So the last days of camp ended terrifically! The final day we did a Summer Camp Decathlon which involved 3 teams of 7 competing in ten different events and being judged on their team spirit, activity performance, and their response to a question at the end of each event. My favorite event was a blindfolded ball toss. Basically one kid from each team ran blindfolded about 15 meters to a cone where there was a bucket of balls, grabbed one, and then ran back to his team, and put the ball into a new bucket. It was absolutely HILARIOUS! The blindfolds worked flawlessly and there was no peeking through them. We actually ended up using dust masks. The way the kids flailed about on the ground trying to locate the buckets was so funny. Especially touching were the smiles and hugs I received at the end of the day. It was obvious that a relay race which I viewed as such a simple gesture could make such a dramatic impression on both the kids and the staff. Summer camp here was brought by British volunteers a few years ago, and therefore is originally a foreign concept. Many things that summer camp in the States is as well foreign, yet welcomed wholeheartedly. The camp is for the lack of a better word, edited each year by new volunteers, their contributions have enhanced it tremendously. Actually, noting from previous experiences, camp is generally a western concept, but when brought to other parts of the world, it has made a huge impact, and is always exciting to be a part of. Last week, we also said farewell to Mark the traditional Burmese way…Thai whisky, rum, beer and endless food. We all sat on the floor and “partied” for about 4 hours. It was a good time.
Last Saturday night, I met up with my friend Alex from Delaware, who is currently in Phuket and we headed to Bangkok for the holiday Songkran. Songkran, or the Thai New Year, is a three day holiday in which our office was closed the entire week. We took an overnight bus from Bang Niang to Bangkok, which lasted 13 hours. During the bus ride, we pulled over numerous times where the military checked out our bus. We had no idea what was going on. We arrived at about 5am where I woke up to the Thai news announcing that the previously peaceful red shirt protests had become violent, and at that point there had been eight deaths. Travel alerts were going off in all of our phones, and it apparently was not the best time to be in Bangkok. However, we checked into our hotel which was right on the riverside. From there, we were maybe 2 blocks away from the TV station that had been knocked down and we had a terrific view of the riots on the close-by bridge.
But, why get stuck in the protest blues? The red shirts didn’t, and we followed suit…grabbing our hardcore water guns, we fought to the near-death with our greatest opponents being those around 8 years old and other farongs (foreigners). Oh, but why stop at water when you can also massacre those around you with a mixture of flour, water and icy hot for an extra kick? The entire experience mimicked the typical college spring break in Cancun with the day drinking on Th Kho San Road. Red shirts, police officers, military personnel, children and farongs all let go of their prejudices while no one was spared when it came to Songkran. While in Bangkok, however, I did manage to get some really cool “culture” time in as well. We visited some of the most famous temples such as Wat Pho to see the famous Reclining Buddha and the Wat Phra Kaew inside the Grand Palace to admire the Emerald Buddha. During this, because of the holiday, all of the temples were filled with Thais performing sacred rituals such as offering food to the monks, and pouring holy water over the Buddahs. Each temple was filled with the spirit of Songkran and the never-ending Thai smiles.
One of the coolest things we did in Bangkok was ride a long-boat through the canals where people live. Our driver actually took us to his own house where we met his family and took part in sharing some beer and whisky. It was very cool to talk to the locals about Songkran and celebrate with the locals.
Following three days in Bangkok, we caught a bus to Chiang Mai for the rest of the Songkran activities. Chaing Mai was nuts. One of the days we rented bikes to get a good look at the city. We truly attempted to stay dry, but we 100% thought wrong. After four days of wearing soaking wet clothes, I think we all had a good case of what felt like diaper rash, and we were much relieved to put away our water guns.
We celebrated the next day by riding on elephants, “bumper boating” (which is white water rafting in the dry season) and a much needed massage at the Thai women’s correctional facility (it’s cheaper that way). Overall, Songkran was definitely an experience of a lifetime. The most endearing insight to Thai culture I gained was how everyone: red shirts, pink, shirts, cops, robbers, ladyboys and farongs could all find a reason to smile to each other during the holiday. It was simply moving.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Sa-wat-dee-ka!
This week has been an extremely rewarding change of pace. I am staying at Biang Nang Beach, right next to Khao Lak, a popular dive stop for tourists. About a half hour bike ride and 20 minute hike up the rainforest is a waterfall that I have already indulged in twice. One side of the road on the way there is a rubber plantation full of perfect lines of towering trees while the other side is the lush rain forest. The first time I rode my bike with another volunteer, Mark, who is just finishing up medical school. However, my bike, unfortunately was only suitable for someone about 5 ft tall, and I was therefore required to stand up the entire time, which put too much pressure on my handlebars, which loosened them to the point where the bike was pretty much unrideable by the time we arrived. I have since replaced it with a much better and smoother ride which has made life much easier. The journey was well rewarded though with the best shower I have had my entire trip in the mountains.
Outside of camp, life is pretty enjoyable too. There are a many Europeans hanging out around here, and I have met a lot of people I wouldn’t call tourists, but that are definitely not locals. They are more like full time vacationers? I have also made a new sister. Her name is Nang and she owns a small bar in Bang Niang while also working for Grassroots. We have gone out a few times as the nightlife is pretty fun around here. Other highlights about my living situation: the beach is only 1km away, the backdrop is the rain forest and mountains, the nearby waterfall, the 7/11 right across the street, and of course the shower!
Working at camp so far has been very fun. The kids here are definitely different than those in India. These children have already been to school for a few years, and that has definitely paid off. I am teaching child development, which is pretty vague and gives me free reign to be as creative as possible. The first week I focused mainly on self-awareness and self-esteem building while this week I am focusing on teamwork and team building. One of the notable activities we did was write a list of all the things anyone has ever told them they can’t do. Sometimes the messages come from parents, other family members, peers or even themselves. Then, after sharing one, they crumpled their paper and through it in a tissue box I had attempted to decorate like a casket. We then went into the garden and had a funeral for the “I Can’t” way of thinking. It was pretty cool.
Team building, on the contrary, has definitely been challenging already. We attempted the human knot activity, and I think it took maybe 7-8 attempts plus a demonstration by the staff to understand that they need to work together. It was actually pretty funny. In the beginning, they were all twisting and just trying to get themselves loose. It was not working. We also did the “Protect the Egg” activity in which they had to build protective containers for eggs out of straws and newspaper. All of the eggs broke the first attempt, but after redesigning them, 3 of the teams successfully protected their eggs.
Saturday, we organized a wonderful game of Capture the Flag. It was their first time playing, but certainly not last. The two teams all had headbands in their respective color that Myaa Thu and I made out of old cloth from the women’s center. They also had to come up with a team name and make their flag. One team was the Stars, and the other was Viewpoint, which actually turned out to be a really cool flag. Then they had to come up with a song/chant for their team, which was awesome because we were equipped with a guitar, tambourine and drums for some background beat and harmony. The location was perfect too, especially for first-timers. We went to a park about half an hour away right on the beach. The park had a great playground, enough trees, and was generally a dynamic enough atmosphere to make the game interesting, but it still was not too big. Like all Capture the Flag games begin, the teams all ended up in jail as they had not quite figured out the fluidity or the tactics of the game. Unfortunately, the game was totally rained out with a huge monsoon, and we had to take shelter singing songs, but the game is back on schedule for tomorrow.
Sunday, we went on a field trip of sorts to the water fall which was just beautiful. I had already been there once, but going with the kids was incredible. None of the children have been taught how to swim, so I got to work and held a beginner swimming class. I actually taught swimming all through high school, so I did have some experience working for me. I taught them all how to blow bubbles and the basics of floating, although I definitely had to be much more creative in conveying floating techniques with such an intense language barrier. There are absolutely no cognates between Burmese and English. Anyways, after swimming in the waterfall for a while, it was time to head back to camp.
So far, the culture shock is not even comparable as it was to India. However, I will say I think I preferred Indian food, as it is a little more difficult to come by vegetarian cuisine, and I have definitely had a multitude of interesting eating experiences already. If I am eating at camp or at someone’s house, I frequently reminisce about my time in China when there is a bowl of chicken feet in front of me. Other than that, the cook at camp also makes a spicy vegetable dish for the endless bowl of rice with is really sweet of her, and I have become a huge fan of the spicy papaya salad with sticky rice at the street restaurant right outside my guesthouse. I also had my first try of Thai roti, which is a sweet pancake sometimes rolled and stuffed with mango or banana. It was delicious! Indian roti is a basically just chapatti drizzled with a tiny bit of ghee that you have at every meal.
However, sometimes the food is just bizarre. After lunch at camp yesterday, they gave everyone something comparable to a dessert for the holiday Chakri. It was coconut milk with two pieces of wonder bread and “cherries.” “Cherries” are not cherries by the way. They are artificially flavored and brightly colored pieces of gelatin that don’t taste nearly as good as Jell-O.
Another day at camp we had a sweet which was coconut and sugar rolled up in a banana leaf which tasted pretty delicious.
Last night while having dinner at a cheap Thai dive that looks more like a garage from the outside, about a dozen tiny flying insects dropped right onto my head. Apparently, they were hanging out on the light right about my table. It definitely startled me to say the least. Bugs are pretty common around the street restaurants...so much for being a vegetarian, but it might not necessarily be a bad thing. Without the staple of lentils, I wouldn't want to go and have a protein deficiency or anything.
So camp ends this week with a large relay race Myaa Thu and I are planning, and then next week is a week-long holiday for the Thai New Year called Songkran. I have heard that it is basically a huge water festival where the Thais get their water guns and balloons out and just attack people with them on the street. The cities like Bangkok and Chang Mai are apparently the place to be, so that’s where I am headed next weekend.
FYI: This morning I was woken up at 7am because of a tsunami warning placed on Phang-Nga Province due to an earthquake that hit Sumatra at 5:15 this morning. The warning was lifted two hours later, so no worries thus far.
Outside of camp, life is pretty enjoyable too. There are a many Europeans hanging out around here, and I have met a lot of people I wouldn’t call tourists, but that are definitely not locals. They are more like full time vacationers? I have also made a new sister. Her name is Nang and she owns a small bar in Bang Niang while also working for Grassroots. We have gone out a few times as the nightlife is pretty fun around here. Other highlights about my living situation: the beach is only 1km away, the backdrop is the rain forest and mountains, the nearby waterfall, the 7/11 right across the street, and of course the shower!
Working at camp so far has been very fun. The kids here are definitely different than those in India. These children have already been to school for a few years, and that has definitely paid off. I am teaching child development, which is pretty vague and gives me free reign to be as creative as possible. The first week I focused mainly on self-awareness and self-esteem building while this week I am focusing on teamwork and team building. One of the notable activities we did was write a list of all the things anyone has ever told them they can’t do. Sometimes the messages come from parents, other family members, peers or even themselves. Then, after sharing one, they crumpled their paper and through it in a tissue box I had attempted to decorate like a casket. We then went into the garden and had a funeral for the “I Can’t” way of thinking. It was pretty cool.
Team building, on the contrary, has definitely been challenging already. We attempted the human knot activity, and I think it took maybe 7-8 attempts plus a demonstration by the staff to understand that they need to work together. It was actually pretty funny. In the beginning, they were all twisting and just trying to get themselves loose. It was not working. We also did the “Protect the Egg” activity in which they had to build protective containers for eggs out of straws and newspaper. All of the eggs broke the first attempt, but after redesigning them, 3 of the teams successfully protected their eggs.
Saturday, we organized a wonderful game of Capture the Flag. It was their first time playing, but certainly not last. The two teams all had headbands in their respective color that Myaa Thu and I made out of old cloth from the women’s center. They also had to come up with a team name and make their flag. One team was the Stars, and the other was Viewpoint, which actually turned out to be a really cool flag. Then they had to come up with a song/chant for their team, which was awesome because we were equipped with a guitar, tambourine and drums for some background beat and harmony. The location was perfect too, especially for first-timers. We went to a park about half an hour away right on the beach. The park had a great playground, enough trees, and was generally a dynamic enough atmosphere to make the game interesting, but it still was not too big. Like all Capture the Flag games begin, the teams all ended up in jail as they had not quite figured out the fluidity or the tactics of the game. Unfortunately, the game was totally rained out with a huge monsoon, and we had to take shelter singing songs, but the game is back on schedule for tomorrow.
Sunday, we went on a field trip of sorts to the water fall which was just beautiful. I had already been there once, but going with the kids was incredible. None of the children have been taught how to swim, so I got to work and held a beginner swimming class. I actually taught swimming all through high school, so I did have some experience working for me. I taught them all how to blow bubbles and the basics of floating, although I definitely had to be much more creative in conveying floating techniques with such an intense language barrier. There are absolutely no cognates between Burmese and English. Anyways, after swimming in the waterfall for a while, it was time to head back to camp.
So far, the culture shock is not even comparable as it was to India. However, I will say I think I preferred Indian food, as it is a little more difficult to come by vegetarian cuisine, and I have definitely had a multitude of interesting eating experiences already. If I am eating at camp or at someone’s house, I frequently reminisce about my time in China when there is a bowl of chicken feet in front of me. Other than that, the cook at camp also makes a spicy vegetable dish for the endless bowl of rice with is really sweet of her, and I have become a huge fan of the spicy papaya salad with sticky rice at the street restaurant right outside my guesthouse. I also had my first try of Thai roti, which is a sweet pancake sometimes rolled and stuffed with mango or banana. It was delicious! Indian roti is a basically just chapatti drizzled with a tiny bit of ghee that you have at every meal.
However, sometimes the food is just bizarre. After lunch at camp yesterday, they gave everyone something comparable to a dessert for the holiday Chakri. It was coconut milk with two pieces of wonder bread and “cherries.” “Cherries” are not cherries by the way. They are artificially flavored and brightly colored pieces of gelatin that don’t taste nearly as good as Jell-O.
Another day at camp we had a sweet which was coconut and sugar rolled up in a banana leaf which tasted pretty delicious.
Last night while having dinner at a cheap Thai dive that looks more like a garage from the outside, about a dozen tiny flying insects dropped right onto my head. Apparently, they were hanging out on the light right about my table. It definitely startled me to say the least. Bugs are pretty common around the street restaurants...so much for being a vegetarian, but it might not necessarily be a bad thing. Without the staple of lentils, I wouldn't want to go and have a protein deficiency or anything.
So camp ends this week with a large relay race Myaa Thu and I are planning, and then next week is a week-long holiday for the Thai New Year called Songkran. I have heard that it is basically a huge water festival where the Thais get their water guns and balloons out and just attack people with them on the street. The cities like Bangkok and Chang Mai are apparently the place to be, so that’s where I am headed next weekend.
FYI: This morning I was woken up at 7am because of a tsunami warning placed on Phang-Nga Province due to an earthquake that hit Sumatra at 5:15 this morning. The warning was lifted two hours later, so no worries thus far.
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