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Prices for-
Thailand
Voluntary
& Community Programs
Think about traveling beyond your normal frontiers
Think about travel in the old days when it was
great adventure and all about meeting new people in distant lands.
Think about caring and being passionate about
people, places, nature and the environment.
Name of Program:
A
Meaningful Thailand Experience
Primary category:
Teaching, Children’s Project
Secondary category:
Community-based tour, cultural exchange
Itinerary:
Share your experiences, thoughts and love with
the children in the village, a home for the poor and hill-tribe children. You
will also have chance to learn the Thai culture, its way of living and be part
of your Thai community. .
Day 1: Bangkok – arrival transfer
Upon arrival our well experienced guide will
provide you with some useful tips for exploring the city and give you ideas of
what you could do on your tour.
Today you will also have a group meeting for
the project orientation. We will give you information about Thailand in general,
cultural differences, the school, and village and discuss how your skills can be
fit to the community. You should prepare a copy of your passport, insurance and
emergency contact numbers to give to us during the orientation.
Those who arrive later should check with the
reception for our message regarding next day appointment. Information for them
will be given next day too.
Day 2: Bangkok – an orientation tour –
learn Thai
Today is a tour on foot! The aim is to ensure
that you see as much as possible of the everyday life of Bangkok and its people,
and what better way to do that than to combine your walk with as many different
modes of public transport as possible. Stops on the tour will normally include
some interesting temples, a flower market and Little India or Chinatown.
Then spend time to learn Thai in an informal
atmosphere. You will have lessons that start with simple words and conversation,
just enough to get by, and then more specific words that you will need according
to the project you are joining. Then go out to try it in real-life situations,
such as a local market, taking your own transport and trying to bargain for
things by yourself.
Day 3:
Bangkok – transfer for a
village experience - orientation
(B/-/D)
Morning departure to the project. We will also
take you to visit the town, check out about the bus station, how to get around,
shopping places, market, internet, post office, bank, etc. You will then reach
at the village which is the project site. The first day is an orientation day to
get to know the village, your hosts and the local people. You will learn where
to buy things, how to get around the area, how and where to spend your free
time, etc.
You will be allocated to your host families,
1-2 persons per each family. Most houses have Asian toilet! Each bathroom has a
shower and the water is always nice and refreshing in the heat. All houses have
a communal area where you can eat, relax and meet your Thai family members.
Most of the houses have screened for doors and
windows (to protect you from mosquitoes). There are fans in the room and most
rooms have a lockable wardrobe and drawer.
All meals are included. Breakfast and dinner
will be served by your host. Feel free to join the host for your cooking
experience. Lunch is either provided at the school or at your home.
Project Location:
Angthong is located 100 kms North of Bangkok.
It is a small remote town and there are banks, post office, shops, internet
shop, etc. And there is Ayudhaya, a bigger town that offer more varieties, which
is only 30 km away.
Angthong rests on the west bank of
the Chao Phraya River (North of Bangkok).
It is a small
province that had served as an essential frontier outpost of Ayutthaya when
fighting with the Burmese in the former times. The province is
divided into seven districts and
rich of agricultural products, interesting temples and beautiful villages.
The area you will be staying in is rural and
has not been affected by tourism. The village is situated about 1 km from the
town of Angthong and it’s where you will be staying in most of the days in the
program.
Day 4-14: Your village experience
(B/L/D)
You will have 10 days of teaching and joining
the village activities. During the weekend you can choose to share more
activities with the children (such as joining their Thai music practice,
cleaning the temple, help to grow vegetable need for the children’s consumption)
or go out with the teacher or villagers to visit Ayudhaya Historical town and
elephant village, gain experience in meditation practice, learn some Thai
cooking with the villager, etc.
Programme highlights include:
§
Help community by
teaching English to the children.
§
Learn about Thailand,
its people, culture, attitudes and customs
§
Thai lessons
§
Join the villagers
activities such as learn how to do Thai cooking, Thai dancing, giving food to
the monk (“Takbart”), play soccer with the kids, etc.
§
You will be shown
local village, monuments, and a temple
§
Visit to Elephant
Pavilion
§
The monks will help
you understand their religion of Buddhism, teach you how to meditate, and
introduce you to their way of life.
§
You will have time to
explore the surrounding area
Day 14 Return to Bangkok (B/-L/-)
After the last morning class then time to say
farewell to the kind host, teachers and your ‘friends’ at schools. You will
receive a certificate with a farewell function to show our gratitude towards
your kind heart. Then transfer back to Bangkok.
Day 15 Bangkok – Ko Samed (B-/-/)
Travel to Koh Samet Island for
Beach time and relaxation.
Day 16-19 Bangkok – Ko Samed (B-/-/)
There are various options for you
to choose to match your budget such as a boat trip around island, banana-boat
ride, island exploration, etc.
Day 20 Ko Samed - Bangkok (B-/-/)
Return to arrive Bangkok in the late
afternoon.
Day 21Bangkok – Departure transfer (B-/-/)
Days at leisure until time for departure
transfer for your flight home. Perhaps you can spend your last day to finish
your shopping list in Bangkok shopping paradise.
Departure:
Year round every
Saturday.
Please be aware of the following school
holidays.
§
Mid-end of March
until mid-May
§
12 – 17 April – New
Year
§
End of
September/Beginning of October – End of October/beginning of November
If you are on the programme during this time
or during any examination periods you will be teaching English to the local
village children rather than in a school/classroom environment. Your day-to-day
program will be adjusted to match with children’s schedule.
Services included in the price:
§
Joint transfers by air-conditioned transport.
§
Bangkok accommodation on shared-twin basis with
breakfast. All rooms are air-conditioned with private facilities.
§
Accommodation at the homestay is in guest rooms of
the villagers’ houses. Each room has 1 or 2 beds or mattress. Each house can
accommodate 1-2 persons. The shower and some with Asian style toilet, is shared,
not en suite.
§
Meals as specified in the program.
§
Orientation
§
Excursion with English-speaking guide
§
Language training
§
The services of local English-speaking assistants
during the transfer to the volunteer sites.
Services included during the extension
week:
§
6 nights accommodation in dormitory style at the
school, meals on fullboard basis
§
You will continue your service as assist at the
school.
Services not included in the price
§
Drinks and meals not mentioned
in the itinerary, personal expenses.
§
Traveling arrangements during
your free time, weekends and holidays
§
Meals, entrance fee that not
included in the program.
§
Flights
§
Email, telephone calls, personal
expenses, etc.
Tips - What to prepare for being a
volunteer:
To be a volunteer it is not necessary only
to do language teaching - but this is the easiest activity and the most useful
one. The volunteers do not need to be officially trained in teaching English as
a foreign language, but you must have genuine love of children, particularly the
poor and the disadvantaged, and an interest in the different cultures. What
volunteers need to do is encourage the local children they met to communicate in
English where possible, and enhance their listening and speaking skills through
practical lessons and fun-learning activities such as games, songs and art
activities (painting, drawing, crafting etc.) It is also a good idea to
prepare some simple presentation about your country. Take
some books, CDs, dolls, flash cards, teaching materials maps, photos, postcards,
stickers, etc. from your country and leave them as gifts at each place.
Sometimes the villagers or the host might arrange some get-together function and
this will be a good chance for the volunteers to give some simple performance
that represents their country in exchange for a performance by the villagers.
Prepare small gifts (from your country) to give to the
children in the village, to the host of each homestay and the community. It
would be a lovely gesture, much appreciated and a precious memory.
Prices for-
Thailand
Voluntary
& Community Programs
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