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.