All Thailand story
The story from GEUNWON KIM, volunteer from Korean in Peace Village camp between 10-22 October 2022 Songkhla
This was the first time I went abroad alone. After arriving in Bangkok, I took another domestic flight to Hat Yai, a region located in the southernmost part of Thailand. The place I went to was a small rural village called Khlong Hoi Khong, and he said that it was a small village where about 200 people lived. The fun scenery of not only grandmothers, but also elementary, middle and high school students riding motorcycles, beautiful skies and nature, and delicious Thai tea and local food in a peaceful atmosphere. It was a very quiet place with good people.
I was the only foreign volunteer. Since it was my first time doing everything, I was so worried and afraid that I was going to do it for a week or so, but after a few days, I changed my mind and ended up doing it all.
The local IVS manager in Thailand was a warm-hearted bearded man named Pitum, a handsome man who loved his work. His son, Tei, was a 12-year-old boy who seemed to speak English better than me. He said he was a little bit into mannerism now and was bored every moment, but it wasn't like this before. I guess it's just because I'm not having fun. His wife was a writer, and she wrote her Thai IVS book too, and she gave me one too. She was quite a pleasant and humorous woman. A motorcycle mechanic who lived next door, Gear, his girlfriend Cha-cha (he always corrected me as a girl friend when I said wife), and a lot of local volunteers.
Twenty-year-old Kean lived next door to me and is the friend who volunteered the most with me. Nia, who said it was her dream to work abroad, and Mei, who was the same age as me, wanted to become scientists. Popeye, who lives in the city, sometimes rode a motorcycle (it was about 30 minutes away) and was a cool friend, from a helmet with a feeling to a salad packed in a lunch box. His friend Sa was also a local volunteer, and she taught a class with me on my last day, and said that it was her first class. She volunteered at the last minute online meeting Elena she was German and she later found out she was 18, which surprised her. She said she came to Thailand as she served a year long with four other German friends.
I held classes at a Buddhist temple in the neighborhood from 10 am to 12 pm Monday through Friday for two weeks, and I communicated with local students in English. The number of students became 20-30, and I divided it into two groups, Pitum and I. Pitum pointed out the grammar through YouTube, and I focused on games and communication. When I couldn't communicate well, my friends from local volunteers helped me.
Except for all the classes and the later work in Bangkok, there were a lot of episodes here. Except for the fact that there are many motorcycles and palm trees, it was the same place as Naro island, but every day was new. A quiet lake where there was no one and the sunset after that, I cycled around the neighborhood by myself, Fish Fighting Gambling (there were chickens and cows, but I didn't see them), the neighborhood grandfather who always gave me thumbs up, and the Muslim family who had a light meal in front of 7-Eleven We ate bread together next to the field, and Thai-Tea, which only cost 20-25 baht, was delicious. We talked with Kin and Google translator for over an hour, watched the annual 'Chak Phra' festival, went to downtown Hat Yai center, waterfall, and a local church, shabu buffet, morning glory, mango sticky rice, cafe The roti I ate at the restaurant was also very good.
The people I met were very diverse, and each had their own story. The pastor's daughter who went to Busan after watching the movie Train to Busan, her friend who liked Park Seo-joon and went to Pyeongchang Ski Resort and Yeouido Full Gospel Church, which I had never been to, a friend who drove a motorcycle frightfully fast, a friend who wondered about the nature of the world, a test friends to prepare.
The world was very wide and diverse. I saw that in Thailand, everyone has their own sorrows and stories. Thailand is a country that is not very different from Korea, but it was a very grateful and happy time because I was able to learn and inform the world more through the work camp.