Not another Volunteer Story – 10 Weeks in Songkhla
Not another Volunteer Story – 10 Weeks in Songkhla
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By Maurice Günther Fliehler internship program at VSAMLTV2503 Khao Rup Chang Town Municipality Office 01/08-10/10 2025 (2.10 months)
My story in Songkhla is a bit different from most others here. I’m not a volunteer, it’s not my first time living abroad in a country where I don’t speak the language, and it’s not even my first time in Thailand. Heck, it’s not even the first time I’ve spoken Thai - although “spoken” might be an overstatement; “trying to make sounds that vaguely resemble Thai” is probably more accurate.
I came to Songkhla to do my internship and to experience life in southern Thailand. The decision to do an internship more than 9,600 kilometers away from my home university in Freiburg, Germany, started as a fleeting thought. Over time, that thought grew from a “this could be cool” into a “this will be cool” kind of thing. I needed an internship for my studies anyway, and why not turn it into a crazy adventure abroad instead of a probably boring office placement back home? Since my girlfriend is Thai, she was able to give me valuable insights into the culture and teach me some important dos and don’ts, which in turn made choosing Thailand as my destination a lot easier.
The day I arrived in Songkhla finally came, and after grabbing lunch at the university food court and moving into my dorm room, it was time to visit my new workplace for the next ten weeks: the PR Department of the Khao Rup Chang Municipality. I was greeted by a group of curious and welcoming faces, but it didn’t take long for the room to fill with laughter as our communication challenges became clear - I only knew a handful of Thai words (hello, goodbye and thank you), and only two of my ten colleagues spoke any English at all. That didn’t stop them from trying to ask questions, though. Conversations bounced back and forth through the two English speakers - sometimes even both, since they didn’t always knew the same words - or through a translation app, which added a certain lightness and humor to the whole situation.
The next day, I joined my coworkers on a little tour, checking out two temples (Wat Kao Saen and Wat Koh Tam) and an ancient site (Wichian Thewadamrong Hall) in preparation for an event two weeks later. I also filmed my first TikTok, interviewing a Malay tourist, and it definitely wouldn’t be my last appearance on the official Khao Rup Chang TikTok account.
Overall, my time working at the PR Department had two modes: Office Mode and On-Site Mode. Most of my time was spent in Office Mode with a rather light workload, doing things like preparing my text for TikTok videos and transcribing my spoken words for subtitles, but never without being basically stuffed with snacks and drinks by my lovely coworkers. (Who knew there were so many different ways to prepare sticky rice in leaves?)
The rest of my time I spent in On-Site Mode, where all kinds of events and meetings took us around Songkhla and allowed us to meet many people, most of whom were a bit surprised to see this random farang (foreigner) as part of a government department.
For example, the event at the temples and the ancient site turned out, unbeknownst to me, to be a big collaboration between Khao Rup Chang and Rajabhat University, featuring a speech from the mayor, amazing catering, and impressive logistics. You really feel like a VIP when the traffic police control the streets and intersections for your convoy.
During another week, I participated in a public hearing on a new infrastructure project by the Department of Rural Roads, which focused on extending the highway system to Thailand’s southernmost provinces. The project aims to attract more tourists to areas like Narathiwat, Yala, and Pattani.
Another very cool experience was a work-related visit to the Annual Songkhla Boat Race, first watching the massive parade of students, soldiers, government officials, and local women from the villages in their beautiful costumes, and later the race itself. Sadly, our Khao Rup Chang team suffered a massive loss when they capsized halfway to the finish line.
Other fun work-related activities included visiting new restaurants and cafés and promoting them on TikTok, of course not without tasting their food and drinks on the office’s dime.
Since I only worked at the office from Monday to Thursday, my Fridays were reserved for participating in various university activities, primarily the Friday Spark at TSU International College, led by Budy. The Friday Spark is a relaxed program designed to give students a space to strengthen their English conversational skills. Since I was there, they also got a short German language class. Other activities included visits to Old Town, cleaning up Samila Beach, and trips to the South Thai Folklore Museum.
The best time I visited Old Town was during the Pakk Taaii Design Week, when local Songkhla artists and artisans filled the streets with their creativity, showcasing handmade crafts, design projects, and traditional skills reimagined in fresh ways. The atmosphere was alive with color, sound, and the energy of young Thai creators bringing bold ideas to life in one of the more rural parts of the country.
Among the many memorable things I saw and tasted, one stands out: a Thai tea ice cream sandwich served with crispy rice crackers and a drizzle of caramel soy sauce - an inventive twist that perfectly captured the blend of tradition and innovation that defined the whole event.
All in all, the goal of experiencing life as a person actually living and working here was a full success, and not only because the daily lunches at different restaurants gave me a wide variety of Thai food. Sitting side by side with office workers or students during the lunch break made it feel almost mundane, even though it was part of the crazy experience that my internship abroad was. I also made some friends who will hopefully last a lifetime and whom I really want to see again.
Honorable mentions go to Fan, my coworker who took me to lunch every day on his motorcycle, taught me local Songkhla and South Thai words, and for all the fun conversations we had, even though communication was sometimes impaired by my Thai, his English, and the struggles of Thai-English translation by Google Translate.
Also P Paep, my coworker who is most responsible for making sure my non-English-speaking coworkers understand me, and vice versa. Also explaining all the cultural meanings and significance of the sites we visited and events we went to. Furthermore she thought of me when Fan wasn’t in the office so I don’t have to stay hungry, or brings me Thai tea or iced green tea, just like today, while I’m writing this report.
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