You know its time to leave when.....

You know its time to leave when.....the chocolate promotion is over at Swensons. Swensons, is the mecca of all ice cream shops. It has been our saviour in our time of need here in Bangkok. For the last couple of months they have had a great chocolate promotion running which included brownies, fudge and great ice cream. Unfortuatly it is over and we are left with the new nutty promotion. I tried it and and I must say I left swensons satisfied. However, I do dearly miss those great big brownies that added so much to my swensons ice cream experience.

In other news. Jodie is still sick. She has been sick for the last 5 days and I've been left to discover and say goodbye to some of our fav sites in Bangkok by myself. Thankfully I had my Ipod in hand, so it didn't seem quite so lonely.

Last night I watched a thai movie with the boys. It was actually really entertaining. It was comedy about a clumsy foreigner and it was based in Pattaya City. The man got special powers when he ate the thai food dish called som tom. It is a spicy dish and he would turn into a powerful fighting machine when he ate it. Other highlights of the movie included 2 thai girls kicking butt using pappay along with their attempt to teach the clumsy farang how to thai box. After the movie I helped the house parents tuck in the boys. Half of them were already knocked out and I knew that in a matter of minutes the rest of them would be fast asleep.

On Saturday morning, I went to mass and saw all the children together for the last time. Father Joe informed that one of the little boys from Mercy 6 was very ill in the hospital. During the teacher apprecation ceremony he fell and hurt his leg. He was already really weak because of AIDS and this injury has taken a real toll on him. Please pray for his healing.

Also keep Jodie in your prayers. We have already been to the hospital but another trip happen tomorrow if she doesn't feel better. She felt better in the afternoon so we decided to headed to the book store and the tailor shop but after an hour or so she was feeling sick to her stomach again.

Anyways, that's all for now. I have letters to write, pictures to take and boys to hang out with.

Sending love from Thailand.
Misty

The fam has come and gone

Mom and Tiffany have arrived safely back in Canada and Jodie and I are left here in Bangkok wrapping our time up and saying our goodbyes for the next week. I apologize for not posting but Tiffany and Mom didn't want me to spoil their stories, and plus I was so busy entertaining them that I didn't have much time to post or blog.

I'm feeling very anxious to go home but at the same time very sad that the adventure it over. I've been so spoiled for the last two weeks with hot showers, western meals and cozy warm beds that coming back to soi 40 was a bit of adjustment again. Jodie has been quite sick the past couple of days so we have been hanging out in the room trying to find ways to pass the time. Tomorrow we head back to Mercy to visit the children and staff. A rollercoaster of emotions I'm sure the next week will be.

A funny story from today. Jodie went into the pharmacy to ask about gravel pics. She mentioned that she was sick and vomiting and the lady replied confident that she knew the answer proceeded to hand her a pregancy test. hahhaha. I wasn't there to witness it first hand but I had a good laugh when Jodie told me minutes later.

That's all for now. As I post this blog, it is raining heavily and I'm randomly getting splashed by water.

HAPPY CANADA DAY EVERYONE!!!!!

Sending love from Thailand
Misty

Hello

I'm not dead! I promise. If anyone is in contact with STEVEN WAYNE ATWELL, tell him we say hi!

Love misty, tiffany and mom

P.S. Send money dad....the shopping is good...lolz. Just joking.

2nd and last Cambodia Visa Run Complete!!!

On Thursday Jodie and I took the day off from Mercy to complete our last and final visa run. The drive was much more manageable in the company of normal less talkative and annoying passengers. At the border we were of course bombarded by little children repeating “madam, madam” over and over in search of money. This time I came a little bit more prepared. I brought a long some of the little notebooks and pencils that I brought a long with me from Canada. Of course when I reached into my bag, a group of them swarmed me and as they snatched up the little notebook and pencils in seconds and ran off with them to avoid it being snatched up by another kid. One of the American passengers translated what the children were saying as they stood at the door of the van. They were saying “I will use the money for food, for real” and they said that over and over again.

This same passenger told us that he had been living in Thailand for 6 years and that he spent 3 days in a Thai detention centre because he was a victim of visa renewal scam at Khao San Road. At the time he was working as a teacher and he didn’t have time to do a visa run so he was advised to go to this place on Khao San Road that would give you a renewal stamp. He went believing it to be legit but later learned that it was not a proper stamp and so he was detained. At the time, an American President was visiting in regards to an OPEC summit and extra security measures were being taken at the borders. He was not the only victim, 8,000 other travelers were detained in the country during this period. Another traveler who he met while being detained ended up spending a 6 months in the Thai prison because of the same situation. He along 25 other farangs (non-thai) people sat and awaited their fate squashed together is a small room. It was a messy situation because he was being accused of fraud in what they claimed to be an attempt of replicating the border stamp. Of course this company was to blame but it took a couple of days along with a court hearing to prove his innocence. This happened in 2003 and he said that whole ordeal including court proceedings spanned a two year period. I know that if that was me, the moment I was released I would be on the next flight home. I was shocked hearing his testimony of the event along with the fact that he has continued to live here after the fact.

Anyways, off I go. Mom and Tiffany will be here in 36 hrssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!Sorry for spelling and grammar. I didn't get a chance to edit it.

Sending love from Thailand

Misty

Time for a recap

Heather our friend and fellow education student came arrived in Bangkok on Thursday evening. We didn’t meet up on Thursday because technical difficulties but made plans meet up with her on Friday. In the afternoon, we met up her and accompanied her via the sawgtaow (sp?) to Mercy for our final evening class. Both Jodie and I were testing our students for assessment on Friday but even so the class was eventful because we made plans to cook with them early next week. The girls are going to show us how to prepare some of our favorite Thai dishes and in return we are going to bake a cake along with some cookies for dessert. After class we took Heather around Mercy and introduced her to some of the children that she didn’t get a chance to meet during her first visit. When we arrived at Mercy 6, some of the little ones were participating in musical exercises. Of course we had to join them. Who wouldn’t want to shake you bum and do Macarena type dance moves with 4 and 5 year old children? A few minutes into Heather, Jodie and I had broken out in a sweat but we kept moving. Song after song, we kept dancing until we couldn’t do it anymore. The children seemed to enjoy our participation and it was a fun moment to share with the cuties in Mercy 6.

Next we grabbed a taxi and headed to Emporium and decided to stop and get a massage. I’m not a big fan of Thai massages, so I went for the more expensive oil massage. Probably paid to much for it but I got two free hot showers out of it so I can’t complain too much. I had the option of showering before and after the massage. Of course, I took full advantage.

After the massage we headed to Dubliners to meet Si Jie and her mom for her farewell dinner. We expected to see Lee Shamrock there but were sadly informed that he is on holiday in California for the next month. That meant that we would not be rocking out with him and his one man band. Cedric, the fellow Mercy volunteer joined us and we all hung out at our favourite pub together with Si Jie for the last time.

On Saturday, the three of us travelled to the Grand Palace and the Reclining Buddha. Jodie and I had been to the Reclining Buddha previously but the Grand Palace was an all new experience. Amongst the large crowds of tourist, we toured the grounds and sites.

Heather got a massage on the Reclining Buddha grounds. They have a massage therapy school there and it is quite a popular massage destination. Heather walked away as a very happy customer. Jodie and I waited and watched people come in and their reactions an hour later. We overheard two girls say that their massage was better than sex….haha. On our way to the Grand Palace a man attempted to scam us out of going to the palace. He tried to tell us that we weren’t dressed appropriately and that we woudn’t be able to go in because it Thai people were in there praying. He then tried to talk us into getting in a tuk tuk and touring other sites around the palace. We didn’t fall for it and ignored his request. We ventured over to the Grand Palace and successfully toured the grounds and sites.

In the evening, we headed over to Siam to watch Sex and the City. It was a perfect end to our girl’s day and we thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I laughed out loud a lot and was completely taken to another world while watching it.

Our goal was to take Heather on every means of transportation in Bangkok. During her time here we successfully got her on a sawgthoaw, bus, skytrain, boat and subway. The only two forms of transportation that we didn’t conquer were a tuk tuk and a motorcycle taxi.

On Sunday we woke up bright and early and went to the weekend market. After hours of shopping we stopped for lunch for an hour or so while it rained outside. In the afternoon we continued our shopping and then headed back to soi 40 to sent Si Jie off. We traveled in a Mercy van to the airport with Ning, a Kindergarten teacher, Si Jie and her mom. It was really sad to watch her say goodbye to the boys and the taff at soi 40. I sat in the van and my eyes welled up a little bit thinking that we would never see her at soi 40 again.


Last week I went to 7/11 alone in search of some chocolate for Jodie and I. This 7/11 had just recently opened and that day was the first day they had the hot dog grill was up and running. I walked and there were literally like 34 school aged children excitedly shopping for treats that I’m sure they had been saving for. I thought to myself “I have never seen so many people in a 7/11 ever”. I proceeded to find a mars bar for Jodie and a banana muffin for myself. There was a crowd by the cash so the cashier ushered me to the front. As I was paying, I felt a little hand grab my waist from the back. I turned around to find a little 4 year old boy with a big grin on his face. At first I didn’t recognize him but I responded by smiling back at him and laughing in my head. As I was leaving I remembered that he was a Mercy 6 child and that earlier in the week the boys were teasing and poking me while I had supper with them. The whole 7/11 experience made me laugh including the little poking me while I was inline. All the kids were so excited about this 7/11. They were so excited about buying ham slices and m&m’s, all of which they couldn’t find at their nearby street vendor.

On Monday we went took Heather to MBK and the Temple of Dawn. We ended the evening off with a special Swensons extravaganza. We ordered the fondue which includes 9 scoops of ice cream along with fruit and waffles. It was delicious but we were all filled to the brim and feeling a little sick after we finished it.

On Tuesday we were back to Mercy, teaching along with showing a new volunteer named EJ around. He is actually staying at soi 40 with us and has take over Si Jie’s room. He is a high school student originally from the Philippines. He has been living with his parents her in Thailand for the last 8 years and he attends Father Joe’s church at AIT.

Anyways, that’s all I can think to tell you right now. Our time here is quickly passing us by and in just a few days Mom and Tiffany will be here. I am so excited to show them around and spend time with them. I feel like it has been forever since I’ve seen them.

Off I go. We have laundry to do.

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

One of many future trips to the airport

Driving back into Bangkok from the airport last night flooded me with memories of when Jodie and I first arrived in Thailand. This was Si Jie’s moms first time in Bangkok and she was seeing everything for the first time and she was staring out her window making comments on the smallest things. I was flooded with memories and feelings about how our time here is almost done and what a beautiful experience that it has been so far. Sometimes I get so use to being here that I forget to appreciate the unique culture that surrounds me. Being at the airport reminded me the Thailand adventure is finishing and that this chapter is on its final pages. The saddest part of saying goodbye is knowing that I will probably never see these people again and all I will have is treasured pictures and memories. There is a much more permanent conclusion to this chapter because of the distance and language challenges which makes it harder.

I have this feeling that returning to Canada will be emotionally straining. I can picture myself calling Jodie hours after I returned to chat and maybe cry with her. I can picture myself trying to replicate simple daily things that I experience here just to help me readjust. Of course I am excited to return home and reunite with loved ones but I am also dreading the loss of purpose that I foresee feeling when I return home. Everyday here is like a mystery waiting to be discovered. At home, everything is comfortable and predictable which is going to take time to get use to again.

I am incredibly grateful to have been given this opportunity. My experience is unique to me and my eyes and my heart have been opened up in a very meaningful way. I have come to share laughs, shed tears, celebrate and mourn with a group of amazing people here in Thailand.

All this emotion is spilling out and I still have a month left. Anyways, make sure you read Jodie’s blog today she had a really interesting conversation about slum life with her students in class and I only caught the last bit of it so I trust that you will read her blog to get the full account.

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

Where are those girls?

Sorry that I haven’t blogged for while, so much and yet so little has been going on in our lives. We’ve been hanging out with friends who we will soon be saying goodbye which has distracted us from blogging. I do have some stories worth blogging about though. So here it goes….

One of our students who we haven’t seen in awhile returned to Mercy yesterday. Day stopped coming to our class because she wanted to get a job during the summer holiday to help her mom with the bills at home. I asked her about the job she had and she told me that she worked in a nearby mall making crepes at a food stand. I asked her how long she worked every day and she said that her day started at 8:00 and it ended at 9:00. Her daily income was 180 baht a day which is approximately 6 dollars Canadian. This job would be the equivalent to a mall or food court job at home but the her salary blew me away. The minimum wage per hour at home is higher than the daily wage for this young girl. Mind you I am not factoring the cost of living and food but you can imagine how impossible it would be to get ahead and save.

Another interesting fact that I was recently informed about was Thai yearly calendar. When our students date their work I noticed that they didn’t reference the current year as 2008. The Thai year is 543 years more than our yearly schedule. According to the Thai calendar, we are currently in the year of 2551 and we students date their paper they write. 06/04/51. I am still not sure the exact reason but I think it has something to do with the beginning of the Thai empire. I’m not sure though, so please don’t quote me. I will try to find the complete answer later.

Heather who is a fellow education student is returning to Bangkok this weekend. Last time she was here we spent the weekend in Ko Chang so we are excited to be given another opportunity to show her more of Thailand. Massages, temples and shopping are on the itinerary.

A few of the children in Mercy 6 have been sick lately. Whether it is a head ache or something more serious, seeing their little tired eyes always saddens me. Sometimes you forget that their little bodies are so weak and susceptible to illness because of AIDS effect on their body. For most of these children, their life expectancy will only reach late adolescents and early adulthood. There were moments this week when this reality really hit me and it saddened me.

Spicey also known as Si Chon is having an eye surgery early next week. Spicey has deteriorating eye sight and the doctors expect him to go completely blind. The surgery includes replacing some part of his eye. The details I’m not that sure of. This is all the information we received through the translation but all of you at home can be praying that the surgery will go successfully. I’m not sure if they are expected full visibility in the eye or if this will slow the blinding process. Either way, prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

“Only when we understand can we care. Only when we care will we help. Only if we help shall they be saved”

She knows how to pronouce "Chocolate"

We woke up bright and early and met Chis at Bangkok Univerisity. We arrived at the milk run a few minutes late and there wasn’t much for us to do because there were plenty of volunteers today. After spending some time there we decided to grab some breakfast at le bon pain. Next, Jodie and I gave Chris a grande tour of Mercy. None of the children were around but we able to give him a chance to see the children in the kindergarten who extremely cute and playful with us.

A few funny moments of the last couple of days included Galong walking into our room unannounced. He sat down beside me while Jodie was getting a shower. To her surprise, she walked out in a towel and burst out in laughter to see Galong hanging out on the bed. He proceeded to cut and file his nails while telling stories in the “language of Galong.” A language not understood by anyone else. Galong is like the Mr. Bean of Mercy. He points, uses gestures and makes funny faces a lot.

Another recent visitor included Folk who also came into our room while Jodie was in the washroom. I hid him under the blanket and surprised her when she stepped out of the bathroom. Folk then borrowed my headphones and attempted to sing along to “Under my umbrella” At one point the three of us were jumping on our beds dancing and singing along to the song. About 10 minutes later he left and snuck by the house parents and headed back into bed. Earlier in the evening he was showing Jodie his chocolate treat by pointing to it and saying chocolate. Jodie responded by repeating the word chocolate. Then he said in Thai, “she knows how to pronounce chocolate” haha. He considered chocolate to be a Thai word and was surprised that she knew how to pronounce it.

A visit to Mercy 6 today also allowed for some good laughs. Si Jie bought a pair of shoes at Tesco today. She put them on in and did a little fashion show in front of 6 little girls from Mercy 6. I accompanied the fashion show with some made up music. All of the little girls irrupted in laughter so then we each gave them a chance to put on the heels and do a little dance. It was pretty adorable. Mom you would have particularly enjoyed this show. I’m positive that we have some future high heel lovers on our hands.

Aunt Betty sponsors one of the older Mercy 4 girls and she wanted to take her shopping at Tesco. Si Jie, Jodie and I were invited along and we helped the girl pick out a new wardrobe on a budget of 1000 baht (30 dollars cdn). We left Tesco with 2 pairs of pants, a new shirt and two pairs of shoes. Aunt Betty, along with her sponsored child seemed to really enjoy it.

That’s all for now. Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

Is May over yet?

Yesterday, I woke up not feeling well at all. I had lost my appetite the last couple of days which is ideal for trying to lose weight but it also means your body has no energy. When I did eat something, my stomach would go crazy, the result being quite painful. I had been feeling off and on for the last couple of days and on Wednesday I rested and took the morning off. In the afternoon we decided to tackle our laundry. We washed our clothes for hours and finally are content with a new clean wardrobe. In the evening we made plans to go to Dubliner’s with the Si Jie and Cedric. Si Jie is leaving in a little over a week so the farewell events have begun. We arrived at Dubliners and Si Jie and I spit a half roast with mashed potatoes. It was divine and I was my body completely agreed with it and since then I’ve been feeling much better. In a strange case of déjà vous, the Aussie named Chris that we met on a previous trip to Dubliner’s randomly showed up and joined us for the rest of the evening. The last time we talked to him it was his last day in Bangkok and yesterday was his first day back in Bangkok after spending some time in Australian. After hanging out at the pub and listening to a cool little 2 person band we piled into a taxi and headed to RCA for some dancing. Jodie and I were the only ones that had school the next day. The night was well worth the 4 hrs of sleep though, and we managed to successfully wake up at 6 in the morning and teach out 8:00 class. However the minute we were done teaching, we jumped on a motorcycle taxi and headed home and then crawled right back in toasty warm bed.

In the afternoon we returned to Mercy to teach class. During my class with Cherie and Rose, we somehow got completely off topic and began discussing the Jatujek Market. Cherie mentioned that she has bought 3 rabbits from there and that how she enjoys buying clothes for them and dressing them up. She also mentioned that all three of them have since died..haha. It ended up being a fun class full of random conversations with little work accomplished, but those are always the best classes. After Cherie and Rose, I had class with Boong. Today was her last day of classes at RIS but we will continue English class for the next month or so.

We joined Mercy 6 for supper in the evening. This was our first time joining them and it was fun to see all the boys and girls together enjoying the meal and each other’s company. The girls were wearing pink pj’s and the boys were wearing blue. It is not often that you see them all together because they are a variety of different ages and during the day they are all off to different schools or running around Mercy.

We said our second serious goodbye today. Mama is leaving the AIDS hospice tomorrow and because we are helping Sister Joan with the milk run tomorrow we decided to say our good nights Thursday evening. Jodie and Mama became really close during our time here so this was particularly sad for her. Goodbyes are always hard and this one was no different. Mama was unbelievably kind to everyone she came in contact with including us. She always had a warm smile on her face and loving touch to encourage those around her. She demonstrated great patience, strength and gentleness. We were so lucky to have met her and spent so much time with her during our time here. She is a wonderful woman and I am so grateful to have met her.

Two of the houseparent’s celebrated their birthday Thursday and so upon our arrival to soi 40 we were greeted by a table full of food and house parents. Cake was presented to the kids and of course they graciously accepted in the most polite way. I laughed to myself because they presented themselves to the visitors as such little polite angels.

Tomorrow, Aussie Chris will be joining us for Sister Joan’s milk run. We have plans to show him around Mercy and possibly Lumphini Park as well.

Thinking of how all of you are enjoying the Apple Blossom Festival. at home.

Sending love from Thailand.

Misty

There are sixty muscles in your face; you use twenty of them to smile and forty to frown

This morning Pi Tip and I read the above statement in an article. I had heard this fact before but I’m going to focus on what made me smile today and hope that in at least one of the stories make you smile too.

Picture a little boy, probably 4 or 5 years standing in a phone booth. He is so short that he has to prop himself up on a shelf inside the booth to reach the phone. Walking by, I could here him having a pretend conversation with a colleague of his. That made me smile.

Mama from the AIDS ward telling me I had big boobs and then proceeding to grab my hand to cop a feel of hers. I quickly pulled away and she said in Thai of course “my are small and firm because I never breastfed my children” That made me smile and awkwardly laugh as I prayed that no staff member witnessed me coping a feel of mama’s boobs.

Hearing Galang singing from the bathroom. Completely off tune, and sounding more like a Muslim call to worship than any conceivable song. That made me smile.

An afternoon tea break with Aunt Betty. Now that definitely made me smile. A cup of tea, a slice of cake, great company and a possibly future game of Phaze 10. What else could this girl ask for?

Hearing and seeing a group of Mercy Kindergarteners racing down the three story ramp, laughing and screaming on their way back to school.

Chilling with Frank and seeing his face light up.

Reading a folk tale about a snow angel with Cherie and Rose while sitting at the table were a few of my favorite people, Galong, Jodie and Si Jie.

There were moments of sadness too like hearing that Pi Ning was back in the hospital along with being told the heartbreaking story of how Frank became paralyzed at the age of 17 as a result of sniffing glue. Unconceivable to many, his addiction to glue isn’t unusual here in the streets of Klong Toey. I have many thoughts on the matter, all of which are tucked away in my personal journal.

All of these events shaped my day.

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

An Afternoon with Aunt Betty

Last night we went to Father Joe’s for one of his infamous parties and we meet his sister, brother in law along with his Aunt Betty. For supper they cooked us spaghetti which was well received by both Jodie and I. Earlier that day we were in the grocery store and Jodie mentioned how she wished we could make spaghetti at soi 40. We brainstormed the possibilities for a few minutes but realized that cooking it over hot coals was really an option for us. Conveniently, our wish came true that evening when Father Joe’s family cooked us a lovely meal of spaghetti. We got on the topic of Indiana Jones and Si Jie mentioned that she really wanted to see it but we wouldn’t go with her. Aunt Betty then replied by saying that she also wanted to go and was planning on going the next day. Later in the evening we made plans to meet up with for a movie date on Monday afternoon. Now let me tell you about Aunt Betty. She is 85 years old, she is very close to Father Joe and this is her second trip to Thailand. During our afternoon date, she told us that Father Joe was a very serious little boy and that he was very insightful about his faith at very young age. A book has actually been written about Father Joe’s life called “The Gospel according to Father Joe” I can’t remember the author’s name but it has just recently been published.

Oh I forgot to mention that we drove to Emporium in Father Joe’s Audi but some decided it was time to switch things up and we were driven home in his Mercedes. Its tough being me sometimes I know. The Mercedes is kind of old and is smells like gasoline, but I’m sure 30 years ago is was a car of luxury.

Indiana Jones was good. In all honesty I’ve never seen the first two so I didn’t know what to expect. I liked it. It was definitely a fun afternoon.

In the evening Jodie and I went to the night market for a little bit of shopping.

Anyways, I need to go to bed

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

Our weekend

Friday bright and early we got up and went to help sister joan with the milk run. We were responsible for handing out bags of children’s clothing to the mothers after they were given milk. In between the two milk runs’ we grabbed a bit to eat at sister Joan’s house in the slums.

Sister Joan is a remarkable lady. Just recently she provided 600 children with school uniforms and helped pay for their school fees. Her “education fund” is funded by the Australian Embassy along with Australian and New Zealand women’s groups but it is her efforts and determination alone that gets to me is the most amazing. She lives among the poor, she truly knows the people she works for and evidently has there full respect because of it. Her kindness and generosity towards those less fortunate than her is truly remarkable. Simply put, she is my idol. She is so genuine and selfless in her actions and for those reasons among many, she is truly an inspiration to me.

The rest of our weekend has been pretty lo key. We got a large donation of English movies so that has kept us pretty occupied in the evenings. We also discovered soi 38 which is a street filled with street vendor restaurants. I got noodles and I loved them. Everything is so cheap so we will definitely be hitting up this spot on a regular basis.

On Saturday, we hung out in our room until late in the afternoon. We had no food left in our house so at about 1:30 we realized that we needed to go and get some food. We had no breakfast or anything, so we were pretty hungry. As we attempted to open the big door to release us from soi 40, we realized that we were locked in and there was no one in the building to rescue us. At this point we were so desperate for food that we ate the only thing we had in our room, a can of cream corn! It wasn’t the best tasting cream of corn but it did the trick. About an hour later Si Jie took a motorcycle back from Mercy and rescued us. Of course the first thing on our minds was food and so we took a taxi to Subway and stuffed our faces with a delicious chicken and ham sub. We spent the rest of the day at the park and later we picked up some groceries. In the evening I wasn’t feeling too good. I think I must have eaten something and so I spent the evening in bed and in the bathroom. This morning, I woke up feeling better so hopefully the sick feeling has passed. Plus I just got a big hug from Galong this morning so that of course that made me feel better too.

Anyways, that’s all for now.

Sending love from Thailand

Misty

No beach for us

In hopes that we would be spending our weekend at Hua Hin we waited around for a few hours in the morning to hear confirmation. During the waiting period we assisted the Graphic Art Room staff in preparing the children’s Batik paintings. Our tasks included ironing, removing safety pins and trimming threads in preparation for them to be made into pillows.

On our motorcycle ride back to Soi 40, Jodie answered a call informing us that our plans were changed by Father Joe and guests and our hopes of spending a VIP weekend at the beach quickly fizzled. Once we got passed the disappointment we decided to make something of the rest of the day. We decided to go to the Villa for the afternoon, hoping to relax in the sun. It took us about two hours to finally get to the villa because of the bus transportation and heavy traffic. It was so hot at the villa that we spent most of the time trying to cool our bodies down rather than purposely sit in the sun and working on the tan.

After a few hours at the villa, Jodie and I decided to head back to Mercy for our evening class. Unfortuatnaley we hit the second heavy traffic period of the day and it took us about 2 hours to get home. I am beginning to think that every time of the day is heavy traffic period here in Bangkok. Different vehicles are on the move at different periods of the day. Big transport trucks are only allowed to move through the city in the evening so that creates traffic jams at night. During the day everyone else is moving about trying to get to their destinations. There really isn’t anytime of the day in which you will avoid sitting in traffic. Motorcycles are the fastest means of transportation on wheels. Motorcyclists even have the liberty of driving of the side walks to avoid staled traffic and swerving by walking pedestrians. That’s why the BTS Skytrain is the ultimate form of transportation here in Bangkok if you are looking to get somewhere fast. Anyways, enough with this boring traffic talk. I am going to go and hunt down some internet.

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

Can we go to the bathroom and then come back for more?

A computer, a washing machine, dirty laundy and an expected Internet connection. This post is coming to you via, the laundry den. I am getting a nice, steady connection but mind you, I am getting eaten alive by bugs. The boys are fast asleep just a few feet away. This is going to be a quick one because the laundry is done and the bugs are eating me alive. Highlights of the today included having a family photo shoot with the Aids patients. Sears would be proud. In the evening we went to the Seafood Buffet. We went with 3 of our students, Lek, Boong and Dew. Dew just recently got a scholorship to Pearson in BC. Our evening was filled with a lot of food and a lot of laughs. Father Joe also has invited us to go to the beach with him and a few of his family members from the US. I would fill you in on more details but I don't know anything else. He mentioned it to us today and we are hoping it will happen tomorrow. I will of course keep you posted. So we maybe spending the next couple of days lounging on the beach, soaking up the sun. I'm sorry this post is so brief but I can handle the bugs anymore. I can feel the newly formed bug bites already.

Sending love from Thailand.

Misty

Pics from Sports Day

Jodie stuffing her face during the eating contest!
Grandpa shakin' it!
Yellow team shakin' it
Red team fighting for their life during tug of war
Red Mascot, also known as Cowboy!

The Thai girls at the front of the parade procession. As you can see, all the colours are well represented.

Pink Mascot
One of my fav pics from the day. Jodie and I walking in the parade.

SPORTS DAY

SPORTS DAY “Imagine if a stupid team like yellow won” –Misty (the night before the big day)

The days leading up to sports day were full of big talk and competitive spirit. Jodie was assigned to the blue team and Si Jie and I were assigned to the red team. Jodie and I feared that this sports day might be some intense that it might tear our friendship apart. We knew no one on the yellow team and the night before sports day, I uttered the words “imagine if a stupid team like yellow won.” This fear turned into a premonition when yellow won the next day.

Today was the long awaited sports day. It was a fantastic day and my body and muscles have been worked to the bone. Days like today make me so happy that I’m here. It was a day when I felt a member of a big family and I felt like I could yell and dance my heart out.

The day started at 7:30. We arrived at Mercy and headed to our respective team headquarters. I headed to the Red headquarters which was in the Graphic Art Room. When I arrived I found dozens of people dressed head to toe in red, most of which I didn’t know. A few of the ladies were dressed in traditional Thai attire. I would like you for a moment to imagine me in my red outfit. I was wearing a red shirt and because I don’t own red pants, I had to improvise and wear red PJ pants. I also had my face painted red. This is not an outfit you would ever see me wearing in Canada, but all the fashion rules are thrown out for Sports Day and while I’m here in Thailand for that matter.

Sports day kicked off with a Parade through Klong Toei. Parading 300 + people through the streets of Klong Toei is not an easy task. We literally stopped traffic a few times on our way to the park. At the front of the procession was a Thai percussion band dressed in matching purple silk clothes. The music was very lively, upbeat and so a few of the staff headed to front and danced down the street ahead of the band. Jodie, Si Jie and I joined them sporadically. At the point I was already sweating and it was only 8:00 in the morning. The colorful 350 + procession marched and danced down the street and eventually made it to the park. Once we arrived Father Joe did an opening speech and then the games begun. The games included a tug of war, a cucumber race, a superman relay race, musical chairs, an eating contest, balloon relay race, a potato sack race and a tire rolling relay. I participated in the balloon relay race and the tire rolling relay along with the tug of war. Jodie participated in the superman relay race, the eating contest and the tug of war. After each activity there would be a medal ceremony, the medals in this case were bows on a string. After all the activities were finished, each team was given 5 minutes to dance, which of course was a highlight for me. My two favorite red team mates were Grandpa and Cowboy. The definitely had the most energy and they were always dancing. If you know me, you know that I love any older man who loves to break it down. These men definitely were breaking it down and they made me laugh on numerous occasions during the day. Gramdpa is one of the security guards and Cowboy is the nickname given to Ning’s dad because he was dressed as a cowboy and I don’t know his name.

There were so many funny moments that made up the day and I know that they were entertaining in the moment but not worthy of writing in a post. I laughed a lot and danced a lot and I think the pictures will speak for the craziness and chaos of the day.

At around lunch time the activities ended and we were all given a free lunch. We headed home to rest and get showered up for the rest of the days activities. In the afternoon Jodie, Si Jie and Moe gave a presentation on Autism. Jodie prepared the information and Si Jie and Moe translated. In attendance were the house parents from soi 40 and some Mercy Kindergarten teachers. After the presentation we headed home and took a long await rest.

In the evening there was a supper for all of the Mercy Staff. I would describe the meal as the supper that never ended. There were over 10 different plates of food served throughout the night. The dishes include fish, noodles, rice, stirfry, salad, dessert and others that I don’t know how to describe. The highlight of the evening was watching Mercy Staff and Mercy Staff’s children singing and dancing to Thai Karaoke. When the children performed, members of audience would give them money during the performance. Its like the children were at the Buskers but yet the people didn’t wait to the end of the performance to pay. They did it during the performance. It was strange and distracting and I’m not sure the point of it but I’m hoping the money they received will go into their college education fund. The night was the equivalent to a staff Christmas Party. There were draws for free goodies along with people dancing and making a fool of themselves for the enjoyment of others. Overall, an enjoyable evening and a great conclusion to the day.

On Sunday Jodie and went for our first visa run. We had contacted an agency that was recommended by Emma, a fellow volunteer at Mercy. There was a mix up in the meeting place and as a result we started the day running an hour or so behind schedule. The other passengers included a older Australian man who we will refer to as a Pattaya man who talked and talked about nothing. He annoyed me all the way to the border and I forced Jodie to switch places with me on the way home and he annoyed her all the way back too. Not only did he talk his face off about pointless uninteresting things, but his body managed to spill over onto my seat making me feel squished and annoyed for 5 hrs straight. The back of the bus was filled a group of 5 Philippians

Once we arrived at the Border, the rest of the proceedings went smoothly. It was a little nerve racking and I felt like we were being starred at a lot more than normal. There was quite a bit of activity going on, there were a lot of pheasants walking through the border gate pulling supplies across the border. As we began to cross the border, young children run over to us saying “hey madam” and then gesturing for money. I was drawn to these children and so even though I know that they would continue to follow me, I tried to communicate with them. I couldn’t help but picture one of boys here in the orphanage doing the same thing. My heart wanted to give them money, but my head was filled with all the negative thoughts about where the money would go. There was one little boy that followed us right up to our van. He continued to stand with his hand stretched out for the next 15 minutes or so. There was something about the desperation in his eyes that haunted me and still does. My head in all its judging and negative thoughts won and I didn’t give him money. I regret my decision now and thing to myself. That kid was just trying to survive. He will never have what I have and so what if he took the money back to his parents. I would hope that it would go to something useful like food.

So often we let ourselves make up excuses and reasons for why we shouldn’t give our time and money. We often judge homeless people and those asking for money. I realized yesterday that I’m tired of those excuses. Yes, you never now where the money goes but it’s the attitude of giving that really make a difference. Our hardened judging hearts so often get in the way of these sad and despairing situations in which we could help. Anyways, I regret not giving money to that little boy and hopefully next time, I will let my heart do more of the decision making.

Anyways, that’s all for now.

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

Birthday Bash

Today was full of laughs and enjoyment. Jodie and I walked to Kindergarten feeling confident and prepared to teach the children about shapes. As soon as we passed through the gate and stepped inside we realized we were dealing with a whole new set of students. A fresh new crop of kindergarteners that is, little ones that hardly know their ABC’s and definitely don’t know what a shape is. What could we do? We had a group of eighteen four and five years staring at us anticipating our every more. Our resources included a poster about shapes, a work sheet about shapes and a CD full of English songs. After assessing the situation we decided to start with the English songs. They never fail. After about 15 minutes we did all the songs and had broken into a sweat. We pulled out the worksheets and got the kids color these foreign objects called shapes. Every time we attempted to say an English word, the children responded in laughter. To them we were funny people that said funny things. Their giggles made us giggle and it turned out to be extremely entertaining.

Right after kindergarten, I had my final class with one of my favorite students Ford. He is starting school next week so our class together will end. This little boy came faithfully to everyone of my classes. This is huge at Mercy, because most of our students don’t even come close to having a perfect attendance. Everyday he would bring both Jodie and I a treat. He came into my class knowing some English vocabulary but I am really proud to say that he walked away knowing a lot more. I definitely saw growth and improvement in both his vocabulary and his pronunciation. Everyday he would come to work with his mother and hang around the office with her and before lunch he would have class with me. At the beginning of the class, I gave him the cupcake treat that I had bought for him and his mother. He then exchanged the gifts he had for Jodie and I. They were pencils with his name on them in addition to lollipops. We spent the class playing BINGO and XO, both of which were his favorite activities. At one point during BINGO, he decided that Jodie and I should play against each other and he would be the announcer. He allowed us both to win one game each. Of course it had to be fair. At the end of class he wrote in his notebook, “SPOON OPEN” I knew that what he was trying to say was “SCHOOL OPEN” meaning that school was starting. I had to laugh though because it was a simple innocent mistake.

In the afternoon we spent some time with our friends in the AIDS word and were reminded that some of them are returning home next week. It is very exciting news but we will miss them very much. After our visit we headed to Carrefour in search of enough cake and munchies for 20+ kids. John a staff member at Mercy had given us 1500 baht which is like 50 dollars. After quite a long search we ended up buying four ice cream cakes at Dairy Queen, 4 boxes of juice, 5 bags of chips and a large bag of Mangostein. We still teaching commitments at Mercy so we taxied it back and stored the ice cream cake and goodies in the freezer there. The party was to celebrate Sie Chon’s(sp?) birthday along with him attending a new school for the blind. It has been over a year in the making but he is finally attending this school that specializes in teaching the visually impaired. Everyone is excited for him, but he will be greatly missed here at soi 40.



When we arrived at soi 40 the boys quickly noticed us carrying large bags of food and so congregated around us like bees and a honey tree. The ice cream cake was quickly melting so the house parents told us we could serve the cake first. We filled there bowels with ice cream and cake and allowed the little monkeys to dig in. Moments later it was time for them to eat their supper. Rice, meat and soup followed and they ate every bit. The boys were of course very excited and hyper. I had never seen them quite so happy. The mood in the room was fun. There was more than enough for everyone and all of their bellies were full. Most of it was junk food, but everyone deserves a belly full of junk food every once and while. It was a very special supper, one I won’t forget for awhile.



Before the boys went to bed, Jodie promised to brush her teeth with one of her favorite little boys. Two of the boys came into our room and Jodie and I brushed our teeth with them. We guessed that they have never really been shown how to properly brush their teeth because some of their little teeth are rotting. We are planning to make this an evening tradition. For every successful tooth brushing session will be rewarded with a sticker.



Anyways, that’s all for now. This weekend we have a Mercy Staff sports day and Sunday we have plans to head to Cambodia for a visa run. So lots of posting to come.

Sending love from Thailand

Misty

Get Informed! Aids fact sheet

THAILAND

-The first case of AIDS in Thailand occurred in 1984

-In 2000, combinations of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) started to be used to treat people living with HIV in Thailand. This therapy, known as HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy), can prolong the lives of people living with HIV and prevent the virus from progressing to AIDS. In subsequent years the number of people accessing ARVs increased dramatically, significantly reducing the number of people dying from AIDS.

-Estimated total population, July 2005 - 64 millions

-Estimated total number of people living with HIV, end 2005 - 580,000

CANADA (facts from Health Canada)

-Over a period of years, HIV weakens the body's immune system to the point where it can no longer fight infection. On average, it takes 10 years to progress from an initial HIV infection to AIDS. People with HIV can live for a number of years with no external sign or symptom of the disease, and may unknowingly infect others. The only way to know if you have the virus is to have an HIV blood test.

-When the body can no longer fight infection, the disease is known as AIDS. The infections associated with AIDS are called "opportunistic" because they take advantage of the body's weakened immune system. It is the opportunistic infection, and not AIDS, that causes death.

-At the end of 2002, Health Canada estimated there were approximately 56,000 people in Canada living with HIV (including those living with AIDS), and that approximately 17,000 or 30% were not aware that they were infected. Estimated population at this time was around 31 million.

-It can be difficult for those who are infected with HIV to find a drug regimen that works for them. There are often drug-related side effects that greatly reduce their quality of life. Long term use of drug therapies can also cause organ damage, heart disease, diabetes and other health problems. Moreover, some treatments are beginning to fail because of drug resistance by new strains of the virus.

Since yesterday I have been doing a lot of research on the topic of AIDS because I felt I had very little knowledge about this global issue. It really is a crisis. In sub-sahara Africa, where the epidemic has reached is height, millions of people are dying. Every country in the world including Canada have many citizens dealing and living with AIDS yet most of us know very little about it. I have had the opportunity to put a face to the disease and understand to some degree the effects. during my time. These experiences have left me with optimism and at the same time great sadness. I have seen the positive effects of medications and how they can prolong the lives of the patients here. I have also seen the sadness at the inevitability of death due to their weakening bodies. I have a lot more to say but I must leave to teach. This post will have to be concluded another time. I ask that those who read this will pray for the patients here at Mercy and the AIDS sufferers around the world. They are people just like you and me. They have family's and at one time worked a job, read the newspaper and complained about the weather.

Sending love from Thailand,
Misty

The boys here wash and dry their own laundry.

Locked out of soi 40 and worried that the milk was going to go to waste.
This is what laundry looks like
Glamorous washer and spin dryer

Back to school clothes at Carrefor. Check out the variety!!

Spicey and Bird. Check out the david beckham shirt....so awesome!
Jodie, where did you find those??

Another day, a few more stories

On Sunday night we were invited to another one of Father Joe’s famous dinner parties. Although, Jodie and I weren’t really in the mood to go and mingle, we knew there would be a feast there for us to enjoy so of course we accepted. Outside it was pouring rain so we trekked through river and streams and finally made it to Father Joe’s looking a bit like wet dogs. Just like we have come to expect, there was a grand feast for us to enjoy. Lobster, fish, green beans, and other yummy Thai dishes were in full supply. After filling our tummy’s we did the usual mingling. We had an interesting conversation with a friend of Father Joe’s named Lee. He works for development organization in Laos and his focus is the development of technology in rural and poverty-stricken areas. We discussed the issue of technology vs. basic necessities. For example the lap-top per child program and the idea that every child should have access to a computer. This whole campaign is problematic because it doesn’t address the real issues related to poverty. Does it really seem that useful to hand over a piece of technology to a child who doesn’t even have access to clean water or food? It’s a valid argument to be considered that’s for sure.

This afternoon we arrived home and were locked out of soi 40. We spent about 15 minutes sitting on the step snacking on our food while contemplating our options of getting inside. Our main concern was the milk and the yogurt. We called Si Jie, she got in touch with the house parents and they informed her that there were boys in the house. We continued to ring the bell but after still no answer. Jodie walked around the back of the building and found the boys hanging out on the back deck where we do our laundry.
A few minutes later we joined Spicy and Bird and snacked on Doritos that we just bought at Carrefore. In exchange they helped us with our laundry.

While we were finishing up a load of laundry, Bird strutted by completely naked. Jodie and I a bit shocked left the deck and waited inside as a result of the awkward position we were suddenly in. A few minutes later Spicy strutted out wearing a tan pair of underwear. We were in the last stages of washing the laundry where we had to manually spin dry the clothing. The boys seemed not a bit concerned that these two girls were in very close proximity to them while they bathed. At one point, Spicy went behind a curtain and peed into the drain off the side of the deck. Bird is around 12 or 13 years old and chose to bathe himself sitting on a little stool. He lathered himself with soap, and sang like no was around. The funniest part was how they went about all of this, showing no concern that we were around.

Another classic moment here at soi 40 involved Galang ironing his kindergarten uniform. He was sitting cross leg on the floor hovering over the iron board which stands only a few inches of the ground. I watched him for a few minutes as he ironed with such precision. He worked slowly and seemed in no rush as though he had nothing better to be doing.

Soi 40 is bustling with excitement and energy as they return to school. The place is completely empty during the day and in the evening the boys are full of energy as they play and discuss the events of the day. While we are getting ready in the morning, their loud voices can be heard reciting their morning prayers. It reminds me of our first month here when we would be woken up daily by the voices of boys running around. Back to school means new haircuts, so all the boys are sporting new closely shaved crew cuts.

This next story may disgust some of you, specifically my mother. Today I saw lice in one of the girl’s hair. I was only one that noticed but I couldn’t take my eyes off her head as Si Jie and Jodie talked to her. I was thinking “I hope that lice doesn’t try to job over here” Later when I told Jodie about the lice spotting, her first reaction was shock and then she informed me that she came fully prepared with Lice shampoo.

When we first arrived we would often see a mother and child picking out each other’s lice with tweezers. It has became quite normal for us to see this here in the slums of Klong Toey but nevertheless today I was shocked and am now a bit paranoid.

I would like to take the time to thank Tiffany and Angela for sending me those lovely pictures of via email. My eyes welled up and I probably would have cried except that I was surrounded by crazy gamers. The atmosphere at our local internet café is similar to a busy arcade. While we attempt to catch up on emails and surf the web, sounds of gamers fill the air. Whether it is the sound of someone being kicked in the face, a machine gun or the annoying hip hop soundtrack that accompanies the game, the sounds at times are unbearable. Imagine a room filled with 25+ computers and 23 of them are playing video games with their volume cranked up to the loudest possible level. It is dirt cheap to surf the internet there so a will keep my complaints to a minimum.

Anyways, those are the stories I can think to tell you right now.

Sending love from Thailand,
Misty

HAPPPY MOTHER'S DAY MOM!!!!!!!!!

Do you know the price of rice?

In a strange way I feel like the goodbyes have already begun and that my time in Thailand is already winding down. It is strange because I have only just passed the halfway mark. On Friday I said goodbye to a student and good friend of mine. She has left for the US. She is taking a course in Washington and will be staying there until August. It is a wonderful opportunity for her and I am so proud of her. I will miss her very much though. Si Jie has decided to leave at the beginning at June and I have this feeling that it will come quickly. In a little over a month, my mom and sister will be arriving and the time after they leave will be spent travelling. I have this sense that it is time to take full advantage of every experience and look for opportunities to have meaningful experience with the children and staff at Mercy.

A few of the highlights of the last couple of days include cooking Saheo Cake with our friends in the Hospice, treating ourselves to Pizza, Beer, ice cream and a movie and experiencing the anticipated visit of American Ambassador and his wife.

The pizza, beer and ice cream was the best thing to happen to us this week. We left Mercy exhausted from a long week. On the way home, we decided to pick up some pizza. After being wooed by the very attractive Thai pizza man, we left the pizza store with a two large pizza, a pint of ice cream and a 6 month membership to the Pizza Company. We have plans to return next Friday. It could be dangerous if pizza man is there.

The American Ambassador’s visit lasted a whole hour but the anticipation started a day early. I’m still not sure why such a big deal was made but all of Mercy was transformed for his visit. All of the security guards were in attendance wearing all black. The black BMW displaying an American flag arrived accompanied by 2 Thai police officers in the in front of the car and behind and the show began. For the next 60 minutes Eric and his wife were shown around Mercy accompanied by a big following of Mercy PR and embassy staff. I’m sure you are all wondering “what does the ambassador do?” I asked myself the same question and found out that he works at the American Embassy and is in contact with Washington. His focus is Thailand and US relations. He visit to Mercy doesn’t really mean that much except for the press that his visit brings. When I left I was thinking…..that was a lot of hype for nothing. Anyways, it was interesting experience. The best part of it was seeing all the staff dressed up.

Today while we were doing our laundry, Si Jie saw two of the boys in an interesting exchange. Si Jie was sitting and talking to one of the boys in the sleeping room. Two of the boys entered the room, walked over to their bed. One of them reached under his pillow and grabbed his favourite toy. The other boy reached into his pocket, pulled out 50 baht and they exchanged the money and toy. Funny to think that at this age they already know about the importance of trade and the value of money and goods. Questions like, where did the one little boy get the money or what will the other boy do with the money, probably will never be answered but it is funny to contemplate.

Other story that made me laugh when I heard it was a story about some kindergartens and their discussion of rice. Everyone here in Asian is aware and is concerned about the increasing price of rice and that does exclude young children. Si Jie overheard two children discussing the increasing price of rice the other day at the kindergarten.
“Do you know that the price has gone up?”
“Yeah I head it was 80 baht per kilo”
“No, its 90 baht per kilo”
Then one of them said to Si Jie, “Your plate is not clean, you have to eat all of it because the price has gone up”

Imagine it, a few 4 and 5 years old discussing inflation and the increase of goods. Why wouldn’t they? It affects them everyday. Rice is a critical element to the Thai and Asian diet. The increasing price of rice and oil is an ongoing problem for this developing country. During our time, we have seen numerous price increases such as our daily transportation and local street vendor food prices. We have seen and experienced the effects of the global market on the poor of Thailand.

On Saturday evening we went to the World Music Festival to see some of the Mercy girls perform a Thai dance. Five of the eight girls were students of ours. Lek, Boong, Dew, Cherie and Rose performed a traditional Thai dance for the festival. They looked beautiful and I was so proud of them. During their performance it began raining and they kept smiling though it all. Although, it was only a bit of rain, their smiling faces reminded me of how resilient these girls are. I know that each one of those girls has a story where they have faced unimaginable challenges and yet they have pressed on. Their strength and beauty filled that smile. They are so young and so full of life. They have dreams for the future and although I don’t know the exact details of their past I can say without a doubt that these girls are strong and resilient and that can achieve great things if they put their mind to it.

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

I have a couple of days to catch you all up on. On Monday we took three of the boys from Soi 40 with us on the river-cruise. We had accompanied half of the Mercy 6 kids last Tuesday and Vanessa invited us to chaperone the other half on Monday. Instead of going to the memorable snake farm like last time, we instead took them to Temple of Dawn. Jodie and I had been there already but surprisingly the children choose the Temple over the snake farm when given the choice. The day was great fun and the best expressions were found in the faces of our three boys from Soi 40. They were full of smiles and they genuinely enjoyed every minute of it. One little boy named Folk who is Jodie’s favorite was definitely loving every minute. At one point he went to the front of the boat and was starting talking to the driver. Mind you, he is only 6 and when ever we hit a bump his face would light up. Bird’s expressions throughout the day were classic. During the picnic lunch, the hotel had prepared a variety of sandwiches. Bird REALLY liked them and he carried leftovers with him for the rest of the day. Every time I looked at him, he was stuffing his face with a sandwich. The funniest was when I looked over at him during our paddle boat ride in the park and he was stuffing his face while paddling.

After our boat cruise with Mercy 6, we got one of the drivers to drop us off at Lumphini Park. We decided to take full advantage of this time with the boys. We took them to the park, played with them on the playground and took them for a paddle boat ride in the big swan boats. After the park we took them to McDonald and treated them to ice cream. It was a grand day, one of the bests here in Thailand. The boys were so well behaved and so gracious.

Highlights of Tuesday and Wednesday include sharing lunch with our friends in the AIDS ward. On Wednesday we actually spent the afternoon painting nails with them. Momma painted Jodie, Si Jie’s and my nails. She took the task very seriously. She filed and painted each nail with three coats. They looked spectacular. I jokingly painted some of the male patient’s nails. A few of the patients painted Uma’s nails. Each nail a different color and a different pattern. He was pretty thrilled about it. I glanced over at him a few times and each time I saw him starting at his nails.

Today’s meal topped my list of favorite meals at Mercy. We had rice, friend chicken, papaya salad and oranges for desert. It was delicious, AROY in Thai. Speaking of meals, tonight we ate at street vendor with Boong and Dew. I ordered noodles which were really delicious. I’ve also come to the conclusion that Thai people over use the world delicious and beautiful in their language. I would estimate that we say those words around 30-40 times a day. Tomorrow I will keep a tally to find out for sure. On Tuesday night we ate supper with the boys. Eating with them is always fun. After their food was served they had to meditate for a few minutes before they could return to the table. All the boys were sitting crossed legged on the floor facing us and the house mom told us that we could start eating. So jokingly Jodie and I started to eat, flashing them funny looks while the boys attempted to meditate. A few minutes they returned the teasing by making fun of us in Thai and using their best English and saying “Misty, no beautiful, me, beautiful.”

On that note I will end this post.

Sending love from Thailand,
Misty

Comic Strip written for The Coast

My friend Nicole read about my monkey story and she passed it along to her friend Mike Holmes who writes for The Coast. The Coast is a free paper that is circulated around the city of Halifax. Its focus is the local arts and entertainment scene.

Pics

Mangrove Forest. A really unique ecosystem only found near coastlines. They are often destroyed by people's desire to own coastline property.

Wicked spider pic taken by Jodie

A wonderful moment. Just a glimpse into what it truly means to live off the land
Local fisherman. What you can't see is that is raining really hard and he is still out on the water.

Little Eden. Our accomodations in Ko Chang the first night. Only 200 baht a night which is like 7 dollars canadian
A game of chess. Completley staged!

Monkey from the wild that appeared at near the Bungalows looking for his daily banana.

Funny Typo! Suppose to be 2 baht (thai money) per minute. Its up there with French Fried on menus.

Little Eden

Here are just a few of my favourite pics from the last couple of days. Enjoy. I will hopefully post more later. You can check more out on facebook

Amazing Race: Ko Chang Leg

We had been anticipating Heather’s arrival for quite some time now and she finally arrived on Thursday evening. We took her for a late night tour of the Mercy Centre so she could see where we spent all of our time. It was late in the evening so all the kids were dressed in their PJ’s watching movies. We were able to give her a tour and she was able to meet some of our special friends and a few of our students. Later in the evening, we went to our favorite restaurant at the night bazaar. It ended talking into the wee hours which wasn’t the best idea since we had to get up at 5:00

Heather flew and Jodie and caught the 7:30 bus and headed to Ko Chang. We caught the ferry and arrived in Ko Chang around 2:00. We spent the next hour and half looking for our hotel. We were on a bit of wild goose chase because Heather had written down the wrong address and so we travelled to the wrong end of the island trying to find it. We eventually found it and then began our search to find Heather on the beach. After a long hot frustrating search with no luck we went back to our guest house. There we found Heather who had been waiting for the last couple of hours. After venting our frustration we decided the only way to brighten our mood would be to eat. We ended up eating at the guest house and the food was seriously some of the best Thai food I’ve eaten on my travels through Thailand.

Our accommodations however were an experience in themselves. The best way to describe the bungalows and our experience would be like sleeping in a tree house. The bungalow was very cute from the outside and only 200 baht per night which is only 7 dollars Canadian. Inside there was one large bed which was covered with a mosquito net that hung from the ceiling. The bathroom however did not have the one thing we desired most, a shower. There was a hose but it only delivered cold, cold water. We spent the first evening there, all three of us in the same bed protected by the mosquito net. The tree house was also infested by ants. Later we discovered a large nest of ants that lived in a nearby tree. In the middle of the night I awoke to thunder and lightening showers and throughout the night water sprinkled on my face. It was not enough to keep me awake but at one point I woke up and grabbed the blankets and covered my face. Praying that I wouldn’t wake up soaked.

On Friday morning we decided to move onto another accommodation, the cold shower in itself was a reason to move on. We began on our search to find another hotel in the pouring rain. After about an hour and a lot of rain, we finally found a place. This hotel had a hot shower, a pool and two double beds. We took it and decided to make something of our day. In the afternoon, the sun came out for a short period and we took full advantage. We hung out by the pool and soaked up the sun for an hour or so. It wasn’t quite enough to help the tan but we enjoyed it anyways. In the evening Heather and I got massages on the beach and then the three of us followed it up with romantic dinner on the beach.

On Saturday, we refused to let the rain get us down. We weren’t going to spend our weekend sulking and staying in the hotel room. Our original plan was to rent motorcycles and drive around the island but because of the rain we decided to rent a car. Jodie and Heather drove but when it came time for me to drive I was not prepared. I began driving in the middle of the busiest street on the island and my perception of the road and the car was way off. Remember, the car is on the opposite side of the road and the driver is driving on the passenger side. Anyways, I was quite nervous and after a minute of driving in which I almost hit a car and a person, I decided to pull over and let Jodie drive again. I was quite disappointed in myself and I felt like a failure but I knew that if I had a chance to practice and get my bearings then I would have been fine. Lesson learned I guess. Don’t start Misty off driving in a foreign country in the middle of a busy street.

We drove to the opposite side of the island and went on a boat ride in rain. We originally wanted to go kayaking but chose the alternative boat ride because we had the option of sitting under an umbrella and staying relatively dry. The boat toured around the mangrove forest. This boat trip along with our drive around the island was one of the most breath taking experiences of my life. We took a lot of pictures but they really didn’t do the sites justice.

The mangrove forest was fascinating and Heather shared with us that this type of forest is usually destroyed because of coastline property. It is similar to a rain forest because of its unique ecosystem and its importance to local organisms and animals. Usually when the forests are destroyed it damages the local ecosystems and it often is impossible to replace. During the boat ride we passed a small fishing village and for a moment got insight to the lifestyle of a Thai fisherman, when we saw an older man fishing in his boat.

On our way back to the other side of the island we stopped for Indian food. On the other side of the island we shopped at a local market and Heather bought some local art and a few souvenirs. Later in the evening we all went for Thai massages. Heather and Jodie preferred the Thai but I felt like I was being beat up the whole time.

It is hard to describe the roads to you and I can only compare it to the Cabot Trail. The roads were so steep and so narrow. Some of roads were on the verge of being washed away and there were times where it felt like we were climbing Mount Everest. It was unbelievable adventure that I will treasure for a long time.

On Sunday we had one of the worst bus experiences of my life. Unknowingly we bought a ticket from a private bus company. We ended sitting on a bus that smelled like an outhouse for 5 hours. About an hour into the trip I realized I need to pee but refused to use the bathroom which smelled horrific. The bus was also leaking and it leaked on the Jodie the whole way home. She used the curtain and created a contraption that solved the problem momentarily. Everyone on the bus looked and smelled like they hadn’t showered for days. I imagined that they all stayed in the 200 baht guesthouse with no showers. The fact that it rained all weekend didn’t help the cause or the smell of wet dogs and sewer that filled the bus. We didn’t make any kind of stop until the 4th hour of the bus ride on the way home, and to say that my bladder was on the verge of exploding would be understatement. We made an unusual stop and everyone was forced to buy something because we were all starving. The Thai food was disgusting and expensive which made me the whole bus experience worse. We eventually arrived at home around 6.

We made plans to meet Carole, another fellow ed student on Sunday night. We met her at the hostel she was staying at. The hostel was really fancy and had a really great vibe to it. We had a great evening sharing stories with her and by the end of the night we realized it was time to go on a SERIOUS SERIOUS budget. Anyways, I am writing this post in an internet café and I don’t have time to fill you in on the events of today. We had a great day with the boys from soi 40 and I will end this post now and save the details for my next post.

Sending love from Thailand.

Misty