Bonus Post: Vietnam (June 5 - 7)

Y'all. I just spent $8 on kale water at the SFO airport. I miss Asia already. So...30-some-odd-hours later, we are back in the USA! We have one more flight to go (SFO --> SLC) before we are truly done, but we are very much in the home stretch. With that, I'm excited to share our experience in Vietnam.

(Post originally started on 6/5)

I made the last minute decision to consolidate bags in the Bangkok airport, and consequently, I don’t have my laptop with me here in Hanoi, so I am dictating this blog post on my phone. I didn’t want to wait to get my thoughts down on [digital] paper because today was so energizing.

I use the word “energizing” deliberately because it feels important to acknowledge that after 28 days of travel through Thailand with my head on a swivel trying to support students and help them stay safe and well (as much as one can), I am very, very, VERY tired. The 3:30 AM alarm followed by the 4 AM cab ride to the airport didn’t help, either.

Nevertheless, after one day in Hanoi, I am feeling really excited. This is my first time in Vietnam, and I am here with my co-instructor, Han, meeting with a variety of partners who provide service learning opportunities to young adults (and not-as-young-adults) from all over the world. 

We got into the old city at around 11:00. Our first minor flub up was that we learned upon check-in that we had booked reservations at the wrong Pearl Hotel. Turns out, there are two hotels in Hanoi that have the name Pearl in their title. The Pearl that we originally booked at was a few miles out of the old city, and the Pearl Hanoi, the hotel that we intended to book at (and also where our hosts are staying) is in a delightful section of the old city, and so Han and I agreed to eat the cost of the old reservations to make transport/coordination easier for the next few days. Sorry, Twila. We will fix it!!

We met our hosts, Thomas & Steve, and walked to RuNam for refreshments/intro conversations while waiting for our rooms to be ready. Right off the bat, I was immediately drawn to the positive energy that Thomas and Steve both exude, and as we started digging in to our personal and program philosophies related to service learning and relationship building, I could tell that these next two days would be time and energy well spent.

After getting settled in, we took cabs over to the Center for Sustainable Development Studies (CSDS), where the primary on-site coordinator, Phuong, oversees the process by which volunteers are matched with community development projects based on their areas of interest and expertise. The conversations with Phuong, Thomas, and Steve were so encouraging. I took many things away from our conversation:

• At the core of all service learning is genuine relationships. And relationships take time and energy to foster. It’s really difficult to throw together a meaningful and sustainable service learning project without first laying the groundwork of relationships to truly understand a community and its assets and its needs.
• Phuong stressed quality over quantity. If he and his team can’t guarantee a project that has the appropriate amount of guidance and support and resources, they will not pursue the project. They really want to set the community and the volunteers up for success, so matching the expectations of the volunteer with that of the supervising organization is paramount.
• Phuong really articulated the importance of understanding needs and assets, both on the part of the organization being served, and of the volunteers who are interested in serving. There needs to be alignment between those foundational pieces in order for a service learning project to truly be mutually beneficial.

Center for Sustainable Development Studies

After our time at CSDS, we got into cabs to visit Hanoi University of Public Health. There, we met with one of the faculty members who teaches a course on Global Health. A big takeaway was how impactful it is for students to study global health issues—through field trips—in regions of the world that experience direct impacts of a given issue, and how interconnected issues of public health are with things like housing, water access, diet, cultural traditions, etc.

View of the city from Hanoi University of Public Health

Walking around campus

We had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant (name unknown...) that Phuong recommended (and he ordered all of the food for us 10/10 job) before wrapping up our first day.

Dinner on Night 1

Dinner on Night 1

Day 2

What a truly fulfilling day. After finishing breakfast at the hotel, our plan for the day was to visit various sites and community partners that serve as hosts for students pursuing service learning opportunities in Hanoi. First, we met Phuong at Khanh Tam Special Education Research and Consultation (SERC). We spent the first portion of the morning meeting with the staff, during which they gave a presentation on the services provided by the school, which focuses on early intervention, pre-primary school preparation, and training for the parents.

Meeting with Phuong and staff from the Khanh Tam SERC

One of the rooms at the school designed to for mindfulness and visual stimulation (depending on the need)

Next, we visited the Center for Educational Development, and local NGO that fills a variety of functions in the area, ranging from providing scholarships to high school and college students with a particular focus on women in STEM, running community education projects, developing educational policy and curriculum, and partnering with local businesses. We learned through our conversation with Ms. To Kim Lien (Director) that NGOs in Vietnam are essentially all privately funded (no grants/financial support from government). IF government support (in the form of a grant) reaches an NGO, it is likely a research grant and the NGO and its project needs to be connected to/sponsored by a research university. 

Our group at CED

Let's see...from there, we visited another university, Hanoi University, to meet with two faculty members who teach a class on sustainable tourism. The model for the class was super comprehensive and experiential. I wish I could post the syllabus! The class explores tourism through multiple lenses (society, industry, government) and examines sustainable practices and approaches in the tourism industry, new forms of sustainable tourism, social responsibility, and much more. I learned a TON through our conversation but I don't think I can give a play-by-play that would do the course or the instructors justice, so take my word for it--it's a cool course.

Meeting with sustainable tourism faculty at Hanoi University

Our group with the sustainable tourism faculty at Hanoi University

Walking around campus

Last stop of the day was to the Friendship Village. From the website:

"The mission of Vietnam Friendship Village Project USA is to cultivate reconciliation and heal the wounds of the Vietnam War by uniting veterans and caring citizens through international cooperation in the building and support of the Village of Friendship, a living symbol of peace."

"Project Summary The Vietnam Friendship Village is a residential facility located in Hanoi, Vietnam that provides medical care, physical therapy, education and vocational training to Vietnamese children, young adults and veterans with a range of maladies presumed to be caused by Agent Orange."

What a powerful experience. I didn't realize that Agent Orange impacts one's genetic structure, so the impairments and disabilities caused by Agent Orange can and are passed down through generations. I'm sorry that a place like the Friendship Village has to exist, but I'm really glad it does. This Village provides a place for volunteers and staff to interact and show love to the folks staying on site, as well as providing valuable vocational training for those afflicted by Agent Orange. These residents were being trained in embroidery, weaving, and flower arranging. They may be trained in other skills, but those were the rooms we visited, and their work was stunning.

Before leaving the Village, we had a rare and incredible opportunity to meet about 20 Vietnamese war veterans. The Village hosts groups of veterans for monthlong (or 3-weeks depending on government funding) stays at the Village to focus on relationship building, remembrance, and healing. What an absolute honor and privilege to meet these men. They were so kind and gracious and friendly. I don't know how to put into words what the experience was like. Incredibly special. I feel so lucky to have had that opportunity and I'll carry it with me forever.

A movement class with residents and volunteers

Example of the embroidery work created by residents of Friendship Village

We were able to purchase some of the craftwork made my residents at the Village

One of the classrooms where residents can practice weaving and embroidery

Our group got to meet with a group of Vietnamese veterans

After wrapping up at the Village, we capped off the evening with a beverage on the roof of the hotel and said goodbye to Steve and Thomas, who were flying out that evening. So, so, so grateful for the time with Steve and Thomas and excited to further develop these friendships.

Our farewell evening with Thomas, Steve, and an IPSL alum, Greg

View from our hotel

Lunch was Bún chả, my new favorite Vietnamese dish

Go here the next time you're in Hanoi -- it's delicious!

Han and I got to spend a little bit of evening time wandering the streets of Hanoi, checking out Bia Hoi Corner, and calling it an early evening before reconnecting with Phoung for our last day.

Hanoi night life

My dinner was what I'm calling a "Deconstructed Banh Mi." It was good, but I feel the same about Banh Mi as I do Pad Thai...

Day 3

Phuong had one more site visit for us planned in the morning, and what an amazing finale! We visited SWorld Vietnam (check out the website, seriously) and these are definitely my people!! SWorld was founded by a CSDS alum, Vinh, and has been in operation since 2016 (I think). This organization's slogan is "Explore Yourself - Discover the World" and they are all about experiential education. They host a variety of educational and cultural programs for youth and young adults, including very impressive summer camp. Check out this video!

They recruit volunteers from all over the world to serve as counselors for the camp--I can't wait to encourage Westminster students to apply to serve with this camp!!

I'm gonna list their mission, vision, values here because everyone needs to know about SWorld:

OPERATION MODEL

• Learning through experience
• Creative activities
• Form of non-formal education training
• Model according to European Format

VISION

• To become the leading cultural and educational organization in Vietnam in the field of English and skills development training for young people who are ready to participate in international exchange programs.

CONCENTRATION SKILLS

• English skills
• Global citizenship skills
• Cognitive development
• International cultural exchange

MISSION

• Accompanying youth 10-25 years old to develop skills, confidently become global citizens
• Create an environment for learning, practical experience and international cultural exchange for Vietnamese youth
• Arousing interest in culture and history of Vietnamese youth

Check out their website. Tell your friends. This organization and their staff are awesome.

After getting super hyped about SWorld, it was time to say goodbye to Vinh, his staff, and to Phuong! The 2.5 days we spend with Phuong/CSDS went by far too quickly. Han and I are so, so appreciative of Phuong and his leadership. His effort and attention to building and fostering relationships between organizations and volunteers is something that I will strive to emulate in my own work. Such a wonderful experience!

Our group at SWorld

Core values of SWorld

After we said our goodbyes, Han and I went to Hỏa Lò prison, sometimes referred to in the U.S. as the Hanoi Hilton, where American POW were housed during the Vietnam War, but its history extends far earlier than 1964.

Hỏa Lò was built by French colonialists from 1886-1901, and it was used to detain Vietnamese nationalists during the French occupation of Vietnam.

From Wikipedia:

The French called the prison Maison Centrale,[1] 'Central House', which is still the designation of prisons for dangerous or long sentence detainees in France. It was located near Hanoi's French Quarter.[2] It was intended to hold Vietnamese prisoners, particularly political prisoners agitating for independence who were often subject to torture and execution.[3] A 1913 renovation expanded its capacity from 460 inmates to 600.[2] It was nevertheless often overcrowded, holding some 730 prisoners on a given day in 1916, a figure which rose to 895 in 1922 and 1,430 in 1933.[2] By 1954 it held more than 2000 people;[1] with its inmates held in subhuman conditions,[3] it had become a symbol of colonialist exploitation and of the bitterness of the Vietnamese towards the French.[1]

This mention of "subhuman conditions" doesn't even begin to marginally describe the experience of political prisoners during the French occupation. Overcrowding, disease, designed psychological torture, public executions--it was bone chilling to explore the physical space. Things were definitely better by the time the French abandoned the prison and operations were taken over by the Vietnamese to house American POWs, but it was still not good (to say the least). 

The prison museum had really interesting relics from various points throughout the prison's history, and they also had an exhibition speaking to the process of Vietnamese-US reconciliation after the war. If you find yourself in Hanoi, visiting Hỏa Lò is definitely worth a stop.

Entry to Hỏa Lò 

Example of a Cell Block

Memorial built to the Vietnamese political prisoners who suffered in Hỏa Lò

After the museum, it was time to return to the hotel, check-out, grab a quick bite to eat, and wrap up our visit with a Vietnamese massage :) before heading to the airport. The next 35+ hours were spent traveling from Hanoi --> Bangkok --> Taipei --> San Fransisco (where we did leave the airport to get some clam chowder near the bay) --> Salt Lake City. Needless to say, we were pretty wiped by the time we got home.

And with that, the blog is officially retired until the next international trip. There's a chance I may do some personal international travel on my Spring 2024 radical sabbatical, so until then, cheers!

Thailand June 2 - 4: Back to Bangkok / Wrapping up / Final post...or is it?

Captain's Log, Stardate 101021.59

We're back in Bangkok, and I'm writing this post on June 4th, which means that the "official" trip is officially done! We did it!

As of this post, 9 of our 11 students have left the hotel and are making their way to various spots around the globe, ranging from SLC to London to other parts of Thailand/Southeast Asia. Han and I will be leaving reeeeeeeally early tomorrow for Hanoi (Vietnam) for a few days on some school business before we make our return to the U.S..

Backing up a few days...

June 2 - the drive from Mae Sot to Bangkok took the better part of a day. We left at 7:30am and pulled into our hotel around 3:30pm. The rest of the day was free-time for everyone. Some students grabbed Khao Soi for dinner while others went to a show. Han and I took advantage of the night off and had a delightful Indian dinner where the *very attentive* servers cut, poured, and plated every morsel of food for us. Han and I had a good laugh in that we had absolutely no idea what the guest decorum was/should have been in the restaurant ("Can I put this sauce on this thing?" "Do we eat this first?" "What's this? Can we mix it?") but we did our best. We had a great time.

(For my own future reference, the restaurant was Tandoori Junction in the Hotel Nikko). 

June 3 - if I've learned anything about myself on this trip, it's that my activities-of-preference generally focus on food. Visiting restaurants, gatherings of people around food/drink, and cooking classes were definitely my personal trip highlights. As such, for our free day on June 3rd, I booked ANOTHER cooking class :) and put the option out there for anyone to join me. Kelsey and Masami expressed interest, so the three of us hopped on the BTS Skytrain to meet other guests and staff of the Bangkok Thai Cooking Academy. 

There are quite a few cooking classes/companies to choose from in Bangkok--my criteria was as follows:

• Relatively close to our hotel/accessible via public transit
• Included a tour of a local market
• Allowed participants to select what meals they cooked
• Hosted/taught by local Thai residents

Bangkok Thai Cooking Academy fit that bill perfectly. I went in with some assumptions that the cooking class would have a similar format/flow to the cooking class that we took in Chiang Mai, which in some ways it did (e.g. the market tour was fairly similar, the staff make it very user friendly when it comes to actually cooking the meals), there were some distinct differences between this class and our class in Chiang Mai that made both experiences valuable and worth it. And for Kelsey and Masami, it was their first and only cooking class, and they both expressed a lot of excitement and gratitude for the experience.

Key differences:

• Rather than being part of our own private group, the three of us were mixed into a larger group of 16--this was really fun and made for a cool shared experience with travelers from all over the world.
• Rather than having a fixed menu, each participant got to select 4 dishes from a list of 30 (plus a bonus of mango and sticky rice dessert), which meant that:
• I could cook different meals from the other members of my group based on our preferences and dietary restrictions
• I could cook different meals from my last cooking class (no repeats!)
• I didn't have to cook Pad Thai because I think it's boring. Sorry, y'all, but it truly is the least interesting of the foods I've had on both of my trips to Thailand. But ironically, more on Pad Thai later...
• The vibe and flow of the class was a little different, but I can't really put my finger on it. Some of it may just come from a smaller/private group versus a larger/mixed group, but nevertheless, the vibe difference wasn't a bad thing. Just...different.

Each person got to select one soup or salad, one chicken + curry dish, one noodle dish, and one stir fry

For my meals, I selected:

• Tom Yum Goong - sweet, sour and spicy soup with prawns
• Green Curry - my *favorite*
• Minced chicken with spicy basil
• Pad See Ew - thick, flat rice noodles with a sauce based with soy sauce

Everything was delicious. 

Kaffir limes at the market

Live...eels? at the market

Local produce at the market

My prep station at the cooking class

Me, Masami, and Kelsey getting ready to cook

Our head instructor explaining when to add pandan leaves to sticky rice

Minced chicken with spicy basil

Tom Yum Goong

Pad See Ew

Green curry

The whole spread

Our new friends!

Han put out the option to visit the Bangkok Art and Culture Center, which I did last year, and I think one student took him up on the offer and then a few other students joined their group for some city wandering later in the day. Other students used the last day to max and relax and pack their bags.

We got back to the hotel around 1:00 and had two hours to relax before the whole group loaded into vans one last time to travel to Noi's house for our farewell dinner. Noi, her family, and her housekeeping staff cooked us a delicious meal of Khao Soi and mango and sticky rice, and I got to meet Noi's husband, Doug, who has spent decades working and training others in medical care in remote and rural settings. Doug had fascinating stories and valuable advice to share--I hope we can add one of his talks to a future trip.

We presented our hosts and drivers with thank-you's from the group, and the students surprised Han and me with very thoughtful personalized gifts. The students gave me a BEAUTIFUL journal with watercolor paintings and history of Chiang Mai, and each student had written a thoughtful note, and best part was that they ADDED PUNS throughout the journal. Thank you, students, I love love love it.

Han finally joined the "party shirt crew." He chose a good one!

The entire group at Noi's house

Three of our 11 students had late-night departures that night, so we said the first of our official farewells and headed back to the hotel. Some students expressed interest in seeing a rooftop restaurant, and since it was Visakha Bucha Day (major Buddhist holiday - no alcohol sales), we felt good about taking them up for some fancy alcohol-free mocktails and appreciating a view of Bangkok from the 38th floor.

Saturday night farewell

June 4 - By lunch on the 4th, we were down to 3 students as another 5 departed early in the morning with flights to various destinations, so we had a relaxing morning at the pool and a nice farewell breakfast at the hotel. Around lunchtime, the remaining folks took the subway (for future reference: Sukhumvit to Sam Yot on the blue line) to Thipsamai, the oldest Pad Thai restaurant in Bangkok, dating back to the WWII era. There was a rice shortage at the time, and rice noodles were a way to stretch the limited quantities of rice. As it turns out, Pad Thai became pretty popular. It was a cool restaurant with an old feel to it. The Pad Thai was...fine. I mean, it was good for Pad Thai. I still think Pad Thai is boring.

Thipsamai

Eating Pad Thai at Thipsamai

After lunch, we said goodbye to Makena, and the remaining 2 students (Isabel and Lily) and Han and I toured Wat Saket, the "Dome of the Golden Mount" temple, which was really, really cool! Also on the way to the Wat, we passed "“Monk’s Alms Bowl Village," where a local family continues to make hand-made alms collection bowls that monks traditionally use for food offerings. 

Monk's Alms Bowl Village

Hand hammering alms bowls

From tourismthailand.org:

This Landmark, on the only hill in Bangkok, is of great significance for all followers of The Lord Buddha. 320 stairs take you up to the top for panoramic views of the Rattanakosin Island...It is an ancient temple of the Ayutthaya period, which is a first-class royal temple of the Ratchawora Maha Wihan class. Originally, it was known as Wat Sakae then later the whole temple was re-established in the reign of King Rama I the Great and given the new name of wat saket. The Golden Mount chedi began to be built during the reign of King Rama IV the Great. The King used the model from the Golden Mount of the Ayutthaya period, and construction was completed during the reign of King Rama V the Great. It was bestowed the name Suwanbanphot and is 77 metres tall. On the top of Suwanbanphot is the chedi that enshrines the Buddha’s relics received from India, which were dug from the hill of the old chedi in Kapilavastu. It is a sanctuary and symbol of Wat Saket, and is also considered the navel of the city. Every year, during the Loi Krathong Festival, there will be a seven-day and seven-night celebration, which has become a tradition to worship the Buddha’s relics continued to the present time.

View from the ground of Wat Saket (before the 320 stairs)

A gruesome but interesting bit of history/lore: a bad outbreak of Cholera in early 1800s led to more dead bodies than what could be disposed of through burial or cremation. As a result, dead bodies were left outside the wat, which where devoured by vultures.

With that, I'm officially signing off on May Term Thailand 2023. Thanks to the students and their friends and family members who have been reading the blog to follow our group's progress. This was truly a delightful group of students who were gracious and curious travelers. I'm very grateful to them, our Thai hosts--especially Noi, Lek, Bright, New, and Bird--and to Han for allowing me to be a part of this very special program. I very much look forward to continued involvement in this program.

Thailand May 29 - 31, June 1 - Ban Nam Hom / back to Mae Sot

We're back in Mae Sot, and we've been busy since my last post!

Before describing our time in Ban Nam Hom (BNH), I'd like to give a little more of an overview of our time at the Mae Tao clinic (May 29), which we visited before driving to Ban Nam Hom. 

The Mae Tao clinic, located in Mae Sot, was founded in the late 1980s to serve Burmese refugees who were fleeing the border at the time to escape the Burmese regime. Since its founding, when all care (free for refugees, migrant workers, anyone seeking aid) was located in a single small home, the clinic has expanded into an impressive complex and provides consultations to approximately 100,000 patients. About half of those consultations are migrant workers living and working in the Mae Sot area, while the other fifty percent travel cross-border from Burma (source: Mae Tao clinic)

When we arrived at the clinic on the morning of the 29th, we were greeted by one of the administrators, who gave a presentation that helped us understand the context and growth of the clinic since its founding. Her presentation provided data on the type of care given, issues and impacts arising since COVID, policy information, and an explanation of how the clinic is funded and managed. If you're curious, you can learn more about these issues through one of their more recent annual reports.

After the presentation, we received a tour of the facility, where we were able to observe first hand how important this clinic is to the population it serves based on the number of people actively receiving or awaiting care. The clinic has an onsite eye clinic, dental clinic, delivery room, and about a half dozen other types of medical services. 

Getting a tour of the Mae Tao clinic

One of the most fascinating pieces for me was learning about all of the policy red-tape associated with providing care to Burmese refugees. For example, as the clinic is not an official registered hospital acknowledged by the Thai government, it works in partnership with the Suwannimit Foundation in order to mobilize resources and for legal protection. Furthermore, the infants of Burmese patients giving birth at the hospital are not automatically Thai citizens; the births have to be documented as a home birth in Burma. I'm definitely not a public health expert--that's Han's arena--but the larger policy issues surrounding the clinic really sparked my curiosity.

After the Mae Tao clinic, we drove about an hour out of Mae Sot, loaded up into 4WD pick-up trucks, and made our way to the Ban Nam Hom school, located in a remote, remote, remote river valley in the Tak province of Thailand. 

BNH School Day 1 (May 29)

We arrived at BNH in the early afternoon. Upon pulling up, Han immediately expressed excitement and gratitude to see how much the school had grown and developed in the 10 years it had been since he and Westminster had last visited. We were greeted by teachers and the Principal--the same Principal that had been at the school the last time Westminster visited--and Han was also excited to learn that 4 teachers were still teaching at BNH ten years after he'd last met them. It was cool to see them reconnect. We were also very lucky to get to meet and reconnect with the Principal because he's retiring in just a few months.

While still very much a reflection of a rural school in a remote area of Thailand, the school was BEAUTIFUL. Han was able to point out how much the school had changed in a decade re: new buildings, renovations, and facility enhancements. For example, ten years ago, the Westminster group stayed in open air buildings on dirt floors (cue the bugs) in little pup tents. This year, we stayed in the fully enclosed cafeteria and it was very comfortable! Han couldn't remember how many sit toilets (as opposed to squat toilets) the school had ten years ago--maybe one? None? but the toilet situation/bucket shower set up was like...totally fine. Easy. None of the students complained and seemed to do just fine with the set-up.

Our sleeping arrangements for our stay at BNH school

Okay, more on previous assumptions/actual experience a little later--let me at least give the day-by-day play-by-play so we can remember it in future years. Back to Day 1...

After arriving, meeting the teachers and Principal, and after getting settled in, our group was pretty much free to explore the school grounds and get acquainted with the flow of after school activities. The school has a large concrete pad where students assemble each morning. It also serves as the soccer field, volleyball court, basketball court, and takraw (foot/head volleyball) court. Holy crap, the BNH students are GOOD at sports. More on that later. Our students were immediately drawn to the volleyball court, where many of them/us/me spent the next several hours playing. We have a few former HS volleyball players on this trip, and it was super fun to watch them play with/against the local students--there were some great rallies!

You can see students playing takraw on the left

A view of the main plaza looking uphill at other school buildings

I don't remember what we were served for dinner the first night and neglected to take photos, but trust me, it was good.

BNH Day 2

Man, it's genuinely hard to remember what happened two days ago because I feel like we packed in so much stuff.

We woke up, had breakfast, and joined the older students (grades 7-9 I think? Probably 13-16 year old students) for "English Camp x Westminster."

BNH went all out for English Camp!

Soda, one of the Thai teachers, briefing the students on English Camp

Truth be told, we (Westminster) didn't know what type of service we'd be doing at BNH until we arrived. And while we were very excited to get to focus our energy on building relationships with the students, we definitely felt ill-prepared, but thankfully BNH teachers had already prepared a curriculum and activities for our students to lead. The morning's activities included "telephone," trivia, and a visual arts activity.

A group of Westminster students running a Scooby-Doo themed trivia game to help Thai students learn English

Now that we (Westminster) know that we'll be running English camp each year we visit BNH (which will hopefully be every year!), we are excited to be able to plan and prepare students more effectively by (hopefully) partnering with our TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and Arts Education Faculty to provide resources and possibly some training to our students in advance of our future trip departures.

While my program (Outdoor Education and Leadership) is technically housed in the School of Education at Westminster, my area of expertise is NOT elementary/secondary education (see previous entries that refer to my erm...lack of enthusiasm for kids...) and similarly not TESOL. But it's a great direction for the May Term Thailand Program! It fills a big need for BNH (they currently don't have an English teacher at the school) and it can be a recurring type of service that Westminster can plan and prepare for effectively.  

After a break for lunch, the Thai students gave us a tour of the campus, before school ended for the day. After school ended, our students got to work doing health screenings for the Thai kids that board at the school. Similarly to Banyang Kaew, it was an all-hands-on-deck process, with our nursing students + Bright completing the main health assessments while other students took temperature checks, got height/weight, and screened for lice/washed hair.

After health screenings were complete, our group joined for more sports. Let's talk about the BNH students and sports. I mentioned that they were good, but they are like, really, really good. The A team for volleyball is ranked first in the Tak region, and one of the student race-walkers is ranked second nationally! The cafeteria has dozens--maybe even 100?--trophies from team and individual sporting competitions. These students are excellent teammates to one another and incredibly disciplined. Both the A and B volleyball teams smoked our Westminster students...sorry, students. Y'all got smoked. It was really fun to watch the games. And it was especially fun once Thai/Westminster students got integrated onto the same teams so they were more evenly matched. Sports can be such a great bridge builder for relationships--language becomes far less of a barrier (from my perspective) when folks are laughing, having a good time, and working toward the same goal (pun kind of intended).

Sorry I didn't get any pictures of health screenings or sports!

BNH Day 3

We started the second day of English Camp off with two really fun activities. The first was a game of chutes and ladders using English phrases on the large game board:

Thai students would roll dice and advance to the designated space if they could ask and answer the question (in English) correctly

Westminster students were there to help clarify questions and answers and help with pronunciation

The other group game was "treasure hunt," where groups of Thai students had an allotted amount of time to collect as many personal items as possible and bring them back to the group. Their team would score a point if they could correctly identify the item in English.

Groups naming their items

Masami's group collecting items

Groups collecting and naming their items

We broke for lunch, and then the students took us on a tour of the neighboring village. As part of the tour, we got to learn how a local beverage was made out of sticky rice and got to see the full beverage making process take place.

Learning about the beverage making process in one of the homes in the village

Learning about the beverage making process in one of the homes in the village

Next stop was the home of another villager to learn how local Karen attire (traditional Karen shirts, dresses, sarongs, bags) are woven. Man, these garments were friggin' incredible. Truly stunning. And very labor intensive. We also learned that these items are generally not for sale--this particular home makes them for weddings, celebrations, and helps outfit the students at BNH (there's a day of the week where all students dress in traditional Karen attire). They were so kind to allow our Westminster group to purchase items. 

Some of the shirts and dresses woven in the village

Isabel learning to weave using a very different technique than what we saw in Buriram and Chiang Mai

The weaver (in this case, one of our amazing Thai trip leaders, Bright) creates tension or slack in the piece by leaning back and forward

Our tour group

We ended the tour with some smoothies and sodas at a local shop, and I snagged another party t-shirt that is way better than anything ever worn by Jeff Nichols. 

After school ended, more sports. :)

After sports ended, it was time to PARTY! The staff at BNH hosted an *amazing* BBQ for our group to celebrate the successful end of English Camp. The Thai students performed a traditional Chin dance demonstration which involves dancers hopping in and out of bamboo poles being clacked together to the beat of a drum. The Thai students invited our group to try it, and speaking from personal experience, it's...a lot harder than the Thai students made it look :)

My photos of the dance demonstration are not great--sorry!

The Thai and Westminster students after the dance demonstration

The BBQ was such a fun culminating celebration to wrap up our time at Ban Nam Home. This journal post really doesn't to the experience justice. To be honest, I was probably most nervous about this stretch of the trip when looking at the itinerary as a whole. I had never been to Ban Nam Hom, and we had been briefed by Han and Noi that this section of the trip would have limited amenities -- no hotel, limited electricity/internet (if at all), bucket showers, bugs--the things one might expect when staying in a very rural, remote village. That said, I do, in fact, camp for a living, but despite relative familiarity with sleeping on the ground, bugs, etc., it can still be difficult to readjust one's mindset after a few weeks of comfortable beds. 

Nevertheless, I think I can speak for many members of our group when I say that our stay in Ban Nam Hom was an absolute highlight of the trip for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the teachers and students at the school are the absolute kindest and most welcoming hosts. Their hospitality--ranging from arranging our lodging (which was great! And pretty fun actually!), cooking delicious meals, and organizing a variety of social and educational activities to help us build relationships with the school and village community--was phenomenal.

Some of the BNH faculty with our Westminster students on the final day

I very much hope Westminster/I have an opportunity to return to Ban Nam Hom in the near and far future. Truly a special place and special people.

Which gets us back up to present day. We left BNH in the morning and drove back to Mae Sot. We had plans to cross the border into Myanmar to 1) have an opportunity to visit Myanmar 2) help students having issues with their visas get a new stamp to re-set their 30 day visitation limit, but unfortunately due to safety issues (fighting on the Burmese border), we were not allowed to cross. For the folks with visa issues, Noi worked her standard magic and was able to work with Thai authorities to get them extensions/new stamps without having to cross, but it definitely took some effort. Noi is amazing. Noi, if you ever read this blog, YOU ARE AMAZING!!

We had lunch at the Twins restaurant, came back to the hotel for some down time, and then ate dinner as a group at a restaurant called Khraw Peng Jai. Tomorrow, we make the lonnnnnnng drive back to Bangkok for our final two nights of the trip.

If you made it to the end of this post, you're an absolute legend. Well done.