August 2006 San Francisc
Anika Keswani talks about her recent Cross Cultural Solutions Trip to Thailand.
I feel so lucky that the Salesforce Foundation allowed me the opportunity to volunteer in Trang. Here's a little description of the trip:
I didn't know what to expect; there were 14 people total to volunteer, ranging in ages from 17-59, but most around college-age. We were all split up to different sites; 3 other girls and I headed to the KSA Public Health Centre, where we would spend half our time observing medical practices sponsored by the Thai and Trang government (including Thai herbal massages, and in-home visits) and small business development ("OTOP" - one tambon [village], one product. The program encourages villages around Trang to work together to produce marketable handmade goods)... and the other half teaching groups of kids from the local schools English in an IT centre, where they were also learning their way around computers.
The girls in class learned to say "beautiful" and "I love you" and very cutely repeated these over and over again in class. We also got to observe the inner workings of a Silk Weaving Center and Tissue Plant. It was interesting to see that Trang had a wealth of resources in the public health center, including their own water purification center which allowed them to provide (including delivery) subsidized purified water to community members who requested the service.
Our placement also invited us to a celebration for the Queen's birthday, in which our coworkers were doing a dance. They had us made up in full Thai gear and makeup - quite an experience. We spent an evening watching dance performances and even got to participate with our colleagues, holding images of the King and Queen & flags.
During our free time, the Cross Cultural Solutions staff took us to see major sights in Trang, including Thai boxing, some amazing caves, and nearby beautiful beaches. We definitely got the full Trang experience.
-Anika Keswani (Consulting)
Anika and her students: Anika and her students in the computer lab
Anika Keswani Trip-celebrating the Queen's birthday
