So how was it?

This is a question I can see I am going to have to get used to, until I have met up again with everyone for the first time, which is going to take a while! Supplementary questions include:
"Did you have a good time?"
"Do you think it was worthwhile?"
"Did you enjoy it overall?"
"Are you glad you did it?"
"What are you going to do next?"
To all of which I am afraid I don't have any ready answers. How to sum up such an intense and complex experience in just a few words? In some ways I think it is too soon to be able to have that sort of overview of the whole experience, and in particular to understand how it has affected me and my outlook. And yet, for the sake of completion of the blog I feel I should attempt some sort of evaluation and reflection. So bear with me...

Throughout the pre-departure training process, VSO do their best to prepare volunteers for the challenge that lies ahead. They tell you to expect the unexpected - that it is very likely that the work will turn out not to be quite what was described in the original placement overview. They prepare you for the emotional roller-coaster of adjusting to a new culture and situation. They warn you not to have over-ambitious expectations of what you will be able to achieve. They mince no words when going through all the potential hazards to one's health and well-being. In short, they make sure that volunteers cannot say: "No-one told me it would be like this!" Being prepared for the ups and downs does not necessarily make it easier, but at least you know that what you are going through is relatively normal. And I was especially fortunate to have been sent off with words of wisdom to confront any crisis:

In terms of the location of my placement I was very lucky. Compared to most of the countries where VSO volunteers are placed, Thailand is very well-developed. Mae Sot is a rapidly developing border town, with an abundance of shops, bars, restaurants, superstores, hotels and other facilities. I lived in a very pleasant, modern little house with western-style kitchen and bathroom facilities, rapid internet connection, reliable electricity and - apart from a horrendous couple of months at the height of hot season earlier this year - reliable water supply.

Sadly, Mae Sot also has an over-abundance of semi-feral dogs which roam the streets at will. For someone who has had a lifelong fear of dogs, this presented me with a particular challenge. To start with I was doing very well at putting my fears to one side and going about my business as normal, but after I was bitten my fears took over again. I no longer walked anywhere, using my motorbike for even the shortest of trips. Even then I was nervous that a dog might jump out at me or chase the bike, causing me to panic and do something daft like swerve into the path of a truck. I rarely went out in the evenings, as the dogs are at their worst after dark, when they roam around in packs. Going out was not the problem - it was the coming home again that terrified me. And even in the safety of my little house they plagued me, frequently waking me from much-needed sleep with their nocturnal vocalisations!

They look so harmless... the little black bundle at the far end is the one that bit me

The other main personal challenge I faced was to do with health issues, and especially the intestinal symptoms that I struggled with throughout the placement. Eventually I was diagnosed with IBS, but I never managed to track down a specific cause. Interestingly, since coming home I have not had a single attack and I am wondering whether the cause was stress. I lost a lot of weight, but for the last three weeks I have been on a strict regime of abundant home-cooking supplemented with regular between-meals healthy snacks, and I have so far managed to put on around 3lb or 1.5kg.

So, what about the positives?! The work was amazing - not without its challenges, but then I do like a challenge! True to VSO predictions, the project did not get off to the expected start, and the first few months of the placement were especially tough, trying to get the project off the ground and deal with all the settling-in issues at the same time. There are many different organisations addressing migrant education issues on the border, but the VSO project was the only one focusing specifically on Early Childhood, so even though it was small scale it was making an important contribution to an otherwise largely neglected area. One unexpected result reported by the directors of the early childhood centres was that the very fact of the VSO project taking place had raised the profile of the centres with the local government administration, who had never considered them much of a priority before. One example of this was the "fast-tracking" of planned playground improvements once VSO got involved:

 Before...

After...

 

Seeing the children getting the chance to play outside on a regular basis was one very definite and positive sign of change.
Working with the teachers and the children was hugely rewarding. I really appreciated the opportunity to use my skills and experience to help others to develop their own skills and confidence to try new approaches. It was slow and at times frustrating work, but constantly stimulating, and the children's joy and appreciation made it all worthwhile even when the teachers seemed less than convinced!

I am very realistic about the scope of the change achieved. On the grand scale of migrant education issues in Thailand, and the even grander scale of tackling global poverty, my contribution is tiny. However, the appreciation of the teachers by the end of the project was genuine, and I do believe that some real changes in understanding and practice have taken place that will continue to benefit children into the future.

It is often said that volunteers gain just as much as they give, and in terms of my own development it was a tremendously positive experience. I had a very high degree of autonomy in designing and carrying out the project - i.e. I was left to get on with it pretty much entirely on my own - which did wonders for my self-confidence. I developed a whole range of skills, which I will not list for fear of making this sound alarmingly like a job application, of which I suspect there will soon be many...

One of the aspects that touched me most deeply was the opportunity to work with inspirational colleagues from around the world, and in particular with colleagues from Myanmar, who showed such dedication and passion in working to improve the future for their own people and country. Having the opportunity to be a small part of that was a true privilege. Possibly the most valuable aspect of all was the relationship I built with my coordinator, and the contribution I was able to make to his development, as well as everything I learned from him. His commitment, enthusiasm and eagerness to learn were a constant inspiration to me, and his calm and positive demeanour helped keep me steady at moments of high stress!

The Team!

 

Aside from the work, there was also the opportunity for travel. I didn't see as much of Thailand as I would have liked, but I enjoyed inspirational trips to Vietnam and Myanmar - thank you, Alice! - and the visit of my Italian friends remains a highlight (though we never did find a map of the national park!)

 

 Hoi An

 

Vietnamese cooking class

 

 Outside the home of Aung San Suu Kyi
 

Bagan

 

 Inle Lake

 

 Dinner in Chiang Mai

 

Who needs a map, anyway?

 

So, in summary: yes, I am glad I did it; no, I don't think I'll be doing it again!

And to anyone considering the possibility of volunteering, I would say this:

• Are you seeking an opportunity to apply your professional expertise in a totally new context?
• Do you want to have your way of thinking and doing things challenged?
• Are you open to new and unexpected possibilities?
• Do you want to work in partnership with people who are seeking to make a positive and lasting change in their communities?
• Are you prepared to leave behind everything that is familiar and comfortable, and face a completely new, uncertain and challenging situation for the reward of an experience you could never have imagined?

If so, then VSO may be for you!

Home and dry (and COLD!)

The last few weeks in Mae Sot were marked by farewells and doing things for the last time, together with a growing apprehension about the huge adjustments to be made on returning home. On Friday I was given a great send-off by my colleagues at World Education. Even though my work was not directly connected to WE’s projects, it has been great to feel part of their team and I will miss the wonderful atmosphere and the friendship and support.

Did you hear the one about the chicken and the dinosaur...?

Saturday was taken up with the final packing up and cleaning of my house, before handing the keys over and rendering myself officially “of no fixed abode!” I spent my final night in Mae Sot at Alice’s house, and we both travelled together on the bus to Bangkok on Sunday morning, as she had appointments there on Monday. It was great to have her company for my last couple of days. On Monday morning I had to go to the police department to go through the procedure to get my police clearance certificate, including having my fingerprints taken – the first time in my life as far as I can remember! In the afternoon I had my exit interview with VSO and said goodbye to the office staff there. After a final dinner with Alice at our favourite little Italian restaurant, it was back to the hotel for the last-minute rearranging of the contents of my luggage.

I flew with Emirates via Dubai and the journey went pretty smoothly apart from a delay to the second leg. Thankfully I had had the foresight to ask my mum to bring some warm winter clothing to the airport; the temperature on arrival was around 5 degrees.

 

By the time we got home I was completely exhausted and collapsed straight into bed, snuggled up beneath the duvet in warm pyjamas and bedsocks, and clutching a hot water bottle.

Apart from the cold, I am feeling very happy to be home, and it does not feel nearly as strange as I had been expecting, though I’m sure I will go through all sorts of emotional phases in the settling back process. As time goes on, it will be interesting to see what are the things that I miss about Thailand, and what are the things that I appreciate about being home.  Here’s the first: today I walked into town along wide, well-maintained pavements (that’s sidewalks for my American friends!) and only passed two dogs along the way, both of whom were attached to a lead, on the other end of which was a responsible owner. Oh joy! Oh bliss! I am going to go out for a walk every day, just because I can!

Bookworm

When I moved into my house in July of last year I inherited the VSO library – a collection of over 150 books built up over a number of years going back to the days when there were as many as a dozen VSO volunteers in Mae Sot. From the copious quantities of dust, cobwebs and lizard droppings all over the books and shelves, it was clear that no-one had taken an interest in the library for some time. In the interest of cleanliness and creating shelf-space I decided to carry out a radical downsizing operation, and after carefully selecting around thirty books that I liked the look of, I gave the rest away to a local organization.

When I lived in the UK and Italy, the only time I ever tended to read was in bed before going to sleep. In fact, I would often fall asleep reading, and would then have to go back and re-read the next night to remember what was going on. (I read the whole of “The Name of the Rose” in this fashion, at a time when I must have been especially tired, managing only a page or so at a time. By the time I got to the end of the book, I had absolutely no idea what it had all been about. Thank goodness for the film and Sean Connery!)

Here, with a slightly different pace of life and priorities, I have rediscovered the joy of spending lazy afternoons lying on my bed with the dappled sunlight dancing through the window, getting completely engrossed in a book.

These are the books I have read and, with only one or two exceptions, thoroughly enjoyed – testament either to the good literary taste of VSO volunteers or to my ability to pick out books I will like. (I suspect the latter – some of the ones I got rid of looked like complete rubbish!)

Middlesex – Jeffrey Eugenides

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – A C Doyle

The Bean Trees – Barbara Kingsolver

Me Talk Pretty Some Day – David Sedaris

The Long Song – Andrea Levy

A Week in December – Sebastian Faulks

The Slap – Christos Tsiolkas

Shakespeare – Bill Bryson

The Help – Kathryn Stockett

The Book Thief – Markus Zusak

First Love, Last Rites – Ian McEwan

The Big Snow – David Park

Beatrice and Virgil – Yann Martel

The Pianist – Wladyslaw Szpilman

A Fool’s Alphabet – Sebastian Faulks

When a Crocodile eats the Sun – Peter Godwin

The Lacuna – Barbara Kingsolver

Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason and the Gap Between Us and Them – Joshua Greene

Status Anxiety – Alain De Botton

The Gathering – Anne Enright

A Kestrel for a Knave – Barry Hines

Burmese Days – George Orwell

The Constant Gardner – John Le Carre

Winter in Madrid – C. J. Sansom

Started Early, Took my Dog – Kate Atkinson

Prodigal Summer – Barbara Kingsolver

My Life as a Fake – Peter Carey

Any Human Heart – William Boyd

The Finkler Question – Howard Jacobson

Dead Famous – Ben Elton

Parrot and Olivier in America – Peter Carey

Map of the Invisible World – Tash Aw

Message from an Unknown Chinese Mother – Xinran

Restless Souls: Rebels, Refugees, Medics and Misfits on the Thai-Burma Border – Phil Thornton

 Perhaps I should make it a resolution to make more time for reading when I come home…

You know it's time to come home when... Part 4

...you have a dream about McVitie's chocolate digestive biscuits.

No idea where that came from. I can't say I've been pining for them all this time. But clearly my brain is starting to think about coming home!

A sting in the tale - the sequel

Several people have commented expressing surprise that I was being so tolerant towards the wasps that had made their nest in my front yard. Those who know me very well, my family in particular, know that I have a very strong aversion to the type of wasps we have in the UK, and had it been those I would have lost no time in eliminating the horrible beasts as soon as I first noticed them. But this species is quite different. They are very much smaller and more delicate and dainty looking. They fly around in a dreamy, floaty, dangly-legged sort of way, with none of the aggressive, buzzing persistence of their European counterparts. And unless they feel threatened, for example by someone recklessly waving items of laundry around in the immediate vicinity of their nest, they seem remarkably placid and keep themselves pretty much to themselves. The biologist in me was fascinated by their behaviour, and it wasn't until their increasing numbers and their agitated state began to worry me that I felt the need to do anything about them.

Ropalidia marginata - Red Paper Wasp

 

After the destruction of their nest, there were about a dozen remaining individuals that reassembled at the nest site. I watched them closely to see what they would do. At first they seemed rather dazed and confused, but after a while they began to engage in undefined but apparently purposeful activity, and I was concerned they were going to start rebuilding the nest. I decided I needed to get rid of them once and for all. I had noticed that early in the morning, before the day warms up, they were very dopy and sluggish, so, working on the principle used by police officers when going after gangs of criminals (i.e. catch them in bed with no clothes on), I decided upon a dawn raid.

 

There was no problem with getting up on time for the attack on Sunday morning, as I was already wide awake well before 6.30 due to loud talking and laughter coming from neighbours down the road (more on that later). I dressed myself in the most protective clothing I have here - jeans, denim jacket and even a pair of gloves that I brought with me because VSO insist that you should wear proper protective gear on your motorbike. The gloves had previously never been put to use, VSO's policy being completely inappropriate for motorbike riding in a hot country, but now they were about to come into their own as an essential item in my wasp-sting protection gear.

 

I went outside and, with an unlit straw broom in my left hand for emergency swatting purposes, I let rip with my can of cockroach spray. Some of the wasps fell immediately. Others flew off. One came straight towards me, so I sprayed again, and then realised I needed to relocate to the other side of the yard before I choked myself to death on the toxic fumes within which I was enveloped. One wasp landed, wriggling and writhing on the front step, so I gave it a few more squirts to try and finish it off quickly, but sadly I know from experience that this stuff takes time to work, and that the poor wasps will have died slow, twitching deaths.

 

Here's one I killed earlier

 

Once I was sure they were all gone, I gave the nest site a really good clean with my kitchen cleaner spray to deter any unlikely survivors from returning, and then went back to bed, hoping for a bit of a Sunday lie-in. Silly me. After a short while, loud, booming music started up down the road. I tried to ignore it for a bit and then decided to do the unthinkable and go and tell the neighbours responsible that it was far too early on a Sunday morning for such a racket. One is not, of course, meant to make a fuss, but hey, I'm leaving in a couple of weeks.

 

I dressed again and went down the road to investigate. The noise was coming from the new apartment block that my landlady has been building. They were getting ready for the official opening ceremony and had installed a massive sound system in the front yard which was responsible for the cacophony. My resolve crumbled as I realised that protest was pointless, so I returned wearily and lay on my bed for a while, listening to the thumping music before finally getting up. The celebrations down the road went on all day with music, speeches, monks tunelessly intoning and, in the evening, painful karaoke, all generously blasted out over the sound system so that the rest of the neighbourhood would not feel excluded from the fun. It eventually went quiet around 10.30pm, which I was very relieved about, as I had visions of it continuing into the small hours.

 

As for the wasps, there have been no returns. I occasionally see a lone individual flying around, but the nest-building enterprise has been brought to a definite halt. I still feel sorry about it - I hate to destroy nature, but on occasion it seems to be the only sensible choice.

 

UPDATE: when I came home at lunchtime today, what should I see flying around but one of those horrible hornets. I guess they must have a nest somewhere nearby as well...

A sting in the tale

For many months I have been watching with interest the progress of a small group of wasps that had started building a nest on the clothes drier in my front yard. At the start there were only about four of them, and for a long time the nest remained so tiny and insignificant looking that I doubted whether it was a serious enterprise at all. I thought maybe they were a small band of deluded outcasts, or that the nest had been abandoned and they hadn't realised and were continuing to tend it in vain.

Nevertheless I continued to watch them with some fascination. Their activities seemed mostly to involve lots of leg-waving and abdomen-waggling - possibly in order to try and regulate the temperature of the cells? Gradually the nest increased in size and there seemed to be a few more individuals working on it. I could clearly see now that many of the cells had been sealed over, no doubt containing the larvae growing inside. The workers seemed very tolerant of my presence, and I continued hanging out my washing without any thought to the possible consequences.

 

Last weekend I had hand-washed a shirt and took it outside to hang up. We are continuing to have occasional rainy spells (most unusual for this time of year), so when I went out my poncho was draped over the lower rungs, having been placed there the day before to dry. I moved it over to vacate a rung for the shirt. Then, as I lifted the shirt to hang it I suddenly felt two painful stings on my arm and hand. I yelped and looked up to see the wasps descending upon me. I ran helter-skelter back into the house, waving the wet shirt lasso-style behind me to ward off the wasps.

For a moment I went into panic thinking that maybe Thai wasps are super-venomous and that I was about to die. Then I got a grip on myself, took an antihistamine and went on-line to get some information. My research seemed to confirm that taking an antihistamine was a sensible response and also suggested I should wash the sting sites and apply antibiotic cream, which I duly did. I monitored myself carefully for any signs of an allergic reaction, but the antihistamine did the trick and the local pain and swelling disappeared very quickly.

I began to wonder if perhaps I should do something about getting the nest removed, but I was reluctant to do so, having watched their industrious and meticulous labours for so long, and in any case, I thought, I only have a few weeks left...

A few days ago I came home to find a huge, black, hornet-sized creature at the nest. At first I thought it was the queen laying eggs. However, the massive disparity in size between it and the workers made this unlikely, and on close inspection I saw that it was rolling something between its legs and eating it. Further fascinated research (where would we be without Google?!) has led me to the conclusion that this was one of Thailand's various species of massive hornet, (this one? or this?) and that far from contributing to the reproductive endeavours of the colony it was attacking the nest and eating the larvae. The poor little wasps were unable to mount any sort of defence and simply cowered at the edge of the nest waiting for the intruder to disappear. It was back again the next day for dessert.

Not a very clear picture (I didn't want to get too close!) but you can make out the hornet hanging upside-down from the frame on the right.

After these attacks the wasps seemed to redouble their efforts. Suddenly there seemed to be a lot more of them and their activity was more frenetic. I began to wonder again more seriously about getting the exterminators in. I was beginning to feel distinctly nervous each morning as I manoeuvred my way past on my motorbike and when I parked up again in the evening. Also, I began to think it's all very well that I'm leaving soon, but what if the next person to live in the house turns out to be allergic to wasp stings and they accidentally disturb the nest because they don't realise it's there and end up dying from anaphylactic shock. Then I would be responsible for their death through my negligence about resolving the problem.... Once thoughts like that start going round in your head, you can't really ignore them!

So today I asked at work if there was such a thing as pest-control professionals who would deal with such things. The response was confused laughter, so I guess not! At lunch-time I came home and the wasps were looking more lively that ever. I phoned the young lady who acts as go-between for me and the landlady and tried to explain the problem. Her English is very good, but the conversation was hampered by the lack of a few key words - such as "wasp" for a start. I explained that it is a type of flying insect that stings, but "sting" was also unfamiliar. My explanation that it's a bit like a bite but from the other end didn't really seem to help very much. Anyhow, I managed to get across that the situation was very dangerous because there were loads and loads of these ferocious beasts in my front yard and that they were likely to attack anyone who came near them and that it would be necessary to get someone in who knew what they were doing in order to eliminate the threat. Ok, maybe I exaggerated a bit, but it did the trick. She rang the landlady immediately and then phoned me straight back to say that someone was on their way NOW.

Sure enough, a minute later someone appeared at my gate. No doubt one of the workmen from the apartment block the landlady has been building down the road, he was scantily attired in a flimsy vest, shorts and flip flops and was armed with a very tall ladder. Rentokil he certainly wasn't!
Looking at the ladder, I wondered just how much had indeed been lost in translation and what he thought he was coming to confront. When I showed him the nest he made a noise that would probably translate as "Oh, right!" He then put down the ladder and indicated that he would be back in a minute. Meanwhile, I retreated back inside the house and positioned myself to watch the proceedings in safety from my bedroom window.

He returned shortly, armed with a traditional Thai straw broom. Somewhat alarmed, I thought for a moment he was planning to bash it down with that, and I thought he must be either incredibly brave or incredibly daft. He turned out indeed to be brave, but not daft. He produced a lighter from his pocket and applied it to one corner of the broom until he had an impressive flaming, smoking torch burning, which he promptly applied to the nest. Some of the wasps were killed outright, but many flew off and my saviour leapt nimbly back, brandishing his broom as several of them went for him. He swatted a couple more dead before re-lighting his torch and going back in for a second round. Once there appeared to be no more active wasps in the vicinity he reached up and plucked the nest down. At this point I gingerly emerged from the front door to thank him, and after a few more swats of his broom at a couple of persistent individuals he picked up his tall ladder and went on his way.

I had a meeting in the afternoon, so I decided it was best to leave the house quickly before any of the survivors came back to survey the damage. When I came home, I discovered that the problem has only been partially resolved. The nest is gone, but the remaining workers, of which there are quite a few, have regrouped and are clustered sorrowfully at the old nest site, clearly totally disorientated and wondering what to do with themselves. I did contemplate whether I should try the flaming-broom technique myself and get rid of them completely, but I fear I lack the nonchalance of Man-In-A-Vest. And anyway, I feel terrible for having brought about the destruction of their enterprise. I wonder what they will do next. Will they start again with a new nest, or will they eventually wander off and go their separate ways? Cold season is on its way, so perhaps they were due for hibernation soon.... Clearly I don't know much about wasp life cycles and seasonal habits - time for another session on Google perhaps?!

You know it's time to come home when... Part 3

...your Wye Valley and Forest of Dean calendar is showing your home town:

Che nostalgia! as they say in Italy

You know it's time to come home when.... Part 2

.... you are seriously considering bludgeoning to death with a blunt instrument the dogs that, night after night, thwart your hopes of an uninterrupted night's sleep by scrapping, howling and yelping outside your window, leaving you wide awake at 3am, pondering life's imponderable questions, only to doze off half an hour before your alarm goes off, dragging you bleary-eyed and wobbly-limbed from an impossibly deep sleep...

The morning after the night before - butter wouldn't melt!

 

Two of the culprits. They get to spend the entire day lazing around in the shade and recovering from the night's exertions, while I have to get up and go to work.

 

I WILL NOT MISS THE MAE SOT DOGS ONE TEENY, WEENY FRACTION OF AN IOTA OF A SMITHEREEN OF AN ITSY WITSY LITTLE BIT!!!

 





You know it's time to come home when...

... your entire life is being held together by safety pins, elastic bands and bits of string!

First thing to go, several months back, was the zip on my rucksack. I bought the rucksack in my first week in Mae Sot, when I realised I would need a means of carrying my laptop to work. It has been in constant use ever since, with only Sundays off. In the week, it carries my computer and other work related paraphernalia to and from the office, and my ukulele and assorted teaching and learning resources to and from the centres. On Saturdays, it takes my washing to the laundry and brings my groceries home. It has also done several weekend trips to Bangkok.
When the zip went, I had no intention of getting another rucksack. This one was actually quite expensive, which either means it is a genuine article Lowe Alpine (highly unlikely!), or that, being fresh into town, I was diddled! So, in the true wartime and VSO spirit of "make do and mend", I have been holding together the broken part with several sturdy safety pins:

Then, some weeks ago, the spring went on my glasses case meaning that it no longer stays shut. So I went through my collection of elastic hair bobbles and selected one that just happened to match the trim on my phone case, so now my accessories look stupendously coordinated, and no-one would know any better! (One of the tiny screws fell out of the glasses frame a few months back and the lens fell out. Miraculously, I found the screw on the floor and was able to take all the bits into an opticians and get it all put back together again.)

Most recently, the basket on my motorbike has broken away from two of the three brackets that hold it to the front of the bike. It might be mendable, though I suspect a whole new basket and fitting are required and I've had no time, or inclination, to investigate. So for the moment I have cobbled it together with a piece of string. It won't support anything heavy, but at least if the third bracket breaks the basket won't come flying off and go bouncing dangerously along the road (I hope!)

 

Having got to the point where I cannot take my trousers in any more, they are also now being held up with a safety pin (no photos there - too embarrassing!)

How many more things can fall apart in the next five weeks...?!

Cultural Conundrum

Last weekend I had to travel to Bangkok again for more medical visits. As is my habit, I had booked my bus ticket well in advance in order to be able to reserve my preferred seat - right at the very front on the upper deck with a full view of the road ahead to minimise travel sickness on the mountainous stretch from Mae Sot to Tak; and on the aisle side where there is more room for my bag and I can be first out when we get to the single toilet stop in the 8 hour trip.
I generally get the bus at a secondary bus station near where I live, after it has departed from the main bus depot at the other end of town. When the bus pulled in, I noticed from the bright orange robes that the person sitting at the front in the seat next to the one I had reserved was a monk. The thought crossed my mind that this might cause an interesting situation, as monks are not meant to be in close proximity to a woman.
I presented my ticket to the bus stewardess and she showed me upstairs to my seat. When she realised where I was meant to be sitting, she was clearly thrown into a terrible dilemma which manifested itself in a fit of hand-over-the-mouth giggling. There was no way she could let me sit next to the monk, as that would have constituted a serious violation of religious protocol. Had I been Thai, I imagine she would have had no qualms in allocating me to a different seat, but she probably felt that to refuse me my booked seat would look like rudeness to a foreigner.
Some people at the back of the bus were indicating that there were free seats there. I understood the dilemma, and I had no intention of insisting on sitting next to the monk. However, having gone to the trouble to book my seat well in advance, I was not prepared to be relegated to the back of the bus and spend the next 8 hours in queasy misery. So I waited patiently at the front of the bus for someone to come up with a sensible solution.
The stewardess went and fetched her superior. He checked my ticket, and the monk's ticket, and the tickets of several other people sitting in the immediate vicinity, just to make sure there was no mistake. Then he did exactly what I would have done and asked the single man sitting in the seat behind the one I had booked to move forward and sit next to the monk. I did assert myself at this point and insisted on having the window seat, where, once we got on our way, I was treated to the loud and persistent snoring of the monk in the seat in front of me.

To cut a long weekend of medical tests short, I have been diagnosed with a nerve problem in my leg, the most likely cause of which in my case is significant weight loss. Tests showed no obvious, serious underlying cause for the weight loss, which is probably due to the difficulties I have been having with my diet and digestive system ever since I got here. Recommended treatment - come home and start eating properly again! So, after several months of procrastinating over setting a return date, I have finally decided to leave Mae Sot at the end of November and fly back to the UK around 2nd Dec after dealing with the final leaving procedures in Bangkok. So I'll be home just in time to gate-crash everyone's pre-Christmas festivities!

I have very mixed feelings about leaving. In some ways I am definitely ready to come home. The last couple of months in particular I have been feeling increasingly exhausted, and the things that I find difficult here have seemed more problematic then ever. However, I know I have a massive readjustment process ahead of me. It will be difficult to leave behind people that I have worked with so closely here, and after being so completely independent in my life and work, it will be difficult to find myself initially dependent on other people until I get myself set up with a job and somewhere to live. These are all well-recognised phenomena, and VSO offers a lot of support for its returning volunteers. I will have to be firm with myself and try and curb my usual tendency to want to have everything sorted and ship-shape immediately!

Where there's a will - update!

Yesterday we finally signed the MOU with the local Ministry of Interior on the pilot project for increasing the capacity of the two child-care and development centres to enrol more migrant children over the next few years. We had been getting a bit anxious as they seemed to be stalling on the final signing, despite having started to press ahead with the recruitment of the teachers and language assistants, and we weren't quite sure what was going on.

Eventually it transpired that, in keeping with usual practice in Thai officialdom, they were wanting to make a huge ceremony out of it and were having difficulty finding a suitable date and getting it all arranged. We pointed out gently that, as we were about to interview the candidates we couldn't really hold off any longer on the signing, so they agreed to forego the pomp and ceremony and just get the documents signed!

The Administrative Chief was not available when we first got there, so all the other parties signed and then we went on to conduct the interviews. That was a fascinating process. The poor candidates must have been completely overwhelmed as we were such a large interview panel, with representatives from the education department, ME, VSO and the two centre directors. I did suggest at the beginning that someone should introduce us all and explain who we all were, but no-one bothered with that - they just launched straight in with the questions!

There was no planning of questions in advance and it all seemed a bit random. I was really only observing, with Zaw Zaw whispering in my ear to let me know what was going on, though I did throw in a couple of questions to try and get a better idea of their ECD experience and understanding. The only bit that was planned was a role play scenario that I had suggested to assess the level of Burmese and Thai language and the translation skills of the candidates for the language assistant role. Zaw Zaw took the role of a Burmese-speaking parent trying to communicate with one of the centre directors, and the candidates had to translate both ways between them. It worked really well and was invaluable in the final decision-making process, when I kept having to remind people that the one skill that the language assistants had to have was the ability to translate between the two languages!

After the interviews we trooped into the office of the Administrative Chief for the final, ceremonial signing of the document. This involved a lot of sitting around and smiling and laughing politely as he regaled us with anecdotes and witticisms. Eventually the deed was done!

Now that our main project activities with the centres are completed, we will concentrate mostly on getting this off the ground by supporting the teachers and assistants in their new roles and monitoring how it is going. So little time left!!

Just when you thought rainy season was over...

Climate change is clearly having an effect on weather patterns here in Thailand just as much as anywhere else. Rainy season is supposed to run from around May to September. Both last year and this it was very late starting, and this year it never really seemed to get going properly at all. It had been predicted as a very dry season, with drought and associated problems for agriculture.
By the last week of September we were back to hot and sunny weather and it seemed that we had seen the last of the rain - until about a week ago, when it suddenly returned with a ferocity that had hardly been seen for the entire season.

Last weekend, I was speaking on the phone with Jennel and the rain was drumming down so hard I could hardly hear her. At a certain point there was a thunder clap so loud that she exclaimed "What on earth was that?!"

On Monday, I went to aerobics with Alice for the first time in about six weeks. As we were walking there we could see from the threatening colour of the sky that we were in for another massive storm. We just got there before the heavens opened. The class started as normal, but the rain on the roof was so loud that we could hardly hear the music, and as the instructor for some reason did not have her usual headset microphone she had no hope of making herself heard.

About 15 minutes in there was a tremendous thunder clap and the power went out. With no lights and no music it was impossible to continue, but the rain was so heavy that there was also no possibility of going home. We all huddled in the middle of the shelter, but the wind was so strong that it was driving the rain right in through the open sides and we were getting pretty soggy. All the Thai women squealed in terror every time there was a flash of lightning, which I found rather odd - surely they must be used to storms?!

Eventually it eased off enough for us to attempt the walk home, but by this time the roads were several inches deep in water as the drains are not able to cope with such a quantity of rain in a short space of time. When we got to my street it was in total darkness as the power was still off. I was just mentally preparing myself for an evening of darkness, with no chance of a shower (as the pump would not be working) and no chance to cook my dinner, when the power came back on again just as I entered the house. It has to be said that they are pretty good here at getting the electricity supply going again promptly after a storm.

The rest of the week settled into a pattern of thunderous showers at lunchtime and again in the early evening. On Thursday I was caught out on my motorbike in a horrendous downpour. (Thankfully I did have my poncho!) The rain was so heavy it was painful on my arms and I could hardly see where I was going. Despite my poncho I was more than a little damp by the time I arrived at my destination.
For the last few days we have been back to hot and sunny weather again - is it safe to dare to believe that the season really is over now, or does it have some more nasty surprises up its sleeve?!

UPDATE: a couple of hours later - the wind is howling, the rain is lashing, the thunder is rumbling, the lights are flickering, the roof is leaking, the curtains are blowing wildly and the dogs have all taken shelter... It's not over yet - clearly the fat lady has not sung!

The return of Zen Dog

September has been a crazy month as we have been trying to complete project activities and tie up loose ends before the closure of the centres for mid-term break in October. In our regular visits to the centres we have been working with the teachers to reflect on the changes that have taken place as a result of the project, in preparation for the evaluation workshop.
On top of that, here are some of the other things we have been doing since my last catch-up post:

Tuesday 9th September: mini-workshop with the teachers at one of the centres to encourage more effective team-working

Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th September: meetings with local area education chiefs to discuss evaluation workshop and final partnership review meeting

Monday 15th September: meeting with local ministry officials to discuss final details of capacity building project in local child care and development centres

Tuesday 16th September a.m: meeting with directors of two centres to work on developing an information leaflet for parents about Early Childhood developmental stages and appropriate teaching and support

Tuesday 16th September p.m: attended community meeting at local ministry office to discuss plans for a youth event for Thai and migrant children and young people later in the year

Wednesday 17th September: Part 2 of working with centre directors on the information leaflet for parents

Tuesday 23rd September: visits to the three additional centres that we have not been working with on a regular basis, but have attended our workshops and received books and resources

Wednesday 24th September: training session for World Education Master Trainers in basic Early Childhood Development principles and practice

Thursday 25th September: teacher observation visit for migrant learning centre teachers in collaboration with fellow VSO volunteer Alice

Saturday 27th September: Project evaluation workshop with teachers and directors

The end of the workshop turned into a photo-call reminiscent of a wedding, with photos of every conceivable combination of people. I'll just share  the final group photo!

In the middle of all that, I took it into my head to apply for a job I had seen advertised back in the UK, and I ended up having two interviews by Skype. I didn't get it in the end, and I am rather relieved - I think I have been saved from my own madness! It would have been crazy to leave here in such a hurry and try to launch myself straight into a new job without any breathing space in between. I'm coming to the conclusion that VSO probably have it right when they suggest volunteers should take time to adjust back to life at home before serious job hunting. Time to re-acquaint myself with Zen Dog:

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

I have decided to share with my loyal readers some of the wonderful musical sounds that I am entertained by, night after night. I mean, it seems selfish of me to keep such delights to myself when I can share them with a much wider audience.
Unfortunately the performers cannot actually be seen in the videos, but the view from my bedroom window proves that all these recordings were indeed made at dead of night.
Backing vocals throughout courtesy of The Cicadas.

The Lone Barker

with additional percussion by Rain on a Tin Roof

The Midnight Choir

performing their Top 10 hit:

"Howling at the Moon"

 

 

The Almighty Scrap

with appearances by

The Big Bad Bully and The Irritating Yapper

(Not sure why this one got inserted sideways)

 

 

Duet featuring The Cicadas and The Washing Machine

with the well-known classic "Wash your socks at five o'clock!"

 

 

Medicines, meetings and mountains of sticky-back plastic

The last few weeks seem to have been crazily busy (and the next few look just as packed), and I haven't managed to add anything to the blog for a while. So here is a quick round-up of some of what has happened:

Tuesday 19th August: Tried yoga for the first time. I am not doing aerobics at the moment. Alice is away and I will not walk to the class without her and her large stick with which she fends of the dogs! I have been meaning to try yoga for a long time but never got around to it. I am not quite convinced that I have the patience for it, but maybe it would do me some good to do something that really forces me to stop my mind for a bit occasionally!

Wednesday 20th August: Up to now we have not worked much with the teachers of the very youngest children, as they do not technically come under the remit of the project. However, having discovered the teacher of the under-twos at one of the centres attempting to teach them the alphabet, we held a special mini-workshop for the teachers of the youngest students, looking at developmentally appropriate teaching and learning for children of this age. Part of the problem is inappropriate parental expectations, so we are also going to work together with the directors and the local education department to create an information leaflet for parents about development in the early years and appropriate teaching and learning.

Friday 22nd August : The throat infection I had at the end of July triggered a major flare-up of my psoriasis, sufficiently bad to warrant making the 8 hour bus trip to Bangkok to see a skin specialist. I decided to make the most of it and make a couple of other appointments at the same time.

Saturday 23rd August: I spent most of the day at the luxurious BNH in Bangkok. First stop, the dermatology department, where the pre-appointment vital signs check revealed my weight as 48.8kg and my blood pressure at an all time low of 85/54 - I wondered how I was still vertical! The dermatologist was excellent, and I came away with a whole selection of lotions and potions to treat my skin. It just means starting my getting up and going to bed routines about half an hour earlier!

I also had appointments with the ENT department to have my ears cleaned out with their state-of-the-art suction machine - a surreal experience as you get to watch the whole procedure vastly magnified on a large flat screen TV above the bed - and in the breast health centre for a routine check up.

Sunday 24th August: I spent the day with fellow VSO-volunteer Jennel, who had made the 9-hour journey from Ranong to Bangkok, also for medical visits. Being a total of 17 hours apart, we have seen very little of each other during our placements, apart from the occasional VSO meeting in Bangkok and the study visits to each other's placements, so it was lovely to have the chance to catch up and spend a bit of time together.
We went to the famous Chatuchak market in the morning where, browsing through a bookstall that appeared to sell absolutely everything, I discovered my A Level chemistry text book (not my copy, obviously!) Later I also found the molecular cell biology textbook I used at university. No doubt all terribly out of date by now.

Monday 25th August: Travelled back to Mae Sot.

Tuesday 26th August: 2nd yoga class - some progress...

Friday 29th August: We held a meeting in Burmese for migrant parents at one of the centres, giving information about early childhood development and how they can support their children's development at home.

We also received the news that the centre that took part in the contest organised by the Ministry of Public Health won the final provincial level round! The teachers and school committee will all be heading down to Bangkok at some stage to receive the prize from the wife of the prince. Maybe our singing did impress after all!

Saturday 30th August: We held a 1-day resource-making session for the teachers. Attendance was voluntary, but most of them came, apart from a few who had been struck down by conjunctivitis, which seems to be rampaging through the centres. They worked incredibly hard making a range of visual resources and games, which I hope they will use! I spent most of the day covering things with sticky-backed plastic, which is surprisingly tiring; I was exhausted by the time I got home!

Friday 5th September: Repeated the parent meeting at another of the centres.

In the afternoon we delivered some toys we had ordered for the centres. It has taken the company such a long time to process and deliver the order that the teachers had forgotten we had ever ordered them, so it was an exciting surprise!

In between all this we have been continuing our usual rounds of visits to the centres. This month we are doing reflections with all the teachers on the changes since the start of the project, in preparation for the evaluation workshop we have scheduled for 27th September. We are also in the final stages of developing an ECD handbook for teachers, based on the key learning points from the training we have done with them, plus a few other activities we want to fit in before the mid-term October break. After that the project will be essentially finished, with only the final partnership review and report-writing left to do. I can hardly believe it is all coming to an end.