Village Project: Ban Nai Kuwan

Our resident village project planner, Emma, gives us the scoop on this week’s VP:

 

‘On the last "Friday Village Project" of the expedition, we had the opportunity to visit a small, rural school called Ban Nai Kuwan.  The school is situated in beautiful surroundings and provided us with lots of outdoor space to do activities. This time there was just a small group of 16 very friendly, eager and affectionate students in the entire school aged between 5 and 10 years old.

We started the morning off with some fun team games including a game which involved putting on an oversized shirt, sunglasses, flip flops and sunhat and then running to collect coloured discs at the other end of the field!  This caused lots of fun for the kids whilst they learnt about colours and much amusement for the volunteers who were watching and cheering them on!

We then split the group up and the volunteers led small groups covering topic areas such as parts of the body, nature and fruit.  After a fun filled hour, we then had a short refreshment break with the children whilst we all cooled off, followed by an entertaining environmental talk by Jack and Noi.  The children learnt in a fun way, about how litter can be recycled and the importance of disposing of it in a responsible way. Afterwards, the children took the GVI Green Team pledge, promising not to litter and encouraging others to do the same.

 

We finished off the day with a rousing game of "Hokey Cokey" which the children loved, before sitting down to a delicious lunch.’

Village Project: Ban Nai Kuwan

Village Project: Bang Thong School

TEFL volunteers headed out to Bang Thong school for this week's village project. They did English activities with around 50 4-6th graders. The school is set in a beautiful location, which the teachers took advantage of. Teachers took their lessons outside and played games with the students out in the sunshine. 

Luke, who was out on a visit from the Australian office, joined us on the village project. He had a great time and the kids loved him! 

Village Project: Bang Thong School

Happy Holidays!!

It was quite the festive Thursday Night Party this week with volunteers and staff dressing as their favorite holiday! 

There was a wide variety of holidays represented including Guy Fawkes Night, Australia Day, Valentine's Day, Cinco de Mayo and of course Christmas with a visit from Father Christmas and his blushing bride. 

It was a great night with the whole group getting together to celebrate another fun week of teaching! 

Happy Holidays!!

Laura's Volunteer Story

Here's what Laura, one of our four-week Teaching Children volunteers, had to say about her experience in Ao Luk:

 

A day in the life of a GVI volunteer in Thailand

 

Before arriving in Thailand my thoughts were filled with the anticipation of the unknown. I had never visited Thailand before but had many friends with lots of stories; however, these stories are more touristy than what you actually experience and come to appreciate about Ao Luk.

 

Ao Luk is very rural and very Thai. What you experience here is how these people really live and how hospitable they are to ensuring your experience is unforgettable. This is only enhanced when you teach in the local schools.

 

You start early morning with breakfast and get picked up by a teacher from the school. It’s a full day and you have to be very energetic. However, reliving my primary years is what made their learning and my reminiscing such fun. I would never do the ‘Hokey Cokey’ or ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’ songs seriously back home. But when the whole school is joining in, it is really rewarding.

 

The children love that you’re there and they literally hang on your every word. As well as teaching them I have learned a lot from them, such as playground games and songs they sing. I can also count to 100 and have learned basic etiquette, which the children and adults seem most impressed with.

 

Life on base is great. If want to be by yourself, you can be, but everyone is social and there are always plans to organize for when you have time off. You never feel alone being here and you are with a group of like-minded people ready to share with you.

 

I could never of imagined a better way to spend four weeks. My time is up but my memories will live on. 

Laura's Volunteer Story

Tiger Temple!

Early Saturday morning a group of GVI volunteers ventured out to the Tiger Temple near Krabi town. The goal was to catch the morning sun, avoid the heat and observe the monks' morning rituals before making the 1,237 step climb to the top.

 After exploring the temple grounds, a few brave (and fit) souls made their attempt at the top and were rewarded by 360 degree views of the province. After catching their breath and enjoying the view, they began their descent and were congratulated by a group of menacing-looking monkeys on the way down. Thankfully, the troop passed without incident and our trekkers continued safely to the bottom. 

 

The others, who opted to avoid two days of post-Tiger Temple soreness, chose to spend their morning on the rainforest walk. In addition to massive banyan trees, they strolled past the monks' dwelling and explored the caves behind the temple site. After a relaxing walk, they caught up with the others and headed in to Krabi for a delicious meal. 

Tiger Temple!

Term 18 Begins!

Our 18th term of classes is up and running! This term marked the first in which we are using our new classrooms which were refurbished during the construction project weeks. The students love the new classrooms and the teachers are feeling great as they're constantly reminded of the result of their hard work and dedication to the community! 

We have nine classes this term, covering levels 1 through 6. The newly qualified teachers are rising to the challenge of teaching four lessons per week and our latest training group is having a fabulous time in level two! 

Term 18 Begins!

Kayaking in Bor Thor!

Our volunteers recently had the opportunity to head out on a side trip to the local coastal community of Bor Thor for a fun-filled day of kayaking. Here's a first-hand account of their adventure from intern, Emma:

'On Saturday, a group of 12 of us went off to the local beauty spot of Bor Thor for a morning of kayaking. It was a beautiful, sunny day and we had a great time exploring ancient caves on foot and in our kayaks.  We had enormous fun navigating through tight, twisting, dark caves that led through to stunning lagoons surrounded by huge karst mountains.  With our trusted navigator and guide, Man, we also had a chance to see a kingfisher in full glory singing near the river bank as well as mudskippers, lizards and other wildlife.

We had the opportunity to explore Tham Pee Hua Toh (Big Headed Ghost Cave), where we had the chance to view 3,000 year-old paintings left over from ancient dwellings in the cave and amazing stalactites, stalagmites and rock formations.

After a pleasurable but strenuous morning, we headed back to enjoy a delicious meal of tempura prawns, chicken with ginger and fried vegetables whilst relaxing at the floating river restaurant.'

Kayaking in Bor Thor!

Thai Cooking Workshop

Nearly every Friday evening, Thai cooking workshops are held at the GVI base providing volunteers with the opportunity to learn how to cook some authentic and delicious Thai dishes. Our usual cooks are Pee Moo, Pee Ban (who studies English with GVI at the NFE Center!) and sometimes her daughter Bok-Bak comes to assist (another one of our students!). GVI volunteers choose 3 Thai dishes and assist the cooks to prepare the meals.

Some of the yummy dishes prepared over the past month are:

Pad Thai (Thai style stir-fried noodles)

Matsaman Curry (a rich peanutty, coconut curry often prepared with chicken and some kind of root vegetable)

and Laap Moo (a north-eastern style spicy meat salad, usually prepared with minced pork)

Thai Cooking Workshop

Temple Football!!

Here's a thrilling account of the evening's events from volunteer, Kristy McCulloch. Kristy joined GVI in June as part of the 20-week Teacher Training Internship and we're please to announce that she'll be a regular contributor to our blog for the duration of her stay in Ao Luk!   

***

'On the balmy Monday evening of August 3rd, the newly appointed GVI football team descended of the grounds of Wat Ao Luk Thai, to play what we thought was going to be a muck around game against some locals. We arrive in the back of a songthaew and much to our surprise, a massive crowds awaits, with multiple teams and stadium-style lights. Overwhelmed is not an exaggeration!

In usual Thai-style, we were treated like royalty (or should I say, Man U!), with jerseys, a bench and our own visitors box. It's all very official with a pre-match meeting of the referee and the other team. 

Kick-off was 7:30 pm with a short, but precise, pass to Katie. The GVI team dominated the first half, although no goals were scored, the goalie was kept busy with the brunt of the attacks coming from Laura and Mika (AKA David Beckham). 

Half-time saw a few changes to the team from our fully stacked bench. On came Susan and Mike, with Rachael stepping out of goalie to have a run, and our ring-in Dylan (a teacher at the local high school) coming in to man our goal. Once again in the second half Mika was the stand-out player, with lightening speed and deadly accuracy scoring our one and only goal in the 32nd minute.

 

Becca's defense, Lear's powerful throw-ins and unwavering encouragement from our supporters definitely helped in our 1-0 victory. 

After the game was the ceremony and of course the celebration followed. Out of nowhere tables were set up, music turned on and mountains of delicous food and ice cold beer displayed for all to share.  Needless to say a good time was had by all and the GVI football team are now local heroes.' 

Temple Football!!

Karen's Volunteer Story

Karen Kirton just finished her 100 hour TEFL certificate with GVI in Ao Luk, Thailand. She will be staying until September helping with renovation and community projects and teaching her own English class for adults in the Ao Luk Community.

Here's what Karen has to say about her experience in Ao Luk with GVI so far:

Ao Luk is a small, friendly community and one of my favorite parts of this experience has been walking around the town and meeting people. Be it shopkeepers, kids running out of their houses to say hello or locals riding on motorbikes, everyone is so friendly and welcoming. We are often given gifts of fruit by our students and other locals, and it is so satisfying to have a past student stop you in the street to practice their English skills! GVI has a great reputation in the area and I have enjoyed being a part of the the GVI group and the community.'

- Karen Kirton

Karen's Volunteer Story