Placement begins

Oh my goodness!! There is so much to write and so little time and I never knew that SO much could happen in one day.  All of the days are blending together with a mesh of eating, working, and exploring something new every day.  So today was my first day at the placement where Kati and I work with children with disabilities. I was SO impressed with the school.  We arrived early in the morning at 8:30 and were shown around the school which is three stories high.  Classrooms are separated by grades, Down's syndrome, and autism as well as a music room, a ball room (imagine a mini Chuck-E-Cheese), a great dining hall with stage, art room, and plenty more.  Each classroom had 5-7 kids and was extremely intimate with wonderful teacher to student interactions. We were introduced to many of the teachers and a good amount spoke some English which made the communication barrier a little less of a barrier.  It was a beautiful school with a waterfall in the front and overall upbeat joyful feel to it.

Tomorrow Kati and I will begin our true volunteer work.  We start out with morning announcements where we will teach all the kids a word of the day.  Then, we will be teaching swimming for two hours every morning at the little swimming pool in the front and letting the kids splash around.  Then, we will help out in the classroom wherever we are needed (aka crafts/dancing/etc).  This will be followed by lunch and then dancing and karaoke. Our schedule is very open here and our main purpose is to teach a bit of English but mostly involve ourselves with the students and make them feel loved and cared about as a normal part of our society.  One of the best things about this school is that they hire their own graduates as the cooks, helpers, and other jobs at the school.

Our day here was truly amazing.  It was all smiles all day and we felt so welcomed and loved. We already learned some Thai dance as well as learned how to cook pad thai from one of the teachers there! We danced with the students and sang some karaoke before we had to leave the placement in the afternoon. I literally cannot wait to go back.  The school is incredibly well organized and the students are getting a great education that they deserve.  There is also a classroom dedicated to teaching the students technical skills (such as making dish soap) so that they can become a part of society as fully functioning adults.  It is a truly awesome school, I could not have been happier with my placement :)

After my placement we went on a mass transit tour and visited the subways, the sky train (which is an above ground train through Bangkok), the ferry, and finally walked to an interactive museum displaying a little bit of Thai history.  We passed the Grand Palace and Reclining Buddha which we plan on visiting later on this week!  Also, while on the mass transit tour... you think traffic in Chicago is bad... think again. The traffic in Thailand is insane because it is crowded with cars but also because there is a lot of construction going on because new lines to the subways are being built and the sky train might be expanding as well (don't quote me on that last part). Anyways, public transit is the way to go and of course you can always try a tuk tuk! 

On a side note, a few things I have noticed in comparison to China is the smoking policies.  In China, smoking was everywhere... on the other hand, in Thailand smoking is less common with packages of cigarettes not even visible to customers (you must ask if you want to purchase some).  They also depict the horrible graphic photos of lung cancer.  I am not a smoker but I think the differences are so greatly drastic.  Also, if you leave a cigarette butt on the ground apparently cops like to fine foreigners for littering!  Thailand is also more clean in terms of garbage that you see on the streets. I have seen recycling as well here. Also, the temples are very different. Here, gold and intricate design work seen on temples and the little spirit houses that are around everywhere are absolutely mesmerizing. There is so much work and talent that has gone into these buildings. Of course the temples in China were beautiful as well, but the feel to these have a more "regal" feel and are simply stunning.  I have yet to visit one but plan to ASAP. 

Also, in pictures you might notice a common color.  This is because in Thailand every day is a specific color (today was pink) and the reason behind this is that it increases your aura and gives you good energy.  I am so glad Kati and I wore pink to our first day because not only did we match with the other teachers, but they noticed that we were integrating ourselves with Thai culture by wearing the color of the week and bringing a good fresh start with lots of luck to our placement.  There are also three words in Thai that pertain to the working environment.  At a job the most important thing is to have FUN.  The second is food (I like this one) and the third one is work.  I think this is amazing and an interesting philosophy in regards to work because I feel as if in America it is polar opposite. We focus so much on getting work done and succeeding that people often times forget to have fun while at work.  I mean when we think of work- the first thought that comes to mind is usually not fun.  But here, fun is at the forefront.  

I am truly learning so much from this experience and being able to volunteer is something extremely special because we are not only sight seeing and experiencing Thai culture from an outside perspective, but rather we are integrating ourselves with the people on a day to day basis.  I love it.  The only bad part is well... learning the language. My god, is that hard! But I am getting some good phrases down and know the numbers to haggle. I think it will come together soon enough the more I am exposed to that language.  Well, that's all for tonight.  Let another day on this wondersome journey continue!