Sawasdee kha!

Oh, how I misjudged Thailand: I wrote in my travel journal on the day I arrived something to the tune of 'hopefully the renowned Thai laid back attitude will suffuse my whole trip and allow me to have a chilled out couple of months'...how wrong I was! My first two weeks here have actually been more hectic than my first two weeks in India, as here, unlike there, I went straight into a house with people who I could do things with, and so pretty much everyday I have done some sort of activity...even if it is only going for a pina colada after work! It's great though as I am really getting to see lots of Chiang Mai and am having such a brilliant time, so no complaints from me :)

I am two weeks in now and feeling nice and settled at my project, so I think I will start there (maybe I should pre-warn that this may end up being another epic blog post...so possibly now is the time to grab a cup of tea and some biscuits!). I am working at a small NGO called Thai Freedom House (their website is www.thaifreedomhouse.org if you want to check out any additional information than what I am about to tell you, or if you would like to make a donation, which would be greatly appreciated...) and absolutely loving it. The project started was founded and is still run by an American lady called Lisa who has a driving passion for helping refugees. She has worked with Bosnian refugee in the states, Tibetan refugees in India, Burmese refugees in Mae Hong Son (which is right near the Burma border) and for the last 8 years has been based in Chiang Mai working with Burmese refugees here. Originally she started a school in her house. She would teach privately in the day time and then in the evenings open her house to a whole host of students of both Burmese and hill tribe backgrounds. She did this for several years but eventually it grew too big to be contained in such a confined space, so she fund raised the money to rent a small house to use as a school. The school ran there for a few more years, before she decided that the project needed some stable and reliable (well, slightly more reliable) funding, and so she relocated to a larger house, which she transformed into a cafe for the day and a school for the evenings. That was two and a half years ago and is still the same today. Nowadays all of the students are from Shan state in Burma, not because of any conscious decision, but because most of the Christian organisations in Chiang Mai tend to work with hill tribe communities which leaves these refugees, and most of the refugees from Burma in Chiang Mai are Shan. It actually works out really nicely as the school has become a sort of Shan community centre, where the students not only learn Thai, computer skills and English, but have Shan culture classes (for instance, they are learning Shan dance for the Shan New Year at the moment) and can speak to each other in Shan before and after classes and during their break. TFH really values the importance of maintaining and nurturing the students' culture and language, as it is vital for improving their self esteem and sense of identity. Once Burmese refugees come to Thailand they usually abandon their mother tongue because it places them at risk of deportation back to Burma if an official person overhears and if Thai people hear them speaking it they tend to treat them really badly. Therefore, it is wonderful that the students have a safe space where they can relax and converse with friends, who really have become like a family, in a language that they are completely comfortable with, whilst also improving their chances of integrating into Thailand by learning two more languages. 

At the moment we have about 25 students, ranging from 8 - 27. Some of the students are new this semester, but most have been coming for at least a few years and have come to see TFH as a second home. There are two classes - beginners and intermediate - and I am teaching the beginners class. It is challenging, as there is quite a range of ability in there, but I am grateful for the fact that all of my students fall within the age range of 8 - 14, whereas the intermediate class ranges from 10 - 27, which must be really difficult for Maria, their teacher! The students in my class are all familiar with very basic conversational English but that's about it. I am working on developing their vocabulary and reading skills, as I have found that that is where they really struggle. It's lovely though, because Lisa, the founder, places a lot of stock in the Montessori educational model, which focuses on learning through exploration and play, and so she prefers our lessons to be very interactive and fun (or sanook in Thai!). I love this, because it's the way I would want to teach anyway, and it feels reassuring to have her support, unlike in India, where the concept of learning through song, for instance, was too bizarre for the first school I was at. This week I have a lesson planned where the kids will follow simple instructions to make play dough, and then we will play 'Rapidough' (or pictionary with sculpting instead of drawing) to test their knowledge of some of the vocabulary we have learnt. I am so looking forward to it because I know that if I can get past the hurdle of making them understand what I want them to do then they will love the lesson and have a lot of fun with it! To be fair though, they love every lesson. It is so rewarding teaching them because you can see that they clearly love being there and having the chance to interact with their friends and with us 'ferrang' (foreigners), and just being able to socialise and have fun for a change. Many of the students come early to make the most of the games we have available for them and to sit and chat to each other, or to practice their English with us, and in the middle of class is a fifteen minute break where they are given a healthy snack and some soy milk, which for many will be one of the only really nutritious things they will eat that day. While some of the younger students are able to attend Monastery schools (where they get a very basic education), the older students nearly all work, either in restaurants, hotels or shops, most of them from 5am to 5pm, before coming to class every night apart from Sunday and Monday from 6pm - 8pm. To me, this makes it so obvious that they enjoy being there as I certainly wouldn't have the energy or drive to go to optional classes if I was working that hard! On top of the fact that they are actually there, the whole lessons are filled with laughter and easy conversation; it really is a wonderful atmosphere to work and teach and, I surmise, to learn in. 

English classes are twice a week, from 6-8pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, so the actual teaching part of my time here is relatively small. However, the NGO is so well run and requires us to write meticulous and detailed lesson plans so that they can keep an eye on what we are teaching, and so that future volunteers will be able to see what the students have learnt already. It is such a welcome change from India as well, to know exactly where the students are (just about) and to have the time to be able to really plan what you are going to teach, the best way to teach it, and to make the resources to ensure that your lesson will really engage the students. These students work so hard, have such difficult lives and make such an effort to come to class that it is the least we can do to make sure that when they get there, potentially after a 12 hour shift, that there is a well structured, beneficial, and most of all, enjoyable lesson waiting for them. However, I work either eight or nine hours a day four days a week, and four hours on a Saturday, so clearly I am not lesson planning all day everyday, so what else do I do I hear you ask?!

Well, during the day time once lesson plans are done, there is plenty more to occupy me; I can safely say that I have not been bored yet! At TFH we have a lot of resources, which is great, but when I arrived they were all a bit hotch-potch and not really organised and so my first task was to go through everything and put it in to some sort of order. Whereas I know this would be many people's idea of a nightmare, my anal organisational side came out and I really got into it...going so far as to make labels and catalogues of everything we had, so that future volunteers (and current ones!) should be able to find what they need quickly without wasting time wading through countless books, sheets and other resources. Luckily Lisa is also a bit of an organisational nut and so she appreciated what I did and the hours I put in, so that helped to make it feel worthwhile! Maria (the other volunteer there at the moment, more about her later) and I have also been working on rewriting the teacher training manual, to better tell future volunteers what they need to know, and are going to move on to developing the English curriculum, which has gotten slightly out of date. I also help out in the cafe itself, not cooking as Nong, one of the students who is our wonderful cook, is much too talented to let an ignorant ferrang anywhere near her incredible fusion of Thai, Shan and Western food, but with communicating with customers, many of whom are intrigued when they come in to the cafe and see teaching resources/games/children's books/a veritable library on the situation in Burma all around the place. I chat to them and explain what they project is all about which works out really because it is both good for the project - they understand a bit more about the situation of Burmese refugees, often offer to help in someway, sometimes come back with friends to support us etc. - and for me, as I get to talk to some really interesting people! The cafe (called Free Bird Cafe) provides the majority of funds for the project, so it is really important to ensure that it runs smoothly and successfully, so I take this part of my role pretty seriously. They had a really slow low season, and so it is especially vital that we do well this high season or the project will really start to struggle, not something that I want to see happen. It's a fab place to work: the atmosphere is lovely, my colleagues are brilliant, the work is varied and I have the freedom to choose what I want to do and when, and most of all, I am doing something for what I believe to be an excellent cause. It's especially good because it is such a small NGO and so I can really see from day to day the changes me being there makes. The teachers they have are all volunteers, so from that point of view Maria and I are essential to the project running, but also by getting a chance to interact with the students outside of class as well I can see a change from week to week in their confidence, their proficiency and, most importantly, with their enjoyment of class as we get to know each other better. I sense that I am gushing a bit, but truly, it is a very special place. 

Moving on though! I am staying in a volunteer house which is great. We did have some personality clash issues that marred by experience of that a bit in the first week and a half (when I say 'we' I actually mean 'they' as I made it very clear that I wanted nothing to do with any of the drama!), but that all seems to be resolved now, or at least getting better, which is a huge relief! I get on well with everyone, especially two German girls who are roughly my age and sharing my room with me. We spend lots of time together exploring markets and places in and around the city, and it is so nice to be with young people again. I also get on famously with Maria, the other teacher at TFH. She is an American girl who teaches Maths in the States and who I have clicked so well with. We are together all the time at work as we share an office, and also see each other a lot outside of work; I just really enjoy her company as it is so easy to get on with her and we make each other laugh a lot. The only issue we have is that she speaks American English whereas I speak real English, and we are both way too stubborn to let anything odd that the other one says slide! It's surprising actually, how many word are different; I always thought it was just 'tomato' and 'potato'! They would need to extend that song to several hours long to fit in all the differences we have discovered! I also really enjoy spending time with the more long term staff at TFH, Lisa is great, and I love the girls in the cafe (Nong and Nap Dow) and Num Aye, who has been managing the project for over a year but is leaving soon. We often go out together and it is lovely to get to know them a bit better, even if sometimes the girls' English is a little limited! It makes for some hilarious moments though, where we try anything to get each other to understand, and laughter is definitely good for the soul! On Friday night I was invited to the birthday dinner of one of our older students, which was so lovely. There were about thirty of us all together, eating banquet style, and halfway through the evening Nong (who is the birthday girl's best friend) came in with a cake and we all sang to her. The only trouble was that in Thai/Shan culture, it is traditional for the person whose birthday it is to do all the organising for their party, to host the entire evening and serve their guests, and to pay for everything. It made me feel so bad that this girl (actually she turned 27 so is not really a girl, but she looks so young it's hard to believe that's how old she is!) was paying for everyone when she works so hard to save her money, but it I was told very firmly by Num Aye that it would be very rude to try to pay myself, and it did seem to make Seng On (the birthday girl) very happy. That's what I love about staying for longer in a place; you get to experience the culture in a much deeper way than the superficial glance you get passing through somewhere - although that has it's advantages too! The restaurant we went to for the meal was Burmese, and made me realise that i like Burmese food even more than Thai. It is so light and fresh, with lots of delicious crunchy salads and tangy dips...feels really healthy, but I am sure the deep fried bitter gourd I ate so much of is definitely not!    

Outside of work I have been busy. Really busy. I have been spending lots of time at different markets which I go to a lot to try various amazing street foods (like coconut custard patties, banana blossom, ancient ice cream, fruit shakes, banana rolls and a multitude of things with rice and noodels that I have no idea how to describe) and some not so amazing ones (like a black jelly made of a type of grass that they make in to a milky drink with ice, crickets, which tasted ok but made me feel funny because of the though of what I was munching on, and a 'cake' made of beans that definitely was not cake like); to browse the beautiful handicrafts; to laugh at the truly bizarre voodoo key rings and t shirts for sale; to accidentally bump in to people and attempt to apologise in Thai and, invariably, to be giggle at because of my dodgy accent; to try to barter in Thai, and, invariably, to be giggled at because of my dodgy accent; to try to order food in Thai and, well, you get the idea! The markets are such fascinating places, so that is one of my favourite ways to pass an evening, especially if it is the Saturday Walking Market which is on my street, so as soon as my legs get tired, I can amble comfortably back to bed! I have also been on some great day trips. I went on a mini pilgrimage to Wat Doi Suthep, a temple on top of one of the mountains overlooking Chiang Mai, to get to which we had to climb over 300 very steep stairs! It was so worth it though, as apart from the stunning architecture and design of the temple itself, the view over Chiang Mai was breath taking. The only problem was that the city is so full of tourists at the moment (both ferrang and Thai) because of the flooding in Bangkok, and so I felt bad for the Buddhist pilgrims who were trying to pray or perform rituals, but were being jostled by ignorant people from every side. I am not for a minute forgetting that I am a tourist too, but I like to think that I at least have some cultural sensitivity and would not stick a camera in someone's face while they are trying to have a quiet moment - something that, believe it or not, I actually saw happen! Despite signs everywhere, there were also lots of people with legs/shoulders on show, something that is definitely not ok in Thai temple etiquette, and for which there is no excuse when they provide sarongs to guard against this very thing happening! Yesterday I went to a man made lake about 12km out of the city which was so beautiful. It is nestled in the same mountains as the temple and is unbelievably picturesque, with these little bamboo huts all around the shore where you can base yourself for lunch, drinks and sunbathing. We stayed for hours, just lying in the sun (it is still about 29 degrees here) and going in the lake occasionally...utterly blissful! 


Last week on Thursday and Friday it was Loi Krathong, which is one of the biggest festivals celebrated in Chiang Mai. I have been so lucky with my itinerary in that I have coincidentally ended up being in places as they celebrate some of their best festivals: In Kolkata I had Durga Puja, in Delhi I had Diwali, and now in Chiang Mai I had Loi Krathong! I loved Loi Krathong. The point of the festival is to honour the River Goddess and to ask her to bless you for the coming year. It seems especially pertinent this year, considering the flooding situation in Bangkok, and the fact that there were so many Bangkok residents here this year to celebrate it gave the festival a poignant edge. The way the goddess is honoured is by the floating down the river of little boats called krathongs. At TFH we decided to celebrate together, and so instead of Thai class on Thursday night, the students came to make the krathongs with us. They are made from a piece of banana tree trunk, which forms the base of the boat. Around this you pin banana leaf, and then you decorate it with banana leaf triangles, flowers, a candle and three incense sticks. It is a pretty complicated process and caused much confusion for Maria and me...we took a long time to grasp the method of folding the banana leaves! However, eventually we had our krathongs ready, and i have to say, I was pretty proud of mine, and so we went down to the moat to float them. Techincally you are supposed to go to the river, but we were concerned about losing a small child (the river gets so crowded), so this was a nice gentle way to do it! Some people put hair or toenails in to their krathongs to symbolise the washing away of the old and welcoming of the new, but we decided to leave that part of the tradition out - not sure how hygenic it would have been to be cutting toenails in a cafe! At the same time as Loi Krathong is Yee Ping, another festival. The message of this one is much the same - a request for good luck for the year to come - but it is celebrated by the release of huge lanterns in to the sky. We also did this with our students and it was so beautiful and exciting to see them flying upwards; really magical. It got even better as the evening progressed though, as thousands of people all over the city were releasing lanterns, and so the whole sky was lit up with was looked like twinkling low hanging stars. Some of the lanterns also have fireworks attached to the bottom of them, so they look like shooting stars and there are also fireworks going off everywhere; the overall effect was truly stunning. It's like this for the two nights, so we wandered around, soaking up the atmosphere, and getting cricks in our necks from constantly looking upwards! There are also lots of temporary outdoor markets that go up, with various carnival style games that we wasted some money at, different clothes/accessories stalls, and some (yes you guessed it) really scrumptious food, which we took full advantage of! It was just generally a wonderful atmosphere of exultation, happiness and hope for the year to come - a good time to be here :)     

I have also had my fair share of massages, the best of which was from some of the inmates of Chiang Mai's women's prison! Sounds strange I know, but it is a rehabilitation programme that they have running there whereby for the last six months of some of the women's sentences, they teach them the intricate art of Thai massage and let them work on customers in a secure place opposite the prison. All of the money you pay is put in to an account, and so when the women leave they have not only some money behind them to start a new life, but a skill that they can use to make a living. The woman massaging Maria wanted to practice her English and was telling us that she had been in prison for 12 years and was leaving in one month. I cannot even begin to imagine how terrifying/exciting it must be for her to be leaving the prison after so long in confinement - incomprehensible. Many of the women in prison there have not actually committed any crime, but are there because they were abused by their husbands, and when they went to the police for help, the husbands bribed the police to get rid of the problem, the 'problem' being these poor women. I don't know if that was this lady's situation, but she certainly did not seem like a hardened criminal, rather a sweet lady who laughed a lot and seemed very gentle. There are so many issues in Thailand (I suppose like any country) that you could so easily miss if you were just passing through with your eyes closed (metaphorically of course...you would be run over for sure by one of the crazy motorbike drivers if you actually went through with your eyes closed). The Burmese refugees for instance; it would be/is so easy to go to a restaurant and not even consider the fact that your waiter could have been there since 5am, has no official i.d. card and so is being paid a pittance, being poorly treated, has no chance of an education, and has to go back home to a corrugated iron shed in a construction camp that he shares with 20 other people, and is living constantly in fear of being discovered and deported back to a country where his life would be infinitely worse, and where he could face severe punishment, even death for having left illegally in the first place. It's so sad and such a vast problem that it can feel overwhelming; I just feel grateful that I have the chance to be here volunteering to do something, even if it is something tiny in the grand scale of the issues, to help, to make a bit of a difference. 

Oh dear, sorry to leave on a bit of a depressing note, but it is nearly time for dinner, and as today is my day off I actually get the chance to eat at the same time as everyone else instead of reheating mine when I get home from class! Even reheated, the food here is incredible though, our 'housekeeper' (I use inverted commas because she is really more of a friend who happens to be an amazing cook) is a genius in the kitchen and makes us the best Thai food I have ever eaten...even from restaurants here; just like in India, I am being thoroughly spoiled, and will need another bout of e-coli to lose some of the weight I am gaining! Just kidding, I really really do not want that again! 

Lots of love as always, will try to write again soon,

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