Thailand Volunteering program – What a amazing experience!!
泰国志愿者计划——次多么奇妙的经历！！
I was lucky enough to go to Thailand with CBE’s Volunteering program for 3 Weeks this summer.
今年夏天，我很幸运地参加了CBE的志愿者计划，去了泰国3个星期。
The hostel where I stayed was pretty basic but did the job. There are various nearby places that do laundry which are very cheap and charge per kg. The breakfast is very basic - bread (a toaster) jam, fried eggs, mini pancakes and frankfurter sausages. There is free wifi in the eating area and if your room is close to the eating area you might be able to use the wifi but mostly there is no wifi in the rooms.
我们住的宿舍很简陋，但很舒适。附近有各种各样的店铺，这里的洗衣店价格非常便宜，他们是按每公斤收费的。早餐也非常简单—面包（烤面包机）果酱、煎蛋、迷你煎饼和法兰克福香肠。宿舍的餐厅里有免费的Wifi，如果你的房间离餐厅很近，你可以在房间使用餐厅的wifi，但是大部份房间里都是没有wifi的。
I was lucky enough to have JJ, the program coordinator, as my guide for this 3 weeks. He was lovely, super helpful and a friendly man who totally took care of us the whole time! He is of Thai origin, so knew how everything worked and he's also a very experienced tour guide!
我很幸运的遇到了JJ，他是这个项目的协调员，也是我这3周的向导。他很亲切友好和乐于助人，在整个项目期间把我们照顾的非常好！他是泰国人，所以很了解这里的所有事情，他也是一个非常有经验的导游！
The first full day was a boat trip which was a really nice way to see the sights and get to know the group.
第一天的行程是一次游船探险，这是一个很好的方式来观赏景点和熟悉小组其他人员的方式。
There was an optional evening event of a 'lady boy' show which was quite expensive! You had to pay for that separately but transport there was organized for you. It was very bizarre indeed- a mishmash of snippets of musicals performed by LadyBoys. I guess Thailand is known for its LadyBoys so I am glad I went. Nightlife along in Thailand is crazy- every night is like a Friday or Saturday night! Very cheap cocktails and loads of weird bugs you can eat here.
在晚上有一个可以自由选择参加的节目，就是“人妖表演”节目，费用有点贵！你须要额外支付，但往返的交通是为你安排好的。这真是太奇特了,整个表演汇杂了不同的音乐剧由人妖进行演出。我想泰国是以人妖而闻名世界的，所以我很高兴我选择了去看这场表演。泰国的夜生活很疯狂的，每个夜晚就像星期五或星期六的夜晚！这里有非常便宜的鸡尾酒和你可以在这里吃到很多奇怪的虫子。
The project for the 1st week was going to a temple to teach children during the day was fun. We played lots of games and as a group bought lots of sweets to hand out to the children at the end. Always a nice gesture to say goodbye, I believe.
第一周的项目是去寺庙里教孩子们英语，过程是非常开心的。我们一起玩了很多游戏，也买了很多糖果在结束的时候发给孩子们，我相信这是最好的告别方式。
The volunteer teaching project was really amazing. You basically just have to be proactive, there weren't any set tasks with the children in the mornings, you just kind of hang out. For me, it was fine as I enjoy children's company but if you're not used to children, I suggest you get there and just try and interact as much as you can. Children love snap chat!! That can keep them amused for hours!
志愿教学项目真是太棒了。你基本上只需要积极主动，我们没有任何固定的任务，你只需要去和孩子们玩。对我来说这很好，因为我喜欢和孩子们在一起，但是如果你不善于与孩子交流，我也建议你去那里，尽可能多地尝试和孩子们互动。孩子们很喜欢聊天！你和他们逗乐能让他们开心上好几个小时！
We went to a huge market for an afternoon. As always, be prepared to haggle! It's seriously hot, always have lots of water with you - bottled water is like 2RMB and is sold everywhere!! If you love a massage, then Thailand is the place. A foot massage is about 22RMB for half an hour. There are many temple trips, and I would suggest you go as the temples are beautiful.
有一天下午我们去了一个很大的市场。一如既往，随时做好讨价还价的准备！这里天气很热，记得一定要多喝水，这里的瓶装水很便宜，—瓶装水不到2元人民币，到处都可以买得到！！如果你喜欢按摩，那么泰国就是最好的地方。这里的足部按摩半个小时只需要大约22元人民币半小时。这里也有许多又美丽又有特色的寺庙，我建议大家多去参观。
The 2nd week in elephant village was my favorite part. It was such an amazing project! The accommodation was super basic, you are about 10 in a room on mattresses on the floor with mosquito nets. There is a basic shower with lukewarm water and sink as well as a flushing loo!!!
第二周的项目地点是大象保护中心，也是我最喜欢的部分。这是一个了不起的项目！大象保护中心的住宿是超级简陋，10个人一个房间，只有床垫放在地上和挂着蚊帐。这里有基本淋浴设施，温水和梳洗的水槽，以及冲水马桶！！
The people who look after you (the mahouts) are lovely, super friendly. They sleep right nearby with the elephants. You wake up and get to see the elephants from your room - it's pretty special. You get to wash the elephants in the nearby pond. It initially seems a bit gross to get in the water with the elephants poo floating around but it's fine.
在这里照顾我们的人（驯象师）都非常亲切和超级友好。他们和大象睡在一起。你醒来，可以直接从房间里看到外面的大象……非常特别。我们会在附近的池塘里给大象洗澡。大象粪便会漂浮在水面上，刚开始会觉得有点恶心，但习惯了就没什么了。
There is no wifi for this week at the elephant village! I found it fine actually, quite refreshing as it made you just stop and enjoy your surroundings instead of looking at your phone!! And socialize with your group!
在大象村的这一周没有WiFi！但我发现其实感觉非常好，非常令人耳目一新，你可以停下来享受周围的环境，而不是看着你的手机！另外也可以让你和你的团队其他志愿者们有更多的交流空间！
One weekend we decided to go away. Half the group went to Cambodia (which was doable) and my group went to Khao Samed island. JJ kindly went with us. Again, although it was a long journey it was worth it, we just left the elephants village a day early. The island was beautiful, sea and beautiful sandy white beaches. Be aware of jellyfish, though!!!!!
在周末，我们决定离开营地。我们组一半的人去了柬埔寨玩，我和另一半的人去了沙美岛。JJ也和我们一起去了。虽然这个旅程很漫长，但是一切都是值得的，我们提前了一天离开大象大象保护中心。这个岛拥有美丽的海和白色的沙滩，不过一定要小心这里的海蜇。
Another option given was to see bats coming out of a bat cave (extra cost) - totally worth it. It was incredible to see over 1 million bats leave the cave! A real stunning scene. You get to go in the cave before to see them all.
另一个选择是去蝙蝠洞看蝙蝠从洞里飞出来，虽然这是需要额外付费的，但是是完全值得的。你可以看到超过100万只蝙蝠飞出洞穴，真是太不可思议了！这是一个真正令人惊叹的场景。你必须进山洞里去看看。
The trek at the national park is no big deal at all. I packed my trekking boots and everything but trainers would have been enough. We only hiked for about an hour and a half. But it was beautiful, loads of wildlife! No need to buy special socks from the shop, though, pulling your socks up and wearing trousers is absolutely fine!!
在国家公园进行徒步冒险对我来说也不是一件困难的事。我打包好我的行装和穿好我的登山鞋，一切都准备充足。我们徒步了大约一个半小时，一路的风景实在是太美丽了，我们接触到了许多野生动植物！在这里森林冒险，不需要买野外登山的专用袜子，但是建议把袜子拉高，穿短裤是绝对可以的！！
If you decided to join this project, I suggest you take diarrhea tablets, headache pills, loads of mosquito repellent (but you can get it all cheaply out there!) and sun cream in your package. I was pretty lucky and didn't get sick, just be sure to wash your hands as much as possible and drink lots of water. Coconut water is super cheap (like 2.2RMB a bottle) and is really good for rehydration!
如果你决定参加这个项目，我建议你要把止泻药、头痛药、驱蚊剂（你可以在那里买的到，而且很便宜！）和防晒霜都带上。我很幸运在这次行程中没有生病，要记住尽量多洗手和多喝水。椰子水也是一个很好补充水份的选择，而且非常便宜（大约2.2人民币一瓶）！
If you go to Thailand and join this program, hopefully, you'll be lucky enough to have JJ as your guide who really was wonderful. He even came with us on our weekend away to Khao Samed Island and kindly organized it all for us so we weren't ripped off!
如果你去泰国参加这个项目，希望你能遇到像JJ这样的协调员，他真的很棒。他甚至和我们一起去沙美岛共度周末，他并亲切地为我们安排好了这一切，因此我们没有被敲竹杠！
如想了解更多资讯，请关注我的头条号cbeorg，评论后私信我：泰国志愿者之旅
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