it was a sunday like every other sunday. sundays are work days. children were everywhere, some working, most were getting into trouble for not working. the bell rang and we were all summoned up to the dining room area where something wasn't up to Momo's standards. grudgingly i went.... and as i opened the door i could already hear the growling, Momo was very unhappy. standing behind Momo were three of the older boys. pokwarlay - age 19, abhor - age 15, and mattieu - 13. they were trying to shift an old refrigerator out of the dining room and into the tool shed.
i'll describe the scene:
Abhor is wearing short red boxers and a straw cowboy hat. that's it. He is holding onto the bottom part of the refrigerator. pokwarlay is holding the top of the fridge and mattieu is on the side making sure the doors stay closed. Neung, seung, sam! (one, two, three!) the boys try and lift the fridge.... Abhor exhorts so much effort that he lets out this giant fart *PPPFFFFFRRRRTTTT*!!!! lol. immediately, all three boys were laughing so hard they had to put the fridge back down. Abhor takes his cowboy hat off and starts fanning it towards Momo!!!! lol.
needless to say, i didn't hear much of what else Momo was saying. i was dying of laughter in my head. the boys traded spots, pokwarlay lifted the bottom and Abhor got the top, i helped Abhor lift his end.
it was the least i could do, he had made my day.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Tips on driving in Thailand
1. keep thinking to yourself - left, left, left, left... and you'll stay on the 'correct' side of the road.
2. beware of pedestrians, dogs, and goats. chicken, nevermind,you can run over.
3. trust only the older children with the 'all clear' sign, the lil' kids never really check!
4. pass vehicles as quickly as possible, and not around curves. duh.
5. shift with the left hand, wave your finger at other drivers with the right.
6. if your gas gauge doesn't work, always remember when you put petrol in last, so you don't end up walking...
7. there is always room for more passengers. u can fit 5 toddlers in the passenger seat if necessary.
8. kids in the bed of the truck must always be sitting down, especially if we're late for school.
9. banging on the rear window = STOP!
10. a quick tip for riding in the back of the truck - hold on and pray Nick isn't driving. =)
2. beware of pedestrians, dogs, and goats. chicken, nevermind,you can run over.
3. trust only the older children with the 'all clear' sign, the lil' kids never really check!
4. pass vehicles as quickly as possible, and not around curves. duh.
5. shift with the left hand, wave your finger at other drivers with the right.
6. if your gas gauge doesn't work, always remember when you put petrol in last, so you don't end up walking...
7. there is always room for more passengers. u can fit 5 toddlers in the passenger seat if necessary.
8. kids in the bed of the truck must always be sitting down, especially if we're late for school.
9. banging on the rear window = STOP!
10. a quick tip for riding in the back of the truck - hold on and pray Nick isn't driving. =)
Bongti Bon
We live in a village called Bongti Bon. Population about 2000 people...and us. It borders Burma, but we are unable to cross over from here because its not safe. Bamboo School is well known in the village. We have a small clinic and the residents come for medical help. Our most frequent patients have cough, diarrhea, and vomiting. Anything Major we transfer to Sayok Hospital (where Yok is a star) MomoCat ( The director of the school) can get there in about 12 minutes for emergencies.
The people in Bongti and the kids at BBS are Karen. Karen people have their own culture and Language but are displaced. I believe their history includes teaming up with the British against the Burmese, but then the British made a treaty with the Burmese and left the Karen out of it and Burma didnt give them any land/ wanted them out. So now they are refugees. The kids at BBS speak Karen, and learn Thai and English at School.
The patients here are many and we have some weird cases. So a man with a Bamboo stick protruding out of his leg comes in. one of the first questions we ask is "How long" whether its vomiting or fever or whatever. The man answered 4 days. FOUR DAYS!! why didnt you come in the first day!! ???
Sometimes Lizette and I will be the only ones at the clinic without a translator so we have to turn down patients and ask them to come back later when Momo is home, or when the kids get back from school. (if they are not an emergency)
So one day, a motorbike drives up with two ladies, two babies and a man. (Yes, all 5 on a motorbike) We happened to not have a translator so I had motioned for them that no one was here and to come back later. As one of the moms turns to leave, I catch a glimpse of the baby and its face looked like it was alllll burned! and !! It had some scabbing so it didnt just happen, it must have been a couple days already. I stopped her, ran to the phone to call Momo. She told me to take the baby to the hospital right away. But there was a problem...I didnt have a car. Momo had one, and Nick (another volunteer) had one at the local school, where he volunteers in the mornings. So I had to go with the stanger on the motorbike (I was so nervous!) to get the pickup from Nick, drive back, and Lizette took the Mom and baby in to Sayok.
Lizette and I have also been patients here at BBS. Charcoal pills are our new Best Friend! :) We have become believers of the Charcoal. Momo Gives charcoal for everything!! Thank God we have not gotten anything too serious, just vomiting and diarrhea....the other day we were taking a bucket bath and i had been feeling sick and had already thrown up earlier. I motioned for lizette to move out of the way. If she hadnt moved fast enough, she would of had a rice/potatoe/green curry/carrot and tomato bath. I know..Gross...
Its definitely not fun to be sick, but its worse when your away from home :( But we also get more attention here lol..the kids take care of us! We LoVe them!!!!
We will try to be better about writing blogs :)
The people in Bongti and the kids at BBS are Karen. Karen people have their own culture and Language but are displaced. I believe their history includes teaming up with the British against the Burmese, but then the British made a treaty with the Burmese and left the Karen out of it and Burma didnt give them any land/ wanted them out. So now they are refugees. The kids at BBS speak Karen, and learn Thai and English at School.
The patients here are many and we have some weird cases. So a man with a Bamboo stick protruding out of his leg comes in. one of the first questions we ask is "How long" whether its vomiting or fever or whatever. The man answered 4 days. FOUR DAYS!! why didnt you come in the first day!! ???
Sometimes Lizette and I will be the only ones at the clinic without a translator so we have to turn down patients and ask them to come back later when Momo is home, or when the kids get back from school. (if they are not an emergency)
So one day, a motorbike drives up with two ladies, two babies and a man. (Yes, all 5 on a motorbike) We happened to not have a translator so I had motioned for them that no one was here and to come back later. As one of the moms turns to leave, I catch a glimpse of the baby and its face looked like it was alllll burned! and !! It had some scabbing so it didnt just happen, it must have been a couple days already. I stopped her, ran to the phone to call Momo. She told me to take the baby to the hospital right away. But there was a problem...I didnt have a car. Momo had one, and Nick (another volunteer) had one at the local school, where he volunteers in the mornings. So I had to go with the stanger on the motorbike (I was so nervous!) to get the pickup from Nick, drive back, and Lizette took the Mom and baby in to Sayok.
Lizette and I have also been patients here at BBS. Charcoal pills are our new Best Friend! :) We have become believers of the Charcoal. Momo Gives charcoal for everything!! Thank God we have not gotten anything too serious, just vomiting and diarrhea....the other day we were taking a bucket bath and i had been feeling sick and had already thrown up earlier. I motioned for lizette to move out of the way. If she hadnt moved fast enough, she would of had a rice/potatoe/green curry/carrot and tomato bath. I know..Gross...
Its definitely not fun to be sick, but its worse when your away from home :( But we also get more attention here lol..the kids take care of us! We LoVe them!!!!
We will try to be better about writing blogs :)
Our 5 Kids
1 Blog in 2 months, Embarrassing! We apologize, however, you try writing and taking care of 5 babies.
So most of our days here are spent with the 5 youngest bamboo students....
Baby John
At 5 years old,he is suffering from cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness. What he lacks in ability he makes up for in funny noises. He is able to contort his mouth into unique positions and make a collection of noises I thought could only be found in movie effects. Because his brain doesnt work properly the left side of his body is harder for him to control . By excercising him a little bit each day we have noticed that he is more physically active, even standing up on his own if her has something to hold on to. Johns laughter is one of the most satisfying and rewarding sounds you will ever hear.
Yok
Yok Yok Yok. A ten year old boy with an unclear history and very self destructive habits. He was born with a clef pallet and despite a surprisingly extensive English vocabulary it is very hard to understand him when he speaks. ( Lizette speaks Yok, she translates lol) He is one of the most difficult children to deal with. He is well known for his questioning... "Why! Where? What about ME!" Yok is a celebrity at the local hospital which is about 20 minutes away from BBS in Sayok. He spent the last couple years of his life there before coming to BBS where he has improved. He was not able to walk when he first came to BBS but now he is able to walk pretty fast, especially or should I say only when there is Kanoum (Junk Food) or food involved!
MoreMoreChor (Chor)
Our first introduction to Chor was watching him drop his shorts and urinate outside of a classrooom, pull them back up, and kept on playing. (I couldnt believe how quickly it happened, and how it felt like that was a normal thing to do here at BBS!) At 3 year old, he is the youngest of the boys and the most mischievous of the babies!(But sooo Cute!!) There is very little that Chor appreciates more than Kanoum (Junk food). He still has yet to say no to Kanoum. Chor has been here since he was about 7 months old after his mother passed away. Taking Chor and his little companion, Dok Mai, to the river is one way to be entertained for hours, the kids are hilarious. Lizettes proudest moment was when Chor told her he needed to use the restroom, instead of just squatting underneath our lil hut like he has done before! My favorite Chor moment is when he asked me for a tissue to blow his nose( not a commonly used practice here). lol.
Dok Mai
In Thai her name means Flower and I cant think of a more suitable name for this gorgeous 2 year old. Dok Mai was abandoned at the hospital after her mother gave birth. She was the baby of BBS until Bekah came along and it shows. Its been 2 months and she is just warming up to Krystal and I. ahaha. Dok Mai is as Bossy as she is pretty! Watching her "growl" at some of the older children is priceless! She is such a princess! She walks around like she owns the place. Except when Chor is around, She gives him so much attention! and sometimes he doesnt give her any back and she gets so upset and tries even harder to play with him. lol THese two are sooo CUte!!!
Baby Bekah
Almost 5 months old and has spent about half of her life in and out of the hospital. Her mother walked from Burma through the jungle for about 4 days to deliver Bekah and abandon her. Bekah was born prematurely and has trouble breathing and holding down milk. We started out by first feeding her 1 oz every hour ( yes, so we basically didnt sleep at all) and she had to be held up for an hour after feeding. so it was nonstop for the first few weeks, but now we are up to 3 oz every three hours, and she cant get enough! she has grown sooo much !! she is also a good lil baby! always smiling, only crying when she is hungry, like i said she cant get enough, lol. Her nicknames include Wobbles ( She isnt able to hold her head up ) Monk (Her head is pretty much bald ) Bubbles ( cause she drools and creates bubbles with her mouth) Chubs ( cause she loves to eat!) She is just too cute!
"He/She is toooo Cute!!" comes out of my mouth alot here! lol I think Lizette is already sick of me saying it lol!
So most of our days here are spent with the 5 youngest bamboo students....
Baby John
At 5 years old,he is suffering from cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness. What he lacks in ability he makes up for in funny noises. He is able to contort his mouth into unique positions and make a collection of noises I thought could only be found in movie effects. Because his brain doesnt work properly the left side of his body is harder for him to control . By excercising him a little bit each day we have noticed that he is more physically active, even standing up on his own if her has something to hold on to. Johns laughter is one of the most satisfying and rewarding sounds you will ever hear.
Yok
Yok Yok Yok. A ten year old boy with an unclear history and very self destructive habits. He was born with a clef pallet and despite a surprisingly extensive English vocabulary it is very hard to understand him when he speaks. ( Lizette speaks Yok, she translates lol) He is one of the most difficult children to deal with. He is well known for his questioning... "Why! Where? What about ME!" Yok is a celebrity at the local hospital which is about 20 minutes away from BBS in Sayok. He spent the last couple years of his life there before coming to BBS where he has improved. He was not able to walk when he first came to BBS but now he is able to walk pretty fast, especially or should I say only when there is Kanoum (Junk Food) or food involved!
MoreMoreChor (Chor)
Our first introduction to Chor was watching him drop his shorts and urinate outside of a classrooom, pull them back up, and kept on playing. (I couldnt believe how quickly it happened, and how it felt like that was a normal thing to do here at BBS!) At 3 year old, he is the youngest of the boys and the most mischievous of the babies!(But sooo Cute!!) There is very little that Chor appreciates more than Kanoum (Junk food). He still has yet to say no to Kanoum. Chor has been here since he was about 7 months old after his mother passed away. Taking Chor and his little companion, Dok Mai, to the river is one way to be entertained for hours, the kids are hilarious. Lizettes proudest moment was when Chor told her he needed to use the restroom, instead of just squatting underneath our lil hut like he has done before! My favorite Chor moment is when he asked me for a tissue to blow his nose( not a commonly used practice here). lol.
Dok Mai
In Thai her name means Flower and I cant think of a more suitable name for this gorgeous 2 year old. Dok Mai was abandoned at the hospital after her mother gave birth. She was the baby of BBS until Bekah came along and it shows. Its been 2 months and she is just warming up to Krystal and I. ahaha. Dok Mai is as Bossy as she is pretty! Watching her "growl" at some of the older children is priceless! She is such a princess! She walks around like she owns the place. Except when Chor is around, She gives him so much attention! and sometimes he doesnt give her any back and she gets so upset and tries even harder to play with him. lol THese two are sooo CUte!!!
Baby Bekah
Almost 5 months old and has spent about half of her life in and out of the hospital. Her mother walked from Burma through the jungle for about 4 days to deliver Bekah and abandon her. Bekah was born prematurely and has trouble breathing and holding down milk. We started out by first feeding her 1 oz every hour ( yes, so we basically didnt sleep at all) and she had to be held up for an hour after feeding. so it was nonstop for the first few weeks, but now we are up to 3 oz every three hours, and she cant get enough! she has grown sooo much !! she is also a good lil baby! always smiling, only crying when she is hungry, like i said she cant get enough, lol. Her nicknames include Wobbles ( She isnt able to hold her head up ) Monk (Her head is pretty much bald ) Bubbles ( cause she drools and creates bubbles with her mouth) Chubs ( cause she loves to eat!) She is just too cute!
"He/She is toooo Cute!!" comes out of my mouth alot here! lol I think Lizette is already sick of me saying it lol!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
first weeks...first impressions.
Day 15 of bamboo living...
these past few weeks have definitely been weeks of firsts for us. first time ever sleeping under a mosquito net, first time ever walking on a bamboo floor (you swear its going to break), first time ever wanting to strangle a rooster with your bare hands (they wake you up at 3:30 am every morning), and its been amazing! lol. The bamboo school has welcomed krystal and i with open arms and more importantly open hearts.... i wish i could write more but we have very little time...
an average day for us looks something like this:
.wake up at 5 am (its freezing in the mornings btw and i came prepared for hot humid weather so...i'm NOT a happy camper in the mornings)
.worship at 5:30am. =).
.the kids do their morning chores from 6am- 7am
.breakfast at 7:30
.dropping kids off at school (driving on the left hand side of the road is a crazy, i ran over a chicken the other day!) 8am.
.come home, play/watch the lil babies that don't go to school - ages 6mths to 3 years old.
.lunch 12noon (every meal here is a vegetable and rice, i like it, krystal is dying of starvation lol.)
.1 pm- lil kids nap. i take a shower (oh! good news... i don't have to shower in a dirty river, we get well water brought up to us by the older boys every morning and we have an attached outdoor shower to our hut so we bucket bathe...hey, its nota river, so i'm happy!)
.2 pm - lil kids wake up.
.3:30 pick up kids from school
.4-5 kids do their evening chores
.5:30 dinner
.6 pm worship (i'm starting to learn praise songs in Karen. lol)
.thai class or english class from 6:30-8pm (most of the kids at the bamboo school are Karen, refugees from Berma so they don't really know how to speak or read Thai, much less english so we alternate weeks teaching them those languages).
.8pm-9:30 homework time
.10 lights out. i'm usually asleep by 9:45. I'M SO TIRED HERE! lol.
thats it. gotta run!
XOXO,
~สรผำะะำ (lizette)
these past few weeks have definitely been weeks of firsts for us. first time ever sleeping under a mosquito net, first time ever walking on a bamboo floor (you swear its going to break), first time ever wanting to strangle a rooster with your bare hands (they wake you up at 3:30 am every morning), and its been amazing! lol. The bamboo school has welcomed krystal and i with open arms and more importantly open hearts.... i wish i could write more but we have very little time...
an average day for us looks something like this:
.wake up at 5 am (its freezing in the mornings btw and i came prepared for hot humid weather so...i'm NOT a happy camper in the mornings)
.worship at 5:30am. =).
.the kids do their morning chores from 6am- 7am
.breakfast at 7:30
.dropping kids off at school (driving on the left hand side of the road is a crazy, i ran over a chicken the other day!) 8am.
.come home, play/watch the lil babies that don't go to school - ages 6mths to 3 years old.
.lunch 12noon (every meal here is a vegetable and rice, i like it, krystal is dying of starvation lol.)
.1 pm- lil kids nap. i take a shower (oh! good news... i don't have to shower in a dirty river, we get well water brought up to us by the older boys every morning and we have an attached outdoor shower to our hut so we bucket bathe...hey, its nota river, so i'm happy!)
.2 pm - lil kids wake up.
.3:30 pick up kids from school
.4-5 kids do their evening chores
.5:30 dinner
.6 pm worship (i'm starting to learn praise songs in Karen. lol)
.thai class or english class from 6:30-8pm (most of the kids at the bamboo school are Karen, refugees from Berma so they don't really know how to speak or read Thai, much less english so we alternate weeks teaching them those languages).
.8pm-9:30 homework time
.10 lights out. i'm usually asleep by 9:45. I'M SO TIRED HERE! lol.
thats it. gotta run!
XOXO,
~สรผำะะำ (lizette)
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Preparing for the Trip
Welcome to our blog !
Hopefully we will be able to keep you updated on our time in Thailand. We are very excited and cannot wait til we leave in January. There are so many things to do still. We need to get our visas and purchase our tickets. We would also like to fund-raise as much as possible. Hopefully we will be able to share stories and pictures of our life at the Bamboo School in Bongti, Thailand.
I am not sure what to expect really. I have heard stories and seen pictures, but one will never know til you have experienced the real thing. I cannot wait to do that!
So far we have been receiving donations, selling baklava and tamales, and we put on a benefit concert which was a success and amazing evening of worship and talent to fundraise for our trip. I would like to thank you all for supporting us by your appearance and donations at the concert. I hope you were as blessed as we were.
~K~
Hopefully we will be able to keep you updated on our time in Thailand. We are very excited and cannot wait til we leave in January. There are so many things to do still. We need to get our visas and purchase our tickets. We would also like to fund-raise as much as possible. Hopefully we will be able to share stories and pictures of our life at the Bamboo School in Bongti, Thailand.
I am not sure what to expect really. I have heard stories and seen pictures, but one will never know til you have experienced the real thing. I cannot wait to do that!
So far we have been receiving donations, selling baklava and tamales, and we put on a benefit concert which was a success and amazing evening of worship and talent to fundraise for our trip. I would like to thank you all for supporting us by your appearance and donations at the concert. I hope you were as blessed as we were.
~K~
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