Summer's End

April 25-May 1

This was the final week of our summer schedule. The kids will be going back to school next week or the week after, depending on if they are in private or public school. This means that we are doing a bit of restructuring as well. I will lose Elliott from my class, because he only comes during school breaks. I am sad because he’s one of the best kids, he’s usually really well behaved, he listens and he’s really smart too. He’s just a fun kid to have around. We actually saw him today (Sunday) after church when we were eating lunch, so I’m sure he’ll be around. Actually, it was really sweet. I went to give him a high 5, but he came in for a hug! Such a sweetie.

Because Cassie is going to live with Ning, that makes her ineligible for the program, and we also have 2 kids graduating, so we will get 3 new kids in. I think I will have 2 of them in my class, but we will see.  I’m also losing Gabby, which makes me really sad because she is such a sweetheart. She doesn’t come every day, but it’s nice to have her when she is there. She’s older though, so Field decided she should move up with the older kids. This means that Inna will have all her kids, plus the 2 high school girls, plus one of my kids. It will be a big class! I think she will be glad to have Judy co-teaching with her. Meanwhile, my class is shrinking by 2 (though I may get 2 new kids, so that could end up staying the same.)

We are also switching up the curriculum, and doing 3 month sections. Field wants the kids to learn to read English, not just recognize words, so we are doing a 3 month phonetics section, then 3 months about their home (families, rooms of the house, kitchen, etc), followed by learning about their school, and then their city/country. I’m going to have to do some research on that one since I don’t know a whole lot about their country to begin with! 

Stories of the week:

**On Friday, I was walking toward the Thapae Gate on my way home and was talking to my friend Ruth on the phone. I usually see Naya and her mom sitting at the end of the street selling flowers. I wasn’t really paying attention today, though, since I was in the middle of a conversation. I was waiting for the light to turn green so I could cross the street and one of the ladies who was selling flowers was pulling on my arm. I was like “No, I really don’t want flowers,” but then I realized it was Naya’s mom. I got off the phone and asked what was wrong. She said Naya hadn’t come to find her, and she didn’t know where she was. I said, “She’s not here?” and started to get worried. Earlier that day, I had seen Naya start to leave alone and I stopped her because I didn’t see her mom, but then I never saw who she left with, so her mom asking me where her kid is was a bit scary. Luckily, I had Field’s number so I called her and had Naya’s mom talk to her. It turns out her uncle or someone had picked up Naya and taken her home. As I was walking away, I thought, “How cool that her mom knows me enough to recognize me from the other farang around and knows that I would be able to help her figure out where her child is.” And, it was the first time I had had a conversation in Thai with someone who doesn’t speak a word of English. And both of us were understood!

**Saturday night, I walked with Gabe and Kristin to show them our building and as we were walking, ahead of us was a couple of Thai women and ahead of them was an older white guy holding the hand of a little Thai girl, about 5 years old. I always wonder what the deal is. Maybe he’s her grandpa and she’s adopted. But maybe something more sinister is going on and I don’t know how to feel out the difference. I don’t want to jump to the bad conclusion, but that’s usually my first thought when I see stuff like that. 

We also saw Naya’s mom again, and she said hi to me. I asked about Naya and she said that she was home sleeping, so I’m glad it all turned out ok. :)

It’s weird walking around in this area that is so heavily populated with tourists. Sometimes I almost don’t want to make eye contact with people because I think to myself, “I’m not one of you. I’m not just some tourist here for a cheap vacation or to do something nasty with a bar girl or (God forbid) a kid.” But to all those other white people, I look just like them. I don’t feel like them though. There’s something different about really living in a place that just shifts your perspective from the way you look at things as a tourist. Not that I have anything against tourists, I’ve been one myself enough, but it’s just different looking at other foreigners and feeling like I belong more to the locals than the foreigners.

Like today, I went to church with the Field and the kids. As soon as I see the kids, they all want to hold my hand, or walk with me or talk to me. I never really think much of it, since they are often that way at TS and kids are that way a lot with me in the States too. But sometimes, I look up from the kids and see a group of Thai people watching this scene play out and it shocks me a little, like, Oh. I don’t really fit in because I’m not Thai. But I fit with the kids and Field and that’s all that matters.

After church, we saw Sophie and Winnie and it was so cute. They had come later and sat in the back, so when I saw them they were across the room. As soon as they spotted Field, Ning and me Sophie pointed and ran across the room to chatter away and hang onto me. I know their parents love them, but I have been thinking that maybe they don’t show physical affection like Westerners do, like hugging their kids. I only think this because the kids seem to either crave physical attention so much that they want to be attached to me or Ning or Field at all times, or the reverse, they are really reserved and don’t want to be touched at all.  It’s an interesting phenomenon.  

We all went for lunch at Pantip Plaza where you pay at a station and get coupons for the amount you purchase. Then you can spend the coupons wherever you want to get lunch. So, I got rice with chicken and veggies for 35 baht and then went to get some lime juice for 20 baht and gave them the coupons for each. Pretty good system actually. Today we had Willow, Faith, Peyton, Flynn, Ewan, and Penny plus Sophie and Winnie who met us there on their motorbike. Again I had that same thought as I saw people looking at us. At first I thought they were looking at the kids cause there were so many, but I think it more likely they were looking at me and wondering how the heck I fit into this scenario.

We headed back to Taw Saeng and let the kids play there for a few hours. On the way, Peyton stopped at the tailors where my mission team had gotten suits made in November. There’s a few pictures up of the guys and one of our whole group, and Willow and Peyton were so excited to see the guys. They were pointing out “P’Joe! P’Joe! P’Doug!” etc. It was pretty funny. We all traipsed down the street to get some ice cream at 7-11.  

After we closed up shop, Field took me to a Thai bookstore so I could get a kids practice alphabet book. I need to practice writing the letters. Field told me that “these are for little children” but I’m not even speaking at a first grade level of Thai yet, so I’m fine with learning out of a kids’ book. I also checked out their selection of books translated into Thai. I want to get the kids birthday presents this year, and rather than candy or silly stuff, I’d really like to get them books that they can keep and that can be all theirs and they can treasure. They have the whole set of Chronicles of Narnia, so I think I’ll get The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe for Faith’s birthday, which falls on the same day as my sister’s!

Done at the bookstore, Field headed home and I went to the street market. Lucy sells shoes there on Sundays, so I wanted to see her and say hi. I called her, but she wasn’t there yet because the family motorbike broke down. I wandered around for a while looking at the cool street market stuff and finally made my way over where I knew she’d be selling. It was perfect timing because she had just started setting up.

I got to meet her mom and dad too. Her mom came over and said hello. Normally in Thai culture you would just do the little mini-bow and say “Sa wat dee ka” but her mom did that and then took my hand with both of hers and shook it with a big smile. Then her dad came over to say hello too. It was cool to meet her parents. I always wonder what the kids tell their parents about the people at Taw Saeng. I mean, I know the parents all know Field and NIng because they go into the slums and meet with the families and have been a part of this since the beginning. But, do the volunteers all run together? This is where I wish I knew more Thai so I could ask, “Do you really know who I am, or just that I work at Taw Saeng?” 

**

So, this week when I was doing my Thai lessons, I told Lucy that I was going to take her out for her birthday, and asked where she wanted to go. She said Swensen’s, which is an ice cream store with fancy flavors and sundaes and stuff. I was like “Really? Not KFC? “(the kids love KFC).  But she was sure about Swensens. The next day, the coversation goes like this:

Lucy: “P’Heather. No Swensens. KFC.”

Me: Uh. Ok. Why?

Lucy: Swensens makes you fat (holdingher hands in front of her stomach like she has a belly.) KFC make you tall. I want to be tall!

I just started laughing at that and was like “Sorry, kiddo, but KFC is gonna make you just as fat as Swensens. Plus, you’re 18, you’re about as tall as you’re gonna get. She was very disappointed by this news. I asked how tall her parents are and they apparently are short too. She tells me “My mom is fat, fat. Like Fiona (her sister, who is so NOT fat btw.) Dad is skinny, skinny.”

Me: How about your brother?

Lucy: My brother is perrrrfect. He is tall, he is strong.

A-dorable. I could not stop laughing! Then when I saw her and her parents at the market, she says “This is my dad. See? Short.” That cracked me up all over again!  

**

Because this was the final week with our summer kids and Ning/Faa’s kids, we did a fun “exam” day for the last day of class. First, we played hokey pokey to practice the parts of the body. Then, we played go fish with the flash cards from school supplies and things in the city. Finally, I gave them all ice cream but they had to know a family member that I gave them. Earlier this week, I had them tell me what the things on the flash cards were in Thai and write them on the board in Thai. Then, we translated them so they could see what the words looked like next to the Thai. Seemed to work pretty well, they knew the words enough to play Go Fish with them at the end of the week.  

**

On Thursday, I had Lucy test me on my Thai that I have learned so far. It was on writing the Thai alphabet, recognizing the letters when written, colors, phrases, school supplies, family, vehicles and numbers. Lucy is very encouraging, she gets so excited when I get a letter right. She jumps up and down and says “Took Tong!!” which means “you’re right!” So, I think I got an A. Yay! 

Next week: Visit to Ning's house,  new curriculum, Gooooo Pengins!