Lauren Peters participated in Greenheart Travel’s Work Abroad Program: Teach Adventure Thailand.
She gladly shared her thoughts on her time in Thailand and the differences she experienced with us:
Words cannot describe the wonderful perspective and lessons I’ve learned from my time participating on Teach Adventure Thailand. Between learning how to cook traditional Thai meals, to teaching children American games and English vocabulary – I was able to create bonds and memories that will last a lifetime. What is special about going to Thailand through Greenheart, is that you are able to experience Thailand in a less conventional route – you aren’t getting a tourist style cabana and complementary elephant ride. You get the chance to learn how to adapt your more luxurious way of living to how the grateful people of Thailand live day to day. With the Buddhist religion practiced by 95% percent of the country, minimalistic behaviors are adapted in the majority of living spaces, restaurants and communities. I now know to never take my way of living at home for granted. My adaption to a different way of life in Thailand was made easier when I partnered it with the tremendous hospitality of locals and other teachers I met along my travels from the North to the South.
One special experience that I will cherish forever is when I tried the Thai style bbq called “mu kratha”. We were able to boil an assortment of meats, vegetables and noodles over a pot. This meal was of course shared with everyone at the table over many mini plates which is a typical Thai styled etiquette. I found this type of eating to be very comfortable and really fun! Transportation was also a big shock to me and very fast-paced. It is not a lie when they say that Thailand has the most dangerous roads in the world. I found it wowing seeing families of 4 ride on one motorcycle next to me! I personally always loved getting rides home on a Tuk-Tuk after a night of exploring the towns.
During my first few days in Thailand, I stayed in Bangkok and met the whole group of participants. With some free time on our hands, we met up with some newer members in the program and went on a Gondola tour and saw the floating market. We also checked out the first of many night markets where I tried my first Duran, an exotic fruit, and boy did it stink. Our next adventure was in Hua Hin, which was more of a beach city in comparison to Bangkok. The orientation, which took place in a classroom, was very insightful. We learned get-to-know-you activities, took Thai speaking lessons, learned about Thai culture and were properly prepared to start working with the children (along with the great online course I took prior to traveling). Our accommodation in Hua Hin was a hotel located a few miles from the water and downtown area. It was a big adjustment for me to figure out things like when the AC should be turned on or finding places to eat. However, I felt that we always had a group of people from our program to explore with!
Walking around the streets of Thailand I felt very safe along with meeting new people. A fact that I learned in orientation was that the people of Thailand have a “good incentive” engraved into their culture. This meant that when the locals have the opportunity to do good (such as returning a lost phone to someone), they almost always do it because it will help rack up the worth of their life in heaven. This Buddhist action was displayed several times in prior participant groups as I was told many lost items would show up to my program’s office, including wallets and phones. As stated before, the roads in Thailand are fast but also a little bumpy!
I thoroughly enjoyed learning how different the expectations of the teachers are at each school for their students of varying age levels. For this reason, I felt really lucky to have been able to travel to other camp locations rather than staying in one area. I wouldn’t change my experience for the world. I highly recommend Greenheart to anyone who wants to do future travel as I felt they were very clear of expectations and very accommodatable.
Learn more about the Teach Adventure Thailand Program!
