I’m on my second day at the Baan Yuu Suk Shelter and I love it so, so much!! The people here are so wonderful–there are two American staff members and one British woman, and all the volunteers are American save for one Canadian. The rest of the staff, including the founder of COSA, Mickey, are Thai. They were so welcoming and amazingly nice. Meeting the girls was also incredible–they are SO sweet and cute and smart and eager to learn. They are at school from 7:30 to 4 so while they are away the staff/volunteers hold meetings to go over lesson plans, peer review, assignments, etc. My first one is tomorrow. Mondays and Tuesdays are the volunteers’ days off, so today I rode a motorbike into town with some of the girls and explored. It’s so beautiful here I can’t even believe it. Next week we’ve planned to go to a cooking class and I am so eager to visit the tiger reserve just ten minutes away!
At COSA you come up with your own projects and lesson plans to present to the staff for consideration/approval, and they’ve asked me to do an age/culturally appropriate sex ed class for the girls. I’m excited to get started on an itinerary! I’m also planning on teaching dance since the girls love it. Saturdays and Sundays are English lessons. On Sunday we’re all going swimming and I can’t wait. The girls are just SO sweet and lovely and affectionate and I already feel at home. I can’t believe this is where I’ll be for the next four months!
So yes things are going wonderfully here and I’m so happy that this placement seems to be working out better than I could’ve ever hoped.
Sienna