Thailand International Health Programs

Following a week-long orientation and training, Thailand IH non-professional program participants spend two to three weeks shadowing doctors and nurses at the Bangyai District Hospital in Nonthaburi.  The other two to three weeks of the minimum six-week IH program can be spent teaching English and assisting at local primary schools, at a home for disabled children, or at a Buddhist monastery.  Professional program participants join the orientation and training program for the first four days and are then assigned to the hospital. Professional volunteers can participate on this program for a minimum of three weeks, but a minimum four- to six-week program is recommended.
 
Homestays are available at the home of the Head Nurse who will be coordinating the GSC volunteers, as well as at the home(s) of doctors at the hospital.  An option of up to four volunteers staying together at an apartment/dormitory connected to the hospital is also available.  The apartment does not provide meals, so a meal stipend is provided to each volunteer who chooses this option. Homestays and group housing options are available at the other service sites.

Further information about these programs can be found at  http://www.globalservicecorps.org/site/thailand-international-health/ Feel free to call or email GSC with your questions at Thailand@globalservicecorps.org 

 These IH placements are limited and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.  If you are interested in these placements, I encourage you to initiate the application process on our website as soon as possible.
 
We look forward to you joining GSC on one of these life-changing International Health service-learning and cultural immersion programs.

Checking in from the ‘Land of Smiles’

Editor’s note: Jon B. participated in Global Service Corps Integrated program in the summer of 2008. Thanks for the post Jon.

 

To start off with a typical phrase such as, “if there were one word to sum up Thailand…” would be a lazy attempt to capture the true nature of this unique country. With a total of about two months spent here and having accomplished more than I thought myself capable of, I still can’t help but feel like a stranger. Sounding like a hired promoter for this blog entry, I can honestly say that GSC has guided me through an amazing experience; one that will forever stay in my memories. Eric played a big role in making sure I had the time of my life. This guy deserves an award for all he has been through whether it came to planning trips, planning homestays, organizing the HIV camps, meeting up with volunteers to get them to where they have to be, or even simply having him check up on you from time to time. He is an extremely dedicated individual who will be more than willing to help you with any situation. Greenway also plays a big part in homestay situations and is actually the first place you will be staying for Orientation.

Reflections from an International Health Participant

 

Editor’s note: Alison D. is a current participant in GSC’s International Health Program. Thanks for the post Alison!

 

Overall things are going really well here!! All of last week was spent in an eco house outside Singburi (a small town north of Bangkok). It was a wonderful place with bunk bed style living, a beautiful garden, a small shack like house that doubled as a bar across the street (yes- bar! Christmas lights, mystery “bucket” drinks, and Top Hits from 1996 included!) The eco house also served delicious vegetarian meals three times a day (biscuits and tea ALWAYS available). Most of our time here was spent on the porch learning about Thai culture, learning about how to teach English as a foreign language, learning how to teach HIV/AIDS education, listening to Eric (our trip coordinator) tell stories that may have been relevant at the beginning, and taking Thai language classes (us speaking Thai= humor for all. . . deu-an ga-rak ga-dah-kom, that means July. . .I think the reason things take a while to get done around here has less to do with their relaxed Buddhist lifestyles and more to do with the intricacies of there language).

Unfortunately, our idyllic stay at the eco house came to a close yesterday and we were all shipped of to our various home stays around the province. I am living with one other person, Katrina. Our family is AWESOME.

Global Service Corps has gone Web 2.0!!

Global Service Corps is pleased to announce our new online presence on social networking sights. We now have pages on facebook, flickr, youtube and wiserearth. Join our groups to keep updated on GSC developments, connect with other volunteers, watch videos and discuss your GSC experience. Follow the links below to view and join our groups. We hope to see you there!

      

The Sights and Smells of Bangkok

Kathleen – or Katy, as she came to be known by her Thai hosts because that name is easier to pronounce – came to Thailand a couple of months ago. She arrived less than a week after I did, and she hit the ground running. She didn’t show any signs of jet lag, other than having a reduced appetite. We did a truncated tour of Bangkok, due to her arriving a bit late. But we made the most of the time, visiting the Jim Thomson House, Grand palace and Wat Pra Gaew, as well as other sites. Kathleen got chance to feel oriented with the various transportation systems in Bangkok, such as the sky train, the subway, riverboat and getting around in taxis.

Reflections from the RJ33 Orphanage in Thailand

Editor’s Note: Lynne G. spent seven weeks in Thailand in the Orphanage Care Program in the Summer of 2006. Lynne stumbled across the GSC Thailand blog and submitted these excerpts from her journal. Thanks a lot Lynne!

6/23/06 – Middle of the trip.

Last night I played Frisbee and Duck, Duck, Goose with my kids. It was so much fun. They are all such good kids. They laughed and laughed and played so well together. Today after class they all asked me to play again after school, but I’m leaving at 2:30 for Bangkok (for a week long vacation to Cambodia). It broke my heart. I really don’t want them to feel abandoned next week when I don’t show up. I literally am on the verge of tears. I don’t want to go. Also, they loved the chocolates yesterday. They’re just unbearably cute. Well, just too unbearably cute to leave. They are already asking when I can come back to Thailand. I want to come back as soon as I get home.

7/21/06 – My final journal entry. (Written on the plane on the way home)

… I’m just terrified that I’m going to forget. Thai… my kids… their names… their laughs… Thai time… mai pen rai… the taste of pad thai in the morning. That you don’t need a flushing toilet or hot water to have a fully functioning bathroom. That a/c is overrated. That a good sharp spoon does more than a knife any day. The kindness in Pi Miu’s eyes. The mischief in Khing’s laugh. The bond of sisterhood with Aaron (my co-volunteer) The bond of family with the others (volunteers). Mangos, ramboutan attacks, whisky and watermelon, kanom of various sorts. Bumpy bus rides. Ipod advertisements. Knowing that saying “mai kaw jai” might speak to words but not emotions. Without a common language, a soul is infinitely easy to understand. Kindreds. The enthusiasm of youth. The hope of a better life. I hope they end up with a better life. I’ve never said “stay in school” more in my life. Nor have I ever felt as much like it might not be a reasonable request. Bangkok is on the corner of the screen. Soon it won’t even be labeled. Honestly I’m afraid that everything will go back to normal when I get back. I’m afraid that this will be reduced to a simple anecdote. But… it’s people and emotions and thoughts and feelings. It’s a burning desire. A discovery. I can try new things. A Thai mindset. Face the world with a smile. Especially when it seems most dismal.

 

A Glimpse Into The Buddhist Immersion Program

I have been quite busy setting up the upcoming HIV/AIDS awareness camps in Bangkok, so I have a bit of catching up to do with the blog. I will be blogging more regularly, I promise! I am going to begin catching up by recapping some of my experiences with the volunteers, beginning with Jake. Jake was already in Thailand when I first arrived, teaching English and studying Buddhism at a wat near his homestay in Inburi. Before he left the GSC program he wanted to study meditation, and for this he went to Rachaburi and Wat Luang Phor Sodh. I went there to visit him and to meet his teacher, Phra Barton. “Phra” means monk in Thai. Phra Barton, or “Bart”, as he likes to be called, is an American monk who has been in Thailand for seven years. A master meditation teacher, Phra Bart is very friendly and eager to assist students in their practice. There are two types of meditation taught there. Unique techniques are used for teaching Tranquility Meditation (Somadha) and Insight Meditation (Vipassana), which lead to peace of mind and transcendent wisdom. Jake admitted that it took some getting used to, but he really came to like the technique and said it was actually easier to maintain focus, particularly under the guidance of Phra Bart.

Pick Your Cliche

Editor’s Note – Shirine M. participated in a 9-week HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention Program in Thailand. Here’s a little bit about what she learned while in-country. Thanks for the post Shirine.

 

About half way into my volunteer commitment, I realized that anyone of about five clichés could define my experience. Que sera sera. Let it be. It’s about the journey, not the destination. Even Shit Happens. Gone were the days of neatly planned and executed To Do lists. Gone were the days of being at least relatively in control of my time, my movements, my individual autonomy. Why spend the time struggling to understand the plan when it would only change? Why get upset when my best-laid plans are derailed by something seemingly irrelevant or unimportant? Why not just take it as it comes? So I did! And life got a whole lot better.

Adopting a more laize-faire attitude served this Type A control freak well. Not only did my frustrations diminish, but I was suddenly able to do things that I never in a million years would have imagined as part of my workday. Like sing and dance at a training session for community health volunteers. If you ask my kids, “Can your mom dance?” the answer will be a resounding “No!” As for my singing, well, my older sister says I sound like a dying hyena. But sing and dance I did! And, surprisingly, I had a lot of fun doing it, mostly because my audience was so delighted. (But let’s be honest. I’m in Thailand. Who’s gonna know?)

The New In-Country Coordinator Has Arrived!

I have been in Thailand since mid February and I have been working to meet the people GSC has worked with over the years. The previous ICC based in Singburi, Brian, is now at GSC headquarters in San Francisco. He has been providing me invaluable information as I travel around getting acquainted with the people involved in our programs. I have met homestay families, teachers at local schools, community health worker staff, monks, program managers at Thai NGOs (non governmental organizations), managers at an orphanage and countless others in the past month. I am excited to contribute to the programs here and to work with the wonderful people I have already met. There are many, many more, and I look forward to meeting them and working together to find ways for our volunteers to contribute to fostering local development.

My Thai is quickly coming back to me, as I am getting a healthy dose of speaking/listening practice each day. Our current volunteers, Shirine and Kathleen, are enjoying their placements and are looking forward to the fun they will have celebrating the Thai new year (Songkran Festival). I will be posting about their recent events and hope to have them share a tale or two of their own. If you want to know more about the Thailand-based staff click here. To be taken back the GSC website, click here.

Eric

It’s Never Too Late To Volunteer Abroad!

A few months ago I began working at Global Service Corps’ headquarters in office in San Francisco. Global Service Corps has been operating service learning volunteer programs in Thailand for over a decade. In April of 2007 I retired from my position as an executive with the Federal Department of Health and Human Services, and I was looking for something meaningful to do with my newly found free time. Working for GSC ft the bill. In existence since 1992, GSC has designed and implemented the kinds of community development projects that produce, sustainable, quantifiable results. Programs in Thailand and Tanzania focus on Teaching English Abroad, International Health, HIV/AIDS Prevention and Sustainable Agriculture.

It is a common perception that participation in such programs is limited to younger volunteers. But in fact GSC has had many older participants. GSC recognizes and values their knowledge and experience, and its projects are tailored to meet their interests and needs. No previous training or experience is required. Are you mid-career or an active retiree who wants to give something back? Would you like to really get to know a new country and culture? Why not join one us for two weeks to six months, or longer.

Contact me at thailand@globalsericecorps.org or at (415) 788-3666, extension 128. I hope to hear from you!

Steve Deering

P.S. Think international volunteering might be too rigorous? I have traveled to Asia many times, and after retiring I spent six weeks on a solo journey to Thailand, Laos and Burma. Part of my trip was spent working on a very satisfying education project with Burmese hill tribe children. Believe me, if I can do it, so can you, and you will have a great time!