Community
Healthcare
Teaching

From Student to Staff

Posted: December 4, 2019

Meet our community liaison- Gay! Gay is a vital part to our GVI team here in Phang Nga! We truly could not do the work we do without her support and guidance with local partners. Continue reading to learn more about Gay’s transition from student to staff!

Meet Keririn Phusakul, A.K.A. Gay

Sawas Dee Ka! Hi guys! My name is Keririn Phusakul. Everyone calls me “Gay” I’m from Takuapa, Phangnga Thailand. I graduated from Price of Songkla University, Phuket Campus in the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism. My major is Tourism Management. I joined the GVI Phang Nga family as community liaison over 3 years ago.

How did you join GVI?

I didn’t know about GVI before until my father told me that there are some foreign teachers coming to teach free English classes at “Gor Sor Nor Takuapa” a None Formal Educational centre in my town. He said he heard this news from his friends. After I graduated from university, I worked at a hotel around Khao Lak as a reservation officer from 8 am. – 5 pm. every weekday, but the classes were at “Gor Sor Nor Takuapa” from 5 – 6 pm. every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday so, I could not study English full time. I deiced to talk with the foreign teacher to ask if I could come to study English from 5.30 – 6 pm? And they allowed me to join English class half an hour late every day.

Once I came to study English with the foreign teachers, I learnt that they are GVI volunteers who came to teach free English. Before I studied English with GVI volunteers, I had ok listening, reading, writing and speaking English skills. After I studied English with GVI volunteers, my English skills improved especially my speaking. I had fun every time I went to English with GVI. There were many games to play and many activities to do. They made English fun and made me love to speak it and communicate with them.

After that, I joined GVI a part time job to help about translation when I had holiday from my full-time job in a hotel. Then I saw GVI was looking for community liaison. I decided to apply for the position with GVI because I would like to improve my English skills.

I started to work with GVI full-time and, at the time, I think my English was not bad because I had studied English with GVI volunteers for a while. However, when I came to work and talk with GVI volunteers and staff, my English skills were tested. Normally, teaching volunteers talked with students in English class slowly to make everyone understand but when I joined, I met other volunteers that were conservation or healthcare volunteers from all over the world. They spoke fast and they had different accents. It was hard for me to understand all of them. However, my English is getting better and better because I have to use English every day to communicate with volunteers and staffs when I’m working.

What do you do in GVI?

I am community Liaison which means I am working on different GVI projects including teaching, healthcare, conservation, and service learning. The main role in this position is being the key person between our partners and community, translating in various meetings, confirming and coordinating last minute schedule changes and helping in local offices such as immigration.

I became a part of the staff team and I have the opportunity to learn about volunteer management, project logistics and development. I learnt how to talk with other people, how to live with other people. Because, as community liaison, I have to communicate with our partners and community so, I have to deal with a lot of people and make them understand me. GVI is not a workplace. GVI is a family because we work together, we eat together, we stay together, we help each other, and we are teamwork.

Although I joined GVI family a long time ago, my passion and inspiration has never lowered; in fact, I have more and more because my English skills have improved a lot! I have many new foreign friends. I have fun learning new things every day.

If you have any chance, please come to visit me at GVI Phang Nga. You’re gunna automatically smile because “Thailand is Land of Smiles”. Kob Khun Ka!