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ISAN
SURVIVOR VOLUNTEER
Many
primary and secondary schools in the local area are in need of
volunteers who can speak English. The teachers greatly appreciate when native speakers, or just
those familiar with English, can help teach kids how to speak
English. Learning English gives Thai students greater opportunities
for their future.

Therefore, part of the Isan-Survivor program involves
teaching kids skills that will help them
“survive”.
Volunteers will be placed in local schools where they can teach
English, or other languages to eager school kids. Volunteers also
have the option to teach basic computer skills, music, art, dance,
etc. – whatever you would like to share with the local kids!
We work with the children in the local public primary schools, the
age of the children is between 7 - 12 years old, and the secondary
schools, the age of the children are between 13-18 years old.
The task for volunteer is teaching English and the main focus
of teaching by volunteers is to encourage the children to speak
English, Thais people are really shy in the beginning, so what we do
is try to break the wall, let them have fun with English by singing
songs or playing games with them. So we show them that it is not
difficult to learn English.
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Volunteer Stories
Jennifer Kettles 18 years old
, from
Scottland
I spent 2 months
volunteering with Isan Survivor from January- March this year. And
had the schools not broken off for their Summer holiday, I would
have stayed MUCH,MUCH longer! I came to Thailand eager to broaden my
horizons and experience some of the true culture, wishing to stray
from the tourist trail in search of something more meaningful. I am
honestly so glad I found Isan survivor, as it gave my the
opportunity to be involved in exactly that.

Jack and his family could not make you feel more welcome. His
mother; a beautiful, kind lady makes you feel like one of her own
children; lavishing you with some of the most delicious Thai cookery
I have ever tasted.
I regularly had dinner at his 90 year old grandfathers house, where
their amazing hospitality was further demonstrated and all 3
generations of the family come together in a vibrant fusion of
traditional Isan music, dance, laughter and some of the loveliest
food and company you could ever wish for.

Despite having no previous teaching experience and being a little
unsure what to expect, the support and enthusiasm of Jack, the local
school and the beautiful children soon put me at ease. Through
focusing on games, art and activities, improvising in the classroom
and trying out new and exciting ideas, you soon uncover what works
for you and interacting with the kids comes very naturally. It is
not just about building their vocabulary, but more about building
their confidence and giving them the encouragement and attention
they crave. Living in such a rural setting they do not often get the
opportunity to speak with foreigners, so you are made to feel very
much valued. The children I taught at nearby Pak Suay school, on the
banks of the Mekong were absolutely adorable, enthusiastic,
affectionate and each had their own quirky personality traits.

Saying goodbye to the children was one of the hardest yet most
beautiful moments I have ever experienced and we sang and danced
together before saying a very tearful goodbye. I feel that through
exploring new ideas in the classroom, I learned not only a lot about
my students and the Isan culture, but also a lot about myself.
Nothing can match the sense of pride I felt from watching the
children develop their skills and I know deep down that the
friendships I have made here will stay with me for life.
Jacks infinite knowledge on Isan culture, great sense of humor and
kindheartedness really makes you feel part of the community here. I
have been out to watch the glistening red sunset on the Mekong river
in a local fisherman's boat, visited beautiful temples and had many
spiritual experiences, taken part in local festivals, parades and
celebrations and dressed up in traditional Isan dress.

Thank you
Isan Survivor for making my experience so magical, I will definitely
return to see my children and all the wonderful characters I have
met along the way. It is now only a question of when...
Email:
jennifer.kettles@yahoo.com
For more Stories
Click here
Volunteer Stories
: Page 1,
Page
2, Page 3,
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They rarely speak to
foreigners, so to learn from a foreigner will help them to see the
importance of English, and hopefully they would love to study by
themselves more and more.
Our
volunteers work along with the local Thai English teachers to help the
students in pronunciation, general conversation, and basic writing.
Also, volunteers can organize informal English classes in local villages
after school for interested kids and villagers. Volunteers are invited
to join with all school activities such as English camps, sport days,
school parties, ect.

Volunteers
DO NOT have to be native English speakers or have previous teaching
experience. We will teach you the basics and provide a teaching guide
book.The students, who rarely see non-Thais in their village, are always
amazed and excited that international volunteers take time to teach
them. Teaching English to the students is a positive experience for all
those involved.
We also have the teaching guide
book. In the book you will find guidelines in teaching English to Thai
children. We work on Monday to Friday, start at 9.00 till 12.00 am. If
you'd like to work more, the schools can always use some extra help in
the afternoon. In the morning it will be 2 or 3 hours of teaching,
depending on the school.
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Daan,
Coosje and Yvonne , from Holland
When we arrived we didn’t really
know what to expect, but as soon as we met Jack, this changed. He
told us a lot about Thai culture and Buddhism and let us taste so
much new Thai food. From the moment we arrived at his house, where
he lives with his parents, we felt at home. We had or own room and
the freedom to do whatever you wanted, in case Jack hadn’t planned
any activities.

Every morning we went to school
to teach and in the afternoon Jack took us out to discover the area.
There aren’t many tourists so we really felt like being in the real
Thailand. One time Jack took us to a national park for the weekend,
another time he took us to the local market. We also did a lot of
other things, but we don’t want to give away too much!

The teaching was great! The
children were lovely and so much fun. Sometimes it was hard to
explain something, because their English isn’t that great, but the
Thai teacher was always there to help us out. The children don’t see
many falangs (foreigners), so they really want to touch you
and speak to you.
Overall, it was an amazing
experience and we’re really glad we had the opportunity do to this.
We can recommend this to everyone!
P.S: if you want to lose weight,
don’t come over here, because the food is amazing!
Email :
daanvane@gmail.com
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Vita Verwaaijen, 18 jaar, Amsterdam, Holland
Mijn eerste vier dagen van mijn
reis had in doorgebracht in Bangkok en vanuit daar ben ik naar Ban
Thin Dung gekomen, het dorp waar Jack en zijn familie wonen. Toen ik
aankwam voelde ik me meteen al helemaal thuis in de omgeving,
prachtige rijstvelden, het huis en tuin met hangmatten! En wat ben
ik ongelofelijk dankbaar voor zo'n ervaring! Ik kan het echt
iedereen aanraden, aanraden is niet het goede woord; als je er over
nadenkt DOE HET!! Het meeleven met een Thaise familie is iets heel
bijzonders, je leert echt de cultuur kennen en dat is iets wat je
met rondreizen veel minder hebt. De uitstappen naar het National
Park, de markten en tempels waren erg leuk.

Maar eten met de familie in Jacks
grootvaders huis, een tempelviering met het hele dorp en dansend
door de straten de tempel bereiken, de master van Jack bezoeken in
de Foresttempel, aerobicsen tussen de moeders met een mooie
zonsondergang in de Mekongrivier op de achtergrond, na de
Vrouwenparade in tradiotionele Isaan kleding met de Thaise vrouwen
dansen, Thais leren, hardlopen door de rijstvelden en dorpjes en
natuurlijk het belangrijkste het lesgeven aan al die geweldig lieve
kinderen in de school of in het dorp, dat maakten dit een
overgetelijke ervaring.
Er is gewoon geen een reden
waarom je dit niet zou willen meemaken als je er wel de kans voor
hebt! Veel plezier en geniet ervan!

Email: vitaverwaaijen@hotmail.com
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