Ban Tha Sanook English Camp

On October 20-21 the GVI Thailand team presence was requested to help with a 2 day English camp in Thap Put, Phang Nga. GVI's TEFL volunteers had the chance to put their newly refined teaching skills to the test through leading an English camp for 120 12-15 year olds. The students came from 3 different schools in the Phang Nga province and the camp was sponsored by the local Rotary Club.

Friday began with 5 groups practicing question and answers through a survey and water balloon throwing. The rest of the day was spent rotating through activities about animals, colors and shapes, directions, foods and body parts.

On Saturday 3 groups rotated through activities about spelling, prepositions and the song, "Country Roads".

It was a busy two days and both students and teachers seemed to have a great time.

Ban Tha Sanook English Camp

Term 20 Classes Begin!

The 20th term of GVI's free classes for the Ao Luk Community began with 85 students. The opening night also brought in some heavy rains so everyone was happy to see so many students venture out.

9 classes in levels 1-6 are on offer for the community this term

Volunteers in their second term of teaching had the opportunity to take over their own class as "Newly Qualified Teachers".

Term 20 Classes Begin!

Opening Ceremony at the NFE Center

On November 15 the Ao Luk Non-Formal Education Center, GVI's local project partners, held an opening ceremony to celebrate the opening of a new Ao Luk Thai sub district NFE Center Office. The office is located in the main building GVI utilizes to teach English classes in the community. The NFE Center requested GVI's volunteer teacher's assistance to help at the ceremony. On request GVI held English activities on the second floor of the building for visitors to enjoy and take part in. Going with the theme of holidays and festivals, GVI's teachers hosted Christmas, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving and Halloween activities. Activities included songs, games and crafts.

Outside the building was a mass of activity with performances by the local community singing, dancing and even demonstrating Taekwondo. Local foods were available for sale and local crafts people came out to demonstrate glass blowing and traditional leather crafts. A number of people came out to join in the festivities.

And to kick off the event there was a ribbon cutting ceremony in which the mayor of Ao Luk himself did the honors.

It was yet another great opportunity for GVI Thailand's team to get involved with the local community.

Opening Ceremony at the NFE Center

Trip to the Emerald Pond and Hot Spring

See below for a description of the Saturday outing written by 6 month intern, Kristy:

'All of the GVI volunteers and staff set off for a big day of exploring and swimming in Klong Thom- a charming little place housing a beautiful emerald pond and bubbly hot springs.

WE all went to the pool first, some of us lazing in the balmy water, others trekking through the jungle to see the shocking blue sapphire pool.

Our bellies were grumbling with hunger after all the exercise, so we headed off in search of food. We ate a delicious lunch at the hot springs restaurant. We walked along a wooden path through a beautiful forest, which opened up to the hot springs. Amazing 30-40 degree water gushing over the waterfalls makes it a great place to relax.

All in all I think we had a great day in lovely surroundings.'

Trip to the Emerald Pond and Hot Spring

Dinner in Laem Sak

On Wednesday the GVI Team was invited to dinner at Pee Rin's new house! Charin Klaewtanong (who we call Pee Rin) is the Director of the Ao Luk Non-Formal Education Center, one of GVI Thailand's main project partners.

Pee Rin just completed a beautiful bungalow on a hilltop in Laem Sak to use as a weekend getaway or a holiday rental. The house overlooks the Laem Sak sea, home to local fishing villages. The dinner was all locally caught seafood cooked on the BBQ. Fresh fish, shrimp, squid and mussels were slowly grilled to perfection. Delicious!

It was a great opportunity for volunteers to mingle with the community and some of the guys even got an extensive Thai lesson from one of our regular taxi drivers!

It was a nice evening and everyone enjoyed the change of scenery.

Dinner in Laem Sak

A Week at the Schools

This week Teaching Children volunteers and TEFL volunteers all spent their weeks in local primary and secondary schools. All together volunteers worked in 12 different schools throughout Ao Luk providing English lessons for local youth.

Many of the schools were training for a district wide English competition the following week and some volunteers had the opportunity to coach students in speech, spelling, role plays and crosswords (Thailand's version of Scrabble).

After 4 weeks of TEFL training and teaching adults in the community TEFL volunteers, experienced a new classroom challenge. Teaching children was a whole different game. In the beginning it was exhausting and challenging but by the end of the week everyone had a great time. The schools, their teachers and students were warm and welcoming and made the volunteers feel like an important part of their learning community.

A Week at the Schools

Project Week for TEFL volunteers- to the schools!

For the first week of the 2 week break between GVI's class terms, the TEFL volunteers will be working with rural schools who have MOUs with GVI to provide teachers for special activities through the 2009 Ao Luk Village Project. 10 volunteers will be working with 6 different schools located in rural locations throughout Ao Luk. In teams of 2 volunteers will be utilizing their new teaching skills to provide 4 days of English lessons for some of Ao Luk's primary and secondary aged youth.

Stay tuned for pictures and stories from these project days!

Project Week for TEFL volunteers- to the schools!

Loy Kratong

GVI volunteers had the opportunity to enjoy one of Thailand's amazing festivals. Every year, the full moon in November marks the Loy Kratong festival. This festival honors the water in rivers, canals and the sea by creating ornate floating devices called "kratongs" from banana trunks and leaves and colorful flowers. In the evening of the full moon families, friends and individuals head to their local water way with their kratongs. They light the incense and candle in the middle of the kratong and float it in the water. Tradition has it that if the candle stays lit as the kratong travels out of eyesight, your wish will come true.

The GVI team had the honor of learning to make their very own kratongs, taught by the local librarians and teachers at the Ao Luk Non-Formal Education Center, GVI's local partner organization. In the evening they all went to the temple together where they joined the community in releasing their kratongs in the river.

It was a great opportunity to experience local Thai culture.

Loy Kratong

Emma's Volunteer Story

Thailand volunteers have all sorts of opportunities to get involved with the local community. Below, Emma Reinhalter, one of GVI's TEFL volunteers, describes a Sunday with one of her students.

This morning a level 2 student of mine, Dusit, invited all his teachers to his palm
tree, fruit and crab farm. He introduced his 92 (!!!!) year old father to us
who was still committed to weeding around the palm trees. Dusit explained that
he has five employees who cut the palm fruit, which weigh 50 kilos each. He then
asked them to demonstrate. They used a long pole, which could be adjusted in
size and had a sharp sickle attached to the end.

Dusit then showed us his crab farm, located smack in the center of his palm tree
fields. He let us poke at and tease some of the crabs and then cooked up some great fresh crab. We all tasted the delicious crab and agreed that it was some of the best and freshest we had ever had.

Emma's Volunteer Story

New Teaching Children Volunteers

After the October break, Thai students are back to school for another term. GVI's Teaching Children in Thailand project is also back in session bringing us 3 new volunteers from Canada and the US. These volunteers will be working together to teach English to pre-school through 6th grade at 6 Ao Luk Schools. Monday through Wednesday they will be rotating around 4 schools located close to the GVI base in Ao Luk. On Thursday and Friday they will have the opportunity to venture out to Kuwan-Oh and Ban Tham Suea, 2 rural schools that GVI has been working with recently.



Good luck volunteers!

New Teaching Children Volunteers