Teach Abroad for Long Term

I had a wonderful 3 weeks at school 1 in Phayao. This was my first workaway and the students, teachers, community, and program coordinator were all so welcoming and made sure that I had everything I needed. The schedule was great with classes spread throughout the day. I was able to help teach students in grades K-9. Two of the teachers spoke very good English and helped translate for me in class. We were able to discuss the ways I could best help the kids: play games, make simple conversation, talk slowly to teach pronunciation, and get them excited about learning/speaking English. I got to use some of my favorite school games I was taught and find many new ones online to try! I would recommend coming to class equipped with some games or teaching techniques. The teachers all had different requests for me which kept the classes interesting. At this school I lived on campus in the old library with a roommate. We had three meals a day on weekdays which were overall good, three bathrooms in the building with hot water, AC, decent WiFi, a fridge, and two twin beds. They also let us use the washing machine and had a drying rack and fans. Highlights were playing ping pong with the kids after lunch, greeting the students in the morning with high fives, trying so many new Thai foods, and practicing sepak takraw with some students and community members who came after school to play. The school is a 15 minute grab bike from downtown. The downtown is quite large with gyms, a mall, restaurants, and the beautiful lake. Exploring the night markets was fun. A bicycle is also provided for a short ride to a fruit market, 7/11, cafes, and a few good restaurants. I appreciated the obvious effort put into this program for the sake of the kids, teachers, and volunteers. I would highly recommend this position to anyone who wants a fun experience teaching English to wonderful kids and connecting with a kind community.

I've lived abroad in Korea as a member of the armed forces. The experience was educational, culturally enriching and I became one with the locals. Their customs, traditions and way of life was eye opening and insightful. I enjoyed the cuisine, the cultural exchanges that had taken and the conversations I had with those that had a minimal ability to speak English. I found that that despite their minimal English-speaking abilities, they were able to fully express themselves. It just required patience being that it took longer for them to seek the appropriate words to convey that in which they were trying to express. I often times found what they had to say profound no matter how basic and time consuming for them to convey what it was that they had to say. Needless to say, it was thought provoking and worth the wait. I hope to gain more cultural experiences to later reflect on. There's a level of growth awareness wise and spiritually and I look forward to embracing more of it with open arms.