South East Asian Semester - Thailand & Cambodia

This is an incredible program, and it was truly an experience that I will never forget. The staff goes out of there way to make sure that everything goes as well as possible, and will bend over backwards to help you out in any way that you need. This starts with the country director, David, who is incredibly approachable. He went out of his way to stop by at least two or three times a week to see how everything was going, and to see how he could help. He also took time out of his busy days to help plan a trip for some of the volunteers, and checked in with us during the trip to make sure it was going well. The head English teacher, Marcia, was another example of the incredible commitment of the staff at this program. She bent over backwards to help people feel comfortable teaching, and was always available and happy to answer any questions. They also had staff, led by the friendliest guy in the world, Will, dedicated to making sure everything was going well for the volunteers. This included everything from making sure that the volunteers felt safe, to cultural trips, to fun events on the weekend. This type of incredible commitment can be found through the entire staff, from interns all the way up to the phenomenal David. I cannot imagine a better experience, and the staff does everything possible to make it a great experience. I would recommend this trip to anybody and everybody - the staff will do everything they can to make sure that this will be one of the highlights of your entire life!

So Gap Guru have asked me to give you guys a story or two whilst leaving a quick review...No words can express the fantastic experience I had in Thailand but I'll give it a go:

My journey began when I was teaching at a nursery school in chiang mai. Having never taught ever before, I was a bit apprehensive, to say the least, to be teaching in a class of 20-30 kindergarteners!!...however, when I saw the looks of curiosity and wonderment, not to mention their cheeky little smiles, I knew I would enjoy my experience ...and by heck I did!!

My favourite story to share would be in the nursery at the buddhist monastery in Doi Saket. I got 7-8 children to sit down with musical instruments...and we got a (sort of) band going!!! It was soo cool and some of them were really quite good!...i seriously think we've got some future musicians in there!

On the weekend I went zip lining, as incredible experience it was (especially for adrenalin junkies!!) I happened to ram my left hand into one of the railings and it obviously swelled up :\...I knew it wasn't injured too badly but the volunteer interns said rather be safe then sorry and took me to the hospital the next day to get it all checked out. They sorted everything out and sat with me, eyeing up all the doctors, playing stupid music etc...they made me feel at ease, in a different country when I was a tad vulnerable!...they were kinda like my friends at home :)...home from home!

I ended up my trip at koh phangyan...for the full moon party - insanely, insanely awesome!!...and a fantastic end to my two weeks...I would definitely recommend volunteering with Gap Guru to anyone!!

Khop kum kha gap guru!

:)

I spent my first two weeks with Gap Guru teaching English at Mae La school in a hill tribe village. It was a fantastic opportunity to experience traditional Thai culture and I felt very welcome in the village.
The teachers cooked our meals three times a day and the teachers and volunteers then all ate together which I really enjoyed and it also created a nice sense of community.
Teaching in Mae La village was also a very beautiful place to be as the location is very remote it is surrounded by amazing mountainous views and rice fields.
I spent my second two weeks teaching at Pangnew school in Doi Saket (about 1 hour from Chiang Mai). I really enjoyed teaching at Pangnew school as I taught Grade 5 and 6 every day for one hour each and I was able to plan and deliver lessons around particular topics and could see the development in the students English skills grow. It was really beneficial to have regular teaching contact with these students as I was able to get to know both of the classes really well. I also felt very welcomed by all of the teachers at Pangnew school and ate lunch with all of the teachers too which was an interesting experience.
I really enjoyed living at the volunteer house in Doi Saket for the second two weeks as it was fun to spend my free time with the other volunteers and interns. The interns were really good at organising activities to do after school and at the weekend such as a going to the weekend markets in Chiang Mai, to temple visits and going to some hot springs.
I really enjoyed my 4 weeks with Gap Guru and the Future Sense Foundation team. I would highly recommend the volunteer programmes to anyone who is thinking about a career in teaching or to anyone who would like to gain some new skills and get involved in a different community and culture.

In June 2015 me and my sister were extremely fortunate to create short films and teach film and media within an organisation called GapGuru.

It all started with a Pre-departure Skype call from David the Country Manager.

When we arrived into Thailand from England, we could not have felt more welcomed by the team. Amy Ferguson the media intern greeted us with open arms and welcomed us into the country. Shortly after, we were then greeted by David, Nid, Marcia, Ewa, Will and Pi Gaye.
After meeting the team we immediately felt like Thailand was our new home.

Amy and Lungat took us to the volunteer house in Doi Saket, where we would stay for the first two weeks. The volunteer house was beautiful! in a lovely location near local shops and bars and not too far away from Wat Doi Saket a Buddhist temple.
Not too long after arriving 6 volunteers from Middlesex University came to the volunteer house, we all made introductions and then sat down for dinner later that evening. They were all so friendly and lovely and we all had an amazing experience living together and sharing stories of what each day had brought us!
When all the other volunteers came it really did feel like home. We were very lucky to have met them all on our travels.

We were extremely impressed with the organisation of our programme and our schedule for our time staying in Thailand. We had our in country orientation with David who explained our schedules and what we would be doing. As individuals, we love a challenge and getting the very best out of our trip. So it was fantastic that our schedule had a variety of activities to do so we could make the most out of this experience. Our schedule was also very flexible, which gave us the ability to make an input on the things we wanted to do as well. We stayed in Thailand for 30 days, this period of time was split into 2 weeks in Doi Saket (teaching media and filming Wat Noug Bua) and 2 weeks in the Karen Hilltribe of Mae La (teaching film and media).

As aspiring filmmakers we were given a huge opportunity to create a promotional video for novice monks, at Wat Nong Bua in Doi Saket. The promotional video was to highlight daily practices within the temple and explore the background, culture, norms and values of the teachers and monks within the temple. We created this video to educate and inform a wider audience about the culture, and to bring more people to support the temple both in Thailand and in other regions. As filmmakers, interviewing some of the teachers and students plus gaining a first hand insight into Buddhism was incredible and fascinating for both of us.
The staff and students at the temple were so kind, lovely and good to both of us! and were a so helpful in giving us a further insight into Buddhism.

Visiting Wat Noug Bua to shoot was apart of our morning routine for 2 weeks, but in the afternoon we were able to assist on teaching Film and Media with a Professional Filmmaker called Kwame Phillips. Kwame is a part of an organization called Filmmakers Without Boarders and he is in Thailand teaching Media to kids aged between 11 to 14 in years 5 & 6. When we were told about Filmmakers Without Boarders from David, we were super excited to find out more of what they do and to help with lessons in class. For Kwame's class we were able to help film 2 trailers and having the kids reenact what was being shown and said in them. We were truly amazed by how Kwame was able to communicate with the class, as the majority of them speak some English. The vocabulary was written in English then one of the class would be asked to translate it to Thai so everyone could copy and understand both the English terminology and the Thai terminology. Looking at he taught his lesson helped us understand how we should teach ours later on in the trip. We began to realize that the importance of action is far greater than words; if we were going to express what we had to teach to the kids, we would need to use basic English and explain more through our actions. Being apart of that class was amazing because the more and more we helped, the more the language barrier began to feel less apparent and it became normal to us. After watching the kids create storyboards and choose their trailers and help Kwame shoot their work, it was great too see it all come together. The kids were excited the whole time and were even more thrilled to see the final footage. We had so much fun helping out in Kwame’s lessons and being apart of the school in Pagnew.

Another 2 weeks into our stay in Thailand and we had said our goodbyes to the group of volunteers from Middlesex University and were due to head out to the Karen Hill tribe of Mae La. In Mae La we would be teaching film and media to mainly grades 5 & 6, however we taught little bit of English to the whole school when some teachers weren’t available. We took a 4 hour bus up towards Mae La where we found one of the Hilltribe interns Dean Gray. Dean is a super chill Australian guy who arranged our timetables for us and showed us the normalities of the village, he also helped us start lesson planning for our classes in the coming days. Within the first 2 days of us arriving, one of the teachers Krue Garn and one of our students Mono decided to go to Mae Hong Son to visit their family there. This is a special occasion for them. So for me, Emma and Dean to be invited into their home was a real privilege. When we arrived Mono’s Grandma, who spoke mostly in Karen, quickly greeted us. She was a delight to get to know and was over-joyed by our presence in her family home. All of us spent the weekend together fishing, teaching each other our native language, going to a Karen church and spending time together at their family home was an incredible experience for all of us.
The most rewarding part of the overall experience had to be teaching the children of Mae La Media and Film.
For these kids, this subject was extremely un familiar at first. Many of these kids had never seen themselves on film or held a camera before. So to teach these kids was a blessing!. Watching them lesson-by-lesson, create their own storyboards filled with English and media theory to shooting their own commercials was a life changing and unforgettable experience.
On our final day at Mae La we were able to show the kids their own commercials and watch their smiling faces. To see them watching themselves back and be filled with joy and the realization that they had created a commercial themselves, which was now unfolding in front of their eyes.
This is a sight I will never forget.
We said our goodbyes to all the teachers and children In assembly where Jed had thanked us for our work and the kids one by one shook our hands, however the shaking hands quickly turned into hugs!.

During our time in Thailand we did have lots of time to explore the culture including small side trips on the weekends to different areas. Me and my sister were very lucky in going to Pai on the weekend with a few volunteers. With help from David, he had organized us to stay in an amazing guesthouse and helped us plan our bus journey into Pai. He also had loads of knowledge of the area as well, in which was awesome when we came to planning what we could do in Pai. So with David’s amazing help we set off on a small weekend away in Pai. In Pai we did all sorts of activities and explored waterfalls, temples and the world famous White Buddha!.
Pai was full of nightlife and had many street markets, restaurants and bars to go to!

I would like to say to anyone who is thinking about volunteering to go for it!!. Whether it be Teaching English, Art or P.E, to being a Media and Film Volunteer, or helping out with construction projects in partner temples and schools. You will have the experience of a lifetime!
All whilst making a difference to the local community!
It is honestly the most rewarding experience you will cherish and carry with you!

On a personal note I want to Thank everyone for giving us this amazing, unforgettable experience. I would also love to thank the Students and teachers of Wat Nong Bua, Pangnew and Mae La! for welcoming us with open arms.

I went out to Chiang Mai back in August '14, accompanied with my other half (her review should be on here too!). The chance to volunteer: teaching the young Buddhist monks, helping at the elephant sanctuary, and learning about local hill tribes was a genuine once in a lifetime opportunity.

The day to day experiences involved: lesson planning for days with the young Buddhist monks, exploring Chiang Mai and experiencing all the bizarre and random things that Thailand has to other (e.g. we ended up one night joining a local party catered for by a cement company giving something to the locals - and us!).

On our 2nd week we spent 7 days at the elephant sanctuary, helping with feeding/bathing the elephants, and walking the dogs (there are 400 rescue dogs at the sanctuary - and they need love too!). The elephant sanctuary was definitely a highlight of our entire trip, which includes 3 months of independent travel across Asia. The other volunteers you'll meet are lovely, like minded and caring people from all across North America/Europe/Australlia. As well as that it's a lovely opportunity to learn more about elephants and the cruelty many suffer. This experience definitely opens your eyes to mankind's selfish ways, and all just for own entertainment.

The final week we spent up in the hill tribes, which again was an interesting experience. It was a great chance for us to hang out with Will and Dave from GapGuru and again learn more about Thai culture.

Along our travels I've occasionally hear negative reviews for Bangkok but I've never heard a bad word uttered about Chiang Mai. This is a must.

I loved my stay in Thailand with Gap Guru who has a truly wicked team that made me feel happy and part of something worthy. I stayed in a hill tribe teaching English. It was very different to anything I've done before for sure but that is what makes this program so great. You get out your comfort zone and learn from it. I stayed 2 months and i was sad to leave. Again, GREAT TEAM!

Hello! My name is Heather and I am a Year 1 teacher at a primary school in Warwick, England. I am going to give you an honest review about my experiences teaching English with a charity called Future Sense in Chiang Mai Thailand.

Aside from teaching, travelling is my main passion. I love exploring new places, cultures and meeting new people. I have travelled all around Europe, across North America and hiked to Everest Base Camp but Chiang Mai, Thailand, still remains my all-time favourite destination! If you wish to know why read on!

I first came to learn about the program when I typed into Google ‘travel and teach’. A company called Gap Guru offered a variety of teaching projects across the world. At the time I had never travelled east before so figured it was time to do so. The program offered a 3 week placement at an underprivileged school with a charity called Future Sense, a perfect opportunity to use my skills over the long summer break. Even better accommodation and food were included so I wouldn’t have to worry about sorting all of that out! Approximately a month before my trip I went to a pre departure meeting to learn about what I would be doing in Chiang Mai. To be completely honest, the organisation and lack of information and enthusiasm during this part of my journey made me apprehensive about joining the project. This is a real shame as the people who run the actual project in Chiang Mai are extremely well organised, incredibly enthusiastic and explain everything clearly. If you have similar experiences do not let this put you off going to Chiang Mai to join this project!

Before I went to Chiang Mai I spent a few days in Bangkok. Whilst there I received an email from the project leader called David. He explained he would be picking me up from Chiang Mai Airport and that the school were excited to meet me etc. This immediately put me at ease and I was safe in the knowledge that I was going to be looked after. Sure enough once I landed in Chiang Mai David was there with a car to take me to the volunteer house. At this point I was given an option. I could stay in the volunteer house or I could stay at the school I would be volunteering at. This would be a great opportunity for those who want to fully immerse themselves in the Thai culture. I decided to stay at the volunteer house as I wanted to make friends with other volunteers and live with English speaking people as it was my first time to Thailand.

Once I got to the volunteer house I was pleasantly surprised. The house is in the middle of beautiful rice fields in the Doi Saket area of Chiang Mai. It is a 5 minute cycle (they have bikes for volunteers to use) to an outdoor swimming pool, 10 minute walk to songthaew (taxi to city centre) and 7 Eleven. It is also opposite a temple where I taught English to monks twice a week ….oh and a 10 minute cycle to the best pizza place EVER Pizza Plus!

Once I had put my bags at the volunteer house I then went for a drink with David and Will (Programme Development Manager). Will lived in the volunteer house so there was always someone around if you needed advice, had questions or well needed anything! They explained what would happen in the coming weeks. From Monday to Friday 9 o’clock till – 3 o’clock I would be at an AMAZING school called Banpangew teaching children between ages 4 and 14. Then on a Thursday evening and Sunday afternoon I would teach English to the monks who lived in the temple opposite for an hour. The rest of the time was my own to explore!

At the volunteer house I met another girl called Malika from Dubai who was doing a similar project. Future Sense tries to pair you up with other volunteers so you share the experience with another likeminded traveller. Transport was all organised for us. The Songtaew would pick us up from the volunteer house every day at 8:30 and then be waiting for us at 3:15pm ready to take us back to the volunteer house.
Teaching English at the schools in Thailand is completely different from teaching in the UK. I wondered what equipment or resources I should bring with me as I had no idea what the school would be like or what resources they would have. In the end I decided that I should just take my ipad and I am very glad I did! The school themselves are basic. They have an old white board, whiteboard pens and that is about it as far as resources go. The school I was at did have an old computer and wifi that worked intermittently. What they lack in equipment they make up for in enthusiasm and willingness to learn! The children value their education a lot more than the children in UK schools. For example one boy who was aged 14 was in grade 6 (equivalent to Year 6 UK) had travelled by foot from Burma to Chiang Mai to obtain a better life so they really do appreciate everything you do for them.

When I first arrived at the school I was met by the head teacher. His name was Wittia. Wittia is a hilarious character. Thai people are known for their hospitality and kindness but he went above and beyond. Whilst in Chaing Mai to show his appreciation for our work he took us to lunch and had at least 5 bottles of Chang! (beer with random strength percentages). Life is more relaxed and care free in Thailand. Can’t imagine my head teacher trying to get us drunk at lunch time! He also took us out for dinner with his oldest friends and family which was a wonderful privilege. Other staff at Banpangew School were equally welcoming. The Thai teachers would want to know all about us and ask us lots of questions about ourselves. This is where my English to Thai app came in good use. We also learnt lots of Thai words which came in handy when sightseeing. You would get fed well at Banpangew…one teacher even got up at 6 o’clock in the morning to go to market and buy us a fruit we hadn’t tried before! Marcia (Future Sense Teaching coordinator) would also be at hand to help us out with lesson plan ideas. She would come and visit us in school to check how we were getting on and answer any questions we may have had.

When I first went to Wat Paka, the temple opposite the volunteer house to teach the monks English, I felt apprehensive. I did not do any research into the Buddhist way of thinking or have a clue on what the monks would be like. The monks I taught were actually novice monks (under the age of 20). They live by 10 precepts rather than a fully-fledged monk who has 227. A lot of boys become Novice monks for many reasons such as they have been abandoned by their relations or it is their only way of getting an education. After 10 minutes with them I realised they are just normal teenage boys. They have their iphones, electronics etc and they are crazy about football! Teaching the monks was really fun and they loved being competitive with one another when playing games such as Hangman or Pictionary. The only thing I had to keep reminding myself of was the no contact rule for women. Monks are not allowed to be passed anything by a female so I kept having to remember to put equipment on the table instead of passing it directly to them.

During free time Future Sense organised for us to do LOTS of fun things! If there was something you wanted to do in Chaing Mai then they would do their upmost to organise it for u! When I was there we all went to muay thai boxing, had fancy dress parties, went to a snake show, had the option to bungee jump , visit the Sunday market, temple tours, learn to cook Thai food, visit the tigers and go to an elephant sanctuary! The elephant sanctuary is a must, one of the many highlights of this trip! With regards to the elephant sanctuary Future Sense were able to point us in the direction of the best one. Lots of people come to Thailand and want that ultimate selfie of themselves riding an elephant. What they do not realise is that although elephants are sacred in Thailand the way they are treated is outrageous. The sanctuary Future Sense sent us to was actually a sanctuary for the elephants, the elephants were not exploited to make money they were looked after. We got to feed them bath them and learn about their past.
When not doing activities like that you can go up the road for a Thai massage, eat out at many Thai restaurants or one of my favourite things was chill out at Papa Gardens Sport Villa (swimming pool and gym) with an ice cream.

How have I not mentioned food at the volunteer house yet?! Future Sense has their very own chef called PK at the volunteer house! She makes your breakfast and dinner everyday and whilst I was there even cooked stuff for us on her days off! Her food is great and you will never go hungry. She also washes your clothes for a small price which is very helpful.

Speaking of clothes this is more for the females that are reading this...sorry lads. Most of the stuff I packed I didn’t wear! I ended up buying typical Thai touristy shorts and trousers. For teaching both the monks and at the school I wore a long skirt and t shirt every day. Whatever you pick has to cover most your legs and all of your breasts! Once you’ve finished teaching though I mostly wore shorts and a vest top. I do wish however I packed a pair of heels for nights out and my straighteners! Ignore what it says on the suggested packing list. Take your straighteners as I immediately regretted not taking mine. No need for hair dryer though as you hair can naturally dry within half an hour!

If I could give one piece of advice to anyone thinking of joining this project I would say take a leaf out of Wills book and chat to any Thai person you come across! For every effort you put into the project and with Thai people you get a million times more back! Chiang Mai is my favourite destination because of the people that live there and the chilled out Buddhist vibe. If you’re thinking of booking and working with Future Sense stop thinking and DO IT!

Heather

3 week Thailand experience August-September (before going to Cambodia with gapguru for 2 weeks, then solo travels across Asia):

From the moment we arrived me and my boyfriend felt very welcome and very supported from the staff living in Thailand. We were collected from the airport and quickly settled into life in the volunteer house in Doi Saket (a lovely town around 45 minutes outside Chiang Mai in northern Thailand - if you are using songthaews, the local busses or tuk tuks).

Our first week consisted of exploration around the local area (including the swimming pool, umbrella factory, ceramics factory, and markets) and teaching English to novice Buddhist monks in two local wats (temples). This included daily lessons to between 1-11(ish) children of varying ages/abilities (mostly different classes every day) and then evening classes (with the same group of novice monks each night). Our transportation to and from the lessons was pre-arranged for us and we found the experience thoroughly enriching and enjoyable (especially as we were both quite nervous about teaching and as I had never done this before!). The novice monks were always very enthusiastic and excited to learn. There was obviously some lesson planning to be done on our behalf but the staff working out in Thailand gave us some ideas and also explained what had previously been covered by volunteers (so as not to repeat too much).

Our second week was spent at the elephant sanctuary in the hills around Chiang Mai. We lived, ate and worked for 7 days here (and as there was a dog shelter here too we spent a lot of time there as well as with the elephants which is something I really would encourage others to do too as they need as many volunteers as they can get - 400 dogs there need a lot of love!) The work included clearing out elephant shelters, planting bamboo trees, preparing food and washing the elephants (amongst other things). I learnt so much about elephants and their treatment in the tourist industry which was eye opening and I have not been able to stop talking about my experience here since. The food was fantastic, the staff were all very friendly and as there are a large number of volunteers here you are likely to make some very good friends! I could gush for a long time about this place so I will move on. . . but I must say be prepared for spiders and snakes and bats and bugs!

Our last week was spent exploring the local Doi Saket/Chiang Mai area again (including local bars) and we spent 2 nights in a hill tribe near the border of Myanmar. It took us around 5 hours in the minibus to get there and then around 1 1/2 hours on the back of a pick up truck after that to arrive at the hill tribe. It was a brilliant journey as we got to see a lot of untouched Thailand and saw stunning vistas (it was great seeing parts of the country which had not yet been invaded by tourism). We stayed with the family of one of the lovely lady's working with Gapguru. We met many families and teachers living in and out of Bapea (I probably did not spell this correctly!) who were all incredibly friendly (especially as some of them spoke no english at all and our Thai was very limited). The food was amazing and we spent time trekking around the rice fields (which did include getting attacked by quite a few hungry leeches!) We also spent a rather hilarious evening sipping rice wine and singing kareoke in a nursey classroom we could barely stand up in. All in all providing some memories I will look back on very fondly. The journey home was a little longer as we had to take a local bus (no air con and a very crowded and bumpy journey) which was quite an experience! Also, make sure you have your passport on you with long journeys like this as immigration control may sometimes ask you to produce it!

If you are looking to help others, experience something new and exciting (knowing that you will be supported thoroughly whilst there) and just want to meet interesting and friendly people then I would strongly encourage you to take this trip to Thailand. The staff out there are very helpful and plans are very flexible once you are out there so don't worry, you don't need to have your plan set in stone as to what you want to do before you get there! Enjoy travelling :)