Community School of Excellence Thailand

We are Back!!!

2010-01-16T09:32:00.000-06:00

We are back it was a great trip. I could not bring myself to type until now I was sleeping off a really bad case of jet lag.

The kids were all excited to be home and said hello to all of their friend at CSE. I am sure they are all exhausted and went home and slept as much as I just did the last two days.

We all miss our friends in Thailand very much and will stay in contact with them through email and messenger services. Hopefully we can do a little bit of webcam and be a little bit more interactive technologically speaking.

Lastly, I will be posting many more videos and pictures periodically in my spare time so keep on checking the blog I should be able to post 1000 more pictures at least and hopefully up to 100 videos over the next couple of weeks.

Jan 9th-13th

2010-01-11T09:48:00.000-06:00

We went to the ocean and it was more beautiful then I had expected. The water was so blue and the water was just the right temperature. It was a paradise especially compared to Minnesota temperatures. All of the students had a great time tipping each other off of their tubes that they rented and splashing around in the water. Some of the boys even played some beach soccer.

The next day we went to a village and a wat where many of the students had houses. I think it was Yong, Soua, Thong, Va, Yee and a couple of the other students showed us where their houses used to be. It was very touching. We even ran into a man whose whole family was over in America and he was the only one left behind. This was a very touching experience. Lastly we visited a temple where monks take care of hmong people and people that are having problems with drugs. This was very interesting because they knew some inside information on what was happening with the hmong going into Laos and what actually happened. I have some video that I will put up when the internet is faster.

January 8th

2010-01-08T02:45:00.000-06:00

We go to Bangkok Today!! We are taking a much deserved day of rest and then taking a Plane out of Changmai to Bangkok where we will check into our hotel. We have about 5 days left in which we will go to see the beautiful ocean and go swimming, go to another night bazaar possibly, go to the floating market and many other fun activities.

January 7th

2010-01-08T00:32:00.000-06:00

Today was a very fun day. We went on elephant rides, saw an elephant show and had a super fun bamboo raft ride on a small river.

The kids and the staff completely enjoyed the elephant show where elephants were kicking soccer balls, playing basketball and even painting murals of themselves. It was completely entertaining. Then at the end of the show we got to feed the elephants some sugar cane and bananas. Elephants eat lots of food. They ate about 7 bananas at one time and a full bundle of sugar cane. Then the elephants picked us up with their trunks so that we could take pictures with them.

Next we went on an ox cart ride in which some of the students got to drive the ox cart and we rolled not too smoothly up into the mountains where we got out did a little bit of shopping and then went on an elephant ride further up into the mountains. After the elephant ride we did rafting on the river where the boys got everybody wet by tipping the raft a bit and throwing apples into the water. Lastly we at a big buffet of tasty food that was catered more towards mes kas because the elephant place was very touristy. Again the boys found something to entertain themselves and were taking pictures of a big spider.

After the elephant rides we went to a temple where people were worshiping and saw a lot of statues of Buddah. This was high up in the mountains but we could not see much because it was raining which is unusual during the rainy season.

Lastly at the end of our day we went to the night bazaar where the students bought lots of stuff for their loved ones back home and got did a lot of things that were new experiences. One of the things was sticking our feet into a fish tank with lots of hungry minnows that suck on your feet and clean them off. All of the kids and I were very ticklish at first and laughing so we got really weird looks from the locals who were used to having minnows suck on their toes.

We all sucessfully rounded up the children and made it back to the hotel by about 10 p.m.

Tomorrow off to Bangkok for new adventures.

January 2nd-6th

2010-01-06T08:50:00.002-06:00

Last Blog was supposed to say. Jan 2-6

January 2nd 4th

2010-01-06T08:47:00.000-06:00

We are very very busy but still having a good time. On the 2nd of January we went Farming and had a very positive experience. All of the students realized how much hard work farming is and how great America is because we have all of the modern things that keep us from doing to much work.

On the 3rd of January we helped paint the community center in Ka Nou's relative's village. It again was a good experience for the students to do some hard work. Students ended up getting paint all over themselves and did not realize that it would be so hard to get off of their clothes and hands.

On the 4th of January all of the students and teachers went on a field trip to the Golden Triangle where Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet. We took a boat ride in the Mekong River to see the Golden Triangle more up close and then some of us went shopping and others went across the border to Myanmar which was a very interesting experience seeing that Myanmar is still a communist country and going through customs was interesting. Our Thai/Hmong friends really look out for everyone so we are fine.

On the 5th of January we went to the Ban Rap School again and the students went to class with the Thailand Students then we had a girl vs girl soccer game and a Boy versus Boy soccer game. Lastly we had a huge bonfire and ate a lot good food and said good bye to our very dear friends.

January 1, 2010 (Nyob Zoo Xyoo Tshiab)

2010-01-04T21:28:00.002-06:00

On January 1, 2010, all the students and staff, dressed in our Hmong clothes, joined in the Hmong New Year celebration at Ked Noi. We tour the village, which consists mostly of the Xiong clan. The homes ranged from modern structures to the more simple Hmong thatched roofs and bamboo walls.

It was requested that our students joined the village's young people in a game of ball toss or pov pob. The students made new friends and did enjoyed the ball toss experience. The students were asked to perform. They also did a great job!

We changed out of our Hmong clothes and headed out to lunch in Phu Sang Waterfall.

2009-12-31T12:22:00.002-06:00

Nyob zoo xyoo tshiab everyone! It is now January 1, 2010. Of course, we are 12 hours ahead of everyone.

We went to visit Tong's parents home today. They had a soul calling ceremony for us as well as khi tes. They butchered a cow or was it a buffalo in our honor.

We took to kids up to Phuchifa Mountain for the evening to ring in the new year. They shopped, ate, had a bon fire, and Pafoua showed her talent in break dancing which drew a larger crowd. I ran into many students from Ban Rakpadee and Ban Rakpaendin School.

Everyone is fast asleep but I am just excited to have internet access today so I could upload all my photos and update the blog. It's after midnight, I should go to sleep. Good night all.

Mai Kou Xiong

Hmong New Year at Thai School

2009-12-30T09:22:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful Hmong New Year. We started out the day waking up early and going over to the school to do a parade. There were many banners, hmong instruments and even cross bows in the parade which were used later in the games. We then marched to the school down the road and started the ceremonies. All of the students did very well with their performances such as break dancing, Indian Dance and singing.

We all learned very much and made some new and very good friends.

Second Day at Ban Rakpaendin School

2009-12-29T07:27:00.002-06:00

What a day! We started the day with going to the morning market for breakfast. I have had enough of greasy food already. I had tangarines for breakfast. Can't look at the fried meat anymore.

CSE's students played soccer against Ban Rakpaendin. Our girls played well considering many of them were not on CSE's soccer team. The boys played well also. I had to remind someone that it is not about winning or losing, but having fun and making friends in the process. The adults and some of the students played volleyball against each other. I think our students finally realize now what I meant when I told them that Ban Rakpaendin's students are very good in sports. Every school is afraid of playing against Ban Rakpaendin in soccer, volleyball and kator. They took the gold in all areas! Way to go, Ban Rakpaendin!

We had an interesting day with our own students in regards to the safe keeping of their spending money. I hope that after debriefing with all the students, they will be more mindful of their surrounding and how they handle their belongings.

OH, we stopped by the visit a Hmong orphanage in Thoeng last night. It is within walking distance to our hotel. I should've known about this place over the summer; I would have spend everyday there.
~Mai Kou Xiong

December 29th

2009-12-29T02:04:00.000-06:00

Sorry that I have not been able to blog. The internet is very tricky over here. I have managed to upload on youtube video on the blog which is about the plane flight and about 10 new pictures of the students in Thailand. I have to wait about 10 to 15 minutes to upload every two pictures. I will try to keep everyone up to date though.

That aside after the almost 2 day journey of the plane flights and bus rides we have been having wonderful days here. The teachers and the students are having a wonderful time with the Thai Hmong people. There is good food and the weather is great.

We started out on day 2 of being in Thailand going to CSE's sister school and visiting with the children and teachers at the sister school. The teachers showed us around and we saw what a true Thai School is like. We are way out in the mountains where the Thai Hmong live and the school is basically metal roofs with boards tacked on underneath. After we were showed the school we ate traditional Hmong food which was delicious and then went and played soccer/futbol. The Thai Hmong are very good at soccer so it was a great game. The boys were very excited and did very well in the game. At night we then went to visit orphans that live nearby our hotel and got to learn alot about poverty and how bad the orphans have things. I think the students appreciated their lives in America much more.

On day 3 we woke up went to the market and then went to the school the girls played a soccer game and so did the boys they all did very well and we had a lot of fun and laughs. Most of the girls have never played soccer before so it was fun to watch them learn.

Well that is it for now, All of the students and staff miss everyone from back home and will be back in a little over 2 weeks.

1st and 2nd Days in Thailand

2009-12-27T17:20:00.000-06:00

We had a good first day. We took a plane flight from Bangkok to Changrai and made it to Changrai at about noon Thailand time. We then piled into 3 vans which were pretty roomy because they put a lot of our luggage in a cool looking Toyota pickup truck. When we got to Changrai we showered up and and got clean then went to the market which is alot like the Hmong Market right next to Community School of Excellence. The people there were very friendly and liked talking in Thai and laughing for what reason I do not know yet.

Today we will be going to the school where we will be handing out letters from the students at Community School of Excellence to the Thai students and probably playing a soccer game against their students. All of our students are very excited to play soccer.

On Our Way!

2009-12-26T12:58:00.001-06:00

Link to my blog

2009-12-26T12:49:00.002-06:00

Here is the link to my blog: http://communityschoolofexcellencethailand.blogspot.com/

I will also post this link on facebook.

We are in Bangkok!

2009-12-26T12:44:00.002-06:00

We are now sitting at the airport in Bangkok. The kids were tired from the long flight but now seem to be full of energy and are excited that we are no longer on an airplane! We will leave Bangkok tomorrow morning at 7:00 en route to Chiangrai. The plan is to rest all day Sunday in Thoeng and head on to the school Monday.

Pictures and movies will be coming!

~Mai Kou

Welcome to the Thailand Blog

2009-12-23T08:43:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Thailand Blogspot!!!