Grade 8C's Volunteer Trip To Pattaya

Margaret and I helped chaperone Mr. Val Aquino’s Grade 8C class (homeroom) on a volunteer trip to Pattaya over a weekend. Mr. Val has been with TCIS (Thai Chinese International School – where Margaret teaches) for 10 years or so – and he organizes two or three volunteer trips a year. The kids get quite an experience as they visit an orphanage, a school for blind people, an elderly home and a home for street kids. The kids at TCIS are pretty well off (we are talking maids, nannies, etc. for many of them) and it is a great experience for them to realize that not everyone lives like they do (and to get an idea of just how many don’t). Here is a picture of the whole group (Val is the handsome lad in the sunglasses sitting down). I hope this blog doesn’t come off as patting myself on the back – it isn’t meant that way – but there are just too many good pictures to share – and to let you know my time out here isn't just jumping off cliffs and breaking tailbones!

Pattaya is about 2 ½ to 3 hours southeast of Bangkok on the Gulf of Thailand. It is hugely popular with Westerners, both tourists and ex-pats. According to Let’s Go, Pattaya is “a city that was built on sex tourism.” It all started with American GIs in Vietnam, who spent their R&R time in Pattaya. And it never stopped. It is a very touristy and very seedy city. One t-shirt I saw lots of vendors selling reads “Good men go to Heaven. Bad men go to Pattaya.” And there are of course lots of Thai bar girls and lots of old white guys. Sigh.

But there are also wonderful things about Pattaya, including the Father Ray Foundation. Father Raymond Brennan (an Irish-American priest of the Redemptorist Order – I have no idea what that is or means) worked in Thailand from 1961 until his death in 2003. His early years were spent in the hill tribe areas, coming to Pattaya in 1970. He began by starting an orphanage and now his Foundation includes the Orphanage, the Vocational School for the Disabled, Redemptorist School for the Blind, Redemptorist Home for Street Kids, School for the Deaf, and Home for the Elderly and Stateless People. Not a bad life’s work. For more information check out http://www.fr-ray.org/.

We left after school on Friday from TCIS by rented bus. We had 30+ including four of us volunteers. Not everyone could fit on the bus, so Mr. Val had to drive with some kids separately – which put Margaret, Abbie (another TCIS teacher) and I in charge! The kids at TCIS are in general really good kids and very respectful. Val’s kids in particular are very well behaved and nice, fun kids. The bus ride was hilarious – we watched the stupid Tim Allen movie “Zoom”. We arrived at the Redemptorist Center (where we stayed) in time for a late dinner. We had an evening meeting to coordinate and have the kids dole out all the items we brought to donate (shoes, books, candy, food, etc.). Then it was light’s out! The Redemptorist Center was nice – rooms pretty much like a hotel – and they were big with good AC (except our AC rattled quite loudly) and TV! Here are some pictures of the Church. Saturday was a busy day, as we had three different visits planned. We split up into two groups: Val and Abbie took one group; and Margaret and I had the other group. Within each group we had two teams – so Margaret was in charge of one team and I was in charge of the other in our group! I know, what are they thinking putting me in charge? Our first stop was to the Orphanage, where we had a couple of hours to visit. Val had warned us that you have to be flexible on these outings, because things change quickly. And he was right. When we got there, another group of volunteers from a different school had already arrived and were playing with the kids. So we got to spend time with the babies and toddlers! We started by giving all of our donations, and then headed into the nursery to play with the little kids. And, my god, they were adorable. And the 8C kids were wonderful – they got involved and were playing with and holding the kids right away. Margaret was in heaven, and so was one little kid who found her. And I saw this little one crying by himself and I picked him up, and he wouldn’t budge. He was pretty warm, so I think he may have been running a fever and not feeling too well – but he just broke my heart. Especially at the end when we had to leave and he would cry whenever I tried to put him down. Finally one of the long-term volunteers took him and he was ok with that. It is sad in a way, because all these kids want is attention, and there aren’t enough people there to give them all the attention they need, which is why volunteers (even short term) are important. But on the bright side, the Orphanage really gives these kids a chance. They provide them with food, shelter and education. The Orphanage has welcomed over 970 children since its beginning and has placed almost 250 with new families (many of those being placed with families in Europe). But the kids who don’t get placed have a home as long as they need it – “We will shelter them, feed them, clothe them, love them and educate them.” Amen to that. Here are a few pix that should melt your heart. Our next stop was the Redemptorist School for the Blind. I think this was a great experience for the kids, as it made them deal with being maybe somewhat out of their comfort zone. When we got there, all the kids were in one room singing and dancing.The blind kids had a band, and different kids would sing. We spent our time playing with the kids and handing out candy. Again I was really impressed with the 8C kids – after the first few tentative minutes, they were all involved and having a grand time. It was really interesting to watch the blind kids touch things and people to “see” them. These kids were in just as much need of attention as the kids at the Orphanage. And Margaret of course made a new friend – the kids just love her. And this little guy was just the sweetest and it was (again) heart-breaking when we had to leave and he held on to Margaret and wouldn’t let go. Finally one of the women who worked there took him – but it just makes you feel so sad – you want to take them all home with you. Here are some more pictures taken around the school. We met the other group back at the Redemptorist Center for lunch and discussed our mornings (the other group went to the Redemptorist Home for the Street Kids) as we would be trading schedules in the afternoon. After lunch we left for the Home for the Street Kids. And it started to pour rain. The bus drove through flooded streets, and it looked like it might let up when we got there. But no such luck – as soon as the bus dropped us off it started pouring again. We dropped off all the donations we had brought, and I took a spill. I had just carried a box of donations to the office and as I was leaving I didn’t realize how slippery the floor would be at the end of the steps and I went down pretty hard. The kids who saw it thought this was pretty funny, although they managed to ask if I was ok before they laughed (which I can never manage to do). And what do kids do in the rain? Why soak each other with a hose of course (my fav picture of the trip).The street kids (I find it odd that they are referred to as that – even in the title of the center) were having their field day, and didn’t let the rain stop them. And neither did we. Again I have to say how impressed I was with the 8C kids – before I even got to the field they were all soaked and muddy. And they took part in the different festivities. As did Margaret and I, although we weren’t so good at the tie-your-legs together run, but it was fun. After the games, each of the groups of street kids did a dance/cheer routine, which was awesome to watch. And some of the 8C kids took part – which was good to see – as it was harder for them to get involved directly with the street kids as everyone was already grouped off. Um, Margaret also got involved in the dancing. There was one girl who was hilarious. She kept trying to smack Margaret on the butt, and then run and hide behind me. And if I didn’t go where she wanted, she had no problem shoving me or punching me! And I thought I was done with the schoolyard bullying! And is this the coolest camera crew you have ever seen? We got back to the Redemptorist Center in time to shower off all our mud before an afternoon meeting. We then spent a little time with the elderly, where Margaret made a new friend. Aunt Lillian was from Myanmar, and she was a character – 94 years old and sharp as a tack. She is Catholic and so she and Margaret were best friends. When she asked me if I was also Catholic, I sort of stumbled and she laughed and said I must be “Church of England.” I let it go at that – too funny. But man, she had stories to tell. The kids got a fun evening at a huge mall complex with tons to do. We ate with Val and Abbie and a few of the kids and then trotted around. We left the mall (which the kids weren’t allowed to do) to check out downtown Pattaya. And this is where all the girlie bars, tourist shops, etc. were. I’m not sure why anyone would want to spend their vacation in Pattaya, and it boggles my mind why farang want to live there. Anyway, as we were walking back to the mall, Margaret stubbed her toe and it started bleeding a bit. When we met up with the group, she asked the kids if any of them had a band-aid. Of course one of them did and of course they wanted to know why Margaret needed the band-aid. So she told them and one of the kids tells her that she got hurt because she broke the rules! Too funny.

We went back to the center and the kids performed skits in a Talent Show. It was really funny. And we were supposed to have a skit too – but we didn’t have anything planned when we got there. We thought we might have made it through un-noticed when Val was wrapping things up, but a couple of the kids were like, what about Miss Maggie and Mr. Rich? Damn kids! And the whole class was yelling for us to go. Good thing Margaret had thought up something we could do, and we pulled off “The Ugliest Man in the World” skit with about 20 seconds of prep time. The kids loved it.

Sunday morning we were hosting some of the street kids at McDonald’s for breakfast. We got there a bit early and put in our order for 44 kids! The Manager had a deer in the headlights look, but she pulled it off. The street kids made it, and another good time was had. Once again the 8C kids really pulled it off. One of the street kids told us that they ate at McDonalds about twice a year. After the kids were done eating they headed to the Mickey D’s playroom. And I’m not sure who had more fun there – the 8C kids or the street kids! There was one family in the playroom (a man, his wife and their little girl) eating a quiet meal, before all hell broke loose. And it was pure pandemonium! It was so loud and the kids were having a ball. And all too soon it was time to say goodbye, although as you can see at least one of the kids made sure she had something for the road! I also did, as Margaret and I ordered a little Mickey D’s for the bus ride. I have really limited my fast food since I have been here (and have in general for awhile) but I downed this Big Mac in about a second. And two seconds later as my stomach tried to kill me I realized why I stay away!

The kids had some meetings and wrap up/reflection time. Margaret and I walked around the center until it was time to head home. The bus ride back was uneventful – although the kids did see some of two movies: A Night at the Roxbury (funny for about a minute and a half – as most of the SNL movies are) and Employee of the Month, a horrendous movie with Jessica Simpson in it (probably enough said) and we just kept cringing at all the bad language and sexual innuendos – fortunately most of the time the kids didn’t laugh as (we hope) they didn’t understand it.

Next up will be Hanoi – as Margaret and I will be spending a weekend there because I have to leave the country to get another visa. It will be a short trip – but should be sweet: we get to see my friends Thomas and Thuy and we will be using my points to stay at the Hanoi Hilton.