Yesterday I realized how deeply I loathe mosquitoes (or as the Aussies say: mozzies) and ants. For starters, I began my shift by cutting up some fruit for the boys when they got home from school. I grabbed the large cross-section of a tree that is the cutting board only to find it infested with ants. After washing most of those ants down the drain, I looked down and saw the floor covered in ants. Where did they all come from? So, I took the broom and swept the counter and floor to be free of these devilish creatures. But, it didn't end there. They continually found their way onto the counter, into the rice, through little cracks and crevices... This morning I wanted toast, but the toaster was crawling with ants! I guess that's how the Egyptians felt when they had to deal with the frogs and the locusts, way back in the day. Ants are quickly becoming my second least favorite creature on earth.
What is my least favorite creature on earth, you might ask? You guessed it! Mozzies! Last night as I was struggling to fall asleep on account of the three mosquitoes buzzing around my room, I contemplated the word 'hate'. Now, I try to be a very loving person in general, but if there was one word I could use to describe my emotions toward mozzies last night, it would be 'hate'. Every creature has a purpose, right? Well, I can't, for the life of me, figure out what the purpose of mosquitoes is except that they are a curse for all mankind as a result of The Fall. Ants, as much as I loathe them, are industrious and provide food for many life forms that filter up to us. They are the most populous creature on earth, if I remember right. I can see good coming out of their existence on the planet, though they are not my favorite. But mosquitoes?? I really can't find any redeeming value in them whatsoever, and I blame them fully for my sleepless night last night.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Today is the Day!
The title of this reminds me of a verse in Psalms: This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. -Psalm 118:24
This certainly is a day to rejoice, because we get to welcome a new baby boy into our home! The hope and prayer is that he will be eventually reunited with his mother when she is in a better place to care for him. For now, though, I feel blessed with the charge of helping look after this precious brand new baby boy. I have a feeling tonight will be quite sleepless, as I am on shift...
This certainly is a day to rejoice, because we get to welcome a new baby boy into our home! The hope and prayer is that he will be eventually reunited with his mother when she is in a better place to care for him. For now, though, I feel blessed with the charge of helping look after this precious brand new baby boy. I have a feeling tonight will be quite sleepless, as I am on shift...
A Few Good Days
Today was the last day of my 'vacation', as my friend just left on a bus back to Bangkok tonight. It was a nice few days of playing and pretending I'm on vacation, but now it's back to work and school. I work at the boys' house tomorrow night, and I've heard two rumors going around. One: the baby comes tomorrow. Two: the baby comes on Monday. I'm pretty sure he is coming on Monday, but I would LOVE it if he came early and I got to be one of the first ones to work with him. :) Meanwhile, baby things are starting to come out of storage: crib, cloth diapers, baby blankets, baby clothes... Honestly, I am really looking forward to this small glimpse of motherhood. It is far from being a mother myself since there are so many of us sharing the load, but I will definitely get a taste for what that will be like down the road, Lord willing.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
New Baby!
No, I'm not pregnant. That would have to be a miracle, and I don't think God's planning on doing that more than once in the history of the universe. However, we are getting a new baby here the children's home on Monday!! He was born yesterday, and that is about all I know as of yet. I foresee many sleepless nights in my future, but I am so excited to help take care of this precious little boy. Everyone here at Home of the Open Heart will need an extra measure of prayer as we pool our energies together to help raise this baby. Please keep everyone here in your prayers, especially Aphae, the boy's house manager. We will all need an extra measure of grace!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Adventures
Dear blog,
It has been an adventurous few days, hence the neglected blogging. Forgive me for not spending much time with you. I'll make up for it by letting you know what I've been doing.
Monday, my friend from Coeur d'Alene who has been teaching in South Korea came to Thailand for a visit. Her name is Valerie. Her being here has been a great opportunity for me to be a tourist. I don't generally go out and do tourist things, but having her here has been a great excuse to do those things.
Monday
The day Valerie arrived, we went on a longboat ride about an hour upriver to an elephant camp, where we proceeded to ride an elephant. Our elephant dude was really nice; his name was Nu. He stopped off to let us get some pictures up on the elephant, and while we were riding along he let Val and I take turns sitting on the neck of the elephant. There is nothing quite like riding an elephant barefoot with his floppy, leathery ears bouncing against my toes.
Our boat dude, whose name escapes me, asked if we wanted to stop off at the "Buddha Caves". Since Valerie hadn't been to a temple yet, said, "Yes please" (but in Thai)! The caves were beautiful and intricately created by the Master artist. It saddens me a little that not He, but Buddha, is being glorified in them. It was a sight to see nonetheless.
After getting pictures with our boat dude upon his request, and being dispatched back to our mode of transportation (a motorbike), we headed in to town to experience the Night Bazaar. In addition to eating a tempura battered assortment of fried foods and spicy basil chicken, I had the pleasure of introducing Valerie to a couple of my favorite desserts: rotee with egg and banana and chocolate (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26933430@N07/2586978013/), and kanome buang (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paragon1/3836044718/). Of course, we had to wander around and see all of the unique wares for sale, as well. All in all, it was a good, full day.
Tuesday
One major tourist attraction in Chiang Rai is the White Temple (http://www.flickr.com/photos/wunder_kind/3546606220/), so that is where we went. It is still in construction, though it was started twelve years ago. It is the brainchild of a famous artist in Thailand who wanted to make the most beautiful temple in all of Thailand. I think he may have succeeded. One nice thing about the White Temple is its unique design. Every minute detail is considered, down to the tiny mirrors on the exterior, making it shimmer in the warm Thai sunshine. Throughout the temple and temple grounds, one finds symbols of pop culture such as a statue of Predator, paintings of Neo and Vader and Superman, and many other little things. As a piece of art, it is quite fascinating. There are also some morbid pieces such as a graveyard of hands reaching up to passersby as they approach the temple (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixx0ne/4678243320/), or skulls throughout the grounds. Artistically, the place is intriguing. Spiritually, it is dead and disconcerting.
Next on our list of things to do was to hike up to Khun Korn waterfall (http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinamor/431154298/). Even in the dry winter season this waterfall blew me away as I stood before it. A 1.4 kilometer hike brought us to a 70-meter high wall of water that is truly awe-inspiring. Standing at the edge of the pool the waterfall empties into before continuing its descent down the mountain, I felt as though I was in a windy rainstorm while water sprayed me with surprising force, just a hint of the might this beautiful landmark possesses.
After returning to town, we enjoyed the experience of moogata (http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliansimpson/63075113/), finishing it off with mouth-watering coconut ice cream and Thai jelly desserts. Then, it was back to the night bazaar where Val found some more goodies to buy and we found our beloved kanome buang seller. I had the hardest time remembering the name of the dessert, so we just had to go back so we could ask again and, of course, support his business.
A man with a not-so-British accent who we discovered was from New Zealand invited us to a rasta concert of a group called Job 2 Do. I thought it sounded slightly familiar but couldn't place it. Then he started singing one of their songs, and I knew that song! "Do do do do tuh tam, tam mai tung tam gap chan dai?" Translation: "See see see what you do. Why do you do this to me?" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAdZzr0ysxg) I was so excited to hear these guys, since I knew one of their songs! We went and had a great time. One of my favorite things is unexpected GREAT times, such as that night. There's no way we could have planned that, but we just happened to get a flier for a band that just happened to be playing in half an hour who had never been to Chiang Rai before, who I also just happened to know their music and love! It's times like that I am reminded how much my God loves me. It's like a love note saying, "Here, this is for you. I know you're going to love it. I've got a perfect night planned for you."
It has been an adventurous few days, hence the neglected blogging. Forgive me for not spending much time with you. I'll make up for it by letting you know what I've been doing.
Monday, my friend from Coeur d'Alene who has been teaching in South Korea came to Thailand for a visit. Her name is Valerie. Her being here has been a great opportunity for me to be a tourist. I don't generally go out and do tourist things, but having her here has been a great excuse to do those things.
Monday
The day Valerie arrived, we went on a longboat ride about an hour upriver to an elephant camp, where we proceeded to ride an elephant. Our elephant dude was really nice; his name was Nu. He stopped off to let us get some pictures up on the elephant, and while we were riding along he let Val and I take turns sitting on the neck of the elephant. There is nothing quite like riding an elephant barefoot with his floppy, leathery ears bouncing against my toes.
Our boat dude, whose name escapes me, asked if we wanted to stop off at the "Buddha Caves". Since Valerie hadn't been to a temple yet, said, "Yes please" (but in Thai)! The caves were beautiful and intricately created by the Master artist. It saddens me a little that not He, but Buddha, is being glorified in them. It was a sight to see nonetheless.
After getting pictures with our boat dude upon his request, and being dispatched back to our mode of transportation (a motorbike), we headed in to town to experience the Night Bazaar. In addition to eating a tempura battered assortment of fried foods and spicy basil chicken, I had the pleasure of introducing Valerie to a couple of my favorite desserts: rotee with egg and banana and chocolate (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26933430@N07/2586978013/), and kanome buang (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paragon1/3836044718/). Of course, we had to wander around and see all of the unique wares for sale, as well. All in all, it was a good, full day.
Tuesday
One major tourist attraction in Chiang Rai is the White Temple (http://www.flickr.com/photos/wunder_kind/3546606220/), so that is where we went. It is still in construction, though it was started twelve years ago. It is the brainchild of a famous artist in Thailand who wanted to make the most beautiful temple in all of Thailand. I think he may have succeeded. One nice thing about the White Temple is its unique design. Every minute detail is considered, down to the tiny mirrors on the exterior, making it shimmer in the warm Thai sunshine. Throughout the temple and temple grounds, one finds symbols of pop culture such as a statue of Predator, paintings of Neo and Vader and Superman, and many other little things. As a piece of art, it is quite fascinating. There are also some morbid pieces such as a graveyard of hands reaching up to passersby as they approach the temple (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixx0ne/4678243320/), or skulls throughout the grounds. Artistically, the place is intriguing. Spiritually, it is dead and disconcerting.
Next on our list of things to do was to hike up to Khun Korn waterfall (http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinamor/431154298/). Even in the dry winter season this waterfall blew me away as I stood before it. A 1.4 kilometer hike brought us to a 70-meter high wall of water that is truly awe-inspiring. Standing at the edge of the pool the waterfall empties into before continuing its descent down the mountain, I felt as though I was in a windy rainstorm while water sprayed me with surprising force, just a hint of the might this beautiful landmark possesses.
After returning to town, we enjoyed the experience of moogata (http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliansimpson/63075113/), finishing it off with mouth-watering coconut ice cream and Thai jelly desserts. Then, it was back to the night bazaar where Val found some more goodies to buy and we found our beloved kanome buang seller. I had the hardest time remembering the name of the dessert, so we just had to go back so we could ask again and, of course, support his business.
A man with a not-so-British accent who we discovered was from New Zealand invited us to a rasta concert of a group called Job 2 Do. I thought it sounded slightly familiar but couldn't place it. Then he started singing one of their songs, and I knew that song! "Do do do do tuh tam, tam mai tung tam gap chan dai?" Translation: "See see see what you do. Why do you do this to me?" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAdZzr0ysxg) I was so excited to hear these guys, since I knew one of their songs! We went and had a great time. One of my favorite things is unexpected GREAT times, such as that night. There's no way we could have planned that, but we just happened to get a flier for a band that just happened to be playing in half an hour who had never been to Chiang Rai before, who I also just happened to know their music and love! It's times like that I am reminded how much my God loves me. It's like a love note saying, "Here, this is for you. I know you're going to love it. I've got a perfect night planned for you."
Friday, January 21, 2011
I just finished a book last night called Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. It was one of the options for readings in a Young Adult Literature class that I'm taking. At first, I wasn't particularly enthused with the writing of the book. I was expecting something written to the reading level of a high-schooler, but this was not the case. The writer who wrote Mortenson's story used, in my opinion, excessively long sentences and unnecessarily large words that the normal person wouldn't use, or even hear of for that matter. It took me a little while to get past the dramatic prose and into the story.
However, once I got past the initial frustrations of the writing (again, from a mainly high-schooler perspective for the sake of this class), I really started enjoying the book and this guy who became the beloved "Dr. Greg" in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
To summarize the story, basically this guy tried climbing K2, didn't succeed, and ended up wandering along trying to find his was back when he took a wrong turn at a yak-hair bridge. He happened upon an isolated village where they had never seen the likes of him before. He learned that they didn't have a school for their children, and he committed on that day to do something about it. He returned home and began working and saving as much money as he could to return. He started fundraising, quite unsuccessfully at first, until one guy bought his story and donated the whole amount needed for a school. He went back to build the school but learned that what they needed more than a school was a bridge to their village. He returned and humbly asked his sponsor for a bridge, and he agreed. So, later he would rejoice with this village in their newly completed projects: a bridge and a school, which enabled their children to reach for the stars. Through this process, he learned what a need schools were in that area, and he committed to helping them in any way he could. Eventually his rich benefactor formed a foundation for him, and with the help of contacts in the U.S. and Pakistan, he made this is life work and started dozens of schools, especially for girls, in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Amidst our 'war against terror', he was fighting terror in the best way possible: giving these kids a future so they have another option besides terror. It was a truly inspiring story.
This book helped me realize that my distant dream of starting a children's home/school for kids with disabilities in an area where they are rejected and despised is actually quite possible. Mortenson showed, through his story, that one person can make all the difference. Why would I use this one life I'm given 'taking care of number one' when I can do so much more?
However, once I got past the initial frustrations of the writing (again, from a mainly high-schooler perspective for the sake of this class), I really started enjoying the book and this guy who became the beloved "Dr. Greg" in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
To summarize the story, basically this guy tried climbing K2, didn't succeed, and ended up wandering along trying to find his was back when he took a wrong turn at a yak-hair bridge. He happened upon an isolated village where they had never seen the likes of him before. He learned that they didn't have a school for their children, and he committed on that day to do something about it. He returned home and began working and saving as much money as he could to return. He started fundraising, quite unsuccessfully at first, until one guy bought his story and donated the whole amount needed for a school. He went back to build the school but learned that what they needed more than a school was a bridge to their village. He returned and humbly asked his sponsor for a bridge, and he agreed. So, later he would rejoice with this village in their newly completed projects: a bridge and a school, which enabled their children to reach for the stars. Through this process, he learned what a need schools were in that area, and he committed to helping them in any way he could. Eventually his rich benefactor formed a foundation for him, and with the help of contacts in the U.S. and Pakistan, he made this is life work and started dozens of schools, especially for girls, in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Amidst our 'war against terror', he was fighting terror in the best way possible: giving these kids a future so they have another option besides terror. It was a truly inspiring story.
This book helped me realize that my distant dream of starting a children's home/school for kids with disabilities in an area where they are rejected and despised is actually quite possible. Mortenson showed, through his story, that one person can make all the difference. Why would I use this one life I'm given 'taking care of number one' when I can do so much more?
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Strange Occurrences
Since I've been in Thailand, I've noticed some strange occurrences.
1. I started flossing.
2. My room is clean, and it has stayed that way.
3. I've been doing laundry regularly.
4. I learned how to iron pleated skirts, all the while wondering WHY schools would require such a uniform. It is more trouble for the parents/caretakers than for the kids! Why not settle on a nice pair of wrinkle-free slacks or shorts with a wrinkle-free polo?
5. I went jogging.
6. I have free time.
Everything else over here seems to be as it should, but these things have simply baffled me.
1. I started flossing.
2. My room is clean, and it has stayed that way.
3. I've been doing laundry regularly.
4. I learned how to iron pleated skirts, all the while wondering WHY schools would require such a uniform. It is more trouble for the parents/caretakers than for the kids! Why not settle on a nice pair of wrinkle-free slacks or shorts with a wrinkle-free polo?
5. I went jogging.
6. I have free time.
Everything else over here seems to be as it should, but these things have simply baffled me.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Exaggerations
Many a friend has chastised me for my commitment to facts. What is so wrong with estimating the price of a sale item at $4.57? What if I didn't remember EXACTLY how much it was, but I remember it was at least 5 cents more than $4.50? Why can't $4.57 be an acceptable approximation? It is, after all, an approximation for me, since I'm not CERTAIN of the price I paid.
Well, this post is dedicated to those who have tried to get me to accept exaggerations here and there, approximate to the nearest dollar, or tell a story without correcting myself a hundred times (well, more like 5-10) and getting lost in the details. You know who you are.
The anxiety is welling up from within me, threatening to choke me with its grip. It came on like a monsoon in rainy season. One moment, it is sunny and tranquil. In an instant the sky is gray and the clouds are saturated, ready to burst. Then it hits: a torrent of worry and apprehension. Where did it come from? What happened to my tranquility I was enjoying just moments before?
Well this entry took a different route that I had expected. The idea of telling a story with less than absolute accuracy was more than I could handle (hence the anxiety). It is something I will have to work up to. For now, This will have to do.
Well, this post is dedicated to those who have tried to get me to accept exaggerations here and there, approximate to the nearest dollar, or tell a story without correcting myself a hundred times (well, more like 5-10) and getting lost in the details. You know who you are.
The anxiety is welling up from within me, threatening to choke me with its grip. It came on like a monsoon in rainy season. One moment, it is sunny and tranquil. In an instant the sky is gray and the clouds are saturated, ready to burst. Then it hits: a torrent of worry and apprehension. Where did it come from? What happened to my tranquility I was enjoying just moments before?
Well this entry took a different route that I had expected. The idea of telling a story with less than absolute accuracy was more than I could handle (hence the anxiety). It is something I will have to work up to. For now, This will have to do.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Making progress with literacy...
...well, literacy plans, at least. Today I have been thinking and researching and trying to decide what the best plans of attack are for the different kids here regarding their reading. I decided to go more of an informal route with the kids. Rather than sitting down and having a formal lesson on CVC words (bat, kit, pup, etc.), I put a word family poster on my door with -at, -et, and -it word families. As kids enter my room to borrow a book, which they do on a nightly basis, I can give a mini-lesson on CVC words and quiz them. I'm not sure how well this will work, but it is worth a shot. I also posted the pre-primer sight words all over the wall of the three most struggling readers in the girls' house. One of these three girls still has a way to go in phonemic awareness, so I'm mainly concerned with the other two girls mastering those words.
At the boys house, two boys are not yet to the reading stage. Another boy has developmental delays and is having trouble with his other subjects, so at this point I think I'm not going to press too hard with him. There are two who are past the beginning stages of reading, one who is fairly advanced, and I think they will both benefit from some focus on fluency and comprehension.
Well the kids are home now, and as usual my room was flooded with enthusiastic little bodies. The word wall on my door was a success! I had a mini informal lesson with the girls who I felt would benefit from it the most, and they got it! One idea that I had been mulling around was a hit with the two stronger readers of the girls, and together we made word posters for them on sight words they have not yet mastered.
Even Belle, the eldest girl, asked if I would teach her some new words. I did an initial QRI (reading inventory) word list with her, and I'll copy some passages tomorrow for her to read for fluency and comprehension. I am excited that she took initiative with this, because she is 15 and rather independent, so I didn't want to force her to improve her English literacy if she wasn't interested.
All in all, I think it has been a good day off. :)
At the boys house, two boys are not yet to the reading stage. Another boy has developmental delays and is having trouble with his other subjects, so at this point I think I'm not going to press too hard with him. There are two who are past the beginning stages of reading, one who is fairly advanced, and I think they will both benefit from some focus on fluency and comprehension.
Well the kids are home now, and as usual my room was flooded with enthusiastic little bodies. The word wall on my door was a success! I had a mini informal lesson with the girls who I felt would benefit from it the most, and they got it! One idea that I had been mulling around was a hit with the two stronger readers of the girls, and together we made word posters for them on sight words they have not yet mastered.
Even Belle, the eldest girl, asked if I would teach her some new words. I did an initial QRI (reading inventory) word list with her, and I'll copy some passages tomorrow for her to read for fluency and comprehension. I am excited that she took initiative with this, because she is 15 and rather independent, so I didn't want to force her to improve her English literacy if she wasn't interested.
All in all, I think it has been a good day off. :)
Monday, January 17, 2011
Back to blogging!
For those of you who stumble upon this blog, one thing you will probably notice is that I haven't blogged in almost two years. I suppose the reason for that is returning home to America and settling into the 'normal' life of working and going to school. Shortly after I returned from Thailand, I decided to look into finishing school. After investigating the program at Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC), I decided to go for it. That and cooking pizzas has been my life for the past nearly two years now, until I felt God leading me back to Thailand, back to Home of the Open Heart (www.baannamjai.org). Two weeks ago I arrived back in Thailand, feeling just as at home here as when I left.
One thing I really felt compelled to pursue with this return trip is English literacy for the children here, and for that one needs quality books! The last several months of my life has consisted of book raising, visiting thrift stores, buying discount books at Hasting's, and doing whatever I could to get the word out about my efforts. Honestly this was particularly stretching and challenging for me. I had trouble knowing where to start, who to talk to, what steps to take, etc. It seemed like such an enormous task, and I am glad that it is over! In the end I was able to pack my suitcases full of books and didn't get charged ANY baggage fees on the way over. I barely kept my two big bags at 50 pounds, and I am fairly certain I didn't keep my carry-on under 50 pounds. I really think God has His hand on the whole luggage situation. They could have easily forced me to check my carry-on bag because of its weight, but nobody ever pursued it. Thank You, Lord!
The children have been eagerly devouring the books, which makes it well worth the effort of getting them over here. I am still formulating a plan of attack for more formal literacy teaching, but I feel like things are off to a really good start. The kids are knocking on my door nightly to trade their books in for new ones, and are unceasingly asking me and other nannies to read with them. I am actually quite surprised nobody has knocked on my door in the time that I have been writing this.
Well, I think that is all for now. There are many more blogs to come over the duration of my stay here, mainly due to the fact that I am in a writing class and keeping a blog is part of my coursework. Might as well keep everyone updated on the goings-on here and kill two birds with one stone, eh? Thanks for reading!
Stephanie
One thing I really felt compelled to pursue with this return trip is English literacy for the children here, and for that one needs quality books! The last several months of my life has consisted of book raising, visiting thrift stores, buying discount books at Hasting's, and doing whatever I could to get the word out about my efforts. Honestly this was particularly stretching and challenging for me. I had trouble knowing where to start, who to talk to, what steps to take, etc. It seemed like such an enormous task, and I am glad that it is over! In the end I was able to pack my suitcases full of books and didn't get charged ANY baggage fees on the way over. I barely kept my two big bags at 50 pounds, and I am fairly certain I didn't keep my carry-on under 50 pounds. I really think God has His hand on the whole luggage situation. They could have easily forced me to check my carry-on bag because of its weight, but nobody ever pursued it. Thank You, Lord!
The children have been eagerly devouring the books, which makes it well worth the effort of getting them over here. I am still formulating a plan of attack for more formal literacy teaching, but I feel like things are off to a really good start. The kids are knocking on my door nightly to trade their books in for new ones, and are unceasingly asking me and other nannies to read with them. I am actually quite surprised nobody has knocked on my door in the time that I have been writing this.
Well, I think that is all for now. There are many more blogs to come over the duration of my stay here, mainly due to the fact that I am in a writing class and keeping a blog is part of my coursework. Might as well keep everyone updated on the goings-on here and kill two birds with one stone, eh? Thanks for reading!
Stephanie
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