Volunteer in Thailand with World Endeavors

This experience will definitely not be forgotten. I used every opportunity to learn about Thai culture, experience new things, and sight see Bangkok. The positive outcomes that I received from this placement surpassed my expectation by far. I was also able to use my exposure as preparation for backpacking through Northern Thailand, Cambodia and southern Thailand.

I feel like after my month in Thailand, I have had the unparalleled opportunity to immerse myself into a culture where I was truly accepted for who I am. The Thai people I met were so kind and willing to share their culture that I often forgot that I was there to teach them about mine. I met many friends who I will stay in touch with forever. I hope I impacted their lives 1/10th as much as how they impacted mine. They not only opened their homes, but opened their minds and hearts to my experience and showed me cultural exchange and understanding at its best.

I absolutely loved my host family as they was so welcoming and made me feel at home. They spoke English very well so communication was easy and they helped us out a lot. My experience in Thailand made me want to volunteer much more in the future.

The volunteer program in Thailand left me with a new perspective on life and some new friends. This experience was a life changing experience.

I'll always think about going back and I'll never forget the students I met there. I'll work harder and try to go back one day if possible.

At the elephant project I make sticky rice, gather food for the elephants, feed elephants, give baths. In addition I also helped with taking care of dogs at the elephants world as well as one old elephant, Bua Kam, that needed her wounds to cleaned and medicine applied. I know I'll be back at elephants world. Talk to the locals, attempt to talk in their language. Once you become friends with the locals your stay becomes even better know.

I was part of the volunteering program of World Endeavors in Thailand. I was able to learn about physical therapy in a different country and culture.

The highlight of my trip was all of the relationships that I built with the other workers, patients, other volunteers, and my host family. I learned how to speak some Thai and gained confidence in traveling in a foreign country alone. Personally this confirmed my interest in the healthcare field and clarified my career path.

I feel that my host organization was awesome and helpful. They helped arrange a nice room with AC and in front of the house has mango trees. I also enjoyed travelling to Chiang Mai. Thanks to this program, I got to know Thai's people and their culture more.

I gained unforgettable memories of smiles on the children's faces and experiences of a different lifestyle. I learned that I love working with kids and I'm thinking about becoming a pediatrician. I also had good experience from my homestay as we interacted and learned each other's languages from the family. They had a daughter fluent in English and she helped translate things. My friend and I shared a room that had air conditioning so that was a relief. The host parents were very, very kind and always waited for us to get back home so they knew we were safe before they went to bed.

I got a chance to learn about Thai culture. It was a lot of fun to be able to talk to the 2 daughters at my homestay that are my age and exchange questions about each other's culture. I also gained more experience communicating with people that do not share a common 1st language.

World Endeavors' program in Thailand allows me to gain a knowledge of working with an NGO abroad as well as how to deal with working with people that you cannot always readily communicate with.

I enjoyed the school very much both the children and the teachers were wonderful. Everyone was so welcoming and really tried their best to make us feel at home.

I feel like I gained so much more self-confidence in myself, I feel like I can do anything now! I also think my perspective of the world has definitely changed. Theres just so much to see and learn!

I am enjoying my time and learning a great deal in Thailand. I am able to observe and assist with physical and manual therapy, run equipment therapy (horse-riding) sessions. Visiting the children with their families at home, and seeing them naturally and how they are taken care of in the home are some of the rewarding experiences I had. The heat and also the food are somewhat a challenge to me. Foods are delicious, but Thai people eat so much! I'm constantly stuffed! (not sure if that is a bad thing or a good thing!). On top of these events, i want to continue to inspire the children with friendship and caring, make lasting friendships in Thailand, and experience as much of Thai life as I can

I learned how to communicate with a language barrier. i also learned how to bargain at the markets! I feel like I made la ot of children happy by just being there because they like to see foreigners. And some consider them good luck. I really loved living with my host family as they were very nice! and took us around Bangkok to see some of the tourist sites.

It has been an invaluable experience! I gained more insight into the Thai Health care system, culture, traditions and way of life.

My experience has been overwhelmingly positive. The placement is wonderful as is the coordinator and the host family. World Endeavors had great information shared before, during, and after the process. I enjoyed the volunteer placement, homestay, and meeting other volunteers.

While in Thailand, I gained a lot of experience communicating with people who didn't speak my language and navigation skills for a big city. I also met wonderful and kind people in our workplace.They were very helpful whenever I had questions and made me feel very welcome. The center had a good apartment as well and I was able to visit other staff's houses at night.

The Thai people are lovely, and the children at my workplace are adorable. Every day, I am in awe of the good work the organization accomplishes here in rural Thailand.

I learned how to teach the students in anther country and also how to take care of the little kids. More importantly, I can know more about Thailand after this trip.

I completely loved the country the people and the children I worked with I found like I was at home, everyone was so kind to all of us volunteers

I am really liking my internship! The people and children I am working with are wonderful and so caring. I feel genuinely taken care of by everyone. I am also learning a lot even when I'm not shadowing physical therapy.

My experience in Thailand with World Endeavors opened my eyes to many of the less fortunate people who truly need help in many parts of the world. I gained the sense of responsibility as well as adventure.

From this program with World Endeavors, I walked away with new perspective of foreign medicine and of Thailand culture. I also gained confidence in my own abilities to travel independently and adapt to new environments.

Everyone that I met during my time in Thailand with World Endeavors was nice and my accommodations were perfect. I was able to experience a different culture. World Endeavors helped alot with everything before I arrived to Thailand.

I realized how difficult language barriers are and how to overcome them. I gained many new friends and a love for Thai food! I also learned a lot about health care in Thailand and a deeper insight into pediatrics.

I had been to Thailand many times as a tourist, and this experience with World Endeavors allowed me to see a very different side of the country and the people. I feel like I got to know the everyday life of the Thai people.

I gained an entirely new awareness about another culture that is so different from the U.S. It is great to learn about different people and ways of thinking and living. I definitely learned from them.

I now have a better appreciation for the life I have, realizing I don't need the best of everything to be happy. I also gained an understanding of how life is so different in other countries.

While in Thailand, I had a chance to exercise my english again after a long time. since I met people from all over the world I could also hear and get used to many different accents. I learned very few words in Thai.

All of advisors were really helpful. Especially because my program was changed last minute from Nepal to Thailand, they did a great job of helping me with the transition of preparing for a different country.

This experience has reaffirmed my decision to go to medical school, and now I believe I hold a deeper understanding of health care in the United States, from having seen it on an international level. This has also allowed me to observe and evaluate how I can be most useful as a physician hopefully in the future.

Everything has run smoothly, and I'm in love with Thailand and all its people! I learned so much about their culture such as the importance of family and the respect of elders, their emphasis of nature, there are trees and gardens everywhere, and their high respect for all life and an understanding of the mutualistic relationship. Everyone's first reaction is to smile, be friendly and helpful. Thank you!!

My time in Thailand with World Endeavors was wonderful! I've been enjoying myself immensely and I'm wishing I could have more time here to see different places and spend more time with the friends I've made in the past two weeks! :(

A Great life experience which improved me physically and mentally. Volunteering abroad was such a complete experience that I went beyond the goals I set for the program . I was followed by the World Endeavors from the beginning to the end of the program always getting quick answers to my questions.

Not only did I learn a lot about caring for children and the country I lived in, I also met amazing people who treated me like a family member and I had lots and lots of fun! helped others like I wanted, I visited a new place, I found new connections, I felt happy the whole time and I found interest for another language. My advisor and coordinator were kind, helpful and always available and they regularly checked up on me. They explained everything thoroughly and gave me different options about my stay and for things to do while in Thailand. Organizing the trip was easy and everything went smoothly. It is really well set-up, reliable and it offers constant support before, during and after the experience.

I'm being looked after wonderfully by the staff at my placement. I'm having a blast working with the children, learning the daily routines, and being immersed within a new language and culture. Everything is a little overwhelming, but I'm relishing the entire experience!

Volunteering in Thailand is going well. I love the Thai lifestyle. The cultural immersion has been wonderful and I understand that they are trying to provide me everything. I want to learn as much as possible!

Volunteering in Thailand has been a fantastic, crazy experience. Our host family has been wonderful and has played a large role in how well we have settled into Bangkok, as have many of the other Thai people we have met. It was great to be able to explore different areas of the hospital when we initially arrived, as well as going to visit the orphanage. It was great that we were able to stay with different doctors and in different areas in the hospital to decide where we wanted to spend our time volunteering and observing.The flexibility of the children's hospital coordinator with our preferences and requests has been great. Overall the experience has been wonderful so far and the people in Thailand are so kind. Every day is different and exciting. And of course the food is delicious!

I didn't set expectations because it was a completely different part of the World and I'm glad I didn't set any because it let my experience just be very open to anything. I really like living with the host family and it was a very authentic experience I would go back there. My host mom was the best host mom anyone could ask for she made the experience so fun and made us reach out of our comfort zone which made the experience very fun and memorable. I would recommend this program because people need to get out of their comfort zone and experience other parts of the World to become a more well rounded citizen and more knowledgable of other cultures.

Everything leading up to the program was overwhelming. The idea of traveling to a different country alone for the first time, the language barrier, the fear of not being completely prepared and so on. After being there and experiencing the country I realized it was nothing as I expected, but better! My advisor was amazing and so supportive, especially when things got a little complicated. Everything ran smoothly and this program gave me the opportunity to do something incredible.

I completely loved the country the people and the children I worked with. I found like I was at home, everyone was so kind to all of us volunteers. I would recommend this program because World Endeavors was always present during the experience.

When asked if I should recommend World Endeavors my answer is why I shouldn't??!! I am extremely glad for discovering a new kind of culture, for meeting new people from different nationalities and for making an incredible experience.

I would recommend World Endeavors to a friend/colleague because I was able to create an experience that I want to go/do (where, what, how long, etc.). I had contacted an individual who had just returned from interning in Thailand via email and asked her what I should expect when I arrive. She replied by saying that I should try to have little or no expectations. I was hard not to have any expectations, but any that I did have were greatly different than what I actually experienced in Thailand.

I had a very positive experience and I am very thankful for all WE did for me. I did not know what to expect when arriving in Thailand, but everyone was so welcoming and friendly willing to help. I would not of had this experience if it wasn't for WE. Very organized and helpful. I could tell everyone knew what they were doing.

I think everyone should go volunteer in another culture. It gives you so much perspective. The in-country coordinators are absolutely amazing people. They are the most loving and big hearted people I’ve ever met. I learned so much from them. My advisor was great. I wasn’t always accessible with my hectic work schedule in the US but she was patient and helped me get everything worked out before I went. I had an awesome family home stay assignment, met so many amazing friends, felt impactful at my work assignment and got to see many beautiful things. It was life changing!

Best experience of my life! Thank you for this opportunity! Meeting incredible and inspirational people, exploring, and being able to travel across the world all by myself which forced me to step out of my comfort zone and pushed me to my limits. I met the most kind and nicest people ever. Everyone was so helpful and it was easy to learn and navigate all by myself and be very independent. And I got to help make a difference in the kids I worked with lives. My friend will be going to Ghana this summer. I recommended it because it's very helpful and was an amazing experience.

My original intent in volunteering abroad in Thailand was ideally to work in a hospital or clinic to gain experience with patients and clinicians in another country. When I was placed in a childcare center, I was admittedly a little hesitant since I requested to be placed with adults. I decided I wouldn't let this deter me because I still wanted to have this experience and have my eyes opened regardless of the demographic I would be helping. The pre-departure process was very well spelled out, and I always knew who to call for questions. Everyone involved was exceedingly friendly and helpful. My month in Thailand was one of the best of my life. I was able to travel before and after my two weeks in Bangkok. The first week my friend and I spent in Chiang Mai and Pai, and the last week was spend in Krabi. The transportation was cheap and manageable. Each city/town was so distinct but so authentic in their own ways. Getting to our temporary home in Bangkok was also a breeze thanks to my wonderful host parents, Goi and Wan. The home was very comfortable and private, and the food was to die for. Wan thankfully took us on a few tours of the city and was happy to give us rides to and from the airport. The childcare center itself exceeded my expectations. The staff was wonderful and we had great times despite the obvious language barriers. I felt useful and even felt connections with many of the children there. I still wish I could have left more of a lasting impression or done more concrete medical work, but I still think about Thailand and those children all the time. I would be hard pressed to give a better review. Thailand treated us so, so well, from central Bangkok atop impossibly high buildings, to the rural areas many tourists avoid. I would recommend this World Endeavors Volunteer Abroad in Thailand program to anyone who would listen.