Boomers Abroad

Description

Volunteer abroad in Thailand!
Single Mothers Home, Hill Tribe Program: This progressive center provides a haven for unwed pregnant girls from the local hill tribes. The girls are given pre-natal care, Thai, English, and computer classes. In the morning the older children go to school, and the youngsters stay at the home. While the moms take classes on how to become self-sufficient adults, the younger children need to be looked after by those who enjoy spending time with adorable infants and toddlers. Although many of these young children have had a difficult beginning before arriving at the Single Mother's Home, they are fortunate to receive the opportunity to have a cross-cultural experience of being cared for by a foreigner so early in life. Volunteers involved in this project will have the chance to experience cradling a newborn ethnic Thai or hill tribe youngster in a bamboo constructed house surrounded by rice paddies and mountains, while the child's mother is learning the essential skills to improve her own and her young child's life and future. There are also construction and gardening positions available for volunteers who would like to focus on those projects.

Teach Novice Monks: Our volunteers teach novice Buddhist monks, middle school to high school age, at different monastery schools in Chiang Mai. The program aims to enhance the knowledge of monks and novices in both religious and secular subjects and provide secondary education for boys who are unable to afford such opportunities elsewhere. Many of the novice monks are orphans from the hill tribes, and some of them are learning Thai as a second language and English as a third. These teaching positions are a great way to learn about Buddhism and contribute in a meaningful way!

Most of the schools only teach novice monks, but not all of the faculty and administration are Buddhist monks. One of the schools has both novice monk students and non-monk students (however the majority are monks) separated by classroom.

Alms rounds start the morning, then the day begins with morning assembly at the monastery schools. All the novices line up and the faculty and staff give morning announcements, followed by prayers and meditation. Classes begin at 8:30. Fresh Thai curries and stir fried dishes, served over steamed jasmine rice are served for lunch. Volunteers are encouraged to share their lunch time chatting with novices and other staff. After lunch, more prayers and meditation is practiced before classes resume in the afternoon.

Volunteer at an Elephant Camp: The elephant camp is located in the hills outside of Chiang Mai. It is surrounded by lush mountains and is divided down the middle by a river. This is a relaxing atmosphere, and a great place for volunteers who also want some downtime to soak in the Thai countryside! Volunteers assist and work alongside elephant trainers and other park staff from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm (Monday through Friday). The park has been open for 20 years, has over 70 elephants and roughly 250 workers. Many of the workers are of minority ethnic hill tribe decent.

Some volunteers teach an hour or two of English at the local hill tribe school. Other volunteers will stay at the park and teach English to the elephant trainers and other staff. Volunteers may be asked to help out with other areas of the elephant camp during their volunteer service. Any little bit helps in the development of the camp.

Late in the afternoon/early evening, volunteers will be able to spend more time with the elephants and elephant trainers. This is when volunteers will really begin to bond with these lovely creatures, get to know their different personalities, and learn how to best care for them.