school had. My first day was scary, but by the end of the first week I was churning out lesson plans, improvising and miming like second nature. Teachers are so respected in Thailand, particularly Falang (Western) teachers, that I constantly felt special! The kids were really sweet, bombarding me with flowers on Teacher's Day, and then cards and presents on my birthday and final day. The teachers were equally great, bringing in little presents and taking me out to lunch!

I also had the bizarre job of teaching Monks at the University how to write letters and how to apply for jobs. They we so keen to learn English and about Western culture, and I was so interested in their everyday lives that lessons often over-ran.

The other volunteers were wonderful for teaching tips and advice on the best bars. Likewise the co-ordinators helped by giving us a cooking, a teaching induction, and thai lessons. With so many volunteers there was always something going on, whether it was a trip to the swimming pool or a weekend in Chaing Mai. One of my most vivid memories was at the Rocket Festival in Namsom, where I found my arms being rubbed by a few of the locals - as a fair-skinned Irish girl I was apparently so white that they had to check to see if my skin was real!

Then I opted to spend a month in Vietnam. But before starting this I was able to spend travel in Laos with 6 of the friends I'd made whilst in Nong Khai. We went to dodgy nightclubs, put out a fire in our room, went kayaking and tubing, watched a record-breaking number of Friends episodes, and ate chocolate croissants. We had an excellent time!

Then when I reached Hanoi I was met at the airport by the co-ordinators Druyen and Phoung. They were so helpful, providing me with a welcome pack with all the information I needed. Druyen gave me a city tour and language lessons, while Phuong arranged my accommodation and brought me to my school.

Whilst in Hanoi I taught children aged 5-11 at The Children's Palace. The hours were longer here than in Thailand. I had roughly 5/6 hours a day, with some classes scheduled for 7.30am and some finishing at 9.30pm! But the children were so adorable that the time flew by. Each day and each week was different, and the teaching materials were of a high standard, so no lesson-planning was needed. Surprisingly, this school was not for under-privileged children, and so a lot of the children had received a lot of prior English lessons and the teaching materials were very good.

I found the Vietnamese children so eager to learn. They were so enthusiastic that I became so too. Basically I reverted to a 10 year-old and spent my days playing games and singing songs - it was great!

Being the capital, Hanoi was very different to Nong Khai but equally as fantastic. We stayed in a hotel rather than a volunteer house. There were motorbike EVERYWHERE- crossing the street was taunting to begin with. Old women in the pointy bamboo hats were constantly trying to sell you bread or bananas, and each street housed dozens of 'xe-om' drivers (motor-bike taxis) or cyclo drivers (bikes with a front passenger seat) offering tours of the city. I was lucky enough to be invited to the houses of some of the Vietnamese teachers, which was a great way of getting into the Vietnamese culture.

Once I finished my teaching I travelled with a friend down through the rest of the country and back to Bangkok by land through Cambodia, even bumping into a fellow T2T volunteer in Phnom Penh. It was a truly amazing eye-opener of a journey. All in all, I had the best summer. The teaching was excellent fun, but it was much more than that. I made excellent friends and experienced cultures I'd never have had the opportunity to if I'd simply been a backpacker.

Caroline
May 2005 - August 2005

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