Sàwatdii Ká!

I get into this sea full of diferent sounds, smells and flavours because there was something into myself who was screaming for me to leave. My main expectation was focused on collaborating with projects about ecologic gardens and construction but when I arrived here they offered to me the opportunity of collaborate in a school for teaching english to the kids that study here. In that moment the fears came to me because my level of english is very low but then, as always, “life surprise you” an that sudden fear goes away when you see the kids with the smiles in their faces.

The first day I arrived at the school all the persons from there: teachers, kids, parents, etc. Received us with the great kindness that characterizes thai people and i felt very surprised by the affection and hope the children were looking at us with, always with a “Hello” in their mouths, because for them it was something new that we were there too. The days passed and every day was unique. One part of the day was dedicated to play with the kids games that were day-to-day like volleyball or football when you get aware that although everyone make different sounds there is an universal language where a special gesture or a laugh in the adequate moment can convey more than one hundred thousand words well understand. We dedicated another part of the day to teach english in a funny way to the students, in that moment is when you see that your help is necessary. There was moments while we were playing with them that I didn’t diffenciated who was having more fun, they or us. In summary, they have been so many experiences that I lived during my stay at the school, like the construction of the floor in a zone of the school where the kids worked hand-at-hand with us; the collection of money in the town’s market where I were singing; with the money we collected we were painting games in some zones of the colleges where the paint was flying for all the sides giving colour to the kids’ faces and our clothes. On the other hand, I enjoyed the school’s parties in where the volunteers along the teachers and the kids danced to te rythm of drums and maracas.

I have to say that I had the opportunitity of dance “La macarena” along my companions with the expectant looking of the thai people, surprised at the sight of that hip movement.

In conclusion, i have to say that from this experience, I will always have in my mind the look of illusion of the kids when they saw us every morning and that affection that in general they have transmitted us both the persons tha work at the school and the people that lives near the place. After this connivance I learnt how to live together with persons very different of me, either in language, culture or lifestyle, in this situation is where you get the fact that when there is a common objective everything flows, you learn to be flexible, comprehensive, tolerant and teamwork because it is supposed that we came here to teach english to the kids but in reality it were us the ones who learnt most with this experience.

Story and Picture by Rosa, EVS volunteer from Charger project