Andaman Discoveries Blog
Friday, April 27, 2012
Volunteers
Thank you so much to our volunteers who took part in our projects over the last few months: your time and dedication means so much to us.
We are currently
developing new projects that will need the skills and time from volunteers over
the next few months, watch this space for an up-date.
Here is a little
excerpt from the feedback from one of our past volunteers :
“Hi! First of
all, if you’re reading this, thank you. Thank you for giving up some of your
precious time to help out on a really worthwhile cause, I know that it was so
tempting to book that beach resort instead but trust me, you’re doing a good
thing.
How good that ‘good thing’ really becomes is
now entirely dependent on you. But who am I to say all that? Well I, like you,
volunteered in 2012 when I was 21, I did have a lot of help but still there
were one or two small things that, on reflection, set me back and prevented me
from really making my ‘good thing’ truly great and if I can pass on the
mistakes that I made and the solutions that I found and help even just one
person, then I’d feel a lot better.
Before I even get onto teaching methods and
how that’s all really going to go down, I want to talk about Kuraburi itself.
As you no doubt feel right now, you’re a rather long way from home and all these
unreadable signs, market stalls and strange glances from pretty much everybody
isn’t helping the uneasiness. Don’t panic, that’s perfectly normal; it’s
culture shock and it will take time. Probably no good right now, but I will say
that although there’s nothing you can do about the signs (or the market stalls)
a smile goes a very long way with the locals and once you realize that there’s
nothing malicious in their curiosity, you’ll quickly start to enjoy the
attention. Take it from me, I’m seriously shy but the locals seem to have this
thing for different skin tones and a fondness for foreigners that landed me
several charming compliments without even a Hello.”
Labels: long-term volunteering, Southern Thailand Volunteering, volunteer, volunteering, volunteering Thailand
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Meals for Needy Kids
Lunch for the Burmese Learning Center
The Kuraburi area, and southern Thailand in general, is home to a large population of Burmese migrant workers. These hardworking people often come illegally in the hope of finding income and a better life.
Their children mostly lack access to education and adequate nutrition. Unlike so many other areas, Burmese children living near the Kuraburi pier are able to take classes at a learning center. The dedicated teachers at the center have requested our help in providing lunch for the children. Without a food budget, and barely able to cover teacher salary, the center needs our help to make sure the kids have a healthy lunch.
SOLUTION:
It costs less than $1 USD per day to make a difference.
Financial support is needed for cooking equipment plus ingredients for 90 meals a day, 5 days a week, for the nine month school year. The teachers would prepare the food and would receive semi-annual cooking stipends of 1,000 baht per month, shared between the cooks.
The lunch program will:
+ guarantee that children have one healthy nutritious meal a day
+ create community by bringing together teachers and volunteers to cook and then share a meal with the children
+ give the children an opportunity to learn roles and responsibilities during cooking, eating, and cleanup
+ alleviate the financial burden on already struggling parents
PLEASE HELP - YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE
QUALITY OF LIFE AND GENERAL HEALTH OF THE CHILDREN
NEEDS:
In total, we are aiming to raise at least 9 months (one school year) worth of lunch money. The cost of
feeding the children for a month is $1,250 (960 Euro), meaning we hope to raise a total of $11,000 (8,500 Euro).
Please contribute whatever you can, and together, we can do it!
Labels: community development, Southern Thailand Volunteering
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Nipa Palm & Mushrooms
New Garden at Southern Thailand Orphanage
One of our Southern Thailand orphanages has just sent us word about their great new garden. They plan to grow mushrooms of their own to eat and sell in the local market! The children helped build a small hut to provide shelter and humid conditions for the fungi to grow.
Nipa palm leaves, a traditional Thai building material, were used to build the roof and walls of the hut. Nipa palm roofing is sustainable, cheap, durable, waterproof, and can last from three to five years. The children will be helping take care of the mushrooms, making sure to water them and keep them moist. This garden is another addition to the orphanage's efforts to get as self-sufficient as possible.
If you plan a visit to the Andaman Coast, you can try one of our cultural village tours and learn more about Nipa palm! Try your hand or simply observe as the villagers weave these leaves together.
Labels: nipa palm, orphanage, Southern Thailand Volunteering
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
A Look Back - Andrew's Diary
by Andrew Moncada
Looking back at these last four weeks, I think the best way to commemorate them is through Top Four Lists. Without further ado...
4 Things I'll Miss About Thailand:
1. The food
It's not just that the food was good, but also the importance of it. My days seemed to revolve around food. It's part of the culture, the overall identity. Not since my freshman year of college has so much of my time been devoted to eating. During the homestays, the families would bring out bowls and bowls of food containing various curries, fish, vegetables, and fruits. Definitely discovered some new favorite foods along the way, such as the Thai omelet.Now a Thai omelet isn't a traditional omelet, or one that you and I would imagine. For one thing,you can have a Thai omelet any time during the day. Usually it's more of a lunch or dinner food. Also, a Thai omelet doesn't have an excessive amount of things in it. Actually, it's just the egg...and usually some bits of meat inside, such as chicken. Chicken, egg. Nothing complicated, rather stupid simple. But it's absolutely amazing. Put some chili paste over that thing along with some rice, and it's complete heaven. That's another thing about Thai culture that will probably be a running theme in this post -- everything's simple. The ingredients in the dishes are kept to the bare minimum, it seems. For most meals at the homestay, the foods were collected from the garden or freshly caught at the sea.
Couple of sidenotes:
-Because of this innate ability for a Thai person to cook up a fantastic meal with only a handful of ingredients, if a Thai were to ever be a contestant on Hell's Kitchen, I'd put it at 2:1 odds that he or she would win if they aren't required to know a handful of Eureopean dishes. Those challenges where the cooks have to make a meal by only using ingredients they find in a half-stocked fridge would be no contest.-You eat with a spoon and fork by using the fork to help scoop food onto the spoon. Kinda takes a meal or two to get used to, but it's a highly efficient way of eating. Very easy to clean up your plate, because you can destroy every grain of rice with the spoon-dominated method.
-Mangosteen is quickly climbing my favorite fruits pyramid. It looks like something that Link from Zelda would eat. Purple ball with a cartoon-ish green leaves at the top. Open it and there's white flesh. Really good.
1b. Bua loy
My absolute favorite dessert. Sticky rice balls in coconut milk. I need to figure out this recipe. Ok, I need to stop thinking about this or else I'm going to pass out.
2.Having fantastic beaches everywhereNot fair.
3. Being able to walk down the street and smile and talk with people
Try doing this in LA, and people will think you're crazy.
4. Not having to follow the LeBron James fiasco.
With limited internet access and no TV, I'm glad that I didn't have to be bombarded with LeBron James news or "The Decision."
Labels: Southern Thailand Volunteering, study program, volunteer
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tung Dap Homestay
by Noelle Smithhart
After leaving the school, we spent two nights with a host family in Tung Dap, on Koh Phratong Island. This part of our voyage was filled with amazing beauty, gracious hospitality, and even more delicious food. I wrote this while I was there. Words won't do the experience justice, but they are the only way I can convey the two days we spent there:
I am listening to conversations in languages I do not understand. The wind talking to the trees. The clucks of chickens and roosters beneath the beams of the house I am sitting in. The scent of onion, sizzling as our hosts prepare dinner. Children's brief calls. The silence of cats and dogs sleeping. The rumble of man and machine. The dash of geckos on the roof. I may not understand them, but knowing them, in this moment, gives me peace.We are in paradise. Where a flicker of light could be a spark on a tractor or a firefly. Where little boys catch bugs and give shells as gifts on long beach walks. Where the crescent moon catches where the
sunset left us on the last horizon. We can get lost in stars and styrofoam signs. The water is warm. Did you feel the foxtails tickle your arm? Did you let the sand fill between your toes? Did you breathe in the salty air? Breathing in and out with the currents.
May I remind you again that we are in paradise. Where bright eyes meet ours with smiles. Where the baby sits behind his father's wheel.
What woke you this morning? The far off fisherman's boats? Scooters? Ducks? The booming, buzzing sirens of the cicadas? Or did you rise when our host tossed the dry grains of rice in her pot? Did the alpha wake you with his growl? Or the roosters echoing each other's calls?
Yes.
As my eyes closed to rest on our mats, the vision of a miracle played itself out on the backs of my eyelids. My toes still felt themselves being sucked into the muck near the newly planted mangrove seeds. I feel the layer of fine sand coating my skin. And now we rise to Nescafe. Rice and shrimp. Folded mosquito nets and textiles. Let us never finish this conversation. As the sea gypsy "Noi" tone loops in our memories.
Labels: community service, conservation, homestay, Southern Thailand Volunteering
Burmese Learning Center - Where the Children Captured My Heart
by Noelle Smithhart
Once we had all successfully arrived in Bangkok, the volunteer and cultural exchange portion of our trip began. First, a quick flight down to Phuket. Then we loaded into a van for a three hour ride to Kuraburi. We thought it would be a shorter ride, so we arrived with a healthy appetite and ready for Chang. After having a chance to drop our stuff off at these amazing little bungalows (with western style toilets, front porches and everything) we sat to the first of many family-style dinners. Most meals had staples of rice and seafood. Vegetables. Often eggs. Always at least one dish would catch everyone's attention as a spicy one.Our mornings in Kuraburi were delightful. We'd wake early (still adjusting to the time difference) and head to the market for breakfast. The market bustled. We'd sip thai coffee or thai tea. Strong with sweetened condensed milk. (I'd often have seconds.) Then we'd sample an array of yummy treats. Rice, sugar, and coconut concoctions, wrapped in leaves. Some of the wraps played out like puzzles -- figuring out which way to unwrap it to reveal the sweet treasures deep inside. I loved the waffles, about the size of an eggo, with coconut and turmeric in them, producing a yellow tint. There were chinese doughnuts -- little fried puffs of flour that weren't sweet. There was the coconut pudding. Absolutely delicious. We were always thankful for the little sheets of paper on the table we could use to soak up the oil from our fingers. Finally, the staple breakfast dish was a rice soup. I only had it with pork, although some mornings it was offered with shrimp.
We'd ride in the back of a truck to the Burmese Learning Center, where children greeted us. At first, a tad shy, they quickly warmed up to us and melted our hearts. Even after years of clowning and interacting with kids from various cultural backgrounds, I don't know that I've encountered children with so much affection. Their genuine eagerness to interact forced us quickly beyond our language barriers.I'm always fascinated by the universal languages -- ones that surpass a common tongue. Laughter and play. As the days unfolded we all had turns at patty cake and thumb wars. The delight of victory, the quick, fleeting frown of defeat. And then the want to play again. And again. And again.
At the school our goal was to paint a few classrooms, prime and paint a mural wall, hang a door and hang some shelves in their library. We powered through on the painting and ended up getting to even more rooms and did the exterior as well. The second to last day we divided the wall in subsections and worked with the kids to paint their school's mural.
It was hard not to think about the last two times I've volunteered in New Orleans, also painting schools. One was an interior of an elementary school, the other was murals and the sidewalk at a newer, sterile school of portables. All of the painting projects seem simple, but provide the students with a sense of pride in the space they are receiving their education. It gets you thinking about space and aesthetics.
An excerpt from my journal:
Tuesday:
I have fallen madly in love with some Burmese children. They follow you withWednesday
their eyes until contact is made and then they might smile at you. Once these
two things have happened, you realize your heart is no longer your own.
We rode on the back of a truck to the school. Nearby there is a bridge
over water. By midday, the tide produced a thick, living, muddy place.
We painted a few rooms while some scrubbed and later primed a wall. The
children were moved into other classrooms and we could listen to them learning
their lessons and singing their songs. In the first room we painted, there was a
hole near the floor - big enough for kids to take turns sticking their heads
through as we pretended we'd paint their faces.
By afternoon, the
children started to help us. They found paint brushes. What began as one little
munchkin helping ended up being 30 tiny hands trying so hard to help.
There's one little girl I have a very special bond with. Don't remember
her name, but she captured my heart. We spun, danced, clapped hands. She sang to
me. She blew me kisses, let me hold her and she kissed my cheek. She is
precious.
... One little girl, Michew, is my new best friend. She clings to me like a
little monkey. Places her head on my stomach, the softest part, and kisses my
cheek...
I brought my journal out at one point to write my name and have the little girls write their own names. It is a precious page.We ended our work at the school with gifts of toothbrushes, toothpaste, wash cloths and soap for each child. Then we performed skits to help encourage good dental hygiene, hand washing and recycling. I wasn't feeling well, so I sat with the kids (meaning they sat in my lap) and tried to encourage them to interact with the skits.
We heard later that the kids were being encouraged to bring their toothbrushes to school. They also continued to recycle like our skit taught them - shouting "no" as they hovered over the wrong container, and a resounding "YES!" when they dropped their item in the correct place.
These days went by quickly and I found myself in tears as we pulled away., waving goodbye to sweet little Michew. A sigh of sadness that I wouldn't be seeing those sweet little faces. A sense of wanting to keep in touch and return, in some capacity, sooner than later.
Labels: Burmese, long-term volunteering, Southern Thailand Volunteering, teaching english
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