If you could take a year off from school/work, what would you do?

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There is one thing I would do: move to Samut Songkhram province, where I spent a year and a half working as a volunteer once-a-week English teacher at Bangkhonthiinai School, and give my full-time effort to that 50-student school.  That way, I could change the lives of those students, whose homes are shacks amidst banana and coconut plantations and whose families live in near-poverty.   

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18 thoughts on “If you could take a year off from school/work, what would you do?”

  8. @zacksamurai – There seems to be a lot of political uncertainty at the school.  No new director has been named in the year since the previous director retired.  She has advised that we do not go back since we are not official teachers, we could not be protected if any misunderstanding or incidents happened.  I still exchange post cards with some of the students, sending them from different places I travel to hopefully spark their interest in the world and education.

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  11. A good photo with so many smiles and such personality! I wish I could have such a positive impact on young lives. I applaud your cause and hope you can continue to be a spark (and kindle their fire for knowledge).

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  16. @icapillas – Thanks.  Vacation I can do anytime (well, if I save up enough money), but these are special children and they’ll be grown up and their course in life will be set soon.  So if I had the means, I’d want to do more to help them, sooner rather than later.

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