Thailand #20

Pecan Roll:
One of my favorite treats as a kid was a pecan roll. I’d always start by eating the outside of the spiral…it was so good because it was the first bites…but the more I nibbled my way to the center spiral…the better it tasted. I remember savoring that final center bite. Being here is like eating a pecan roll. The first few days were a treat being new and exciting but as the days go by…and I learn more…the richer & better it gets.


School Visit:
We always love visiting schools & so we hopped on the bike and rode to the school that our kids attend. Just inside the gate was a small building--I figured guard--wrong. It was a barber shop. Not sure if that meant they had a short hair policy or if it was just handy to be there. We managed to find someone who spoke enough English to give us permission to visit the classrooms. Neat bulletin boards, wooden desks, blackboards & about 40 kids in each class greeted us with giggles & snickers. The teachers were enthusiastic & let us participate. In some classrooms, we sang Itsy, Bitsy Spider…others we read aloud in their textbook & the higher English class was doing a dance--Right, Left, Forward, Backward, and Spin & Jump--so we did. The teacher was projecting a program that illustrated the movements & each kid wore a headphone which I assume was saying the words in English. Anyways, it was fun. Each time we found one of our students, we could sense their happiness at seeing us.


Big PJ Party:
Many nights I visit the girls’ dorm and it takes me back (way back) to my middle/high school PJ party days. The girls are doing each other’s hair, putting on make up, laughing at pictures in a book & generally having a good time. Last night, they were “doing up MooMooPu”. Bright red lipstick & rouge, black eyelids, Cleopatra eyes, & backcombed hair with fresh flowers. I have been the center of several of these make up sessions. Imagine, spending every night with your friends. So often I see them walking arm & arm, sharing laughs. Though it pains me to think they don’t have their parents…at least they have each other & of course, Big Mama (Tasanee).


Saturday Company:
Tasanee invited her brother’s family to church today…His family included his wife, 9 daughters, mother, aunt, and about 40 kids he cares for (at the Safe Haven Learning Center which is where we dropped food & blankets that first week). Church started up shortly after they arrived…but didn’t end shortly after. Singing, preaching, singing, bible reading, singing and more singing filled up over two hours. Lunch was then served to all--guest first. As usual, Rog & I didn’t know what the game plan was for the day, so about 1 we set out some art supplies. Ever seen flies on honey??? Two hours later, people started gathering at the church again, so we did a quick clean up & back to church. More singing…one time with Tasanee’s brother playing chords on the piano, preaching, singing, etc…just under two hours. Then back to the art projects until dinner…again for all…and with cookies too. Soccer was next with the big guys playing on one end & the younger boys on the other. Didn’t seem to matter that they often mingled & most were playing on the cement surface barefooted. Around 7, about half jumped in the back of the truck & Chom drove them home & then came back for the rest. Now that’s what you call “Having company for the day.”

Catholic Church:
We finally got around to stopping by the Catholic Church. We met a young girl & older couple all from France. The young girl was working for an NGO evidently checking up on their donated funds & teaching English. The older couple was making furniture for the church & for small villages the priest visits. The grounds housed kids from the small villages too far for the kids to walk to daily. The whole place was quite upscale--compared to Safe Haven. Church had woven roof with carved trim, teak flooring, colored windows & several nice statues. We were surprised that no one there even knew about Safe Haven. We found out what time church was (not that going to church everyday at Safe Haven wasn’t enough) & on Sunday arrived to see all the girls dressed in gorgeous white Karen gowns worn by those not yet married. Their mother’s had woven them. It made me sad to think of all the girls at Safe Haven that did not have a mother to sew them a gown.

Thailand #19

Sabbath
Teacher welcomes everyone to Sabbath at 7 PM on Friday night. After many hymns and some preaching / bible stories, each person is expected to perform individually or as part of a group.
Most chose to perform with a group and were accompanied by the guitarist. Tonight brought a new twist- Pa So (who has a beautiful voice and cooks, cleans and cares for the infants day and night) , Mo Mo Say and Mu Mu Po sang and were accompanied by Chom on the piano keyboard. Jane and I sang “Amazing Grace” accompanied by a recorded piano version on the keyboard. Chom also sang a song in English , “He will show me the way when it seems there is no way…”(the only thing in the entire service that we understood aside from “Amazing Grace”).
Several groups of boys sang a song that seemed to have profound meaning for them. It is about asking God to provide guidance for us so we can lead a good life and be a good example for others. They sang with reverence and feeling that told me they really felt the words they were singing. They seem to feel honored and privileged to share this song with their brothers and sisters. They have all lost their previous life and now have found a new life here at Safe Haven. Amazingly, no one acts like they got a raw deal. This new life fills them with joy.

Balloon Project
When the kids get home from school about 4:30, Jane works with Ganika on English and I sometimes supervise an art project for the younger kids. We had planned to decorate balloons and all of the kids were excited to get a balloon to blow up. It quickly turned in to a big game of “Punch the balloon to keep it in the air” -15 kids with balloons laughing and jumping around in the sand in front of the church. Several of the big boys (who usually don’t get to participate because they work in the garden after school) saw all the fun and stopped to get their balloons. They quickly decorated with simple art and one drew on his balloon a broken heart with an arrow going through it. Inside the heart he wrote “I love Big Mum (Tasanee)”.
Another boy also drew a heart and wrote “ I miss you”. When I asked who it was he missed,
he said, “You.” It might have been his way of saying “Thank You“--Valentine heart style.

Visitors
Visitors from Canada stopped by the orphanage and brought a couple of tins of huge cookies for the kids. As the children arrived home from school each one stopped , placed palms together, feet together, and briefly bowed their head before greeting each visitor with“Sawadee Crop” (boys) or “Sawadee Kaa” (girls). A line quickly formed and each child was allowed to take as many cookies as they wanted. Some walked off with their shirts acting as a basket to cradle as many as eight or ten. A bit later Jane and I were both offered cookies by kids that wanted to share their treasure (or were they just learning that their eyes were bigger than their stomachs?).

Songs
We are recognizing a few songs. They use very few of the songs we are familiar with. Today we recognized the music (but none of the words) to “The Old Rugged Cross”, “Tell Me The Story Of Jesus”, “How Great Thou Art”, and “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow…” I think we failed at teaching “ Because He Lives I Can Face Tomorrow”. No one has mentioned it for several days. Jane also asked about the Lord’s Prayer where we ask God for our daily bread…they get daily rice around here! Also true for most of the rest of the world.

Thailand #18

Refugee Camp-
Found out why the Safe Haven website called this a refugee camp: several times in the past when large numbers of refugee were crossing the Moie River, many ended up here until they could get into the UN camp or return to Burma. Sometimes as many as 100 would be camped somewhere on this site. Tasanne wisely does not share info on the children but likely many of them are also refugees.

The Moie River

Noah’s Ark:
I am convinced that if any of these children had been aboard Noah’s Ark--we would not have any animals on this earth. As I was reading the story to several of the small ones, they constantly pointed to the animals and then pretended to be eating saying MMMMMmmmm!

Self-Sufficient
Last night a truck pulled in and unloaded bamboo that will be used to build a chicken farm. Tasanne plans to make this place more self-sufficient. That made us think about the fact that in a way, we are becoming less self-sufficient. A hundred years ago in USA, most people lived like they do here. Building their own homes, growing their own food, making clothing , candles & furniture, no machines and little contact with others. No doubt most kids here could do that right now. We in America on the other hand, have grown to rely on machines & others for most everything. Is that progress?? It sure is more comfortable …but does often mean double incomes & more stress.

Teacher’s Warning:
A local teacher stopped by today to let Tasanne know that some older children in the school had made a “big mistake” and had been kicked out and now will probably never be able to finish. None of our children were involved but he wanted her to know so she could warn the children.

Bathroom Classroom:
As I was scrubbing my feet tonight (and believe me they needed it), several boys came in dressed in their undies & started to bath--which here means throw cold water on yourself, suds up & then pour more cold water over you. I told them I was washing my feet--which they, as usual, repeated as a way to practice their English --so I continued to talk about how I washed my feet--they repeated and asked me to spell--so I encouraged them to give me letters as I sounded out FEET, SOAP, BRUSH, WATER, PAIL--all the while they bathed. Once a teacher--always a teacher--where ever you are!!!

A Few Things We’ve Been Up To:
-Recent art projects: spiral snakes, painting with cotton balls, feathered birds, drawings complete with sprinkles (lots), clocks with moveable hands, puppets….

-Made Let A Poe wash his shirts as he doesn’t need another reason for others to tease him. He seemed pleased to get the soap I gave him & the supervision while scrubbing his shirts.
-Rog purchased the DVD of Cats & Dogs for the kids…fun night!
-Rog also purchased a hammock that he hung in our room…closest thing to a lazy boy chair around here!
-Chom made us some delicious spaghetti. The sweet sauce had tomatoes, carrots, onions, garlic & chicken.
-Had to clean a head wound as his brother knocked him down & he hit a rock. Bloody proof these kids aren’t perfect.
-Elsi will be pleased to know that Chom played the piano keyboard at church tonight!!!



Big Boss
Christmas (short little 3 yrs old) saw another much older kid take a toy away from his 1 yr old buddy Cerio. He shook his little fist & shouted “You give it back NOW or I will beat you up!!”(In Karen language but translated by Chom) Cerio got his toy back.


DHS Motto
Many of my HS classmates sent me birthday emails most pointing out that 60 is not really that old--as they too would soon be 60 & felt much younger. That made me think of our class motto: If tomorrow be sad or not come at all, at least we’ve had today. DHS Class of ‘69 was wise beyond their years.

Thailand #17

Mae Sot Observations:
Most stores were also homes so many young children were running around. No child care cost here. Cooking & eating on the job is common & when I asked about a bathroom, I was proudly escorted into the bathroom in their home. There were many repair shops working on old TV sets, washing machines, refrigerators, computers, motorbikes, etc….and I stress, OLD. And without a doubt, the strangest sight was a shiny, new government building decorated with Chinese lanterns & Easter bunnies wearing skull caps in the front windows and a golden Buddha shrine just inside the gate. Go figure. It reminded me of a saying I recently read: Don’t miss the ordinary while looking for the extraordinary.


Leaving Mae Sot

After almost two days of city life, we actually were ready to get back to our “home,” Strange how quickly this place that looked so uninhabitable when we first arrived (which ironically happened to be on the day Thai celebrates the Festival of the Children) has become so comfortable. Where else could I get escorts to & from the bathroom? Just before we left Mae Sot, we got to meet the youngest orphan--4 months old--Joseph. He stays in Mae Sot cared for by a jolly, chubby woman who reminded me of Aunt Jemima--only she chewed tobacco. Johnny is staying there too. He had a very long face as we were leaving and Tasanne gave him a long, loving hug & handed him 50 bahts ($1.75)…that cheered him up. We made several stops at the open market which overflowed the back of the truck: huge bags of cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, green beans, squash, onions, whole fish & dozens of eggs. I came home with my own little stash of diet Coke & chocolate. J

A Week's Worth of Groceries

Thai-Burma Border
I found some info on the Thai-Burma border that was especially interesting--due to the fact that we are living on that border! The following was written by a group of Australian students training to be community workers: Until 1962, when the military staged a coup in Burma, life along the borders had been smooth and secure. People could move freely around their communities. They could earn their living in many different ways, gathering wild fruits & veggies in the forest, fish the river and hunt in the jungle. There is a Karen poem that has existed by oral tradition for many hundreds of years: At the border we grow a mango; we share our land, our home is one. Since 1962, Burma, previously one of the richest countries in SE Asia, has become one of the poorest. The military-controlled Burmese gov’t commits gross systematic human rights abuses daily, particularly against the many ethnic groups. They flee by crossing into Thailand to find safety but merely find themselves in another difficult situation. Illegal and with limited rights. Thailand has had to host millions of refugees from Burma, Laos & Cambodia over the years.”

And indeed, the refugees face a difficult and strange life. Visions of the refugee camp we saw bombarded me as I read through the Thai-Burma border report. Tasanne tells us about many of the children’s parents killed running away or captured & forced to walk in front of the army so they step on the mines first. Right now she is trying to find a way to help about 20 children still in Burma whose parents have been captured & they have been left to fend for themselves. I am confident that she will find a way as she is made of steal will & common sense and has a heart bigger than the mountains that divide Thai & Burma.

Another Compliment:
Feel proud that you are an American. Again I was told by a Thai that Americans have kind hearts and are generous. She thought that’s why we look so young. Good to hear…especially right before my 60th birthday.

Another View of Americans:
(Not sure if I shared this previously but wanted to make sure I got it in my writing.)
While helping a child with her homework, I was going though her English book and came across a page that made me bust out laughing. It showed children from many countries in their native clothing and with brief info under each. Example: Japanese girl: neat, study lots, enjoys drawing / Indian girl: long braided hair, plays board games / American boy (wearing his shirt unbuttoned & his cap on sideways & pants hanging low) chubby, likes video games. No joke--it was in their English text book!!

Bob and Elsi's Photos: (336 photos)

Thank you Sly's for sharing your wonderful photos with us!
Seeing pictures of our parents in their 'home away from home in Thailand'
warms our hearts and calms our nerves!!
~Bekah, Ben & Jake~



Click here to view photos

Thailand 16

First I want to thank everyone who sent me birthday wishes! It sure brightened my day! And I am amazed at how young I feel especially considering it’s the year 2554 according to the Thai calendar!!! We are loving our get away to Mae Sot & happy to report that Johnny is doing much better. We’ll probably go back to Safe Haven tomorrow. Tasanee & Chom have been taking us to the best places in town for eating and shopping. It’s great to know an “insider.” We are also staying in their apartment along with a couple of the ladies who take care of some of the children that stay here in Mae Sot. It’s special to see the inside of this apartment knowing so many other live in similar settings.



Mae Sot Morning Market
Here’s a list of things we actually saw:
Chickens - live, dead with heads, dead with insides showing, sliced up and fried
Chicks - live, dead with heads, dried & fried
Frogs - live with legs tied, dead with insides showing, dried & fried
Turtles - swimming in pools & dead
Eels - long or short, live, dried
Fish - whole, gutted, dried, big, small, swimming, headless, sliced, fried
Pig heads - many but as Rog said, “If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.”
Oysters - in shell and out
Shrimp - whole & cut up mixed into pails of brown pasty mix
Pork & Beef cuts of all kinds
(all of the above were without ice or refrigeration….merchants used blown up plastic bags tied to a stick to keep the flies away…nothing could keep the smells away)
Pink eggs
Fried donuts, waffles, crepes & a variety of other unknowns
Grilled sausage, red dogs & a variety of other unknowns
Tables laden with huge variety of fruits and vegetables
Spices that a whiff was strong enough to make your eyes water
Huge bags of hot peppers
Piles of clothing with English words (sundress that read “Fun in the Snow”)
Shoes of all styles
Gorgeous flowers
Plastic toys (like dollar stores)
All the toy guns & ammunition & army men that we can’t sell in USA
Barbie dolls
Dolls with white skin & blonde or brown hair (don’t they make any other kind??)
Stuffed animals
Hair clips of all variety
Plastic kitchen ware
And many, many, many other odds and ends….
Hundreds of booths with countless ones selling the same things …and all seemed like a hodge podge of items: Ex: a few toys, hot peppers, kitchen ware, lipstick, shoes & underwear

It totally filled all your senses.


And I Quote the men from the video...
Man recording video: "Are these pets or for sushi?"
Local man: "No they not pets, they end up in what you eat, and you don't know."






Lunch at a KFC was all I could handle after that and as we sat savoring my “USA grade chicken”, we couldn’t help but laugh at what was right across the street: dead chickens hanging from their heads. Roger wondered how you killed a chicken without cutting off it’s neck--smothered???

Muslim Hardware Merchant
There seems to be all kinds of businesses and manufacturing going on along each street. Beside a shop or store there may be a glass cutter or a display rack manufacturer (aluminum/glass). Gasoline is sold directly from barrels at many small stores. The fuel is pumped up into a glass container (marked for one to six liters) above the barrel then a valve is opened to allow the fuel to gravity feed into the motorbike or car. You definitely can see what you are getting for your money.
We stopped at a hardware store and a friendly merchant asked, “English” and I answered , “USA”. He said in broken English, “Bush-Hussein fighting and 3000 people die in New York“.
It broke his heart. Then he said Christian and Muslim both bleed red , both feel pain, both feel sad at the loss of life. We are all human. Same/same. Then he smiled as we shook hands and we went on our way.


Internet Café:
What a treat to sit in comfortable chairs in air conditioning using fast internet and seeing our blog site that Bekah has kept up for us (rogerandjane.blogspot.com). She has done a great job of finding pictures & videos that perfectly match things we’ve written about. So techie!! Gotta love her!

Thailand 15

What’s edible?
It seems most anything here. When ever we point out an insect we aren’t familiar with or is unusually large or show them pictures of insects or animals, the kids hold their fingers to their mouths, grin & pretend they are eating!! Snakes, frogs, spiders, rats…no wonder we haven’t seen any rats around. One day Cireo was crying & stopped when Gaudy fed him an ant!! They are constantly bringing us plants they have foraged to sample. Recently, the cook stopped by where I was teaching with her gathering & they kids begged for the dingy yellow fruit she was eating. After each kid gobbled down theirs, she handed me a bite. What could I do?? As my tongue touched it, my mouth instantly puckered & I couldn’t help but spit it out shouting “Yuck!” Not only was it horrid tasting but the smell…the cook & kids burst out laughing………all day, each time the cook saw me, she said “Yuck” & laughed some more.

Basketball rim:
No rim & you want to play basketball?? No problem. One kid climbed to the top of the soccer goal & held up a bicycle tire and the game began.


Because Just Because:
Elsi, where were you when we needed you most!! We were asked to teach Because Just Because to the kids. Let’s just say, neither of us are proud of how that’s going…even with Rog’s whistling talents.


Tasanne’s Trip to Bangkok:
Last week Tasanne, four of the older boys & many of her relative drove to Bangkok..(Elsi & Bob got out at Mae Sot) because Tasanne was accepting an award for good deeds from the Prime Minister and the boys were participating in a garden contest which they won!! They also did some sight seeing including a garden exhibit. When they got home, Tasanne asked the boys to tell the other children what they learned from the trip. They talked about how much they admired the people who were accepting awards & how they wished to do things for other also. They were also very excited about the garden they saw…and told the kids they wanted to plant much more around Safe Haven so they could have more food & it would be even more beautiful. Sure enough, the next day, they were out mulching and preparing places to plant more. The kids also got to see the pictures that were taken & they got most excited about the pictures of the pumpkins, squash & gourds. And it wasn’t because they wanted to make jack-o-lanterns or decorate with them. Their mouths were watering! Tasanee told the kids that if they do well & work hard, someday she will take them some place special also. Later she told us she likes to give the kids dreams and “want them to be able to step on her shoes.”

Each day…
Each day I’m here, it seems I notice something that somehow I’d overlooked. So often I skim the top layer of places I visit. It takes time to go deeper. I’m better at communicating with the kids & understanding their needs. Only this week I learned three of my a.m. students are siblings! And the kid we call our “stalker” and the girl who “leaches” on us--are siblings who fled Burma after being beaten & molested by their step father who then killed their mother in front of them. They are getting more hugs from us. And Elsi’s best piano student & my best p.m. English student are the cooks’ children. Both always excel at all the art projects I set out each day.


Things you see in Thailand:
Women smoking pipes & cigarettes
Much nose picking (Lisa Himle needs to come give her lesson)
Deep fried chicken legs
Jane wearing a crown of wild flowers woven for her by a loving girl
Roger with a full beard

Thailand 13



Happy Birthday
Imagine being in a totally different world surrounded by sight after sight of things you’ve never seen, in the midst of people who don’t look or speak like you and celebrating your birthday!! That’s me today! After I crawled out of my mosquito net and wander off to the bathroom meeting smiling faces all the way. Tasanee served me what she calls a western breakfast (scrambled eggs & toast) and gave me a gorgeous Karen style shirt that she made. She asked if we wanted to go to Mae Sot after lunch--why not??
Rog & I set up the craft table so kids could make puppets & as usual, we had lots of takers. While cleaning up, one of the boys came up to me with paper & pencil so I asked if he wanted an English lesson as that is how most of the kids ask. I dropped what I was doing, wrote CAT on his paper and carefully sounded out the word adding MEOW. He looked at me funny so I thought--oh, he doesn’t know the alphabet so I wrote all the letters giving him the sound of each as well. He still looked puzzled and then said, “Name?” I wrote my name which made him smile and hand to another boy who prompted wrote it on the birthday card he had prepared for me…I laughed aloud realizing that he must of thought my name was CAT and had surely not wanted a half hour English lesson!!
Soon after, we jumped into the truck along with Johnny as they were taking him to the doctor in Mae Sot --he has been coughing lots & is running a high temp. On our way, we passed the large refugee camp run by the UN--it’s one I’d looked into working at but they require 6 month stay.


So many, many small huts crowded together for almost half a mile. Tasanne told us many of the people there have been there for years…some wanting so much to go to a 3rd country (one of the ways to get out) and others have been there so long & don’t know any other life. They get free food, education & health care and so don’t want to leave. Life is much better there than in Burma…even if they are surrounded by barb wire. We have met two who come from there--both got jobs teaching (one at Safe Haven) so were allowed to leave. The children we talked about who lived down in that valley, come from there. I want to find out more about UN refugee camps as it all seems so wrong to keep people behind barb wire for so long….

My Story - In The Refugee Camp from Christian Freedom International on Vimeo.

When we got to Mae Sot, we went to an apartment that Tasanee rents as she has to come here so often. Johnny went to the doctor who gave him a shot & med for pneumonia. Poor little Johnny. Rog & I went to check out the town & lucky me, the first place we stopped at had one cold diet coke!! We walked several blocks filled with small shops passing smoking grills laden with food meeting many Muslins & locals many of whom grinned & said Hello. Around 7, Tasanee, her brother, Chom and one of the little orphans who stays with Tasanne’s other daughter--were sitting around a table eating lasagna, pizza, hamb & French fries! Tasanee knew what I’d like! We even had lime cheese cake for dessert. A group of Norwegians were sitting next to us (one we’d met & had worked at Safe Haven) and three of them sang Happy Birthday to me in Norwegian adding several dance steps. And to top the whole day off, we are connected to free wireless internet here!!!! So what a grand way to spend your 60th birthday!!

Thailand 14

I much catching up to do as we were without internet for a week & tonight I have free wireless internet!

Karen Language:
One of the older girls gave me a lesson in their language. They have 44 letters with many have two or three syllable sounds. Most of their words are several one or two consonants followed by one or two vowel sounds. If they put a consonant at the end, it’s usually ng, k or t. Also, the words have what sounds like a melody--often I think they have started a song! Most of the kids know Burmese and are learning Thai and English at school. And I still stumble on some English words!!

Massage:
I found out what the teacher here is teaching besides some English & Thai: massage…with her as the teaching tool!

Clean Up:
There are no toys to pick up around here as all the toys are the ones they’ve picked up so dropping them anywhere is no problem.

A day in my classroom:
Sometime during my morning lesson, Christmas, Johnny or Cireo pulls down his pants or not & pees. Today it was right on my foot. Rog’s lesson in the library came to an abrupt stop after Christmas poop right on the floor.


Polio:
Had visitors today--the polio vaccination truck pulled in and ten minutes later pulled out after giving each of the 8 kids on site a dose of polio vaccine, marking it in their book & taking off to find the rest of the kids at school.

Discipline:
How do they do it?? All these kids & never have I heard any adult yelling or scolding. No one says be careful or don’t get dirty or get off the top of that rugged rock. There are no protective gates--even where little one year old Cireo could fall 4 ft--no electrical plug covers. The only yelling is out of 3 yr old Christmas who shouts his demands & orders to everyone--and they obey or he gets louder!!!

Stubbing toes:
As some of you know, Rog has always hated having anything around that he might stub his toes on. Well he’s found stub toe hell. Stumps & rocks everywhere. Everyday he goes out with a sledge hammer to eliminate several. It’s an endless job but he can’t bear not to work at it.

Washing:
One day I joined the washing clothes party. Truly it was a party as the girls & women seemed to be having so much fun. Though I could not understand a word, their belly laughs had me laughing which made them laugh even more. It made me wish I had such a fun social group to spend time with everyday. And all over a pile of laundry that they were so diligently working on. Honestly, I can’t imagine scrubbing that hard on clothes that I just saw the kids in as they rolled around in the dirt. Here’s the process: scrub with soap, wring, scrub again this time turning them inside out & scrubbing, wring, rinse, wring, rinse, wring, rinse & wring again before hanging on the bamboo to dry. And I remember yelling at my kids for getting dirty and all I had to do was throw them in a machine.



Mind Game:
Since often I can’t communicate much to others, I find myself silently talking to myself. Sometimes it’s like I’m talking into a tape recorder so I can remember things I am noticing. Not talking aloud gives me much more time to ponder which is a real luxury. Maybe I should try to talk less at home!!!

Thailand #12

Big News of the Day:

Ganika (13) can read English!! She is my hardest working student and has learned so quickly and with such joy. She breaks out in a belly laugh when she sounds out a word or spells one correctly. NgPawWen (6) is also such an eager learner. He follows me around often pointing to objects saying “Teacher??” and spots letters he knows when I read. MooMooPoe delights in counting and she counted to 100 when we were doing her wash. The older girls are beginning to trust me more and so have been practicing their English with me. Tasanee tells them that learning English will get them a better job. I feel honored to be helping them move closer to that goal.

Dirty Feet:

Does one have filthy socks or live with dirty feet?? We both decided that dirty feet are much easier to clean so we save the socks to wear to bed so our bedding doesn’t get so dirty. Such decisions one must make. At least the Thai’s skin coloring hides some of the dirty look.

Swimming Pool:

Two of the young boys ( 5 & 6) that I spend lots of time with haven’t felt the need to take baths too often. They wallow in dirt all day. No one makes any of them bathe but I think the ones who go to school quickly notice the need. So today we noticed the fish pond was finished & half filled with water. I couldn’t resist the temptation. Off we went to the pond . I had them take off all but their pants & in they jumped swimming like frogs!! I then led the clean, happy boys to the young man who speaks English & asked him to tell the boys that they could not swim again unless an adult told them it was okay.

Weather

The weather has been very consistent since we arrived. Rain just once and cool evenings that require a sweatshirt or light jacket, followed by dropping temperatures overnight that make us appreciate warm blankets and extra layers of clothing. The air is warming by 8 AM when we eat breakfast but often clouds have formed over the river and they keep us out of direct sun for several more hours. The sun can feel very hot but we are usually comfortable wherever we find shade. Early afternoon is the best time to shower as the water is never warm. The sun slides behind the mountain about 5 PM and we immediately notice a cool breeze flowing down the valley. Refreshing! By 7 the kids come to church service wearing blankets, sweatshirts, jackets, etc.

Moon Festival

We heard high pitched , loud music and voices coming from Ban Tha Song Yang as we went to bed on Monday. We also noticed that the moon was almost full that night. After 7 PM service on Tuesday several of the older girls took our arms & asked “Town?”. Of course we agreed and we all (including several dogs) set off walking in the dark down the road for about 1 ½ miles. There was very little traffic and the few motorbikes we met were not going more than 25 mph. As we approached town, we could smell the strong smell of incense and the music got much louder. The streets were lined with cars and motorcycles. Many small pickup trucks (with bars like stock trucks) were delivering huge loads of passengers. Everyone was excited and laughing, greeting friends, and moving up and down a brightly lit street that was crowded with vendors on both sides. Balloons to pop with darts & tin cans to hit with tennis balls were the only games. One small train & a bounce castle was it for rides. A huge screen was showing a movie and a section was fenced off for Buddha worship Clothing, toys, and Cds, were available in tents but the real big attraction was where smoke was bellowing out & all kinds of food was being cooked: hot steaming piles of noodles, barbecued chicken on skewers, crepes, flavored drinks, and many foods we could not identify. The biggest draw was the stage area where children performed embarrassingly suggestive dance and singing routines that would be seen as very inappropriate in the States. The audience was packed so closely that it appeared there was no way for anyone to get up and move without stepping on someone else. Some older performers did traditional dance that told a story. One performance (we think) was about how people are abusive to their spouses behind closed doors but then act very pious and proper when they come to worship at the temple ( people are not so different all over the world). The girls bought us crepes flavored with jelly purchased with money they earned sewing. They were very thoughtful of us and would often ask “Is it OK?”. When we agreed they smiled proudly. On Wednesday the kids came home from school early (teacher’s meeting in Mae Sot). Evening worship was moved up to 4 PM so the children could go to the festival. A truck was arranged to pickup the kids at 8 PM. To go to town. Many were ready to go at 6:30 and there was an air of excitement as most were dressed in their best and cleanest clothes and jackets. Before the truck arrived there was a big boom and the cook became very concerned that the Burmese had used a big gun. But after a phone call it was decided that it would be safe for the kids to go to the festival for an hour. We all piled into the back of the truck and the driver slowly pulled out onto the road for the short trip. It was beautiful with the full moon lighting the jungle and you could feel the excitement of the kids. They were a bit anxious to go out on their own so each had a buddy to stay with throughout the journey. Several held our hands as we walked the main street again and stopped to watch some performances. Several kids bought some snack food with their own money and shared with those around them that didn’t have money. There were thousands of people there and Jane and I were the only Caucasians. We truly felt engulfed in Thailand!

Fish Pond

There is a shallow fish pond in a shady spot behind the girl’s house. It seems that it is too small and shallow to raise large fish so Tasanee had the children dig a deeper hole (about 4 feet) nearby. The circumference is less than 100 feet and irregular. Many large rocks had to be moved or broken to dig the hole. The only tools for digging appear to be a couple of grub hoes, a sledge hammer, and a 3 foot piece of reinforcement rod sharpened on one end. During our first week at Safe Haven Bob and I (Rog) helped two local men line the walls of the pond with concrete blocks. Since they spoke no English we communicated mostly with nods and smiles. We had some concerns about construction methods (no level, sand to cement ratio, and large amounts of cement mixed very soupy) but after a few days work it looks like it will be fine. We enjoyed the hard work that got us dusty and sweaty and felt that our efforts were appreciated (if not they wouldn‘t have offered to share their beetle nut!). We quickly learned that the best time for us to help was in the morning because that was when the area was cool and shady.

Playing Army

The little boys learn quickly to play at the game “Army”. They form into small groups and hide in the rocks on each side of the sand pile. The same sand pile where they were recently laughing while wrestling or playing with their tiny toy elephants. Now they they are serious. They hold sticks for guns and make shooting noises as they dodge and duck for cover. Even the three and four year olds hold a plastic letter “L” in their little hands as if it were a gun and point it and call “die,die!” It seems so out of place here and it reminds us that this really is a Safe Haven for these kids. Many parents of these children have been killed or injured by bullets or land mines.

Thailand #11

Food:

Doesn’t look like either of us will be losing weight on this trip. I gorged before coming here thinking I’d probably not find food I could eat for 3 weeks…but to my surprise…the food is quite good. Breakfast has usually been an egg, toast & banana. Of course if they were hot or even warm, they would be much better. And a little salt & pepper would be so nice. We looked in the local store but no luck so we have been putting soy sauce on to fulfill our salt craving. Lunch & dinner consist of a huge plate of rice, a stir fry (usually cabbage & green beans & onion & carrots & maybe fried egg or tofu) and soup (usually cabbage & green beans & onions & carrots & a bit of some meat or tofu) and fruit (either banana or papaya as both are freshly picked on the trees that surround us and we had fresh pineapple a couple times). Somehow they make each dish look a bit different but definitely there is a pattern. As we teachers would say, it’s an ABABAB pattern. But I must admit, it is very tasty .(Though it would be soooo much better with a cold diet Coke!!) Coffee & hot chocolate comes with every meal so I do get a bit of a chocolate fix in addition to my own stash of M & M’s. Roger, of course, is loving all the food. We bought some bread in town & spread a bit of the peanut butter we brought on it just as comfort food and I have been sharing that with the kids, too. They love it. The kids do not eat the same food. They eat lots of rice & vege mixture… with their fingers and you can’t imagine the portion size! Throughout the Sat & Sun, they also foraged the area for a small, green fruit, skinny stalks with hard berries & some type of root. They offer it to me but I tell them I am too full. When looking through a book, they point to insects & deer and then rub their tummies. Local men who are working here, strip leaves from the trees & add the stems to their rice.

Thai service:

When we were eating at Thai restaurants, we noticed that the service was slow & some people got their meal a lot before others. But here, they wait on us hand & foot. They run to get our dishes as soon as we start to get up from our bamboo table (with a gorgeous view of mountains). They seem so pleased to serve us. We try hard to show them how pleased we are with all they do for us!!

Animals/Insects:

As we mentioned, the only wild animal we’ve seen are birds. We are told most men carry sling shots to get the few birds left. All the other wild animals have been over hunted so the only animals you will see in Thailand are in a zoo. Even rats are considered good eating. Insects however, are a different story. This place is like a butterfly farm. One moth we saw was about 3”, a cockroach that was 2”, grasshoppers about 3”, huge bees and last night, I killed a scorpion that was crawling near my bed. He was only about 2” and I did get a picture of him first J.

Face Painting:

One of the Karen custom that often catches us off guard is face painting. They dig up some root and spread it on their face, sometimes covering it and other times just making lines on their cheeks and foreheads. Even the adults here--some college grads-- occasionally use it. Makes us think the Native Americans are attacking!! We were told it keeps the skin soft and protects it from the sun. In the book, Jewel Trader of Pegu, this custom is also mentioned. Rog & I are reading it because it is about a man living in 1598 who visited this area which was called Pegu then. So that custom goes way back!

Thailand #10

Education:

Somehow the days fly by even though things move so slowly around here. Everywhere we go, we hear “Teacher, Teacher” and one or more kids are wanting us to do something with them. Of course, I like reading to them best and now Roger has mounted the world map he brought and is teaching continents & countries using a set of National Geographic’s he found in their library. Most of them don’t know where to find India, China, Africa, America, or even Thailand. Tasanee is very glad to see us teaching. She strongly believes in education. She told us she tried to get several jobs but since she only had a sixth grade education, she was refused. Once the kids finish eighth grade in the local town, they go to Mae Sot for high school. She does give them the choice and twelve are in high school and two more are learning a trade instead. She has wisdom far beyond what any formal education could give her. She says other visitors tell her she has a PhD in orphanage organization.

Missing Scissors & Paint/Crayon on a wall:

So we find out they are not perfect. We’ve been noticing some paint & crayon marks on the walls…pretty much the same colors as the ones I’ve given them to use for the various art projects. And when I gathered up scissors after a project, one pair was missing. Feeling like I needed to stop this in the bud, I told the teacher right before church. I’m not sure what she said but it was long and before you knew it, several kids came forward with crayons & one boy with the scissors. We noticed later he was being ostracized and the teacher told us that the other children were mad at him and afraid we would leave. We saw no other punishment…but then what could be more effective.

Church:

Every morning at 5 and every evening at 7, there is a church service…but on Saturday, there is one at 5, 9, and 4. The last two lasting almost two hours each. The 5 is a short singing/wake up time. The teacher preaches at the 9 and two young girls orchestrate the 4 where each child participates, praising in their own way. .even little Johnny, Cerio & Christmas. We were ask ahead to do something at the 9, so we thanked them for welcoming us and sang Jesus Loves the Little Children using red/yellow/black/white puppets I had made. And since some had been caught taking my scissors & crayons, we said we all make mistakes but if we are sorry, God forgives us and we should forgive each other. We were surprised when asked to come up front at the 4, so we just told them about the orphans we spent time with in Kenya and that we bring love to them from many people in the USA as our whole church family had given the money for the piano keyboard, a computer and art supplies.

Parents:

We are discovering more and more children have one living parent as they have shown up to do some work here. One father is helping with the fish pond. The weaver and the cook both have daughters here. Occasionally, we have seen other adults walking around with a child which we think might be theirs. Tasanee did tell us that some of the children are here because their living parent can’t afford to take care of them. So some she lets just live here & work and others come to work when they have time. Tasanee seems to find a way to help as many as possible.

Nice Compliment:

When I told the teacher how old I was, she said I looked much younger…because I had kind heart. Touching. Then she also said she wished she had my hair (gray & straight). Hers is dark and wavy. Guess that put the first compliment in perspective.

Bob and Elsi’s Last Day
Elsi spent the morning giving Chom her last piano lesson and packing .
Tasanee decided to go to Tha Song Yang (not to be confused with Ban Tha Song Yang which is only a short walk from Safe Haven) to pick up cement. Her son, Phon, drove and Bob and I (Rog) went along for the ride. We traveled south along the Moei river and saw some beautiful countryside with temples, terraced rice paddies,buffalo,and steep jungle-covered mountains partially hidden in the clouds. We stopped at a checkpoint where armed guards smiled as they allowed us to pass. Soon we noticed dung on the highway and found that we were following a caravan of ten elephants walking down the side of the road. There had been some recent fighting in Burma and the elephants (originally from Thailand but recently harvesting logs in Burma) had been returned to Thailand for safety. We picked up vegetables and a few other items at the market before returning to Safe Haven. After the vegetables and cement were unloaded we were again treated to a great lunch at our favorite eating spot (bamboo table and benches under a shade tree). Luggage was piled into the back of the small pickup truck and Bob and Elsi’s road trip to Mae Sot began. But first Tasanee, Chom (her daughter) and three boys plus Tasanee’s grandchild packed into the remaining portion of the short pickup box for the two hour ride. With Phon in the driver’s seat and Elsi beside him, the back seat was filled with Bob, Tasanee’s mother, and also her aunt (who was on the way to the hospital for treatment for malaria). Doo (mother of the grandchild ) didn’t fit in the pickup box so she just squeezed into the back seat. As they say in Thailand….No Problem! With prayers for safe travel and farewell hugs we waved goodbye and they were off. We are going to miss the camaraderie, shared meals, and evening card games.

Safety
We have felt very safe here and no one acts frightened or concerned at all (even when gunshots may be heard in the distance across the border). Tasanee has lived with this situation her entire fifty some years and says that the Karen tribe and the Burmese army are enemies ( I wonder how many people even remember why). She picks up the pieces of lives broken by war and mends them by adding to her family of loving and beautiful children. How amazing is that?!!


Jungle Children
Tasanee takes pride in being a tough “jungle woman”. Many of her children have spent some part of their lives living in the jungle before coming to Safe Haven. The kids know a lot about jungle survival and they know what to eat as well. We have seen twigs laid out beside their plates as if to be eaten for dessert and their teacher told us about how the boys would stay up all night catching and eating insects. Just a few minutes ago I delivered to Roger a roasted root ( cassava or manioc?)about the size of an ear of corn. It is very starchy and a bit dry but it has a wonderful aroma. The outside is roasted black but the inside is pure white and would be very tempting if we were at all hungry. Several of the boys were sitting around a fire wearing only shorts and some face paint while roasting the roots. They called me over and insisted I take some back to the man teacher.

Post From Roger:

Recipe for Happy Children
Why are the children so happy with no fighting or jealousy? Tessanne replied “Teach children not want more thing….make do with what have. Work hard and do right thing. Rich selfish man have many thing but when in hospital is there by self. No visitor. Good person who does right thing have many friend and many visitor in hospital.”



Meaning of Life (from a book I (Roger) found in the “library” at Safe Haven)
Why do we try to create our own little worlds so we have the illusion of being completely in control of our entire existence, when we know with absolute certainty that we are not?
We all have filters on, so we mostly see only what we want to see. When you finally open your eyes, you may be shocked at the obscured way you have been viewing the world to suit your own little plans.
With those filters removed, you can take a closer look into yourself and ask objective questions about the universe and your place in it. In other words, investigate the meaning of life.
The only theme that resonates throughout the numerous popular theories is love. Love, in all its fragile forms, is the one powerful, enduring force that brings real meaning to our everyday lives.
The love of life itself brings with it the passion and understanding that some things are worth dying for, but there is so much more worth living for.
The love of life leads us to help others simply because it feels great to contribute to those around us.


Repairing the Water Supply
After running out of water a few times I asked to see where the valve is that controls the flow to our bath/ shower. Sometimes the valve is closed to allow the water to be directed to the fish pond/ garden area.
We discovered that the valve was open and still had no water so it was determined that the problem was uphill where the plastic water pipe had come apart at a connection. Several teenage boys worked to add additional pipe at the site of the problem then reconnected it. Next we took a short hike up to the source of our water. We walked up a clear mountain stream until we reached the place where it flowed out of the mountain. There a concrete barrier caught enough water to keep the end of the water pipe constantly under the surface and plastic screening acted as a filter to keep debris from enter the pipe. Sticks pushed into the ground surrounded the area to prevent cattle from getting close and fouling the water. I think I will continue to use bottled water when brushing my teeth!

Tessanne’s Family:
First I must correct the spelling of her name. Tasanee Keereepraneed. I had found my spelling from a website that was probably written by another volunteer…and I was told that Thai teachers change the Karen children’s name into Thai names, so often names are spelled several ways.
Tasanee has four children of her own and one grandchild. Two daughters & her grandchild live in Mae Sot which is two hours away. Her only son is in the army on the rescue team (EMS). Chom lives here. Her mother & great aunt live in Ban Tha Song Yang--right down the road. Her son was off duty & came to visit with his sister and the granddaughter. I was very surprised that Tasanee did not jump up to greet them nor did they come running. After they’d been here a while, she wandered over and hugged the baby and talked to her kids. A short time later, she was in her sewing room while they were in her living room. Perhaps it was a cultural thing.

My Grain Bin Classroom
Only 8 children are here after the bus pulls out and I have become their teacher. Their ages are about 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 11 & 16 so it is like teaching nursery school & one room class at the same time. We start in the grain bin. The walls are bamboo, the roof teak leaves & the floor is made of a very thin layer of the bamboo. Under the building there is a pen for the turkeys. Currently squash & cement bags are stored there. I sit on a cement bag (as I can’t sit cross legged nearly as long as they can) and write on a well used white board. Usually I have one of the little ones on my lap and the others come & go as they like--sometimes with pants on and sometimes without. The younger ones are learning the letters as the older ones work on the sounds. The 11 yr old works on spelling words. The 16 yr old is mentally challenged so I include her with the younger ones which she seems happy about. Next we work on identifying pictures in English & then counting. After about an hour, we move to an outside table to work on printing and I finish up with an art project which they love. Some stay until lunch while others go off to play. It’s a real relaxing and enjoyable way to teach and I’m very excited about the progress each one of them is making!! Who would guess bamboo, teak leaves, squash & turkeys could provide such a nice teaching environment??


Child Care for 3 and under:
Something that just astounds us is how the little ones just have the run of the place which is about the size of 3 or 4 football fields. They run among the rocks, in & around the buildings, up & down the paths with or without pants and without any visible adult supervision. They fall often, cry a bit sometimes, get up and take off again. I’ve never seen any of them go toward the road but not sure why not. Older girls wash & dress them and put them down for naps where often they cry themselves to sleep. During church service they go from lap to lap or wander up front. Christmas (3) even went up to the altar today without anyone acting like that was a problem. Just astounding.


Presents:
How do you accept gifts from those who have so little??? We now have quite a collection of gifts given with loving hands--one was even wrapped up with well used paper and bow. We hug them tightly and accept knowing well that there is much joy in giving.

MuMuSoe, my teacher:
I have been working hard trying to teach MuMuSoe English and today, she worked hard trying to teach me Karen. I always make her watch my mouth and repeat my words and that is exactly how she was teaching me. She walked me around pointing things out and then said the Karen word. I must say she is a faster learner than I am!

Girl’s Dorm:
Last night I visited the Girl’s Dorm and immediately they began to fix me up…they powdered my face, put lipstick on me, combed my hair (I so hope there wasn’t lice on that comb), put a crown and headband in my hair, a real flower behind my ear, a necklace & lei on me and then gave me a plastic wand. Then they proudly put a jagged piece of a mirror in front of me and showed me how to put my finger in my cheek and tilt my head. Next they pretended to take pictures of me using their fingers for a camera. One girl had a plastic cell phone which she used. Then they took my hand and led me back to my room and asked Roger to take a picture. He took one of all of us but then they insisted on taking one of just me. Guess I was Queen for the Day!!!

Thailand #8

The Song Yang Village sits on the banks of the Moei River.... in this picture Thailand is on the left side and Burma is on the right.

Yesterday we hopped on the orphanage’s motorcycle and drove to Tha Song Yang--only about a mile away. First things first, we bought cold drinks and then went down to sit on the bank of the River Moie. It’s a breathtaking sight. The flowing water has a tint of green and the mountainside as an array of greens which was always changing as the sunlight smiled on different trees. Roger described it as seeing a painting in motion. Long (like 30 ft) boats floated by and a man immersed in the river was putting together a bamboo raft--similar to the one we rode near Chiang Mai. It was so peaceful…and yet we knew the mountain we were looking at was Burma where there is so little peace. We have heard the shooting. We have heard the stories from a young Karen man who comes here for Thai lessons. He first learned English but now want to learn Thai so he can find a job in Thailand. He tells us he wants to go to USA or another developed country, earn much money so he can send it to his family still in Burma where they are confined to a restricted area. Yesterday Tessanne delivered several grain bags stuffed with clothes & mosquito nets to one of those long boats so they could be given to a person who called her much distressed. She & many others had no clothes or mosquito nets and must have been hiding somewhere in that “painting in motion.”

Things that made us smile today:
Kids who come running every time we sit down with a book to read aloud
Kids standing on the tall, rugged stones playing Frisbee. How do they land without falling?
Little boys using their fingers pretending to shoot. Universal instinctive behavior?

Norwegian Visitor:
Visitors from Norway came today and it was great having more people we could talk to--usually there are only 4 other people here besides us that speak English. The visitors were hometown friends of Lena, an architect who has been living near here and has designed and help build several of the buildings here. Lena & Tessanne are best friends. She is an energetic young gal who has started a company to help the Karen people--whom she calls her real family--build homes. Karen are not allowed to use the trees or bamboo and cannot afford cement so her company helps them build adobe homes using only sand from the river bank, dirt and rice husk. The roof is metal which I think is bought with donated money she helps raise. Amazing young lady. The oldest Norwegian was about 50 and plans to send an article to her local paper in hopes of raising funds. We asked her to send us a copy so perhaps we can also get it published.

Over another huge feast, we compared impressions each country had of the each other and things we had learned from our travels as all of us had traveled lots--except Tessanne but her jungle life added much to our conversation and I could certainly see that she had developed strong diplomatic skills which is one reason she has been able to raise the money she needs. I have no doubt the Norwegian left behind with less money in their bank account I believe it was Mark Twain that said--when you travel, prejudices & assumptions disappear.


Tessanne’s Family:
First I must correct the spelling of her name. Tasanee Keereepraneed. I had gotten my spelling in from a website that was probably written by another volunteer…and I was told that Thai teachers change the Karen children’s name into Thai names so often names are spelled several ways.

"nawdee, Tasanee and mammi"


Thailand/Burma Border Video:

Prayer of Peace - Relief & Resistance in Burma's War Zones [English subtitles] from Matt Blauer on Vimeo.