I spent a wonderful, unforgettable time teaching as a volunteer. I learnt a lot about Thai culture and I made many friends with whom I will stay in contact after going back home.
My first placement was at a primary and secondary school in Ban Ho Kham, in Nongkhai Province. I was teaching all the 9 classes, P1-P6 and M1-M3. I was a member of the family and the community from the first day on. They really took good care of me.They always made sure that I am alright and that I have enough to eat and that food was so delicious. So I ended up leaving the village with more kilos than I had when I arrived, and I thought I would loose weight in Thailand! The host family was lovely and the accommodation was on very good standard. I had my own room and we even had a hot shower.
The only difficulty for me was that I did not have any privacy. Apart from school I was busy with participating in all the 
family and Community activities. I could hardly go somewhere on my own, for example, when I wanted to go for a walk or to a shop alone, somebody was always joining me. The first week was a little bit challenging as I had not taught before, I did not have a schedule and therefore did not know until the last minute which class I was supposed to teach. After the first week though I got my schedule and could prepare the lesson plans either together with a teacher or alone. Some classes I taught together with a teacher, other classes I taught alone, with most of the classes I was more or less told what I was supposed to teach, and with other classes I was free to choose. But even with a schedule, typically Thai style, things change in the last minute, so it was not unusual that classes were cancelled because of special activities going on. 
They are very particular about the dress code. On Mondays the teachers wear a school uniform (I just wore a skirt and a blouse), on Tuesdays and Wednesdays the women wear skirts and blouses and the men trousers, on Thursdays everybody including the kids is wearing a red T-shirt, long black trousers and gym shoes, on Fridays all wear a blue shirt in honor of the queen with trousers or skirts.
2nd Placement:
As Tablamu school, Phang Nga Province, was badly affected by the Tsunami, things might not have been as they were under normal circumstances.
I was the first volunteer at Tablamu Primary School, therefore, the host family and the teac
hers were a bit shy and did not really know how they should behave towards me and did not really interact with me at the beginning. I had to take the initiative to get in contact with them. My host family, for example, always disappeared in their bedroom after dinner as they probably felt uncomfortable around me. After a couple days though, after getting used to each other, we stayed up late and could not make it to bed early again, as we started to feel comfortable with each other and having a lot of fun together.
Isan people mainly eat sticky rice and they just love papaya salad, the food is similar to Lao food and it traditionally takes place on a mat on the floor. As in the South, I always ate at a table. Generally, the South seemed to be more influenced by the Western culture. At both placements they were extremely friendly and helpful, but the South cannot beat Isan with its hospitality. Besides, it was very important in Isan to greet all the teachers with a "Wai", as in the South this was not usual. Isan people tend to be more quiet than the ones in the South who have more temperament. The South has better equipped schools as Isan and is not as poor. Take it easy and don't be too serious (as the Thai teachers were telling me all the time) as life always has to be fun for the Thais. Especially the first week, do whatever you can, you don't have to be perfect. Be open-minded, flexible and spontaneously and I am sure, you gonna have a lot of fun.
You might have to introduce yourself in front of the whole school on the first day or even on other occasions, so be prepared, it doesn't have to be perfect at all. Make an effort to learn a little bit of Thai, they appreciate it a lot, besides it enables you to interact a bit with the Thais who cannot speak English and the majority in the villages cannot speak English. Watch the locals and behave as they do as politeness and respect is very important to them. Ask questions of what is going on, because you will often not know it until the last minute.
Thanks a lot for making this cultural experience possible. I hope to see you again as I am planning to visit my two schools before I go back home to Switzerland.
Take care and see ya,
