Two of Thailand's Programs are based at the Rustic Pathways' Ricefields Community Service Base in Udon Thani Province - Introduction to Community Service in Thailand and Ricefields, Monks & Smiling Children. If you are on either of these programs, you will be living at our Ricefields Base and working in our host village. If you haven't done so yet, please check out the Ricefields Base Virtual Tour at: http://www.rusticpathways.com/2008/ricefields/virtualtour.htm .

Notes on clothes for teaching
The village where you will be staying is friendly and casual, and you will not have any need for fancy clothing or any particular supplies. However, you should bring 2 or 3 pairs of lightweight pants (linen, thin cotton, etc.) to wear while teaching in the classrooms. When teaching, students must dress respectfully and are not allowed to wear shorts, "spaghetti strap" shirts, or low cut shirts. Shirts for boys and girls must have a collar and cover the shoulders.

The base is traditional Thai style, but very comfortable and welcoming, and facilities here include hot water showers, modern flush toilets, an internet connection (WiFi also available), and a really warm and easy-going environment to live, play, and share your life with the local people. Our base has a washing machine, and some of the relatives of our extended host family wash and press clothing for our students as a small side-business. There is also a tailor in town who will make silk shirts or dresses for you, and a cool market where you can buy t-shirts ($ 2 or $ 3 each).

Notes on Gifts
The one thing you will want to consider when staying in this traditional village are gifts for the young Thai students in the village school, gifts for your Thai staff members, and gifts for some of the extended family that will take care of you while you are here. You don't need to spend a lot on gifts, and if you start planning now you will find that you already have many things at home which you can recycle and bring over to give away. You may also want to get some gear with your school logo for your favorite staff, or something nice to leave at our base (a book, a game, a decoration, a toy, some sporting equipment) that will stay and be used or enjoyed after you go.

For the children in the village, you could bring colored paper, writing paper, small tablets or notebooks, pens, pencils, rulers, and basic school supplies that would be useful for students between 3 and 14 years of age. For the kindergarten and first and second grade students, you could bring simple games, blocks, coloring books and crayons, and anything they could use to play in the classroom. Another GREAT idea is a gift that will help their health…toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, chewable vitamins, etc. These may seem boring to you, but they’ll do a lot for a kid with brown teeth. There is no need to bring anything at all, but whatever you do bring will be generously accepted and used by the teachers who get by with very little in the way of supplies and materials. Bring as much or as little as you want - students often find it easiest to pack one bag with their clothing and personal gear, and a second suitcase full of gifts and giveaways that they have recycled from home, gotten from their schools before they get chucked out, etc.

For the Thai Host Family that looks after our base and all of our students, you can really bring almost anything. Our staff love t-shirts, and most Thai people wear either medium or large shirts. Shirts with your school name or logo, or a sporting name or logo, are always popular. You could also bring some small gifts for the ladies in the house - they cook, clean, laugh, care, fuss, iron, and shop to ensure that everyone is well looked after. You could bring some hand cream or face cream, some small perfumes, some costume earrings, or something that any lady would like. The four sisters who work at our base full time are between 23 and 35 years old. The older ladies that help us are your parents and your grandparents' age. If you want to bring something special to leave at the house as a gift for the program manager Kadum Sanboon and his family, consider something like a picture book of your area or your state, an atlas, or a small knick-knack that will remind them of you and your stay. As with your gifts for the children at the school, there is no obligation to give anything, but you will almost certainly want to give something to these kind people.

In addition, many of you have treasures in your closets and your drawers at home that would be a big help to children and adults in the village. If you have running shoes or tennis shoes you no longer wear, sweaters, sweatshirts or dress shirts you don't use, or school supplies that are just sitting idle collecting dust, clean them off, pack them neatly, and give them away while you are here. There is no need to spend a lot, and you can kill two birds with one stone by bringing used clean used clothing and supplies that would otherwise be pitched out. If you are bringing used things, please wash them and press them before you come over.

If you are packing nothing else for your stay here, make sure that you bring your kindness and your gentleness, and a big smile. These are unusually kind and giving people living in a culture that puts great value on the nature of a person's heart and little value on material possessions. So before packing your material gifts, prepare your thoughts and your heart to live in a place that places infinite value on thoughtfulness, laughter, generosity of spirit, and showing care for others.

There is no need to bring a big and bulky sleeping bag and sleeping pad. What has come in handy (especially if you are joining more than one program) is to make a lightweight sleeping liner. To do this, just take a lightweight bedsheet and fold it in half the long way and then sew it together. Make sure it is long enough for your entire body. Some students even put buttons on the side so they could open and close it.

When you leave here, the family will present you with gifts to take back home. They spend much of the year working on handmade silk pillows to give to all of the students. You will also find that older people in the village and the local monks will come to tie strings around your wrist (a blessing) and pray for you before you leave.

Students come back to this village often, and their stays usually get longer and longer. When parents ask how a student should prepare for a trip to a culture like this, I tell them leave as much of their material "baggage" behind as they can and prepare their minds to shift gears to a whole different pace (slower, calmer), a whole different tone (more gentle, more cyclical), and a whole different emphasis (the showing of kindness, the giving of gifts, the pleasure of laughter and being satisfied with what is in front of you).

Intro to Community Service FAQ'S

This program looks really similar to RICEFIELDS, MONKS, and SMILING CHILDREN… is it?
Yes! This is the same program – just the one-week version!

Do I have to choose one service project, or can I try different projects on different days?
You can do as many different service projects as you’d like. You can sign up for the projects on a first come, first served basis the night before.

Will I have any free time?
Students have a little free time after lunch (a great time to dip in the pool!), and again when you get home from your service projects in the evening. There are always pick-up soccer and volleyball games, dozens of little Thai kids to play with, hammocks, musical instruments, ping-pong, and all kinds of other activities going on before dinner. After dinner, depending on the night, we arrange trips to local markets, trips to the city, bowling nights, movie nights, slideshows, traditional dance performances, multi-cultural music jam sessions, and much more.

What is the food like?
The cooking staff at the Ricefields Base are well accustomed to preparing food that our students like. Expect dishes to include a great assortment of mild Thai food, lots of fresh fruit, and plenty of favorites at home. They also do a great job of offering vegetarian options at every meal!

What is the housing situation?
Students can expect to stay with 4-6 other students in their room. Generally, boys sleep in one zone, while girls sleep in another area. The rooms all have comfortable mattresses and air conditioning, which is only turned on in the early evening.

Is there lots of supervision at the camp?
In short, yes. During most weeks there will be about 20 Western (mostly American) staff, and about 30 Thai staff, so there are plenty of us around. We’re usually the ones trying to organize a walk around the village, a pick-up soccer or ultimate Frisbee game, or a movie night. And you can expect your Hua Na Hong (The Boss of your Room) to make sure you keep your room in good shape, your air conditioning stays off during the day, and that you’re up and at ‘em bright and early each morning!

Will I have access to the internet at the Base?
Yes – you will have access to the internet, but we do try to encourage our students to use the internet only for a limited time, and only for corresponding with their family and friends. Students can pay for their internet usage, laundry, and phone calls directly out of their allowance account.

If I’m doing a week of Intro to Community Service, can I do a Weekend Side Trip? No – Only students doing at least 2 weeks at the Ricefields Service Base can do a Weekend Side Trip.