The orphanage was also grateful to have the international volunteers bring lots of donations from abroad, including balloons, stationary, soccer balls, story books, candies and toys. We loved getting to help distribute these donations to the kids.

I do not have enough words to describe the depth of the experience. I only know that the people I’ve met have influenced my life and I strongly recommend volunteering in this village. They need lots of help in establishing educational center and the overall experience for the volunteers is one of a kind and very rewarding… I recommend it to all those interested.

We planted vegetation to help stop erosion, prepared plantings in our homestay, went on a six hour trek, visited a number of historical and Buddhist sites and experienced the culture with the Akha people almost continually throughout the week. The Akha are the most tolerant and accepting of others of any group I have ever met. As far as an immersion learning experience goes, it would be hard to match.

I spent two weeks volunteering in Thailand at the Gibbon Sanctuary. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. We woke up early to start preparing breakfast for the gibbons and macaques; their diet consisted of fruits and vegetables.

What I enjoyed the most was seeing the excitement and pleasure the gibbons felt whenever the owner came to say hello to them. After two weeks of volunteering in Thailand, I know that I made a difference and that feeling of being a part of the gibbons\' happiness is something I couldn\'t be without.

For me, the strongest experience was teaching in the school. Thai children are quiet and have a pleasant discourse, and are especially eager to learn. Each new person is an opportunity for them to learn something new about the world, every unfamiliar face is a teacher. It felt liberating and exciting to pass on every small bit of knowledge to the children..

Working in Thailand was one of the best experiences of my life. The children were so incredibly sweet and eager to learn. The younger children barely knew any English so we had to find ways to communicate with them through pictures and hand motions. After this experience, I really think anyone can learn to be a teacher!

And of course, my favorite project, teaching English. You don’t need any experience at all because it is very basic stuff – such as going through the alphabet, counting, pointing at objects and saying the words in English. They mostly just appreciate you being there. Spending time with them was amazing and something which I will never forget and always cherish!

I taught English and it was the best feeling ever being able to offer my services to the Thai people. My students were very sweet and I have made friends with a couple of them.

The weeks I spent with Gnarly Troop volunteering in Thailand were the most impactful for me. The reason is simple: NEED and IMPACT. Nowhere else in Asia and the Middle East did I feel that the place I was volunteering needed my help as much as this project in Thailand... As volunteers, our voices were heard by orphanage management. If we saw a need and could suggest a solution, it was implemented quickly. The impact we had on the children was real and measurable.

At the orphanage we could do many things: construction, painting, building, playing with the children in the afternoon, and teaching English to Thai people. I taught English and it was the best feeling ever. It was extremely rewarding and my students were very thankful. They were incredibly sweet and very eager to learn. I felt a really strong connection to them and looked forward each day to seeing them again. It may sound as a cliché but I gained so much more than I gave. Volunteering at the orphanage gave me insight into the culture in a way I could have never gotten as a tourist. It really is waging peace through justice worldwide.

During my time there, I was able to spend the night at one of the student’s villages and see how they live. To get to the student’s village it took about 45 minutes walking. The kids wash their clothes, body, and teeth all in the same river. At night they use a candle for light since they don’t have electricity. Meals consisted of rice, bamboo, and fish. The school is very limited on teachers, so when the students get the chance to learn they appreciate every second of it. Saying goodbye was so hard to say the least.

During my stay, I volunteered at an orphanage to work on light construction projects. Our main objective was to help maintain and fix the orphanage infrastructure and environment so that the children could benefit from a better learning atmosphere and have better living accommodations. I exchanged warm hugs and laughter with the charming little souls at the orphanage; they left me a lifetime full of cherished memories.

I was speaking to a kid with the name ‘ฝัน’ which literally translates to ‘Dream’. He is seventeen years old, has one brother, two loving parents, and two dogs, just like me. One of the English teachers helped me ask him the question, “what do you want to do with your life,” his response, ” I want to be happy, I want to help make a change in the world.” He has a dream, he has the light, he is human, he realizes that the world is a big place with not just him living in it.

We started off touring around the school, where we were greeted by smiling children who couldn’t stop waving at us. Then it was off to the classroom where we put together our own lesson plans (none were given to us). We taught about 2-4 classes a day, depending on the day. Throughout the 10 days of teaching, we played games with the students, taught them songs, such as Twinkle Twinkle or Hokie Pokie, and had conversations about our lives here and in America.

At the temples, I was impressed with the customs and rituals designed for the believer to try. According to one legend, at Buddha’s Footprint, if you ring all 93 bells while counting them, you will live to be 93 years old. After googling my birth day (Tuesday) I was able to determine which image of Buddha best reflects my soul. In Lopburi, at the Monkey Temple, I watched the antics of these amazing creatures swinging, swimming, and begging for food while they climbed on us.

For grades 1 to 3, I was able to teach them colours, shapes, numbers, animals, fruits and often played a couple games of hangman with them. From grades 4 to 6 I taught them sentences about occupations and their dream jobs. I also taught them body parts, emotions and family members. I tried to make our classes as enjoyable as possible for the kids; I tried to put a fun spin of each of the things we were learning.

Throughout the program Gnarly Troop and the local Thai team ensured their volunteers fun by implementing social gatherings throughout the week. I enjoyed this because it kept everyone occupied when we weren’t volunteering and it was a great way to meet new people. This volunteering experience is like no other because you gain a first-hand perspective on Thai culture that you wouldn’t be able to absorb through a text book. Overall, this experience has been unforgettable and I am very grateful.

We spent the rest of the time laying tiles in the (open air) laundry and common area of the school. Although it was hard physical work mixing cement by hand in very hot conditions, it was very satisfying to see the progress we made and just what I was looking for. I was particularly pleased that the kids wouldn’t have to come back and see the damage the flood had done, as I imagined how my kids would feel to see their (meager) possessions broken and muddy.

As conservation volunteers, the team I worked on saw early mornings and plenty of data entry in the afternoons. We worked at two separate sea turtle conservation efforts weekly and also taught classes that combined conservation concepts and English vocabulary to the local primary school classes every week. Two of the most fulfilling, enriching things I’ve ever done in my life...

Now, back home, the best memories that I keep in my head are my new friends, unique places, and kind people from Thailand. But the highlight memory is definitely the legacy that I gave to the kids, and even bigger was the legacy that they gave to me.

Over the course of the week I came to see the volunteer house as a home away from home and made tons of new friends, in addition to having a great introduction to Thai culture and tourist attractions.

Memories like this...I believe they exist very rarely in peoples lives. Those moments where your mind captures another smile, where you feel caught up, happy, content with the world and everything around you. Everything exists but for a brief moment, but that moment is crystal, like diamond; beautiful, solid, but transparent. I feel I\'ve captured so many of these moments that my entire week has been composed of them. My heart goes to Thailand, and I believe I will follow my heart on its quest for what it desires.

It did hurt a little when my trip had to end but I take comfort in the fact that I would always be able to go back and volunteer again!

Our organized activities were a great way to relax and have fun with everyone in the program but my favorite memories were at the school, playing with the kids at the end of each day, or handing out ice cream after lunch...I cannot wait to not only return for more volunteering in Thailand, but to explore other opportunities provided by Gnarly Troop.

I know the friends I made will be in my life for a long time! Even though I was only in Thailand for a short period of time, I know I helped make a difference in the lives of the children I met.