Site Visit

In comparison to the rest of my volunteer counterparts I was given a placement meant only for someone living in a dream. I will be serving in the Province of Rayong, in a small town called Banchang; Thai’s call this eastern Thailand, because it is east of Bangkok, but really it is south-east. Rayong is on the coast and my Tambone is only ten kilometers away from the sea – it is an easy bike ride and great way to spend my days off. The particular area in which I will be staying is one which has been quite successful in terms of industrialization and is closely neighbored by some of Thailands hot-spots for tourism.

I was not only given a placement which is rich in beauty and entertainment, but one which offered a fitting outlet for my burning passion – education. My Thai Counterpart speaks really good English, loves teaching, and is eager to work with someone who enjoys creativity in the classroom. I found myself struggling at first with the idea that I was not going to live the peace corps experience of my hopes – being placed with a highly qualified instructor, in a area meant for a tropical get away did not meet my criteria for a place in need of my services. And then I sat down with myself and realized, like with all things, there is always a way in which to be productive and always a need to strive for betterment. So I started looking for ways in which I could be utilized effectively in my soon to be home and found that my counterpart really wanted to put on life skills camps, start a conversation partner organization, and work with getting the community more involved in the school’s activities – it was just the jump start I needed to get my mind churning . . . things in Banchang are about to get messy people, stay tuned for the latest and greatest.

Peace Corps sent us to Bangkok for two nights so we would become acquainted with big city life in Thailand and to familiarize the volunteers with the location of the Peace Corps Head-quarters. After leaving Bangkok we were expected to use our newly acquired Thai to get ourselves to the site of a current volunteer, where we would spend a night, and then to our sites. After two nights at site we were to get ourselves back to Chaibadan. Being dumped in the middle of Thailands biggest and busiest city is an experience which is quite unsettling; however, it is quickly concurred when the realization hits that 95% of the Thai people surrounding you are more than eager to get you were you need to go if you promise to spend the time it takes to get there helping them become completely fluent in the English Language. Needless to say I got there and back without a hitch.

While Rayong is soon to be my stomping ground, I was struck by the profound homesickness I felt tugging at me from to entirely opposite directions. I always miss home; the home of my childhood; the home of family and friends; the home of American food and good movies; the home of studying for tests and laughing with roommates; the home of hugs and kisses; the home I’ve always known. And then like the snake, which silently stalks its prey, I was seized by a longing for this new part of my life, this new place that suddenly also feels so much like home.

Chaibadan is lacking all the essential amenities which would qualify it as a vacation destination; try as you might you won’t find it in any travel guides, it will be missing from all the magazines full of flashy resort spots, and nothing spectacular will appear if you type its letters in the search bar of Google. Chaibadan is not particularly lush, it’s more brown than green, and it feels as though is rests within the palm of the sun’s hand, but it is home. I spent five nights away from my host family, away from the hub, away from the familiar alleys which make up the market here – and I could not wait to get back. Rayong is fully equipped with all the necessities of a travel guide worthy location, but it is without sweet pastries made on Sunday mornings, without the laughter of a 14 year old sister, without the silent protection of an anything but typical Thai man; it was lacking the faces that no longer stare at the small, blond farang, language lessons, and cold coconuts waiting when I get home. Chaibadan is seemingly plain, but it has carved an impression into my heart which will flourish forever – it will always feel like home.

Rayong is soon to feel the same; I have learned that where one resides eventually becomes home regardless of the glamour and glitz it has, or does not have to offer. There will be new people I learn to love and new routines to be built – today and for days, weeks, maybe months to come, my home is here with these people, in this place. Someday the world will be my home and traces of me will be found in every grain of sandy beach, on every snowy mountain; Banchang is merely the next stop of many.