YA LEUM. 7 — Volunt2Thai
I woke up at Udon Thani airport! Almost ready for the next adventure.
Traveling is emotionally tiring because we jump from experience to experience without having time to let experiences sink in, absorb, and digest. When I was still absorbing one situation, I was already starting something new.
Since I have been dreaming for this trip for so long, I put a lot of effort on having the best experience possible. It was my first time, so I was so curious to see how the reality would look like.
How do I carry my backpack so long?
How do I travel with other travelers?
Will I need a sleeping bag in the hostel?
What to pack for winter and summer destinations? Will I carry all year-around?
The preparation months were so special. I talked with loads of people, I watched plenty of YouTube videos, I read blogs and articles. I started traveling before I boarded on the plane. I heard this quote recently “The traveler travels three times. When plans, when travels and when remembers”. That is what I did and ultimately what I am doing.
It is good to prepare! Do not prepare too much but somehow prepare. You enjoy more. This can be arguable, I agree.
However, until certain extent it can increase exponentially the experience.
I have not prepared in detail the countries, the route, or the sightseeing. On that level I did nothing. The plan was to arrive in a new country and understand from other travelers what were the recommendations, research slightly and go.
Before departure I prepared mostly the logistics based on what I wanted to experience, for sure:
I wanted to travel Asia and South America, meaning different seasons, without returning home;
I wanted to wild camp as much as possible;
I wanted to hitchhike.
With that in mind, I prepared the best material possible and I asked many tips around. I found out a new world about backpacking, camping, and hitchhiking. I did not just learn so many things about it, I also met people that would have never crossed my path otherwise.
I just did not take a tent because I held the conviction I would meet someone to share the tent, since I was not planning to camp by myself. Then I would buy a tent wherever I would be.
I travel for the people. That is my point of interest.
I travel to see other ways to live, to listen to different points of view, to hear stories, to learn different ways of doing things, and lastly to learn the world perceptions about life, love and death.
Food, sceneries, history, hiking, camping, or hitchhiking comes in second. Well, maybe food is between first and second. You know, food hardly competes with anything else.
For the whole year of 2016, I self-studied about the impact of people’s perceptions and ideas (people’s beliefs) on their lives in the different areas: love, death, health, money, family, relationships, etc. This topic became highly relevant during the trip, as I paid more attention about people’s definition of love and ultimately how they would express it.
Another aim of the year-long trip was to work voluntarily in one non-governmental organization for each country I would visit: supporting in the day-to-day activities as well as developing together a sustainable impact model for the organization (as much as it could be possible).
That almost happened! I traveled in 11 countries and was part of 9 projects — however, in some countries I was in more than one project; in other countries I have not done any work.
The plan was simple: once I would arrive in a new country, I would ask recommendations around or do a brief online search (mostly on Facebook). Based on the feeling I had from the website, or the numbers of likes on Facebook I would call them and present my suggestion. If they would have fifteen likes on Facebook, that was green light to make a call. I prefer to work with smaller organizations because it is easier to do more profound work. Finally, I worked with a different range of organizations: from small to big and performing sometimes just day-to-day activities or producing needs assessment reports and impact planning programs.
Eventually, working voluntarily on a non-governmental organization and searching answers for “what people do for love? “overlapped immensely.
Whilst I was volunteering with Kewarin in Lamphun (Thailand), I looked up for other organizations in Thailand to volunteer. I came across with Volunt2Thai organization which matched some of the criteria. I contacted them via Facebook and followed up with a call.
On the other side of the phone, I had Raimund, the founder of Volunt2Thai project. I shared with him my not so developed idea of how I would like to team up with organizations to brainstorm solutions and strategies for their challenges.
Imagine, it was the first time I pitched this idea. Besides, I did not have a full picture of what I was really going to do… But Raimund was the best person possible to accept the concept and take me in.
“Just come! I love your idea! I understand what you say. I am glad you contacted us! I have a project we can discuss….and..and..”. I had an immediate connection over the phone with him. We talked and I felt we were in the same line.
Wow! His energy blew me away. This call was a massive boost for my not so established plan, but a solid intention to look at organizations from their core and do something about it.
And someone accepted it!
Raimund gave clear instructions on how to get to Volunt2Thai, since it was in the countryside.
“From Udon Thani airport, get a bus to Rangsina market, switch to the other side of the road, get a green bus.
Be sure you take the green bus and not the blue bus. The bus ride will take one hour, it will make a stop at Amphoe Phen, the bus will stop for 15 minutes, do not change. They will resume then the ride. Show the location to the driver, he knows where to stop. I will be here to pick you up.”
The magic instruction of “the driver knows where to stop, I will pick you up” followed me throughout the 11 countries. Note to self, there are not official stops. So, you must really trust the driver got your instructions right and trust he will not forget to stop.
In the beginning, this made me nervous.
“How does he know this exact address?”, “Is this address the exact location?”, “How does Raimund know what time I arrive exactly to pick me up?”.
The road to trust strangers started!
A mix of gut feeling and trust in strangers is the long road you walk in the backpacking world.
We followed the instructions strictly and Raimund could not be more precise!
The driver stopped at the exact location, smiled, and point to Volunt2Thai.
Madalena and I looked outside the window, we looked at each other and guessed that should be the place.
We arrived around 4pm. The sun was as strong as the noon sun. It was still the end of the rainy season, but hot as hell!
I was still removing the bags and outside the bus, Raimund was already with a smile welcoming us with a refreshing watermelon that I will never forget.
We met everyone there: Anita and Nikki, Raimund’s children; Linly, Raimund’s wife and the volunteers, one German, two Dutch, one American and one Brazilian.
There were 5 rooms with four bunkbeds. We randomly chose one and shared a room for three weeks.
We were shown the communal kitchen, the library, the communal area, and the art & crafts workshop.
All areas were well taken care of, cheerful drawings and paintings all over, hammocks to rest after school time, and my first-time open-air kitchen.
Cooking in open-air feels so summer holidays! Wearing shorts, 30 degrees, fresh icy water, cutting garlic and mixing with exotic spices, overlooking the rice fields and the kids running around. I just added one more thing on my life buck list: an open-air kitchen.
After the quick overview, I sat with Raimund and started immediately discussing things. It came so naturally! We talked about stuff. That is what I did for three weeks and I still do when I go back to Volunt2Thai.
We arrived on a special day because they were organizing an art&crafts day to the kids in the following Saturday. We catched up quickly with the preparations and organized the big day.
The parents, timidly brought their kids to join the party but then they were too shy to come in. That melted my heart. Children have the powerful energy to show their parents how strong they can be. That is what they did, by dragging them to the crowd of people and somehow put them out of their comfort zone. Beautiful to watch.
It was such a busy and full day! There were so many kids coming from all over. They were all so excited to try every creative station!
With the help of the teachers from the international school of Udon Thani, we prepared a day full of creative activities for the kids! Followed by a big and over the top delicious lunch for everyone.
Sunday was a resting day and time to prepare the upcoming week in the schools.
The group split in pairs to visit the different schools of the village. Each pair would prepare its own materials to teach English. In the afternoon, we could lie down in the hammock, go to the market, prepare the class of the following day, talk with the locals, play with the kids…
We assisted three schools, each one of them with different stories and different directors. One of them inside the exotic forest, surrounded by charming immense trees with a very energetic teacher. Other, waking distance from Volunt2Thai, with the kindest group of teachers, delicious lunch and meditation after the break and the other school was reachable by an enjoyable bicycle ride.
All schools were filled with joyful children, eager to talk to us, to ask questions about our appearance, repeat our names, to trick us with their funny games and always eager to start the classes with us.
“Teatttcher, Teatttcher, class 2. You class 2? Come, come!”. The full class would push us with hugs and smiles to inside their room. They would go back to their sits, sit down, see the signal of their real teacher and stand up loudly
“Good morning teatttcher” — the tuned up and sweet 7 year-old choir. pronounced
“Good morning class 2” — I said, mesmerized by such welcoming
We did games, questions, writing, repeating, spelling, going to the board, just like in any school in the world.
End of the class meant time to play outside, so the excitement was at the extreme. But, also for me was a unique moment. We could be late for lunch, to start the next class or to play outside. However, every single time they would come back to their sits, see the signal of their teacher and stand up loudly and happy
“Thank you teattttcher”.
This was our routine for three weeks.
Mine was slightly different, as I used to sit with Raimund after the daily tasks to discuss about the project. I wanted to do know everything about everything. I asked about the all story of Volunt2Thai, the life of the people of Ban Lao, the ideas and plans of Raimund. The challenges, the intentions, and the dreams.
What I learnt from this man.
From this project
From these kids
From these challenges
From the stories of the people, stories which are the real life.
Challenged my concepts about social projects, volunteering, serving and change.
I had to ask questions to get the answers I looked for. Bold and always insightful he answered all of them. As himself says “here, we do the things”. Raimund is a humble and a hands-on man, who seeks permanently on how to do things better.
Volunt2Thai is a rural development project that aims to increase the opportunities of education and employment to the children of the Isaan region.
Isaan is a region in the Northeast Thailand with a strong farming tradition, with less access to jobs and development.
Due to the lack of employment opportunities, the young people leave to urban areas to find jobs. Often families are separated, and young children are raised by their grandparents. Grandparents who still work on their farm as a means of financial security.
It takes less than a second to fall in love with Isaan people. They are strong-minded, resourceful, gentle, and hard workers. They also have the spiciest papaya salad ever!
Volunt2Thai is a place where kids get in touch with music, theater, painting, games, countries, languages, and cultures.
That is the seed Volunt2Thai wants to sow in the heart of the kids. The seed of hope, opportunities, and a world bigger than their eyes.
Volunt2Thai is a campus where people from all over the world can come to share their experiences, time, and hands. From veterans, families, retirees, students to professionals, anyone can help because help is always needed.
The Volunt2Thai project aims primarily to support the schools of the village with basic English language skills and maintain the campus so that children keep being motivated to come back to Volunt2Thai.
So important goals to the children of the world. We know all the importance of sharing the world to kids.
But for Raimund these are just the short-term goals.
Volunt2Thai has a vision for a profound community transformation. That is what they are pursuing every day, by “doing the things”.
June 2017,
Patricia Assis
