So here I am, less than 3 days from the adventure of a lifetime. Bags unpacked (although I have taken over my brother’s bedroom with all the things I’m planning to pack…), I’ve entered into stress mode. Lists that I add to whenever I remember yet another thing to do/buy cover every desk…including the one at the Park/Rec office where I’m stillllll working in an effort to keep myself busy and my mind off all the things I need to do. I’m so grateful to have this job though that’s kept me busy since the pools closed a month ago – I’d have gone crazy without somewhere to go every day. If it sounds silly to be working right up until I leave, trust me, it is. Stress levels are at a peak, and spending the days in the office thinking about packing instead of actually doing it is freaking me out, but I know that if I wasn’t working I’d finish everything today and not be able to sit still until departure.
Clothes and medications are all set (no thanks to the insurance company that I’ve called every single day for the last month to make sure I can get my malaria meds for the year – which I guess I can’t because they still haven’t come up with any answer). I got my visa in the mail – which was far less exciting that I thought it would be. Travelling to Greece, I got a really awesome visa in the Greek alphabet with cool pictures and stuff. The Thailand one was just a stamp and signature, but I guess it will get cooler when we apply for our work visas in country.
Speaking of work…I got my placement this morning. Because of the time difference, I usually get all my information in my inbox when I wake up in the morning. The field director has been sending us daily information about special things to remember to pack, where in the airport she’ll meet us, etc. Its been really exciting to start every day with even more information about this experience.
Back to the placement, I got just the name of my school last week, and tried, unsuccessfully, all day long to somehow translate it and google the town that I’ll be in. No such luck. (Transliterations make translations nearly impossible. Something will be in Thai, then its given to me in English spellings. Meaning that I have to try to transliterate it back (which I can’t because I don’t know Thai and electronic dictionaries think I’m trying to translate English nonsense words) and then translate the Thai into English. Sounds confusing. Its not. You just can’t. Right. Luckily, having had a similar experience with Greek, I didn’t waste too much time trying to do the impossible. ) So when I opened my email this morning to a note about my placement I was ecstatic.
I’ve built it up enough, are you ready to hear about it now? I will be teaching in a high school called Goot Chim Wit. (I think Goot Chim is the village I’ll be in). A teacher at the school has BUILT ME A HOUSE (she’ll get a big thank-you) where I’ll be living by myself overlooking… a lotus pond! Jesica, my field director, described it as very picturesque. There are no screens, so my house will come with some pets I think. The school I’ll be working at is fairly small with 130 students or so, and I’ll have a desk in a classroom as well as an air-conditioned office with wireless internet (Pictures! Blogs! Skype!). Don’t worry, I won’t be spoiled too much, toilets are still just holes in the floor ;)
I was surprised when I got the high school placement because most of the placements for the program are in elementary schools, and that is what my background is in. But after a lot of research, I learned that in Thailand, to be a high school teacher you must have a Bachelor’s degree in education (which I have, so it all makes sense) as opposed to just some coursework to teach elementary school.
So what does this week look like for me?
Monday – work
Tuesday – work
Wednesday – packing
Thursday – Depart! Boston – Dallas – LA (where I’ll meet the rest of the volunteers as well as a returned volunteer who will be leading our meeting
Friday – LA – Taiwan. I lose most of the day over the pacific – bye bye birthday :(
Saturday – Taiwan – Bangkok – van to Pla Pak in Nakhon Phanom (NKP from now on)
We’ll be having a few weeks of training and orientation in Pla Pak, where we’ll be learning Thai/Isan, teaching techniques, getting TEFL certified, taking cooking classes, and learning about the culture and area we’ll be living in for the year. We’ll also spend a few days at our placements (in my own house on a lotus pond!) to meet the teachers and be able to put some of our training in that context.
I probably won’t be posting again until at least a few days into orientation or longer depending on…well, lots of things (unless I get some really exciting information in the next few days), so I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support, donations, kind words, etc. that made this adventure possible. Thank You!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Let the Preparations Continue
Now that the Thailand program has accepted all its volunteers and travel plans are being arranged I've learned so much more about what my year will be like.
Like I said, I'll be living and teaching in the Northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom. This province and its city are right on the Mekong river bordering Laos. Because of its location, the language, food, and customs are a fusion of Thai and Lao called Isan. It is a rural province, and I've heard that elephants roam the streets freely - I can't wait for that spectacular sight!
As for preparations, they are fully underway: I purchase new clothing often that is acceptable and comfortable in the heat and humidity of the tropical climate (no tank tops or shorts allowed!); I've now been to the Travel Clinic twice and will go a third time in a few weeks to make sure all my shots and malaria prescriptions are right; My passport is in the hands of the Thai consulate for a visa - sounds like I'm ready to go!
There's a lot that goes into planning a trip abroad, including all the things that would need to be dealt with during the year at home: Student loan deferrals, tax forms, insurance issues - it all adds up to hours of paperwork and phone calls.
All the work is worth it though. Anyone that I've talked to that has been to Thailand before has had an amazing experience. One of the swimming lesson moms is an ESL professor at Nashua Community College and invited me to meet some of her Thai students. The girl I met was very friendly but she did warn me about the heat and incredibly spicy food (too spicy for her even) of my province.
One more thing - I've found out the tentative travel arrangements!
Sept 30 : Boston to LA
Oct 1/ Oct 2 : LA to Taipei, Taiwan (Happy Birthday to Me! With the time changes and all I can't figure out if this will be the longest or shortest birthday ever, but one things for sure - the entirety of it will be spent on the plane!)
Oct 2: Taipei to Bangkok
Oct 2/Oct 3: Bangkok to Nakhon Phanom - a 12+ hour bus ride
It will be an exhausting few days, but I can't wait to start this adventure!
Like I said, I'll be living and teaching in the Northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom. This province and its city are right on the Mekong river bordering Laos. Because of its location, the language, food, and customs are a fusion of Thai and Lao called Isan. It is a rural province, and I've heard that elephants roam the streets freely - I can't wait for that spectacular sight!
As for preparations, they are fully underway: I purchase new clothing often that is acceptable and comfortable in the heat and humidity of the tropical climate (no tank tops or shorts allowed!); I've now been to the Travel Clinic twice and will go a third time in a few weeks to make sure all my shots and malaria prescriptions are right; My passport is in the hands of the Thai consulate for a visa - sounds like I'm ready to go!
There's a lot that goes into planning a trip abroad, including all the things that would need to be dealt with during the year at home: Student loan deferrals, tax forms, insurance issues - it all adds up to hours of paperwork and phone calls.
All the work is worth it though. Anyone that I've talked to that has been to Thailand before has had an amazing experience. One of the swimming lesson moms is an ESL professor at Nashua Community College and invited me to meet some of her Thai students. The girl I met was very friendly but she did warn me about the heat and incredibly spicy food (too spicy for her even) of my province.
One more thing - I've found out the tentative travel arrangements!
Sept 30 : Boston to LA
Oct 1/ Oct 2 : LA to Taipei, Taiwan (Happy Birthday to Me! With the time changes and all I can't figure out if this will be the longest or shortest birthday ever, but one things for sure - the entirety of it will be spent on the plane!)
Oct 2: Taipei to Bangkok
Oct 2/Oct 3: Bangkok to Nakhon Phanom - a 12+ hour bus ride
It will be an exhausting few days, but I can't wait to start this adventure!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Change of Plans......THAILAND!
I have some interesting news to share about my WorldTeach experience. Recently,I got a phone call from the program director of the Guyana program and she informed me that the ministry of education there would no longer grant visas or fund volunteers who didn't have a degree in math or science. It was a huge surprise, and a bit of a disappointment, but I’m excited for the new placement.
WorldTeach immediately transferred me into the Ecuador program (the next program to depart in August) and gave me this week to look into the other programs and make a decision about where I wanted to go.
Thailand was where I had originally wanted to go when I began my search for programs that would allow me to teach abroad. So after weighing countless pros and cons, re-budgeting some finances, and trying to think about the timing of the program in terms of future plans (of which I have none) I confirmed my spot in the Thailand program this morning.
I will be teaching English to elementary school students in the province of Nakhon Phanom, which is on the border of Laos (and very far away from the unrest in Bangkok). Similar to Guyana, I will be living in teacher housing with other WorldTeach volunteers and Thai teachers.
Soon, I’ll give an update about the blog and keep you all posted about these interesting changes to my plans. Unfortunately, Thailand costs more than twice the Guyana fee, so I will continue my fundraising efforts. Keep an eye out for more facebook messages and some more creative fundraising ideas.
I will be leaving in October, so that leaves me more time to fundraise as well as spend time with friends and family.
WorldTeach immediately transferred me into the Ecuador program (the next program to depart in August) and gave me this week to look into the other programs and make a decision about where I wanted to go.
Thailand was where I had originally wanted to go when I began my search for programs that would allow me to teach abroad. So after weighing countless pros and cons, re-budgeting some finances, and trying to think about the timing of the program in terms of future plans (of which I have none) I confirmed my spot in the Thailand program this morning.
I will be teaching English to elementary school students in the province of Nakhon Phanom, which is on the border of Laos (and very far away from the unrest in Bangkok). Similar to Guyana, I will be living in teacher housing with other WorldTeach volunteers and Thai teachers.
Soon, I’ll give an update about the blog and keep you all posted about these interesting changes to my plans. Unfortunately, Thailand costs more than twice the Guyana fee, so I will continue my fundraising efforts. Keep an eye out for more facebook messages and some more creative fundraising ideas.
I will be leaving in October, so that leaves me more time to fundraise as well as spend time with friends and family.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Step 1 - Paperwork and Fundraising
About a month ago, I was accepted to teach in Guyana through a program called WorldTeach. I'm very excited for this experience as I caught the 'travel bug' while studying in Greece and education is a passion of mine. Teaching as an international volunteer will be an incredibly challenging experience, but one that I hope will be rewarding as well.
Lots of paperwork comes with being in a program like this, and I feel like I send forms to WorldTeach nearly everyday.
On top of paperwork, there is also fundraising to be done. WorldTeach considers fundraising to be an important part of the volunteer experience and encourages each participant to fundraise much of the program fee.
You may also find more information about this program at www.worldteach.org/programs/guyana_year/ or just ask me!
To send a tax-deductible donation directly to WorldTeach through Paypal:
1. Follow this link http://www.worldteach.org/donate.html and read the instructions
2. Click the yellow "Donate" button
3. Remember to put my name in the "Purpose" box and enter required information
4. Print the receipt for tax deductions
To send a tax-deductible donation to WordTeach through Universal Giving:
1. Visit www.universalgiving.org and type "WorldTeach" in the search box
2. Click on the "donate on behalf of someone" link and fill in required information
3. Print the reciept
Lots of paperwork comes with being in a program like this, and I feel like I send forms to WorldTeach nearly everyday.
On top of paperwork, there is also fundraising to be done. WorldTeach considers fundraising to be an important part of the volunteer experience and encourages each participant to fundraise much of the program fee.
You may also find more information about this program at www.worldteach.org/programs/guyana_year/ or just ask me!
To send a tax-deductible donation directly to WorldTeach through Paypal:
1. Follow this link http://www.worldteach.org/donate.html and read the instructions
2. Click the yellow "Donate" button
3. Remember to put my name in the "Purpose" box and enter required information
4. Print the receipt for tax deductions
To send a tax-deductible donation to WordTeach through Universal Giving:
1. Visit www.universalgiving.org and type "WorldTeach" in the search box
2. Click on the "donate on behalf of someone" link and fill in required information
3. Print the reciept
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