Julie in Thailand

Crafting

2007-05-27T15:52:00.000+10:00

Shift today was lots of fun, Jessica made a cake and we cut it into flat pieces. We then got the kids to pipe icing onto the cake from snap lock bags. They also got to decorate with 100's and 1000's. Appart from the kids enjoying getting to eat sugar is was one of the crafts they have been best at so far. It was lost of fun helping to guide little hands over their cake!

Graduation

2007-05-17T14:52:00.000+10:00

Well, its the begining of the new school year and with that 4 of the olders children the volunteers look after and moving up to the older pre-school. Its a very exciting time for tham and i will deffinantly miss them, but i will still look after them mornings and afternoons and weekends, so thats good. Our group also got 5 new additions, youngsters moving up from the babies group. 3 of them are great, happily settling in but two are not to keen to be with the ferlungs (white people). There are alot of changes happening but its all going on swiftly.

The Wet Season

2007-05-17T13:22:00.000+10:00

Well, its come early this year (or so they tell me). It has been raining every day for about three weeks now. It's still a bit of a novelty and the temperature drop is great to, its gone down about 10 degrees or so. I imagine in a few more weeks I will just be sick of being wet, having to take a spare pair of clothing to work and wrapping anything i need to take in a plastic bag. All the ponds in the graving feilds have filled up and its amazing how green everything is. After drought for so long its great to see greenery. But then I imagine thats going to get old when the path I use through bush starts getting overgrown and boggy.

Other exciting news

2007-03-24T17:33:00.000+11:00

VISITORS!!

Mum and Dad are coming soon and we are all very excited. I am making the last arangements over the next few days and then all will be ready. 9 days in Chiang Mai with Mum and Dad before Dad flies home and Mum and I continue on the Kuala Lumpur and Singapore for a few days each. I then have a few days rest before Sarah and Dave Williamson, my youth minister and Uni chaplain as well as two good friends, come and visit. I'm not entirley sure what we will be doing but it will be great to see them none the less.

Adoptions

2007-03-24T17:26:00.000+11:00

With Jeanjira just left, Kanawoot leaving soon and Pailin not long after that our small goup of Children is shrinking and I and the other volunteers couldnt be happier. The hardest thing for me to deal with is answering HIV+ children why they dont have a mum and dad yet. Some of the most gorgeous kids will never have a mum and dad because their parents either didnt know about the desease untill it took their life or were careless. Perhaps in being unfair and narrow minded but it is also not fair that these kids dont get to have a normal life. Well this post turned into something completly unexpected, but there it is!

Pollution

2007-03-13T16:22:00.000+11:00

Well this week we found out the pullotion levels are five times the recomended international level. We are all a little worried, apparently it has never been anywhere close to this high, I can hardly see to the end of my street. The only good thing is that it's 10 degrees cooler than it should be for this time of year, well, good for us bad for agriculture.

Conny and Alex all gone

2007-03-04T13:54:00.000+11:00

Alex and Conny left Chiang Mai last Friday. Conny to the Thai Islands for a few weeks before heading home to Germany and Alex straight home to Australia. With Katherine also finishing work next week Jane tells me Agape has never had so few volunteers. When people take their holidays it will be down to one person per shift sometimes. Living alone isnt as bad as i thought it would be, so many people have told me to drop in at any time.

Waterfall

2007-02-21T18:21:00.000+11:00

Yesterday Connie and I went to a waterfall whos source starts at a limestone deposit. Over thousands of years limestone sediments slowly flowed down the river and over the waterfall creating a formation that looked alot like huge bubbles. The smooth surfaces have the same texture of pumus and since moss can't grow there it is perfect for climbing. I only slipped once and thats when i stood on a fallen tree trunk. The place was beautiful, i have never had so much fun in water.

Sicknesses

2007-02-21T14:21:00.000+11:00

I am experienceing my first outbreak. Over twenty kids 3 nannies and myself have had swollen glads. It was thought to be mumps but heals far to quickly and there arent any other symptoms appart from sore swolen glands. 5 of our kids are in isolation and whenever i go to visit them they run up and hang on to any part of my body they can reach (mainly just my legs, unless i sit down).

Japan

2007-02-07T14:39:00.001+11:00

Day 1: After a long bus ride through the center of Tokyo e arrive back at Campus where Kelly lives intime for her to leave for class. So Paul and I wander the street of Kunitachi, taking in the sights and orientating ourselves. After dinner we went to Karaoke and then to the local watering hole for some beers and this weird sweet plume wine. Day 2: Today off to Asakusa, a big red shinto shrine, and lot of market and good thing to buy. In the afternoon we went to the kings palace but we were too late and the grounds were closed. For dinner we went looking in Shinjuko, it was like a Japanese Las Vega but without the gambling. It ued to be the home of the Japanese marfia, and probably still is, but they are less seen these days. Day 3: My Birthday!! Pancake for breakfast and then off to Harajuku where the people stand around in weird punk costumes. Alo shpping and another temple that still had it new year ice carving out. Lunch was deliceous ramen and a telephone call to mum, dad and grandma who happened to be at our house at the time. the a walk to shibuya and to the 40th floor of a fancy shmansy hotel for coctails. Then to hachiko which i a huge apparently famous "postcard" interection. Dinner was another deliceou meal, kelly ate the whole plate of tofu. Day 4: Hiroshima!! Shinkansen!! the two thing (appart from kally and paul) i had been lookng forward to the most. We had a rare great view of Fujisan (the volcano). We found a really nice and cheap hotel at the tourist information place near the train station. A japanese picnic across the river from the A-Bmb dome and then Paul and I went on to the museum while Kelly (like the nerd she is) found a coffee shop to study in. Dinner was Okonomiyaki with the nicest friendliest loudest cook in the world. Ian Thorpe once ate there. My first try of Mr Doughnuts for desert!! YUM!! and paul insists i also say this is where i got some laxatives Day 5: Traditional breakfast was tres good (Pauls words). all sorts of little bowls of stuff. Ferry to Miyajima where we hired bikes to ride to the water gate shrine (Tori shaped). Back on the Shinkansen, with obento for lunch, to Himeji to stop off to visit a 500 year old castle. Kelly's favorite place and I was scared climbing to the top floor. I left the taking photos out side the windows to Kelly and Paul on the 6th floor. Its strange, the 40th floor in Tokyo was no problem but i couldnt go 6 floors here with out feeling like I was going to die. (Paul inserts "first poop!!") Jump back on the Shinkansen and dinner at the train station with an amazing sight I have never seen and may never see again; a longer line at the gents than at the ladies. Day 6: Sleep in!! Kelly decided to skip class at the last minute (naughty girl) to come with us to Oeno. We had Don for lunch, finally, i had heard about Don on the first day and wanted to try since. It is a bowl of rice with mean on top, very plain but this place was deliceous. Then on to Museum of Easturn Artifacts, there was a very litle, very ugly mummy (but we didnt tell him that). the oldest articat we saw was 5 millenia BC. Kelly thought the paint was a bit faded! That evening we went shopping at some sleazy markets under railway rtacks, Omeyoko. Paul and I found a pre-faded pre-pilled flano for around $50. Dinner was with Kelly's host family. Last minute organised but still lots of yummy food. Day 7: Time for me to go home. Early rise and breakifast on the Narita Express.

Family trips

2007-01-11T15:39:00.000+11:00

Leaving tonight, yay, I'm looking foward to seeing Kelly, it been uch a long time. Her and paul promised to meet me with Mr doughnuts at 8 am at the airport!! I till have no idea what i we are doing on the day of my 21st birthday, but it had better be something good!!
I also talked to Mum the other day and she is already begining to organie her trip here. I'm so proud of her for finally getting a passport! She also told me that they were giving my liftime membership to the ski lodge in Jynderbine for my birthdcay which is great!!

Akhai

2007-01-07T16:48:00.000+11:00

I just about have all of their trust. Today on morning shift we cooked food and after that Akhai decided she wanted to help wash up. I'm not sure how much help she was and probably only succeeded in getting both herself and me wetter than was necessary but we had a lot of fun. For the rest of the day she chatted away to me not in the least bit interested that i only understood every second thing she said. Now I just have to work on Sukanya who doesn't seem to trust any of the volunteers. In other news I fell off my push bike onto the gravel on the way home. Luckily I was wearing jeans but i still cut a hole in my knee (same leg as before).

Flower festival

2007-01-01T15:29:00.001+11:00

Last Friday morning we went on a TO to the Flower festival that Chiang Mai is holding. countries from all over the world have submitted beautiful works. The show last for 3 months and they have put so much work into it. The Prince wsa going to visit that afternoon and so we could see workers everywhere freshening up the flowers makeing it look even more beautiful.

This is part of South Africa's entry, it was beautiful to walk through the setting looking at all the art and native flora. Unfortunantly Australia sisnt submit an entry but i was quite proud when i could ask the tour leader if Australia did and it was even better when i understood the answer!

The was an amazing construction. It is a cone made of what looked like bark with flowers growing on the inside. Its huge, easily big enough for a person to walk a few meters in.

We spent all morning at the festival and stopped in a carpark on the way home to have lunch. We were so late i lmost missed my thai class but then at the last minute Somping called to say that her daughter-in0law was in labour so it was excitment plus that day.

Fire!!

2006-12-31T19:48:00.000+11:00

Every weekend we do cooking with the kids in the morings and today we lit a fire and did spuds and corn in the coals and little frankfurt type things on the end of sticks. It was all lots of fun but tomato sauce ended up everywhere... Including all over Pornpiroons clothing, i have noidea how she got it into some places she did.
Tonight is New years and as usual its a quiet night in. Tomorrow Conny and I have a day off together and and planing on having a picnic and then exploring "old town" which is the middle of the city. which should be lots of fun.

5 things

2006-12-31T19:04:00.000+11:00

well, i was tagged to write 5 things that many people dont now about me. So after much thought i could only come up with 3 but i will keep thinking till i have 5

1. Im afraid of butterflies; go ahead laugh at me but there is just no way to explain it appart from that they are absolutly gross and never look like they are in control of where they are going. Have you ever taken the time to look at one up close? you wouldnt think its so beautiful then.

2. When i was younger (maybe 10) i stole a button from a material shop and when mum found out (as mums always do) she made me go back and pay for it. I almost cried when i faced the owner of the shop.

3. I broke up wit my long term boyfriend 2 months ago and have noidea how to tell anyone. so if you dont know you have now officially been told and no i dont want to talk about it or go into it.

Christmas day

2006-12-29T19:06:00.000+11:00

Let me just start by saying on boxing day i slept till 2pm without even realisining it.
Christmas eve all the volunteers went to Agape at about 5 or so to play games and muck around with the older kids. There was donuts from the washing line, the chocolate game, passing circle chips along staws in the mouth and fruit salad (conny and i were lychee). After games the volunteers had pizza dinner and the kids went upstairs to watch a movie. When i asscended the stairs to finish watching the movie after dinner i heard

"Twas the night before christmas,

when all through the house,

not a creature was stiring,

not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung,

from the chimney with care,

in the hopes that saint Nicolas,

would soon be there..."

An old family tradition of ours and somethings that I knew I would miss. When all the kids had settled down to sleep it was time for us to get up again and go to midnight church which was interesting. We had communion and hung around after to sing carols. Back to Agape by 2.30 to lay out the gifts for all the kids to find in the morning. Around 2 hours of frequently interupted sleep later we are all up and downstair having breakfast of this ricesoup that is far too flavoursome for a ferlung and toast with condenced milk.

After breakfast off came the carefully wrapped paper and out came the gifts. Play with mine for a bit before i decide i like my neighbours better, but thats ok because my neighbour like mine better also.

For me, after that, it was off to Rimping (the local supermarket) to buy some lunch and then home to find out Connies boyfriend delayed his flight for a few days. Lunch with them was great and i introduced them to a Tim Tam Slam.

Dinner was with the staff and volunteers at Avis (the boss's) house. Nibbles and desert, lots of fun and food, always great for christmas day.

Little Cherubs

2006-12-21T14:03:00.000+11:00

My Kids

Im not allowed to post their names next to their picture so if you want to match names to faces you'll have to email me to ask who they are. I appologize that I am missing one face but this is the best I could do. Do you know how hard it it to get 13 2-3 yearols to sit still and look at a camera? I am still amazed we get two or three smiles.

Christmas Tree Pictures

2006-12-21T13:41:00.000+11:00

Pictures, as promised, of us putting up the christma tree at my new home. This is me attempting to untangle the Christams tree lights and I am proud to say they are now strung, tangle free on the tree. The other photo is Conny, my house mate after braving the dusty cupboards behind the beds to cut down (out of the box) our magnificant plastic tree. We spent all afternoon looking for the decorations and untangeling them and decorating the house. I was pretty useless becaue I could hardly walk. You can see in the picture of me the end of my crutches sticking out from under the tree.

Just around the corner

2006-12-20T15:18:00.000+11:00

Merry Christmas

Only 5 more sleeps!!

Tonight is Agape's Christmas party/show type thing and the volunteers and soem of the nannies are doing a thai dance. We arent very good so i hope noone gets offended but it will still be lots of fun. The last few days we have been going to the few local shopping centers to buy christmas presents for the kids. It has been lots of fun deciding what each of them would like with their own personalities. Over the next few days we are wrapping the gifts so to be placed out Christmas night. Christmas eve is a sleep over at Agape and Christmas lunch is a traditional hot turkey meal. The last few days have been cold, cold enough to put on a light jumper in the middle of the day so perhaps a hot meal will be a nice change. At carols by candle lite last week they were talking about the changes we will face this cristmas being in a new culture and most laughed when they said it will be a hot christmas but the aussies just looked at each other in cofusion and everyone laughed when one of us stood up and said, "What are you talking about, this is cold". Carols was nice, people from all over got up and sang a traditioal song. When it came time for the Aussies we all got dragged up to sing a song we have never read that was written the day before to the tune of Waltzing Matilda. It turned out quite nice but i would have prefered the Aussie version of Jingle Bells.

unconditional love

2006-12-06T18:01:00.000+11:00

After almost two weeks of laying around the house, I finally saw the kids again. I went to agape with Sheree and Yevonne (two volunteers who are leaving soon) and their parents, who are in town for a few weeks. Its was great, when i walked in the door, May, a gorgeous girl with a tracheotomy, came running up to me with her hands in the air. After i had picked her up and put her down again to climb over the gate she noticed my bandage and wouldnt let me pick her up again for fear of hurting me. I sat down and 4 or 5 crouded around me pointing at my bandage, asking "jeb mai" with is "pain?". I was amazed that none of them touched it or scambled onto that leg with is normally what they do as soon as you sit down. It was great to sit in the shade and watch them play, with them occasionally coming up to me pointing and saying "jeb mai".
I loved these kids before i left Australia, and now, knowing them and begining to learn each individual and their personalities, I love them more each day. Even their stobburnness and their tantrums, whatever they can throw at me.

In other news

2006-12-01T22:16:00.000+11:00

We put up our christmas Tree today!!! It was lots of fun, we went searching through the dusty cupboards and found it and lots of decorations. I have some photos but still not sure how to get them onto the computer. I will have to find a place that will let me do that.

Bad News

2006-12-01T21:21:00.000+11:00

Well, I didn't get to the markets on sunday because I had a motor bike accident on my first lesson on Saturday and spent 3 days in hospital on a drip. Nothing too serious, my bike tilted while going, and instead of breaking i accelerated and ended up sliding along a brick garden bed wall with most of the weigh of the bike on my leg. I spit my leg open down to the flesh in a small area just on the inside, next to the bone on my shin and then made a huge long graze type thing running all the way around the front of my leg, about 3 inches wide. My ankle is also twice the size of the other one, but nothing broken. I was very lucky to escape with just the injuries on my left leg and a few scratches on my belly when i had to untangle myself from a rose bush. They only kept me in the hospital so long because it was a really dirty wound’s and they wanted to make sure it was all ok and because I’m a white foreigner. The hospital was nice and clean but they aren’t doing a very good job when I go back to have the dressing changed every day, so we went to a different one today and they did a much better job and for only an extra 100 baht ($3AUS)

The three days in hospital were so boring, here is a view from my bed, it was all very clean, similar to something you would find in a public hospital at home.

The view from the window next to my bed was quite nice and the sun setting over the mountains was beautiful, especially good through all the pollution. I came home on Tuesday and all the girls at home have been really good to me. I bought some crutches from the hospital for 600baht after searching everywhere for some to hire. But now that I have them I can get around much easier. I’m still not going outside the house too often though. I have gone through the collection of DVD’s and sat fiddling with the cables and buttons on the VCR until I got it to work.
I miss the kids already and I still have at least a week until I can even think about going to see them.

8 days

2006-11-25T14:40:00.001+11:00

I got on the scales this morning, and i have lost 7kg since i have been here, its amazing what riding a bike for 45 min everyday will do for you. Although having a stomach bug and not being able to eat for a week would do it awell.
Well, i finished my 8 days in a row and im still alive. For some reason i got 6 days straight, and then offered to change my day off so someone could go to the airport. So for 7 of those shifts it was up at 5.30 and off to work on the pushbike and then home again to study for language lessons. i was so tired,, but after sleeping in for 2 days i feel much better.
I think i will finally get to go to the Sunday night markets (for the STET people that the first market we went to) which i am excited about cause it has all Thai prices not Ferlung prices (a ferlung is a white person). There are lots of crafts and food and clothing, but what im really looking for is a bedside lamp that give off lots of light. Hopefully i can get one

First lesson

2006-11-15T13:26:00.000+11:00

I had my first thai lesson today with Sompong. She is a lovely lady who has offered to also teach me to cook thai food when i can get myself to her house for lessons. She is also a preacher at one of the churches around town and has also offered to take me to that sometime when i am not working the morning shift. So after my first lesson i can order myself a meal in thai and ask whats what (even if i cant understand the answer). With a bit more practise i can say all that that is.
Today i will be having my first motorbike lesson with Soibhan, the volunteer who is leaving in a few days and selling me her bike.

Loi Krathong

2006-11-07T18:31:00.000+11:00

I went to my first buddhist festival on Sunday night, Loi Krathong. The festival was for the sending away of their sins, the float flower arangments down the river and put lanturns into the sky. Fireworks has been going off all weekend because if it aswell, keeping me up late when all i want to do is sleep. Watch all the colourful floats go down the river with their little lite candles and all the huge lanturns float into the sky is an amazing thing, even if your not 100% sure what they are for. I pent my first evening in the markets aswell, but ofcourse with, what the vlunteers have named, the Chiang Mai welcome bug i didnt really feel like shopping. But i must tell you about the Tuktuk we caught home, with its surround sound and bass pumping, dance music making me deaf, it deffinantly was an experiance. Well, till next time

first shift

2006-10-31T17:00:00.000+11:00

Well, it only took me one shift to discove my hidden calling to become a climbing gym. From the moment i stepped over the knee high barriers i had knee high people wanting to climb all over me! The volunteers look after the 2 to 3 year olds who can walk but arent yet old enough to go to preeschool. So, after a few hours of wrestling and stacks on on my head it was time for a bath and get dressed to go on an outing, like every other Tuesday. You'll nerver guess where we went... The shopping center! 2 or 3 kids to a volunteer, all in a trolly, and its time for the volunteer to do her weekly groceries and spoil her favourites with a little treat.
The whole thing was amazing, is amazing.

here i am

2006-10-29T22:59:00.000+11:00

WOW, im here, in the HOT SLOW internet cafe finlly knowing its all going to be ok!
Im having my orientation tomrrow but the past few days all ive been able to think about is sleep. Not sure if its that fact that i had hardly any sleep on the plane or if its cause it is so humid. Anyway, im loving it here, Drop me a line to find out more ;)

TOMORROW

2006-10-26T20:18:00.000+10:00

wow, I cant believe its finally only one more day till I leave. This time tomorrow ill be going through the gates and finding my own way to the plane which is slightly scary. I'm begining to realise all the things I wont have or see for 12 months and how much I'll miss them all. So I ask you all, please keep in touch while I am gone.

Testing Photos

2006-10-01T13:20:00.000+10:00

this is a photo of me and two gorgeous girls at Agape home. I spent half a day there in November and we bounced all day on the trampolines, alot of fun, I highly reccomend it! The picture is really only here because i am testing out what this site can do.

why a blog site?

2006-09-30T17:23:00.000+10:00

I have made this blog site so i have somewhere to rant when things are getting tough or stressful. I also made it so all my family and friends (that means you) can keep track of what i am doing. I will try and post here as often as i can and leave some images for you to see of all the wonderful things i see and do.