I first came  to Home and Life while volunteering with a different volunteer organisation to do construction work.  Firstly I was greeted with a very warm welcome by all the staff and a long, hard sniff from one of the two dogs that also live here.  Although the children were at school the first time I came it was immediately apparent that the atmosphere and love there was strong.

When I came back after our construction work was finished the children were there and greeted me with just as much courtesy and each, individually and confidently, introduced themselves.  At this point I knew I wanted to contribute any skills I had with Home and Life too having seen so quickly how genuinely amazing and special this orphanage is.

The way I was treated didn’t make me feel like just a volunteer or a foreign tourist stopping by; it made me feel like one of the team.  Because of this I decided to spend my remaining six months in Thailand here at Home and Life.

It’s difficult to say I have have anything that I would call my favourite memory as everything was so wonderful.  If I was forced to choose I would probably have to say the heart warming feeling of seeing how dedicated the staff here are.  Despite all their general responsibilities they still make time to provide the essential emotional support needed by the children.  Their patience too still amazes me as I can’t imagine looking after so many children without sometimes showing the strain.

Another thing that made the experience so special was that the organisation between the staff and I meant that there was always something to do and the work was never boring.  There was so much variation and options of work I could choose from that I developed many skills and got to practice others.

After the children had gone to bed there was always some time to relax with a few of the staff and just have a chat and a laugh about the day before going to bed with a feeling of real success through another days working at such a uniquely special project to help the development of such amazing children.

It is the best experience I have ever had travelling and it is my fondest wish to return and see them all soon.

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