The statue in this fountain is one of the most important landmarks at Mercy. It is the Mother Mary as a curvy slum woman.
Swensen's fondue anyone?!
I think so!
Karaoke in the office with Yord and Pie
Thursday, June 12, 2008
More Pictures
These are some of the children from the preschool at Mercy, playing around the fountain. 
The statue in this fountain is one of the most important landmarks at Mercy. It is the Mother Mary as a curvy slum woman.
Swensen's fondue anyone?!
I think so!
Karaoke in the office with Yord and Pie
The statue in this fountain is one of the most important landmarks at Mercy. It is the Mother Mary as a curvy slum woman. Swensen's fondue anyone?! I think so! Karaoke in the office with Yord and Pie
Cutest Children EVER
Hello All,
I just wanted to send some pictures of life around Mercy.
These are some of the boys from Mercy 6 playing games in their pj's before bed.
Winner...he is such a cute kid. I am not sure about the reason behind the painted eyebrows.
Impromptu dance party in our room. They happen whenever the house parents are not around.
Takatan. She is always full of hugs and kisses. She is a Mercy 6 celebrity. I wonder if these children know how famous they really are.
Gelong...during his hour nail clipping session in our room.
I just wanted to send some pictures of life around Mercy.
These are some of the boys from Mercy 6 playing games in their pj's before bed.
Winner...he is such a cute kid. I am not sure about the reason behind the painted eyebrows.
Impromptu dance party in our room. They happen whenever the house parents are not around.
Takatan. She is always full of hugs and kisses. She is a Mercy 6 celebrity. I wonder if these children know how famous they really are.
Gelong...during his hour nail clipping session in our room.
Lunch in Cambodia 2
I took this picture today at the casino in Cambodia. Since we have been here we have noticed a lot of differences between Farangs and Thai people. Farangs have to pay to use some public washrooms, while Thai people can just walk in. At temples there are usually separate shoe racks. This sign today was the first time I saw something like this.
Wednesday
Today was a pretty quiet day. After spending the afternoon and evening sick on Tuesday, I had to redo Wednesday with everything I was supposed to have done on Tuesday. Basically this meant that I would spend the whole day doing laundry. I went to class in the morning and then came home to heaps of laundry. We started around 9:30 and finished at 3:30, just in time for our evening classes. It started to thunder so we expected it to be followed by rain so instead of letting all of our hard work go to waste we hung all of our laundry around our room. There we clothes hanging from everything imaginable.
I also thought this would be a prime time to clean the fridge out, including defrosting the freezer. Leaving the fridge unplugged, and putting a bucket underneath to attempt to collect all of the melting water, we were off.
Our evening classes were pretty quiet as we are still in the process of testing our students. I forwarded the results on to our boss and a decision will be made in the next week or so whether or not we will be sending some students on scholarship. I am also happy to report that Dew will be leaving for Canada in July!! They figured it would be better for her to go to summer school in Canada so she will have time to make some friends before school starts.
In the evening Misty and I went to the Night Bazaar so that I could purchase some of last minute things to bring home. Instead of purchasing things throughout our time here, I have kept things in mind and got an idea of the price so I would be really sure of what I try to stuff in my suitcase to take home. We have both found that when you first come to a new place you are amazed by everything that is different. However, after being there for a while a lot of that stuff becomes tacky dust collectors that you would get tired of at home. I have become sick of seeing stuff that I once thought was unique because it is everywhere. Therefore we figured that if we left our purchasing to the end we would like what we end up taking home. I know we are so smart.
We came back in the evening to our messy room, and spent a while cleaning it. We were informed when we were at Mercy in the evening that someone was finally going to come to look at our broken toilet in the morning, so we had some major cleaning to do (it has been broken for nearly a month).
Off to bed.
Thursday
This morning we woke early in order to get to the On Nut Tesco for 7:30 am. We were off for our second and final visa run. We went with Claudio’s company again, as we had a great experience with them last time.
We left earlier than usual and had a full van. On the way to Cambodia, Misty and I enjoyed the company of an American named Richard who has been living and teaching in Thailand for the past 6 years. He told us about his experiences of getting his visa extended on Koh San Road. There was a place that advertises for you to get a visa extension, and since it was a few feet away from the police station, Richard thought it would be legal. Although he had a funny feeling about it, he felt a little reassured when he saw the pile of passports that they already had to process. He left his passport and off he went. A month later it was ready and he picked it up; around the same time he was due for his next Visa Run. He went to the border in Cambodia with his passport in hand. However, when he arrived the officials noticed that the stamp was a little different than the one they use (it was so hard to tell, but along the border of the stamp they were 3 less numbers or something). He soon found himself sitting in a Thai detention center for 3 days, where he was joined by over 25 others in a cell that was no bigger than the width of 2 vans. Everyone sat in the same spot for three days, barely able to move. On his lap sat an 8 year old Cambodian boy who was arrested for smoking some kind of drug. After three days, if they did not have their papers they would be moved to a Thai prison. Three days had passed and Richard’s lawyers were still trying to work things out, but he was still forced to move to a Thai prison. Thankfully here, besides the embarrassing strip search he was treated with respect. The prison workers kept the farangs in a separate place where they were treated better and ate slightly better food because the officers knew “they were not criminals.”
Thankfully all of the paper work was sorted out and Richard was released after a day in prison. After two years of fighting with the court system, and thousands of Baht later, things have finally been resolved. As for his fellow farang who spent 6 months in prison, he was sent home. After being in prison for 6 months they know you do not have the money or family to bail you out so they give you the option to stay or go home.
Over 8000 people were scammed by this company on Koh San Road in a two week period. This company is still in operation.
We arrived at the border around 11:30 where we lined up to officially leave Thailand. The officer questioned me a few times as to my purpose for being in Thailand and where I was living. Finally he stamped my passport and off I went. Our passports were then given to our driver to sort out while we went and had lunch on the Cambodian side of the border. About 30 minutes later we were handed back our passports and had to wait in another line to officially enter the country of Thailand again. This time the officer was much nicer but he did get me to pronounce Khlong Toey over and over again. I think he was just making fun of my Thai accent, right Misty?
Today there were not as many children begging as there was the last time we went. Most of the children go to school around 1pm. Also, because it was a weekday, not as many children were out. As soon as you enter the Cambodian side of the border they follow you until you pass through the gates towards the casino “Madame, money.” Richard also translated their “Papa, Money for Real Thing, really food.” They followed us back out to the van where they looked in the windows until we pulled away. When given something all of the children ran towards it, and the one who actually got something ran away with it quickly. Claudio used to bring them milk but they just got very difficult to manage as they basically attacked you. It is hard to watch and imagine what their lives must be like. Sadly most of them are likely forced to be there by their parents.
I do not know what really happened on the ride home as I curled up and slept most of the way. I know it rained for most of the trip. They also played two movies. We arrived back in Bangkok around 5:30pm.
All in all today was a nice relaxing day.
P.S. We have a clean room and a functioning toilet, I’m a happy girl.
Wednesday
Today was a pretty quiet day. After spending the afternoon and evening sick on Tuesday, I had to redo Wednesday with everything I was supposed to have done on Tuesday. Basically this meant that I would spend the whole day doing laundry. I went to class in the morning and then came home to heaps of laundry. We started around 9:30 and finished at 3:30, just in time for our evening classes. It started to thunder so we expected it to be followed by rain so instead of letting all of our hard work go to waste we hung all of our laundry around our room. There we clothes hanging from everything imaginable.
I also thought this would be a prime time to clean the fridge out, including defrosting the freezer. Leaving the fridge unplugged, and putting a bucket underneath to attempt to collect all of the melting water, we were off.
Our evening classes were pretty quiet as we are still in the process of testing our students. I forwarded the results on to our boss and a decision will be made in the next week or so whether or not we will be sending some students on scholarship. I am also happy to report that Dew will be leaving for Canada in July!! They figured it would be better for her to go to summer school in Canada so she will have time to make some friends before school starts.
In the evening Misty and I went to the Night Bazaar so that I could purchase some of last minute things to bring home. Instead of purchasing things throughout our time here, I have kept things in mind and got an idea of the price so I would be really sure of what I try to stuff in my suitcase to take home. We have both found that when you first come to a new place you are amazed by everything that is different. However, after being there for a while a lot of that stuff becomes tacky dust collectors that you would get tired of at home. I have become sick of seeing stuff that I once thought was unique because it is everywhere. Therefore we figured that if we left our purchasing to the end we would like what we end up taking home. I know we are so smart.
We came back in the evening to our messy room, and spent a while cleaning it. We were informed when we were at Mercy in the evening that someone was finally going to come to look at our broken toilet in the morning, so we had some major cleaning to do (it has been broken for nearly a month).
Off to bed.
Thursday
This morning we woke early in order to get to the On Nut Tesco for 7:30 am. We were off for our second and final visa run. We went with Claudio’s company again, as we had a great experience with them last time.
We left earlier than usual and had a full van. On the way to Cambodia, Misty and I enjoyed the company of an American named Richard who has been living and teaching in Thailand for the past 6 years. He told us about his experiences of getting his visa extended on Koh San Road. There was a place that advertises for you to get a visa extension, and since it was a few feet away from the police station, Richard thought it would be legal. Although he had a funny feeling about it, he felt a little reassured when he saw the pile of passports that they already had to process. He left his passport and off he went. A month later it was ready and he picked it up; around the same time he was due for his next Visa Run. He went to the border in Cambodia with his passport in hand. However, when he arrived the officials noticed that the stamp was a little different than the one they use (it was so hard to tell, but along the border of the stamp they were 3 less numbers or something). He soon found himself sitting in a Thai detention center for 3 days, where he was joined by over 25 others in a cell that was no bigger than the width of 2 vans. Everyone sat in the same spot for three days, barely able to move. On his lap sat an 8 year old Cambodian boy who was arrested for smoking some kind of drug. After three days, if they did not have their papers they would be moved to a Thai prison. Three days had passed and Richard’s lawyers were still trying to work things out, but he was still forced to move to a Thai prison. Thankfully here, besides the embarrassing strip search he was treated with respect. The prison workers kept the farangs in a separate place where they were treated better and ate slightly better food because the officers knew “they were not criminals.”
Thankfully all of the paper work was sorted out and Richard was released after a day in prison. After two years of fighting with the court system, and thousands of Baht later, things have finally been resolved. As for his fellow farang who spent 6 months in prison, he was sent home. After being in prison for 6 months they know you do not have the money or family to bail you out so they give you the option to stay or go home.
Over 8000 people were scammed by this company on Koh San Road in a two week period. This company is still in operation.
We arrived at the border around 11:30 where we lined up to officially leave Thailand. The officer questioned me a few times as to my purpose for being in Thailand and where I was living. Finally he stamped my passport and off I went. Our passports were then given to our driver to sort out while we went and had lunch on the Cambodian side of the border. About 30 minutes later we were handed back our passports and had to wait in another line to officially enter the country of Thailand again. This time the officer was much nicer but he did get me to pronounce Khlong Toey over and over again. I think he was just making fun of my Thai accent, right Misty?
Today there were not as many children begging as there was the last time we went. Most of the children go to school around 1pm. Also, because it was a weekday, not as many children were out. As soon as you enter the Cambodian side of the border they follow you until you pass through the gates towards the casino “Madame, money.” Richard also translated their “Papa, Money for Real Thing, really food.” They followed us back out to the van where they looked in the windows until we pulled away. When given something all of the children ran towards it, and the one who actually got something ran away with it quickly. Claudio used to bring them milk but they just got very difficult to manage as they basically attacked you. It is hard to watch and imagine what their lives must be like. Sadly most of them are likely forced to be there by their parents.
I do not know what really happened on the ride home as I curled up and slept most of the way. I know it rained for most of the trip. They also played two movies. We arrived back in Bangkok around 5:30pm.
All in all today was a nice relaxing day.
P.S. We have a clean room and a functioning toilet, I’m a happy girl.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
My Body Hates Me
My body finally got back at me last night for trying to do too much. I need to keep reminding myself that there are certain elements here that we do not have to deal with at home, such as heat and pollution, and that I need to be aware that I can not do the same things as I can at home. We usually spend some of our days napping as the heat can be unbearable and your body just shuts off when you enter a room with air conditioning.
I went to work this morning, not feeling 100%. Everyone in my class was in full attendance and in a very talkative mood. Even though there was a lot of English going on, it was not an actual lesson. When I looked at my watch to see how much time we had before class was over, class was already over. Oh well. Even though I feel bad that we did not actually do what was planned, we talk a lot about cultural differences, and everyone is required to speak in English, so even then they are learning.
I was telling them about taking Heather to see the Temple of Dawn, and how difficult it was to find a ferry to take us across the river without over charging. I spent about 5 minutes telling the story and then one of my students asked me why I just didn’t go to Wat Arun (Temple). I had to laugh as we were all talking about the same temple but did not realize it, until I translated it for them.
My class also talked about how they have difficulty pronouncing certain words. When they learn English in school they are not taught the proper way to pronounce even the letters of the alphabet so they had a shock when they had their first Native English speaker come in to teach them. They say tree, three, and tea all the same way. I spent quite a deal of the class teaching them how to pronounce each word, and also give them examples of more difficult words. Thank Goodness for that language development course I took at the Mount.
We taught at Rom Klao preschool again today. We invited EJ to come along with us as he will start teaching at some of the local preschools soon, and he wanted to know what it was like. The children were very wound up today and at one point they were all piled up on top of each other on the floor. Misty and I did the dancing cd with them so it was entertaining to try and break the pile up while still dancing so that the others knew what actions to do. The boys were also very excited about EJ. This preschool is tucked in the Rom Klao section of the slum, and does not get a lot of foreign visitors. I would not be surprised if EJ was their first contact with a male foreigner.
After class I went to visit Nancy and the rest of the patients in the AIDS hospice. Nancy was sitting outside alone, looking quite upset. I guess some of the other patients have been getting on her case about things. I am not sure what exactly but she felt as if everyone was against her. I can just imagine for everyone in the hospice that it is quite difficult to give up the life you are used to and come to Mercy where you are required to do things a certain way, and be in an environment where you may or may not get along with others. Hopefully they can sort through their differences.
Uma’s mother and sisters were over to visit. He proudly introduced us to his family. His sisters knew some English so they translated for his mother. She kept thanking Misty and I for providing comfort for Uma. We told her that we love teasing him (we always do).
We traveled back to Mercy via motorbike taxi as I was not feeling well enough to walk. I spent the rest of the afternoon in bed, giving Misty work to give to my students to do as she taught her classes.
I went to work this morning, not feeling 100%. Everyone in my class was in full attendance and in a very talkative mood. Even though there was a lot of English going on, it was not an actual lesson. When I looked at my watch to see how much time we had before class was over, class was already over. Oh well. Even though I feel bad that we did not actually do what was planned, we talk a lot about cultural differences, and everyone is required to speak in English, so even then they are learning.
I was telling them about taking Heather to see the Temple of Dawn, and how difficult it was to find a ferry to take us across the river without over charging. I spent about 5 minutes telling the story and then one of my students asked me why I just didn’t go to Wat Arun (Temple). I had to laugh as we were all talking about the same temple but did not realize it, until I translated it for them.
My class also talked about how they have difficulty pronouncing certain words. When they learn English in school they are not taught the proper way to pronounce even the letters of the alphabet so they had a shock when they had their first Native English speaker come in to teach them. They say tree, three, and tea all the same way. I spent quite a deal of the class teaching them how to pronounce each word, and also give them examples of more difficult words. Thank Goodness for that language development course I took at the Mount.
We taught at Rom Klao preschool again today. We invited EJ to come along with us as he will start teaching at some of the local preschools soon, and he wanted to know what it was like. The children were very wound up today and at one point they were all piled up on top of each other on the floor. Misty and I did the dancing cd with them so it was entertaining to try and break the pile up while still dancing so that the others knew what actions to do. The boys were also very excited about EJ. This preschool is tucked in the Rom Klao section of the slum, and does not get a lot of foreign visitors. I would not be surprised if EJ was their first contact with a male foreigner.
After class I went to visit Nancy and the rest of the patients in the AIDS hospice. Nancy was sitting outside alone, looking quite upset. I guess some of the other patients have been getting on her case about things. I am not sure what exactly but she felt as if everyone was against her. I can just imagine for everyone in the hospice that it is quite difficult to give up the life you are used to and come to Mercy where you are required to do things a certain way, and be in an environment where you may or may not get along with others. Hopefully they can sort through their differences.
Uma’s mother and sisters were over to visit. He proudly introduced us to his family. His sisters knew some English so they translated for his mother. She kept thanking Misty and I for providing comfort for Uma. We told her that we love teasing him (we always do).
We traveled back to Mercy via motorbike taxi as I was not feeling well enough to walk. I spent the rest of the afternoon in bed, giving Misty work to give to my students to do as she taught her classes.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Busy Weekend
Thursday
So much has happened in the past few days that I do not even know where to begin to reflect on it all. As you have read in the previous posts, many goodbyes have already begun. I said goodbye to Momma, a woman I have come to admire and love. I have never met someone who seems to be overflowing with so much emotion that it shows in everything she does. There was something about that woman’s smile that grabbed my heart and continues to push me every day. It is strange really; we did not speak the same language yet were able to communicate so much without words. Momma has inspired me in more ways than her and I both know. I worry that over time I will forget the glow of her eyes and she greeted me. But I also know over time I will not cease to think of her and try to picture her in her daily life.
Chris also left this week, and soon SiJie will be leaving too. It feels almost as if Misty and I will be alone again. Last night we noticed this silence and we sat in bed, half expecting SiJie to come in at any moment and spill about her day and the happenings of Mercy.
Goodbyes are a part of life. I have come to understand that, but it does not make them any easier. I am just beginning to learn how to think more positively, not about the goodbye but about the moments I have been able to share with these people.
SiChon has been attending school for the blind for about 2 weeks now. He boards there during the week and comes home on the weekends. SiJie asked him how he thought of the school. We were all struck by his response. “I finally feel like I belong. I have friends, whom I can help and show things to. At Mercy I am nothing. At school I am someone.” Pretty powerful thoughts from a young teenager.
Our friend from the AIDS hospice has finally come back after a month in the hospital. Today when I saw her she came running with open arms. She was in such a cheerful mood and so happy to be back. She looked well. Her English is quite good, so we had a nice conversation. Already the patients have been talking about our departure. We promised them that even after our last day when we are finished at Mercy that we will be back to visit them. I have been thinking about seeing if we could have a Karaoke party with them, as they love to sing and dance with us.
Our pregnant momma in the AIDS hospice is doing well. She found out she is going to have a little boy around the 18th of July. She promised she is going to try her best to have it before we come, but does not think it is going to be possible. The other patients assured us that they would take pictures right away and send them to us. Her little boy is going to be very loved.
I had a nice talk with Nancy today. Like me, she is having a hard time saying all of the goodbyes. She became very teary eyed when talking about how she is going to feel when we too are gone. She described us all as one big family now. Only momma has now left, and soon 3 of his sister’s will leave. But we also need to look at the positive: God allowed us to have another little new addition. ☺ It was nice to think of us as one big family, as that is how we treat each other. I especially love sitting around at lunch time sharing a meal together.
SiJie’s mom is here now. It is kind of strange to see everything through her eyes again, and remember how new everything for us was when we first arrived. A lot of things feel so familiar and comforting now. Even yesterday when 2 police officers pulled up to me on their motorbike as I walked back home on Soi 38, to tell me that “Danger” while pointing to my purse; it seemed strange to me as this is my neighborhood and I have walked here before. Yes, we do try and stay in at night or take a taxi but I have never felt unsafe here.
Yesterday morning I had a discussion in my adult class about homelessness. We were working on a story where a man pretended to have no money, however he approached the same man twice asking for money so the man decided to get him back. He invited him into a restaurant and told him to order what he wanted as he said he hasn’t eaten in 24 hours. The man made his order and then the other man asked the waiter to double it all, considering his friend was starving. In the end it turned out that the man was a con, and was actually just in the restaurant. It had a good ending, as he was tricked into paying for his own food and everyone found out he was a scam.
This story lead to conversations about beggars. I was reading in the Thai newspaper the other day that there was a man on Sukumvuit who pretended that he had no arms. He sits on the stairs of the BTS everyday, holding his cup in his mouth. However, the way he sits allows for him to hide his arms behind his back. When I hear stories like this I don’t know whether to give them money because I feel sorry for them to even consider such a thing, or whether I should give money because they are so good at what they do that they fool everyone and I should therefore pay to see the show.
My class talked about how they only give money to people who look really poor. I wonder what a poor person would look like. How could you possibly tell if someone looked really poor, who has the right to judge that? They also told me how some times you see a whole family sitting on the streets, first a mother, than down a bit a father, and then even farther a few children. I remember one time seeing a woman holding her child. From a distance I could see the child laughing and playing with her mother. As we approached she lay across her mother’s lap with her hand on her forehead, while her mother held the cup. Interesting.
Our conversations lead to a conversation on mutilation. Sometimes you see children whose arms or legs have been severed. I have seen it a few times that it seemed strange to me that so many children could have been born like this, looking almost the same. But in this world, children are not always born like this. Instead a “team” or so my class described it, watch people with their children; in the grocery stores, in the markets, on the streets…As soon as the caregiver is not looking, the team kidnaps the child. From there the child is taken back to the rest of the team where the unimaginable happens, and then the child is shipped off to another team member in another place where they will be employed on the streets as a worker for the team. I am sorry if this is upsetting to read, but I want people to be aware. Our world is far from perfect.
Speaking of our wonderful world, my class informed me that millions of people live in Thai slums. In Thailand there are over 1000 slums, 100 being in Bangkok alone. Most of the population of the slums in the city are family members of farmers who moved from the country looking for work after facing hardships from trying to work the land. Khlong Toei is the largest area of slums in Bangkok, made up of 30 slums which house the poorest of the poor. It is in this area that we live and work.
Friday –
It is now Sunday evening, and I have not even kept track of the past few days so that I could write about them. I am going to try to remember, but I think I will be lacking in the details. Heather arrived Thursday night, but we were unable to see her. Friday morning Misty and I both went to Mercy to teach our morning classes. We hung around Mercy until noon and then met Heather for the afternoon. We took her on a songtheaw to Mercy where she joined us for our afternoon classes. She did not really get to observe us much because all of our students were writing a test.
Classes lasted a little longer than usual because I was working with one of my students on an assessment test for Singapore. After class we spent some time chatting with our students. They are going to teach me some Thai cooking sometime next week. This cooking lesson also includes a morning trip to the market to buy all of the ingredients. I am very excited as I have been thinking of taking a cooking class before I go home, but there are certain things Id really like to know how to make, so my class will be tailored to me.
We went to see the children in Mercy 6. When we arrived upstairs they were all lining up for their medication. They receive medication every evening at 6 pm. My buddy is feeling a lot better now; I was able to tell when he ran up to me with the biggest smile on his face, waiting to be picked up. We joined the young children for their dance aerobics class before supper. This involves a music cd, and a lot of funny dancing. It was nice to see NomPare dancing as well, even though she needed to be held up by a teacher. At 8 years old she cannot stand on her own. Sometimes I have to remind myself that she is 8, as she has the body of a 3 year old and the ability of a newborn. Now that she is attending school for the blind she has been a little more independent with her daily tasks, such as feeding herself. Hopefully she will continue to improve in her own self care with time.
After our dance party we had a karaoke party with the staff in the AIDS office. Yord, Pie, Misty, and I belted out some love ballads. Next week we have a karaoke date. I should mention that in Thailand karaoke is very big, and you can rent out rooms at the mall to sing. It is as popular as bowling or seeing a movie.
In the evening we joined SiJie, her mother and Cedric for some food and beer at the Dubliner. We went here to celebrate SiJie’s last Dubliner’s night with Lee Shamrock, but we were disappointed to find out that he went on a one month vacation to California. The night was still very enjoyable and it was nice to sit and catch up on all the latest happenings.
Saturday
Saturday was a very eventful, jammed packed day. In the morning Misty and I walked with the boys to Soi 40 for mass. During the mass Father always asks if anyone is in the hospital or died in the past week. He also went around asking the children who has lost a parent that we have not had a memorial for. In a few days time we will have a large service, where we will all wear black and pray for those who have passed away. I too have a few dear friends to pray for.
After mass we met up with Heather and ventured out to the Grand Palace. However, we soon found out that we were actually dropped off by the taxi at the Reclining Buddha, which is right next door to the Grand Palace. We adjusted our plans and decided to check it out. Misty and I have been here before so it was not overly exciting for us. Heather got a massage at the Thai massage school. She highly recommended it; coming out saying that it was the best massage she has ever had in her life. So for those of you who are interested, that is the place to go.
After seeing all we could see here we walked to the Grand Palace. As we walked around the outside gate we passed several entrances. Finally at one this man approached and told us that Heather would need to cover up her shoulders and Misty needed to wear a skirt. From what I know, usually this stuff is provided in the entrance. He then went on to tell us that the main part of the Palace was closed for the afternoon because there was a special Thai ceremony going on, and all of the Thais were there praying, so it was not open to the public. BUT…if we wanted to get on a 10 Baht tuk tuk we could go see 3 different tourist sights for free! Pretty amazing considering they usually cost a couple of hundred Baht each. Nice try buddy…red flag went up. There is no such thing as a 10 baht ride anywhere, ESPECIALLY not on a tuk tuk. We kept walking and sure enough we found the main gate, and everything was business as usual. The Grand Palace was amazing. Most of the Grand Palace’s interiors are inaccessible to public view, but the exteriors are still awesome to witness.
After our royal adventure, we took a bus to Sukumvuit where we went to Siam Paragon (best hi-so shopping mall in all of Bangkok). We had supper here, which consisted of a chicken wrap. I can honestly say it was the best wrap I have ever tasted. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
We followed our lovely supper with a girl’s movie night. The three of us went to watch Sex in the City. Having never seen the show before, I was quite impressed. I highly recommend this movie to all you ladies out there. Just a warning though, make sure you see the movie after the malls have closed as you will find you are in a major shopping mood.
Sunday
That shopping mood I spoke of on Saturday was satisfied on Sunday when we went to the Chatuchak Weekend Market. This is reputed to be the largest market in the world, with over 40 000 vendors and attracting 400 000 visitors each weekend. We shopped as last as we possibly could, spending from 8 am to 3 pm on our feet with a short stop for lunch. When shopping here it is advisable to get an early start to beat the soaring heat and ensuing claustrophobia. This market has everything from crafts, home décor, and clothing to flowers and even pets. It was incredibly hot today so the heat was bad, but the shopping was good. I’m proud to say I am the new owner of a dress and a leather belt.
We had to leave the market a little earlier than we would have liked, but we had some very important business to attend to. Misty and I brought SiJie to the airport along with P. Ning, and one of the preschool teachers. It still has not hit me that she is gone yet.
After we brought SiJie to the airport we took Heather to Soi 38 for dinner.
Monday
Monday morning started off with us going to Mercy for a meeting. Even though it was our day off, we had to attend a meeting with our bosses about one of the students we teach. Thankfully it did not last long.
We spent some time with Nancy, chatting about the differences between Thailand and Canada. We sang her the national anthem. I never really realized but our anthem is very slow and sad sounding, compared to others such as the happy, upbeat, Thai anthem. The adults asked us if we would come back to Thailand again soon. This lead to a conversation on how much an actual ticket to Thailand costs. Sadly, a return trip from Canada to Thailand is equivalent to a year’s pay for most people here. I cannot even imagine.
We met Heather at noon and hopped on the BTS. We were delighted to have another juicy wrap for lunch. Yes, I know it was the second time this weekend but it was just sooo good. I crave western food every once in a while. After our much needed stop we went to find a bus to take us the rest of the way. Unfortunately it started raining so we had to wait before beginning the rest of our afternoon. We tried to kill some time at the MBK teen shopping mall. This place looks like one of the markets, but in the set-up of a mall. Heather described some of the stores best when she said “this shoe store looks like a closet threw up.” Most of the little stores are jammed full of everything that it is an eye-sore. Since we know what the cost of most things should be, we also find a lot of things to be slightly overpriced.
After the rain stopped we continued on with our adventure, jumping on bus 47 and going to the Temple of Dawn. I remember roughly what the ferry terminal should look like, so I knew we were not in the right place when we got off the bus. I did not enjoy having people come up to me to try and sell incredibly overpriced boat rides. One woman persisted to tell me that her 200 baht ferry was the only ferry across the water to the temple. Thankfully I found someone who was not in the business of selling anything to give me directions to the correct pier, which was about a 5 minute walk down the road. When we arrived it felt more familiar, and the 3.50 Baht ferry ride was much more acceptable.
In about 2 seconds we were across the river and off the ferry again. We explored the temple but were disappointed as the top section of it was closed so we could only climb half way up. The views were not as impressive as they were last time when we were able to go all the way.
We took a river boat shuttle down the river to Siam Paragon in the afternoon where we had a lovely supper (I was the only one who liked my food…I guess this is why you should go Thai in Thailand…P.S. Mom, you’d love what I had, it was all curry!). After supper we decided we should end off our weekend the same way it began, SWENSENS! We ordered a chocolate fondue. I had to laugh when we each picked out 3 flavors of ice cream, and then the ice cream came and it all contained chocolate except for one.
After stuffing ourselves with ice cream we decided to try and make ourselves feel better by shopping. Thankfully none of us bought anything, as I think our visas would hate us considering the prices of things in that mall. (Think: Burberry, D&G, Prada, MANGO, Jimmy Choo…)
We arrived back at Soi 40 to find out that we have another volunteer now living in SiJie’s room. His name is EJ and he comes from the Philippines. He is doing his high school in Thailand and is here for a month to volunteer as part of the community service hours he needs to graduate. Tomorrow morning we will show him how to get to Mercy.
As you can see from our weekend we had a great time, but I am exhausted. We managed to take almost every form of transportation available, besides a taxi motorbike and a tuk tuk. I am glad we got to show Heather the real Thailand.
So much has happened in the past few days that I do not even know where to begin to reflect on it all. As you have read in the previous posts, many goodbyes have already begun. I said goodbye to Momma, a woman I have come to admire and love. I have never met someone who seems to be overflowing with so much emotion that it shows in everything she does. There was something about that woman’s smile that grabbed my heart and continues to push me every day. It is strange really; we did not speak the same language yet were able to communicate so much without words. Momma has inspired me in more ways than her and I both know. I worry that over time I will forget the glow of her eyes and she greeted me. But I also know over time I will not cease to think of her and try to picture her in her daily life.
Chris also left this week, and soon SiJie will be leaving too. It feels almost as if Misty and I will be alone again. Last night we noticed this silence and we sat in bed, half expecting SiJie to come in at any moment and spill about her day and the happenings of Mercy.
Goodbyes are a part of life. I have come to understand that, but it does not make them any easier. I am just beginning to learn how to think more positively, not about the goodbye but about the moments I have been able to share with these people.
SiChon has been attending school for the blind for about 2 weeks now. He boards there during the week and comes home on the weekends. SiJie asked him how he thought of the school. We were all struck by his response. “I finally feel like I belong. I have friends, whom I can help and show things to. At Mercy I am nothing. At school I am someone.” Pretty powerful thoughts from a young teenager.
Our friend from the AIDS hospice has finally come back after a month in the hospital. Today when I saw her she came running with open arms. She was in such a cheerful mood and so happy to be back. She looked well. Her English is quite good, so we had a nice conversation. Already the patients have been talking about our departure. We promised them that even after our last day when we are finished at Mercy that we will be back to visit them. I have been thinking about seeing if we could have a Karaoke party with them, as they love to sing and dance with us.
Our pregnant momma in the AIDS hospice is doing well. She found out she is going to have a little boy around the 18th of July. She promised she is going to try her best to have it before we come, but does not think it is going to be possible. The other patients assured us that they would take pictures right away and send them to us. Her little boy is going to be very loved.
I had a nice talk with Nancy today. Like me, she is having a hard time saying all of the goodbyes. She became very teary eyed when talking about how she is going to feel when we too are gone. She described us all as one big family now. Only momma has now left, and soon 3 of his sister’s will leave. But we also need to look at the positive: God allowed us to have another little new addition. ☺ It was nice to think of us as one big family, as that is how we treat each other. I especially love sitting around at lunch time sharing a meal together.
SiJie’s mom is here now. It is kind of strange to see everything through her eyes again, and remember how new everything for us was when we first arrived. A lot of things feel so familiar and comforting now. Even yesterday when 2 police officers pulled up to me on their motorbike as I walked back home on Soi 38, to tell me that “Danger” while pointing to my purse; it seemed strange to me as this is my neighborhood and I have walked here before. Yes, we do try and stay in at night or take a taxi but I have never felt unsafe here.
Yesterday morning I had a discussion in my adult class about homelessness. We were working on a story where a man pretended to have no money, however he approached the same man twice asking for money so the man decided to get him back. He invited him into a restaurant and told him to order what he wanted as he said he hasn’t eaten in 24 hours. The man made his order and then the other man asked the waiter to double it all, considering his friend was starving. In the end it turned out that the man was a con, and was actually just in the restaurant. It had a good ending, as he was tricked into paying for his own food and everyone found out he was a scam.
This story lead to conversations about beggars. I was reading in the Thai newspaper the other day that there was a man on Sukumvuit who pretended that he had no arms. He sits on the stairs of the BTS everyday, holding his cup in his mouth. However, the way he sits allows for him to hide his arms behind his back. When I hear stories like this I don’t know whether to give them money because I feel sorry for them to even consider such a thing, or whether I should give money because they are so good at what they do that they fool everyone and I should therefore pay to see the show.
My class talked about how they only give money to people who look really poor. I wonder what a poor person would look like. How could you possibly tell if someone looked really poor, who has the right to judge that? They also told me how some times you see a whole family sitting on the streets, first a mother, than down a bit a father, and then even farther a few children. I remember one time seeing a woman holding her child. From a distance I could see the child laughing and playing with her mother. As we approached she lay across her mother’s lap with her hand on her forehead, while her mother held the cup. Interesting.
Our conversations lead to a conversation on mutilation. Sometimes you see children whose arms or legs have been severed. I have seen it a few times that it seemed strange to me that so many children could have been born like this, looking almost the same. But in this world, children are not always born like this. Instead a “team” or so my class described it, watch people with their children; in the grocery stores, in the markets, on the streets…As soon as the caregiver is not looking, the team kidnaps the child. From there the child is taken back to the rest of the team where the unimaginable happens, and then the child is shipped off to another team member in another place where they will be employed on the streets as a worker for the team. I am sorry if this is upsetting to read, but I want people to be aware. Our world is far from perfect.
Speaking of our wonderful world, my class informed me that millions of people live in Thai slums. In Thailand there are over 1000 slums, 100 being in Bangkok alone. Most of the population of the slums in the city are family members of farmers who moved from the country looking for work after facing hardships from trying to work the land. Khlong Toei is the largest area of slums in Bangkok, made up of 30 slums which house the poorest of the poor. It is in this area that we live and work.
Friday –
It is now Sunday evening, and I have not even kept track of the past few days so that I could write about them. I am going to try to remember, but I think I will be lacking in the details. Heather arrived Thursday night, but we were unable to see her. Friday morning Misty and I both went to Mercy to teach our morning classes. We hung around Mercy until noon and then met Heather for the afternoon. We took her on a songtheaw to Mercy where she joined us for our afternoon classes. She did not really get to observe us much because all of our students were writing a test.
Classes lasted a little longer than usual because I was working with one of my students on an assessment test for Singapore. After class we spent some time chatting with our students. They are going to teach me some Thai cooking sometime next week. This cooking lesson also includes a morning trip to the market to buy all of the ingredients. I am very excited as I have been thinking of taking a cooking class before I go home, but there are certain things Id really like to know how to make, so my class will be tailored to me.
We went to see the children in Mercy 6. When we arrived upstairs they were all lining up for their medication. They receive medication every evening at 6 pm. My buddy is feeling a lot better now; I was able to tell when he ran up to me with the biggest smile on his face, waiting to be picked up. We joined the young children for their dance aerobics class before supper. This involves a music cd, and a lot of funny dancing. It was nice to see NomPare dancing as well, even though she needed to be held up by a teacher. At 8 years old she cannot stand on her own. Sometimes I have to remind myself that she is 8, as she has the body of a 3 year old and the ability of a newborn. Now that she is attending school for the blind she has been a little more independent with her daily tasks, such as feeding herself. Hopefully she will continue to improve in her own self care with time.
After our dance party we had a karaoke party with the staff in the AIDS office. Yord, Pie, Misty, and I belted out some love ballads. Next week we have a karaoke date. I should mention that in Thailand karaoke is very big, and you can rent out rooms at the mall to sing. It is as popular as bowling or seeing a movie.
In the evening we joined SiJie, her mother and Cedric for some food and beer at the Dubliner. We went here to celebrate SiJie’s last Dubliner’s night with Lee Shamrock, but we were disappointed to find out that he went on a one month vacation to California. The night was still very enjoyable and it was nice to sit and catch up on all the latest happenings.
Saturday
Saturday was a very eventful, jammed packed day. In the morning Misty and I walked with the boys to Soi 40 for mass. During the mass Father always asks if anyone is in the hospital or died in the past week. He also went around asking the children who has lost a parent that we have not had a memorial for. In a few days time we will have a large service, where we will all wear black and pray for those who have passed away. I too have a few dear friends to pray for.
After mass we met up with Heather and ventured out to the Grand Palace. However, we soon found out that we were actually dropped off by the taxi at the Reclining Buddha, which is right next door to the Grand Palace. We adjusted our plans and decided to check it out. Misty and I have been here before so it was not overly exciting for us. Heather got a massage at the Thai massage school. She highly recommended it; coming out saying that it was the best massage she has ever had in her life. So for those of you who are interested, that is the place to go.
After seeing all we could see here we walked to the Grand Palace. As we walked around the outside gate we passed several entrances. Finally at one this man approached and told us that Heather would need to cover up her shoulders and Misty needed to wear a skirt. From what I know, usually this stuff is provided in the entrance. He then went on to tell us that the main part of the Palace was closed for the afternoon because there was a special Thai ceremony going on, and all of the Thais were there praying, so it was not open to the public. BUT…if we wanted to get on a 10 Baht tuk tuk we could go see 3 different tourist sights for free! Pretty amazing considering they usually cost a couple of hundred Baht each. Nice try buddy…red flag went up. There is no such thing as a 10 baht ride anywhere, ESPECIALLY not on a tuk tuk. We kept walking and sure enough we found the main gate, and everything was business as usual. The Grand Palace was amazing. Most of the Grand Palace’s interiors are inaccessible to public view, but the exteriors are still awesome to witness.
After our royal adventure, we took a bus to Sukumvuit where we went to Siam Paragon (best hi-so shopping mall in all of Bangkok). We had supper here, which consisted of a chicken wrap. I can honestly say it was the best wrap I have ever tasted. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
We followed our lovely supper with a girl’s movie night. The three of us went to watch Sex in the City. Having never seen the show before, I was quite impressed. I highly recommend this movie to all you ladies out there. Just a warning though, make sure you see the movie after the malls have closed as you will find you are in a major shopping mood.
Sunday
That shopping mood I spoke of on Saturday was satisfied on Sunday when we went to the Chatuchak Weekend Market. This is reputed to be the largest market in the world, with over 40 000 vendors and attracting 400 000 visitors each weekend. We shopped as last as we possibly could, spending from 8 am to 3 pm on our feet with a short stop for lunch. When shopping here it is advisable to get an early start to beat the soaring heat and ensuing claustrophobia. This market has everything from crafts, home décor, and clothing to flowers and even pets. It was incredibly hot today so the heat was bad, but the shopping was good. I’m proud to say I am the new owner of a dress and a leather belt.
We had to leave the market a little earlier than we would have liked, but we had some very important business to attend to. Misty and I brought SiJie to the airport along with P. Ning, and one of the preschool teachers. It still has not hit me that she is gone yet.
After we brought SiJie to the airport we took Heather to Soi 38 for dinner.
Monday
Monday morning started off with us going to Mercy for a meeting. Even though it was our day off, we had to attend a meeting with our bosses about one of the students we teach. Thankfully it did not last long.
We spent some time with Nancy, chatting about the differences between Thailand and Canada. We sang her the national anthem. I never really realized but our anthem is very slow and sad sounding, compared to others such as the happy, upbeat, Thai anthem. The adults asked us if we would come back to Thailand again soon. This lead to a conversation on how much an actual ticket to Thailand costs. Sadly, a return trip from Canada to Thailand is equivalent to a year’s pay for most people here. I cannot even imagine.
We met Heather at noon and hopped on the BTS. We were delighted to have another juicy wrap for lunch. Yes, I know it was the second time this weekend but it was just sooo good. I crave western food every once in a while. After our much needed stop we went to find a bus to take us the rest of the way. Unfortunately it started raining so we had to wait before beginning the rest of our afternoon. We tried to kill some time at the MBK teen shopping mall. This place looks like one of the markets, but in the set-up of a mall. Heather described some of the stores best when she said “this shoe store looks like a closet threw up.” Most of the little stores are jammed full of everything that it is an eye-sore. Since we know what the cost of most things should be, we also find a lot of things to be slightly overpriced.
After the rain stopped we continued on with our adventure, jumping on bus 47 and going to the Temple of Dawn. I remember roughly what the ferry terminal should look like, so I knew we were not in the right place when we got off the bus. I did not enjoy having people come up to me to try and sell incredibly overpriced boat rides. One woman persisted to tell me that her 200 baht ferry was the only ferry across the water to the temple. Thankfully I found someone who was not in the business of selling anything to give me directions to the correct pier, which was about a 5 minute walk down the road. When we arrived it felt more familiar, and the 3.50 Baht ferry ride was much more acceptable.
In about 2 seconds we were across the river and off the ferry again. We explored the temple but were disappointed as the top section of it was closed so we could only climb half way up. The views were not as impressive as they were last time when we were able to go all the way.
We took a river boat shuttle down the river to Siam Paragon in the afternoon where we had a lovely supper (I was the only one who liked my food…I guess this is why you should go Thai in Thailand…P.S. Mom, you’d love what I had, it was all curry!). After supper we decided we should end off our weekend the same way it began, SWENSENS! We ordered a chocolate fondue. I had to laugh when we each picked out 3 flavors of ice cream, and then the ice cream came and it all contained chocolate except for one.
After stuffing ourselves with ice cream we decided to try and make ourselves feel better by shopping. Thankfully none of us bought anything, as I think our visas would hate us considering the prices of things in that mall. (Think: Burberry, D&G, Prada, MANGO, Jimmy Choo…)
We arrived back at Soi 40 to find out that we have another volunteer now living in SiJie’s room. His name is EJ and he comes from the Philippines. He is doing his high school in Thailand and is here for a month to volunteer as part of the community service hours he needs to graduate. Tomorrow morning we will show him how to get to Mercy.
As you can see from our weekend we had a great time, but I am exhausted. We managed to take almost every form of transportation available, besides a taxi motorbike and a tuk tuk. I am glad we got to show Heather the real Thailand.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
More Goodbyes
Wednesday
When I arrived at work this morning, I saw Gelong come down the road on his pretend motorbike, skipping along as if he did not have a fear in the world. A songtheaw approached and he nearly ran out in front of it. Instead of worrying, he pretended that it hit his motorbike. He always makes me laugh but I worry about him.
In my adult class in the morning we spent some time talking about the difference between the Thai year and the Canadian year. In Canada we say this year is 2008. In Thailand, the year is 2551. If you were to ask a Thai person when their birthday is, they would give you a date that is still in the future for us. The reason why their year is different is because they go by the day the Buddha was born. My birthday in Thailand is August 4, 2529.
I really enjoy my morning class. Even though most mornings I dread waking up for it, they always turn my day around. Each class begins with a small conversation of what happened over the weekend, or in the evening. We then continue on with my planned lesson, and usually end with a conversation on a cultural difference. Most of our conversations come out of the readings or something I have noticed in the past few days. They are just as interested in learning about my country and its people, as much as I am interested in learning about theirs.
After class we had a meeting with Emma. Emma and SiJie later joined us for lunch at McDonalds in Tesco. On an aside note, the prices at McDonalds went down. Now for a chicken nugget meal it is 90 Baht, which is a 9 Baht difference from before. We figured that the adjustment to the price was due to the decreasing portion size. Now when you order a meal your fries are smaller, as well as your coke. We had to laugh as we said that this would never happen in Canada. Either the prices would increase as the portions increased, or the prices would increase as the portion size stays the same. I am not sure if I mentioned this in previous posts, but the portion sizes for most fast food items are significantly smaller than at home. If you go to Dairy Queen and order a large blizzard, it would be equivalent to a small at home. I wish we had these portion sizes.
I had a long chat with one of my students in the evening about her studies and her future. I think I mentioned in a previous post that there are a lot of changes in store for her life. Unfortunately a lot of these changes depend on the decision making of others as to whether she is ready for these changes. I have to give my input on them as well, and mine will carry a heavy weight as I teach her everyday. I have chosen to base my decisions on assessments so that I can back up my opinion with some of her actual work. She is well aware of her progress and where some of her weaknesses lye. Together we are going to try and sort through some of the things she has difficulty with. I emailed the school she may be attending for help as to what they are expecting her to be able to do and know. Hopefully the information provided will allow me to make a better assessment. I have also asked Heather to sit in on an interview with us this weekend. Heather is studying secondary education at Acadia too and is doing her teaching placement in China. She is coming back for the weekend for a visit. It will be nice to have an opinion from someone who is not involved with Mercy and some of its politics.
After classes, along with the students, we took SiJie to the seafood buffet. They wanted it to be a surprise for SiJie as she is flying back home to Malaysia on Sunday. The girls hailed the cab and gave directions while we tried to keep SiJie away. All six of us crammed into a taxi and off we went. Because of traffic we took a different route than normal, so although SiJie thought she knew where we were taking her, the route kept throwing her off.
There was a clown walking around at the restaurant so we joked that we hired it for SiJie. It came over and made her a flower out of balloons. Honestly though, it was the creepiest clown I have ever seen. Not based on the way it looked but the way it acted.
We met Chris later in the evening to go to the airport. SiJie’s mom was also flying in at the same time Chris was supposed to arrive so it worked out. We met Chris and traveled with his taxi. He had a pretty nice driver who not only used the meter (which is rare when traveling to the airport as they like to over charge you and make you pay twice as much as you should because they claim they will be driving back from the airport with an empty taxi…ya right! His driver even stopped off at McDonalds so Chris could grab something to eat. The driver came inside and shut the car off so it did not continue to charge him. Once inside the driver left us with the keys and told us he had to go to the bathroom; very trusting. Poor SiJie got to hear his whole life story on the way to the airport. I guess there are disadvantages to knowing Thai as well.
Well we dropped Chris off at the airport tonight to go home to Melbourne, Australia. It was difficult to say goodbye, as it is another one of those goodbyes that just may be forever. I had such a great time with him. Since my family is unable to come to Thailand, it give me the chance to share my life here in Thailand with someone else. I was able to show Mercy to Chris, as well as some of our favorite hang out spots. He also came along for one of our milk runs. I am going to miss him, not only because of his companionship but also because I was able to step outside of my role at Mercy. For once all of my conversations did not revolve around the work I do here, or the children. Instead I was able to talk about and reflect on some memories and things back at home. Thank you Chris for the much needed break. Hopefully some day our paths will cross again.
Sometime we also enjoyed doing was laughing at the differences our accents put on words. We found out that we say Adidas completely different. In Australia it sounds more like ADD-id-as. Did I get that right Chris?
Being at the airport brought a flood of different emotions. It reminded me of the excitement when I first arrived in Thailand, anticipating meeting all of the children, and wondering what the next couple of months would be like. I also remember thinking that the next couple of months are going to fly by, which most of them did. It also reminded me of flying to Chiang Mai for Songkran. I was really excited to see another side of Thailand. But being at the airport also brought along sad emotions; that our time left here is very short. Next weekend Misty’s mother and sister will arrive, and stay for two weeks. After they return we only have 10 days left and we will be following suit. In many ways I am not ready to go. I feel like there is so much of this side of the world left to discover, thankfully I am still young. I am also not looking forward to all of the goodbyes that need to be said. I feel like I have my own little life here. Even though it is not filled with as many luxuries as we all have at home, I am comfortable. Every day I step outside of my room is an adventure, and I feel there is so much exploring left to do. I have mixed feelings about my role at Mercy. I have had a wonderful volunteering experience, and I am glad to have been fully immersed in the culture not only of Mercy but the slums as well. I have got to see and experience things that most people cannot even imagine. However, I feel that there is only so much room in this organization to make changes. I do not feel that there would be an ability to make any drastic changes, no matter how long I spend here. I came here with the attitude that I may not make huge changes, or that I could save the world with this experience, but that little changes could be made for individual children. That I feel has happened.
As much as I have given, I feel I have learned. The children and adults at Mercy have taught me and shown me more about life than I would have ever learned in a classroom or at home. For this I am grateful.
When I arrived at work this morning, I saw Gelong come down the road on his pretend motorbike, skipping along as if he did not have a fear in the world. A songtheaw approached and he nearly ran out in front of it. Instead of worrying, he pretended that it hit his motorbike. He always makes me laugh but I worry about him.
In my adult class in the morning we spent some time talking about the difference between the Thai year and the Canadian year. In Canada we say this year is 2008. In Thailand, the year is 2551. If you were to ask a Thai person when their birthday is, they would give you a date that is still in the future for us. The reason why their year is different is because they go by the day the Buddha was born. My birthday in Thailand is August 4, 2529.
I really enjoy my morning class. Even though most mornings I dread waking up for it, they always turn my day around. Each class begins with a small conversation of what happened over the weekend, or in the evening. We then continue on with my planned lesson, and usually end with a conversation on a cultural difference. Most of our conversations come out of the readings or something I have noticed in the past few days. They are just as interested in learning about my country and its people, as much as I am interested in learning about theirs.
After class we had a meeting with Emma. Emma and SiJie later joined us for lunch at McDonalds in Tesco. On an aside note, the prices at McDonalds went down. Now for a chicken nugget meal it is 90 Baht, which is a 9 Baht difference from before. We figured that the adjustment to the price was due to the decreasing portion size. Now when you order a meal your fries are smaller, as well as your coke. We had to laugh as we said that this would never happen in Canada. Either the prices would increase as the portions increased, or the prices would increase as the portion size stays the same. I am not sure if I mentioned this in previous posts, but the portion sizes for most fast food items are significantly smaller than at home. If you go to Dairy Queen and order a large blizzard, it would be equivalent to a small at home. I wish we had these portion sizes.
I had a long chat with one of my students in the evening about her studies and her future. I think I mentioned in a previous post that there are a lot of changes in store for her life. Unfortunately a lot of these changes depend on the decision making of others as to whether she is ready for these changes. I have to give my input on them as well, and mine will carry a heavy weight as I teach her everyday. I have chosen to base my decisions on assessments so that I can back up my opinion with some of her actual work. She is well aware of her progress and where some of her weaknesses lye. Together we are going to try and sort through some of the things she has difficulty with. I emailed the school she may be attending for help as to what they are expecting her to be able to do and know. Hopefully the information provided will allow me to make a better assessment. I have also asked Heather to sit in on an interview with us this weekend. Heather is studying secondary education at Acadia too and is doing her teaching placement in China. She is coming back for the weekend for a visit. It will be nice to have an opinion from someone who is not involved with Mercy and some of its politics.
After classes, along with the students, we took SiJie to the seafood buffet. They wanted it to be a surprise for SiJie as she is flying back home to Malaysia on Sunday. The girls hailed the cab and gave directions while we tried to keep SiJie away. All six of us crammed into a taxi and off we went. Because of traffic we took a different route than normal, so although SiJie thought she knew where we were taking her, the route kept throwing her off.
There was a clown walking around at the restaurant so we joked that we hired it for SiJie. It came over and made her a flower out of balloons. Honestly though, it was the creepiest clown I have ever seen. Not based on the way it looked but the way it acted.
We met Chris later in the evening to go to the airport. SiJie’s mom was also flying in at the same time Chris was supposed to arrive so it worked out. We met Chris and traveled with his taxi. He had a pretty nice driver who not only used the meter (which is rare when traveling to the airport as they like to over charge you and make you pay twice as much as you should because they claim they will be driving back from the airport with an empty taxi…ya right! His driver even stopped off at McDonalds so Chris could grab something to eat. The driver came inside and shut the car off so it did not continue to charge him. Once inside the driver left us with the keys and told us he had to go to the bathroom; very trusting. Poor SiJie got to hear his whole life story on the way to the airport. I guess there are disadvantages to knowing Thai as well.
Well we dropped Chris off at the airport tonight to go home to Melbourne, Australia. It was difficult to say goodbye, as it is another one of those goodbyes that just may be forever. I had such a great time with him. Since my family is unable to come to Thailand, it give me the chance to share my life here in Thailand with someone else. I was able to show Mercy to Chris, as well as some of our favorite hang out spots. He also came along for one of our milk runs. I am going to miss him, not only because of his companionship but also because I was able to step outside of my role at Mercy. For once all of my conversations did not revolve around the work I do here, or the children. Instead I was able to talk about and reflect on some memories and things back at home. Thank you Chris for the much needed break. Hopefully some day our paths will cross again.
Sometime we also enjoyed doing was laughing at the differences our accents put on words. We found out that we say Adidas completely different. In Australia it sounds more like ADD-id-as. Did I get that right Chris?
Being at the airport brought a flood of different emotions. It reminded me of the excitement when I first arrived in Thailand, anticipating meeting all of the children, and wondering what the next couple of months would be like. I also remember thinking that the next couple of months are going to fly by, which most of them did. It also reminded me of flying to Chiang Mai for Songkran. I was really excited to see another side of Thailand. But being at the airport also brought along sad emotions; that our time left here is very short. Next weekend Misty’s mother and sister will arrive, and stay for two weeks. After they return we only have 10 days left and we will be following suit. In many ways I am not ready to go. I feel like there is so much of this side of the world left to discover, thankfully I am still young. I am also not looking forward to all of the goodbyes that need to be said. I feel like I have my own little life here. Even though it is not filled with as many luxuries as we all have at home, I am comfortable. Every day I step outside of my room is an adventure, and I feel there is so much exploring left to do. I have mixed feelings about my role at Mercy. I have had a wonderful volunteering experience, and I am glad to have been fully immersed in the culture not only of Mercy but the slums as well. I have got to see and experience things that most people cannot even imagine. However, I feel that there is only so much room in this organization to make changes. I do not feel that there would be an ability to make any drastic changes, no matter how long I spend here. I came here with the attitude that I may not make huge changes, or that I could save the world with this experience, but that little changes could be made for individual children. That I feel has happened.
As much as I have given, I feel I have learned. The children and adults at Mercy have taught me and shown me more about life than I would have ever learned in a classroom or at home. For this I am grateful.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Our life in Pictures
These are some pictures from the Villa as well as when we went with the girls to the seafood buffet. Enjoy!
That's all for now. In total there should be about 4 new posts from today. Happy Reading.
What goes up, must come down...
Tuesday –
Sorry about the delay in blogging. I have been quite busy, spending some last minute time with some very good friends before they do their separate ways. It seems like many of the good byes have already started, first with momma and now SiJie and Chris. It is going to be weird without SiJie as she has been our go-to girl since we have arrived. We have become very good friends, and I will miss our daily chats and laughter. Chris has been a great companion and relief from Mercy. It wasn’t until meeting him that I realized that our whole lives are Mercy. It is good to an extent, but spending time with him and not talking about Mercy all of the time was very welcoming. Even with Misty, when we go away for the weekend, every conversation always ends up back at Mercy.
Misty and I arrived at work bright and early on Tuesday for a 7:30 am meeting with our boss. There has been a lot of discussion about one of our students and the scholarship she has received. Unfortunately it has not all been good news and Misty and I are expected to give our advice on some life changing decisions. I have confidence that we will have enough evidence to back up our decision on her education when we meet again on Monday. It is going to be a busy weekend, partaking in formal written and oral assessments. This is also very challenging for me as I have not studied assessment due to the strike, and I also study elementary education. The student I will be required to assess is in grade 9 at the moment. I guess this will be a huge learning opportunity. I have emailed the school where she may be attending for anything they could possibly give me to base my assessment on. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it comes in time for me to use it.
My morning class on Tuesday was well attended, with 4 of the 5 students attending. The boss was the one who did not attend. She has a high level of English, so when she is not present it is nice to see the other students trying harder, rather than just relying on her.
We taught preschool again today. When we arrived 40 little children were waiting for us upstairs, all sitting in their rows on the floor. We reviewed the alphabet, some vocabulary and opposites. We got the children to act out the opposites such as fast and slow, big and small, short and tall. They really liked to show us happy and sad. We ran out of things to do and still had time left so we got them engaged in a game of duck, duck, goose. I do not think we played it with them before but they enjoyed it just as much as all of our other students do. It was too bad the room was not big enough for the children to really run around each other.
The walk home from preschool seemed like forever, and by the time we arrived back we were drenched in sweat…just when I think got used to the heat. I always love the looks we get when we come back in the office after a long walk.
We took our afternoon nap. These naps have been godsends. When we are unable to get them I crash in the later part of the afternoon. The heat here makes us so sleepy.
Visiting the AIDS hospice this afternoon, I learned that Nancy picked up a new greeting. “What’s up girl?” I had to laugh when she greeted me this way. We had a good talk, and it was nice to be called thin and beautiful for once instead of the ‘fat’ I usually get from her. According to Nancy I must gain and lose about 20-50 pounds overnight some days.
The woman who stays in the bed across from Nancy was admitted to the hospital. She now joins a few others from Mercy, including the girl who occupied the bed before her. Please pray for them.
It was hard today to see Momma’s bed empty. All of her blankets were folded at the end, as if she just cleaned up and would be coming back from a bath in a few minutes. Only she never did come. I miss her so much already. I will call her soon.
I spent some time playing with the children in Mercy 6. NongFai was so energetic and was singing as she danced in my arms. NongFai is blind and mostly relies on a wheelchair for mobility. AIDS attacked her body when she was only a baby, but she is doing ok. Takatan met me with wet kisses. She is always so full of life and giggles.
Our little boy is still sick. Today he felt very hot to touch. He is now joined by 3 other sick children on Mercy 6. The house mother has her hands full. One of the children had a relapse with AIDS and was curled up in bed, very cold and very weak. He is not responding to his last dose of medication, so he is currently in his last stage. If this does not work, all we can do is hope and pray that he will enjoy the short time he has left. Please pray for all of them.
I also have some more bad news. The secretary has been out the past couple of days because her aunt died. Please pray that she will rest in peace.
Also, P.Ning went back to her home and the hospital today after her headache came back strong. I hope they are able to find out what is really wrong with her soon. She is not well.
In other news, there is a new 7/11 that opened up down the street. This is very exciting for us as it is a lot closer to Mercy than the next one.
I waited for my evening student to show up, but she did not come until 30 minutes into the class. When she arrived she asked if we saw her book, and then left again. I was not too impressed as I went back to Mercy just to teach her.
After work Misty and I caught a songtheaw to Soi 38. It took a good hour to make it there. I am sure we could have walked faster than traffic was moving. The pollution is very bad here and by the time we actually arrived I had a bit of a headache. I cannot wait to have fresh air back in Canada, when I do not need to cover my nose to breathe when walking down the streets.
I met up with Chris at the BTS station just off of Soi 38 and we joined Misty and SiJie for dinner. It was nice to be able to show him real Thai food, rather than the overpriced stuff you would eat at a more westernized restaurant. It would be hard to eat at the street vendors if you did not know what you were doing or where to go, so I like to pass this knowledge on to someone else.
After dinner I said goodbye to the girls and Chris and I ventured back towards Emporium where we walked down nearly every side street trying to find a street vendor that sold Roti. Chris tried it the night before and was craving it, but unfortunately we were unable to relocate the vendor. He did show me Soi Cowboy, which is a street of bars off of the main street. The street is very popular with farang men, looking to pick up a Thai woman. The street is also known for some other nasty things. I will spare you the details.
We stopped at Dubliners for a beer, and then headed back to where he was staying to watch some tv and veg.
That sums up my Tuesday. I know there has not been a lot of good news from home lately. Donna Bell, a woman from my church passed away on Saturday. She has not been feeling well and went to the hospital to find something in her stomach had ruptured, poisoning her whole body. Donna was a very special woman. I remember when she first started coming to church, and when she finally learned how to say my name. Donna was one of the best bowlers in the province with the Special Olympics. May she rest in peace.
I also ask you to pray for the Reid family. Their one year old daughter just found out she had cancer after complaining of a sore foot. She is now in a wheelchair. They are having a benefit for her and her family this weekend. I hope it is well attended. Please pray for her and all of her siblings and parents. I know times are tough.
I’ve been thinking a lot about Mercy and its goals. Often when an organization like this starts, it has a lot different objectives and motives than after a few years of operating. Over the past few years Mercy has expanded. However, not all of this change has been positive. Like any organization of it’s size there are many problems. The longer we are here, the more we become aware of them and are exposed to them. I struggle with the idea of reaching out to more children. I understand that each child needs to be helped, but the bigger an organization becomes, the bigger the problems can become if they are not sorted out in the beginning stages. Instead of taking on a few children and making sure that they are firmly rooted on soil ground, ready to take on the world, Mercy has expanded to take on many little seedlings, and some days I wonder if we have just thrown the seeds over a field and hope that a few will root themselves. I worry that we do not give enough support to the children we do have here. Some examples would be to provide the house parents with training to work with children with special needs. This would require more than one information session; rather more hands on training with someone who works in this field. I think that house parents who receive such training should be rewarded with a special bonus. Unfortunately, when there is a large sum of money donated to Mercy to usually goes to projects that seem like a more immediate need, such as a new roof for a preschool or to build another preschool. The children in our care who would benefit from such training continue to be treated the same as all of the other children, which often causes them to get into a lot of trouble, punished by the house parents and teased by the rest of the children. Life for these children would not be as good as it could be. Just some thoughts….
I apologize that most of this blog is sad. But sometimes, such is life.
Sorry about the delay in blogging. I have been quite busy, spending some last minute time with some very good friends before they do their separate ways. It seems like many of the good byes have already started, first with momma and now SiJie and Chris. It is going to be weird without SiJie as she has been our go-to girl since we have arrived. We have become very good friends, and I will miss our daily chats and laughter. Chris has been a great companion and relief from Mercy. It wasn’t until meeting him that I realized that our whole lives are Mercy. It is good to an extent, but spending time with him and not talking about Mercy all of the time was very welcoming. Even with Misty, when we go away for the weekend, every conversation always ends up back at Mercy.
Misty and I arrived at work bright and early on Tuesday for a 7:30 am meeting with our boss. There has been a lot of discussion about one of our students and the scholarship she has received. Unfortunately it has not all been good news and Misty and I are expected to give our advice on some life changing decisions. I have confidence that we will have enough evidence to back up our decision on her education when we meet again on Monday. It is going to be a busy weekend, partaking in formal written and oral assessments. This is also very challenging for me as I have not studied assessment due to the strike, and I also study elementary education. The student I will be required to assess is in grade 9 at the moment. I guess this will be a huge learning opportunity. I have emailed the school where she may be attending for anything they could possibly give me to base my assessment on. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it comes in time for me to use it.
My morning class on Tuesday was well attended, with 4 of the 5 students attending. The boss was the one who did not attend. She has a high level of English, so when she is not present it is nice to see the other students trying harder, rather than just relying on her.
We taught preschool again today. When we arrived 40 little children were waiting for us upstairs, all sitting in their rows on the floor. We reviewed the alphabet, some vocabulary and opposites. We got the children to act out the opposites such as fast and slow, big and small, short and tall. They really liked to show us happy and sad. We ran out of things to do and still had time left so we got them engaged in a game of duck, duck, goose. I do not think we played it with them before but they enjoyed it just as much as all of our other students do. It was too bad the room was not big enough for the children to really run around each other.
The walk home from preschool seemed like forever, and by the time we arrived back we were drenched in sweat…just when I think got used to the heat. I always love the looks we get when we come back in the office after a long walk.
We took our afternoon nap. These naps have been godsends. When we are unable to get them I crash in the later part of the afternoon. The heat here makes us so sleepy.
Visiting the AIDS hospice this afternoon, I learned that Nancy picked up a new greeting. “What’s up girl?” I had to laugh when she greeted me this way. We had a good talk, and it was nice to be called thin and beautiful for once instead of the ‘fat’ I usually get from her. According to Nancy I must gain and lose about 20-50 pounds overnight some days.
The woman who stays in the bed across from Nancy was admitted to the hospital. She now joins a few others from Mercy, including the girl who occupied the bed before her. Please pray for them.
It was hard today to see Momma’s bed empty. All of her blankets were folded at the end, as if she just cleaned up and would be coming back from a bath in a few minutes. Only she never did come. I miss her so much already. I will call her soon.
I spent some time playing with the children in Mercy 6. NongFai was so energetic and was singing as she danced in my arms. NongFai is blind and mostly relies on a wheelchair for mobility. AIDS attacked her body when she was only a baby, but she is doing ok. Takatan met me with wet kisses. She is always so full of life and giggles.
Our little boy is still sick. Today he felt very hot to touch. He is now joined by 3 other sick children on Mercy 6. The house mother has her hands full. One of the children had a relapse with AIDS and was curled up in bed, very cold and very weak. He is not responding to his last dose of medication, so he is currently in his last stage. If this does not work, all we can do is hope and pray that he will enjoy the short time he has left. Please pray for all of them.
I also have some more bad news. The secretary has been out the past couple of days because her aunt died. Please pray that she will rest in peace.
Also, P.Ning went back to her home and the hospital today after her headache came back strong. I hope they are able to find out what is really wrong with her soon. She is not well.
In other news, there is a new 7/11 that opened up down the street. This is very exciting for us as it is a lot closer to Mercy than the next one.
I waited for my evening student to show up, but she did not come until 30 minutes into the class. When she arrived she asked if we saw her book, and then left again. I was not too impressed as I went back to Mercy just to teach her.
After work Misty and I caught a songtheaw to Soi 38. It took a good hour to make it there. I am sure we could have walked faster than traffic was moving. The pollution is very bad here and by the time we actually arrived I had a bit of a headache. I cannot wait to have fresh air back in Canada, when I do not need to cover my nose to breathe when walking down the streets.
I met up with Chris at the BTS station just off of Soi 38 and we joined Misty and SiJie for dinner. It was nice to be able to show him real Thai food, rather than the overpriced stuff you would eat at a more westernized restaurant. It would be hard to eat at the street vendors if you did not know what you were doing or where to go, so I like to pass this knowledge on to someone else.
After dinner I said goodbye to the girls and Chris and I ventured back towards Emporium where we walked down nearly every side street trying to find a street vendor that sold Roti. Chris tried it the night before and was craving it, but unfortunately we were unable to relocate the vendor. He did show me Soi Cowboy, which is a street of bars off of the main street. The street is very popular with farang men, looking to pick up a Thai woman. The street is also known for some other nasty things. I will spare you the details.
We stopped at Dubliners for a beer, and then headed back to where he was staying to watch some tv and veg.
That sums up my Tuesday. I know there has not been a lot of good news from home lately. Donna Bell, a woman from my church passed away on Saturday. She has not been feeling well and went to the hospital to find something in her stomach had ruptured, poisoning her whole body. Donna was a very special woman. I remember when she first started coming to church, and when she finally learned how to say my name. Donna was one of the best bowlers in the province with the Special Olympics. May she rest in peace.
I also ask you to pray for the Reid family. Their one year old daughter just found out she had cancer after complaining of a sore foot. She is now in a wheelchair. They are having a benefit for her and her family this weekend. I hope it is well attended. Please pray for her and all of her siblings and parents. I know times are tough.
I’ve been thinking a lot about Mercy and its goals. Often when an organization like this starts, it has a lot different objectives and motives than after a few years of operating. Over the past few years Mercy has expanded. However, not all of this change has been positive. Like any organization of it’s size there are many problems. The longer we are here, the more we become aware of them and are exposed to them. I struggle with the idea of reaching out to more children. I understand that each child needs to be helped, but the bigger an organization becomes, the bigger the problems can become if they are not sorted out in the beginning stages. Instead of taking on a few children and making sure that they are firmly rooted on soil ground, ready to take on the world, Mercy has expanded to take on many little seedlings, and some days I wonder if we have just thrown the seeds over a field and hope that a few will root themselves. I worry that we do not give enough support to the children we do have here. Some examples would be to provide the house parents with training to work with children with special needs. This would require more than one information session; rather more hands on training with someone who works in this field. I think that house parents who receive such training should be rewarded with a special bonus. Unfortunately, when there is a large sum of money donated to Mercy to usually goes to projects that seem like a more immediate need, such as a new roof for a preschool or to build another preschool. The children in our care who would benefit from such training continue to be treated the same as all of the other children, which often causes them to get into a lot of trouble, punished by the house parents and teased by the rest of the children. Life for these children would not be as good as it could be. Just some thoughts….
I apologize that most of this blog is sad. But sometimes, such is life.
Relaxing..
Monday
This morning Misty and I went to Mercy to give a tour to the Australian Women’s Group that we do the milk run with. Most of them are already huge sponsors of Mercy, so they wanted to put a picture to their contribution. The tour took about 45 minutes. Unfortunately there were no children as they were all in school.
One of the little boys from Mercy 6 was sick today. We knew he was sick right away as he did not offer us a welcoming smile. Usually he is one of the boys who runs around Mercy. Please pray for him.
SiChon (Spicy) went for surgery on his eyes today. We have not heard how it went or how he is doing. I will keep you posted. Please pray for him too.
After our tour Misty and I went to our favorite park to relax. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans for us and we got rained on. However, it did give me a chance to get the battery changed on my watch. I also met up with Chris in the afternoon for a chat. The work down in Phuket is not able to go as planned so he will be flying back to Australia on Wednesday night. ☹
Misty and I went to one of the local favorite shopping malls for teens. We came out empty handed, but we were just killing time. In the evening I did some more laundry. One of the boys came out crying so he sat with me for a while until all of the other boys came out and then things started to get rough.
We had a pretty quiet night.
Sorry for the lack of comments under the pictures. I cannot see them. They are all of the boys at the house parent's birthday party, expect for the last one which was taken at Emporium. One of the children drew and painted that picture and it is for sale for 10 000 Baht. ($300 CDN)
Good Bye Aunt Betty
Aunt Betty and Moi.
Cedric, Chris, Misty and Me @ Dubliners
On Sunday we went to Father Joe’s for a farewell party for his sister and Aunt Betty. All of our girls were there preparing supper. Together with Ratina we showed them how to make spaghetti again. The girls were not too thrilled as they do not care for it, but they were good sports about it. I had to laugh when Aunt Betty commented “the spaghetti was good, but I never had peas in it before.” Misty and I had the same comment the first time we tried it as well.
Sister Joan also attended the party. It was nice to talk to her about the lifestyle of the slums, as she lives in the middle of it all. She told us some interesting stories. First off there is a difference in the genetic make up of Thai men, and western men. This difference accounts for Thai men being more feminine. There is also a similarity between the make up of men and women in Thailand. It is not uncommon to see Thai men with more voluptuous hips and thighs than even a western woman.
Another thing we have noticed is that boys at Mercy do not seem to be as keen about continuing on with school after a certain age. We have noticed that it is mostly girls who get the scholarships to study internationally. Sister Joan said that boys tend to change their focus around grade 6, off from schooling to motorbikes and money. This causes me to ask, what happens in those schooling years that turns boys away, and how can we change the curriculum so that more males are interested in learning and successful with learning.
Sister Joan also pointed out that many Thai women have children very young. This is often the result of pressure from their mothers. Once a young girl has a child she is expected to go off to work, therefore leaving the child in the care of the grandmother. However, this is enjoyed by the grandmothers because they are often at the age where they can start to enjoy their children as they did not get to enjoy their own as they were off working as well. It is almost like everything is a generation behind.
We also met one of the girls who returned from studying in the States. She is the same age as Misty and I. She was 12 years old when Father Joe took her away from her mother and brothers, to live with Father Joe’s sister in the US. Having a European father, she had very fair skin and blonde hair. Leaving her in Thailand where her mom lived in the slums was too risky, especially after she would hit puberty as the risk of being kidnapped was too high. Her mother, not completely understanding everything, made the biggest sacrifice of all when she gave her daughter up. Her brothers were both very mad and did not understand. When she moved to the states she did not say a word for the first year. Now 7 years later, she is educated and ready to take on the world. She comes home whenever she can to visit her family and to try and give back to Mercy.
We spent most of the afternoon at the gathering and then headed back to Soi 40. The boys snuck into our room for an impromptu dance party.
In the evening SiJie, Misty and I met up with Chris for some Swensens and conversation. All in all, another great day.
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