The first of the accidents happened when a student named Tham was struck from behind by motorcycle while she was walking. The impact sent the nine year old flying into a nearby wall.  The concussion she suffered caused her brain to swell and she spent two days in the ICU. When her condition improved she was moved into a crowded hospital room where we were finally able to visit. There we talked with her some while she peered at us through the only eye that wasn’t swollen shut.

Not long after Tham was hit, we learned of a more tragic accident involving a student in Yommorat, the community along the railroad tracks. Usna (oohse-na), one of our regular Saturday kids, was on the way home from school when her and her brother took a motorcycle taxi. She was unaware the driver was drunk and when he failed to stop before the oncoming train, the tail of the bike was clipped by the train and the children were thrown off. One of Usna’s legs was caught underneath the train and had to be amputated below her knee.

Tham has since been released from the hospital and rejoined us on Saturdays. Everyone is glad to have her back, especially her friends and classmates who visited and decorated cards wishing she would get well. She’s not as energetic as before, but still just as sharp and shows up to class in a skull cap while her hair is growing back. For Usna, there’s a much longer road to recovery ahead and she will likely spend more than a month in the hospital. Despite the circumstances, however, everyone has been impressed with her toughness. Which is important as she must cope with more physical challenges such as the healing of her wound, a skin graft, and eventually learning to walk with a prosthetic limb.

Two bright students from two different communities. They don’t know each other and aren’t in very close proximity. Yet, their neighborhoods are plagued by the same issues. Sad, unfair and enraging, these aren’t the types of stories I like to share, but they do offer a glimpse into the difficulties of growing up in the communities we’re serving and exemplify why these children benefit from any love and encouragment we can offer in our time with them.

We’re doing more to help Usna and her family during her hospital stay. Because we don’t want to see her fall behind in her school work, we’ve hired a tutor to come and teach her a few times a week. We’ve also given the family $100, a small gift to help with incidental expenses (the majority of her hospital bill is covered by the Thai government). If you’d like to help, make a donation like normal, but email me (insearchofsanuk@gmail.com) directly to let me know it’s for Usna and her family.

~Dwight

Here’s a special thank you from Baan Dada orphanage in Sangklaburi, Thailand.

To fundraise in Bangkok we threw a big party with over three hundred attendees. This was the work of over thirty volunteers. Thanks to Mark and Emily from Digital Democracy who made the following video so you could see what the party was like:

The result of our twitter-festival?

A $600 donation to Baan Dada and $600 to Baan Unrak orphanages.

$380 for carbon offsetting.

That’s a total $1572 for good.

THANK YOU!

There are more cool photos from the party and the orphanages available in the ISOS facebook group.

Blame it on the ubiquity of advertising that has made every inch of public space available for purchase. Blame it on being submerged in a tourism dependent economy, overrun with hedonistic invitations. Blame it on our personal laziness. Regardless of where it feels most comfortable for you to pile up the blame, we need to realize too many of us are over-entertained and under-challenged.

This week as I listened to the founders of Imagine Thailand talk about the conflict in Southern Thailand. I couldn’t help but wonder why the situation had never been explained to me with such depth before. I’ve lived in Bangkok for a total of two years and I’ve been educating myself about everything Thai, including the language, for nearly three years. Yet Cavelle Dove’s description of the conflict blatantly exposed my minuscule knowledge and all the superficial explanations I had ever been given. Am I surrounded by heartless people or are they just as poorly informed? Are they just too distracted to care?

Perhaps poorly informed is less harsh than over entertained and under challenged. However, the latter most accurately explains my experiences. I know how long I desired so strongly to be a part of something meaningful that I was willing to join any number of organizations to feel I was contributing something. That’s because months of doing everything else the city had to offer left me tired, unfulfilled, and dejected. Yup, it’s the same miserable feeling you get after overdoing it at an expensive hotel buffet. That was my experience in Bangkok, and the seeds of how I came to begin my search for sanuk.

Living abroad has given me a more pronounced understanding of the quote, “The opposite of love isn’t hate, but indifference.” Especially when a Thai friend remarked, “Well Dwight, I’m really surprised because I grew up here and I’ve never been to a slum before.” Again I asked myself, are we really so out of touch? Is it our environment? How often are we really given opportunities to give back? Do we even know how to help people or how much fun it can be? Are we just avoiding a challenge?

Consider what avenues exist to discuss helping the less fortunate or marginalized in your community. What are they? Are you a part of the discussion? I fear so few of us are not even having these discussions. When they do occur, it happens in niches so isolated that they’re inaccessible to both other groups having similar discussions or people who are not members of these segmented communities.

It’s my passion to change this where I can.

Tonight In Search of Sanuk is hosting a party called LUSH to raise funds for the urban garden project. As I prepare, I wonder whether or not I should really have to get people drunk to convince them to give to a good cause. Whether we’ll ever stand united to battle the forces keeping us complacent. Whether one day we’ll plead with our friends to understand how tightly linked our well being is to those we’re indifferent to.

“Wakeup. Put your hand in. Be thrilling.”

~Dwight

We made a small donation on our visit and also bought enough fish to feed the house that night, BUT by far we were on the receiving end of the giving. Life House’s loving group of kids and staff openely welcomed us into the day’s activities. Take a look and leave a comment.

It’s follow friday. So to show your support please visit Betterplace.org where you can sign up to support Life House and many other great organizations. I hope you enjoyed the video. These kids really touched us and I hope you’ll be inspired (whether you’re in paradise or at home) to have fun helping others!

~Dwight

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin

Once a week or so I wander over to one of the light switches, lean absent mindedly against the wall and flip the switch a couple of times … just in case. Everything is, after all, wired and ready to go, and every week they say it will be here next week. Maybe they hooked up the electricity and forgot to mention it. I’ve heard that the definition of insanity is to repeat the same act and expect different results. So I wonder what the difference is between insanity and hope.

“I wonder what the difference is between insanity and hope”

April took her sweet time escorting me to May, but now I have finally arrived at the much needed school holiday. A month to go and to do whatever the wind and my whims might suggest. And a month to reevaluate what I deem to be success at the end of this year. So far, in these updates, I’ve tried to focus on Africa, Namibia and the kids. Rightly so. But in the meantime, Jen has sometimes struggled to keep it all together. This month, especially, was a challenge.

I couldn’t put my finger on one particular trigger – ha! That is, one particular cause of my discouragement, mild depression, and disinterest. There were the personal health concerns, the inconsiderate, selfish and weasly colleagues, the disheartening daily encounters, the disappointing Term 1 results and the departure of my closest friend back to the States all combined to make me a bit on edge.

Frankly, I was quite confident that I didn’t want to be here. There are many, many different African cultures (almost 10 alone in Namibia) and I look forward to encountering some of them during the upcoming vacation. The Oshiwambo culture of northern Namibia, however, is not easy to embrace. They are, as a rule, unaffectionate, unappreciative, distrusting, and discriminatory (toward tribes and races). I wish this weren’t my opinion as well as theirs. My sustenance is the exceptions to the daily affirmations of this unfortunate rule. Exceptions like many of my students, like the smiling, wise old woman whose kindness is unwavering, and like the man who gave me a ride to town and shocked me into speechlessness when he said “Thank you for coming here. Thank you for helping.”

“But I realize that is not a sustainable lifestyle.”

You see, I didn’t want to be here anymore and, being the young, impulsive, result-driven American that I am, when I don’t want to do something – I don’t. And vice-versa. But I realize that is not a sustainable lifestyle. I realize that to grow up I have to suck it up. Because, as I keep having to remind myself, this is not about me.

When my friend Dia had to return to the States, she was heartbroken. I was jealous. The hardest part for her, of course, was telling her students that she was leaving.

“Now we’re definitely going to fail!” a few cried.

“Who will teach us now?”

“But Miss, I don’t want another teacher this color,” one girl said, pointing to herself. “They’re all selfish!”

But, soon enough, they resigned to reality and returned to what they were doing.

“Really, they weren’t that upset,” my friend told me. “That’s the worst part. They’re used to disappointment.” When it comes down to it, I don’t want to be just another adult reinforcing this rule.

Anyway, I’m doing better now and I’ve regained my focus. I’ve also developed some coping mechanisms, like nightly jogs with Prudence through the vast fields of “mahangu” (which resembles corn), African dance class in town on Wednesdays, and writing every evening at the village shop rather than holed up in the house. As I spend the next month traveling across the continent to Tanzania, I’ll also have some time to clear my head before I get it back in the game.

I truly appreciate everyone on the other end of these messages. Thank you for being so supportive, I need it.

As my students say, Peace In.

Jen White

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to leave Jen some feedback below. Are you a thrilling hero like Jen? Send us your story!

We don’t usually think about overcrowded slums and packed out apartments when we’re discussing going green. However, ISOS is proud to announce it’s first “green” project to assist the urban poor.

Project Managers: Dwight Turner, Hy Martin

Target: The urban poor (Bangkok’s poorest residents including Thais, refugees, and Burmese migrants).

Goal: Make a garden accessible in poor communities to educate residents, supplement their diets, and instill proper care for the environment.

Benefits: More discretionary income. Gardening is highly therapeutic, educational and the activity will encourage the interaction of foreigners and Thais without requiring much translation.

Potential Sites: Khlong Toey Slum, Bangkok Refugee Center, and if the budget allows we hope to add additional locations.

Activity: “Play In The Dirt Day”

• We will arrange a day for volunteers and the local community to join hands and “play in the dirt” by building a garden in an area accessible to the urban poor.
• Upon completion everyone will have lunch together and community residents will return home with seedlings to nurture.

Need: Appropriate space for a garden. Materials, gardening tools, and a group of carefully selected species to plant. Also long term community support to insure gardens reach full potential and are properly cared for.

Cost: ISOS events and donations from volunteers will fund this project. Sponsorship is desired. Please contact us to sponsor a garden.

Check out the original Urban Garden Project website and imagine the impact similar activities can have in Bangkok. Thank you for previewing our concept and make suggestions by leaving a comment.

This is the idea behind Mark Wien’s Migrationology.com which questions, “Why vacation when you you can migration?” I pondered my personal migration and came up with this equation:

Vacation + Micro-philanthropy = Migrationology

I’ve realized that Migrationology is where vacation + micro-philanthropy meet. Because of this I wanted to offer Mark, his readers, and you 7 steps whereby you can transform your vacation into a migration. These ideas are powerful because they are small and rewarding steps that all of us can take, despite our destination. Please add to these suggestions and share your experiences by commenting below.

1 Attitude Adjustment – This one is clear after traveling with Mark for a short time. Don’t think of yourself as a tourist, think of yourself as a contributor-an investor. The secret to having a more rewarding vacation is simply to visualize your excursion as not only a getaway for you, but an opportunity to make real, sustainable change occur in smaller, less affluent economies. Ask yourself: How will my money be used in this community after I leave? How can my goals to relax and have fun merge with efforts to improve this community?

2 Educate Yourself – This is the easiest way to make an impact into the communities you enter. What issues plague the places you plan to visit? What are the strengths in these communities? What local initiatives exist? Are they sustainable? This knowledge will help you decide how best to give what you can offer and will serve as an arbitrator when you’re making your travel plans.

3 STOP Conquering – Travelers and tourists as a community have to end this mindset that we can travel to a place in a few days and consider ourselves as having “done” that city/country. This is incredibly naïve and arrogant. Evaluate your trip by different standards. You’ll notice that the most rewarding trips are not those where you moved to divide and conquer, seeing and doing as much as possible. On the contrary, they are the places you dreaded leaving and long to return to. Make sure this factors into how you perceive your migration.

4 Avoid the “lonely planet” mentality – This epidemic is closely related to the above mentioned “divide and conquer” mentality. Don’t fall into this trap. Use guidebooks as you would a guide, not a religious text. Using them loosely will allow them to be the doorway, not the pathway to your migration.

5 Go loco for locals – This is often your most untapped resource. This combined with the research you’ve done and what you know you can expect from your guidebook will lead to an adventure. If you’re doing it right, they’ll be plenty of confusion, ambguity, and laughter. Don’t worry, you’re prepared to manage language barriers and suppress your own cultural norms to really experience the people where you are.

6 Be frugal, not cheap – Being frugal means looking for ways to do things more affordably. This will allow you to devote a greater amount of what you planned to spend to invigorating local economies. When you’re out and about or hanging with the locals, be prepared to recognize ways that you can invest directly into the community. This may mean buying better school supplies or a bicycle to get to school. Everyone’s migration is different.

7 Brag – Tell others and don’t hold back. You’re allowed to embellish a little, but not too much. Mention how your once in a lifetime, never to be duplicated, off the beaten path, life enriching, philanthropic thriller of a migration has changed you and your perception of the world. Post updates on your blog. Submit it to be shared here also. Lets tell the world together.

-Dwight Turner
Editor, In Search of Sanuk

If you enjoyed this aricle please see our guest blog One Thing Leads To Another by expert micro-philanthropist Marc Gold.

On April 4th, 2009 a few volunteers from In Search of Sanuk joined with the Time Bank Society to bring the Song Kran festival to the elderly women at Baan Bangkae 2 on the outskirts of Bangkok. Take a look:

Song Kran is time where people return home to their families and spend some time paying respects to their elders.

What is now a giant water fight in certain parts of Thailand, had humble beginnings with ceremonies where water is gently poured or sprinkled while giving a blessing.

There was singing and Thai dancing by the elderly. We also toured the facility giving out back-scratchers and flowers to everyone, including those who were unable to get out of bed.

This small gathering not only combined Thai and foreign initiatives in Bangkok, but included some guests from all over. In the above picture you may notice Mark Wiens (far right) and Ali Pepler (far left).

So how do you top the feeling of helping people without families enjoy their holiday? Well, you can’t really. But we did stop for some evening aerobics in Lumpini Park. You may be surprised at how it went:

]]> http://www.insearchofsanuk.com/2009/04/bang-care/feed/ 3 http://www.insearchofsanuk.com/2009/03/dpf/ http://www.insearchofsanuk.com/2009/03/dpf/#comments Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:44:42 +0000 Dwight Turner http://www.insearchofsanuk.com/?p=548

The Story: One woman’s strength, Mrs. Prateep (aka The Slum Angel), has inspired and transformed the community in and surrounding Bangkok’s oldest and largest slum, Klong Toey. She has been on a mission to educate the urban poor since she was sixteen and now her organization cares for them beyond the classroom too. The Duang Prateep Foundation (DPF) has over 100 employees who serve the approximately 140,000 squatters in Klong Toey. DPF prides itself in responding to the needs of the urban poor at the grassroots level and focusing on long term, sustainable solutions to poverty. Get the whole story on their website.

Goals & Projects: A wide variety of projects exist to educate, create a stronger community, address health concerns, and provide emergency/disaster relief. This includes kindergarten programs, rehabilitation of at risk teens, a mobile puppet troupe and more! Please see the website for more details.

Need: Financial support. Long term volunteers in Bangkok. Short term (at least a week) or long term volunteers at their New Life Projects in Kanchanaburi and Chumporn provinces.

Final Word: This is the largest foundation ISOS has had the privilege to collaborate with. Their dedication to serve the community has stood the test of tragedy, and political turmoil. In the coming months we hope to invite many of you to join hands with this dynamic organization.

Website: The website is available in four languages (Thai version is the most often updated) and explains the endeavors of this foundation in great detail. You may also use the site to submit an application to volunteer with the organization. http://en.dpf.or.th/

]]> http://www.insearchofsanuk.com/2009/03/dpf/feed/ 0 http://www.insearchofsanuk.com/2009/03/ge/ http://www.insearchofsanuk.com/2009/03/ge/#comments Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:15:32 +0000 Dwight Turner http://www.insearchofsanuk.com/?p=499 Self Explanatory, Check it out. If you don’t have flash click here.

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