Gillian Hearnshaw has now returned to East Langton after spending a fascinating year teaching in Thailand with Project Trust. Project Trust, which is based on the Isle of Coll off the west coast of Scotland, was set up by one Major Bristol with the aim of educating young Britons to understand life outside Europe, particularly in the less developed world.
Gillian, who is taking a year out of studies after achieving three A-levels at Oakham School before embarking on a BA degree at Sussex in Social Anthropology, was drawn to this project after poring over all the available year-out options. It appears that the idea of opting out for a year is catching on in a big way.
The philosophy of Project Trust is that of character building, developing the potential to achieve in new and strange environments and building the confidence of young people while at the same time giving them the opportunity of a lifetime.
Gillian's first task was to spend a week on Coll along with other hopefuls to be set various tests both mental and physical to assess her overall ability. These tests comprised English Grammar, language aptitude, interviews, discussion and making a speech on her home town. She was also set manual labour to assess her endurance and ability to withstand the climate and environment.
Of those who apply to join Project Trust, approximately 200 are successful and these are recalled to Coll for a further five days, in Gillian's case to be given basic training in teaching methods. Others were destined for farming, outward bound work and general social work. However, once Gillian had been chosen, the hard work of financing the trip began.
The cost of the trip was £2750 and Gillian was very grateful for those who supported the coffee morning held at the Hearnshaw's home. Money was also raised by personal and company sponsorships, and at her school, a netball match with a difference was held to help fund the trip. The boys challenged the girls at their own game and dressed the part accordingly; much fun was had by all.
Gillian flew to Bangkok at the end of August last year having been paired up with a fellow student from the Trust. They made their way to the Assumption College in Nakhon Rajaisima (Khorat as it is commonly known) which is a Catholic college run by the Brotherhood of the order of St Gabriel. The college has 1300 pupils aged between three and 18 and is split into three sections on one campus: the kindergarten, the ordinary school and the commerce section.
Thai is a complex language
Gillian and her partner Susie taught the equivalent of second, third and upper sixth children in the ordinary school, sharing lessons with a Thai English teacher; there were as many as 50 to 60 children in each class. Their main role at the school was to encourage informal English conversation to develop the children's vocabulary. However, communicating in Thai was almost impossible as it is a complex language with 44 consonants and 24 vowels; also five different tones will completely change the meaning of one word.
All this changed when all 16 volunteers were sent on a 120 hour intensive language course in Chiang Mai, which left them feeling more confident when returning to their respective projects. While in Chiang Mai, a city devoted predominantly to the tourist industry, Gillian was able to explore the natural beauty of Doi Inthanon (a mountain south west of the city) with its spectacular waterfalls.
Back at the college, teaching became much more rewarding as the children began to take a greater interest in English lessons. Many of the younger children were eager to practice what they had learnt during their previous lesson. Until the arrival of the volunteers, learning English had been very boring and the children had not been taught well. It was essential to learn the language as Thailand relies heavily on the tourist industry, and jobs could be secured with the ability to speak English well.
Gillian was also involved with teaching workers in a factory in the village to which she and Susie moved. Project Trust was helping on two fronts, not only giving British students the opportunity to learn but also helping Thai commerce and industry which badly needed people who understood English.
Gillian's confidence with the language meant that she too could practice her Thai while exploring the countryside at weekends and on visits to the homes of some of the children. She found that the people's hospitality knew no bounds: Thailand is known as the "the land of smiles" and wherever she went people greeted her and each other by a smile and a wai (hands together in front of the chest and head bowed slightly).
Apart from their generosity, Gillian discovered that the Thai people know how to have serious fun. This discovery was made during the Songkran festival (12-14 April), the Thai New Year. This is also a festival asking for the rains to come. The festival basically involves the whole country in a massive water fight, and allowances are made for no one. Gillian and Susie went to Chiang Mai where the celebrations were on a grand scale. On the journey to Chiang Mai the bus (and all those inside) were constantly being soaked with buckets of water by people standing by the roadside.
It did not end there, during the festivities crowds took to the streets with water pistols and watched a huge procession of people in traditional Thai costumes soaked to the skin. Gillian highly recommends a trip to Thailand at that time of year.
Gillian has grown to love Thailand and cannot speak highly enough of Thai culture and hospitality. She certainly recommends a holiday to the country, but most importantly she strongly recommends that other students wishing to take a year out should consider joining Project Trust. The address to write to is:- The Hebridean Centre, The Isle of Coll, Argyll, Scotland, PA78 6TE.
© Maxine Johnson 1994
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© Kibworth & District Chronicle 1998