Sustaining Thailand's Treasures

  Thailand

Rural Areas

Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks

Description: A rare opportunity to live and breathe the beauty of Thailand beyond the mass media stereotype. See and participate in how Thais really live and help in solving the problems they have identified. You will find yourself in the most unique environments, possibly interpreting English songs for Buddhist monks on one day and cooking Pad Thai with your Thai family in the evenings. Your proximity to Bangkok (less than 1 hour by bus) and the surrounding treasures in Ayuthaya provide a wealth of opportunity for your free time.

Work Project

This program has an extremely wide range of outreach activities available to you, most of which involve work with Buddhist monks including, but not limited to: Helping at a Nursery, Training for the disadvantaged, enhancing capacity at Rehabilitation Shelter, Emergency Relief, Elderly Care Unit, teaching basic English in impoverished schools, and giving basic computer instruction.

Food and Lodging:

Your Globe Aware Country Agent will meet you at the Bangkok airport at a specified pick up time and take you to a traditional Thai style group set of homes. Several volunteers will share a home with Thai style bath facilities (no hot water ' but rarely missed in the tropical climate!), modified western style toilet (water is poured in to make flush), and limited electricity available. Flavorful traditional Thai style meals are cooked fresh, with your help, throughout the day, abundant safe drinking water in each home.

Leisure Activities:

Life moves at a delightful, slower pace here near Wang Noi, where you will have ample time to discover things such as temple ruins, learn Thai cooking, get a Thai massage, go to floating markets, and other simple pleasures such as reading while perched in a hammock in a breeze.

Arranging Your Airfare:

You will need to arrange to be in Bangkok by 12:30pm on the Saturday afternoon your program begins. The program ends at 11am the following Saturday and it takes approximately 2 hours to get you back to Bangkok. The airport is one of the return drops off stops our driver will make. You would not want to arrange a flight that departs any earlier than 4:30pm on the return. Volunteer Vacation.

Highlights: The Objectives of the Project Partnership in conjunction with our Host Foundation:

- To conserve and revive the natural environment
- To encourage the consistent realization and sustainability of Thai traditional agriculture & Culture
- To be an accumulation center of Thai traditional agricultural tools
- To be an education center of Thai tradition in terms of "Traditional Thai Gardener Words"
- To maintain a clean environment
- To encourage upright occupations in order to minimize social problems
- To care for the disadvantaged and for children and to arm them with sustainable skills

Qualifications: no special skills required

Cost in US$: $1180.00

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 3-85

This Program is open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Thailand Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 3-10

Application Process Involves:

• Other
• Phone Interview
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit DebriefingAbroad

Globe Aware's Mission Statement: Globe Aware seeks to promote lifelong advocates for a better world and to sustain the world's cultural and natural resources. The organization, together with the local community hosts, develops effective local solutions to global problems in non-religious, non-political, multi-international environments. The aim is to expand and foster cross-cultural peace and understanding between Americans and the rest of the world, to preserve culture and promote sustainability. Globe Aware expeditions provide volunteers the opportunity to live and work side by side with a host community. The hosts provide a safe and interesting setting in which to learn, help, and have fun. The volunteers help to empower the host communities in creating renewable, self-sufficient programs. While Globe Aware's financial assistance benefits the community economically, it is actually the involvement and collaboration between the volunteers and community that is the greatest mutual benefit.

Year Founded: 2001