Teaching English to kids living in the rural area
by Amanda Brasil-Leigh (´11)
It's hard for me to write this, to sit down and sum up almost two months into a few paragraphs. But I would like to inspire other OLM students to do as I did. Pick up the little bit of courage you have, lock away any fears, jump on a plane and go volunteer abroad. I'll try to tell a little bit of my story for those of you who are interested...
Last year I came to know about this student run organization called AIESEC (Associação Internacional de Estudantes de Economia - http://www.aiesec.org.br/); it is a non-profit institution that is present in over 110 countries and organizes internships in which university students go abroad to work helping a local community. They offer food, house and transportation and in exchange you take your knowledge somewhere where it will be appreciated. Little did I know I was about to embark in the single most wonderful trip of my life. I chose Thailand.
I'm not sure why or when my obsession with Thailand started but I have wanted to visit that country since I could remember and so I decided to work in a project that aims to teach English to kids living in the rural area. A little scared but very excited, I started my 3 day trip to get to (almost literally) the other side of the world, but I was not ready for what I was about to see.
Usually when we think of Thailand the first thing that pops into our head is Phuket, Ko Phi Phi and their amazing beaches. At least that's what I thought of before going there. Imagine my surprise when I arrived in a small city called Ayutthaya which seemed to be out of an imaginary parallel universe where absolutely everything was different. I was shocked. No one spoke English; I didn't have a hot shower, a sink or an oven.
My house had 17 dogs and was in the middle of a rice plantation with literally nothing around. And the food? I couldn't even identify what was on my plate other than the rice I had for every meal, including breakfast. I freaked out. My freak out lasted a little under a week. Quickly I came to appreciate all that scared me at first. I was trying all the typical food, eating straight of "restaurants" by the street side, trying and doing my best to communicate (and impressively I was succeeding) and living like a local Thai.
During the week I went to a public school to teach English, and while at first I thought I was the worse person to be doing this, I realized once I got there how important my visit was for the staff and students of my school. I was the only person, together with my Chinese roommate, that spoke fluent English. For them learning this language can be a way to a better life.
Ayutthaya is the old capitol city of Thailand it has many beautiful temples and tourist destinations, however tourism there is weak. The city is extremely under developed and there is a lot of space for tourism industries to grow there but the way into this gold mine is defiantly by speaking English. My students had never met anyone from Brazil. They hadn’t met many foreigners and my presence there fascinated them. They taught me a lot and gave so much love, I was amazed that I could ever be so welcome is a place so far away from home.
During the weekends I traveled. And it was amazing. Beaches, country-side, 12 hours on a rocky train to see elephants and tigers and temples and shops and people. Traveling brought me independence and gave me a lot of confidence. I learned so much, and by the end of the trip I felt like I could do anything I set my mind to.
I came home feeling like I left a part of me in Thailand; a part with the family that welcomed me in a way I could never dream of, with students that filled my days with hugs and kisses, with amazing people I met who were also volunteering, and with Boonrod, the cute cat I adopted from the side of the road.
I miss them all very much, and there is no doubt I would do everything over again in a heartbeat. So, if you think of traveling, think about AIESEC, think about volunteering, think about going to a place that is completely out of your comfort zone and I can guarantee it will be more than worth it !
