An independent volunteer works with children in Chiang Mai, Thailand

WHY THAILAND? In the Fall of 2006 my husband and I took a five-week trip to Thailand, the last big trip of what we called our "pretirement period." We had set aside a year and a half, taking a break from our home and jobs to travel. In the preceding sixteen months we had helped some friends with the grape harvest on their California vineyard, visited friends in Italy, lent a hand in the Katrina relief efforts in New Orleans and taken a road trip to Guatemala. Now we were going to Asia for the first time. My husband wanted very much to study Thai Massage to broaden the scope of his massage practice. With research and recommendations he found an excellent school in Chiang Mai and enrolled for the first two weeks of our stay in Thailand. I wanted to find an equally educational and fulfilling experience to fill my time, so I began researching volunteer opportunities in Chiang Mai.

ORPHANAGE IN CHIANG MAI I like working with children. I was a preschool teacher for many years and I have worked at Children's Hospital for the past eight years. I am comfortable working with children and gravitate toward those opportunities. I started an online search with www.volunteerabroad.com, and narrowed down the search from there - country, city, short term projects with children etc. and came across Ban San Faan: " An orphanage home with bi-lingual home /school program for Thai children. Safe, secure, loving, Christian environment in which children can grow and learn." The requirements for volunteers: "Individuals with talents for working with small children. Good interpersonal skills and fluency in English ". Sounded like a fit. Perhaps the most encouraging and positive first impression of the organization came from my contact with Bill Wood. Within hours of my email inquiry he called me from Chiang Mai for an initial phone interview. I was to provide a resume, and although I did not have a pastor's recommendation, I could provide both personal and professional references. I was impressed by both the timeliness and thoroughness of the response to my inquiry.

BEING AN INDEPENDENT VOLUNTEER My visit corresponded to the 2-week break the children had from their school program. It was suggested that I plan art, cooking, and games and craft activities and bring any needed supplies that could not be found at the home. I dug out my old preschool manuals and spent some time gathering supplies to carry with me. I sensed that I was expected to be both prepared and independent in this volunteer work.

We arrived in Bangkok and took the night train to Chiang Mai the next day and checked ourselves in to the hotel that had been recommended to us. It was centrally located in the bustling city, very modestly priced and thankfully air-conditioned!

FIRST DAY OF "SCHOOL" I was excited and nervous that first day. The director of the home met me at our hotel to show me the route that would become my daily commute: a ten minute walk through the busy city streets and market place filled with food stalls, clothing stores and the most beautiful flower market I have ever seen to the riverside bus stop. I took a "songtow", the most popular form of public transportation - a pick up truck with bench seats in the back, for the 20 minute ride to the outskirts of town. Then I walked the last kilometer down a small road through the fields and rural neighborhood to reach Ban San Faan.

DREAMS FULFILLED Ban San Faan means "home of fulfilled dreams." It is the mission project of Calvary Community Church in Longview WA. Two Thai house parents and two Thai nannies raise the children in this Christian home. (Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country. ed.note) Thai and Western teachers provide a comprehensive bi-lingual education. Church representatives provide administrative and financial support. It is founded and operated on the premise that these children are Thai first - they learn Thai reading, writing, history and culture. All the children learn the traditional Thai music instruments. The older girls were learning traditional Thai dance. Additionally they learn English (from native speakers), which will be a tremendous advantage to them in adult life, and of course the Christian education. They are being prepared for life in Thailand, well grounded in their cultural traditions but with the added benefit of fluency in English.

Ban San Faan is unusual in the respect that the children are not up for adoption. They will remain in this home, each individually sponsored by a Church parishioner, as members of this large family until they are eighteen. There is a feeling of stability and security about the place. I sensed it immediately.

AUNT MARIA The children, ranging in age from 3 to 9 were delightful, both individually and as a group. They were polite, enthusiastic and greeted me with a bow, a hug and on that first day only, a western style handshake. The children address all visiting adults as Auntie or Uncle. I felt like 16 little nieces and nephews surrounded me calling "Auntie Maria"! I felt at home. The first day and subsequent ones were filled with activity! Circle time, snacks, outdoor play, meals, crafts, games, stories, reading, field trips to parks and lunches at shopping malls. I was expected to just jump into the action, and make my own way. The house staff was fully involved in their work and could not provide much guidance, although they were certainly welcoming and supportive.

I baked cookies with the children, acted out stories from books that I had brought, and did some pretty messy and creative art projects. The older children spoke English quite well, and I could engage them to help me if I had difficulty communicating with the younger children or the house staff. We had a great time, but I need to mention that not all my planned projects were a success. There were times I felt like the stereotypical substitute teacher - the children could take full advantage of my unfamiliarity with the routine. I had to smile; some things are universal.

THOUGHTS I approached this volunteer experience with a mix of emotions. I was unfamiliar with Christian Church ways and wondered if I would feel out of place at Ban San Faan. Perhaps, my style of interacting with the children would not mesh with theirs. Perhaps, I would even disagree with their style or philosophy. And since I was not connected to the Longview church, or any other church for that matter, perhaps I would not be fully accepted. It had also been a number of years, since I had directly led group activities with young children and I wondered if I had the stamina and energy for the work ahead. I found that the organization's attitude is one of openness, acceptance and inclusion. I came away with unconditional respect and admiration for the work that was being done there. Yes, I felt a little out of place - but that was because I was a newly arrived, first time visitor to Thailand. Traveling abroad is inherently jarring. Some uncertainty and awkwardness are part of the experience. And my personal energy? Every day I gave my all and came home each afternoon happily exhausted from the day's activities.

POST SCRIPT In December 2006, Ban San Faan moved into a beautiful new facility, funded entirely by the Longview Church. They now have the much needed space for 16 growing children, classrooms and a capacity to grow in numbers. I understand that there are now a few beds for visiting volunteers as well. If I have not sufficiently conveyed this already, I think it is important to say that Ban San Faan is not a volunteer opportunity for large groups, nor for those inexperienced with children. And it is not a "wide open, come anytime" type volunteer service. One must be self directed, able to bring ideas as well as supplies with them when they come, and be extremely flexible in the presentation of the planned activities. It is important to both volunteer and the organization that it be a good fit for success.

Our remaining three weeks in Thailand were wonderful. We saw diverse areas of the country: the gulf islands, the River Kwai and Bangkok. But for me, Chiang Mai was the highlight, because of the special opportunity I was given to be a part of the Ban San Faan family for a brief time.

For more information contact www.bansanfaan.org