Wiang Wai Sports Day

We recently had one of our favourite days since being in Thailand. We were invited to attend Wiang Wai’s sports day. This was not like an English schools sports day. It was a huge event and included all our children. The sports day consisted of six schools competing in various different competitions from sack races to chess. The day started at 4 o’clock for the Wiang Wai students as they had to dress up in costumes and have their faces painted. (We only arrived at 8 o’clock). The six schools then underwent there first event, which was a parade leading from one of the schools to the field where the rest of the days events would happen. Each school had a small marching band leading their section of the parade and then the entire school dressed up in various costumes.




Once at the main field, the rest of the events began. This included cheerleading ,which Lucy had helped choreograph the week before.

There were also all the regular events such as running, sack races and tug of war, with a few new events thrown in including stilts.

We both really enjoyed ourselves as we were able to stand at the finishing line with the younger teachers and cheer our children on and then congratulate/commiserate them at the end. The day was long, tiring and hot. We both got sunburnt as we forgot our sun tan lotion but didn’t mind as it was a brilliant day. Our children did very well and went home with many golds, silvers and bronzes. The day ended with trophies for each section which we got many firsts, seconds and thirds and came second overall much to everyone’s delight.

These events were truly amazing and will stay in our memories for many years to come.

Day Trip with Wiang Wai School

We were honoured to be invited on a day trip with our students from Wiang Wai. The trip was to Chiang Mai to visit an educational centre and the night safari. This was a wonderful experience for us and the students as none of them had been to Chiang Mai or seen any zoo animals. The young teachers who are Shan were also very excited, as they haven't been to the safrai either, as Shan people are not allowed to leave the area they work in.

At the eduscational centre the students learned about the solar system and also the history of Chinag Mai.

Everybody enjoyed the safari park even though we only had a short time there. We all got to feed rhinos and hippos, watch an elephant play basketball and have a shower and two of the students got to wash one of the elephants also.

Loygratong

This last month or so has been one of new experiences and excitement. We were lucky to be able to experience the fun and very beautiful Thai festival called Loygratong. This festival lasts for four days on the weekend of the full moon in November. It consists of people letting off paper lanterns and small floating flower arrangements called gratongs. This was a fantastic time for us as we spent all four days celebrating. We had a party in our housing area where we made our first ever gratong and set off lanterns. We then spent the next few days in the centre of Chiang Mai watching the parades (which on the last day lasted over six hours), letting off lanterns which had fireworks attached to them, floating gratongs and setting off fireworks.

Southampton Team

In November we had a team from Southampton come and help HANDS for two weeks.

We both spent the weeks leading up to the team getting everything ready for them to arrive. We were entrusted with the job of preparing the crafts, sports and refreshments/food that the team would need throughout the trip. Lucy was given the job of accountant and Russ was to lead the music also.

After many hours of shopping, sorting, spray painting it finally came to the day of arrival. We all greeted the team at the airport and took them to the hotel.

After two days of rest the journey was to begin. This started with a long drive to our girls hostel. We spent the next few days visiting the girls hostel where the team did a drama, crafts and games, which included a chocolate fountain. The girls really enjoyed the fountain, however they peferred to eat the fruit on its own as they are not used to such sweet food.

We then travelled to our other hostel. We went to a village one of the days and played games and made carfts with all the children and ladies. This was a wonderful experience. They loved the games we played and the hula hoops which we took were a big hit! James, who also works for HANDS videoed the visit and some of the younger children spent a long time watching themselves on the mini screen.

We also went into Wiang Wai school (where we teach) and played games and made crafts with the children. The theme was king Midus and his golden touch, so everything was gold or spray painted gold. We made crowns, did a colour by numbers, played the memory game (were the children had to remeber all the gold items on the tray), taught the children how to juggle and much much more.

The time flew by and before we knew it, we were returning to the ever familiar Chiang Mai. After a couple of days of rest and recovery we found ourselves again at the airport waving the team farewell.

The last two months

Hi,

Sorry it has been such a long time since we have posted a blog; it has been busy busy busy here!!!

We are now teaching at two schools - One is called Wiang Wai and has mainly Shan Children attending. We teach here for six hours a week mainly year one to year three. We have also started to teach at Huey Krai for two hours a week. Half the school are Lahoo (Another tribal group) and the other half are made up of Shan, Thai and Akha children. We love all the children and have lots of fun teaching them. However, we come back to Chiang Mai each week very tired and ready for a rest.

We have also organised and run our first team. The team consisted of two girls and us and lasted for fourteen days. We ran dance workshops at our two hostels and at Wiang Wai, visted a new village, helped the children create an Akha show, visited Burma, played games and taught english. It was a wonderful time and it really brought our passion for Thailand back.

On the last night of the team the children performed for us and at the end Souey (who the Alban's sponsor) suprised us all ..................

We are now gearing up for the Southampton team, which will be out in four weeks and then it wont be long until Christams when The Alban family come out - HURRAY!!!!

The Dreaded TEFL Course!!!!

It was the first day of the TEFL course before we knew it. Our nerves had been rising evryday the previous week, and as we enetered the University we both could feel the butterflies starting. We had been told that the course was very 'full on' and that we would only get to bed at 1AM every night - So I am sure you can imagaine the anxiety we both felt.

The first week was by far the most time consuming, we had hours and hours of homework every night and a great deal of preperation for our first two teaching practices. It wasn't 1AM but some nights were close!!! I began to remember why I didn't like school - Homework, Homework, Homework!!! Though it was really scary getting up infront of a room of students and a marker, once we had both started we began to realx and really enjoy it. The first two teaching practices we scored 1.25 and 1.5. (1 being full marks) So we were really buzzing!!!!

In Thailand, schools have two holidays - April/May and October. Consequentley, the first three weeks teaching were at a holiday camp that the university ran. This meant that not only did we have to do an hours teaching but we also had to run two hours of activities each day. By Monday mornings we were exhausted!!!

The weekly routine was -

Wednesdays, Thursdays and Friday Mornings = Lessons

Friday Afternoons (and evenings) = Preperation for Saturday Teaching Practices and Activities

Saturday Mornings = Teaching Practice, Obervation of a peers Teaching Practice, Activities

Saturday Afternoon (and evenings) = Preperation for Sundays Teaching Practices and Activities

Sunday Mornings = Teaching Practice, Observation of a peers Teaching Practice and Activities

Sunday Afternoons = Review

Monday and Tuesdays = Off

By week two we were both really enjoying the course. The homework had calmed down and we had made some good friends. Our teacher, Christian, was also soooo enthisiastic that it was hard not to be motivated and enjoy classes. However, GRAMMAR WEEK WAS AHEAD OF US! It was a looooonnngg few days but actually really interesting.We both again scored high on our teaching practices and I (Lucy) got my first 1 teaching grammar!!! HURRAY!!!

To pass the course we had to pass six teaching practices and get over seventy percent on the dreaded language test. Our homework for the follwoing two weeks was revising as well as preperation for our weekly two teaching practices.

In week three we both taught the 'dreaded reds'. (6-8 year olds who enjoyed fighting, sleeping and running around during lessons) Russ had them first in a team teach and scored 1.5 which was amazing!!!! Especially as the students were perticulary roudy on that day and one girl got punched in the mouth and her tooth fell out. The other two who team taught the reds on that day fell to peices and had to stop their lesson after fifteen minutes. Lucy had the reds the next day and was very nervous as she had to teach on her own and had been running to the toilet every half an hour prior to her lesson. Luckily by the grace of God I managed to get through the lesson and I scored my second 1 - AARRGGHHHHHH!!!!

The last week was very draining. We only had Monday off, the exam Tuesday morning, prep Turesday afternoon, Teaching Practice 7 Wednesday Morning, prep Wednesday afternoon and then the final teaching practice Thursday morning. It was a gruelling few days but worth every minute. We both passed the exam with flying colours, getting 94% and 96% and then did a team teach together for our final lesson and got full marks!!!! We deffinately ended on a high!!!

Disaster Hits!!!!!

On Good Friday we woke up at six O'clock, threw our clothes on and headed to the airport to wave the Holt's off. Just as we were leaving Lucy suggested that we both put a jumper on as it was quite cool outside. We had a good journey and didn't get lost, which was a first! With 15 minutes to go until the Holt's arrived at the airport we started to panic. We had been traveling for 40 minutes and still hadn't made it over the river. (Which was our 5 minute marker from the airport.) And then finally the bridge was in sight. We rode over it victoriously and both cheered. THEN DISASTER HIT!! All of a sudden the bike began to swerve. Russ pushed the brakes hard but it didn't help. - It made us swerve even more. Lucy began to scream and then it went black.

Lucy - All I remember is rolling violently down the road. I was in so much pain but couldn't make myself stop. I remember thinking "This is it. I'm going to die". This amazing peace then came over me and I remember thinking "That's OK". Then finally I stopped. The worse moment of my life then hit. I took a deep breath and looked up. Russ was straight ahead of me not moving. He was just lying in the middle of the road with blood everywhere. I screamed and found the energy to run over to him. I collapsed next to him in a heap. Russ looked up at me and my whole body relaxed. He was alive!!!!! A few Thai people had stopped. One phoned the hospital and two others mopped Russ' face. Everywhere began to hurt again as the realisation hit me that we had been in a motorbike accident. I shakily stood up and went to my bag to phone to Dave. I just managed to get there before I collapsed again. The world was spinning and I just wanted the ambulance to come. I phoned Dave - It was 7am and then text the Holt's a scary message that said 'Been in accident - Can't come' or something like that. In hind sight I must have totally freaked them out. The ambulance came and it was a minibus that had all the chairs taken out. When we got to the hospital I was brought in, in a wheelchair and then the second scariest moment of my life came - Russ was brought in tied to a stretcher with a neck and head brace on. Dave was at the hospital when we got there and I remember feeling such relief. I watched from a distance as they sewed Russ up and then it was my turn. They mopped me up with all sorts of things that blummin killed and then they said I had to have some stitches. I began to freak out because I'm awful with needles. But when the nurse said 'You have two stitches - Your husband has had fifty two' I manned up. I was then wheeled up to our room on a bed and the last thing I heard was the doctor telling Dave 'He will definitely need an operation' I then sat there for an hour on my own freaking out that Russ was seriously hurt!!! It was the worst hour of my life - All I wanted was a hug from my mum and dad and to see Russ again. Dave, John and Jim came to see me after an hour and I just broke into tears when they opened the door. I cried 'What's wrong with Russ?!! Where is he?!!!' I had to wait another three an a half hours for Russ and when they wheeled him in the shock and relief made me cry again!!!!

Russ - The last thing I remember was just starting to wobble and loose control of the bike. What happened then was a total blank as the next thing I remember was waking up lying face first in the middle of the road. My face was gushing with blood and my left elbow was in excruciating pain. I remember a Thai lady dabbing my face with a yellow cloth saying "sorry , sorry. Ambulance here in 10 minutes." Again I must of blacked out as I only remember the slight feeling of being strapped to something, which as I found out from Lucy later must have been a stretcher. The next thing I knew I was lying in the emergency room with lots of people looking over me and them stitching up my face. I can't remember how much pain I was in as I kept on slipping in and out of consciousness. I remember my elbow still really hurting but I was unable to communicate this. I was wheeled here, there and everywhere around the hospital having x-rays on my face. They then decided to take my cloths off. How they did this I don't know because I don't remember any pain. I later found out from Dave and Luce that the nurses all gasped when they saw my elbow. The next thing i knew I was yet again in the x-ray room and then the real pain started. They made me move my arm into a lot of painful positions. I was then whisked off to the operating room. I think I can remember having a mask put over my face, then I was out yet again. I woke up just as I was wheeled into our room and for the first time since I was sitting on the bike I saw Luce. She burst into tears and was comforted by Becca - I don't blame her as I looked like the living dead. The main thing I can remember from that morning was the ceiling. If someone had asked me for directions to our room or the x-ray room i could probably guide them via the lighting on the ceiling. The next two days were a blur as i still can't remember who came to visit or any conversations I had.

We spent the next few days high on drugs. We both had a drip and Russ was going through two bags to Luce's one. We both had two needles put into our hand needle everyday and we had approximately five tablets after every meal. We both had a lot of pain killers whilst we were there and Russ had sleeping tablets every evening - Not that they worked though!!! Russ had to have his arm strapped up and had to move it every half an hour.

Lucy - The most painful two things for me were the two needles and when they cleaned my leg everyday. They would pull the gauze off that had woven into my graze/burn which was agony and then they would THOROUGHLY clean it. I have to say I am much better with pain because of this!!!!!!

Russ - The most painful thing for me was everything!!! The needles, my face, my elbow, moving my elbow and having my face cleaned.

As you can hear, Russ was far worse, much to his relief!!!!!!!!

When it finally came to the last night mum and dad A had a surprise for us - MUM WAS COMING TO LOOK AFTER US!!! This was much to our relief because neither of us would have coped alone and we didn't want to put 24 hour care onto the Summers, who weren't 100 percent either. (Even though they did offer everyday)

The next week was wonderful and awful. Lucy had to go to the hospital everyday to have her knee cleaned and Russ had to have his arm re-cast once also. To have mum with us though was such a blessing and made us really miss Malvern and our families.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank mum for giving us 24 hour care and love for the week when we came home - We couldn't have done it without you! Also to all the HANDS team for looking after us whilst we were in hospital and saving us from the horrible hospital food, by bringing Western food to us everyday. Finally, a big thank you to the Summers. They came and saw us everyday and sorted our insurance and everything else out for us. They took Lucy to the hospital everyday and took mum shopping when needed. The three of them were an amazing blessing! Especially Dave when we first came in to A and E.

Thank you also to everyone back home for all the support and kind messages - They really helped us through the hard times at the hospital, especially when we felt homesick and alone!!!!!!!