WALKING WITH THE EXCLUDED
By Daniel Belperio
Before I left Australia for my six-month stint in Thailand in February, there were two recurring questions that people asked me. First: Why volunteer? And second: Why now? As I explained to them, it certainly wasn’t an impulsive decision.
Finding space to reflect
After school, I started studying mechanical engineering and computer science and as I moved through the degree, I commenced corporate work alongside my studies. As I approached the end of the degree I began to think – quite naturally – about what was next. I saw the continuation of my path into full-time work and beyond and it was at this point when I questioned if this was really what I wanted to do.
Don’t get me wrong, there was and is nothing bad about this path, but I just felt that the time had gone so quickly that I needed some space to reflect about what was next for me. This led me to want to take a gap year at the completion of my degree.
How do you meaningfully fill a gap year?
For me, volunteering was the answer. It provided the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone, gain perspective and give of myself to something more. This was something that I could not ignore. I felt that teaching, sharing knowledge and being part of a community was one of the greatest ways in which I could do this and so the prospect of coming to the Xavier Learning Community (XLC) in Thailand sounded perfect.
My journey was different to many of the other volunteers who had only recently finished high school. However, I saw the end of my degree and the (potential) completion of my studies as the right time to create this space and embark on this experience. In doing so, I learnt a lot about myself.
Being unexpectedly thrown in on my second day to teach English to Thai primary school Year 1 and Year 2 students helps you focus pretty quickly, especially after next to no preparation. But when you embrace a challenge, you realise that these are the experiences you truly cherish because they help you grow. The XLC community was extremely welcoming and I formed strong connections during my time there.
Never put restrictive labels on yourself
In retrospect, it’s interesting when a six-month volunteering stint draws to a close. That’s when you realise it’s the same stint that you spent so much time thinking about, being worried about and eventually getting excited about. That mix of emotions is now so much richer after the six months are over. The phrase “volunteering experience” feels like a restrictive label to use for what has been life at XLC for the past six months. Why is this? Well, I think it’s because this journey has been so much more than what I initially thought it would be when I signed up as a volunteer.
Before I flew to Thailand, people would ask what I’d be doing there and my response was, “I am going to be teaching English in a university”. However, when I look back on what I actually received, in parallel with what I gave, my answer is going to be different: “I spent six months enriched as part of a community.”
What did I learn along the way? Here are some quick thoughts …
English is a superpower
Being a native English speaker, it is very easy to overlook just how significant this is. The language is incredibly complex. The combination of tenses, conjugations and exceptions to rules with no other explanation other than, “That’s just how it is” collectively make it extremely challenging to both teach and learn. That’s without even getting into the realm of idioms.
I have a torturous yet extremely fond memory of trying to explain a movie quote to students. In the 2005 movie ‘Corpse Bride’, featuring the voices of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, someone from the world of the dead proclaims, “Why would you want to go up there, when people are dying to get down here?” In the hours (yes, hours) that I spent trying to explain it, I’m still not sure if I managed to get the point across clearly.
Turning dreams into reality
For students in Thailand – or anywhere else, for that matter – acquiring English is so much more than just learning a language. It is their key to unlocking opportunities for the future and turning aspirations into reality. Some common aims include becoming a flight attendant, a tour guide or a business owner and many cite the ability to communicate in English as the single most important step to make these dreams a reality.
Humanising different realities
Being in the north of Thailand among hill tribes and ethnic minorities while simultaneously being so close to Laos and war-torn Myanmar, you realise that the people, their experiences and the stories that they share with you are vast and unique. It is one thing to hear about struggles and disasters on the news, but it brings a whole new dimension and perspective when those stories are actually about your friends in this region whom you see every day, share meals with and live with. That part of the overall experience certainly broadened my world view.
Contributing to a legacy
Further to the idea of not fully grasping what volunteering really was before coming in, I have also realised how the contribution we made as a cohort holds so much more weight than I first thought. After all, we are part of a bigger history and a history that will continue into the future. While my own stint was coming to an end, we welcomed three new volunteers to XLC. They will continue to serve the community, as will successive volunteers and teachers, well into the future. In this way, my time there was really part of something much bigger – the ongoing contribution that XLC makes to the community there.
Modifying my own perceptions
So, maybe when I think about it, it is my idea of what constitutes a volunteer that has changed. It is not only undertaking the task in the manner that the dictionary would suggest, but rather a full immersion into an unfamiliar life. Yes, day-to-day routines included teaching university students all the way down to primary school students, but it also involved playing sport, eating meals together, sharing life stories and countless other things centred in friendship and service. All these extra things are what have filled the experience and given it immeasurable value.
The author is an alumnus of Saint Ignatius’ College, Adelaide.
