A Homestay Away in Thailand

When I look back at my time in Bangkok with my host family it seems like a whole different world. Although I had met plenty of foreigners that had visited Thailand, when I arrived I felt like I knew nothing about the country or the people. The main reasons why I decided to volunteer to teach English on the Language Homestay program in Thailand was to gain some teaching experience and to meet the real Thai people and learn about their culture.

I had never thought of myself as a city person but found that I enjoyed the fact that there was always something to do and something new to see in Bangkok, even while traveling alone. Sure at times it was difficult to walk without knocking into someone but you do get used to it. And although there were some communication problems with shop attendants and taxi drivers I found it added to the cultural experience. It forces you to try to learn some of the language and I can definitely say that the Thai language is not an easy one to learn.

The host family I stayed with was really welcoming, but also quite busy with work and school throughout the day so I had plenty of time to myself to explore. Our lessons were pretty casual and mainly consisted of spending time together and talking. My host mum improved the most with her English, and I found it hard to communicate with their daughter. She was really busy with her studies and had five extra classes a week, which included the weekends. I had been told that it’s really competitive in Thailand to get into university and depending on what you want to study it pays to be top of the class. She was also quite shy and although her mum had tried to encourage her to speak English she was still hesitant. I felt like a bit of a failure at the time but decided to try my best. She would occasionally ask questions, which did show there was some improvement.

I was lucky enough to stay with a family that introduced me to different Thai food and who showed me some different parts of Bangkok and Chiang mai.