Been a higgledy piggledy few weeks with some absolutely wonderful moments/occasions and some much more difficult. I'll start with one of the most wonderful 'ups' of my whole trip thus far...the Thai Freedom House's staff retreat to Doi Inthanon. Originally, we wanted to take the girls to Pai which is a gorgeous mountain town, about two hours north of Chiang Mai. However, because of their status as refugees, their i.d. cards restrict them from travelling. We all thought it would be ok if they went to ask permission from the appropriate office, but, even with the standard offer of a bribe (which is applicable for just about everything here), they refused to allow them to leave. The next plan was to go to Chiang Dao, another cute mountain village that is in Chiang Mai district, but after speaking to some friends, they found out that the check point along the way there was sending back anybody without a Thai i.d. card (apart from tourists of course), and so that was off limits as well. Luckily, Lisa had been to Doi Inthanon before and knew that there wasn't a check point so we decided that it is better safe than sorry and headed there, and I am actually really glad that we did!
Doi Inthanon is the name of the tallest mountain in Thailand (I can't remember how tall...google it if you are keen to know), and also of the national park that surrounds the mountain. It is an absolutely beautiful place, with so much greenery everywhere, clean and crisp mountain air (that actually got cold at night time...cold enough to wear socks and a jumper!), stunning waterfalls and incredible views over the surrounding nature. Needless to say, a lot of photos were taken! We spent our time walking, nature-seeing, enjoying the scenery and eating lots of yummy hill tribe mountain food which we discovered in this fascinating mountain market. This aspect of the trip was great; it was lovely to get out of the city and to see some nature/do some walking/breathe in air that is not heavily polluted (Chiang Mai has pretty bad pollution at the moment), but the best part for me was the opportunity to take the girls out of work, out of the city and out of the stresses of their everyday lives and to give them a chance to have a bit of fun.
Altogether on the retreat it was me, Maria, Lisa (the director), Num Aye (current managing director), Nong (cafe manager and student) and Nap Dow (waitress and student). All three of the Shan staff have lives that I would describe as difficult, although for many Shan refugees living in Thailand things are a lot worse...doesn't bear thinking about. Nong, especially, has a lot on her plate. She manages the cafe, which means working 6 days a week from 7 am to 5 pm (hours that are much better than any of our other students and for significantly better money), but then she has to go home to look after her mother who is partially paralysed, which means doing all of the cooking/cleaning/organising in their home, as well as regularly spending her day off taking her mother to the hospital where they make them wait all day for sub standard treatment because they recognise that they are Shan. Despite all this, Nong is forever smiling, laughing and making jokes, and is such a brilliant person to be around; she is quite an amazing girl. I say girl, she is several years older than me, but she looks so young it's hard to remember sometimes! By taking her, and the other two out of Chiang Mai, we managed to give them a sort of enforced break, where they had to put aside some of their other responsibilities and just enjoy themselves for two days, something they all needed. The three of them loved Doi Inthanon, mostly I think because they adore taking pictures of themselves and the national park provided many beautiful backdrops to our beautiful staff! Every place we stopped the car Nong and Nap Dow in particular would find a good spot, set up their pose and then it would be 'teacher, teacher...will you take my photo?' Most of the time one was not enough, and in one particular session at the top of a waterfall, Nap Dow and I were doing a photo shoot that consisted of at least 20 pictures - all of them suay maak (very beautiful)!
My very favourite bit of the retreat was the evening we were there. We stayed in these lovely little wooden huts on the side of the mountain, opposite from two waterfalls, and just above a valley full of flowers being cultivated ready for sale in the city flower markets. The lodge restaurant served this delicious meal called suki...a sort of d.i.y. soup that comes over a terracotta pot full of coals. You get a pot of stock and a plate full of vegetables, noodles and eggs, and as the evening progresses, you just add a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and then eat a bit, and then add some more and just keep going. We ended up cooking and eating for three hours! Over dinner, we chatted and laughed and were really enjoying each others' company, especially after Lisa introduced a small 'team building' activity. She wanted each of us to say one thing that we appreciated about each of the others...as I'm sure you can imagine, it got a bit emotional! The most moving moment for me came from Nap Dow. She is only teenager, and sometimes she can be a bit teenagery and moody. I thought that maybe she was in one of those moods as while we were all sharing our appreciations, she was very quiet and didn't really get involved. When it came to her turn she was so reticent, and really didn't want to talk...prompting us to gently chastise her! However, as soon as she did start talking we realised that the real reason she didn't want to participate was that she was feeling overwhelmed by it all and the moment she opened her mouth the flood gates opened and she wept and wept. For such a young girl she had such deep emotions, and everything she was thankful for was beautiful. Shan culture is like Thai culture in that emotions are kept very much beneath the surface and so to see her cry like that was genuinely touching; a special moment that showed us just how lucky she feels she is. Ever since the retreat I feel a lot closer to the girls, and I think they feel closer to me as well, which is good seeing as from now until the end of my time here it's pretty much just me and them!
Later that same week was one of my 'downs'. We went to one of the construction camps on the outskirts of the city to deliver some donations and I found it pretty upsetting. This was the same construction camp that had a fire just after I arrived, a fire that burned down a quarter of the camp which had housed 50 people. Luckily nobody had been hurt in the fire as they were all at work, but their homes and belongings were completely destroyed, including 30,000baht that was an entire family's life savings which obviously devastated them. Despite the fact that the fire was over a month ago, the evidence of it is still very much apparent. The site of the fire is still just a bare area of scorched ground, covered in ash and burnt wood, with the occasional reminder that it once was someone's home, like a half destroyed bed cover, or charred shoe. All around the fire site are the rest of the 'homes', - corrugated iron sheets balanced over wooden frames - and dotted between are the 4 water stations that serve 200 people - concrete slabs with two cold water taps, right in the open, where everybody must wash themselves and their clothes and get all of their water for drinking and cooking. It's pretty grim. I am glad that we went though. It felt good to give them the much needed donations and although none of our students live in actual construction camps, many live in slums around and in the city which have very similar conditions, so it is good to have a better idea of their situations and struggles. Doesn't stop it being upsetting though.
Back to some 'ups' though. I am still loving life in Chiang Mai - both work and play here are very enjoyable! I had my last lesson with the students on Tuesday because now they are on their break in between semesters, and although I am really sad not to be teaching them anymore, our last lesson together was brilliant. Maria and I put together a scavenger hunt, where they had to go round in teams deciphering clues to find the next one. I knew they would enjoy it but I had no idea how much...they absolutely loved it! As soon as we explained what they needed to do they were rearing to go, and once they set off they all sprinted around for pretty much the whole hunt - even the older students, some of whom are in their late twenties and had worked a 12 hour shift already! It was the perfect end to my teaching there...hopefully I have left them with happy memories!
I have also been having a fab time outside of work, with lots of socialising, going to quirky cafes/bars, at a mini festival called the Smile Party, meeting new people, listening to live music and even participating in some! Last Tuesday I sang at an improv night at a jazz bar here - just scatting and messing around - but it was so much fun and made me realise how much I have been missing singing! It's interesting as well, as a friend of mine gave me Reiki healing yesterday and said that they felt that I had creative energy that was being stifled, and asked if I am being as creative here as I would be at home. Although I am creative all day at work, they are right in that I haven't been doing any music, so I think maybe I will have to go back tomorrow and sing again...what a chore! I am very sad because both Lisa and Maria have gone back to the states now and I am already missing them lots, but I have plenty of other friends here and lots of fun things to occupy me so I am trying not to dwell on that particular 'down' too much. As one very wise friend told me before I came away...'you will say hello to many strangers, but you will say goodbye to many friends'...this is proving to be very true...I just hope that I am not saying goodbye to them for ever!
Lots of love and I guess Christmassy well wishes, although I have never felt less Christmassy half way through December!
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Doi Inthanon is the name of the tallest mountain in Thailand (I can't remember how tall...google it if you are keen to know), and also of the national park that surrounds the mountain. It is an absolutely beautiful place, with so much greenery everywhere, clean and crisp mountain air (that actually got cold at night time...cold enough to wear socks and a jumper!), stunning waterfalls and incredible views over the surrounding nature. Needless to say, a lot of photos were taken! We spent our time walking, nature-seeing, enjoying the scenery and eating lots of yummy hill tribe mountain food which we discovered in this fascinating mountain market. This aspect of the trip was great; it was lovely to get out of the city and to see some nature/do some walking/breathe in air that is not heavily polluted (Chiang Mai has pretty bad pollution at the moment), but the best part for me was the opportunity to take the girls out of work, out of the city and out of the stresses of their everyday lives and to give them a chance to have a bit of fun.
Altogether on the retreat it was me, Maria, Lisa (the director), Num Aye (current managing director), Nong (cafe manager and student) and Nap Dow (waitress and student). All three of the Shan staff have lives that I would describe as difficult, although for many Shan refugees living in Thailand things are a lot worse...doesn't bear thinking about. Nong, especially, has a lot on her plate. She manages the cafe, which means working 6 days a week from 7 am to 5 pm (hours that are much better than any of our other students and for significantly better money), but then she has to go home to look after her mother who is partially paralysed, which means doing all of the cooking/cleaning/organising in their home, as well as regularly spending her day off taking her mother to the hospital where they make them wait all day for sub standard treatment because they recognise that they are Shan. Despite all this, Nong is forever smiling, laughing and making jokes, and is such a brilliant person to be around; she is quite an amazing girl. I say girl, she is several years older than me, but she looks so young it's hard to remember sometimes! By taking her, and the other two out of Chiang Mai, we managed to give them a sort of enforced break, where they had to put aside some of their other responsibilities and just enjoy themselves for two days, something they all needed. The three of them loved Doi Inthanon, mostly I think because they adore taking pictures of themselves and the national park provided many beautiful backdrops to our beautiful staff! Every place we stopped the car Nong and Nap Dow in particular would find a good spot, set up their pose and then it would be 'teacher, teacher...will you take my photo?' Most of the time one was not enough, and in one particular session at the top of a waterfall, Nap Dow and I were doing a photo shoot that consisted of at least 20 pictures - all of them suay maak (very beautiful)!
My very favourite bit of the retreat was the evening we were there. We stayed in these lovely little wooden huts on the side of the mountain, opposite from two waterfalls, and just above a valley full of flowers being cultivated ready for sale in the city flower markets. The lodge restaurant served this delicious meal called suki...a sort of d.i.y. soup that comes over a terracotta pot full of coals. You get a pot of stock and a plate full of vegetables, noodles and eggs, and as the evening progresses, you just add a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and then eat a bit, and then add some more and just keep going. We ended up cooking and eating for three hours! Over dinner, we chatted and laughed and were really enjoying each others' company, especially after Lisa introduced a small 'team building' activity. She wanted each of us to say one thing that we appreciated about each of the others...as I'm sure you can imagine, it got a bit emotional! The most moving moment for me came from Nap Dow. She is only teenager, and sometimes she can be a bit teenagery and moody. I thought that maybe she was in one of those moods as while we were all sharing our appreciations, she was very quiet and didn't really get involved. When it came to her turn she was so reticent, and really didn't want to talk...prompting us to gently chastise her! However, as soon as she did start talking we realised that the real reason she didn't want to participate was that she was feeling overwhelmed by it all and the moment she opened her mouth the flood gates opened and she wept and wept. For such a young girl she had such deep emotions, and everything she was thankful for was beautiful. Shan culture is like Thai culture in that emotions are kept very much beneath the surface and so to see her cry like that was genuinely touching; a special moment that showed us just how lucky she feels she is. Ever since the retreat I feel a lot closer to the girls, and I think they feel closer to me as well, which is good seeing as from now until the end of my time here it's pretty much just me and them!
Later that same week was one of my 'downs'. We went to one of the construction camps on the outskirts of the city to deliver some donations and I found it pretty upsetting. This was the same construction camp that had a fire just after I arrived, a fire that burned down a quarter of the camp which had housed 50 people. Luckily nobody had been hurt in the fire as they were all at work, but their homes and belongings were completely destroyed, including 30,000baht that was an entire family's life savings which obviously devastated them. Despite the fact that the fire was over a month ago, the evidence of it is still very much apparent. The site of the fire is still just a bare area of scorched ground, covered in ash and burnt wood, with the occasional reminder that it once was someone's home, like a half destroyed bed cover, or charred shoe. All around the fire site are the rest of the 'homes', - corrugated iron sheets balanced over wooden frames - and dotted between are the 4 water stations that serve 200 people - concrete slabs with two cold water taps, right in the open, where everybody must wash themselves and their clothes and get all of their water for drinking and cooking. It's pretty grim. I am glad that we went though. It felt good to give them the much needed donations and although none of our students live in actual construction camps, many live in slums around and in the city which have very similar conditions, so it is good to have a better idea of their situations and struggles. Doesn't stop it being upsetting though.
Back to some 'ups' though. I am still loving life in Chiang Mai - both work and play here are very enjoyable! I had my last lesson with the students on Tuesday because now they are on their break in between semesters, and although I am really sad not to be teaching them anymore, our last lesson together was brilliant. Maria and I put together a scavenger hunt, where they had to go round in teams deciphering clues to find the next one. I knew they would enjoy it but I had no idea how much...they absolutely loved it! As soon as we explained what they needed to do they were rearing to go, and once they set off they all sprinted around for pretty much the whole hunt - even the older students, some of whom are in their late twenties and had worked a 12 hour shift already! It was the perfect end to my teaching there...hopefully I have left them with happy memories!
I have also been having a fab time outside of work, with lots of socialising, going to quirky cafes/bars, at a mini festival called the Smile Party, meeting new people, listening to live music and even participating in some! Last Tuesday I sang at an improv night at a jazz bar here - just scatting and messing around - but it was so much fun and made me realise how much I have been missing singing! It's interesting as well, as a friend of mine gave me Reiki healing yesterday and said that they felt that I had creative energy that was being stifled, and asked if I am being as creative here as I would be at home. Although I am creative all day at work, they are right in that I haven't been doing any music, so I think maybe I will have to go back tomorrow and sing again...what a chore! I am very sad because both Lisa and Maria have gone back to the states now and I am already missing them lots, but I have plenty of other friends here and lots of fun things to occupy me so I am trying not to dwell on that particular 'down' too much. As one very wise friend told me before I came away...'you will say hello to many strangers, but you will say goodbye to many friends'...this is proving to be very true...I just hope that I am not saying goodbye to them for ever!
Lots of love and I guess Christmassy well wishes, although I have never felt less Christmassy half way through December!
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