It is so hot here right now that the earth is actually shimmery in the heat. However, in the afternoons, these big huge winds have been blowing up promising to deliver rain...and then often just simply fading away without any relief. Today though, the rains came on the heels of the wind-a HUGE gully-washer complete with something my friend Mae Kiaw had never before seen ("Mai Khury Hen")---HAIL!!! She screeched with such delight that you would have thought it was pure gold raining down from heaven! Then, just as fast as it blew in---off it went---taking the brief cool respite with it!!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
A Morning Out!
Going on outings with the kids is always a favorite part of the work day. Back in the day when I was here full time, I tried to get out at least once a week with one of the groups-but my time on these visits is usually so jam-packed that I can't get away. Today was different though, and I got to join the young preschoolers for their expedition to Carrefour (kind of like Target in SE Asia!). Off we hurled in the Van (with Avis at the wheel, the speed of travel is never sedate!), to our destination---in search of Khanom and adventure. Of course, this is also an opportunity to pick up a few things for the home so after we arrived, we split into groups to get the shopping accomplished. My cart passenger was quite a good companion-munching on some cheese twists and commenting on things as we walked past. I needed to pick up some tissue-and as always enjoyed comparing the brands available with what we have at home (to this day my all-time favorite is the "Sit and Smile" brand of toilet paper!). Here instead of Puffs infused with Vicks Vapo-Rub for that cold, there is Kleenex infused with Eucalyptus, and instead of the small boxes with flowers on them there were triangle wedge-shaped boxes that looked like fruit slices--green for Som-O (Chinese grapefruit), and red for Watermelon (Dangmoo). As the clip below will attest, my faithful passenger was just delighted with these---especially the watermelon that looked so real you could almost take a bite out of it!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Tuesday April 27, 2010
Hot season begins in Thailand in March, revs up to peak intensity during April, and begins to wane into just plain hot and humid rainy season by about the third week of May and into June. This means that the "summer" school holidays in the Thai school calendar run from about March 20-about May 20. That is a long way to say that it is school holiday time here and the children are home during the days!! What bliss! Although my visit is short this time, I am actually able to see and be with the kids more this visit because they are around all day.
Now, I know that the idea of 80 some kids all home for school break at the same time has many of your hearts pounding with empathetic panic! Long and short of it-there are very few day long programs that we can sign the kids up for!!! No matter though...for many years now lots of dedicated people begin planning way in advance to make sure that the days are full of a variety of fun and interesting (and at times even educational!) outings and activities for all the various age-groups to enjoy. In just the two days I have been here there has been constant activity---two visiting teams bringing their own day camp experience right to our door-arts and crafts---special outings to exciting locations like the Bua Tong (snake belly) limestone waterfall that you can actually walk up and down---in the water---on the limestone which is amazingly easy to find traction on even as the water rushes underfoot (-really---I have been there a number of times and can attest to this from first-hand experience!).
But, for me, today was really sweet. You see, every Tuesday during the noon hour, the nannies gather for a time of worship, prayer, study and fun in the big "Sala" area in the front of Agape. It is always wonderful to hear them singing and laughing together. This week, and during the summer school break---the "middle-aged" (9-12 or so) kids get to joing them---and the sight, and sound of it always brings a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye. The video clip below will, I hope, give you a small taste of this very precious time! Oh, and if you hear a slightly familiar voice chiming in near the end...that would be me...momentarily forgetting that the same camera capturing the kids and nannies voices would also capture mine!
Now, I know that the idea of 80 some kids all home for school break at the same time has many of your hearts pounding with empathetic panic! Long and short of it-there are very few day long programs that we can sign the kids up for!!! No matter though...for many years now lots of dedicated people begin planning way in advance to make sure that the days are full of a variety of fun and interesting (and at times even educational!) outings and activities for all the various age-groups to enjoy. In just the two days I have been here there has been constant activity---two visiting teams bringing their own day camp experience right to our door-arts and crafts---special outings to exciting locations like the Bua Tong (snake belly) limestone waterfall that you can actually walk up and down---in the water---on the limestone which is amazingly easy to find traction on even as the water rushes underfoot (-really---I have been there a number of times and can attest to this from first-hand experience!).
But, for me, today was really sweet. You see, every Tuesday during the noon hour, the nannies gather for a time of worship, prayer, study and fun in the big "Sala" area in the front of Agape. It is always wonderful to hear them singing and laughing together. This week, and during the summer school break---the "middle-aged" (9-12 or so) kids get to joing them---and the sight, and sound of it always brings a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye. The video clip below will, I hope, give you a small taste of this very precious time! Oh, and if you hear a slightly familiar voice chiming in near the end...that would be me...momentarily forgetting that the same camera capturing the kids and nannies voices would also capture mine!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
After school fun...
I really like when the kids come home from school in the afternoon. They come racing up the walk from the bus-full of stories and greetings and news from their day. Then it is off to put away their shoes, book bags and assorted belongings, and up to the big assembly room on the second floor of the Agape school building to check-in and have a snack. Like any big family-you have to touch base, get your plan for the evening, and make sure everyone is where they are supposed to be! The kids take a seat on the floor, and the one who is quietest gets to go forward first (and so on...) to sign the book and let the nannies on duty know if they have homework or not. Then they get their treat--"Khanom"---and off they go to the next thing-homework, or playtime, or just simply hanging out with their friend Patty visiting from America!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
A Brief Winter Respite
This has already been a long hard winter-bitter cold, snow, unseasonably "warm" followed by rain and sleet, followed by ice everywhere, followed by more bitter cold and snow.....and on it goes. If Puxatawny Phil the famous groundhog is to be believed (anyone reading this from Gobbler's Creek, PA?), we have another 6 weeks (or more) of this nonsense as the little furry beast emerged on Monday to see his shadow. But, me, I get a brief respite from this starting tomorrow---9 days in sunny, warm, not-so-humid-yet Northern Thailand---Yippee!!! I am going to let that hot sun drenched air soak into my frozen joints and try not to complain even once that it is "too hot"! Hope you will join me for the trip...I'll do my best to bring you up to date on all the happenings at the Agape Home...and who knows, maybe this will be the trip that I hear the longed-for phrase of the coach-class passenger on a long haul flight..."Why Miss Franklin, we have an opening in World Business Class---would you like an upgrade!?" :-)
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