Mountains, Children and Work

The mountains rise. They rise high from the flat ground. The dark wooden houses stand on stilts sometimes twenty feet off the ground. The people are tall - not as I had expected. “And you are short for an American, No?” Bunleod asked me. He is my host, my caretaker and my friend.

I learned how to ride a motor bike yesterday. Bunleod explained, “You know how to ride a bike? Then you know how to ride a motorbike.” So I did. And I rode it for 6 kilometers to the Phu Wua wildlife sanctuary headquarters. I sat down to write in my journal and soon enough a ranger came asking if I wanted to stay the night. I answered no and could not explain in Thai that I only wanted to sit for a while. The Phu Wua wildlife sanctuary is not cooperating with volunteers. They want to be paid more for “taking care of the volunteers.” Not only 100 Baht (about 3 American dollars) per day. They say they have too much to do and don’t have time for volunteers. This is not what I had expected. I will still be able to take treks with Bunleod but not often, only when tourists come which is about twice a month. I headed back down the jungle road on Bunleod’s motorbike to Ban Kham Pia. I arrived and was met only seconds later by my four new buddies. Ams and James appeared first, not with the same hesitation they possessed the first day. They straggled to the bottom of the ladder that leads up to my room. Looking up and giggling as I peered at them waiting to see what they would do next. No sooner had I turned around had they squirmed up the ladder and hid under my bed. This was our game the first day I came. So I played along. I’m monster and they are frightened children. Then we switch places, They are monsters and I am frightened big child. Later came Bum and Bill. They’re older and more shy. But we made friends and now Bill doesn’t run from me every time I look at him. Ha!

We took a walk, me and the four boys, down the street and as we walked, children of the village followed until soon enough we had a large gang of small children and one big child. I showed them some gymnastic tricks and then we played soccer - girls against boys - so different from Tanzania - the girls weren’t even allowed on the field, now they have they’re own team. We rolled down hills until our skin felt as though it was bitten by a million mosquitoes.

The first conversation I had with Bunleod, he told me, “There is not enough work here for a volunteer. So you can relax and take it easy.” This was very discouraging.

If there truly is not enough to do, then I have the option of leaving this placement and going perhaps to Nepal and other places. But Nepal would probably be my first choice as there is another eco-project and I have friends in the US who are Nepali and learning some of the language could be useful. But this is a last resort as I like the village I am in very much and hope to stay here. But leaving would not be a terrible thing either.

So to make inroads into what I can do to help the people and keep myself occupied at the time I’m working in two different kindergarten classes right now. One has 70 children and the other has 40. Surprisingly I enjoy the one with 70 children more. The children are more daring and creative and the teachers less authoritarian.

I also ride on the back of Bunleod’s motorbike with him to his office. He is the leader of the Village Kham Pia and runs home-stays and guides treks for people who want to take trips into the Phu Wua mountains. So I speak to him trying to improve his English and I help him with emails and phone calls with tourists. I have made a few families as friends and plan to accompany them with their work, whether it is basket weaving, rubber tree plantation work, farm work with animals, fruit trees, collecting snails and RED ANTS TO EAT! As I accompany them I will speak with them in English and try to improve their communication with tourists who come. A problem stands with the home-stay people as well as they agree to hosting tourists but when the time comes for a tourist to stay in their house they make all kinds of excuses. Same goes when a volunteer asks if they would like to learn English. So I am going to be very patient and do the teaching informally as I work and relax with them. Perhaps they will not be as shy when a tourist comes next time. As you may have noticed in my blogging, shyness is a dominating characteristic of the Thai people.
So I am patient, yet persistent.

Pictures will come later as I have not yet taken any.

I hope all is well in AumerIka!

Love Julia