Hello All,
This video was done by a fellow Canadian. She spent some time at the Mercy Centre. Most of the footage is taken around the slums.
ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba_eOECe9kE
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Movies with the Boys
Friday
This morning we met Chris at Bangkok University, and then headed off to the milk run. Sister Joan had a lot of help today and there was nothing else to give out besides milk so we did not really have any work to do. The milk run was also moved because of all of the rain. It was not as busy as last week either. This could possibly be because the milk run is usually every 2 weeks and some families may not think they need any more milk as they just got some last week, and do not think far enough ahead to realize it will be longer before they get more.
After the milk run we went to Au Bon Pain for brunch, which is a more westernized sandwich place. We then walked to Mercy. Misty and I gave Chris a grand tour. The children in the kindergarten were so excited to see us and at one point we each had 2 of them in our arms. I should also mention that Takatan was in the same classroom I brought her to the other day, thank goodness.
Next we headed to Lumpini park. We watched the monetary lizards swimming in the water. We saw both the biggest one we have ever seen today, and the smallest one. We also watched the park security kick 2 people out of the park. I don’t know what they did wrong, but I did notice both of them got in trouble when they were sleeping on the bench.
We spent most of the day chatting at the park. Misty and I departed and went back to Mercy to teach. Later in the evening Aunt Betty asked us to accompany her and her sponsor child to Tesco Lotus where she was going to take her sponsor child on a little shopping spree. In less than an hour she walked out of there with 3 pairs of pants, a shirt and 2 pairs of shoes. I think we did well.
Back at Mercy we played with the children in the AIDS hospice. The girls took turns putting on SiJie’s new heels and dancing. It was very cute.
After taking a shower tonight, I came out of the bathroom at the same time Misty said “Jodie…Gelong is in here.” I see that. I guess seeing me in a towel made up for all of those times I saw him. He stayed in our room long enough to cut his nails (which I should mention took a good hour) and then blew us a kiss and left.
I spent the evening watching Pirates of the Caribbean with the boys. One of the younger ones fell asleep on me, and half were sound asleep by the end of the movie. I carried some of them to bed, but I guess I got some of the beds mixed up when the others went to get into their bed to find a boy already there. Oops. They were too sleepy to even notice me moving them around.
That’s all the news for now. Sorry it took so long to post!
This morning we met Chris at Bangkok University, and then headed off to the milk run. Sister Joan had a lot of help today and there was nothing else to give out besides milk so we did not really have any work to do. The milk run was also moved because of all of the rain. It was not as busy as last week either. This could possibly be because the milk run is usually every 2 weeks and some families may not think they need any more milk as they just got some last week, and do not think far enough ahead to realize it will be longer before they get more.
After the milk run we went to Au Bon Pain for brunch, which is a more westernized sandwich place. We then walked to Mercy. Misty and I gave Chris a grand tour. The children in the kindergarten were so excited to see us and at one point we each had 2 of them in our arms. I should also mention that Takatan was in the same classroom I brought her to the other day, thank goodness.
Next we headed to Lumpini park. We watched the monetary lizards swimming in the water. We saw both the biggest one we have ever seen today, and the smallest one. We also watched the park security kick 2 people out of the park. I don’t know what they did wrong, but I did notice both of them got in trouble when they were sleeping on the bench.
We spent most of the day chatting at the park. Misty and I departed and went back to Mercy to teach. Later in the evening Aunt Betty asked us to accompany her and her sponsor child to Tesco Lotus where she was going to take her sponsor child on a little shopping spree. In less than an hour she walked out of there with 3 pairs of pants, a shirt and 2 pairs of shoes. I think we did well.
Back at Mercy we played with the children in the AIDS hospice. The girls took turns putting on SiJie’s new heels and dancing. It was very cute.
After taking a shower tonight, I came out of the bathroom at the same time Misty said “Jodie…Gelong is in here.” I see that. I guess seeing me in a towel made up for all of those times I saw him. He stayed in our room long enough to cut his nails (which I should mention took a good hour) and then blew us a kiss and left.
I spent the evening watching Pirates of the Caribbean with the boys. One of the younger ones fell asleep on me, and half were sound asleep by the end of the movie. I carried some of them to bed, but I guess I got some of the beds mixed up when the others went to get into their bed to find a boy already there. Oops. They were too sleepy to even notice me moving them around.
That’s all the news for now. Sorry it took so long to post!
Bus Strikes, Late Night Visitors, and Lots of time with the children
Thursday
Today was an emotional rollercoaster. We forced ourselves out of bed at 6 am to prepare for our morning class. We took a songtheaw to work. I only had three people in my first class because of the bus strike. Some of my students were unable to make it to work. Private bus operators started their protest today because of the inability to increase their bus fares. The companies cannot raise their fares despite losses due to the increase in oil, gas and rice. In the past few weeks we have witnessed increasing prices both at the pumps as well as on everyday things such as on our ride to work. The price of the songtheaw went up from 5 baht to 7 baht. This does not seem like a huge jump, but think of all of those people who commute every day to work and only make THB 8000 a month.
Immediately after class Misty and I were back home in bed, ready to sleep for the rest of the morning. We took a motorbike home and were in bed within 10 minutes of my class being over.
We all woke up around noon (SiJie included) and took a taxi to Carrefour. I should mention that although private buses are no longer running, government buses are still continuing on with their regular routes. However, most of the main routes are operated by private companies. We had lunch at Carrefour and picked up a few groceries and walked to Mercy.
I visited Momma this afternoon, and she told me that she is leaving tomorrow. However, she is leaving around 9 am, which is when we will be on the milk run. That meant that we would have to say goodbye to her tonight, not something I was prepared for. I hung around the AIDS hospice until my class. I chatted with the patients and visited the ones in bed. Frank was all smiles today. I fed one of the women her supper. She especially loved it when I made airplane sounds as I brought the spoon towards her face.
Off to class I went. One of my students, the niece from P.Ning showed up unexpected. I did not think she was coming today so I was unprepared. I ended up teaching her and Lek at the same time, which made for a challenging class as she is about 4 or 5 years old and Lek is 16.
During class I asked if Pleaw was enjoying her school. “School fun?” She pointed to her teeth and gave me a thumbs down. Apparently fun is the Thai word for teeth, and she pointed down because her teeth are broken.
After class Boong came with us to the AIDS hospice to say goodbye to Momma. It was a very emotional goodbye, and sadly it is the first of many in the next month. I am really going to miss her.
We went outside to wait for the songtheaw again, and almost got wet in the downpour. Standing under an umbrella from one of the street vendors we looked up to see some of the Mercy 6 children waving to us. Behind them all was Boong, inviting us to come and have dinner with them. Since it did not look like the rain was going to stop anytime soon we decided to join them. Supper was made up of some kind of soup, chicken and rice. It was so cute to see all of the children in their pj’s sitting around little tables eating. Some of the younger children were very excited to have us there and would not sit down and eat their food. It was a fun experience, and we plan on eating with them more often.
When we arrived back at Soi 40, the house parents were having a birthday party for 2 of the house parents themselves. Lots of food and beer went around. The children came down to have a piece of cake. Misty and I really had a good laugh seeing all of the children on their best behavior as there was a visitor there. Folk had a chocolate cake, and he showed it to me and said “Choc-o-late.” I replied back “Yes, chocolate.” Folk then told everyone in Thai; “Jodie knows how to pronounce chocolate!”
After the cake we did our tooth brushing routine and then put the boys to bed. Misty and I relaxed in our room until we were ready for bed. When I came back into the room after leaving for a few minutes, she was hiding someone under the blankets in our bed. I looked but it was too small to be SiJie and was not Ja. All of a sudden Folk poked his head out. It was around 10:30pm, and he was supposed to have been in bed. He was still wearing his clothes, and obviously no one was checking on them as all of the house parents were downstairs celebrating. We had a nice chat and then listened to some music and danced and jumped on the bed. Finally we sent him back to his room. I went to bring him back but as we tiptoed out he motioned for me to go back in the room. I think he probably could have said he was using the washroom beside our room, but if I was with him he would be caught not in bed. I turned around to watch him scurry back, shut off the light and go back to the boys’ room.
Since it was raining and the street was nearly a river, I figured I should probably take our laundry in too. To get to the laundry area outside you must go through where the boys sleep. I walked in and Gelong was sitting up in his bed, while everyone else was sleeping. He saw me and then quickly lay down as if he was sleeping too. Outside I was grabbing some of the towels and I turned around and there was Folk! In his hands he had some more of my clothes. That little bugger scared me. I sent him back off to bed.
Today was an emotional rollercoaster. We forced ourselves out of bed at 6 am to prepare for our morning class. We took a songtheaw to work. I only had three people in my first class because of the bus strike. Some of my students were unable to make it to work. Private bus operators started their protest today because of the inability to increase their bus fares. The companies cannot raise their fares despite losses due to the increase in oil, gas and rice. In the past few weeks we have witnessed increasing prices both at the pumps as well as on everyday things such as on our ride to work. The price of the songtheaw went up from 5 baht to 7 baht. This does not seem like a huge jump, but think of all of those people who commute every day to work and only make THB 8000 a month.
Immediately after class Misty and I were back home in bed, ready to sleep for the rest of the morning. We took a motorbike home and were in bed within 10 minutes of my class being over.
We all woke up around noon (SiJie included) and took a taxi to Carrefour. I should mention that although private buses are no longer running, government buses are still continuing on with their regular routes. However, most of the main routes are operated by private companies. We had lunch at Carrefour and picked up a few groceries and walked to Mercy.
I visited Momma this afternoon, and she told me that she is leaving tomorrow. However, she is leaving around 9 am, which is when we will be on the milk run. That meant that we would have to say goodbye to her tonight, not something I was prepared for. I hung around the AIDS hospice until my class. I chatted with the patients and visited the ones in bed. Frank was all smiles today. I fed one of the women her supper. She especially loved it when I made airplane sounds as I brought the spoon towards her face.
Off to class I went. One of my students, the niece from P.Ning showed up unexpected. I did not think she was coming today so I was unprepared. I ended up teaching her and Lek at the same time, which made for a challenging class as she is about 4 or 5 years old and Lek is 16.
During class I asked if Pleaw was enjoying her school. “School fun?” She pointed to her teeth and gave me a thumbs down. Apparently fun is the Thai word for teeth, and she pointed down because her teeth are broken.
After class Boong came with us to the AIDS hospice to say goodbye to Momma. It was a very emotional goodbye, and sadly it is the first of many in the next month. I am really going to miss her.
We went outside to wait for the songtheaw again, and almost got wet in the downpour. Standing under an umbrella from one of the street vendors we looked up to see some of the Mercy 6 children waving to us. Behind them all was Boong, inviting us to come and have dinner with them. Since it did not look like the rain was going to stop anytime soon we decided to join them. Supper was made up of some kind of soup, chicken and rice. It was so cute to see all of the children in their pj’s sitting around little tables eating. Some of the younger children were very excited to have us there and would not sit down and eat their food. It was a fun experience, and we plan on eating with them more often.
When we arrived back at Soi 40, the house parents were having a birthday party for 2 of the house parents themselves. Lots of food and beer went around. The children came down to have a piece of cake. Misty and I really had a good laugh seeing all of the children on their best behavior as there was a visitor there. Folk had a chocolate cake, and he showed it to me and said “Choc-o-late.” I replied back “Yes, chocolate.” Folk then told everyone in Thai; “Jodie knows how to pronounce chocolate!”
After the cake we did our tooth brushing routine and then put the boys to bed. Misty and I relaxed in our room until we were ready for bed. When I came back into the room after leaving for a few minutes, she was hiding someone under the blankets in our bed. I looked but it was too small to be SiJie and was not Ja. All of a sudden Folk poked his head out. It was around 10:30pm, and he was supposed to have been in bed. He was still wearing his clothes, and obviously no one was checking on them as all of the house parents were downstairs celebrating. We had a nice chat and then listened to some music and danced and jumped on the bed. Finally we sent him back to his room. I went to bring him back but as we tiptoed out he motioned for me to go back in the room. I think he probably could have said he was using the washroom beside our room, but if I was with him he would be caught not in bed. I turned around to watch him scurry back, shut off the light and go back to the boys’ room.
Since it was raining and the street was nearly a river, I figured I should probably take our laundry in too. To get to the laundry area outside you must go through where the boys sleep. I walked in and Gelong was sitting up in his bed, while everyone else was sleeping. He saw me and then quickly lay down as if he was sleeping too. Outside I was grabbing some of the towels and I turned around and there was Folk! In his hands he had some more of my clothes. That little bugger scared me. I sent him back off to bed.
Drinks and Dancing = good night
Wednesday May 28, 2008
Last night we decided to change up our boring night time routine and head out to Dubliner’s for ladies night. Cedric decided to join us. He is a volunteer from France, working at one of the local Mercy preschools. We agreed to meet around 8pm. We arrived and could not find Cedric so we sat at a table close to the window and waited. He called and said he was on his way but that he already ate, so we should go ahead and order. I ordered half a chicken, mashed potatoes and an assortment of vegetables. Don’t worry I did not eat all of it alone.
We called Cedric from another phone, and found out he was close, but he was waiting at the BTS station for the pouring rain to stop. We already waited a long time, and it was raining for a while and did not look like it was going to slow down any time soon. SiJie asked for an umbrella from the staff and I braved the rain to be a knight in shining armor and go get him. I wasn’t much of a knight considering I could not figure out how to keep the umbrella up without holding the top of it. Finally when I thought I had it all figured out I walked until a rain gutter and the pressure of the water made it buckle around me. I got soaked.
We arrived back at the bar. We chatted for a few minutes and then Chris, an old friend we met there, came in. I don’t know if you remember but he was the Aussie who works here in Phuket. We stayed at the Dubliner until it closed and then we went to RCA to finish off the evening with some more drinks and dancing. We got home around 2:30 am.
Last night we decided to change up our boring night time routine and head out to Dubliner’s for ladies night. Cedric decided to join us. He is a volunteer from France, working at one of the local Mercy preschools. We agreed to meet around 8pm. We arrived and could not find Cedric so we sat at a table close to the window and waited. He called and said he was on his way but that he already ate, so we should go ahead and order. I ordered half a chicken, mashed potatoes and an assortment of vegetables. Don’t worry I did not eat all of it alone.
We called Cedric from another phone, and found out he was close, but he was waiting at the BTS station for the pouring rain to stop. We already waited a long time, and it was raining for a while and did not look like it was going to slow down any time soon. SiJie asked for an umbrella from the staff and I braved the rain to be a knight in shining armor and go get him. I wasn’t much of a knight considering I could not figure out how to keep the umbrella up without holding the top of it. Finally when I thought I had it all figured out I walked until a rain gutter and the pressure of the water made it buckle around me. I got soaked.
We arrived back at the bar. We chatted for a few minutes and then Chris, an old friend we met there, came in. I don’t know if you remember but he was the Aussie who works here in Phuket. We stayed at the Dubliner until it closed and then we went to RCA to finish off the evening with some more drinks and dancing. We got home around 2:30 am.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Corn flakes & Family...only constants in my life
Above: Me and Gelong in the graphic art room for the afternoon. I don't know why but he insisted on that pose.Below: Momma and I.
Mercy was full of excitement today. I arrived ready to teach my first class but went upstairs to find a locked door and a rearranged room. Thankfully my students were so excited about class that they got someone to open the door (this is what I’d like to believe anyways). We had a problem with the air conditioner, and instead of making the room cooler, it was actually making it warmer. By the end of the class we were all fanning ourselves off with paper, and had the windows wide open.
While waiting for our next class, I checked my email. Uma brought Frank to the door of the computer lab, and I went out to stay hello. They usually stop and say hi to me every morning. Frank does not talk. Frank grew up as a Mercy boy, calling Mercy 1 his home. He was at the top of his class both academically and sports wise. He was one of the best football (soccer) players that Mercy ever had and was incredibly outgoing. The house parents described him as being good at everything. About 8 months ago, Frank left Mercy 1 and moved to his new home - the adults AIDS hospice. He sure sticks out among all of the other patients, and not because of AIDS but because he is only 17 years old. Some may say that Frank is lucky because he does not have AIDS. However, Frank is paralyzed. He lost his ability to talk, and move anything, aside from his eyes. His body is nothing but skin and bones, without any muscle mass or fat.
Frank had his own little secret. He sniffed glue. He did it secretly at first whenever he left Mercy. However, one day 8 months ago, Frank sniffed too much, damaging his brain and losing all control over his body. Today, 8 months later, Frank is getting a little better day by day. He relies on others to push him around in a wheelchair, and is still not able to really move. His head is held straight between two cushions on the chair. His arms are still and fixed in an upward position. He is bedridden most of the day. He responds to touch with a small spasm or a big smile. He is now able to move his arm about an inch forward to give me a high five. Hopefully in the next month or so he will be able to meet me halfway. And hopefully, with more medication he some day will be able to play soccer again. But right now, we can only take each day as it comes, one small step at a time. Please pray for him.
Uma says Frank is in love with me. He clamps onto my hand and doesn’t let go. Apparently he only does this when he really likes someone. I try to imagine what he was like when he was well but I cannot even imagine. I have never seen someone so thin in all of my life. You can see every joint. I cannot even begin to describe him. Frank experimented like most teenagers do; just one day things went terribly wrong. I have to ask myself; how did he come to this? What was so appealing about the high he got from glue that was worth risking his life over? Did he know how life changing it would turn out to be? Or did he think it wouldn’t happen to him? How did he start sniffing? Did other sniff with him? What is he capable of now…is he still mentally competent? Will he ever fully recover? Will he ever play soccer again?
Momma and Nancy have been fighting for the past 3 days.
On our walk to preschool Misty and I had a good laugh as a young boy was standing on a bar in the phone booth, barefooted, wearing only shorts. He was standing on the bar to make him tall enough to reach the phone. I enjoyed watching him lean against the booth to hold himself up, while looking like he was having a very important adult conversation.
We arrived at the preschool, right on Thai time (about 10 minutes late). Thai time allows for lateness as well as provides you with as much extra time as you want to make stops on the way to your final destination, whether it is to talk to someone or to shop. If anyone ever questions your tardiness, you say you were stuck in traffic.
At preschool we were teaching upstairs again. This time we had a class of 39 very excited and energetic children. Some days we have lots of children and other days very few, so we did not have enough sheets copied. Once again we had to improvise. It was a sweaty experience.
On our way home from preschool we stopped at the little coffee and smoothie shop we discovered a couple of weeks ago. We thought it would be a nice way to cool off with a nice refreshing smoothie. However, instead of enjoying a nice refreshing drink, we found ourselves in a race against ‘the melt.’ It won.
We had lunch with the adults in the AIDS hospice. Uma and Tui asked if we could teach them English too because they wanted to learn some important things like “I love you. I miss you.” We knew they were up to no good, so we told them that we would teach them BUT we were only available at 4 am. We soon found out they were not too serious about learning.
Momma asked if she could paint my nails again. I guess it is my own fault for taking the old nail polish off too soon. I told her she could paint but “no cut.” Tui picked out the color. He felt the yellow color would look ‘swai’ (beautiful) with my skin color. Agreeing with what he decided, momma set to work. I soon found out I was getting the ‘jaundice’ look. My hands look like a sick infant. Momma topped it off with her sparkles. So mom, you were right, one more week of Momma, meant one more manicure.
I walked Takatan to school after lunch. She came to give a hug and kiss during lunch hour, but needed to get back. She wrapped her arms around me in a warm embrace, and away we went. All of the other children in the Mercy preschool were already having their afternoon naps. It is so cute when they do this as they are all curled up on the floor together. I will get a picture of it one of these days.
Anyways, I brought Takatan to the last classroom on the bottom floor, only to later find out that her class is apparently upstairs. Hopefully she found her way. I can see why parents get so emotional when they drop their babies off at school for the first time. When I looked back in the classroom, there she was standing, waving, with the saddest look in her eyes, while all the other children slept around her.
This afternoon we took Father Joe’s Aunt Betty to a Japanese cake house that SiJie discovered when she first arrived. Misty and I have both been there before. It is a small little place off one of the side streets. If you did not know it was there you could easily walk by it. However, the place is always packed. They were all sold out of the chocolate cakes so I settled for a pumpkin cheesecake…or so I thought it was a pumpkin cheese cake. It turned out to be custard. Having never had custard before I was not accustomed to the eggy taste so did not enjoy it every much. We had a nice chat. Betty liked to play cards and mentioned the card game called Phase 10, thinking I would have never heard of it. However, thanks to the youth at the IWK this summer, not only have I heard of it, I’d like to think I’m a pro. We made plans to play some evening this week.
The pond outside Father Joe’s house is now the home of two large fish. It has always had fish, but these things are gigantic. They were hand raised. It was nice to see the children crowd around it after school was dismissed to watch the fish. Even though the fish are ugly (Father Joe agrees), the children’s faces were well worth it.
Today I spent most of the day dreaming of what I want to do when I arrive back in
Ning was admitted back to the hospital last night. This time back to where she has social assistance. This morning my class told me about how their health care system works. People buy insurance in a particular hospital. If they get sick, they can get free services at that hospital. However, if they require a private room, it is TBH 1500 a day. Insurance is the highest level of coverage you can have. Second is social assistance. This is usually paid into when you are working somewhere. Everything is also free. Finally there is the gold card which is given to those who cannot afford the other two options. Basically, those living in poverty. Although this card shows that they have financial help, someone with this card is not guaranteed care, and if they receive care, it will not amount to the care if they had one of the other cards. If two people show up at the hospital at the same time, the person with insurance will be helped first, even if their condition is less severe.
Also, since insurance or assistance are only bought in one hospital, it means that if you are not close to where your hospital is and you get sick, you are required to pay, whether you have insurance from another place or not. This is why Ning had to pay for the care she already received, because she was not at the hospital she has assistance with.
Another tad bit of information: a visit to the doctor around the slums is TBH 300 (so about $10).
The dance teacher from Mercy is still in the hospital, and still in a coma. It is not looking good. If he wakes he will have suffered major brain damage. Please pray for both of them.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Pictures from the last few days
Our favorite park...
When you see clouds like this moving in, you know you need to move...and quickly! The sky can open up at any moment.
A view of Soi 38 from the sky train.
My favorite restaurant on soi 38. This is actually the kitchen. If you notice the man in the background, he is cooking. Two girls help prepare all of the ingredients. When you go here you know your food is made right when you order it as you have to wait for everyone who ordered before you to get their food first. It is best not to wait until everyone's food arrives at the table before you start eatting.
Turtles relaxing in the sun at the park. They are very friendly and will come to where you are sitting to watch you, in hopes of getting something to eat.
When you see clouds like this moving in, you know you need to move...and quickly! The sky can open up at any moment.
A view of Soi 38 from the sky train.
My favorite restaurant on soi 38. This is actually the kitchen. If you notice the man in the background, he is cooking. Two girls help prepare all of the ingredients. When you go here you know your food is made right when you order it as you have to wait for everyone who ordered before you to get their food first. It is best not to wait until everyone's food arrives at the table before you start eatting.
Turtles relaxing in the sun at the park. They are very friendly and will come to where you are sitting to watch you, in hopes of getting something to eat.
Poverty Shows Itself
Sunday
After sleeping in a little bit this morning we decided we would have a relaxing day as Misty still was not feeling so well. We walked to the used book store for a browse, and then to Emporium (Shopping mall). Misty was craving Swensen’s so ice cream for breakfast it was. We spent the afternoon relaxing in the sun at the park, reading books and listening to music. We were approached twice by Thai students who were doing projects for school that required them to interview Farangs. We filled out a questionnaire on the Songkran festival, and also answered questions about our favorite movie. Both times our pictures were taken, so if you see any terrible pictures of me floating around on the internet, you now have an explanation.
We both got a little bit of sunburn, but nothing too serious. I only look like I got sun on my back as I spent the whole afternoon reading or sleeping.
We went to visit P. Ning in the evening. She is out of the hospital now and was staying at the local kindergarten with her best friend who is a teacher there. It was getting too expensive for her to stay at the hospital. Aside from the treatment she was paying TBH 1500 for a room, which is quite a bit for someone who does not have that kind of money. On top of that she was also paying for her treatment and medication. The doctor was not happy that she wanted to go home as he thought it was too early and that she was not well enough yet. (We agree). In order to prove she could do it, he said she had to run from one side of the room to the other. Considering she could hardly lift her arm, it took all her strength and energy to run across the room with her IV poles.
When we went to see her she was laying on the floor of the kindergarten. She could move a little more now but could not use much force to grip something in her hand. We had to help her to sit up. The doctor told her friends to keep talking to her as we need to keep her brain active. She still complains of a headache. Her friend told us that they found blood on her brain and that is how this all started. Oddly, this also happened to another Mercy staff a few days ago and he did not catch it in time and now he is in a coma. The doctor said that if P. Ning did not go to see him when she did she could have been paralyzed. This sounds a lot more serious than a headache to me.
I felt so bad for her because she could not afford to stay longer in the hospital, even though she knew it was what was best for her. She is the sole supporter of her family, so whenever she is not working she is losing wages. Her best friend also took 2 days off of work to stay with her round the clock, and she felt bad that her friend also lost some of her salary. In the slums, even taking 1 day can be the difference between feeding yourself or not. Once again the poverty shows itself. Here is P.Ning, clearly sick with something way more serious than a headache, and instead of being in the hospital hooked up to medication and resting like she should be, she is lying on the floor of the school passing the time. She insisted that she was going to go to work on Monday as she was scared the boss would get mad at her for taking so much time off. I could not believe it. Please pray for her!
Tonight we went to Father Joe’s house. His sister, brother-in-law and 85-year old Aunt are visiting from America. His sister and aunt cooked spaghetti for us and some of the mercy staff. It was delicious and a perfect ending to my day after craving pasta for lunch. I had sauce with red meat which I am a little curious to see how my body handles it as I have not had it since I’ve arrived. We were the last guests to leave as we stayed quite late talking to his sister, brother-in-law and aunt. They were such great people to talk to.
Tomorrow SiJie, Misty and I are taking Aunt Betty out on the town to see Indiana Jones and go for some cake and tea! I’m so looking forward to it. I think she is going to be like one of the girls.
After sleeping in a little bit this morning we decided we would have a relaxing day as Misty still was not feeling so well. We walked to the used book store for a browse, and then to Emporium (Shopping mall). Misty was craving Swensen’s so ice cream for breakfast it was. We spent the afternoon relaxing in the sun at the park, reading books and listening to music. We were approached twice by Thai students who were doing projects for school that required them to interview Farangs. We filled out a questionnaire on the Songkran festival, and also answered questions about our favorite movie. Both times our pictures were taken, so if you see any terrible pictures of me floating around on the internet, you now have an explanation.
We both got a little bit of sunburn, but nothing too serious. I only look like I got sun on my back as I spent the whole afternoon reading or sleeping.
We went to visit P. Ning in the evening. She is out of the hospital now and was staying at the local kindergarten with her best friend who is a teacher there. It was getting too expensive for her to stay at the hospital. Aside from the treatment she was paying TBH 1500 for a room, which is quite a bit for someone who does not have that kind of money. On top of that she was also paying for her treatment and medication. The doctor was not happy that she wanted to go home as he thought it was too early and that she was not well enough yet. (We agree). In order to prove she could do it, he said she had to run from one side of the room to the other. Considering she could hardly lift her arm, it took all her strength and energy to run across the room with her IV poles.
When we went to see her she was laying on the floor of the kindergarten. She could move a little more now but could not use much force to grip something in her hand. We had to help her to sit up. The doctor told her friends to keep talking to her as we need to keep her brain active. She still complains of a headache. Her friend told us that they found blood on her brain and that is how this all started. Oddly, this also happened to another Mercy staff a few days ago and he did not catch it in time and now he is in a coma. The doctor said that if P. Ning did not go to see him when she did she could have been paralyzed. This sounds a lot more serious than a headache to me.
I felt so bad for her because she could not afford to stay longer in the hospital, even though she knew it was what was best for her. She is the sole supporter of her family, so whenever she is not working she is losing wages. Her best friend also took 2 days off of work to stay with her round the clock, and she felt bad that her friend also lost some of her salary. In the slums, even taking 1 day can be the difference between feeding yourself or not. Once again the poverty shows itself. Here is P.Ning, clearly sick with something way more serious than a headache, and instead of being in the hospital hooked up to medication and resting like she should be, she is lying on the floor of the school passing the time. She insisted that she was going to go to work on Monday as she was scared the boss would get mad at her for taking so much time off. I could not believe it. Please pray for her!
Tonight we went to Father Joe’s house. His sister, brother-in-law and 85-year old Aunt are visiting from America. His sister and aunt cooked spaghetti for us and some of the mercy staff. It was delicious and a perfect ending to my day after craving pasta for lunch. I had sauce with red meat which I am a little curious to see how my body handles it as I have not had it since I’ve arrived. We were the last guests to leave as we stayed quite late talking to his sister, brother-in-law and aunt. They were such great people to talk to.
Tomorrow SiJie, Misty and I are taking Aunt Betty out on the town to see Indiana Jones and go for some cake and tea! I’m so looking forward to it. I think she is going to be like one of the girls.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Mercy 6
Winner sitting on his bed wondering where all of the house parents are and why he is not dressed yet.
This is where the children in the AIDS hospice sleep.
Another view of the room.
Takatan and Winner talking about school.
I guess I should have looked more closely, obviously these clothes do not belong to a boy. This is the play are for Mercy 6 children.
This is where the children in the AIDS hospice sleep.
Another view of the room.
Takatan and Winner talking about school.
I guess I should have looked more closely, obviously these clothes do not belong to a boy. This is the play are for Mercy 6 children.
Are You Poor?
Sorry guys, I'm trying to post pictures but the connection is too weak.
It is almost 2 in the afternoon. Misty and I just discovered that we are locked in the building. We have not eaten all day, have nothing to eat besides almonds and a can of creamed corn (no kidding!) and cannot even get out a window because everything is barred. Also, we do not have internet or a tv…so here we are sitting in our room, eating creamed corn out of a Tupperware container that we found and 2 spoons. I hear the ice cream cart go by and we cannot even get it to be sent up to our room. I hate my life. Well not really but I hated this moment.
SiJie finally saved us by getting one of the motorbike drivers from Mercy to bring her over with the key, and then sent the key back with him. We were so hungry so we walked back to where we had supper last night on Soi 38, but it was closed. We took a taxi towards the Emporium shopping mall and then went to Subway for lunch. For those of you who are wondering, Subway tastes the same as home, and they do have specials for each day. Today’s special was a ham and chicken sub. Is that the same as home for Saturdays?
After lunch we went to Emporium to get some air conditioning. I bought a book called Poor People by William T. Vollmann. The author goes into different cities and villages around the globe to ask “Why are you poor?” The first chapter in the book takes place in Khlong Toey, where we live and work. I haven’t read very much yet, but it is really good so far. I especially like that it provides so many details of what life is like that I already do not notice anymore. Even though I walk in the slums every day, I forget that people at home do not know what the slums are like, and my descriptions have not always been very descriptive. For example, slum houses are incredibly close, such that you could reach out the window-like hole of your house and into someone else’s. Also, because everything is so close, everyone can hear the conversations of everyone else. This does not allow for much privacy.
We spent the afternoon relaxing in the park, enjoying the sun and each other’s company. It was nice to just relax and people watch. SiJie drew a picture of the view in front of us which attracted the attention of the security guards. At one point 2 of them were behind her watching her draw and she was totally oblivious with her headphones on.
We went for some groceries and met up with a past visitor at Mercy. Then we took the skytrain home, stopped at Soi 38 for some take out from one of the street vendors and headed home.
Ja joined us in our room upon our arrival and found Misty’s headset. She then walked around the room with her purse, her headset and my heels. She was pretending to talk to one of the other children from Mercy, saying they should go to work now, as they worked at the Tesco, selling pillow. She also lived on Soi 40 where she had 10 husbands and 10 children, 5 of which were boys. Children are so cute sometimes.
We spent the rest of the evening watching some more of the donated movies and having our own karaoke party with SiJie.
“A United Nations report assures us that a quarter of the world’s people remain in severe poverty, but in the past 50 years poverty has fallen more than in the previous 500. Meanwhile, a Pulitzer Prize winner opines that billions of Third World Citizens, constituting about 80% of the world’s population, still live in poverty, new or below the starvation level, and that any number of societies risk outright collapse” (Vollman, W.T., 2007) Who is right? How exactly do we define poverty?
When I walk into the slums I see people barely making it day by day, many who are addicted to alcohol or drugs, many who sell themselves for money. Yet, most of their homes are equipped with fans, television sets, more kitchen appliances, such as blenders and kettles, than I own. Instead their house they may have a motorbike parked, possibly what the male uses to drive people around to make money. Are these people poor? What about one of the many people who call Lumpini park, or the local train station their home? They may have a small amount of belongings; enough to fit into one bag that they take everywhere. Some of them do not ask for money, nor do they look at anyone in the face, for they do not feel they are poor themselves. Some are happy. Are they poor? What if they stopped being happy? What about all of the children at Mercy. All orphaned, many with more life experiences than you and I will ever know. Yet, they go to school every day, have food on the table and a roof over their head. Even if the food is not always the most appetizing, and the schools do not have desks or chairs; are they poor? Can I simply say that anyone poorer than I is poor?
What defines poverty? If these people are all happy treasuring the little things in life they do have, such as family, few belongings and the fact that they can get up every morning and walk with their head held high, are they poor? Many of them would not even call themselves poor. What about people who have a nice house, in a nice neighborhood, where their pudgy little children in their beautiful family can play outside in their groomed yard. But they are unhappy and they cannot afford to send little Johnny to private school, soccer camp, piano lessons and scouts. Are they poor? What about all of the university students who feel their lives are indebted to the government due to their large student loans. Are they poor? And if they are, can we say that this poor is different than the person living in the slum house? At least the person in the slum house owns their own house, so wouldn’t that mean they have more?
What about people who have found themselves in homeless positions, not only in Thailand but in other places like Canada. Do we treat those who find themselves living on the streets because of bad luck different than those who find themselves on living on the streets because their addictions simply took over their lives? Do soup kitchens make a distinction between the deserving poor and the others? What if someone like you and me dropped by the soup kitchen, would we be given a meal? Yes? No? How would people make a distinction on whether or not we qualified for their meal? Based on what we were wearing? How rough we looked? What about those who are living in the slums then…when some leave the slums in the morning to go to work, they are dressed up with make up, heels, and nice clothes. Thanks to the knockoff items you can buy at all the markets in Thailand, they carry along their Prada bag and sport their designer clothes. Are they poor?
How can we quantify one’s need over another’s? Who can say that my needs are anymore or less important than the next persons? According to income level some of us could live more comfortably than others. However, someone who lives on substantially less could also be a better nomadic hunter and lead lives closely modeled to others. Would they be poor?
What about in my own family? My parents both work the land for their income, feeding and providing for countless families through the sale of milk and eggs. If we would compare their salaries to other occupations such as doctors, lawyers, accountants, etcetera, would they be considered poor? What about when you account for all of the debt they owe for starting up and maintaining such an operation? Buying quota? Now that we installed robotic milkers, and owe thousands of more, are we poor? Compared to other farmers? Compared to the elite in our societies?
In short, we can define poverty in as many different ways as we can provide examples. I cannot say that someone is poorer than someone else just because someone makes more money. People can own fewer possessions and be richer than I, or the next person. Therefore, we cannot define poverty based on income level or the amount of possessions one owns. Instead, “poverty is wretchedness” (Vollmann, W.T., 2007), based on one’s feelings of happiness; such feelings that we cannot discard. If the United Nations report said that a quarter of the world’s people remain unhappy, we cannot add our own judgment to that to determine whether or not someone is truly unhappy. If you are unhappy in our own terms, then you must be unhappy in ours. Poverty itself then remains immeasurable.
It is almost 2 in the afternoon. Misty and I just discovered that we are locked in the building. We have not eaten all day, have nothing to eat besides almonds and a can of creamed corn (no kidding!) and cannot even get out a window because everything is barred. Also, we do not have internet or a tv…so here we are sitting in our room, eating creamed corn out of a Tupperware container that we found and 2 spoons. I hear the ice cream cart go by and we cannot even get it to be sent up to our room. I hate my life. Well not really but I hated this moment.
SiJie finally saved us by getting one of the motorbike drivers from Mercy to bring her over with the key, and then sent the key back with him. We were so hungry so we walked back to where we had supper last night on Soi 38, but it was closed. We took a taxi towards the Emporium shopping mall and then went to Subway for lunch. For those of you who are wondering, Subway tastes the same as home, and they do have specials for each day. Today’s special was a ham and chicken sub. Is that the same as home for Saturdays?
After lunch we went to Emporium to get some air conditioning. I bought a book called Poor People by William T. Vollmann. The author goes into different cities and villages around the globe to ask “Why are you poor?” The first chapter in the book takes place in Khlong Toey, where we live and work. I haven’t read very much yet, but it is really good so far. I especially like that it provides so many details of what life is like that I already do not notice anymore. Even though I walk in the slums every day, I forget that people at home do not know what the slums are like, and my descriptions have not always been very descriptive. For example, slum houses are incredibly close, such that you could reach out the window-like hole of your house and into someone else’s. Also, because everything is so close, everyone can hear the conversations of everyone else. This does not allow for much privacy.
We spent the afternoon relaxing in the park, enjoying the sun and each other’s company. It was nice to just relax and people watch. SiJie drew a picture of the view in front of us which attracted the attention of the security guards. At one point 2 of them were behind her watching her draw and she was totally oblivious with her headphones on.
We went for some groceries and met up with a past visitor at Mercy. Then we took the skytrain home, stopped at Soi 38 for some take out from one of the street vendors and headed home.
Ja joined us in our room upon our arrival and found Misty’s headset. She then walked around the room with her purse, her headset and my heels. She was pretending to talk to one of the other children from Mercy, saying they should go to work now, as they worked at the Tesco, selling pillow. She also lived on Soi 40 where she had 10 husbands and 10 children, 5 of which were boys. Children are so cute sometimes.
We spent the rest of the evening watching some more of the donated movies and having our own karaoke party with SiJie.
“A United Nations report assures us that a quarter of the world’s people remain in severe poverty, but in the past 50 years poverty has fallen more than in the previous 500. Meanwhile, a Pulitzer Prize winner opines that billions of Third World Citizens, constituting about 80% of the world’s population, still live in poverty, new or below the starvation level, and that any number of societies risk outright collapse” (Vollman, W.T., 2007) Who is right? How exactly do we define poverty?
When I walk into the slums I see people barely making it day by day, many who are addicted to alcohol or drugs, many who sell themselves for money. Yet, most of their homes are equipped with fans, television sets, more kitchen appliances, such as blenders and kettles, than I own. Instead their house they may have a motorbike parked, possibly what the male uses to drive people around to make money. Are these people poor? What about one of the many people who call Lumpini park, or the local train station their home? They may have a small amount of belongings; enough to fit into one bag that they take everywhere. Some of them do not ask for money, nor do they look at anyone in the face, for they do not feel they are poor themselves. Some are happy. Are they poor? What if they stopped being happy? What about all of the children at Mercy. All orphaned, many with more life experiences than you and I will ever know. Yet, they go to school every day, have food on the table and a roof over their head. Even if the food is not always the most appetizing, and the schools do not have desks or chairs; are they poor? Can I simply say that anyone poorer than I is poor?
What defines poverty? If these people are all happy treasuring the little things in life they do have, such as family, few belongings and the fact that they can get up every morning and walk with their head held high, are they poor? Many of them would not even call themselves poor. What about people who have a nice house, in a nice neighborhood, where their pudgy little children in their beautiful family can play outside in their groomed yard. But they are unhappy and they cannot afford to send little Johnny to private school, soccer camp, piano lessons and scouts. Are they poor? What about all of the university students who feel their lives are indebted to the government due to their large student loans. Are they poor? And if they are, can we say that this poor is different than the person living in the slum house? At least the person in the slum house owns their own house, so wouldn’t that mean they have more?
What about people who have found themselves in homeless positions, not only in Thailand but in other places like Canada. Do we treat those who find themselves living on the streets because of bad luck different than those who find themselves on living on the streets because their addictions simply took over their lives? Do soup kitchens make a distinction between the deserving poor and the others? What if someone like you and me dropped by the soup kitchen, would we be given a meal? Yes? No? How would people make a distinction on whether or not we qualified for their meal? Based on what we were wearing? How rough we looked? What about those who are living in the slums then…when some leave the slums in the morning to go to work, they are dressed up with make up, heels, and nice clothes. Thanks to the knockoff items you can buy at all the markets in Thailand, they carry along their Prada bag and sport their designer clothes. Are they poor?
How can we quantify one’s need over another’s? Who can say that my needs are anymore or less important than the next persons? According to income level some of us could live more comfortably than others. However, someone who lives on substantially less could also be a better nomadic hunter and lead lives closely modeled to others. Would they be poor?
What about in my own family? My parents both work the land for their income, feeding and providing for countless families through the sale of milk and eggs. If we would compare their salaries to other occupations such as doctors, lawyers, accountants, etcetera, would they be considered poor? What about when you account for all of the debt they owe for starting up and maintaining such an operation? Buying quota? Now that we installed robotic milkers, and owe thousands of more, are we poor? Compared to other farmers? Compared to the elite in our societies?
In short, we can define poverty in as many different ways as we can provide examples. I cannot say that someone is poorer than someone else just because someone makes more money. People can own fewer possessions and be richer than I, or the next person. Therefore, we cannot define poverty based on income level or the amount of possessions one owns. Instead, “poverty is wretchedness” (Vollmann, W.T., 2007), based on one’s feelings of happiness; such feelings that we cannot discard. If the United Nations report said that a quarter of the world’s people remain unhappy, we cannot add our own judgment to that to determine whether or not someone is truly unhappy. If you are unhappy in our own terms, then you must be unhappy in ours. Poverty itself then remains immeasurable.
Seems like all we do is eat
I forgot to mention that yesterday the humidity was unbelievable. Some days the humidity is okay in the morning, and we can walk to work. Yesterday we had to walk a little further in a different direction to meet Sister Joan for the milk run. Just standing outside during the milk run was exhausting as the heat was trying to suffocate us. I wasn’t the only one who noticed either, as everyone commented on it. Even last night the wind was warm.
Last night was a pretty quiet night. After work we went to Soi 38 for dinner. (Soi means street) SiJie went with one of the staff here last week and we also read about it in the local newspaper as being a great place to eat. It is all street vendors and street restaurants but is very popular both with locals and farangs. We ate at one of the street restaurants, and as I was waiting for my food I was shocked at how many farangs were in the area. Usually we do not see any in the slums or close to where we live as it is not a favorable area to live, and Soi 38 is parallel to our street. I ordered rice with stir fry vegetables. I was curious to see what the vegetables would be like as the stir fry is never like the stir fry I know from back home. I was pleasantly surprised to see carrots, asparagus, baby corn, and other greens on a delicious bed of rice with an incredible sauce. The food was absolutely delicious and only cost 60 Baht, drink included ($2 CDN). I think this might be our new favorite dinner place. Because of our teaching schedule we miss supper both at home and at Mercy, so we usually settle for something in our room…I do not think we need to do this anymore.
We came back to our room and watched some English movies. There was a large donation of English movies dropped off here the other day, so we have been keeping ourselves occupied by watching all of the romantic comedies. After our first movie we were all craving ice cream, but unfortunately Swensen’s is a little too far away to walk to in the dark. We remembered that the Pizza Company sold ice cream, so some how we went from wanting to have ice cream to ordering pizza. Since we have a membership there, thanks to hottie at the front, we decided we should get some use out of it. We called their order number (sadly we have a lot of these memorized, yet we never ordered take out before). Because we wanted to use our buy one pizza, get one free card, we could not get the free delivery. So going from wanting ice cream, deciding to order pizza so we did not need to leave the building, we ended up walking down the street to pick it up. Funny what people do for entertainment. Back at Soi 40 we watched another movie, ate some pizza and finished off our beer.
This morning I woke up early again. The funny thing about this place is that no matter what time I go to bed, I always wake up around the same time. It does not help that most days my alarm goes off, whether I set it or not. Even though our bed is some what comfy, I cannot remember the last time I slept through the whole night without waking up, or even if that happened since I have arrived. I cannot wait to be back in my own bed, and snuggle in the blankets.
Last night was a pretty quiet night. After work we went to Soi 38 for dinner. (Soi means street) SiJie went with one of the staff here last week and we also read about it in the local newspaper as being a great place to eat. It is all street vendors and street restaurants but is very popular both with locals and farangs. We ate at one of the street restaurants, and as I was waiting for my food I was shocked at how many farangs were in the area. Usually we do not see any in the slums or close to where we live as it is not a favorable area to live, and Soi 38 is parallel to our street. I ordered rice with stir fry vegetables. I was curious to see what the vegetables would be like as the stir fry is never like the stir fry I know from back home. I was pleasantly surprised to see carrots, asparagus, baby corn, and other greens on a delicious bed of rice with an incredible sauce. The food was absolutely delicious and only cost 60 Baht, drink included ($2 CDN). I think this might be our new favorite dinner place. Because of our teaching schedule we miss supper both at home and at Mercy, so we usually settle for something in our room…I do not think we need to do this anymore.
We came back to our room and watched some English movies. There was a large donation of English movies dropped off here the other day, so we have been keeping ourselves occupied by watching all of the romantic comedies. After our first movie we were all craving ice cream, but unfortunately Swensen’s is a little too far away to walk to in the dark. We remembered that the Pizza Company sold ice cream, so some how we went from wanting to have ice cream to ordering pizza. Since we have a membership there, thanks to hottie at the front, we decided we should get some use out of it. We called their order number (sadly we have a lot of these memorized, yet we never ordered take out before). Because we wanted to use our buy one pizza, get one free card, we could not get the free delivery. So going from wanting ice cream, deciding to order pizza so we did not need to leave the building, we ended up walking down the street to pick it up. Funny what people do for entertainment. Back at Soi 40 we watched another movie, ate some pizza and finished off our beer.
This morning I woke up early again. The funny thing about this place is that no matter what time I go to bed, I always wake up around the same time. It does not help that most days my alarm goes off, whether I set it or not. Even though our bed is some what comfy, I cannot remember the last time I slept through the whole night without waking up, or even if that happened since I have arrived. I cannot wait to be back in my own bed, and snuggle in the blankets.
Friday, May 23, 2008
These Kids Make Me Smile
We walked to Mercy after having an afternoon nap. On the way I heard some screeching sounds and what sounded like a long horn. It took me a few minutes to realize it was the train, warning those who use the tracks as their main wood working shop to get out of the way. I am sorry I was not fast enough to get a picture, but it was pretty amazing to see that within seconds of the train passing, their work was back on the tracks as if nothing happened.
As we walked further along we saw the back of a man lying in the middle of the sidewalk on a busy street. His feet were in the hole where the trees are planted, and his sandals were positioned in such a way that it looked like he fell. We had to walk around him to get by. On my way by I stopped to look because it looked like he was dead. We could see he was breathing quietly…these experiences are very scary because it would be possible for us to stumble upon a dead body. It scares me every time.
Arriving at Mercy I met with Takatan, who was sad because her house mom was going to the hospital and she really wanted to go too. I had to distract her while her house mom tried to sneak away. We went to visit all of the adults in the AIDS hospice. Momma was very happy to see me, and asked if I will miss her over my 3 day weekend. I already think about her now when I am not at Mercy. I cannot imagine how I am going to feel when she leaves. Yung is still in the hospital, and does not appear to be getting much better. Her bed at Mercy has already been filled. Please pray for her.
Takatan, SiJie and I went upstairs to Mercy 6 (Children’s AIDS hospice, home of Takatan) to find Winner sitting on the bed alone, wearing only a diaper. He said in Thai “Where are all the house mom’s? I am not even dressed yet.” I helped him get dressed into the clothes he was hanging onto; thinking someone likely set them out for him. Later when we found the house mom she had a good laugh as the clothes were much too big for him (which is not that unusual around here) and belonged to one of the girls. Back down to his diaper he goes.
In the meantime, I ran into Dtlek, one of the twins and one of my students, who was running around carefree, bearing it all. He was supposed to be washing, but instead he was having more fun dancing naked. I had to laugh when we finally got him to go wash and he took the house and sprayed water down the hall as he danced on the wet floor. I laughed even more when the house mom came and could not figure out where the water came from. Don’t worry, I did not laugh where he could see me.
I got a nice kiss from Folk on the way upstairs. I usually see him everyday at Mercy when he finishes school and waits to go home. I realized today that I do not speak much to him as my Thai is limited, and I noticed that he stopped talking Thai back but instead uses gestures and acts things out to me. What a guy. I wish I could take him back to Canada.
I ran into SiChon (Spicy) on my way to the other building. He is really enjoying his school and could not stop smiling and fidgeting when we asked him about it.
Takatan started throwing up. Apparently she does this a lot for attention. She did not make it to the garbage right away and after she was finished she cleaned it all up herself, without anyone telling her. That’s pretty amazing for a 4 year old.
This morning I went on another milk run. It is so nice to see young children who appear to be “making it” in the slums. As we all know, the poorest of the poor are the children. All of these babies were born into a life filled with poverty and hunger, many times influenced by drugs and alcohol, or unhealthy ways to make enough money to survive. When you look into their beautiful faces, you often see sadness in their eyes. I try to imagine what life is like for them. I try to imagine living in a home, when mom or dad or grandma are doing whatever they can to keep their bellies full and a roof over their heads, even if it is a piece of scarp metal that leaks when it rains and will eventually fall over with a strong wind.
We have to cut all of the bags of powdered milk inside the boxes, because sometimes people try to resell them to make money. I cannot imagine that you could be so desperate that you need to sell the milk given to you to feed your newborn baby, just to make some money. Sadly, a lot of this money is used to fuel drug additions. Sister Joan does the best she can to make sure this doesn’t happen but there is only so much she can do. We just have to hope and have faith that this is the exception rather than the norm. Please pray for them.
I met a little guy who was likely just shy of 8 months, who had a tumor like bump on his nose. It was visible from a distance. I wonder if it continues to grow as he does. Please pray for him.
Sister Joan does amazing work. Not only does she make the milk run possible, she also bought over 160 school uniforms for the slum children and also hands out money to pay for their school fees on a regular basis. Sister Joan not only understands their lifestyles, she lives it. Her house is located in the center of a slum community, requiring you to twist and turn through numerous small alley ways and paths to find her. Please pray that her work will continue with the help of generous donations. More donations of medication for scabies and head lice would be greatly appreciated for the slum community. The Australian Women’s Group mostly funds the milk run through several fundraisers they conduct throughout the year.
As we walked further along we saw the back of a man lying in the middle of the sidewalk on a busy street. His feet were in the hole where the trees are planted, and his sandals were positioned in such a way that it looked like he fell. We had to walk around him to get by. On my way by I stopped to look because it looked like he was dead. We could see he was breathing quietly…these experiences are very scary because it would be possible for us to stumble upon a dead body. It scares me every time.
Arriving at Mercy I met with Takatan, who was sad because her house mom was going to the hospital and she really wanted to go too. I had to distract her while her house mom tried to sneak away. We went to visit all of the adults in the AIDS hospice. Momma was very happy to see me, and asked if I will miss her over my 3 day weekend. I already think about her now when I am not at Mercy. I cannot imagine how I am going to feel when she leaves. Yung is still in the hospital, and does not appear to be getting much better. Her bed at Mercy has already been filled. Please pray for her.
Takatan, SiJie and I went upstairs to Mercy 6 (Children’s AIDS hospice, home of Takatan) to find Winner sitting on the bed alone, wearing only a diaper. He said in Thai “Where are all the house mom’s? I am not even dressed yet.” I helped him get dressed into the clothes he was hanging onto; thinking someone likely set them out for him. Later when we found the house mom she had a good laugh as the clothes were much too big for him (which is not that unusual around here) and belonged to one of the girls. Back down to his diaper he goes.
In the meantime, I ran into Dtlek, one of the twins and one of my students, who was running around carefree, bearing it all. He was supposed to be washing, but instead he was having more fun dancing naked. I had to laugh when we finally got him to go wash and he took the house and sprayed water down the hall as he danced on the wet floor. I laughed even more when the house mom came and could not figure out where the water came from. Don’t worry, I did not laugh where he could see me.
I got a nice kiss from Folk on the way upstairs. I usually see him everyday at Mercy when he finishes school and waits to go home. I realized today that I do not speak much to him as my Thai is limited, and I noticed that he stopped talking Thai back but instead uses gestures and acts things out to me. What a guy. I wish I could take him back to Canada.
I ran into SiChon (Spicy) on my way to the other building. He is really enjoying his school and could not stop smiling and fidgeting when we asked him about it.
Takatan started throwing up. Apparently she does this a lot for attention. She did not make it to the garbage right away and after she was finished she cleaned it all up herself, without anyone telling her. That’s pretty amazing for a 4 year old.
This morning I went on another milk run. It is so nice to see young children who appear to be “making it” in the slums. As we all know, the poorest of the poor are the children. All of these babies were born into a life filled with poverty and hunger, many times influenced by drugs and alcohol, or unhealthy ways to make enough money to survive. When you look into their beautiful faces, you often see sadness in their eyes. I try to imagine what life is like for them. I try to imagine living in a home, when mom or dad or grandma are doing whatever they can to keep their bellies full and a roof over their heads, even if it is a piece of scarp metal that leaks when it rains and will eventually fall over with a strong wind.
We have to cut all of the bags of powdered milk inside the boxes, because sometimes people try to resell them to make money. I cannot imagine that you could be so desperate that you need to sell the milk given to you to feed your newborn baby, just to make some money. Sadly, a lot of this money is used to fuel drug additions. Sister Joan does the best she can to make sure this doesn’t happen but there is only so much she can do. We just have to hope and have faith that this is the exception rather than the norm. Please pray for them.
I met a little guy who was likely just shy of 8 months, who had a tumor like bump on his nose. It was visible from a distance. I wonder if it continues to grow as he does. Please pray for him.
Sister Joan does amazing work. Not only does she make the milk run possible, she also bought over 160 school uniforms for the slum children and also hands out money to pay for their school fees on a regular basis. Sister Joan not only understands their lifestyles, she lives it. Her house is located in the center of a slum community, requiring you to twist and turn through numerous small alley ways and paths to find her. Please pray that her work will continue with the help of generous donations. More donations of medication for scabies and head lice would be greatly appreciated for the slum community. The Australian Women’s Group mostly funds the milk run through several fundraisers they conduct throughout the year.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Another Milk Run with Sister Joan
We met Sister Joan at her house in the slums this morning around 7am. From there we went and moved her truck with all of the milk and supplies to begin the milk run. Over 100 children showed up at our first stop to collect powdered milk and a bag of donated clothing. A few were turned away as they did not have the proper identification or their mother was abusing drugs. Sister Joan will not give milk if she knows one of the parents is abusing drugs. It is clear when they are as you can see the cuts on their arms, legs or stomach where they inject the drugs directly into their blood. They mostly abuse heroin.
We then relocated to another area in the slums where we provide milk to about 30 or so children. Some of the children I remembered from the last milk run we did. It was nice to see some of them grown up and healthy. I love cuddling babies.
I will post more later. (Picking up wireless outside now, so I figured I should post what I have.
Getting the milk ready. Each family has a card that tells the information of the child and also tells the person handing out milk what to give. Each box is opened, and the milk package cut so that it cannot be resold but the families.
We then relocated to another area in the slums where we provide milk to about 30 or so children. Some of the children I remembered from the last milk run we did. It was nice to see some of them grown up and healthy. I love cuddling babies.
I will post more later. (Picking up wireless outside now, so I figured I should post what I have.
Getting the milk ready. Each family has a card that tells the information of the child and also tells the person handing out milk what to give. Each box is opened, and the milk package cut so that it cannot be resold but the families.
This guy is between 6-8 years old. He is an ongoing receiver of the milk.
This little one is 9 days old....so cute.
A quick update: P.Ning has been transfered to another hospital where she will be doing physiotherapy to try and get her strength back up.
Rain Rain Go Away...
Hello All,
As you can guess since I am writing this, that we did not go to Hua Hin. This morning we went to Mercy to find out that we both did not have a morning class as our students were way too busy with work. We waited around to get word from Father Joe about when we were leaving, spending most of the morning ironing batiks in the graphic art room. After not hearing from him we decided to call him. On the phone he asked where we were and how long we would be there and that he would be down to see us in a bit. After waiting an hour and a half we figured he must have forgot. In the meantime we found out from one of the drivers that he was taking them somewhere at noon. We asked our boss if she knew anything and she did not know, but said he was in a meeting. We called his secretary and she did not know either. We decided that since we only had an hour left we needed to go home and pack just incase. On the motorbike on the way home my phone rang, and his secretary said we would not be going today. I could not hear the rest of the conversation due to the sound of the engine, so I do not know what happened or whether or not he went without us. I am sure he had good reason and I am not too disappointed. This afternoon when I ran into his secretary she sent his apologizes, but I was on my way to meet students so I did not have time to ask.
We went to the villa for the afternoon with SiJie. It was nice to get out of the city and smell some fresh air. The children were all in school there so it was fairly quiet. We just spent most of the afternoon relaxing by the river and chatting with the house parents. The bus ride back to Mercy lasted about 2 hours, most of which I slept off and on. Traffic was terrible.
We both taught Lek, Boome and Dew in the evening and then walked back home. Not a very exciting day.
Tomorrow I cancelled my morning class so I could go with Sister Joan on the milk run. I really enjoyed my first run with her and have been hoping to go back. Since we moved our preschool schedule around, we do not have classes on Friday morning besides our adults so instead I cancelled. They were okay with it as most of them were very busy anyways and might not have been able to make it. I am so looking forward to tomorrow.
Thank you to Gus and Sollie for the postcard. It was a nice surprise.
Folk wants to write something: asr’
I went outside tonight to try and see if I could pick up a wireless signal again…no such luck. The boys crowded around me to see what I was doing and they were fascinated with the laptop. They explained to me using gestures that they wanted me to show them pictures of them that were on my computer.
Tonight Gelong came into our room to show us his picture, the same picture he draws every single day. Funny though because he speaks a language of his own, that no one can understand. I just give my Thai input here and there and smile and laugh at random. I am going to miss that man. Every day when he sees us walking towards our room he puts his hand out to get our room key and then walks ahead to open the door. The same routine every time; unlock the door, step in, turn on both lights, look around the room once they are on, give a shocked look, set the key down on the vanity, turn around, look at us and smile, step back and motion for us to go in. Once we are inside Gelong smiles again, waves, closes the screen door and then closes the main door. I’ve tried to record the process a few times but he always gets distracted by the camera. I hope to take a video of it before I go so I can remember it as my best welcome home ever.
Today I saw another sad slum dog. This time the dog only had one eye. I saw it as it was walking towards my motorbike, not noticing we were that close until it was nearly too late. Stray dogs are everywhere. Although most do not bother you, after dark it can be quite scary. I read somewhere that they will not kill the strays because many Thai people believe in reincarnation, which could mean that the dog could be a long lost relative. Many people will feed the strays. Some people also have dogs for pets but you can definitely spot these well groomed and well fed dogs among those that are missing legs, eyes, and other body parts as well as a lot of fur. Sadly I have seen dogs that look more like oversized rats as they show no sign of fur. I am not sure what happened to them, whether they just try to live life, or whether they were beaten, as many strays are. I was not a huge dog lover before, and many of these sights do not help matters. Also, one of my students told me early on that it is best to look at the ground in front of you when you are walking because of doggy do.
It is raining again here. As much as the rain ruins our plans, it also cools things off (although I am not a fan of the cold wash water in the morning). The rain is also great for sleeping, as it downs out all of the other sounds. For once everything in the world seems so peaceful, even if only for that moment.
As you can guess since I am writing this, that we did not go to Hua Hin. This morning we went to Mercy to find out that we both did not have a morning class as our students were way too busy with work. We waited around to get word from Father Joe about when we were leaving, spending most of the morning ironing batiks in the graphic art room. After not hearing from him we decided to call him. On the phone he asked where we were and how long we would be there and that he would be down to see us in a bit. After waiting an hour and a half we figured he must have forgot. In the meantime we found out from one of the drivers that he was taking them somewhere at noon. We asked our boss if she knew anything and she did not know, but said he was in a meeting. We called his secretary and she did not know either. We decided that since we only had an hour left we needed to go home and pack just incase. On the motorbike on the way home my phone rang, and his secretary said we would not be going today. I could not hear the rest of the conversation due to the sound of the engine, so I do not know what happened or whether or not he went without us. I am sure he had good reason and I am not too disappointed. This afternoon when I ran into his secretary she sent his apologizes, but I was on my way to meet students so I did not have time to ask.
We went to the villa for the afternoon with SiJie. It was nice to get out of the city and smell some fresh air. The children were all in school there so it was fairly quiet. We just spent most of the afternoon relaxing by the river and chatting with the house parents. The bus ride back to Mercy lasted about 2 hours, most of which I slept off and on. Traffic was terrible.
We both taught Lek, Boome and Dew in the evening and then walked back home. Not a very exciting day.
Tomorrow I cancelled my morning class so I could go with Sister Joan on the milk run. I really enjoyed my first run with her and have been hoping to go back. Since we moved our preschool schedule around, we do not have classes on Friday morning besides our adults so instead I cancelled. They were okay with it as most of them were very busy anyways and might not have been able to make it. I am so looking forward to tomorrow.
Thank you to Gus and Sollie for the postcard. It was a nice surprise.
Folk wants to write something: asr’
I went outside tonight to try and see if I could pick up a wireless signal again…no such luck. The boys crowded around me to see what I was doing and they were fascinated with the laptop. They explained to me using gestures that they wanted me to show them pictures of them that were on my computer.
Tonight Gelong came into our room to show us his picture, the same picture he draws every single day. Funny though because he speaks a language of his own, that no one can understand. I just give my Thai input here and there and smile and laugh at random. I am going to miss that man. Every day when he sees us walking towards our room he puts his hand out to get our room key and then walks ahead to open the door. The same routine every time; unlock the door, step in, turn on both lights, look around the room once they are on, give a shocked look, set the key down on the vanity, turn around, look at us and smile, step back and motion for us to go in. Once we are inside Gelong smiles again, waves, closes the screen door and then closes the main door. I’ve tried to record the process a few times but he always gets distracted by the camera. I hope to take a video of it before I go so I can remember it as my best welcome home ever.
Today I saw another sad slum dog. This time the dog only had one eye. I saw it as it was walking towards my motorbike, not noticing we were that close until it was nearly too late. Stray dogs are everywhere. Although most do not bother you, after dark it can be quite scary. I read somewhere that they will not kill the strays because many Thai people believe in reincarnation, which could mean that the dog could be a long lost relative. Many people will feed the strays. Some people also have dogs for pets but you can definitely spot these well groomed and well fed dogs among those that are missing legs, eyes, and other body parts as well as a lot of fur. Sadly I have seen dogs that look more like oversized rats as they show no sign of fur. I am not sure what happened to them, whether they just try to live life, or whether they were beaten, as many strays are. I was not a huge dog lover before, and many of these sights do not help matters. Also, one of my students told me early on that it is best to look at the ground in front of you when you are walking because of doggy do.
It is raining again here. As much as the rain ruins our plans, it also cools things off (although I am not a fan of the cold wash water in the morning). The rain is also great for sleeping, as it downs out all of the other sounds. For once everything in the world seems so peaceful, even if only for that moment.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
"Quick, take a picture, she is so ugly!" Boome says as she points to Dew.
Last night Misty and I went to the computer lab to book our upcoming Laos trip. However, the price of the tickets almost doubled since the last time we checked so we are rethinking some things. I am so incredibly frustrated.
We went to Mercy this morning to teach our first class. Misty’s class was cancelled so it was only me who was teaching. My class has already begun planning for my last day with them as they want to take me to the market on the other side of the river.
After class we spent some time with the adults in the AIDS hospice. Momma got word from the nurse that she is leaving next Friday. We took some “family” pictures together while we are all still here. The patients were so happy and have been preparing for these pictures. They wanted to go out in the garden in the back to take some nice nature shots, which they all set up. It was funny to watch some of the healthier patients push their friends in the wheelchairs to the trees outside.
I was happy to see that the Pepsi stand outside of Mercy was open again today after being closed for the last 2 weeks. The owner has a disability and has not had enough profits to cover the cost of buying things to sell so he was forced to close.
Misty and I went to Carrefour for lunch, and had a nice sandwich. It tasted so great, especially with the lettuce and tomatoes. We then bused it back home to take a nap and spend the afternoon doing our own thing before we have to go back to Mercy. Unfortunately all of the doors were locked, so after sitting outside on the step we decided it was time to make our way back to Mercy. The man who works across the street, who never wears a shirt, was kind enough to offer his bike, however after the heated walk there we decided we should take a taxi back. The taxi driver was awesome, telling us that Canada must be beautiful because we are beautiful girls, and that he wants to come back to Canada with us. I told him he could but that he would have to pay for his own ticket. He asked how much the ticket was, and when I changed it into Baht he said no way. He then went on to the usual talk of how Farangs are so rich, and he is poor. I argued back but the arguments only went so far. Still giving him directions in Thai I directed him into the slums. He looked at me and looked ahead and said… “You know around…Slums.” He then asked if this is where we really wanted to go. We said yes and he asked if this is where we worked. We explained to him that we were teaching English and responded to his “They Pay?” questions with no. He then went on for the rest of the ride about how he was so happy with what we were doing, “help poor in slums, you know…very good”
Back at Mercy we found out that there actually was a house parent here the whole time, so back to Soi 40 we went on a motorbike for an afternoon nap and some laundry. On the way home my motorbike driver stopped to let a dog cross the street. It was hobbling. Upon closer examination I saw that the back leg was cut completely open so that I could see broken bones. I have never seen anything like it, and hopefully will not again.
In the evening we taught the girls. I have some exciting news…Dew got a full scholarship to Pierson in Canada! She will be studying there in September. We all are very proud of her.
Tonight we went with them back to the seafood buffet. We ate a lot…probably about 6 plates per person, and laughed a lot. We had the same waiter as last time and he remembered us and all of the information about us, including our age. We told the girls that they had to speak English only. They were given one warning, the second warning meant they had to eat pig intestines, and the third warning meant they had to pay for the bill (806 baht). Poor Dew got so scared after speaking English 3 times that we would actually make her pay. I also had to laugh when Lek started off her supper with ice cream, then had another bowl half way through and then ended off with a final bowl. The funny part was, she ate it all with chopsticks. She explained to us that the supper is expensive so she needs to eat a lot.
After our supper we went to visit P.Ning in the hospital. Yesterday she was out sick, and today when she came into work she walked from the motorbike to the main door and complained of being dizzy before she collapsed. She was rushed to the hospital. She was very weak when we went to see her, and it took her mom two tries to get her to see us. They think that it has something to do with her brain, but they do not have insurance to cover the costly healthcare here, so instead they are starting with the cheapest tests. She is going to undergo a sinus exam which costs 10 000 Baht ($300 USD). They will see from there what to do next. Please pray for her, both that she recovers and that somehow this will not be a huge financial burden on her family. Ning is the main caregiver of her family, which is quite a feat for a 27 year old. Her father is an alcoholic and her mom does not work. Ning saves all of the money to help her family survive and to put her niece through school. In Thailand education is not free. Mercy provides preschool for children in the slums at a reduced cost. Pleaw graduated already so now she is in grade one. (Ning’s sister had her when she was very young and did not take any responsibility of her).
Today as we were walking around Mercy, Father Joe stopped us and asked if we would come over for a minute. He then proceeded to tell us that his sister, brother in law and aunty are flying in tonight at midnight. He was planning on taking them to the beach (Hua Hin…most high-so beach in Thailand) for a few days. I was wondering why he was telling us but assumed he wanted us to look after something. However, he went on to ask us if we would be interested in coming. We would have our own cabin, complete with bathroom and toilet, close to the pool on the main beach. All expenses are covered by home. Of course we said yes, so there is a 99% chance we will be leaving tomorrow at noon and returning on Sunday. :)
No more news on Laos. We are looking into going the following week so that we do not need to do another visa run before we leave. I have a few pictures to post but my internet connection is not strong enough right now (I am outside at Soi 40, waiting for laundry to finish). Please stay tuned.
We went to Mercy this morning to teach our first class. Misty’s class was cancelled so it was only me who was teaching. My class has already begun planning for my last day with them as they want to take me to the market on the other side of the river.
After class we spent some time with the adults in the AIDS hospice. Momma got word from the nurse that she is leaving next Friday. We took some “family” pictures together while we are all still here. The patients were so happy and have been preparing for these pictures. They wanted to go out in the garden in the back to take some nice nature shots, which they all set up. It was funny to watch some of the healthier patients push their friends in the wheelchairs to the trees outside.
I was happy to see that the Pepsi stand outside of Mercy was open again today after being closed for the last 2 weeks. The owner has a disability and has not had enough profits to cover the cost of buying things to sell so he was forced to close.
Misty and I went to Carrefour for lunch, and had a nice sandwich. It tasted so great, especially with the lettuce and tomatoes. We then bused it back home to take a nap and spend the afternoon doing our own thing before we have to go back to Mercy. Unfortunately all of the doors were locked, so after sitting outside on the step we decided it was time to make our way back to Mercy. The man who works across the street, who never wears a shirt, was kind enough to offer his bike, however after the heated walk there we decided we should take a taxi back. The taxi driver was awesome, telling us that Canada must be beautiful because we are beautiful girls, and that he wants to come back to Canada with us. I told him he could but that he would have to pay for his own ticket. He asked how much the ticket was, and when I changed it into Baht he said no way. He then went on to the usual talk of how Farangs are so rich, and he is poor. I argued back but the arguments only went so far. Still giving him directions in Thai I directed him into the slums. He looked at me and looked ahead and said… “You know around…Slums.” He then asked if this is where we really wanted to go. We said yes and he asked if this is where we worked. We explained to him that we were teaching English and responded to his “They Pay?” questions with no. He then went on for the rest of the ride about how he was so happy with what we were doing, “help poor in slums, you know…very good”
Back at Mercy we found out that there actually was a house parent here the whole time, so back to Soi 40 we went on a motorbike for an afternoon nap and some laundry. On the way home my motorbike driver stopped to let a dog cross the street. It was hobbling. Upon closer examination I saw that the back leg was cut completely open so that I could see broken bones. I have never seen anything like it, and hopefully will not again.
In the evening we taught the girls. I have some exciting news…Dew got a full scholarship to Pierson in Canada! She will be studying there in September. We all are very proud of her.
Tonight we went with them back to the seafood buffet. We ate a lot…probably about 6 plates per person, and laughed a lot. We had the same waiter as last time and he remembered us and all of the information about us, including our age. We told the girls that they had to speak English only. They were given one warning, the second warning meant they had to eat pig intestines, and the third warning meant they had to pay for the bill (806 baht). Poor Dew got so scared after speaking English 3 times that we would actually make her pay. I also had to laugh when Lek started off her supper with ice cream, then had another bowl half way through and then ended off with a final bowl. The funny part was, she ate it all with chopsticks. She explained to us that the supper is expensive so she needs to eat a lot.
After our supper we went to visit P.Ning in the hospital. Yesterday she was out sick, and today when she came into work she walked from the motorbike to the main door and complained of being dizzy before she collapsed. She was rushed to the hospital. She was very weak when we went to see her, and it took her mom two tries to get her to see us. They think that it has something to do with her brain, but they do not have insurance to cover the costly healthcare here, so instead they are starting with the cheapest tests. She is going to undergo a sinus exam which costs 10 000 Baht ($300 USD). They will see from there what to do next. Please pray for her, both that she recovers and that somehow this will not be a huge financial burden on her family. Ning is the main caregiver of her family, which is quite a feat for a 27 year old. Her father is an alcoholic and her mom does not work. Ning saves all of the money to help her family survive and to put her niece through school. In Thailand education is not free. Mercy provides preschool for children in the slums at a reduced cost. Pleaw graduated already so now she is in grade one. (Ning’s sister had her when she was very young and did not take any responsibility of her).
Today as we were walking around Mercy, Father Joe stopped us and asked if we would come over for a minute. He then proceeded to tell us that his sister, brother in law and aunty are flying in tonight at midnight. He was planning on taking them to the beach (Hua Hin…most high-so beach in Thailand) for a few days. I was wondering why he was telling us but assumed he wanted us to look after something. However, he went on to ask us if we would be interested in coming. We would have our own cabin, complete with bathroom and toilet, close to the pool on the main beach. All expenses are covered by home. Of course we said yes, so there is a 99% chance we will be leaving tomorrow at noon and returning on Sunday. :)
No more news on Laos. We are looking into going the following week so that we do not need to do another visa run before we leave. I have a few pictures to post but my internet connection is not strong enough right now (I am outside at Soi 40, waiting for laundry to finish). Please stay tuned.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
So Many GoodByes
Last night on my walk home from the internet café, I nearly got bit by a dog. I was walking down our street alone in the dark, and I do not think the dog saw me coming as I was relatively quiet. As I approached he was very quiet so I was happy to think that he was not going to do anything to harm me, however as soon as I was beside him he started growling and barking at my legs. I almost soiled myself right then and there. It was a fast walk the rest of the way home.
Misty reminded me on our walk to Mercy this morning that it has been 3 months since we have been here. The last month seemed to go by faster than the first two. This also means that we only have one month left until we are finished teaching, and a little over a month and a half before we return.
Today was bittersweet. Walking into the AIDS hospice I did not hear the chipper “Hey You” I hear from Egg every day. I looked at his bed and there was another man sleeping there. Apparently over the weekend Egg went home. I am glad that he was well enough to go home, but I also worry that he went home too early. Egg has a tendency to be fine one day and terribly sick the next. I know he was excited to get out of here, but I just hope he did not rush it.
I said goodbye to Spicy today (SiChon). After having several tests done on his eyes, the doctors have come to conclude that there is no real hope of him ever being able to see again. I told you his story about how he lived in the garbage dump with his sister, and how the bacteria from all of it caused his near blindness, and skin blemishes. Well today he left for boarding school where he will learn how to read Braille. He was quite excited to go, but also quite sad.
Today was one of my last days with Momma. I think she is likely leaving tomorrow. We spent a lot of time together, and she gave me a pair of earrings that sparkle as much as hers. She was very proud to give them to me. Momma insisted that she give me a manicure today. That woman cannot stop and relax for one minute. So she had the nail clippers out this time and half the time I felt like she was cutting my finger. I almost passed out from the combination of the heat and the pain. After she finished cutting she filed, right down to the tip of my poor finger. I care about Momma too much to offend her and tell her that it is hurting, so instead I just bit my lip and bared it. I had to keep reminding myself that this is probably going to be the last time I can see how happy she is to be giving me a manicure.
Another one of the patients we visit (I am sorry I cannot remember her name for the life of me) was admitted to the hospital. I think I told you that she has been sick for the past few days. I don’t know when she went, or when she will come home, but they did say she was really sick.
This morning I went on the computer after teaching my first class, and there was a knock at the main door of the computer lab. I looked up and there was one of the AIDS patients that we visit, pushing one of the boys from the hospice in a wheelchair. I am not sure how old this boy is, but he is hooked up to oxygen, and has been fading away since we arrived….until today. Today he was smiling and responding to touch and voice. I was so happy that I was able to see him in this state. Hopefully he will continue to get stronger with time. This afternoon I went to visit him in his bed and his leg is no wider than my thumb and middle finger forming a circle.
Misty and I taught at the kindergarten today. Now we teach only one class and at the beginning of the week. We prepared for the younger children again, bringing activities that focus on the alphabet and numbers, only to find that we were upstairs with the older children. We mostly focused on calling out letters of the alphabet and getting them to write them, as well as teaching them a few English songs.
After joining the adults in the AIDS hospice for lunch we decided to walk home for a nap. On the way home Misty and I sang English songs at the top of our lungs. At one point I think I was getting a little too into it and I walked into a street sign. I think the indent on my head may always be a reminder of that walk. Ouch. So arriving back at Soi 40…we find that the building is locked. Back to Mercy we go, this time by Taxi as the heat was blazing.
Tonight we took a sawngthaew home to our street and then went to our favorite street vendor restaurant. As soon as we walked into the place (which is essentially someone’s house) the cook got up from where she was eating and began preparing our usual selection. As always, it was delicious.
We asked for the time off today to travel to Laos. Instead of having next Monday off we will shift some of our afternoon classes, and teach. Then Tuesday will be a regular day, and Misty and I will fly out right after work. We will return sometime Monday the following week. I will not have the internet with me as we will be doing some backpacking, and I do not trust leaving it at places for the day. I will keep you updated on our plans as we finalize them.
Misty reminded me on our walk to Mercy this morning that it has been 3 months since we have been here. The last month seemed to go by faster than the first two. This also means that we only have one month left until we are finished teaching, and a little over a month and a half before we return.
Today was bittersweet. Walking into the AIDS hospice I did not hear the chipper “Hey You” I hear from Egg every day. I looked at his bed and there was another man sleeping there. Apparently over the weekend Egg went home. I am glad that he was well enough to go home, but I also worry that he went home too early. Egg has a tendency to be fine one day and terribly sick the next. I know he was excited to get out of here, but I just hope he did not rush it.
I said goodbye to Spicy today (SiChon). After having several tests done on his eyes, the doctors have come to conclude that there is no real hope of him ever being able to see again. I told you his story about how he lived in the garbage dump with his sister, and how the bacteria from all of it caused his near blindness, and skin blemishes. Well today he left for boarding school where he will learn how to read Braille. He was quite excited to go, but also quite sad.
Today was one of my last days with Momma. I think she is likely leaving tomorrow. We spent a lot of time together, and she gave me a pair of earrings that sparkle as much as hers. She was very proud to give them to me. Momma insisted that she give me a manicure today. That woman cannot stop and relax for one minute. So she had the nail clippers out this time and half the time I felt like she was cutting my finger. I almost passed out from the combination of the heat and the pain. After she finished cutting she filed, right down to the tip of my poor finger. I care about Momma too much to offend her and tell her that it is hurting, so instead I just bit my lip and bared it. I had to keep reminding myself that this is probably going to be the last time I can see how happy she is to be giving me a manicure.
Another one of the patients we visit (I am sorry I cannot remember her name for the life of me) was admitted to the hospital. I think I told you that she has been sick for the past few days. I don’t know when she went, or when she will come home, but they did say she was really sick.
This morning I went on the computer after teaching my first class, and there was a knock at the main door of the computer lab. I looked up and there was one of the AIDS patients that we visit, pushing one of the boys from the hospice in a wheelchair. I am not sure how old this boy is, but he is hooked up to oxygen, and has been fading away since we arrived….until today. Today he was smiling and responding to touch and voice. I was so happy that I was able to see him in this state. Hopefully he will continue to get stronger with time. This afternoon I went to visit him in his bed and his leg is no wider than my thumb and middle finger forming a circle.
Misty and I taught at the kindergarten today. Now we teach only one class and at the beginning of the week. We prepared for the younger children again, bringing activities that focus on the alphabet and numbers, only to find that we were upstairs with the older children. We mostly focused on calling out letters of the alphabet and getting them to write them, as well as teaching them a few English songs.
After joining the adults in the AIDS hospice for lunch we decided to walk home for a nap. On the way home Misty and I sang English songs at the top of our lungs. At one point I think I was getting a little too into it and I walked into a street sign. I think the indent on my head may always be a reminder of that walk. Ouch. So arriving back at Soi 40…we find that the building is locked. Back to Mercy we go, this time by Taxi as the heat was blazing.
Tonight we took a sawngthaew home to our street and then went to our favorite street vendor restaurant. As soon as we walked into the place (which is essentially someone’s house) the cook got up from where she was eating and began preparing our usual selection. As always, it was delicious.
We asked for the time off today to travel to Laos. Instead of having next Monday off we will shift some of our afternoon classes, and teach. Then Tuesday will be a regular day, and Misty and I will fly out right after work. We will return sometime Monday the following week. I will not have the internet with me as we will be doing some backpacking, and I do not trust leaving it at places for the day. I will keep you updated on our plans as we finalize them.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Lunch in Cambodia - Visa Run
Hello All,
Sorry it has been a few days since my last post but we have been incredibly busy. You should find 3 posts that I just added. Enjoy!
Sunday
To sum up our day, we went to Cambodia for lunch.
This morning we went to the On Nut BTS station to meet our driver for our visa run. After waiting for over half an hour, I asked another farang if he was waiting for the same thing. Thankfully he was, and has also done visa runs with this company before so he told us it is not too unusual.
Before I go on, I’d like to tell you about this Farang. He was probably in his 60s and claims to have traveled all around Asia. Having been born and raised in Australia, his accent was hard to overcome at times and it was difficult to make out what he was saying. Anyways, you may be thinking…hey they finally met an Australian…
Well he was everything we avoid. Having talked about spending numerous vacations at Pattaya, and knowing the area there so well, including what developments are up and coming, as well as talking about several of his “lady friends” I have come to conclude that Mr. Aussie is one of those men who come to Asian countries for the women, rather than the country itself. I’d be lying if I said I did not have anything against that. Even though he was very helpful throughout the day, I could not wait until we parted our own ways. Misty and I split the time we would have to sit by him on the van as he basically sat half on your seat as well (He spoke of how some kids called him ‘Fat Grampa’ – well suited I think). He made for a long day.
Anyways, back to my story. After waiting over an hour for our ride, we decided to call the company and see what happened. I guess they no longer met upstairs where we were told to wait, but now wait downstairs in the parking lot. So the run already left for the day. After a little persuasion, the owner came back and hired another van to take the rest of us who were waiting. We left two hours behind schedule.
The ride there was very long. We made a stop about 2.5 hrs into it, and then reached Cambodia in about 4 hours. I was happy to see some Holsteins grazing in the ditch along side of the road. The first Holsteins I have seen in months. The van dropped us off at the departures area and let us go off on our own. Thankfully the Aussie was an experienced veteran with visa runs and he showed us what to do. We each went up to a counter and showed our passport where we were stamped out of the country. Next we went to another table where we handed over our passports to wait for our visa to be processed. Since we went with a well known company they were handled privately and quickly. While we waited we crossed over to Cambodia, and had lunch at the casino. When I walked into the casino I was expecting something like Halifax but soon discovered it looks like an old hall with tables. Lunch was okay, but quite pricey.
After lunch one of the workers met us at the casino and told us our passports were ready. had to fill out a departures and arrival card and then we had to physically leave Cambodia again and enter Thailand where we had to get both an exit and an entrance stamp. Finally back to the van we go for the long ride back to Bangkok. The whole process at the border took about an hour and a half. We would have been able to pass through much quicker, expect one of the Philippines we had with us had some trouble getting back into Thailand.
We arrived back in Bangkok in the early evening, with passport and new stamp in hand. In total the day took approximately 11 hours. It made for a long day. Hopefully we can plan the rest of our time here okay, so that we do not need to do another visa run. Our new stamp will expire around the middle of June. However, we plan on going to Laos in 2 weekends which will mean that we get another entry stamp on our way back through to Thailand which should take us until the end of June. At this time we will be finished most of our teaching and planned on traveling into Cambodia for a few days, and possibly Vietnam. Getting the stamp to come back into Thailand after will take us till we fly back to Canada, and will also be the last stamp we are granted as we would then have used up all of our entry stamps, meaning we would need to leave the country for 90 days.
Going on a visa run with a company is a bit pricier but I would recommend it, at least for your first time. There were a lot of children begging for money everywhere we went at the border, and they even followed us right to the van and stood by the window. Without a company you may also be hassled into paying for unnecessary guides and services. People will try to rip you off at every opportunity. I don’t know if we will attempt it on our own in the future, even now after knowing what to do.
This is what we saw when we arrived.
Cambodia
Cambodians moving goods across the border.
Sorry it has been a few days since my last post but we have been incredibly busy. You should find 3 posts that I just added. Enjoy!
Sunday
To sum up our day, we went to Cambodia for lunch.
This morning we went to the On Nut BTS station to meet our driver for our visa run. After waiting for over half an hour, I asked another farang if he was waiting for the same thing. Thankfully he was, and has also done visa runs with this company before so he told us it is not too unusual.
Before I go on, I’d like to tell you about this Farang. He was probably in his 60s and claims to have traveled all around Asia. Having been born and raised in Australia, his accent was hard to overcome at times and it was difficult to make out what he was saying. Anyways, you may be thinking…hey they finally met an Australian…
Well he was everything we avoid. Having talked about spending numerous vacations at Pattaya, and knowing the area there so well, including what developments are up and coming, as well as talking about several of his “lady friends” I have come to conclude that Mr. Aussie is one of those men who come to Asian countries for the women, rather than the country itself. I’d be lying if I said I did not have anything against that. Even though he was very helpful throughout the day, I could not wait until we parted our own ways. Misty and I split the time we would have to sit by him on the van as he basically sat half on your seat as well (He spoke of how some kids called him ‘Fat Grampa’ – well suited I think). He made for a long day.
Anyways, back to my story. After waiting over an hour for our ride, we decided to call the company and see what happened. I guess they no longer met upstairs where we were told to wait, but now wait downstairs in the parking lot. So the run already left for the day. After a little persuasion, the owner came back and hired another van to take the rest of us who were waiting. We left two hours behind schedule.
The ride there was very long. We made a stop about 2.5 hrs into it, and then reached Cambodia in about 4 hours. I was happy to see some Holsteins grazing in the ditch along side of the road. The first Holsteins I have seen in months. The van dropped us off at the departures area and let us go off on our own. Thankfully the Aussie was an experienced veteran with visa runs and he showed us what to do. We each went up to a counter and showed our passport where we were stamped out of the country. Next we went to another table where we handed over our passports to wait for our visa to be processed. Since we went with a well known company they were handled privately and quickly. While we waited we crossed over to Cambodia, and had lunch at the casino. When I walked into the casino I was expecting something like Halifax but soon discovered it looks like an old hall with tables. Lunch was okay, but quite pricey.
After lunch one of the workers met us at the casino and told us our passports were ready. had to fill out a departures and arrival card and then we had to physically leave Cambodia again and enter Thailand where we had to get both an exit and an entrance stamp. Finally back to the van we go for the long ride back to Bangkok. The whole process at the border took about an hour and a half. We would have been able to pass through much quicker, expect one of the Philippines we had with us had some trouble getting back into Thailand.
We arrived back in Bangkok in the early evening, with passport and new stamp in hand. In total the day took approximately 11 hours. It made for a long day. Hopefully we can plan the rest of our time here okay, so that we do not need to do another visa run. Our new stamp will expire around the middle of June. However, we plan on going to Laos in 2 weekends which will mean that we get another entry stamp on our way back through to Thailand which should take us until the end of June. At this time we will be finished most of our teaching and planned on traveling into Cambodia for a few days, and possibly Vietnam. Getting the stamp to come back into Thailand after will take us till we fly back to Canada, and will also be the last stamp we are granted as we would then have used up all of our entry stamps, meaning we would need to leave the country for 90 days.
Going on a visa run with a company is a bit pricier but I would recommend it, at least for your first time. There were a lot of children begging for money everywhere we went at the border, and they even followed us right to the van and stood by the window. Without a company you may also be hassled into paying for unnecessary guides and services. People will try to rip you off at every opportunity. I don’t know if we will attempt it on our own in the future, even now after knowing what to do.
This is what we saw when we arrived.
Cambodia
Cambodians moving goods across the border.
SPORTS DAY - "Beautiful People, Big Hearts"
Sports Day!!!
This morning Misty and I were expected to be at Mercy at 7:30 am. We arrived decked out on our respective colors (mine = blue, Misty = red). Most of the staff were there, scattered throughout the grounds in clusters of colors. Since I was on the blue team I wore my blue, one-size fits all, fisherman pants that one of my students gave me, and the Mickey Mouse polo that my accounting class gave me. I also had blue painted on my face.
I was given a very hippy skirt to add to my look as well as a bracelet and a necklace. Apparently I was going to be one of the cheerleaders. I could not look at myself without laughing. I would never wear any of these clothes at home, especially not in combination.
At 8:00 am all of the colors lined up in the streets behind their banners. My team’s motto was “Beautiful People, Big Hearts.” From here we danced behind a hired drumming band throughout the streets of the slum and on the main road. Instead of having police stop traffic, the security officers from Mercy stopped traffic and directed us. We blocked off one lane of traffic the whole route.
Pretty hot, eh? The things we would never do at home...
Marching through the streets.
This is one of my students. He was obviously supporting the red team.
We arrived at the school where 4 tents were set up to shelter us from the sun. Everyone lined up for the opening ceremonies and then the games begun! I cannot remember all of the games, so I am glad I made an effort to take pictures of them all. I will post a picture and try to describe what the activity was.
This is exactly what it looks like. They had to hit the golf ball from one side of the court to the other.
I also pulled for my team’s tug-of-war team. We won three of our 4 pulls and placed second overall. Unfortunately the pull we lost was the most important one. Tug-of-war is nothing like at home. Instead they try and fit as many people on the rope as possible, on both sides of the rope. My teammates suggested we do not wear shoes as we would have better grip on the concrete, however this also meant that those who did wear shoes stepped all over our feet.
Misty, making up some time for her team.
Musical Chairs.
Some people went all out.
I was one of 4 from my team entered in the Superman Race. This involved each of us putting on a superman cape, a helmet and big underwear, running across the area and switching with our other teammate on the other side. We had to run like superman, with our hands in the air. My team was in second place until our last runner lost the cape and did not realize, so we did not qualify.
In this race people had to dress up and push the tire down to the other side, and switch again.
Finally, my team entered me and 3 others in the eating contest. This was a huge step for me considering I do not like eating in front of people, and now I would be forced to stuff my face in a very unattractive way in front of 250 people. The contest was not like one I have seen on TV, but instead all 4 teammates had to do each station at the same time. Running between the stations we had to hold hands. Our first task was to wash our hands and face. Apparently this was to prevent the powder from sticking. The next station had a plate of powder on the floor that looked like flour and we had to blow the powder away to pick up the coins underneath it with our mouth. There was one coin for each teammate. As soon as you blew the powder it all came back in your face and when it mixed with the water it began to turn yellow. I could feel I had something all over my face, but it wasn’t until I looked at my teammates that I realized how ridiculous we looked. We grabbed hands, and with the money in between our lips we ran to the next station. Here was a whole watermelon, l cut up into 4 pieces. We all ripped it apart and started eating. I can honestly say I did not even notice any of the seeds. I was the first one done (thanks to being a fast eater) but ended up helping my teammates out by eating a quarter of theirs. On to the next station. Here was a bag of something, we ripped open the bag to find chili peppers, very long green beans, cabbage, and some kind of spicy noodle with unknown seafood species in it. I let my teammates dig away at the noodles after realizing how spicy it was, and I went for the rest. On to the next station. A whole chicken! We grabbed in and ripped it apart. I noticed my teammates were polite eaters so a lot of eyes were on me as I wolfed down the chicken, only half chewing the pieces. I seriously devoured half a chicken. It was so hard to eat it fast because I did not want it to come back up. Also, the chicken had a spicy kick to it that I had to be careful of. Finally, pop! We had to pour a liter of pop into cups and drink it. My teammates picked up some time here. Last station was to light a match and light our team’s candles. We weren’t thinking here as I pulled out one match at a time and we tried to light one candle. We should have grabbed a bunch and held all the candles together but when we thought of it, it was too late. It was hard to keep them going as the wind kept blowing them out.
Picking the coin out of the powder..
Wolfing down watermelon.
I am not sure what this was but it was incrediby spicy.
Stuffing my face with chicken.
I ate that whole piece...sick.
Now this is a look that would take me places....I had no idea my face looked like this until I saw this picture. This is all from the powder.
Pop time, finally to get the spice out my mouth.
Time to light the candles.
This whole get-up...just amazing.
At the end of the afternoon each team had to dance together for 5 minutes. This is our favorite security guard.
My team!The overall winner of the day was the yellow team, followed by the pink team, then my blue team and finally Misty’s red team.
Medals..the tire is classic.
In the afternoon I did my presentation for all of the teachers and the house parents at Mercy. I focused my presentation on working with Children with Autism, first describing what Autism is and then going into more detail on how we can communicate with these children. Thankfully my translator was very good in English and also had a medical background, so he was able to explain a lot of the technical terms. Some of the teachers and house parents could really relate and I was glad to see that some of the house parents in this building were taking notes. Overall it was a good presentation. I was asked to do another one in the future, so I will look into that. Maybe next time I will focus more on ADHD behaviors. One teacher expressed that they have students who are hyper and run away and when they come back they just get punished because they do not know what else to do with them.
In the evening we went back to the school for a dinner. All of the staff at Mercy were invited. We were escorted to a table at the front, where we sat with some other members of the PR staff. We had front row seats to all of the signing and the dancing throughout the evening. Everyone had a number for draws throughout the entire evening. It was nice to see practical things as prizes, such as irons, electric fans, kettles, and a TV.
The theme of the evening was a Chinese table, which means that everyone sits at round tables and are served 10 different main courses and 1 dessert. The food kept coming for 3 hours, and we were running out of room on the table. Some of the highlights were fish that was cooking over a flame on the table, as well as rice, some kind of soup and salads. By the time dessert came around I was too full to try it (especially considering I did eat half a chicken before lunch).
Nitaya and Yord were the MC’s of the evening so it made for some entertainment. At one point I heard my name mentioned, so I asked P.Nut to translate for me. Apparently she made a comment about the politeness of my eating during the eating contest…my guess is there was a hint of sarcasm there. I probably looked like an animal.
Two of our favorite staff from the Aids hospice, Yord and his friend have been telling us for months now that they sing karaoke. Well tonight they showed us what they can do…all I can say is WoW!! Misty and I were both very impressed, and think they should try out for idol. We recorded their whole performance.
We had a wonderful day, and today was one of those days where I wish my time here would never end. Everyone came together and it felt like one large family. The energy that was present all day was unlike anything I have ever seen. I said to Misty that if we had such an event in Canada it would be only a few people participating, and many people would not stay for the whole thing, cheering and yelling from the sidelines.
This morning Misty and I were expected to be at Mercy at 7:30 am. We arrived decked out on our respective colors (mine = blue, Misty = red). Most of the staff were there, scattered throughout the grounds in clusters of colors. Since I was on the blue team I wore my blue, one-size fits all, fisherman pants that one of my students gave me, and the Mickey Mouse polo that my accounting class gave me. I also had blue painted on my face.
I was given a very hippy skirt to add to my look as well as a bracelet and a necklace. Apparently I was going to be one of the cheerleaders. I could not look at myself without laughing. I would never wear any of these clothes at home, especially not in combination.
At 8:00 am all of the colors lined up in the streets behind their banners. My team’s motto was “Beautiful People, Big Hearts.” From here we danced behind a hired drumming band throughout the streets of the slum and on the main road. Instead of having police stop traffic, the security officers from Mercy stopped traffic and directed us. We blocked off one lane of traffic the whole route.
Pretty hot, eh? The things we would never do at home...
Marching through the streets.
This is one of my students. He was obviously supporting the red team.
We arrived at the school where 4 tents were set up to shelter us from the sun. Everyone lined up for the opening ceremonies and then the games begun! I cannot remember all of the games, so I am glad I made an effort to take pictures of them all. I will post a picture and try to describe what the activity was.
This is exactly what it looks like. They had to hit the golf ball from one side of the court to the other.
I also pulled for my team’s tug-of-war team. We won three of our 4 pulls and placed second overall. Unfortunately the pull we lost was the most important one. Tug-of-war is nothing like at home. Instead they try and fit as many people on the rope as possible, on both sides of the rope. My teammates suggested we do not wear shoes as we would have better grip on the concrete, however this also meant that those who did wear shoes stepped all over our feet.
Misty, making up some time for her team.
Musical Chairs.
Some people went all out.
I was one of 4 from my team entered in the Superman Race. This involved each of us putting on a superman cape, a helmet and big underwear, running across the area and switching with our other teammate on the other side. We had to run like superman, with our hands in the air. My team was in second place until our last runner lost the cape and did not realize, so we did not qualify.
In this race people had to dress up and push the tire down to the other side, and switch again.
Finally, my team entered me and 3 others in the eating contest. This was a huge step for me considering I do not like eating in front of people, and now I would be forced to stuff my face in a very unattractive way in front of 250 people. The contest was not like one I have seen on TV, but instead all 4 teammates had to do each station at the same time. Running between the stations we had to hold hands. Our first task was to wash our hands and face. Apparently this was to prevent the powder from sticking. The next station had a plate of powder on the floor that looked like flour and we had to blow the powder away to pick up the coins underneath it with our mouth. There was one coin for each teammate. As soon as you blew the powder it all came back in your face and when it mixed with the water it began to turn yellow. I could feel I had something all over my face, but it wasn’t until I looked at my teammates that I realized how ridiculous we looked. We grabbed hands, and with the money in between our lips we ran to the next station. Here was a whole watermelon, l cut up into 4 pieces. We all ripped it apart and started eating. I can honestly say I did not even notice any of the seeds. I was the first one done (thanks to being a fast eater) but ended up helping my teammates out by eating a quarter of theirs. On to the next station. Here was a bag of something, we ripped open the bag to find chili peppers, very long green beans, cabbage, and some kind of spicy noodle with unknown seafood species in it. I let my teammates dig away at the noodles after realizing how spicy it was, and I went for the rest. On to the next station. A whole chicken! We grabbed in and ripped it apart. I noticed my teammates were polite eaters so a lot of eyes were on me as I wolfed down the chicken, only half chewing the pieces. I seriously devoured half a chicken. It was so hard to eat it fast because I did not want it to come back up. Also, the chicken had a spicy kick to it that I had to be careful of. Finally, pop! We had to pour a liter of pop into cups and drink it. My teammates picked up some time here. Last station was to light a match and light our team’s candles. We weren’t thinking here as I pulled out one match at a time and we tried to light one candle. We should have grabbed a bunch and held all the candles together but when we thought of it, it was too late. It was hard to keep them going as the wind kept blowing them out.
Picking the coin out of the powder..
Wolfing down watermelon.
I am not sure what this was but it was incrediby spicy.
Stuffing my face with chicken.
I ate that whole piece...sick.
Now this is a look that would take me places....I had no idea my face looked like this until I saw this picture. This is all from the powder.
Pop time, finally to get the spice out my mouth.
Time to light the candles.
This whole get-up...just amazing.
At the end of the afternoon each team had to dance together for 5 minutes. This is our favorite security guard.
My team!The overall winner of the day was the yellow team, followed by the pink team, then my blue team and finally Misty’s red team.
Medals..the tire is classic.
In the afternoon I did my presentation for all of the teachers and the house parents at Mercy. I focused my presentation on working with Children with Autism, first describing what Autism is and then going into more detail on how we can communicate with these children. Thankfully my translator was very good in English and also had a medical background, so he was able to explain a lot of the technical terms. Some of the teachers and house parents could really relate and I was glad to see that some of the house parents in this building were taking notes. Overall it was a good presentation. I was asked to do another one in the future, so I will look into that. Maybe next time I will focus more on ADHD behaviors. One teacher expressed that they have students who are hyper and run away and when they come back they just get punished because they do not know what else to do with them.In the evening we went back to the school for a dinner. All of the staff at Mercy were invited. We were escorted to a table at the front, where we sat with some other members of the PR staff. We had front row seats to all of the signing and the dancing throughout the evening. Everyone had a number for draws throughout the entire evening. It was nice to see practical things as prizes, such as irons, electric fans, kettles, and a TV.
The theme of the evening was a Chinese table, which means that everyone sits at round tables and are served 10 different main courses and 1 dessert. The food kept coming for 3 hours, and we were running out of room on the table. Some of the highlights were fish that was cooking over a flame on the table, as well as rice, some kind of soup and salads. By the time dessert came around I was too full to try it (especially considering I did eat half a chicken before lunch).
Nitaya and Yord were the MC’s of the evening so it made for some entertainment. At one point I heard my name mentioned, so I asked P.Nut to translate for me. Apparently she made a comment about the politeness of my eating during the eating contest…my guess is there was a hint of sarcasm there. I probably looked like an animal.
Two of our favorite staff from the Aids hospice, Yord and his friend have been telling us for months now that they sing karaoke. Well tonight they showed us what they can do…all I can say is WoW!! Misty and I were both very impressed, and think they should try out for idol. We recorded their whole performance.
We had a wonderful day, and today was one of those days where I wish my time here would never end. Everyone came together and it felt like one large family. The energy that was present all day was unlike anything I have ever seen. I said to Misty that if we had such an event in Canada it would be only a few people participating, and many people would not stay for the whole thing, cheering and yelling from the sidelines.
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