Mid-Term Report
Three months have already passed since I started my volunteer service in Thailand, and I’ve learned so much about the country, its people, the culture, and my fellow volunteers. The journey began with a long 10-hour trip to Thailand, which, in hindsight, didn’t seem as long as I originally thought — but more on that later. We spent the first days of our orientation week at my assigned location, the Rajaprajanugroh 24 School in Phayao District. This gave me my first real impression of what my home would look like for the next year.
After the orientation, we were introduced to all the English teachers and the first students, and had the opportunity to engage in our first conversations with them. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but also incredibly exciting to meet so many new people in a new environment.
Then came the first two weeks, where we had the chance to adapt to the daily life at school. But soon after, school was suddenly over, and we were sent on an early holiday break. This was due to some alarming rainfall in northern Thailand, which made it difficult to continue with our work. During this time, we decided to embark on a long bus journey to Bangkok, 10 hours each way. This gave us the opportunity to explore many different parts of Thailand and meet people from all around the world.
After Bangkok, we traveled to Pattaya and then to Pai, a small town nestled in the mountains. Pai was a pleasant surprise for me. I hadn’t expected it to be such a popular tourist spot, with so many visitors from various parts of the world. There were also countless things to do and see. Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling well during this time and had to rest in a hostel for a while. However, after recuperating, we headed back to our volunteer location to recharge and prepare for our next trip.
We then set off for another adventure to Bangkok, and then continued on to the beautiful islands of Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Phangan. This was an exciting time, filled with snorkeling tours, explorations of national parks, and endless new experiences. Traveling with the other volunteers made it all the more memorable, as we shared so many adventures together.
When we returned to school after the break, we were filled with renewed motivation and ready for the new semester. Our new schedules included a variety of activities, such as art and cooking, alongside our regular teaching tasks. Teaching English is something I really enjoy, although there are days when I can help more and others when the opportunities are fewer. Nevertheless, every day brings something new.
Recently, we took another trip — this time for a visa renewal in Laos. This involved an exhausting 18-hour bus ride, both there and back, which was one of the toughest journeys of my life. However, the time spent in Luang Prabang was truly beautiful, and the long bus ride was well worth it for the experiences we had.
At school, I’ve also had the chance to participate in a wide range of sports activities. These have been a great way to stay active and build connections with students and teachers alike. The variety of experiences — from teaching and cultural immersion to traveling and discovering new places — has made my time in Thailand truly unforgettable so far.
In December we have made some fun activities, like baking with the students or going on to two trips to Chiang rai with a teacher that invited us. It was so much fun, we visited the flower festival and also a big music festival. We went shopping at the chiang rai shopping center to buy some presents for each other. On Christmasday we played some games at our house and cooked us some lunch the next day. For new year, julian, nadja, emilia and me meet in chiang mai and we had some fun days there. We walked around the city, partied a little bit and visited a museum.
By Munderloh Fynn Volunteer in RPK24 school-Phayao, 12.01.25