Overview of my time in Thailand

Written by: James Hallamore - 10 April 2009

Every Monday of the teaching week, we would cycle from MoungChoum to the Souncha school. This involved an arduous bike ride up one of the steepest hills in the area. However, it was not something to complain about when you arrived at school and saw the student's faces light up with anticipation of a fun packed day. Souncha lacks quite a lot of resources such as teaching equipment and good classroom facilities. This is why it made teaching at Souncha all the more worthwhile. P.E in the morning was a great way to get to know the children – dodge ball was particularly popular as was the different assault courses. Teaching English in the afternoon was also really rewarding especially when the students would remember things from the last lesson and want to learn.

A lot of the students came from the nearby Palaung village and many of the students were very poor, so to be able to do something for them was particularly special. The English Camp: 'Reach for the Little Stars' for Souncha was very important. I wanted to give the children something to look forward to and enjoy. The two day event consisted of fun games such as the water assault course, trampling balloons, the three legged race and the water bomb game. The children also got snacks, lunch and presents for participating in the different games. During the camp we also had fun English games in an attempt to improve their understanding of basic words and the language. The hokey cokey song and other English songs proved to be really popular. Even two weeks after the camp the children could remember the songs. However, the success of the camp and our time at school was down to the great teaching teams of MoungChoum and Souncha.

BanMoungChoum Government School was the main school that we taught at and was a lot better than Souncha in terms of the resources available and the condition of it. I cannot express my gratitude to Khum Pwe, our link at the school, for everything she did for us during our time in MoungChoum. She not only helped us with some of the translations during lessons but she was on hand to help with the English camp and take us places like the Tuesday night market. She was an inspiring woman who wanted to be at the school to help the underprivileged children of the area and she certainly helped them. It was obvious how much the students respected her and looked up to her. She was definitely an asset to the school.

Teaching at MoungChoum was one of the best experiences I could have asked for. From day one the teachers and the students were friendly and it made me feel at home straight away. Teaching several different classes and different grades was really good as it allowed us to get a good understanding of the school and meet a lot more students. I always looked forward to teaching grades 7 and 8 (ages 13 to 15) during the week as we not only did serious work but we could also have fun at the same time. Near the end of school during the exam week, it was nice to see the students remembering what we had taught them and doing well in some of their exams. During our time at MoungChoum we also ran a small English club for grade 7 which used learning programmes on the computer. We had great feedback from the students and they always wanted to do the club as they found it a great way to improve their vocabulary and pronunciations.

During the teaching week at MoungChoum we would have P.E lessons with all the grades. For the younger children it was fun activities while for the older children we took part in sports such as volleyball and football. It was great being involved in the teaching of these sports and every lesson would involve 'Team Farang' competing against 'Team Buffalo'. When school finished at 3pm and there was an hour of free time, the students and teachers would have a game of football. Some times we lost badly but other times we won emphatically. All in all, it was a great opportunity to bond with the teachers and students. Although I would like to think it was our training that allowed MoungChoum football team to win a local football tournament, I doubt it. Going to watch the school football team play was a good way to get involved in school life.

Although we have only been in Thailand for four months, I feel like we have been here longer. This is because we have done so much and experienced so many things in a short space of time. For example, we went to Wiang Haeng as part of the 'Novice for Children' project. I remember arriving at Wat Huay Kray with Ben and Jildou, the novice monks from Wat Sri Boon Ruang in Fang and other volunteers to take part in a small English camp. Teaching English to the children from the local village was my first experience as it took place before teaching began at MoungChoum. It was a great way to fall into teaching and take part in fun activities with animals and English words. Being with the novice monks was a completely different experience and it also showed us how passionate Ben and Jildou were with English projects and the Novice for Children Project.

The following day we went to a nearby Shan refugee camp on the Thai-Burmese border. Looking back, it was one of the most rewarding things that I have done. The Shan people have been persecuted by the Burmese army for decades and many have fled across the border into Thailand. However, the Thai government fails to fully acknowledge them, so many do not have ID cards. This prevents them from furthering their prospects as it limits their education and movement around the country. Entering the refugee camp, which was in fact a village you could see the poor standard of living. Giving out supplies to the villages whether it was dry noodles or toothbrushes was a memorable moment. It was good to know that the supplies were making a difference to people living in great hardship and their happy demeanour was uplifting.

The next time I got to experience a similar situation to that of Wiang Haeng was when we went to a refugee camp just inside Burma. This camp was run by the Shan State Army (SSA) and was a focal point for people who were fleeing the atrocities within Burma. The first things that struck me were the spectacular scenery, but also the standard of living. The children were walking round in old dirty clothes and some looked malnourished . It just showed how important the program was to the people. The 'Novice for Children' project involved the novice monks giving out food, books and pencils to the Shan, Palaung and Lisu tribes that were at the camp. I was completely blown away by the enthusiasm, the dedication and the generosity of the novice monks and the Blood Foundation.

We have been very fortunate to do a lot of things both with BanMoungChoum School and the Blood Foundation. Since arriving at the school we have been involved in two Scout camps, one in which I dressed up as a Zulu warrior and danced round the camp fire. In this Scout camp I was also part of a student team which took part in activities which ranged from a rope walk to a tyre climbing wall. I had such a great time being involved within the team environment especially when it was my first experience of school. During my time there we experienced an opening ceremony for the new library which was sponsored by an American and Thai company. We were able to watch students perform traditional Shan, Palaung and Thai dances. We were also fortunate to go to Bangkok on a school trip to see the Grand Palace, spend time at the beach, visit a naval dockyard and see a sea turtle sanctuary. This trip was particularly special as it was funded in part by the Thai government as children in the north of Thailand would rarely have the opportunity or the money to be able to afford a trip like this and visit the beach. We also took part in festivals and ceremonies at Buddhist temples in Fang and MoungChoum which was an amazing opportunity to experience the diverse cultural aspect of Thai and hill tribe life.

To conclude, I could not have asked for a better time in Thailand. Although I came to Thailand not knowing exactly what to expect, I am so glad I took this opportunity with the Blood Foundation. I have felt at home from day one and have experienced things that I would not have expected to. Teaching has been a rewarding and an uplifting experience. Furthermore, I feel that I have been fortunate to visit refugee camps and participate in ceremonies and Buddhist festivals. I have been blown away by the generosity and kindness that has been shown to me, and feel privileged to be involved in a number of Blood Foundation's projects. If you are thinking of taking part in their English volunteer programme I would have no qualms in recommending it to you. I have had one of the best experiences of my life and I feel that I have a better understanding of people's lives in Thailand and the plight that many hill tribes in Burma face. The teachers and students at BanMoungChoum and Souncha Schools have made my time in Thailand very enjoyable. It has been an amazing experience to help students learn English, which is important as it will offer many of them the opportunities to improve their future prospects.