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.
