My first four months in Thailand

I have been here in Thailand a little over four months now. It simultaneously feels as if the time went by extremely fast but also extremely slow, because since I am here, I have experienced, learnt, and seen so many things in such a short amount of time compared to all my life. If I think back to the first week here, it feels as if it was ages ago but at the same time, I can so vividly recall how I felt during that time as if it were just yesterday.

My arrival in Thailand: The first week here in Thailand I spent with the other six German volunteers, whom I had met briefly in Germany. We stayed at a boarding school not too far from a northern city, called Phayao. It was probably my most challenging time here, because I experienced more homesickness than I thought I would and was, on top of that, very jetlagged. But the warm welcomes from all the teachers and local people around us and the adorable and well-mannered students increased my optimism about the time to come and lifted my mood during the first few days. We were introduced to the Thai language, to the way to behave respectfully, and to the general culture a bit. It was also my first time trying some authentic Thai food and we drank Thai Tea in the school café, which was tasty. On one of the days, we drove into Phayao on the public bus and visited the city and went into a museum, which gave me insight into the history of the city. All of that made me very curious and excited to go to my project.

My first weeks in my project: After the orientation week I got to go to the project that I would be working in for the rest of my time here in Thailand. It is a Primary school in Mae Chaem, a small town next to Thailand’s highest mountain, the Doi Inthanon. I immediately liked the town for its liveliness and all the small fruit stands and cute cafés. I was the first volunteer that the Ban Prawnoom school had, so I was extra welcomed and even got a little welcome gift, which made me feel really appreciated. The school is not nearly as big as the boarding school I stayed at the first week, so it all felt really personal, and I got to know all the kids and teachers pretty fast, which made the process of adjusting a lot easier for me.

My job as a teacher: Even though I have realized that the job is not necessarily the job for me I really enjoy teaching for this one year. At the beginning, the language barrier was a bit challenging but as soon as the kids were more comfortable around me and not as shy, all was way easier, and we communicated however we could and even have a lot of fun doing it. In my class there is always a Thai English teacher, who supports me if I need some help explaining something, but I do all my classes on my own. At first it was a bit overwhelming because I had never taught before in my life and therefore didn’t always know how to teach in an interesting but also effective way. But over time I figured out what games to play and how to structure my classes.

What I really love about my job as a teacher is not necessarily the teaching but rather the connection that I have built with all the kids over the past four months. Whenever there are some school events, for example, sports day, or Christmas day or some traditional Thai celebrations like Loy Krathong or Temple ceremonies, I have so much fun just being with the kids. They love asking me simple questions, dancing with me, doing handshakes, braiding my hair or playing rock-paper-scissors-shoot, which always bring me a lot of joy. I know that I am going to miss them the most when my year here is over because they have already taken up such a big space in my heart and it amazes me how unconditionally loving they are, even though we cannot fully communicate. They won’t ever leave my side throughout the school day and each day I am greeted with hugs and self-made presents, which warms my heart immensely and truly makes me appreciate the time I have here.

Friendships: I didn’t expect to make such good friends as I did here in Thailand, but they have made my time here much easier and fulfilling. I have built close friendships with the six other volunteers that came here with me, and we meet up occasionally in Chiang Mai, spend the holidays together and celebrations like New year’s. Talking to people who experience similar things and are in the same situation as oneself is extremely helpful and makes one feel less alone and understood and I know how extremely lucky I got. But they aren’t the only friends I made along the way. I even made some connections in my little town. The baristas at the café that I go to almost daily make my days so much better, because they are interested in me and how my day has been going, which is so sweet. It feels nice being welcomed and having people be interested in you. I also made a friend in the gym, which I go to many days of the week. Sometimes we meet up for dinner or to go to a café. Having connections in the little town makes me feel included and gives me a sense of belonging.

Holidays and Vacation: Working at a Thai school has given me much insight into the traditional Thai celebrations. There were some temple ceremonies that I got to experience while wearing the traditional Thai skirts, that are woven here in my little town, Mae Chaem. I also got to experience some big celebrations like Loy Krathong and their Christmas and New Years celebration. At Loy Krathong the kids taught me how to make a Krathong, which is a little basket made from banana leaves. We let lanterns rise and sang songs. I also celebrated Loy Krathong in Chiang Mai on the weekend, but I definitely preferred the celebration at school because it was not a tourist attraction but instead very traditional and intimate.

For Christmas and New Years, they decorated the school extensively and had a whole day dedicated to it, where everybody exchanged gifts. Every class performed a dance, and I had to plan a Christmas quiz for every grade, which turned out to be very funny.

Since the school has its regular school vacations, I also had many weeks of no class. The schools closed during the whole month of October, which gave me and the other volunteers in Thailand the chance to travel through Thailand together. We started in Chiang Mai where we did a Thai cooking class and a two-day trekking tour through the Doi Inthanon national park. We then continued our way to Bangkok, where we spent time trying to get to know the big and busy city a bit better. The highlight for all of us were by far the islands that we travelled to, especially Koh Tao. It really felt like paradise on earth with the crystal-clear water we got to swim in, the breathtaking sunsets we got to see and all the fresh fruit we got to eat. We also had to leave the country at the end of November because our Visa for Thailand expired. For that we went to Laos and got to see some of its nature and cities, which we thought were extremely underrated. We went on many hikes and to many Lagoons. I am obviously very grateful for the time off from school where I got to see more of Thailand and parts of Laos but was also always quite happy getting back to school and having a daily routine and seeing all the kids again.

Personal Growth: Living on my own in a foreign country in a small town, where only few speak English has definitely brought its challenges as someone who has never lived alone and always in bigger cities. But I have learnt to appreciate the change of life for this one year. Only being able to drive to Chiang Mai, the nearest big city, on the weekends and not seeing my friends for a longer period of time has taught me how to make the most of my time alone and how to deal with the feeling of loneliness. What has always helped me and what I still do after four months is talking to my mom and my friends on the phone almost daily. I also picked up on reading again, which I am really happy about. Journaling also helps me reflect my time and experiences here and visualizes all the things that I have seen and done here in Thailand, which helps me be excited about the next few weeks and months. Because even though I know that sometimes there are moments where it is a bit more challenging being so far away from your family and friends, I also know that there are times that make all of this worth it and outmatch all the difficult moments. I also see myself grow on a personal level and gained a deeper understanding for my emotions, needs, and interests, which helps me figuring out what I want to pursue and how I want to live my life after this one year. So far, the time here has made me value the little things and even made cherish the amount of t ime that I can spend freely, because I know that this is probably the only time in my life that I have the t ime on my hands to fill it with things I love doing, which I normally would not have the time for.

In conclusion, I can confidently say that the past four months have been an extremely exciting time in my life, which was filled with all sorts of emotions. I am loving my experience here more than I ever thought I would, all because of the kids that make my heart so full every day, the genuine friendships I have made, the time that I spend with and for myself, and all the little things and moments that also make me cherish and value my remaining eight months that I have here.

By Emilia Alm, volunteer at the Ban Prawnoom school in Mae Chaem, Chiang Mai, January 2025

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