Of my whole working week with CCD, Thursdays are most probably the hardest day of all. This might just be because I am so tired from the first three days of the week that I don't have that much energy, but it also possibly the most mentally draining days of my whole week.
Each Thursday I find myself at Rachawadee Girls home, the home designed for girls ages 8 through 18 with various disabilities. CCD has a day care centre that volunteers and Thai staff work in together. Some days girls are taken from the wards into the day care centre to do various activities while other days the staff and volunteers go onto the wards where they can reach into the lives of more girls. Each Thursday is a ward day, so when I'm there I join the others and visit the girls in several of the different wards in the orphanage. All the girls are really beautiful and great to work with and it is so nice the see the joy on their faces when they see us. However, I find going into the wards very tough at times. The care that is provided here is not the same as the care provided to children in similar situations back home and consequently it is really hard to see past the circumstances these girls are in.
Please pray for all these girls in the orphanages. Pray that the care they receive is sufficient and that they may be surrounded by God's love and care. Please also pray for the volunteers and staff that work with these girls, both on the wards and in the day care centre. Pray that they may continue to have the strength and ability to be a blessing in the lives of these girls.
xxx
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Home
Home. On Tuesday, we had some music playing while we were doing activities and one of the songs was "Home" by Michael Buble. The Thai staff that I was working with asked me if I wanted to "go home. Australia." I told them that I did want to go home and that I miss my mum.
The truth is though, that even though I miss my mum (and my Dad and my brothers and sisters and all my amazing and beautiful friends) I am having a really really good time here. I feel that I have adjusted and am comfortable where I am and I busy enough that I don't stop and think about all the people back home. I am busy enough here and I am having a really good time so I don't get sad and homesick.
Skype is also a wonderful gift that I can use to keep in contact with my family. I even get to see them all (even if it is via a computer screen). Really I don't have anything to complain about.
xxx
Monday, January 21, 2013
Whistle while you work
Work seems to be getting busier and busier. I am beginning to really find a place where I belong at each of the projects and am more comfortable and confident to do the things that I know how to do.
Sometimes it feels that I haven't really done anything, the language barrier makes it hard to take children on to do one on one and I don't always know what or how to do things because I haven't really been at that particular project that much yet (being there only one day a week). But then if I really do think about it, the smiles I see on some of the children's faces each day shows me that I am doing something and the skills I have learnt and developed over the past 4 years of uni are helping me.
I have definitely been able to draw on my knowledge of swallowing and maximising swallowing potential and safety. Working with some of the children I have been able to make recommendations and alterations concerning their fluid thickness and the easiest way to get them to drink (e.g. using a straw). I have also been on the hunt for some tippy-cups, they don't seem to have any available in shops here and I know some of the projects do have them so if I can find them and use them...
At the same time I have been able to draw on my skills and understanding of how to engage with some of the children particularly those with disabilities. Last friday I spent a whole afternoon making funny noises and playing one on one with one of the small children at the babies home just to get him to show interest in what I am doing, have some eye contact with me and understand that hugging isn't the only way that you can get attention from someone else. When he actually looked me in the eye and responded to what I was doing I was so excited.
I am really enjoying my time here. It is a really wonderful opportunity that I have here. I am able to share my knowledge and the love of God with people who don't have the same gifts and opportunities that I have. In truth I have to come back. My plan is that I ***finish off my travelling and come back home in June, get a locum position somewhere back home for 6 to 8 months and save as much money as possible so that I can come back here, possibly for a longer period of time. But then, my plan might not be the same as God's plan
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
We got Thickener!
So, the day after my last post we got some thickener. Some people (from Australia!) came to CCD to see what it is about and all the work that is being done here. And they brought thickener with them!
It made my day. On the Friday we had used up the last little bit of thickener at Fung Fah and Rainbow House was nearly out too and then on the Monday we had thickener again (I is dutch stuff that has no english writing on it but it is thickener). It really shows how God answers prayers in the most unexpected way.
It made my day. On the Friday we had used up the last little bit of thickener at Fung Fah and Rainbow House was nearly out too and then on the Monday we had thickener again (I is dutch stuff that has no english writing on it but it is thickener). It really shows how God answers prayers in the most unexpected way.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Fluid Thickener
At the moment I am on the hunt for some fluid thickener. They don't have any of that in Thailand and it is really something that we need.
For those that don't know Thickener is something that is put in peoples drinks when they choke or aspirate (fluid goes into their lungs) on normal drinks. Putting some of this into a drink will make the drink thicker and easier to manage. Thus reducing the risk of aspiration and the consequent risk of a chest infection. As speech therapists we assess a persons swallowing function and safety and make recommendations regarding fluid and food consistencies in order to maximise the persons swallow. This is something that I have been involved in over the past few weeks while working at CCD. But we only have a tiny tiny little bit of thickener left from what someone has brought over which makes it a bit harder.
So, today I have been searching for providers of different thickeners and sending them all emails and asking if there is any way to get a supply of thickener for CCD, potentially as a donation. If that doesn't work I will have to look for a way to get some sent here even if it is temporary.
WE NEED THICKENER
xxx Camille
So, today I have been searching for providers of different thickeners and sending them all emails and asking if there is any way to get a supply of thickener for CCD, potentially as a donation. If that doesn't work I will have to look for a way to get some sent here even if it is temporary.
WE NEED THICKENER
xxx Camille
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
A cooking lesson
On Tuesday it is my day to go to one of the community based rehabilitation centres run by CCD, CBR2. Yesterday was my first day there. I left Sirin House earlier than usual and waited to be picked up for the half hour drive to work.
Each Tuesday there is a day care set up for children in the community. Once we get there, one of the staff members goes round to all the houses in the area and picks up the kids before we start our day. It's really cool to be out there in the middle of the country side. Driving in the area you can see all the rice patties and the rows of coconut trees. It is so different from back home here and is really beautiful in such a contrasting way.
The days there are quite relaxed and laid back. Sometimes there are some sort of activities planned by the staff but other times there aren't. Yesterday there was a few activities planned but it was a bit more of a special day because it was the last day there for Nick, one of the other volunteers. In the morning we played a few games, one of them being "pass the powder" which is a bit like "pass the parcel" but instead of passing around a parcel you pass around a bottle of baby powder and when the music stops you are lucky enough to get a face full of powder. Exciting!
After the morning of games we got a cooking lesson. A few other times the CCD staff had cooked lunch together with the volunteers and they knew that Nick liked cooking so they did it specially for him on his last day. There is a shop just around the corner so most of the ingredients were bought fresh (the basil was even picked right off the plant) and then we cooked it. All Thai people seem to be really good cooks and they all know a lot about food. For lunch we were instructed in making kpraow moo, chilli-basil-pork with rice which was really yummy, omelette and a chilli chicken dish. The staff also made a soup but they didn't really let us make that. The food was really amazing and I can proudly say that I know how to make kpraow moo.
The afternoon was quite relaxing, in fact the whole day was. After we dropped all the kids off home we made our way back to Pakkred. The best part of the day was that I got a cooking lesson. I should probably write it down so I don't forget it though. AND I should also write down some more language therapy ideas, otherwise my brain will burst trying to hold all the information it is at the moment.
xxx
Each Tuesday there is a day care set up for children in the community. Once we get there, one of the staff members goes round to all the houses in the area and picks up the kids before we start our day. It's really cool to be out there in the middle of the country side. Driving in the area you can see all the rice patties and the rows of coconut trees. It is so different from back home here and is really beautiful in such a contrasting way.
The days there are quite relaxed and laid back. Sometimes there are some sort of activities planned by the staff but other times there aren't. Yesterday there was a few activities planned but it was a bit more of a special day because it was the last day there for Nick, one of the other volunteers. In the morning we played a few games, one of them being "pass the powder" which is a bit like "pass the parcel" but instead of passing around a parcel you pass around a bottle of baby powder and when the music stops you are lucky enough to get a face full of powder. Exciting!
After the morning of games we got a cooking lesson. A few other times the CCD staff had cooked lunch together with the volunteers and they knew that Nick liked cooking so they did it specially for him on his last day. There is a shop just around the corner so most of the ingredients were bought fresh (the basil was even picked right off the plant) and then we cooked it. All Thai people seem to be really good cooks and they all know a lot about food. For lunch we were instructed in making kpraow moo, chilli-basil-pork with rice which was really yummy, omelette and a chilli chicken dish. The staff also made a soup but they didn't really let us make that. The food was really amazing and I can proudly say that I know how to make kpraow moo.
The afternoon was quite relaxing, in fact the whole day was. After we dropped all the kids off home we made our way back to Pakkred. The best part of the day was that I got a cooking lesson. I should probably write it down so I don't forget it though. AND I should also write down some more language therapy ideas, otherwise my brain will burst trying to hold all the information it is at the moment.
xxx
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Routines and ideas
Over the past week I have finally begun to settle into a pattern and routine for what I will be doing during my time here with CCD. I've begun to develop a few ideas of what I can do with my knowledge of speech therapy and finally seen what a real week for me would be like (even though this past week was only three days).
Of all the places that I will be working at while I am here, I have spent the most time at Fueng Fah Babies home. The children here range in age from about 3 to 7 years old and they all have a range of disabilities. The CCD day care centre here takes about 12 children from the ward each morning and they all go to the day centre. The morning starts with music and the staff and volunteers sing some songs which the children use what ever musical instrument to play along. Following that we usually have snacks and then it is shower time.
After showers the Thai staff just let the kids play and do whatever they want. This is usually when the volunteers will organise an activity and get them to do something a bit more structured. Unfortunately the days I was there this week, I was the only volunteer there and I hadn't been there with all the kids much at all so I wasn't really sure what I could get them to do or even what I could do. On Friday I did take some of them into the sensory room but even then it wasn't a real structured activity to do. Hopefully I will be able to work with the other volunteers to set up some more activities for them during the time that I am here.
After lunch is usually free play outside. A few children go back to the ward before lunch and a few others come join us while we are playing outside. Again it would be really nice if we could set up some more structured activities when playing outside as well.
From a speech therapy perspective I have noticed that many of the children that go to the daycare don't speak at all. Some may have a few words and they understand a lot of what is being said to them but they don't really speak. Even some of the boys who are about 7 years old do not have many words at all. So I think I have found a project for me in Fueng Fah. I hope to look at setting up some sort of communication boards for these children and then also teaching them to use it. At the moment I don't know who I will be teaching or even how or what but it is the beginning of an idea. I also think that I will be able to help out a bit with some of their feeding. Lots of them cant manage drinking out of the cups that they use at the day centre and i have a feeling some of them might not be managing their food very well so that is also somewhere that I can use my knowledge as well.
Of all the places that I will be working at while I am here, I have spent the most time at Fueng Fah Babies home. The children here range in age from about 3 to 7 years old and they all have a range of disabilities. The CCD day care centre here takes about 12 children from the ward each morning and they all go to the day centre. The morning starts with music and the staff and volunteers sing some songs which the children use what ever musical instrument to play along. Following that we usually have snacks and then it is shower time.
After showers the Thai staff just let the kids play and do whatever they want. This is usually when the volunteers will organise an activity and get them to do something a bit more structured. Unfortunately the days I was there this week, I was the only volunteer there and I hadn't been there with all the kids much at all so I wasn't really sure what I could get them to do or even what I could do. On Friday I did take some of them into the sensory room but even then it wasn't a real structured activity to do. Hopefully I will be able to work with the other volunteers to set up some more activities for them during the time that I am here.
After lunch is usually free play outside. A few children go back to the ward before lunch and a few others come join us while we are playing outside. Again it would be really nice if we could set up some more structured activities when playing outside as well.
From a speech therapy perspective I have noticed that many of the children that go to the daycare don't speak at all. Some may have a few words and they understand a lot of what is being said to them but they don't really speak. Even some of the boys who are about 7 years old do not have many words at all. So I think I have found a project for me in Fueng Fah. I hope to look at setting up some sort of communication boards for these children and then also teaching them to use it. At the moment I don't know who I will be teaching or even how or what but it is the beginning of an idea. I also think that I will be able to help out a bit with some of their feeding. Lots of them cant manage drinking out of the cups that they use at the day centre and i have a feeling some of them might not be managing their food very well so that is also somewhere that I can use my knowledge as well.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Tea Emergency
We have a slight problem in Sirin House. We are running out of tea! There is only a small remnant of tea bags in the pot and from there there will be nothing left. Ahhhhh!
We cant get any proper tea here in Thailand. You can get coffee, milo, Ovaltine, other 3 in 1 for tea (which is tea sachets that come with milk and sugar already but are definitely not tea) but not real tea. So, we don't have any tea :(
In other news, I am finally beginning to see some normality being established in my days here with CCD. Although I still haven't seen a full week of normal action for what I should be doing. I haven't even been to CBR 2 (where I will be spending every tuesday). Still I am beginning to get a feel for what CCD is and starting to develop some ideas for what I can do. The first thing that I'm thinking of right now is support for eating and drinking. Some of the kids have difficulty with drinking especially out of the cups that they have while others struggle a bit with eating. I hope to look at the this a bit more closely and also find some cups, plates and also cutlery that will help support their eating.
Who loves me enough to send me some tea from home. I would love you forever and ever if you did.
xxx Camille
We cant get any proper tea here in Thailand. You can get coffee, milo, Ovaltine, other 3 in 1 for tea (which is tea sachets that come with milk and sugar already but are definitely not tea) but not real tea. So, we don't have any tea :(
In other news, I am finally beginning to see some normality being established in my days here with CCD. Although I still haven't seen a full week of normal action for what I should be doing. I haven't even been to CBR 2 (where I will be spending every tuesday). Still I am beginning to get a feel for what CCD is and starting to develop some ideas for what I can do. The first thing that I'm thinking of right now is support for eating and drinking. Some of the kids have difficulty with drinking especially out of the cups that they have while others struggle a bit with eating. I hope to look at the this a bit more closely and also find some cups, plates and also cutlery that will help support their eating.
Who loves me enough to send me some tea from home. I would love you forever and ever if you did.
xxx Camille
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Happy New Year!
It seems like I have only been posting for holidays at the moment. My last post was about Christmas and now I'm wishing you all a happy new year. A lot has happened between now and my last post, I just haven't had enough time to write about all of it. Hopefully I'll be able to play catch up for some of the important things.
I would like to wish everyone reading this a very happy new year. May God continue to surround you in his care throughout the year 2013 and provide you with everything that you need. May he give you the strength to walk in the path that he has established for you and may you hold fast to his promises.
So what has been happening to me since christmas? Well I guess the biggest thing is that I had a long weekend off for the new year (we had both New Years Eve and New Years Day off). A few of us volunteers made our way to Koh Chang, and Island South of Bangkok which is found near the border of Thailand and Cambodia. It was a really nice weekend away.
The place where we stayed on the Island was right on the beach. When we got off the ferry we took a song-tau to the main road, found a path leading to the beach and walked right along the beach to our resort. A lot of the resorts, hotels, restaurants and some bars are all right along the beach so we stayed on the beach for 90% of our time on the beach. We spent the day there, we ate all our meals right there and we slept there. The only time we left there was to look at the market stalls and to get some snacks from 7-eleven.
One of the downsides of the island is that a lot of tourists were there, especially because it was New Year's and at the moment it is peak season for tourism in Thailand. The beach was really busy and full of very sunburnt people which I didn't really enjoy but still, it was the beach after all, I cant complain.
New Years Eve was a really nice evening. A lot of the restaurants and other places had a big buffet style dinners with live entertainment for the evening and it was quite expensive to get a place. Instead, we went to the markets and collected our own little picnic dinner from the stalls. This included corn on the cob, some pork sticks, fried sticky rice patties, satay chicken, spring rolls and icecream for dessert. We sat there for a little while and played my 'would you rather game' (with some really really random would you rather questions). After that we found a place that was playing live music for the whole night, set up our mat again and that is where we welcomed in the new year.
Although the weekend was short it was a good one filled with lots of beach and good memories. I hope that everyone else also had a good new years eve and wishing you God's blessings for 2013!
I would like to wish everyone reading this a very happy new year. May God continue to surround you in his care throughout the year 2013 and provide you with everything that you need. May he give you the strength to walk in the path that he has established for you and may you hold fast to his promises.
So what has been happening to me since christmas? Well I guess the biggest thing is that I had a long weekend off for the new year (we had both New Years Eve and New Years Day off). A few of us volunteers made our way to Koh Chang, and Island South of Bangkok which is found near the border of Thailand and Cambodia. It was a really nice weekend away.
 |
| Where we stayed and some of the other places that were right there on the beach |
One of the downsides of the island is that a lot of tourists were there, especially because it was New Year's and at the moment it is peak season for tourism in Thailand. The beach was really busy and full of very sunburnt people which I didn't really enjoy but still, it was the beach after all, I cant complain.
New Years Eve was a really nice evening. A lot of the restaurants and other places had a big buffet style dinners with live entertainment for the evening and it was quite expensive to get a place. Instead, we went to the markets and collected our own little picnic dinner from the stalls. This included corn on the cob, some pork sticks, fried sticky rice patties, satay chicken, spring rolls and icecream for dessert. We sat there for a little while and played my 'would you rather game' (with some really really random would you rather questions). After that we found a place that was playing live music for the whole night, set up our mat again and that is where we welcomed in the new year.
 |
| Excuse the bad photo quality but these pics are of us sitting on the mat enjoying our food and the music |
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