Another New Dorm in Nong Khai
We must leave our White dorms or New dorms as we have also called them because the owner is coming back from Paris to live in Nongkhai. So we have recently moved into the "Pink dorms". Behind the house opposite of the green dorm, just built fresh and clean we hope this time we will have found the closest possible place to our mail green dorms.
Around the world party
World Party 2005 Photo Gallery
To celebrate our two-year anniversary we made a repeat performance of our Around the World party. Canada and the US together as a sports team made Hamburgers, UK with Big Ben served five o'clock tea, Sweden with a Moose sign and Midsummer pole and frog hopping dance, Holland made a competition of games and Thailand/Vietnam served lots of food and performed a lovely Thai dance. We were joined by teachers from our schools and Thai students all fasinated by this display of farang national caracters.
Teaching computers at Wat Si Saket in Nongkhai
Travel to Teach will start teaching computers at the wat Si Saket in Nongkhai. The Wat is a "Monk University" and we already teach English conversation there. Being a monk is often a way for the very poor Thai young men to get an education and the "University" teaches aspects of Buddhism but also general subjects. Placed in the middle of Nongkhai the Wat Si Saket is open to all the monks in Nongkhai and one of the reasons for the huge amounts of baldheaded men in orange robes in this town.
We have developed comprehensive curriculums for teaching several aspects of IT. The computer program will include Internet and e-mail, Office programs. We will start this program with an introduction to web design.
Our first students will be the monks that study and teach at the wat but we will eventually broaden our classes to include people from outside.
Some statistics
It's been two years since Travel to Teach got our first volunteer here in Nongkhai.
Patric from Oregon came on the first of march 2003 and stayed with us for a month. We have since received about 200 volunteers.
Our yearly statistics show that Holland leads our nations league. Around 30% of our volunteers are Dutch. US and UK follows with around 20 % each and Germany is the fourth nation. Kerstin is extremely happy to tell that upstart Sweden is coming strongly and will soon pass Germany if present trends continue.
Almost 70% of our volunteers are women, median age is 24, 55% are still students or just finished studying, most volunteers stay for two months but three month stayers are soon taking the lead. 80% come alone and 20% joins together with a friend.
Baisee for Vicky and Floris
Our two first "Six month stayers" came in September and are now leaving us.
It's been fun to have them around and it's very nice for the programs with long stay volunteers to help trading the atmosphere and all sorts of information to newcomers.
We made the traditional baisee ceremony for them and some others that are also leaving now. This may be the last baisee ceremony that is presided over by our Monk Paul. He will probably leave monk hood now and start working as a teacher. With the contacts he has he sill still be able to help us coordinate the different wats where we work
More Volunteer Stories
Our volunteer stories seem to come in clutches of four or so. (Maybe that is because we suddenly remember to ask for them).
Now we have stories from volunteers that have been with us from September (Vicky), December (Tess) and from January all till the end of February.
We do think that if you've been here it's nice to read about the new people that joins us, if you are going to come it's exciting to check on the experiences of others and if you have not yet decided to come or with what agency to go, these stories will help you to understand Travel to Teach.
Vist our volunterring page to read the current bunch of stories
