Maria

Hi, everyone!! My name is Maria, I am a volunteer from Russia. Hard to explain how happy I feel to be here in the project.  It is my second week in the Klonghae Temple but I already learned a lot a lot here: about Thai culture, about Thai people and, what is more important, about myself.  Here I met great people. Starting from Pi Tum – our leader, who gathered us together, Pi Gong – my best in the world coordinator, who always arrange everything for me in the best way, take me to visit local families  and buy me ice cream and desserts,  Pi Pong – a unique person, who shares his positive emotions and thoughts with everyone, who listens and who makes very  good music … and volunteers who the same as me came here from other countries:  Sarah, Leo and Zy. I am really lucky to meet them as all they are people with kind and open hearts, who want to help people and change the world to be better and with whom we have so nice dinner discussions!!   

My project is on Klonghae Temple.  And I am very lucky to be here! Temple is an educational, cultural and spiritual center in Thailand. Local people are coming here to do all kinds of volunteer work:  to cook for monks, clean the temple, teach children everything what they can do, help with repairing and renovation work. Close to the temple we have a floating market and there is a Manorah Learning Centre here, so every Friday, Saturday and Sunday I can enjoy  kids’ impressive dancing  and local music show!

I like my life here! Starting  from the breakfast in the temple, coffee in the Coffee corner with local people, who always want to know about what I am work here and about Russia, dinners in the floating market …  and I like what I m doing here! My main goal here is to teach kids  and  help them to feel more confident in English. To tell the truth, I was a little bit afraid of kids before, but now I have an idea why not to become a teacher?!  Kids are happiness!! Local school gives me lots of positive emotions every time I am there!

That is a  small and very simplified explanation why I am like to be here in VSA and why I already loved Thailand like my own country!! I what to say a sincere and big Thanks to everyone, whom I met here!!