Marit about her internship at Philanthropy Connections

Marit is an intern for Philanthropy Connections van Hello Polak. She wrote a blog for her family in Thailand that we also publish here after permission.

Hi everybody,

I received a lot of requests as a result of my project visit last week. I have already told a few of you about it and also through my parents I heard that there is a lot of interest in the story. I get that! This weekend I was honestly so broken that I didn't do very much, that is: eat, sleep and party a bit. That's why I'm only writing this blog now. Oh yeah; I also wanted my photos sorted out before writing this blog. In the end I have about 100 more that I want to show you all so that wasn't really an excuse either. Anyway, let me try to structure my story for a change. I've divided it into three days, because -knowing me- it's going to be a long blog. If you think: all nice and nice but this is too much for me, you can also read for 1 day 😉

Day 1:

Let's go back to last Tuesday, 10 am. We left for one of PCF's projects, a three-hour drive from the city. I had already been warned that it would be very back to basics, so I had already prepared myself for the worst and that may have been a good thing.

After about three hours of driving, of which at least one on unpaved road, we arrived in a village in the middle of the mountains. What I also knew in advance is that hardly anyone would speak English and everything was in Thai. Fortunately, my colleague, who speaks English, was with me. Despite the language barrier, we were very warmly welcomed. We walked around the village a bit and looked at the terrain where the youth camp would start on Wednesday. I also (made an attempt at, actually) made a bamboo cup and was slightly laughed at by the Thai people around me, because it was impossible haha! – Maybe I should postpone my participation in Expedition Robinsson for another year –

So far it actually felt a bit like a holiday, but not 'glamping' (or camping at all) but the opposite; REAL camping. That would mean; no bed, sleeping in a wooden bamboo hut, a standing toilet, washing yourself in the river or by throwing a bowl of water over you, and eating rice together on the floor. So far I love it. I immediately realize that I would never have come here as a tourist or backpacker. I also only now realize that I REALLY experience Thai culture here, although I sometimes thought that in Chiang Mai, but if I compare that with life here, the city is really nothing! You can imagine, because a Thai city is already a huge culture shock for most people (including me).

Here in Thailand, there are people from different ethnic tribes or backgrounds. One of them is called 'Karen'. These people have special clothing. For example, there are beautiful colored dresses for unmarried women and beautiful, woven shirts for girls. As a Western foreigner, I naturally had to wear all of these and a whole photo shoot was done, which I found very funny and special. They are really beautiful dresses and shirts, who knows, I might take one home with me, because they are for sale in all markets in Chiang Mai.

This afternoon it was reported that there was no electricity, but fortunately that is now the case. Also, there was no water to shower, so we would have to wash in the river. Everyone was exuberant when it was reported that there was water to shower with again. When I wanted to take a shower I asked my colleague where the shower was. She directed me to the bathroom, where I had been several times but really hadn't seen a shower that I could remember.

She told me to use the buckets in the big barrel of water to pour water over me. They call it showering here.

Although I expected that I would find everything dirty and scary, so far a very happy feeling prevails. I thought it was so special that I could be here and I realize very well that I would never have been able to see this without my internship. Soon we will go to sleep, on the hard wood in the bamboo hut. I'm glad I brought my pillow as a precaution, in the hope that I'll sleep a little tonight. On Wednesday we would have to get up between 5 and 6 am to get everything ready for the children, who will arrive at 7 am. I am very curious how that will be, because of course I cannot communicate with them in words.

What I forget to tell you is dinner. We all sat together (read: the people who arrange the project, but also villagers) in a hut where delicious rice was cooked for us. We sat on the floor and the Thai gentleman next to me (who spoke no English, so my colleague acted as an interpreter) really wanted to be photographed and would also like me as a daughter-in-law. He just doesn't have a son, he said, so it gets a bit complicated.

Before dinner I went with my colleague Kan to do another kind of foot volley - sepak takraew - but with a super small ball. It was quite difficult but I managed well (even after 3 years of not playing football). I thought it was so special that I could do what I love to do here in this environment, with a Thai colleague who speaks English, but with whom it is actually not feasible to have in-depth conversations. That made me so happy. It felt a bit like playing football at the campsite in France with my cousins ​​again, as we used to do. Again this is an example of how sport connects; we didn't even have to communicate because the ball already did that for us and yet we were both super happy. I also notice right away that I miss football sooo much!!!

I want to capture everything and especially the atmosphere and all the details in the huts. From the rice that is made indoors on an old-fashioned fire to the landscape here and the room in which we sleep. But that's just not possible and that's why I'm trying to put it into words here as best as possible. Unfortunately that doesn't go quite the way I would like, but I hope it gives you at least a bit of an impression of life in a Thai village, surrounded by locals, nature and cultural differences.

Day 2:

I must honestly say that I kept up with my blog in the village itself on the first day, but this does not apply to days 2 and 3. So I have to dig deep.

Day 2 started early in the morning. I didn't sleep a wink, because I was basically lying on the floor, but even worse: because of the roosters that were chatting not only in the morning but all night long, so annoying! So I started the camp already exhausted, haha! We went for breakfast around half past eight, but when I saw the rice with chicken legs I suddenly felt nauseous, so I had my croissant and fruit drinks. I really can't understand how people here don't even get tired of eating rice 8 times a day, 3 days a week. Didn't see me, haha!

The kids arrived around 8am. First they had to register and they all got a name card, just like me. Mine said "Malee," my Thai nickname. Marit is really not an option here, especially not for children! I actually quite like my nickname, so that's totally fine. I sometimes even just introduce myself as Malee when people still give me weird looks after introducing me by my real name twice. The children reacted very differently to my presence. Of course I couldn't understand them, but their facial expressions sometimes said enough, haha! Some hardly even noticed that there was a stranger there, but others found it a bit scary. I can imagine that very well, because most children (and even adults) from such a local Thai village have never been outside that village, let alone beyond the borders of Thailand. Then suddenly there is such a mega tall, blond lanky with an appearance that is completely unknown to them, I totally understand the fear 😉

The morning program consisted of four parts, my colleague explained. Excuse me if I can't explain it in great detail, but she sometimes had quite a bit of trouble translating the project, but I do have a global picture. The children were divided into small groups and then went into the mountains. Here were four places where they were explained about: where the different rivers come from, the benefits of river water, aquatic animals and plants & greetings. My colleague and I were asked to take pictures and report, so we went to look a bit everywhere.

It was very cool to see how those children already had (and of course gained) a lot of knowledge about how to survive in nature. They caught fish with ease, knew what plants to eat, how to cook rice in bamboo, all super handy and useful! I have seen with my own eyes how volunteers made this project both super educational and amusing for the children, that is really over! And the skills they have learned are essential when you see the living conditions of the children in the village. In the afternoon the children had to present what they had learned that day. They did this on the basis of a mind map.

At the end of the afternoon we were going to start cooking, but before we could do that, all the children (including me!) had to put their skills into practice by finding or catching their own dinner! Some had vegetables and plants, others returned with fresh bananas and fish. Then one of the villagers showed us how to cook rice in bamboo. Now that I'm talking about that bamboo, I remember that I only sat and lay on the floor for 3 days, because there was exactly 1 bamboo bench where you could rest your buttocks.

After dinner we moved our stuff from the village to the camp, which was about a 15 minute walk from the village. The children slept in the open air, under a large tarp that had been set up into a tent. My colleague and I slept in our own tent, which we set up a little further away. Before we went to sleep there was a kind of colorful evening with a campfire. Everyone had prepared a piece and I was also screwed. I danced to a typical Thai song with the volunteers of Bangkok University, very nice.

Nevertheless, there was not much sleep on Wednesday night either. What really surprised me is that the camp management just loudly had their own party when the children had gone to bed - they were literally 10 meters away. That went on for a long time and my colleague also enjoyed lying half over me. I also felt a bit like a folded giraffe because my long lanky legs didn't fit in the tent. So I didn't sleep a wink again. What was nice was that it was freezing at night for a change. Normally I sweat like crazy, so this was nice!

Day 3:

The last day had arrived. Again we had to get up early and again breakfast was rice – surprise. Also this time I enjoyed eating my own things; luckily I was prepared for it. What is nice to say is that Thai people sit on 1 large rug while eating and share everything with each other. Everyone eats from each other's plate and it is not really hygienic, but it is very cozy and cozy! People here are much less greedy and share everything.

The last activity took place in the mountains. After about 40 minutes of walking in XNUMX degrees – impossible – we arrived on the other side of the mountain. You may have heard about 'burning season' here in Asia. Now I could see with my own eyes what causes this, because we literally walked past the fire, which is lit by farmers to harvest more rice. I found that quite exciting, but I was the only one and that reassured me. Those people really know where they are taking us, of course. Along the way, the knowledge that the children had acquired over the past few days was refreshed by means of some activities and my colleague and I took some last pictures.

It was of course difficult for me to make contact with the children, but when I did manage to do so, it was very special. This happened, for example, on the way back to the camp. There were some kind of fruits that fell from the trees and the children used that as a kind of whistle. Of course I, as a Westerner, was the only one who couldn't do that and they tried to help me until I succeeded. Of course they all loved that I tried that, because it's really something from here.

After lunch and after the children had told one by one what they had learned from the project, everyone slowly packed up and we were able to drive back to the village in an old-fashioned car. Here we had to wait about an hour for the driver to pick us up and we had a snack and relaxed with some of the children.

Then it was time to head back to Chiang Mai, where it had started raining – I really missed something historic as I haven't seen a drop of rain here since I arrived. But I'm sure that will be all right in rainy season, which falls exactly in the period when I still have a few days to travel…. 😉

overall:

While writing, all kinds of memories came up that don't necessarily fit well in the story, so I want to write them down here.

What I really like about Thailand is that people, as far as I can tell, don't pass judgment on someone quickly, or at least won't express it quickly. In Santpoort, for example, everyone looks up, so to speak, when an Asian or black person walks the street. Even in such a small and local village as Hin Lad Nok, apart from the cultural differences, I never felt like an outsider, at least not because of the behavior of the people. On the contrary, I felt very welcome and I think that goes for all kinds of people who come there. For example, the LGBTQ community here in Thailand is huge, which really surprised me. I don't even know why I was so surprised by that, but I find it very special that these people are fully embraced in Thai society - again, as far as I can judge - There was also a ladyboy in the village and also she was completely part of the group, great, we can learn something from that in the Netherlands!

In this village it is quite normal that all animals roam freely or that every now and then a herd of buffaloes or cows walks across the path that you have to make room for. The chickens and chicks are everywhere, just like the dogs, which I was a bit afraid of because you could literally see the fleas walking all over their fur and they could very well have rabies. I just can't describe the atmosphere well, but everything feels sooo relaxed and everyone is doing their thing. All those animals that are not in cages but hop along nicely. All those houses made of bamboo and wood, which just don't fall over when the wind starts to blow. Wonderfully classic, old fashioned, because they have no other resources, but I thought it was very relaxed.

Hygiene is hard to find in the village. You have to imagine that you go back in time about 100 years - if not more actually - in terms of facilities. Also, the hut in which the toilet was located was so small that I think everyone could have seen me sticking out from my shoulders, haha! Doesn't matter at all there. Also funny is that your expectations change automatically. In the past, for example, we would never go camping at a campsite with a standing toilet, or we would choose another gas station to pee. Now I thought it was all fine, probably also because it was the most normal thing in the world for the inhabitants themselves to live like this.

I find myself writing about it again as if it were the most normal thing in the world. It's strange, isn't it, when you experience such cool things but then you kind of get used to it very quickly. That's why I like writing this down now, so that the special feeling of last week comes back a bit. I will probably forget to tell you about half, but this is at least a large part of the experiences I gained during my project visit.

I hope you enjoyed reading and feel free to ask if you want to know more 🙂

Hello!