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Past Volunteers |
Harriet's story |
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BIO:
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| Name: |
Harriet Swenny
Age: 21 |
| From: |
Cornwall / England |
| Status: |
Currently working in Canada |
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Hello my name's Harriet, I'm 21 and from England.
My teaching experience in Thailand was unforgettable. I was living with Kanganee, a young female English teacher who is mother of two and owner of many rather manky looking dogs! She welcomed me into her home in Amnat Chareon and considered me to be her daughter. In fact, her children had nicknames which translate into English as One and Two. My nickname was Three! |
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 I was made to feel equally as welcome at the school she teaches at. Although I was completely thrown into the deep end and asked to introduce myself to the entire school at my first morning assembly. Kanganee requested I spoke in English for about ten minutes, which is quite a long time when you haven't had any warning. I was to think of a new word and act out a role-play for that word. So there I was in front of thousands of beaming young faces 'jumping' up and down and feeling utterly ridiculous! But it was worth it- I had a thousand new fans and felt that nothing would beat me after that! |
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This initial experience at the morning assembly is a good analogy for the experience as a whole. I found myself doing things I never saw coming, I was thinking on my feet, using my imagination and finding it highly amusing (and exhausting) living up to the expectations of the teachers and the pupils alike. Despite treating me like royalty, they definitely wanted to get the most of having me there. When I was not teaching the children I was teaching the teachers how to teach, which is a crazy idea when you imagine that I was a 21 year old graduated with hardly any experience of the classroom. But nevertheless, I provided them with a new way of looking at the world, as they did for me. |
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 Teaching anywhere in the world, I would argue, has to be one of the best ways to truly catch a glimpse of the soul of a place. My experiences of teaching in Thailand provided me with more than just an insight into Thai education but also the relationship between the old and young, the family unit, religious faith, the language and how all these factors contribute to the education of the mind. On a more personal level, the long hours physically stretched me, my face was sore from all the smiling but most importantly I would say that I met some of the most wonderful people who showed me new ways of living and loving. It was a journey and adventure that will be with me forever. Do it!!
Love Harriet |
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