Volunteer story from Mei!

Mei came out to do 4 weeks teaching children and gaining a BTEC 30 leadership training course with GVI's Community Development Internship project in Ao Luk, Thailand. See below for Mei's take on the experience:

Nervous. It is the perfect word that described how I felt on the first day of my expedition. New was suddenly a common word in my head- new country, new people and most of all a new way of living. The thought of communal living, doing chores, using a Thai bathroom, living in the heat and having to live with creepy crawlies just sent shivers up my spine.

Or so I thought. By the third day, I fell in love with showering in the Thai style bathroom, talking to people before I got some pillow time and getting used to the insects. Ok, I lied. Getting used to insects will take more than a mere 3 days. But most of all, what changed my perspective from the first day was the children at school. No doubt it takes effort to teach them but their enthusiasm and the love and respect they generously shower their teachers with just makes you feel that everything was worth it. The next best thing is the weekends. Weekend getaways to side trips organized by GVI and going to various beaches with other volunteers are really amazing. There are so many activities and beach to go to and you'll never feel bored during the weekends. The weekend trips are especially good after a long week as it makes one appreciate the wonderful sites even more.

As cliche as it may sound, but the truth, this really one of the best decisions I have made in my life.

Volunteer story from Mei!