Volunteering in Thailand

I come from a small town that values the importance of education through life lessons and the power of kindness. The goodwill, tolerance, and grace given to me by many of my teachers and community members inspired me to strive to be a person who touches others and has a positive impact on the world. I aspire now to live a life of altruism through the influence of education and volunteer work. Recently, I have been given the opportunity to volunteer abroad in Thailand for six weeks through a program called AIESEC, which collaborates with San Diego State University. I plan to leave country for the first time in my life December 23rd and return January 20th. Upon arrival, I will have a two day debriefing on the Thai culture and the routine of the program. I will be stationed an hour from Bangkok at a Provence about an hour away. For the next six week I will be teaching at a school in rural Thailand, helping teach the children Basic English, grammar, and more about the American culture. A student who has recently been on the trip that now works for the program reached out to me and was eager to share how much the Thai children looked up to her and how excited they were to learn. I am so passionate about what this program has to offer and with the way the world is today, the human race as a whole is in desperate need of altruism and through the power of giving selflessly without the expectation of having anything reciprocated to us, we can undoubtedly change the world. The program itself is 576 dollars, which covers meals twice a day Monday through Friday and also housing over the duration of the trip. This price excludes airfare (around 900), insurance while there (around 80), and a visa check (around 80). I have estimated the trip will be around 2,000 dollars, but the experience and impact it will have on my life will be priceless. My parents are unable to support me due to their own financial issues. I do have a part-time job on campus, as an Alumni Engagement Officer; however, it does not provide sufficient funds to support my trip. So I have decided to work to fundraise the money to volunteer on my own, which I am very grateful for because I know it will make the trip even that much more worth it knowing that I worked so diligently for it. If donating ANY amount is something you would be interested in, it would be going towards not only me, but the children who desperately need the power of education. It would be a gift that would touch hearts for a lifetime.