Accomplishments, Spontaneity & Consciousness

FULBRIGHT REPORT: Most recently I finished and submitted my mid-grant report for Fulbright. It was sort of intense for me to summarize and sufficiently explain how I feel after several months of living and teaching here in Thailand. I hope that my words adequately express my gratitude and appreciation felt, maturity and cultural awareness gained, teaching challenges overcome, and teaching rewards enjoyed. For those who are interested, I will be posting part of my report soon.

FLIGHT TO KL: It became evident on our first trip to Mae Sai (the Thailand-Myanmar border) that in order for Kali and I to travel during the last few weeks of my grant, we would need to arrange for her to get a longer visa extension. We had little choice but to purchase a roundtrip flight out of Thailand in order to re-enter the country with a new 30 day visa. Therefore, we have officially booked a flight and four-day vaca to Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia. Can’t wait!

DERBY FESTIVAL, HERE WE COME: Kali and I signed up for it last week. For the Kentucky Derby Festival every year in Louisville, thousands of runners gather for a half and full marathon. This year, Kali and I will be two of the thousands running the full marathon –26.2 miles, can you believe it? We’re already training, but most importantly we are coming up with ideas for matching t-shirts for the race!

BANKER TO THE POOR: Reading Muhammad Yunus's book about micro-lending through Grameen bank and similar programs, poverty in Bangladesh and poverty worldwide, has really got me thinking. The thesis of his book is about the use of financial credit to uplift people from poverty and break the cycle that has trapped them into poverty for so long. Social consciousness is the underlying theme of his book. It’s about fitting a consciousness of social issues into the context of a free market –about transforming capitalism to reward human-potential-maximization over profit-maximization. It’s got me thinking, thinking about my future as a wage earner, perhaps as an entrepreneur, but ultimately as a socially conscious human being ready to take action.

Much love to everyone.

Doin' it BIG in Chiang Mai

Two weeks ago included an unexpectedly adventurous weekend in Chiang Mai. On Wednesday morning, P’Tor the director of the English Deparment at PCC, Alicia, Kirsten, and I went to Mae Fah Luang University for a presentation titled “Teaching English to Young Learners” by a woman from Maryland. That afternoon, the school was cleared out of all students, for it was scout week –yep, you read correctly, boy scouts and girl scouts. Kali and I decided to take advantage of a few days off work and headed to Chiang Mai (about three and a half hours by bus).

On Thursday we arranged to join a tour about an hour outside of the city. We were picked up from our hostel in the city around 9am. We returned to the hostel around 6pm wet, cold, and excited about all that we experienced during our adventurous day outdoors. We visited an Akha tribe village, rode elephants through the mountains (while feeding them bananas and sugar cane), hiked to a waterfall, played with slingshots, went white water rafting, and went bamboo rafting (which was more like bamboo wading, seeing as how we were submerged in water).

(the people we spent the day with --first stop, Akha village)

(our guide explained that the people of the tribe make and use baskets made of bamboo --and that unlike the backpacks we use, their packs are biodegradable)

(a village child --absolutely adorable)

(the elephant camp in its entirety)

(feeding sugar cane from on top of the father elephant --notice how he stores the sugar cane, until we give him more)

(Kali's arm & more elephant feeding --the beast could eat five at once!)

(the baby tagged along for the whole 1 hour journey)

(at the waterfall -- our guide)

(living and loving life!)

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Friday, we went on a tour called “Flight of the Gibbon” (Gibbon = type of local monkey) where we zip lined high above the jungle floor for nearly two hours, then visited a waterfall, and enjoyed great food in the Maekampong mountains outside of Chiang Mai.

Flight of the Gibbon

(we look like crazy lost construction workers)

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That afternoon, we took a songklaw / songtail (mix between a tuk tuk and a station wagon) to Mae Rim, about twenty minutes north of Chiang Mai. We visited the Tiger Temple and spent a half hour playing with and sleeping with tigers. I have been inexplicably captivated by tigers, the most majestic animal on this planet, since childhood. What an incredible experience!

Tiger Kingdom

Bella Joins Our Adventures

In other news, Kali and I have crazily enough rented a motorbike for the month. We weighed our options and decided it was a more convenient and cheaper alternative to bargaining with tuk tuk drivers. Bella, as we call her is pretty suave if I do say so myself. Don’t worry mom and dad we are wearing helmets every time we ride.


(photo: Brad and I on the motorbike)

(photo: safety first)

(photo: riding around Chiang Rai)

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The weekend following English Camp, we took Bella for a spontaneous exploration of greater Chiang Rai. We visited Wat Pra Kaew and Wat Rong Khun. Great day for sure!

Wat Pra Kaew

Wat Rong Khun

(The White Temple)

(photo: just when you think it can't get any weirder)

(photo: even the fish are white)

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A few pictures from our trip to Mae Sai, to the Myanmar border for Kali's extended visa. Along the way, we found a great temple and took some photos with Buddha.

(photo: unexpected animal crossing)

(photo: riding north to the border --near Chiang Rai Rajahbat University)

(photo: Bella helped us find a temple in the mountains north of Chiang Rai)

(photo: Buddha on hill --myself in front for perspective)

English Camp

On the 15th of January, PCC hosted English Camp for the M2 students (8th graders). It was incredibly fun! We invited Brad (Fulbright ETA at Mae Lao Whittyahcom in Chiang Rai) and Caryn (Fulbright ETA at San Sai Whittyahcom in Chiang Mai). Therefore, in total there were six native speakers. My roommates and I brainstormed and helped organize the events and theme for the camp. Our theme: “English Around the World.” Each of the six groups was then paired up with an American teacher, a Thai English teacher, a color, and a continent (all but Antarctica…sorry to scientists living there who feel unrepresented).

My group was green, represented the African continent, and assisted by P’Thuang (love her!). For orientation, I rocked the mic shouting and leading songs in English I had learned from past leadership camps in high school and college. Then, my group of 22 students was up-close and personally introduced to my hyped-up SOS personality. After two summers of being a member of the Student Orientation Staff at the University of Louisville, it felt nostalgic and refreshing to be in a similar role again. Each group, although I undoubtedly say my group was the best, created their own cheer, flag, and team-colored headbands. I helped my group create the Africa cheer based on inspiration from the movie Hook with Robin Williams –Rufio, Rufio, RU-FI-Oooooo! Our cheer, Africa, Africa, A-FRI-CAaaaaa! Sunuk (fun).

(photo: Africans unite!)

Day two of English Camp consisted of six stations (run by each of the Americans), a large scavenger hunt, and a trip to the night bazaar in the city. My station was called “Jungle Jams” and it required the students to write and perform songs about Africa set to instrumental music. It was an unexpected and excitingly successful station. The other stations included such activities as relay races, charades, obstacle courses, the Cha Cha slide (dancing), drawing, and speaking. The scavenger hunt, won by team Africa (go go green!), resulted in smiling and extremely sweaty faces. In fact, some of the students exerted so much energy running around campus for the scavenger hunt that they sweat through their headbands to the point where the permanent marker, displaying their American nicknames, was then hilariously displayed on to their foreheads. English Camp finished up on Saturday in the early afternoon with a production by all teams and a competition for Mr. & Ms. Universe. English Camp was a great success, agreed upon by all.

(photo: students included five or more of these words in their songs)

(photo: Cha Cha Slide with Alicia)

(photo: English in action! Blindfolded (and handcuffed) obstacle course with Kirsten)

(photo: Charades with Brad)

If you are planning an English Camp near you, I would be happy to share some of the logistical materials and resources we used to organize our camp. I also have some audio files for songs. Just get in touch: paige.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org.  Also, don't forget to watch the video at the top of this post.

SOME ADDITIONAL MATERIALS:
UPDATE JANUARY 2011

How To: Create a Succesful English Camp

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English Camp 2009
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