My year abroad in Thailand

My year in Thailand is almost over. I can’t decide if I’m sad to leave Thailand or happy to see my friends and family again after a year of being apart. I learned and experienced a lot during this time. There were so many new things for me to see. I witnessed a big difference in the culture, language and climate. It’s going to be so different going back, because everything will be the other way around again.

In the school in Thailand, my job was to help teach English in classes. Sometimes I had a lot of fun with the students, and we learned a lot. Other times, I also experienced some difficult classes. Overall, the teaching was really nice, and I was always happy to see and work with the students. I enjoyed seeing them get excited while playing a game. They always seemed safer and excited to learn while playing a game. Sometimes they had to draw, and I noticed that there are a lot of skilled drawers in my class. My students always loved to teach me some Thai words in reverse after class.

Outside the classroom, the students always greet me really nicely and sometimes even start to have a small conversation. They often ask where I’m going or if I have already eaten something. I learned these are common sentences to ask in Thailand. During my time here, I also talked with a lot of teachers. Sometimes it was just about class and events. Some other times they explained to me some traditions, or we talked about Thai food.

I also got to meet the other volunteers that work at the school and get to know them. It was nice to have someone to talk to who is in the same situation. We also spend quite some time together. We get to celebrate each other’s birthdays together and try to make them special for each other since we can’t celebrate with family or friends from home.

I had a lot of fun celebrating and experiencing all the new holidays in Thailand. For example, Loy Krathong, Chinese New Year and Songkran. For one event, they taught me and the other female volunteers a Thai dance. The Thai teachers joined as well and in the end we performed the dance in front of the other teachers. We also got to try and wear some Thai traditional clothes for the events that happened in school. Children’s Day was also really fun, as were the different celebration of Christmas. At our school, they throw a costume contest, which was really fun to watch. Some students looked like Santa Claus or a Christmas tree. The students also did some acts, one act they even did in English. We volunteers also performed some English Christmas songs, one of us played along on the ukulele.

To renew my Visa, I went to Malaysia two times. It was also interesting to see another country in Asia. During the holidays I also had the opportunity to visit some other countries in Asia. I also was lucky to meet a lot of people from different countries and learned some interesting facts from their home country.

I really loved being able to try all the different food they have in Thailand. As well the other vegetables and the fruits. They have so many interesting fruits, I am really going to miss them. Since I’m vegetarian, I have some trouble trying all kinds of local food and dishes. I’m always happy when I find a vegetarian place with local dishes.

I’m glad I spent this year in Thailand. I learned a lot about Thailand and also about myself. I’m also thankful to all the people I met during this time. Even though it was challenging sometimes, I will always remember this year as a really good time.

By Janne Bonatz , Volunteer in Intercultural and Language (ICL)- RPK50 Khon Kaen, July 2024