While doing the program, we sometimes went to play in mountain streams and developed teamwork with friends, and the thing I liked most was that the volunteer site had overwhelmingly more Westerners than Asians, so you could meet people from many countries in one place—USA, Canada, Singapore, China, Vietnam, Portugal, Croatia, the UK, Germany, etc.
[Overseas volunteering/Extracurricular] Building a village in Chiang Rai, Thailand with foreign friends [Cebu, Philippines/Language study review] No stress, enjoy and have fun, just study English! Kim Hu-gon, a gapper (27, gap year after quitting his job) / 20 weeks of gap year
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# After quitting my job, I wanted to find what I truly wanted to do.
Hello. I''m gapper Kim Hu-gon. I quit my company and applied because I wanted to travel a bit and get to know myself.
Before quitting my job, I happened to see a book about gap years at a bookstore. It was very similar to what I had been pondering, and I wanted to travel abroad more, so I chose the gap-year project.Because through a gap year I wanted to become more active and find out what I really want to do.It is.
When I was about 23, I did a one-year working holiday in Hong Kong, so I wasn''t very worried about staying abroad for a long time. I prepared for departure using the checklist the gap-year program provided as a basis. Still, the parts related to traveling in Thailand were a bit difficult because you ultimately have to interpret things yourself.
# Daily routines in the Philippines and Thailand, especially memories I liked from Thailand
Since the Philippines is primarily a language school, the system seems to be much more structured.Classes start at 9 a.m., each class is 45 minutes with a 5-minute break.That''s how it was. So it often felt like attending school again.
In Thailand, we had morning meetings to decide when to depart. And usuallyFor outdoor work, we worked about 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon, finishing the day at around 3:30 to 4:00 p.m.Because the tasks vary each time, the daily schedule is flexible.
There were so many people I met during the project… In the Philippines I became especially close with friends from Taiwan, and after the gap year ended I immediately traveled to Taiwan to meet them again. And in Thailand I became close with many friends like Yosuke, Kiet, Nook, Jam, Megu, Josh, and when the time came we spent a week together at the Thai Songkran festival.
Thailand, in particular, remains a good memory.Among the volunteer activities in Thailand, for outdoor projects we went to homestays every two weeks, so the food was really delicious, and there was the advantage of being able to experience trekking trips in Chiang Rai while volunteering.That''s true. However, English was harder than I expected. But you don''t need to worry about that. Foreigners understand us well even if our pronunciation is odd or we speak word by word.
# The countryside of Chiang Rai with houses built right below the mountain — I was so satisfied and my heart was full.
Thailand offered many great and surprising experiences. There are places like Phuket known for the sea, but tourism has also developed a lot around mountains and tribal experiences like in Chiang Mai. As a result,Chiang Rai, which you reach by about a 3 hour 30 minute bus ride from Chiang Mai, is more rural than Chiang Mai, and the volunteer site was at the level of houses built right at the foot of the mountain.
So if you arrive at the volunteer site carrying part of that feeling from the airport, you can feel that the jungle and houses coexist. Personally, rather than places that are a mix of city and countryside,I prefer environments that are skewed to one side. So I was very satisfied with this volunteer site and felt my heart swell.
Honestly, English might be somewhat desperately needed there. I personally thought I''m not good at English, and when you listen to conversations of American, Canadian, and British friends, they speak too fast and use slang and high-level English words I don''t know. So taking a break from talking with friends all day or having such urgent measures and personal rest time was very helpful.
HoweverWhat helped the most was self-''belief''.It was. Early in the volunteering, I struggled a lot because of English and once asked my friends, ''What do you think of my English skills?'' Then an American friend said, ''With your level, you could backpack around the U.S. on your own without anyone''s help.'' And the friends who were listening around also agreed.
Receiving encouragement from my friends like that, and seeing the Thai interns and foreign volunteers grow close, I realized it wasn''t English that was the problem but my own attitude.You don''t need to be afraid of English. Even if your English isn''t good, you can still become friends with foreigners. But if you want to form deeper relationships with foreign friends, you''ll need some conversational English, right?
# A time when I could meet international friends from all over — the U.S., Canada, the U.K., China, and more
To be honest, I had many very difficult experiences in the Philippines, but Thailand is a perfectly rural environment so I personally liked it more. When you go into town, the facilities, clean roads, and food are much better than around language schools in the Philippines.
And while doing the program, sometimes...We went to the valley to hang out, built teamwork with friends, and because the volunteer sites had overwhelmingly more Westerners than Asians, the best part was being able to meet people from many countries — the U.S., Canada, Singapore, China, Vietnam, Portugal, Croatia, the U.K., Germany, etc. — all in one place.
Advice for future participants: as I mentioned earlier, it''s better to study spoken English before going to Thailand. Even if you can''t speak English well, you can hang out and talk, but if you can speak English well you''ll have more fun with them and better appreciate the cultural differences.
# My gap year tips
(How to get there)
All meeting points took place at the airport, and the project locations used a pickup service.However, in Chiang Rai most pickup staff wait at the domestic terminal. In my case, because I flew direct from Hong Kong to Chiang Rai, I had to look for the staff myself.
(Language)
If I were to recommend a method for studying conversational language...I recommend the video ''Daeryuknam''s English Conversation Study Method''.I want to recommend it. I personally studied conversation that way, and my American friends said that with my English level I could travel around the U.S. on my own.
(Accommodation)
When you go to Thailand, it''s a good idea to get used to taking cold showers.
(Meals)
For the Philippines, I personally recommend dormitory meals over eating out. Also, bring plenty of Korean food with you before you go if possible. I had a really hard time with the food at local Filipino restaurants, so I ended up looking for Korean restaurants every day, which became quite costly.
(Packing list)
Honestly, a hairdryer isn''t necessary in Thailand — for men it just takes up space. You''ll definitely need a lot of mosquito repellent in Thailand. A snapback cap was also very helpful.
(Travel)
If you want to do a Chiang Rai temple tour, you can consider two routes.
Route 1: Blue Temple -> Black House -> Tea Plantation -> Mae Fah Luang University
Route 2: White Temple -> Singha Park
My gap year was
Experience
Philippines★★★☆☆
If you have little experience with Bohol Island and beach travel, this would be a good experience,
Thailand★★★★☆
I really enjoyed the parts about living in the mountains and experiencing traditional Thai food.
Learning
Philippines★★★☆☆
The teachers are competent.
Thailand★★★★☆
You can experience cultural exchange with foreigners and the life of the ''Hill Tribe''.
Environment
Philippines★★☆☆☆
You''ll get tanned just by being outside.
Thailand★★★★★
Thailand has a very beautiful environment.
Safety
Philippines★☆☆☆☆
Personally, I give it one star. Many people in the class had items stolen.
Thailand★★★★☆
Thailand is much safer than the Philippines. However, be careful around the institution at night because there are no lights.
Leisure
Philippines★★★★☆
I highly recommend Bohol Island, one of the world''s top 7 island-hopping destinations.
Thailand★★★★☆
You can see many temples in Chiang Rai, and there are many nearby attractions such as Chiang Mai and Myanmar.
