Trip to Nongkhai

After my first week in Khon Kaen, my host teacher and a second teacher from the school, took my for a trip to Nongkhai.

Nongkhai is at the border to Laos and it's a very beautiful and as well very quiet place.

First we had a look at an old temple beside the Maekong river. The temple is built upon three huge stones and the atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable.



After the sight seeing at the temple we went for lunch just beside the Maekong river and the view was great. The river is huge and flows quietly but certainly down the valley.

If you would like to make a trip to Laos and would like to have Thailand as a base, Nongkhai is a good place to stay.

Sanambin School in Khon Kaen

I stay in Khon Kaen for more than two weeks now and I'm teaching English for kids at Sanambin school. Sanambin translated is airport in Thai; the school is not near the Khon Kaen airport, but during World War II, there was an airport where the school is now. So they called the school "airport school" :) Maybe I didn't get the story right, but if you know the right story, just leave me a comment and I'll correct it.

The teaching is a lot of fun and it's nice to see the kids studying. The school is huge, there are about 3200 students and the classrooms are crowded. In the classrooms there are between 50 und 60 students. The teachers have to use microphones, so the students will hear them.

It took me a few days to get used to the microphone and now it's fine. If you have to teach 60 kids, you'll appreciate the microphone - once the microphone didn't work and the day after my voice was very croaky.

The students are very cute, when I walk in the schoolyard often the students come to me and wai me (wai is a traditional Thai greeting). Some even try to speak English and usually the conversation ends, when I ask them a question and they don't understand it. Sometimes they like to talk in Thai with me and they are shocked, when I answer in Thai too ;) usually it's funny for them, when a western teacher speaks Thai.

English Camp near Siseket

The first activity with Volunthai was an English Camp near Siseket. The English Camp took place in a small village.

It's a very poor village and the farmers in the village earn about 3US$ a day. If you consider, that they work about 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, this is not too much.

It was very nice to see, how the kids enjoyed the English Camp. I have posted a few pictures below :)



You can see all the pictures here :)

Enjoy!

Volunthai quarter in Korat

Right now I'm already in Khon Kaen and started to teach as a volunteer at the Sanambin school. I'm a bit behind with all my pictures I made and what I would like to write, so please have a look at my personal website for the first pictures...

I promise I'll write more about my current activities during the next few days :)

Check out the first pictures of the Volunthai quarter in Korat...