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.

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. Although a bit crammed (6 people in each room with one fan) you will surely enjoy the food and company of new people from all over the world. There will most likely be many Europeans on a culture tour at the same time and although you will separate from them shortly after, it was, in my opinion, still fun to get to know each and every one of them. Before leaving Chicago, it was hard to forecast…just about anything. Without ever travelling to a “developing country” before, questions raced through my mind. What is the water like there? Is there even fresh water? What are the living conditions like? What are my odds of survival? In retrospect, those questions were pretty crazy.  Thailand, in general, is an easy place to make a living.  The Baht, currently about 33 to one US dollar, is a blessing considering the current situation of the US economy. Not only that, the food is great and the people are wonderful. One of the best tips for dealing with people in Thailand, however, is patience. They have a highly laid back culture and take their time with everything. Since they avoid confrontation to the utmost, it is very important to not lose composure or you won’t get any answers any quicker and will lose a lot of respect.  Other than that, they will take you in as one of their own and feed you until you can’t even pick up your spoon.

Upon arrival in Bangkok, I was astonished to see tall buildings and a skyline similar to that of a typical city’s in America.  Thailand’s capital is flourishing with business and tourist attractions.  Coincidentally, it was actually just rated one of the world’s top cities to travel to. At first it was difficult only because of the language barrier, but if you really try to learn a few words here and there, the people will love you for it.  Thai people become easily attached to others, especially farangs (foreigners) and will make you feel very sad to leave them, but of course it is worth the experience (This is a tip for the men who try to or accidentally meet Thai women – coming from a personal experience, Thai women take any sort of flirting very seriously and will fall in love almost instantly.  If you think you can get away with flirting, think again.  You are basically dating at that point). Teaching, on the other hand, in Bangkok is a whole different story.  The kids are great and will make you feel right at home.  In my situation, I was placed at a homestay where one of the sons of the family attended the same public high school I taught at.  He treated me as a brother, as I have done as well.  He continues to call me every day here in Thailand which makes me feel like I’ve made a big impact in his life somehow.  However, you must understand something prior to going about your typical habits. Gift giving is not seen the same way as it is in the States. My host family usually saw it almost as a sign of disrespect.  I am not exactly sure of the reasoning as of yet, but just know that before you give something to someone, make sure they know your reasoning. Also, if you live with a son or daughter who constantly wants to be with you at all times, be sure to tell them when you are working or doing something important that takes you away from time spent with them otherwise they will think you are ditching them. Of course, this was just my experience and it could obviously vary according to the personality of each homestay sibling or parent. Overall, the time spent with them was amazing and I will never forget them.

Then there was the HIV/AIDS training and prevention camp during my stay in Bangkok.  Preparing for it was a bit difficult since it is hard to predict how it will turn out, but in the end it was pretty good.  All the kids were able to conceive and acknowledge HIV as a life-threatening virus that can be transmitted through various modes.  Although possibly of little significance, for once I felt as if I had changed lives for the better.  It was a great feeling and can only hope to continue to do the same for the rest of my life.  The goal to help them absorb the information is through games, hands-on activities, and of course having fun.  Kids here don’t really enjoy the typical monotone lectures just as anyone else, so be sure to keep their attention.

Afterwards, I took a week to travel in between programs to Chiangmai and Phuket.  Both places were like a paradise I never knew about.  The beautiful nature in Chiangmai and the jaw-dropping beaches in Phuket are both definitely worth seeing if you have the time.  I stayed in Bangtao Lagoon Village Bungalows (about 800 Baht a night for a room that can accomodate 2 with air-conditioning which is only like 25 dollars!) and it’s right on the beach with a great swimming pool and a French-Thai restaurant located on the resort. However, Phuket in general is a very very expensive place considering it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Thailand, but the place where I was located was secluded enough to the point where I didn’t feel the affects of annoying tourist vendors or attractors.  Chiangmai is a totally different story.  There I saw elephants, went bamboo rafting, and went mountain biking.  If you are a big adrenaline junkie, I definitely recommend the mountain biking.  I had no idea what it would exactly be like, but it turned out to be crazy with jagged rocks, steep hills, and a great workout. What I highly don’t recommend is the elephant riding. Although fun and entertaining, the elephant trainers are some of the cruelest people I’ve seen when it comes to animal treatment.  There is an alternative elephant farm that you can visit instead to just hang out with the rescued, maltreated elephants from tourist places such as the one I went to.  Although a bit more expensive, you will feel much better about yourself when leaving.

My next stop was the Buddhist Immersion program and teaching at the Wat (temple) in Inburi – a province next to Singburi. Here I stayed with a woman named P. Tuk who was very very very generous and took care of me so well.  Her food was excellent and she was always making sure I was occupied with something since she worries otherwise.  She knows many people in the village and is happy to help you with anything you need in the town since it is a very small village with a minimal amount of English. The school, Wat Bod, was such a unique experience that it is hard to put into words.  Not only were the Monks some of the nicest people I have ever met, but the Novice Monks were some of the most diverse kids with various backgrounds and at the same time defined the word unity. Being a free school, they were still able to receive a good amount of education from the Monks and really inspired me to help them learn English.  However, they weren’t the only ones who learned something for I also learned a good amount from each and every person at that school and will definitely take my time to go back and visit if I am ever in Thailand again.

If you have any questions about Buddhism, they are more than happy to answer along with occasionally inviting you to meditation sessions on the weekends.  The Monks speak a good amount of English and will help you convey your points to the Novice Monks during class if they have trouble understanding you from time to time. Do not be shy and talk to these Monks as much as possible since it may be your only chance to do so.

All in all, every penny that went into this experience was well worth it. Thinking I was going to only be getting some semi-exciting experience to put on my resume was surely a misconception.  I never had so much fun working with others and it is a great feeling to call yourself an actual “teacher” when it never seemed possible. Maybe I wasn’t the greatest teacher or got every point across that I wanted, but they sure learned a lot and I can confidently say that I learned more from them in return.  While GSC may be a young Non-Governmental Organization, they have the staff, educational background, and a plan to help these people.  As mentioned previously, I will never forget this experience and recommend it to all who are interested!

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. The mom and dad (Ying and Golf. . . nick names) both work for Greenway, a non profit that is a partner of Global Service Corps. They have two kids, pat (4) and pear (2 1/2) (nick names again). Pat is extremely shy and only talks when he thinks I can’t see/hear him. On the other hand, pear is a little ball of Thai-child spunk. Her hair is always in short braided pigtails that stick straight up and she is always causing mischief. Also, Golf’s dad and mom both live in the house, his aunt lives across the street, his grandmother lives next door, and his sister lives two doors down. All the women in his life are within 50 feet of him at all times, any man should hope to be so lucky! Thai’s value family, this I have experienced first hand. The uncle came over last night and was sitting on the porch with a small child in his arms when I walked out. He immediately thrust the half naked baby into my hands, laughed, and walked off. Leaving me, of course, with a terrified baby who had never seen a white person.

To list a few other funny/awkward instances: there are no flushing toilets in the house, there is also no toilet paper or air conditioning, the grandfather walks around all day with a small towel around his waste and covered in baby powder to keep him from sweating, the bed I share with Katrina is covered with knock off hello kitty sheets, the rooster starts crowing at 330 and doesn’t stop until around 7 (just in time to wake up), the baby powder sodden mostly naked grandfather keeps trying to turn the TV to one of the two English channels for us (one of which is an angry Christian screaming about redemption and the other is a scandalous music video of white girls dancing around a country singer in the back of a pick up truck. . . so proud I am of how westerners are represented abroad), EVERY single meal is eaten over white rice, Katrina and I got lost in the monsoon today while walking home from the hospital (two farang, trudging through ankle deep water in skirts, huddled under a 15 baht umbrella), the nurses in the hospital call me Ann because they can’t pronounce my name, and they call Katrina “Kat” and then they often say “meow” afterwards while giggling words to each other that we most definitely can’t understand.

Our first day at the hospital was a pretty cool experience. We spent the first 4 hours taking peoples blood pressure, pulse, weight, and asking them how tall they were (song-tow-rai-ka?). I now know all my numbers in Thai! Also, I think the hospital employees kept tying to sneak in line so I would take there vitals. They pretended they were patients and I pretended that I was fooled. Later I shadowed a Thai psychologist while he counseled a teacher who had brought a few “troubles students” in for psychological attention. The children had never been to a doctor before even though they had noticeable signs of retardation and were no less than 11 years old. Amazingly, the teacher did not tell the parents she was bringing the students into the doctor, and the doctor didn’t mind keeping the secret.

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!

      

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.

We enjoyed a dinner at Cabbages and Condoms restaurant. Not only does the restaurant offer excellent food, but they also promote the health and safety aspects of condom use in a fun and amusing manner. All proceeds from the restaurant are used to fund the social development programs of the Population and Community Development Association (PDA). It is a great place for those interested in the International Health program to go for a meal, as the walls are lined with interesting PDA project information and public health tidbits. We left the place with full bellies and a better sense of the health challenges facing 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!

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.

When not practicing meditation and learning about Buddhism, volunteers are able to teach the monks and novices English for a couple of hours per day. This happens in casual conversation as well as in a more structured setting. Many monks are lifelong students, and truly appreciate the opportunity to practice their English with native speakers, as well as learn about other cultures.

Wat Luang Phor Sodh is a beautiful area with more water than I have ever seen at a wat complex. It is meticulously landscaped, making for a very peaceful area to walk around. There is also internet available at the wat, which volunteers find convenient. The accommodations for prospective volunteers interested in studying meditation are shown in the attached photographs. Women volunteers stay in a building within the wat compound and the males have a five-minute walk to a house outside of the complex. Both are quite nice and have their own charm, with the female quarters being more traditional, and the male’s more modern. The inside of the women’s quarters is wide and airy, and mattresses are placed on the floor for sleeping. The picture with Phra Bart was taken from the back of the women’s quarters, and a nice breeze was blowing off of the small lake into the room. Jake gave me a tour of his quarters before his late afternoon meditation session.

Find out more about GSC’s work in Thailand by clicking here.

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?)

In my experience, Thais have a tremendous sense of fun, and almost any successful endeavor must include an element of play. On my very first day teaching HIV/AIDS prevention to teens at Lopburi Technical College, every single class asked if I would sing a song. Sing a song? What’s up with that? And why aren’t these kids paying any attention to my HIV/AIDS prevention lesson? It wasn’t until day three that I finally gave in and sang one of the few songs I can sing without accompanying music and lyrics: America the Beautiful. (It was either that or Christmas carols.) Nothing remotely hip or contemporary from this middle-aged mother! Luckily, my audience was very appreciative. That’s not necessarily a good thing, though, since it led to requests for an encore.

Based upon this experience and the guidance provided in GSC’s training materials, I quickly learned to integrate as many songs and games into my lesson plans as possible. Not only did this help to overcome the language barrier, which was more extreme than I had anticipated, but it also engaged the students far better than any didactic lecture. (Like their American counterparts, Thai students fall asleep in class all the time. This, of course, brought back memories of my own unsuccessful struggles to stay awake, both in class and the endless meetings of my workplace.) And who knew that 20-year-olds would like to do the Hokey Pokey, or sing Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes? And never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that London Bridge could actually be violent – but in the nicest possible way?

Imagine, then, my utter delight when GSC’s new Thailand In-Country Coordinator Eric Skaar showed up a one of my community health volunteer trainings. True to form, he was asked to sing a song. After demurring unsuccessfully, he launched into an amusing rendition of This Land is Your Land. Now it was my turn to laugh – and he knew it! After watching him struggle to remember the words, and suffering from over-confidence in my own musical abilities, I decided to help him out. Little did I know that this would lead to dancing, and Thai dancing at that!

I still don’t know what all this seemingly random and arbitrary singing and dancing has to do with health promotion and HIV/AIDS prevention, but I do know that this: don’t be wedded to a plan because it will change, at least once; be prepared for anything, and that means being receptive to everything; a little fun and merriment is never a bad thing, even when it disrupts the most thoughtful agenda or lesson plan. In fact, I just might try breaking into song (or dance!) at my next state-side board meeting. It can’t hurt, right?

Global Service Corps Website

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

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!