Hello everyone. This blog was such a great idea. It's really interesting!
Well i finally started work 2 and a half weeks ago and it's been hectic! From all the warnings nora and nick gave us i was expecting the 2-3 week waiting around period but not here. Because DEPDC is so used to getting volunteers they throw you straight into work!
My first day was very easy. I met the founder of DEPDC and on that particular day the office was celebrating Songkran (Thai New Year) so there was a little ceremony for the senior members of the organisation and they all gave us a blessing and we poured scented water over each of their hands and wished them a happy new year. It's great to see the culture and ceremonies up close and they're more than welcoming and love non-Thai people and non-Buddhists to join in.
The person I report to is the volunteer coordinator. I was trying to avoid being classed as a volunteer but it's not an NGO that pulls rank or anything so everyone pitches in every where so it feels very equal. Due to cut backs there are only about 25 people working in the office in Mae Sai so everyone is very close and friendly, which is great. The director of administration is the person my boss answers to and she's so lovely. In true Thai fashion she loves feeding people so she'll often give us food and treats that she's picked up from the morning market.
So far I've been posting articles I've written to their blog, sent off an application letter for shoes for the students that attend the schools DEPDC runs, and used excel to lay out costs for their "School in a Bag" project. sadly I've forgotten everything i learned in excel. SO annoyed so I'm going to have to re-teach myself! :( definitely a handy programme though. Because of the cut backs there is no grant writing department in the NGO and up until recently long term volunteers did it but they've all gone now so my boss is really pushing for them to hire someone soon. I'm hoping it'll be before I leave so I can learn from them! outside of office work I've been shadowing the other volunteer when she teaches staff English, 3 times per week, and community English, 3 times per week. the term hasn't started for the kids yet but I'll be teaching them too when it does. I'll also be working on the quarterly newsletter, due in July (we're waiting to get this one signed off so we can post it soon) and doing an hour long radio show twice a week where I'll be playing music and reading news articles that I find interesting, so that should be great fun. Sometimes i find i am wrecked though as the community English is from 6-7.30 so the day can feel quite long as, although you can go home for 2-3 hours during the day when you finish late, we usually start before 9. The last 2 Saturdays, and possibly next Saturday, we've also had things to do to prepare for a fundraiser so i really have been tired. trying not to complain too much though as everyone is very gracious and thankful when you help out, and i'm trying to get the most out of the experience.
I'm really seeing the benefits of working for a small NGO-even if it's short term. There's definitely a lot of experienced to be gained and only now am i realising that my remaining 4 months is such a short amount of time!
Mae Sai is a great town. it has everything from a massive Tesco that sells just about anything you'd need to an ex-pat cafe with amazing pancakes, but the Thai food here is amazing!! I thought it would all be very spicy but there's plenty of variety with dishes. the fruit is to die for too! I also thought I'd be well sick of rice but I suppose it's like us with potatoes, they know so many ways of changing the flavour and texture that I'm happily eating it 2-3 times per day! :) I'm also living on about €5-€6 per day, which is amazing, I think.
I didn't mean for this to be so long so I hope it's not too boring. Basically everyone should try and come to Thailand maybe during/after placement. :-P It's an amazing place!
Hope everyone is keeping safe and well. Can't believe we've only 4 months left now!
Katherine.
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