Peace Village 2 – Nakhon Ratchasima:

In 2017, I would say that I have a very pleasant beginning. Are you curious about the reason why? It is because during the 13th-25th February, I have just done a voluntary workcamp in a small village where there are lots of nice people, wonderful countryside, and lovely kids. It was such a magnificent moment in my life.

              During the workcamp, I met lots of foreign friends from Japan, Korea, and France. Although we came from different backgrounds but we got along very well. On the very first day, we were all so quiet, but when the time passed, we all knew how crazy we are. We played, made fun of and threw lots of jokes to one another. It was such a happy memory. The main task that we all had to do was teaching English for students grade 1-6 in Baan Krok Leuk Primary School which located in the rural area of Nakhonratchasima Province, Thailand. We had a lot of fun teaching them and they extremely enjoyed our classes. When I went there, I felt like I was a celebrity for the first time of my life.                Sounds funny, doesn’t it?. But it was true.       The kids were really excited when they saw us. They always played, laughed, smiled, talked, followed us around and even walked us home. Besides, we did painting school’s playground. To be frank, it was such a tiring work because we had to paint in the afternoon under the shiny sun. However, I felt hot only outside my body, but it was perfectly cool inside since the kids always cheered us up, offered us hand, shades and water. It made me realized that kindness is not that difficult to find. Every day after school, we needed to cook for ourselves. Some days, we cooked Thai food with local host family. They are so generous and supportive. I felt thankful for them. I love exchanging different ideas while cooking and eating. Some days, we cooked international cuisine, Korean, Japanese and Fresh cuisine. It was great trying different tastes and recipes. We also went to the local temple and did farming in the morning. Despite waking up really early, it was a nice time to proudly share Thai culture and lifestyle to foreigners. They looked really interested in. Before the workcamp finished, we all prepared some performances for the kids. It was an opportunity for volunteers to share their own cultures to me and the kids.

Of course, I was really sad to say goodbye to everyone. We all knew that happy time was always short. Anyway, it did not mean that our friendship will end. We can still contact one another via Facebook and other channels. I would surely never forget them and the time I spent with them because it was so precious to me. Thank you everyone for everyting!

 Waritsara Kwaosibsam, Camp leader