Dear Future Intern,

Congratulations! If you’re reading this, and you have been selected to teach in the Thai-Myanmar borderlands, you are in for it. Working as a teacher at KSDC school will require the best version of yourself; this position must be treated with sincerity and respect. 

There are no words descriptive enough to relate to you what it is like to be an intern at KSDC – you will find this out almost as soon as you arrive. What I will provide is 6 pieces of advice (one for as many months you are there) which you may heed if you wish, or not. I was an intern for only a 3 month period and I suggest that you take that into consideration. Though, I received this advice myself, and I wish I had referred back to them more regularly. 

Here they are:

  1. Stay humble. Use this time to put aside your personal goals, serve the community, and empathize with others.
  2. Relish the discomfort. This internship will test your wherewithal – take it all in and get stronger as a result.
  3. Keep a lightheart. This is easier for some than others but make your best effort to smile and laugh even when things are dreary.
  4. Say “yes” as much as possible. Say yes for the sake of others – you’ll have more opportunities to leave a positive impact.
  5. Disengage regularly. This internship is intense. You’re out of your comfort zone and it is a poignant situation. Be a gecko on the wall from time to time, so to speak.
  6. Wash in the river with the students. This is a significant bonding activity that builds trust and encourages play.

That’s all.

In the future, I know that the few months I spent at KSDC will, despite the challenges I faced, be some of the most memorable and fun moments of my life. What is most memorable for me now are some of the most formidable and kindhearted people with whom I have ever been acquainted. More accurately many of them are my friends and I trust that they will be your friends too when everything is said and done.

Take care, 

Rowan