My volunteer work in animal welfare classes in Thailand

Arrival | arrival

The arrival was very exciting for me because I arrived in a foreign country and didn't know what to expect or how to proceed. I was instructed by my local team to wait at a designated location at the airport and wear my RGV t-shirt. And that's how it worked - I walked to the agreed meeting point, which was easy to find, and was met by a woman with my name on a sign.

She said my taxi would be here soon and when it arrived she escorted me outside so I got into the right taxi. Then I went on a three-hour drive to my place of work, during which I was able to gather some nice impressions of Thailand. There I was greeted very friendly, given a small tour of the house and had the rest of the day free to explore the area. I felt very comfortable right away!

Orientation program

The next day I was picked up with two other new girls in the morning, driven to work and we looked for a quiet place with our team leader. We spent the whole morning there. With the help of a PowerPoint presentation we were given all sorts of information about the team and the work. We also asked a lot of questions and laughed and had fun together on the first day. Everything was very easygoing and relaxed, so you didn't have to be afraid to ask anything you wanted to know.

Areas of responsibility

I volunteered at a dog clinic. My job was, among other things, to treat the dogs there or to look after our adopted dogs.

Every morning we were picked up at the house and drove to work. There we started the day with a morning clean, cleaning the enclosures and the clinic and filling up with fresh water and food - always with cuddles, of course. Then we went for a walk with all the dogs, either on the beach or around the lake.

In the afternoon we got into the truck and drove through the jungle and the streets of our town to feed the street dogs. That was our so-called feeding run. But since I was the only one who taught, I often had to prepare for lessons, which involved a lot of handicrafts and creating games. Every Wednesday afternoon I taught Myanmar temple children who are not allowed to attend Thai schools. These lessons were always designed with lots of games. On Thursdays I always spent the whole morning at the local school, which was only a few minutes walk from our dog clinic.

Not all days went like this, of course, but most did. From time to time, emergencies or other things came up, which always provided exciting and fun distractions. Everything was always very fun and relaxed. I was very impressed by the work ethic on site. I never felt pressured, I always had a lot of fun at work. The best thing about everything was that you always made new friends and the local team was like one big family. You rarely experience something like this!

Home & Living

I stayed in the Volunteer Beach House, a small, super nice house with space for up to twelve people. We had six double rooms, a large living and dining area, two bathrooms upstairs and one bathroom downstairs. There was a long table outside where we spent a lot of time together as a group and had fun. Next to this seating area was our small but nice outdoor kitchen. The house was less than a few minutes walk from a small beach.

At first I thought my privacy might be a bit lacking there. However, this was absolutely not the case on site. Although the house offers space for twelve people, it was not always fully booked and so you sometimes had the chance to get a single room for a few weeks or days. But sharing a room was never a problem either. I've only had great experiences with the people there and I'm very happy to have made many new friends from all over the world there!

If there were any problems, you could always contact the team and find a solution together. The on-site team took their time for all concerns and it was always very important to them that we all felt comfortable. Even if there were problems in the house, such as ants or clogged toilets, this was dealt with directly by the team. All in all a top experience!

Essen

In Thailand, food plays a big role! Above all, I found Thai or Asian specialties on every corner. There was also a small local restaurant right next to our volunteer house which I ate at often. I personally like Asian food particularly well. Every time I've tried new dishes, I've been pleasantly surprised by them. So I can only recommend everyone to try the cuisine of a new country.

However, I advise against ordering European food in small places. Because I've had the experience that you're usually disappointed there. German cuisine and especially American fast food is often prepared very differently and I have rarely tasted it. Only in more expensive tourist restaurants was this not the case. For example, you can search the internet for German or American restaurants, but as I said, these were always very expensive. So if you fancy European cuisine, it's best to shop in the supermarkets and cook yourself, because you can actually get all the ingredients there.

leisure

Already in the orientation program we were introduced to a few excursions or activities that took place at the weekend and were included in our project and in the price. So we could decide for ourselves whether we wanted to participate or not. This gives you the opportunity to explore sights around the deployment site. For example, I always took part in a cooking course on Saturday mornings.

But even after work you had enough time to explore everything on your own and to go on excursions. At some point I settled in so well that I just ended my evenings on the beach and spent a little time with my roommates and chatted. On weekends I often went to bars, danced or shopped, to markets or to the beach.

But it was also possible to take time off from work, because after all you weren't forced to work. If you didn't feel well in the morning and preferred to stay in bed or at home for the day, that was always possible. Because life in a foreign country can sometimes be very overwhelming. Even if you wanted to go away for a few days over the weekend, this was not a problem. A weekend trip to one of the beautiful islands of Thailand is perfect for this. There was always enough free time!

Special experiences

Actually, my whole stay was a special experience! Apart from that, it was above all the children that I taught that really inspired me. I found it simply impressive that the children live there in such simple circumstances and are still so happy.

Most people in Thailand don't really own much. During my time there, I learned how little you need to be happy. It was always great to see that you could sweeten the children's day with very small things or gifts and little effort and thus made a special experience possible for them.

I was also very impressed by the culture and the country right from the start. During my stay I even started to learn Thai in order to get as many impressions of the culture as possible. I was so inspired by the experiences I had in the animal welfare class that I decided to extend my time in Thailand by five more weeks to travel further and explore the country.

Thanks to my newly acquired language skills, I met many Thais who showed me great places where no tourist had ever been before. I found a secluded waterfall on the island of Koh Phangan with a huge swimming pool particularly beautiful.

In summary, I felt extremely comfortable in Thailand, especially since I had a great start with my team from the animal welfare project. For me it is certain that I will go back again.

Field report by Mia, volunteer in animal welfare and animal shelter project in Thailand, January/ February 2023