The hot season came, and I was still there, in Thailand

Hello from... Thailand,... still!


My four months original stay has taken the shape of a year long stay working among Burmese migrants in Thailand. But I am skipping 3 months of information, which I will try to shortly summarize here.

FEBRUARY
Teaching
Still getting used to teaching English: much time was spent preparing classes and energy used to face insecurities of teaching methods and approaches. Students are adults, older then me for many, leaders of main CBOs. Challenge: I was asked to make them speak in couple months. Unrealistic goal for students that had never studied English, but still working towards it. Patience, repetition, repetition, repetition, but one can not go against human abilities to learn. I first took on me the responsibility for students not retaining what was taught. Speaking with other teachers made me realize that I was too hard on myself, although I was still learning how to teach. Hard month: climbed over teaching frustrations and desires to quit. But things smoothed out and today I am even enjoying teaching! Almost no time for mental health work where projects are slowly dropping and not going really anywhere. Yea, was a hard month.



MARCH
Realizations...
Month of realizations of personal needs and wants and realization of where I am and where I want to go. Changing things around. I was then at flow with teaching and had more energy to start visiting more my environment, meeting more people, spending more time with people. It also took me to realize that for some reasons I felt something was not in harmony. Some pause and time thinking led me to realize that I was functioning differently then most of my roommates and that I had to do what I liked although I would not spend as much time with them anymore, but that I could not compromise any longer personal essences and ways of being for the benefit of staying with the house group. Different ways of functioning that are not compatible: I am a people person, love to meet and interact and talk and to people, some other people are more home stay people, but that did not work anymore for me. So I enfolded my wings and started to flight out. Balance recovered. I feel a lot happier!

Personal treats: Visits



More realizations...Identity Met a lot of people from the international community, and French people who asked me where I had learn French so well. I am apparently not perceived anymore as a French or Swiss European by my people and not perceived as an American either. But as a multicultural braided traveler I met told me, I have all of the parts in me and what through people off are the presence of the other pieces which makes them feel that I am not like them, when actually I have the same pieces and other ones I have gathered in my life. Beautiful way to see it, rather than not belonging anywhere. Really switched my perception.

Dance, dance, dance on...
Migrant schools end of the year. Long vacations are there and I am asked to prep dances with children to present at the closing ceremony! Children surprised me: hard work for couple weeks!

Contact Dance is in Chang Mai!!!! Going once a month to jam up there. This is tooo beautiful to be true!! There is contact dance in Chang Mai since this month!! Perfect timing! Thank you Laura and Travis and Mark!




APRIL
Water and dance with Burmese Friends!!! A modern dance prepared for a TV show with teenagers from a trafficking safe house, many happy hours together dancing hard and getting ready in one week!!!

Dancing continued for the celebration of Songkran (water) festival (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songkran). Exchange: I teach them modern and they teach me Burmese dances and we performed together! Happy times!!

Water fights with safe houses children of trafficked and child soldiers. Much fun and water to be remembered! Happy times, happy times.



Mental Health Project
I have been participating to a mentla health coordination group since January that aims at coordinating services in the area. The training director of the counseling center asked me to review part of a project she was asked to do by the director of the Burmese Hospital under which the counseling center is. She found my comments relevant and insightful and asked me to join her on the project. We started organizing how to map all the mental health services that are offered in the area as a tool to increase reference, collaboration, treatment efficiency. Beautiful project that I am really happy to work on.

HOT SEASON
SO I am in Thailand, am I will be for a bit longer. Different projects and positions/situations seem like they might change. Still waiting for confirmations but I'll update you if any big change happens.

Gratefulness
Your messages and "hellos" always bring sweet warming heart flames! Precious sparkles that reminds me how many beautiful are in my life. Thank you for the inspiration you bring me and support. I believe in believing in others to help individuals become more fulfilled and closer to self-actualization. Much Love to you all.