Things I have learnt

Last week I learnt some valuable lessons...if you are going to do a plumbing job (no matter how minor it is or how certain you are that it's not going to flood the kitchen leaving you completely drenched sitting in a big puddle trying to block a broken high pressure water pipe with your finger) ALWAYS switch off the water supply and drain the system beforehand and/or make sure there is someone else in the house to help if things go horribly wrong!

I have learnt this lesson the hard way. Maybe through reading my blog, you won't have to...you see, this hasn't been such a waste of time afterall...

I said in an earlier post that when I'm on the wards I almost have to switch off some part of my emotions so that I can be of some use. It is important though that you remember just how horrible things are because sometimes you are inclined to say "this isn't so bad" about things that clearly are. Just to illustrate how bleak some of these kids' lives are, for some of them the highlight of their day/week is being visited by me - now that can't be good...

Last week I came across a guy lying in bed on his back (I presume this is how he spends every day), his teeth were rotten and as far as I could tell he was deaf, dumb and blind (as well as being physically disabled). I presume he gets fed when it is time, and has his nappy changed when he has soiled it - that's pretty much his life. I found myself asking what the point was - what good was it to him or anyone else that he was alive...I'm not sure I have an answer to that question...but there is something of which I'm certain - he is a person and he wants attention just like anyone else...when I touched his hands he reached out and held mine and didn't want to let go...I sat with him for half an hour or so and when it was time to leave I had to let him go and walk away...I could still see him reaching into the air as I left the ward...sometimes things can be quite tough here...

Boot camp

We got back yesterday from our weekend away at the army barracks in Rayong...I'll tell you what - the army in Thailand lives in absolute luxury...we had spacious rooms:


With bedding provided...in case you're wondering those mats on the floor are so thin that it's just like sleeping on the floor...

We had air con:

There was an alarm service...it wasn't quite the same as you'd find in other hotels though...we didn't get to chose when they woke us up - and it just happened to be at 5:30 in the morning and was done by some army guy blowing a whistle, shouting something in Thai and turning the lights on!

We had nearly en-suite shower facilities:

I say "nearly" because to qualify as an en-suite shower it would have to be next to where we slept and would also have to be a shower as opposed to a trough full of cold water with bowls in it...

We were next to the sea though which was LOVELY...they'd even kindly provided LOTS of inflatable toys for the kids...well they weren't strictly inflatable toys...someone described them as "floaters" and yes, they were brown...luckily for you that's something I didn't get any pictures of...

Anyway, we have now sold 4 pictures (plus 1 donation) which is great...thank you very much...just to let you know, the amount that you donate for the paintings is entirely up to you - anything is appreciated...well not anything - but you know what I mean...also, we think that what we will do is give some small amount of the money to the artists whose paintings are sold and then give the rest to the group for activities, trips etc...we think this is the fairest way to do it and also makes things easier for the guys who don't really understand how money works...

So, as Lenny Henry would say, "How have I managed to have so many comedy shows on TV without actually being funny?", that's not really relevant though, so as he would also say, "Please, please, please keep the donations coming in - every penny is appreciated"...

Pictures

Right then, here are some pictures that the guys have done. If you see one you want, send me an email to let me know (I've forgotten to bring my bank card to the internet cafe, so either I'll email my bank details or I'll put them up in a later blog), if you don't see one you want but think you would like me to pick one for you from the paintings we do in the future that's no problem, and if you don't want any paintings cos you think they're all rubbish you can just give a donation instead!

As I said before - I think the best way for me to get the pictures to you would be to bring them home with me in July...I'll also give you a photograph of the artist...anyway, here they are:

1. Artist - Nin (395mm x 270mm). Sold to Andy.



2. Artist - Nin (545mm x 397mm). Sold to Donal.


3. Artist - Chork (395mm x 270mm). For Sale.


4. Artist - Chork (395mm x 270mm). For Sale.



5. Artist - Chork (545mm x 397mm). Sold to Maisy.


6. Artist - Nung (545mm x 397mm). Sold to Jenny & Mark.



7. Artist - Nung (545mm x 397mm). For Sale.



8. Artist - Pitiyaa (545mm x 397mm). For Sale.


9. Artist - Pitiyaa (545mm x 397mm). Sold to Ann.




10. Artist - Sen (395mm x 270mm). Sold to Colin & Anna.



11. Artist - Sen (395mm x 270mm). For Sale.



12. Artist - Sen (545mm x 397mm). Sold to Donal.



13. Artist - Dong (545mm x 397mm). For Sale.



Unfortunately I have had BIG problems uploading pictures today so I have not posted all of the ones I wanted to (including a couple of the best ones)...I will put them up at some point in the future - I will also put up photos of the artists...

Just to let you know, I have told the guys about their pictures being sold and they are very excited about it...I think they'll be even more excited when they see the money and what they can do with it!

Kanchanaburi

We got back from Kanchanaburi today ...it was a nice relaxing time as I had hoped it would be...unfortunately I got burnt down one side today while walking about (so that should be fun for the next week <6> or so!)...you kind of forget how strong the sun is outside of Bangkok...it is strong here but not as bad as it might be because there's so much smog.

So here's a picture of the famous bridge over the river Kwai...it's not the one that was built by the POWs...that was bombed during the war...it's not even very big...but why let minor details like that get in the way of tourist Dollars? It's quite funny actually - this being Thailand, you can just walk across it...there are signs saying beware of trains...I don't think it mentions anything about falling to your death though...it's the little differences...

Here's a picture of what the bridge looked like in the olden-days...

Thank you very much to everyone who has shown an interest in buying paintings...At some point I will put a load of pictures on the blog that are available to purchase then people can email me if they are interested in any particular piece...if there is contention then I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement - maybe a duel at dawn to decide who gets it...Of course the most important thing here is the money for the guys and so if anyone would like to buy any painting ( i.e. you don't have to see it first and are willing to trust my exceptional artistic judgment) then you can let me know that as well...also, if anyone just wants to make a donation then get in touch...With regards to money I think the best thing to do will be to transfer the money into my account (I will provide the details) and I can take it out of the cash point here...And with regards to delivery - I will bring them home with me and give them to you when I see you...I hope this all sounds reasonable enough.

This weekend is going to be pretty tiring...on Friday night we're taking a group of kids to see Disney On Ice. Unlike when we went to the wrestling, we're actually taking CCD kids this time - I have a sneaking suspicion that the biggest reason for this is so that we can sit right at the front in the wheelchair seats!

Then on Saturday we're leaving at 5 a.m.(!) to go to a camp in Rayong (which is somewhere by the sea) with some other kids from the orphanage...we'll be working all day and getting up at 6 O'clock each morning (we're coming back on Monday)...and, oh yeah, we've just been told that we're supposed to put a show on for the kids on one of the evenings...we think we might go for the safe option and have me dress up as a ladyboy...

Thanks again for your support of every kind.

Can you see what it is yet?

Right then, I have finally got some painting pics!

The first picture is of Sen. He's one of the cleverer guys that we take...apparently he was completely normal up until the age of 6 when he got an injection (I'm not sure what it was) and that has caused him to be the way he is today. He can read and write a little bit (he went to school before the injection) and he seems to know what's going on pretty much all of the time. One of the biggest issues with Sen (other than his physical and mental disabilities) is the length of time it takes him to do anything...everything is done is super slow motion...when I was giving English lessons he was the only guy who could say "banana"...it took him about a minute to do it but he could do it!


The picture below is of Nin. I think that he is the most intelligent of the guys we take - he's the best at all of the games we play, that is, he understands the rules and is improving his tactics all of the time...at the moment he wants to learn chess, which I think is good for him in some ways (he enjoys the learning process) but I'm trying to get him back to playing chequers because he was starting to get pretty good at that.

In terms of painting, his technique is pretty good - especially when you consider that he only has limited movement in one arm...he's the only one so far who has seemed to understand how to mix the colours...a lot of the others do mix them but it tends to be all of them together...making brown! Also, as you can see below, Nin has moved into an abstract phase - I think he got inspiration from Chork's first effort which you can see further below.

So, as you already know, the guy below is Chork...he is quite easily the cutest guy we take, it's really cool when he starts getting excited and says his own name over and over (I'll try and get a video of him, and some of the others for that matter)...as I described in an earlier post, he has pretty severe learning difficulties and so doesn't really understand concepts above a certain level, for example when we're playing group games he knows that that is what we're doing and he tries to join in, but he doesn't really know how to play...

It's quite strange actually...I was thinking the other day that for some of the people at the home, it really is the best place they could be...Chork is a good example...at the home he has all of his friends and he has responsibilities - among other things he helps to push some of the other guys around in their wheelchairs when they have to go somewhere. Also he has people like us to give him stimulation and affection. I think that this is a much better situation than being in a house where you are resented, as would probably be the case in Thailand. I should mention that the conditions on the ward where Chork lives are relatively good - half of the guys have their own beds and a bedside cabinet (with a lock) where they can keep their belongings. It is quite colourful and the staff there treat the kids quite well. It really is an example to the other wards in the orphanage as to how things should be. Unfortunately his ward is the exception rather than the rule...

I mentioned in an earlier post that it might be quite nice to sell some of the guys' paintings so that we can have some money for activities and the guys can get some money for themselves...Well I was thinking that maybe some of you guys might like to buy some - what do you think? I'm not really sure how all of the logistics would work yet but I would probably either send the pictures to you (along with a photo of the painter) or give them to you upon my return...We would then ask that you give a donation directly to us (of an amount of your choosing) so that we can guarantee that it goes to the guys...if anyone would be interested in this, then drop me an email (or leave a comment) and I'll look into getting something sorted...

Right then, I think that's enough for one day...this weekend a few of us are going away to Kanchanaburi...I feel like I could do with the break at the moment as I'm pretty tired...I'll get some pictures of the bridge over the river Kwai (which is apparently pronounced so that it rhymes with "way")...you might not want to see them - but I'll get them anyway...

Take care.

Breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and crawl

Somebody said that I should put a picture of myself on the blog so here it is...I don't mean the one I've added to my profile (which I hope you like btw) but the one below...It was taken this week...we couldn't take any of the guys one day cos they were all having X-rays done, so we went over to Baan Fuang Faa, which is the home for the babies - all those under 7 officially.


The little guy I'm holding is 7 months old...I'm not sure exactly what his condition is as he seemed really normal (apart from the fact that his arm has been broken at some point) - the volunteer I spoke to said that she couldn't find anything wrong with him either...apparently he is a slow developer...my suspicion is that his condition is that he is just too cute.

I don't know if I've told you before, but every Friday morning we take the guys swimming...I haven't been able to get any pictures thus far cos I've been too busy (and wet)...but this week one of the girls took a couple with her camera and here they are:





It is really fun time for all of the guys, not just because they are more mobile in the pool but also because it's a chance for them to see lots of other people - we go at the same time as those from the girls home and the babies home...

A few weeks ago one of the inflatable rings burst and that would have meant that we could only take 3 of the guys to the pool - so I went into a shop in Bangkok (the only place where you can get rings big enough) and bought us some more (+ a beach ball!)...we don't actually get any budget at the day care centres for activities (which is an issue I'm going to raise at the next volunteer meeting) so I had to get them (as Bruce Forsyth would say) out of my own personal pocket...I have to say, it has been very nice to look around and see them all having such a fun time...

We did some more painting this week (we had to buy all the painting stuff too) but unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me so there are no pictures yet...I promise to get some next week...

Tonight, a few of us are planning to go to the night market in Bangkok which should be fun...I'm determined to lay my hands on the fabled "Mike" T-Shirt...one of the girls managed to find some "Calvin Klain" underwear - if you're going to buy fake stuff you might as well do it properly!

By the way, does anyone have any requests for things they would specifically like to see/hear about on the blog (apart from ladyboys that is)...I hope it's not getting too boring...

Godzilla

This weekend we went to a park in Bangkok (not the one where all of the demonstrations have been!). We went to Lumpini Park which is nice open space with a big artificial lake in the middle. We hired out a few peddle boats and were having quite a nice time until we spotted some massive lizards (probably over 4 foot long - see below) on the banks! If that wasn't bad enough - a couple of them got into the water and started swimming after us (well that's what it looked like at the time)! I'm sure they were harmless (probably vegetarians) but I have to say that I think it's pretty strange that not one of the guidebooks even mentioned them...a couple of them mentioned something about feeding the turtles...forget the effing turtles, that's what I say!


There's a stadium near Lumpini Park where they have Muay Thai (kick-boxing)...I really want to go while I'm over here but am currently a little put off by the fact that foreigners get charged much much more than locals...my plan is to go along and say in my best Thai "I'm a volunteer and I haven't got any money - could you please give me a discount?"...anyone think I've got a chance?

One thing you really notice when you go into Bangkok (and it was the same on Koh Samet) is the number of old western men walking around with much younger, much more attractive Thai women...it's not a pretty sight, and I think it's something that I will never get used to seeing...

Since I've been here, I've obviously been trying out loads of new things...something that it's been very easy to do this with is fruit - if you see something weird, buy it and eat it...anyway there is a particular fruit that you will read about in the guide books and that I've been searching for, called a durian (below)...some of you may have heard of it - it's banned from hotels here because it smells so bad! There are signs saying "No Smoking" and "No Durians"...it's supposed to be a delicacy (things that taste funny generally are) and it's relatively expensive...anyway I bought some and it wasn't too bad actually - definitely tasted better than it smelled! The only thing is, my housemates didn't really agree...I had to keep it outside...in a bag...the thing is, you could still smell it!



Right, one more "interesting" observation for the day...I bought a paper at the weekend and I was looking over the weather forecast...it said "Cool...high 36 degrees Centigrade...". It described 36 as cool! Maybe I should be concerned about the approaching hot season afterall!