Legacy Institute Thailand

Not Just for Bananas

2012-02-23T17:53:00.001+07:00

Many of us have sat down with a big, yellow banana, peeled back the outside and had a snack. But there is more to a banana than I knew.

Last week we had a delicious soup made of part of the banana plant.

Bananas hanging on the tree. Not ready to pick yet.

Inflorescence or banana heart.

Banana heart in soup.

But these are not the only uses of the banana plant. Here is a first-hand account from one of my students. They have to write in journals and last year this was one of his entries:

"In the world there are many kinds of trees. Each kind has a different advantage for people, animals, and land. Some trees we eat the fruit and some we eat the leaf.

Today I will tell you about one kind of tree that we can use any part of. It has many advantages for people and animals. It is the banana tree! I think everyone will know very well about the banana tree because it is in many counties in the world. I think I can say that it is a common fruit because monkeys and elephants like it so much. Any part of the banana tree is very useful for people. I will tell you all of that.

First we can eat banana fruit even if we are poor! Why? Because it isn't expensive and we can find it in the forest. Most any kind of animal likes to eat bananas. Especially monkeys and elephants! The birds also like to eat it. I know this because I like to shoot the birds. If I want to shoot the birds I will find ripe bananas first. People bring bananas to make cake, snacks or modify in any style they want to eat or cook.

Banana leaves are also useful to people. People use it in their kitchen to cook. People on the mountain always use it to pack their rice when they go somewhere - especially when they go to the farm. They don't use any plastic. People use banana leaves to pack snacks. In Thailand we have Thai snacks from in the past. We cannot use plastic or other things to pack it because it will effect the taste of the snack. We also use its leaves to make toys like a horse. The children like to ride on it.

On the mountains we use the tree to feed animals such as pigs, ducks and chickens. When I was young I used to make a raft from the banana tree. It was very fun. I will never forget how banana trees are very, very useful. People can use banana trees in their festivals to make the festival more beautiful and have more color. In Thailand we will use banana trees in Loi Krathong festival.

There is one thing that I never knew before I came to work at the farm and I don't think you ever knew it either. It is very surprising and interesting for me. We can use banana sprouts to make compost. It will help plants to grow faster. If we want to make our garden beautiful or make more food banana sprouts can help us.

It is not just those thing - we can eat the banana tree too! How? We cut the banana tree and we just take off the bark or skin so we can eat inside. It has a good taste. I know because my father likes to cook banana tree. Some people use it to practice boxing too! And it is also used in some festivals and ceremonies.

Wherever there are many banana trees there will be good weather and a lot of water because banana trees like water. Inside it has more water than other kinds of trees.

Bananas are good for health. In my opinion bananas are very, very good for the brain. Why? Because you see a monkey is very smart and it likes to eat bananas so I think it also will be good for our brain. You can use bananas to make a business too! It can make more money for you if you have a good idea."
(Written by Atiwat as a 2nd year student - currently 3rd year - I made minor grammatical changes)

Another interesting thing I learned was when I asked Atiwat to get me a bunch of ripe bananas. He proceeded to cut down the whole stem (what would actually be like the trunk of a tree) and handed me my bunch of bananas. Each stem only produces one big cluster of bananas, then the stem dies. However, there can be off-shoots at the base, which grow into new stems.

I bet after all this info you won't look at a banana in quite the same way again!

(Want more info? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana)

Flowers, Flowers Everywhere

2012-02-16T09:00:00.000+07:00

Actually, I feel like there are not so many flowers blooming at the moment, which may be why I am looking to dredge up some color for the blog. I've been meaning to give an overview of the flowers that bloom around the school throughout the year. The unfortunate thing is that I don't know the names of the flowers. Of course, we could make this interactive, and people could leave the names in the comments!

January

February

May

July

Year-round

There are a couple flowers that I don't have pictures of - beautiful orange flowers that drape over the fence and violet flowers on a tree near the gate. I also didn't include potted flowers in these pictures.

For the most part these flowers do not have a smell, except the bright pink flowers in May, which have an amazing smell at dusk, almost like a vanilla and floral scent.

Flowers are fun - like a surprise. Many of these flowers only stick around for a couple weeks, and then they leave until the next year.

Lovely Thailand

2012-01-07T19:00:00.000+07:00

Thailand is full of HISTORY...

Ayutthaya

...and FUN....

Dancing elephants in Ayutthaya. (Sorry for the indistinct photo!)

...CREATURES...

Lizard in Ko Hong
Photo credit: Friend

...and BEAUTY!

Victory Monument in Bangkok

Railey, Krabi
Photo credit: Friend

Ko Lanta
Photo credit: Friend

And all of these things I was blessed to see. School break is almost over! Bring on the classes!

Posted by: Aj. Erika

Water Reservoir

2012-01-06T18:00:00.000+07:00

I am not at all a country gal, having been brought up in the city, but I really enjoy being outside and I like watching projects progress. So going to the farm and seeing how the plants grow is interesting to me. And it's also interesting when there are "building" projects.

In order to get more water pressure near the school's large garden, it became necessary to build water reservoirs. I believe they will be useful for catching water in the rainy season, too. I went out a few times to watch this project, but I didn't help. Just took pictures!

Mixing the cement and putting in the foundation.

Putting the tanks together.

The heavy-lifting part is finished - now to put in the pipes.

Cutting a hole for the pipe.

The finished product.

Posted by: Aj. Erika

Thai Wheat

2012-01-05T16:30:00.002+07:00

I really need to catch up on the numerous blogs that I planned to write before my holiday. There are two posts specifically that I wanted to write about - rice and water reservoirs. Interesting, huh?

Here at Legacy, teachers eat meals with the students. This means that our diet consists largely of RICE! (Personally, I do not eat breakfast with students - simple toast, jam, and tea suffices for me at that time!) Instead of the vast quantity of bread we eat in the West (and that I am extremely fond of!) Thailand has various kinds of rice to round out their dishes. Not only is rice important for meals in Thailand, but it's also important for the economy. Thailand is the number one exporter of rice (however, China is the number one producer).

For such an important thing, I really didn't know much about it. This year, though, we had a small amount of rice at the farm, so I was able to watch the process and help a little with the harvesting. I took some pictures to walk you through the process. At our farm we did dry rice, meaning that it was grown in a field instead of a rice paddy. I had hoped to have pictures of all the steps from planting to table, but our rice is not going to be eaten - it will be used for seed. I also missed the part where they beat the rice stalks - I think that would have been fun!

Rice in October.

The rice ready to harvest in November.

The rice field.

Cutting the rice and putting it in sheaves to dry.

Close-up: Cutting the rice.

Shaking the rice about three days later to get grass and other debris out.

Pile of rice from the field.

Rice out to dry so they can be saved as seeds.

Posted by: Aj. Erika

Happy Father's Day!

2011-12-05T15:03:00.001+07:00

Today marks the 84th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. It is also National Father's Day. Here is a rundown of some Thai website landing pages today. Some I went on for a purpose and others I have been on in the past and I thought would have something interesting to show!

Of course, the first page that opens for me is Google, and here we have the Thai flag.

A Thai website for books...

...and another Thai website for books.

MSN Thailand

Payap University's webpage (my old school)

Chiang Mai University's webpage (the big university here in Chiang Mai)

A Thai cooking website I went on today.

This is something that is frequently done for different holidays here in Thailand, especially those that are connected to the monarchy in some way.Happy Father's Day from Thailand!

American Thanksgiving...Thai Style

2011-12-04T21:27:00.001+07:00

Living overseas can be a little difficult sometimes. Mostly, it is exciting and fun, but when events or holidays happen at home, it can be a little trying. Fortunately for me, I live near a city big enough to cater to whims of foreigners such as myself. This year for Thanksgiving we went to The Duke's - a popular foreigner spot (and therefore not a lot of "Thai style" like in my misleading post title). Every year, actually, they have Thanksgiving dinner. It's a really nice spread that tastes close to home - as close as it possibly can I think. We had butternut squash soup, rolls, caesar salad, and then turkey with all the trimmings - stuffing, sweet potatoes, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, and a small dish of cranberries. After that we had a choice of apple or pumpkin pie and a cup of coffee. By the end I was pleasantly full - not stuffed - but I did still feel the afternoon effects of the turkey.

It was a really nice dinner and I felt so thankful to be able to enjoy God's blessings in a familiar way, halfway around the world.

The other two volunteer teachers: Austin and Nathan

The delicious dinner

Dessert!

This is a very belated post - but hopefully everyone's Thanksgiving was great! I am still feeling the effects of it, since it's a good reminder to...BE THANKFUL!

Lahu Thanksgiving

2011-11-30T09:33:00.000+07:00

It's been a few weeks of Lahu cultural events! (And, yes, an American cultural event as well, but that's next post!)

A couple weeks ago I finally went to the village of one of my students. It was such a great opportunity since I told him a couple years ago that I would really try to make it there. Well, I finally did!

We left early in the morning, piling into the back of a pick-up truck that took us a couple hours to the north. The weather was beautiful and sitting back there seeing the mountains and crops pass us by was so beautiful. Thailand is truly a gorgeous place.

The hired truck with some students and a teacher.

We arrived and had a wonderful breakfast (brunch?) and then went to the villages Thanksgiving service. There, several groups got up and sang a song or two, including some of the students, and then there was a message given in Lahu. It isn't until I hear another language other than Thai that I feel like, oh I wish they would speak in Thai, then I would understand a little! I didn't understand but got some translation later.

The oh so delicious food!

Austin, me, Bouy after eating.

In an open area of the village tents were put up and people brought all different kinds of food. After eating we spent some time relaxing indoors - talking and eating snacks.

A couple of the tents set up with food. In the center people are grabbing containers of rice off the table.
One of the long tables of food.
My food.
The view from where we ate.
Eating snacks in Samuey's house.
Samuey pouring some Fanta to drink with our snacks.

Samuey was our host, but I was able to see where another of my students lives, and a former student. It was a great opportunity to see where they are from and meet their families.

Before long, it was time to head back to Chiang Mai - another fun experience under my belt.

Posted by: Aj. Erika

Lahu Wedding

2011-11-16T10:48:00.001+07:00

Weddings are truly a cultural experience. Weddings in Thailand - at least those I have been too - are similar to religious ceremonies in the US in that the pastor reads through what is expected of each throughout the marriage. They also talk about it being a union that God instituted. (Of course, this is what I know from my students' translations!). Also, friends of the bride and/or groom sing songs for them. The ceremony is generally really short, depending on the pastor and how long he will talk. They sign the document in front of everyone as witnesses and then the ceremony is over.

After the ceremony there is food! The whole village seems to help and they start cooking long before. They usually kill a pig and a bunch of chickens (I'm thankful for the latter!). They set up large tents and the guests sit and eat. After everyone has eaten the bride and groom go to the groom's village to stay for a few days (I suppose when that is possible). In that village there is another feast.

One thing that has struck me at the four weddings I've been to is that the bride and groom are both very involved in getting everything ready. They often serve the guests food and help clean up. It's a lot of work for them! (Not to say, of course, that their families and others in the village don't put in a lot of time, too!) The couple looks very humble and serving throughout the whole thing. Somehow it seems less like the focus is on them that day than that their focus is on others that day. And serving and working together.

A couple weeks ago one of my former students got married. I went to the wedding with some of the other students here. It was a wonderful time. I was able to meet Surachai's family and his new wife. And I was able to see more of Thailand. We went to the bride's village first, and spent the night. Early the next morning at 8 they had the ceremony. We ate and then hopped in a truck for the drive to the groom's village, which took about 2 hours. After eating again there, we came back to school.

The bride and groom are both Lahu* and are wearing traditional Lahu dress in the pictures below.

The guests.
The bride and groom saying vows (I think!).
The bride and groom with friends (plus another teacher and I).
The view on the way to the groom's village.

* The Lahu are an ethnic group found in many countries in Asia including China, Burma (Myanmar), Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. In Thailand they are one of the six main hilltribe groups.
Wikipedia - Lahu people article

Feast 2011 - Khun Yuam

2011-11-03T16:44:00.010+07:00

A couple weeks ago I had the chance to head up to Khun Yuam, a sleepy town west of Chiang Mai, with some of my students for the Feast of Tabernacles*. I've been there before but never had the chance to explore.

We had many activities, in addition to services and bible study every day, that were really enjoyable. We had a couple sports days out at the field (an old Japanese airstrip from WW2) which included football (soccer), tag, a balloon toss, and badminton. Back at the hotel we played a few rousing games of Bunko and Spoons.

It was an enjoyable time of getting to meet some new people, seeing those from the refugee camps, those from Burma, and hanging out with students. The weather was also great and the setting was so relaxing.
Here are some pictures!
The beautiful view from the hotel.
Some of the Legacy students that went up with us.
Bunko!
Trip to the waterfalls.
Kathree, Haechi, Bpoum, Rumee(Photo credit: Peto)
Tag
Balloon toss
Football
Spoons
Some of the brethren from the camps
Back row: LayGayToo, SawPoHtoo, SawSeyHtoo, TooMyaShwee, SayNeePaw, Front row: NawDawBleePhaw, SayNeeHtoo, ..., EhKaNehHtoo, SayNeeSay, NayBluHtoo

We had a wonderful time and now we are back into the swing of school! More posts on that to come!

* Leviticus 23:33-44

Legacy Leader Issue 2

2011-10-06T09:28:00.004+07:00

The latest issue of the Legacy Leader hit newsstands today - or students' desks as it were. In this issue, students wrote primarily about places of interest around Chiang Mai. Find out the place to get the best view of Chiang Mai, where to buy almost anything, and a new way to cook an egg!

I hope you enjoy the reading and as usual, if you have feedback or comments for the writers, I can pass it along.

Click here to read Legacy Leader Issue 2 PDF

Click here to download Legacy Leader Issue 2 PDF

Let the Waters Rise...

2011-10-02T20:04:00.001+07:00

There's a Christian song the students like to sing titled "Let the Waters Rise" by Mikeschair. Well, here's an example of just that happening. The waters rose a lot, really fast, last week. Fortunately, now the water levels have gone way down throughout Chiang Mai, but not without some loss of life and a lot of damage. Apparently, Thailand is also preparing for a typhoon to hit the 5th or 6th. So much rain! At the school we have been fortunate and have not experienced the ill effects others have (care to have your car submerged anyone?), but I was admittedly very surprised when I went to the farm to check out the river.

Here is what the river normally looks like from the bridge close to the farm:

And here is what it looked like last Thursday:
Photo credit: Austin
Photo credit: Austin

Here's a picture looking down to the river from the sala a couple years ago:

And here is the view from the sala last Wednesday:

Please keep people in this part of the world in your prayers. Houses are not always structured well, and alert systems aren't honed. People have been swept away, especially as water rushes through the mountains taking those along the river in its path. Also, this flooding effects the rice crops which are a huge source of income for many in the region, as well as a major food source.

Game Afternoon

2011-09-30T18:19:00.002+07:00

Okay, so the semester is winding down and classes are all beginning to run into each other. It's a good thing, then, that school ends next Friday and that we got to have a game afternoon this last Wednesday before reviewing and finals! A friend of mine came over to share some activities and hang with the students. I love it when they get to talk to other foreigners so they aren't always hearing the teachers. Of course, everyone was still a bit "shy", but I guess that's to be expected.

One of the games was called Human Scrabble. The students got several letters apiece and had to pool their resources to make a word worth the most points. In the picture, it was teams, boys against girls. I think the boys won that challenge - our team got points by spelling Thai words with the Roman alphabet. That's not really fair!The girls working on a really good, big word to beat the boys...
...and the boys looking equally intense.

The next activity was a picture relay. Three students (three different teams) looked at a picture and had to explain it (without showing) to a messenger (one per team). The messengers then had to relay the message back to students who drew what the messenger said. In the end they had to explain why their picture was the best.
Fon explaining to Bancha where the people in the photo are standing and how many there are.
Bancha relaying the message to his team.
AhJar relaying information to her team members.

Of course, what event is complete without snacks? It was a nice end to a good afternoon.

And don't let these sunny looking photos deceive you! Shortly after chowing down on the last snack it began to pour...

Introducing the 1st Year Students

2011-09-22T09:30:00.002+07:00

The first semester of this school year is winding to a close and I can honestly say that I really like the 1st year class! I enjoy teaching them (I have them for English) and seeing them improve. After all this time, I'm getting an idea what they are like. The class consists of six girls and one boy - and it is a chatty class! Fortunately, a lot of the chatting ends up in English. We have fun joking around.
A few things that I have enjoyed doing with them this year are: learning English songs that they can use to teach children, doing short skits, reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and seeing what they write about when they were young in their journals. I am fortunate this year, also, because the students are at approximately the same level, so I don't have that tension of keeping some students interested while not leaving others behind.

From left to right they are: Kathree, Chanpang, Haechi, Wanlee, Rumee, Praphan (the lone guy!), and Neeranoot

The students this year range in age from 17 to 20. They come from different parts of northern Thailand and some different backgrounds. I haven't had a lot of in depth conversations with students in first year yet, just because the language barrier is still rather high. However, there are some basic traits I notice.

Kathree is quiet but opening up more all the time - I am seeing a hint of a playful streak! She's one of the top students in class and is willing to answer and participate. She is Karen* and from the border.

Chanpang is definitely one to make others laugh. She is also very willing to step out and use the English she knows. She is Lahu** from Thailand.

Haechi also likes to make people laugh and laugh herself. Her level of English has made it possible for her to speak in English a little even from the start of the year. When school first started she would translate for the others, but I am happy to see that she doesn't have to do that much anymore! She is Lahu from Thailand.

Wanlee is the youngest in class but acts older than her age. She is quick to smile and she is very friendly and likes to joke around with the other students. She is Karen from Thailand.

Rumee is quieter, however, she also is willing to answer questions in class and is eager to improve her English. She is one of our two first year students who works on the kitchen crew. She has a quick smile and expressive eyes. She is Lahu from Thailand.

Praphan is the the quietest inside and out of class. However, he is also participating more and more as he gets more comfortable in English. He likes to play football (soccer) with the other guys and plays almost every Sunday afternoon. He is Lahu from Thailand.

Neeranoot is quiet and a little more serious. She likes to answer questions in class or help if someone else doesn't understand. She works with Rumee on the kitchen crew. She is Lahu from Thailand.

All the students enjoy music and singing. Many of them play guitar and can be found every so often strumming a song and singing. A few of the first year girls are taking piano lessons, which is fun for me also. I enjoy seeing their progress and hope they will learn something that they will use and enjoy in the future.

Obviously this doesn't capture everything of who they are, but figuring that out as the year goes on is part of the fun. Each new conversation or journal entry adds a little bit more to the picture of their lives.

* The Karen are an ethnic group that are primarily from south and south-eastern Burma (Myanmar). Some are in refugee camps along the border of Thailand and Burma, while others have made their home in Thailand.
Wikipedia - Karen people article

** The Lahu are an ethnic group found in many countries in Asia including China, Burma (Myanmar), Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. In Thailand they are one of the six main hilltribe groups. According to Wikipedia Minnesota (my home state) is one of three states in the US where Lahu people are likely to reside.
Wikipedia - Lahu people article

Posted by:
Aj. Erika

Legacy Leader Issue 1

2011-09-14T18:24:00.009+07:00

I teach several classes, one of which is Journalism. The students in Journalism write articles and then edit their's and those of the students in second year English. They put the articles in Microsoft Publisher, take and insert photos, and do the layout for our Legacy Leader. I don't edit the Legacy Leader but I do give them general comments on things to look for when they do their own edits. It's a balance that I am still working on mastering.

You can read the Legacy Leader online by clicking the following link. I'd be interested to know what you think and if you have any feedback about articles. Is there something they could tell you about Thailand that you are curious to know? Just leave me a comment or send me an email!

Click here to read Legacy Leader Issue 1 PDF

Click here to download Legacy Leader Issue 1 PDF

Posted by: Aj Erika

Football in the Rain

2011-09-05T08:47:00.003+07:00

This evening I drove into the parking lot of the local university with the idea that I'd quickly snap some pictures for the blog, watch some of the match, and get back to school. Just as I was pulling in, large drops fell from an almost sunny sky. Instead of getting good pictures, I spent most of my time peeking around the branches of a tree in my efforts to stay dry. After four years in Thailand I still can't predict the weather within even 5 seconds!

Part of the tree that kept me from getting soaked!

Although it was raining and my view was obstructed, I was still able to enjoy watching the guys play. The past few weekends the majority of the boys have been playing against other teams in short matches.

The guys seem to be playing really well and its nice they have the outlet. The picture below is just before one of the Legacy goals. (Legacy boys are in the red and black stripes.)

Hmm, do I see a 2nd Annual Legacy Cup in our future?

(Posted by: Aj. Erika)

Village Tour

2011-08-30T11:17:00.006+07:00

Today Mr. Samuey is going to be your tour guide. Legacy School is situated about 18km from Chiang Mai in a little "village".

Hi Samuey!

Once through our gates we can cross into the "community center" (for lack of a better term). You can walk, run, or bike on the path around this area...

...or you could drop off your little preschooler for class...

...or you could visit the clinic...

...or even vote. All at the community center. Here is the new sign just put up this year!

Now Samuey is taking us down the road towards the "heart" of our little village...

...the market! See it up there to the right? In the distance the red roof belongs to my apartment building.

Here is the market. You can buy vegetables, fruit, eggs, fish, meat or anything else to make your supper. Or you can just stop by and get a snack or cold tea.

One thing you will notice is that there is always a dog around!

Our tour today is a little short. This doesn't take into account some of the restaurants on the side of the road, or the wat*. But at least you get an idea! Now we will head back towards school.

On the right you will pass a house that has these interesting "things" hanging from the trees. Are they real? I don't know - I assume so. But they are very odd to look at.

See the fork in the road? If you go to the left you will get back to Legacy. If you go straight just a little bit you will end up at...

...the little store. This is where we buy our snack items. It's a popular place for students to go!

But today we will not go to the store, so we'll take a left and - see all those flags?

- we are back at school!

As a parting view...this is what you might see if you climb on top of a roof here at school. Pretty, huh?

Special thanks to our tour guide Samuey and his photographer pal Peto!

* A wat is a temple, and when we continue our tour later you will get to see one!

Posted by: Aj. Erika

New Garden, New Students

2011-08-18T20:35:00.002+07:00

Of course, we've had the new garden and the new students for awhile now. The new garden was started last school year but is really getting off the ground this year. The students are a little more than half-way through the first semester. And the personalities of the "new" students are coming through more and more.
Last week I sent my camera around with one of my students who took the following pictures.

The new garden
Putting up some shade.
Banana trees around the garden.
The students working in the garden. The poles are for the long beans.
Bancha putting organic insect repellent on the pumpkin plants.
The girls weeding in the old garden.
The new garden has rice, yard long bean, corn, cucumber, flowering phak choy, eggplant, chillies, pumpkin and banana. In the old garden there is morning glory eggplant, chillies, long bean, bitter gourd, okra, roselle, green bean, sweet peas, and winged beans. Hopefully we will get to eat some of these things in our meals soon!

Posted by: Aj. Erika

A Peek At Lunch

2011-08-16T09:02:00.007+07:00

This is what I ate for lunch at the school one day last week. Looks good huh? It was! Now I suppose you want a name. I would call it khao soy-esque. Khao soy is a popular dish in Northern Thailand and this is very similar to it. You add some "soup" (broth) and that's lunch!

Mmmm mmmmm!

Admittedly, lunches at the school are not usually noodle based. We eat lots of rice as is the norm in Thailand. Here is a more typical lunch at the school.

Soup, rice, vegetable and meat dish.

Either way, I am really appreciative that every day I sit down to such delicious food!

Posted by: Aj. Erika

Garden Fresh Pickles

2011-07-30T21:11:00.001+07:00

About a year ago I decided to look up a pickle recipe because we had cucumers and dill in the school garden. After a bit of looking I found a great recipe on eHow that looked quick and easy.

At one point I used garden grown chilies in my pickles, but this time they're from the market. In addition, I had hoped at some point to use garden grown garlic, but that experiment didn't work.

I was lamenting the fact that we didn't have the ingredients before 4th of July. Just imagine these pickles with our hamburgers and fries - perfect American meal in the heart of Thailand!

24 Hour Pickles*

What you need:
White vinegar
Water
Salt
Cucumbers
Fresh garlic
Fresh dill heads
Chilies (optional)

Step one: Combine the following ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil:
1 cup vinegar
5 cups water
1/3rd cup salt
Once the vinegar/salt/water (brine) has boiled, set aside and let cool completely.

Step 2: Cut 5-6 fresh pickle-sized cucumbers lengthwise into wedges (or slices for hamburgers!).

Step 3: Peel about ten cloves of garlic and slice finely.

Step 4: Put the cucumbers, garlic, 5 or 6 fresh heads of dill, and 2-3 chillies in a 1/2 gallon air-tight glass container (or equivalent).

Step 5: Pour the (cooled) brine into the jar(s). Secure the cover and place in the refrigerator.

Pickles are ready in 24 hours!

*This recipe was from eHow.com, which has since been revamped, and I can no longer find it online to reference.

Posted by: Aj. Erika

July 4th Has Come and Gone Again!

2011-07-28T11:24:00.001+07:00

Every year I look forward to July 4th. The food, the fun, the fireworks! Even in Thailand it is possible to have a great 4th! There was one a couple years ago that just didn't feel like it should've. It rained for several days straight and our time was spent huddled out of the rain and trying to start a fire. To me that year just didn't compare to the year before. But this year was great! It included all the necessary ingredients. We had amazing hamburgers, french fries, watermelon, soda, cookies, and ice cream! The evening was capped off with fireworks and impromptu music making.

Everyone chipped in to make the meal and we really had a great time. July 4th is also one of the first "events" of the year and a fun chance to hang out with new students and get to know them better. This year, the 2nd year students gave their first speech, which was about their life, that night so it was fun hearing those too!

The spread before we all dug in (minus the best stuff like the hamburgers, french fries, and ice cream).
The baby!
Samuey cooking up the hamburgers (the grill had some issues).
Uaorawet and I frying the french fries.
A meal infinitely better than McDonalds!
The three teachers chowing down.
Making music.
Attima, Wanlee, Haechi, and Chanpang in front of the ice cream.

I feel so thankful that even so far away we were able to experience the fun of the day. And the Friday before one of the students asked to pray that Americans would understand the day coming up. Kind of interesting that he thought about it. Hopefully I understand just a little of what the day means!

Posted by: Erika

1st Annual Legacy Cup

2011-02-12T19:53:00.000+07:00

The boys decided a few weeks ago that since we had been having difficulties finding a league or tournament to join, that we should create our own - thus the 1st Annual Legacy Cup was born. It was a bit of work and I won't say the first day went off without a hitch, but it has been worth it.

Organizing anything in Thailand has its challenges, and trying to encourage students to take control, while also making sure it is up to standards, makes it even more interesting.

The boys (young men!) found the things we would need, determined the budget, contacted teams, made the schedules, wrote letters, and set-up on game day. Some of them, the second and third year students especially, were really involved and I was very proud of them.

Here are a few of the students making the scoreboard. Rather ingenious I thought, with the use of rubber bands to allow one to turn each piece and create the numbers.

The banner that we had made for this year's tournament -
hopefully there will be more to follow!

The 1st and 2nd place trophies the 8 teams are playing for - along with small cash prizes!

Me at the Opening Ceremony welcoming the teams.

Here are 5 of the eight teams - this is where it was difficult to be organized.
Lots of teams came late!

An action shot of Atiwat - one of the Legacy team members.

The team rehydrating over the 10 minute break.

The Legacy team on the field.

Some of the spectators.

This year we are playing 7-7 since we don't have enough players for a full football team. We play 25 minute halves with a ten minute break. The tournament is five Sundays (four more to go!) and hopefully all the teams will have a really good time! Hopefully we will continue this in the future as a service to others.

Feast Recap

2010-10-25T22:50:00.002+07:00

We are already starting the third week of second semester. Since my last entry we had a three week "break" for the Feast. The Feast is always a busy time of year, and this year was no exception. We had families that came from the camps to stay at the school and it was definitely booked here!

This year we have a big first year class so it adds when students come for the first time. As usual I really enjoyed keeping the Feast with the students. The activities are more fun if we are all together.

Big FOT highlights are the following:

- FOOD - Lots and lots of Empress hotel buffets, where the students stock up on the assortment of desserts and load their plates with white rice.
- MUSIC - The students' performances and all of those who participated in the music at the Feast, it was wonderful to hear. This year I directed the choir and am mightily thankful that I started out with a talented bunch!
- Chiang Mai Zoo and SNOW DOME - Not only did we get to see many animals, but some of the students got a taste of a Minnesota winter when we went in the Snow Dome.
- Bowling - Every year the student activity is bowling and every year I think it is fun - however, my score gets lower with time!
- Swimming - The last night we all get to enjoy the pool under the big, beautiful sky. And during the Feast I get to enjoy it and soak up the sun! It never fails to relax me!
- Talent Night - This year I laughed so hard! These students can be total hams! I'm not surprised, I've seen it around school too, but still, they were very funny in their skit!

Here are some pics so you get an idea of what it was like:

Students at the zoo.
My favorite fella at the zoo - he was very entertaining!
Quick mid-Feast trip to Minnesota!
Good times bowling!
Special music
Our version of the Beatles (at Talent Night)
Beautiful girls
Handsome boys
See my swimming gear underneath? Yup, about to hop in the pool!
The crew minus three students.

The Feast was really enjoyable not just because of the things above, but also the fellowship and chance to hear so many messages! It was a very positive time.

(Posted by Aj Erika)

A Little Garden Obsessed...

2010-09-07T21:53:00.001+07:00

So I realize that I write more about the garden than almost anything else. I'm not even really sure why. I think it has to do with what the goal is for it more than the reality. Eventually, the school would like to be as self-sufficient as possible. This obviously entails growing our own food. While our garden definitely has spurts of production, it hasn't reached maximum output yet. In the meantime, I rejoice over the little things (case in point, check out the watermelon!). And, as someone on the receiving end, I do think this garden fresh food is especially tasty!

Take a look at a few of the vegetables that we were reaping a few weeks ago. (I use the term we a little loosely there - I mostly end up in the garden asking questions!)

An ear of corn
Green beans
Long beans
Eggplant
Watermelon - which never actually took unfortunately.
Pea eggplant
Corn planted down in the river - it's all flooded now!

Now, wouldn't YOU like a delicious soup with eggplant and long beans or a Saturday night treat of roasted corn? I thought so!

(Posted by Aj Erika)

Not Just Apples!

2010-09-06T20:58:00.001+07:00

So, what does a teacher get in Thailand? Well, I don't know about the norm, but when my students go home they generally bring back some fruit. Something like this...

I would say I'm pretty lucky! Coconut, mangoes, dragon fruit...don't mind if I do!

For the record, I would say even this is a bit beyond the norm for what I usually get!

(Posted by Aj. Erika)

Great Orators - or something like that!

2010-08-01T19:56:00.003+07:00

(I actually wrote this a little over a week ago, but our internet was down for about a week so I wasn't able to post it.)

I just wanna brag on my students a little bit. Tonight the second year students gave their first speeches of the year.

We all worked really hard, and after a lot of writing and rewriting, the students got to a place where they could give practice speeches. After watching themselves and making suggestions for self-improvement (along with my suggestions) they were ready to take on the whole school! This year they had a decent sized audience with 25 people staring at them.

They all took it so seriously and were nervous. I was even nervous, although I did feel confidant in their abilities to do a good job. As the time drew near for speech night to start, I felt myself feeling like I used to when going to a special night in elementary school. The same nervous excitement.

Having all those students really helped with the atmosphere. There was a real feeling of support and enthusiasm. You could hear it in the applause and reactions to the speakers. They even kept their chitchatting to a minimum! That says a lot for this talkative bunch that is almost half girls!

As I listened to the speeches I found myself being impressed. Of course, I’d heard their speeches once before, and I’d read all of their outlines. Obviously this helped with my overall comprehension. They surprised me, though, and snuck in some new things – most of which were really good!

My confidence in them was well placed and then some! At the end of the speeches, I was so proud of them and I felt like they were proud of themselves, which is more important.

I’m definitely looking forward to more where that came from!

The following pictures are just stills we took from the videos.
DaNi giving us some information about his life...
...and Peto doing the same!

PS - I've added a subscribe feature at the top right of the blog. If you are interested, you can keep up with us that way. It will also save you trips to the blog if it hasn't been updated! However, we're really going to try to keep this thing updated!

(Posted by Aj Erika)

July 4th Fun!

2010-07-16T17:04:00.001+07:00

July 4th in Thailand, you ask? Well, yes! We have some Americans here, and it sure doesn't hurt for the students to learn a little of that culture. Plus, it tastes good and is fun! This year was no exception - we had a great time playing games, eating food, and listening to or playing music.
Students gathered around making delicious hamburgers!
Two of our 1st year students - Spy and Soda.
Playing balloon toss.

Getting wet!
Another 1st year student - Sorawi.
Me having a taste of home!
No party is complete without ice cream!
Students adding music to the fun.
Clapping along and singing.

Another 4th has come and gone! It makes me miss the US. This year we didn't have firecrackers (which we usually do - and they're usually pretty awesome!) because we couldn't find any. Maybe a residual effect of the protests here where they used them to scare people. Anyway, it just doesn't seem as much like the 4th without fireworks - but, it was still a great party. And the hamburgers were delicious!

PS - Photo credits go to whatever student was holding the camera at the time.

(Posted by: Erika)

The Newbies!

2010-07-13T01:53:00.002+07:00

Last, but not least, I would like to introduce you to our newbies-- the first year students. What a daunting life they lead! They voluntarily come to a school where the teachers are all foreigners (they love this, by the way) and all the classes are taught in English from day 1. A scary thought in my opinion. So here are these brave, new individuals we are growing to know and love.

Namu enjoys being with her family.

Jatah who is our youngest student.

Atima is kind of quiet still. I'm sure this will change.

Saree likes to play soccer and attempts to stay awake during Bible class, which is in the heat of the day.

Jaju is a quiet observer.

Ben has an amazing voice, sweet personality and attempts to use her English any chance she gets.

MaTee loves all sports and using his English. He's always happy. He does have a fault - he was against the US in the World Cup. Boo!

Mhuay likes to play Phase 10 and keep the boys in line.

Soda says her English isn't good, but she is trying and it's fun to talk to her. She'll get it.

Gila is one of the sweetest girls I have ever met. She loves to try to talk to all the teachers.

Spy is good friends with Soda. They love to sit, chit chat and listen to music. I like to hang out with them to try and improve my Thai. They are in the process of trying to convince me to stay at Legacy until they graduate.

Boy seemed very scared when I first met him. He is improving greatly on a daily basis.

Pim is sweet. She knows more than she leads on to understand.

I have the privilege of teaching them Bible class. I get to put to use my elementary teacher training in that class, which I love. We play games, draw and many other things. I know it doesn't sound like a Bible class, but we are trying to get them to know/ memorize some of the basics they either do not know or just not in the English language. It's a foundation for all of the other Bible classes at Legacy.

I'm excited to see how these students grow and prosper throughout the year. It's always fun to see their personalities once they begin to know more English. They will definitely get to that point, but it will take lots of determination, hard work, persistence and possibly even some sweat and tears.

You have now met Legacy's class of 2013.

-Aj. Elainea

Drum Roll Please...

2010-07-13T01:50:00.001+07:00

Making it to your third year at Legacy takes a lot of hard work and determination. This year we have two wonderful, talented, bright, and interesting students. They have made it to year three and now just seven more months to the finish line.

You just get to see their serious picture since the other one had too many shadows.

Fon is the kitchen boss and an amazing cook! She loves singing, sports, doing anything musical and hanging out with her husband, Atiwat.

Uarorawet is a walking miracle. He's my student who was in a motorbike accident last year. He has the best outlook on life, loves playing the guitar and singing, loves his family dearly, and looks for the next mountain to climb in this life. Such an inspiration!

My third year students, the ones who really tugged on my heart and made me want to come back for year three and see them graduate. Their first year at Legacy was my first year. I am very proud of them and push them in their classes everyday. Fon says, "My homework makes me crazy." I just respond like any teacher will, if I didn't think you could do it, I wouldn't assign it. :) I guess I'm becoming a "mean" teacher in my old age.

-Aj. Elainea

Introducing My Second Year Students

2010-07-13T01:47:00.002+07:00

I teach a bunch of characters in second year. There are nine of them. Five are Lahu Black, one is Lahu Yellow, two are Kachin, and one is Karen. They are really a goofy bunch in and out of the classroom. Most teachers have a difficult time getting their classes to quiet down, but not me. They are a quiet bunch in the classroom and sometimes it is like pulling teeth to get them to answer questions to which you know they know the answers. Even with the frustrating times that come, they are fun to teach! They have to be reminded every now and again of expectations, but other than that, they're a great group.

The goofy side of them

Atiwat is our farm/garden boss. He does a great job. He's always ready for the next challenge. He loves God, music and football.

Wahrut is a quiet, but smart and funny individual. He likes to laugh and hang out with his peeps at Legacy.

Surachai is our oldest student so he is more affectionately known as Ajan Surachai by the other students. He has to work hard, but really wants to learn. He loves to laugh, sing and have fun.

This guy is a first/ second year hybrid. This is his first year at Legacy, but his English was good enough to be moved up into the second year classes. He loves coffee, singing and talking on the phone.

SomPorn is always smiling (except in photos). He can brighten your day with his smile. He's very curious and wants to learn English very much. He's not afraid to ask you to explain something again.

Peto marches to his own drum in a good way. He doesn't crave to fit in. He's very trendy as you can tell by his hair. He's always ready to help and very appreciative after each class. He's not shy at all, well in class is a different story. You can hear Peto from anywhere on the school grounds belting out a song. It always makes me smile.

Samuey is the jokester! He loves to make people laugh. He's typically full of questions about everything including, "Do we have snacks?" "What happened Ajan?" and other questions about the Bible.

DaNi came my first at Legacy, but then had to leave. He then came back this past year. He likes to rival Samuey for being the class clown. He would rather find a good book to read or play on the computer rather than play soccer.

Here's our token girl for this class. She is very smart and like most girls at Legacy loves to talk on the phone, sing and go to jazzercise.

These are the gentlemen and lady that keep me on my toes in my Reading 2, Writing 2 and Discussion 2/3 classes. If they didn't keep me on my toes, I might get bored. Haha!

-Ajan Elainea

...The Making of a Garden

2010-07-11T12:45:00.000+07:00

When I thought about my bench, I envisioned it at the end of a path in a little garden by the teachers' house. These are more ideas that I shared with the boys before school. Well, reshared actually. We'd already started part of the process for the garden awhile back when they made the compost bin.

DaNi, Uaorawet, and Atiwat putting up chicken wire for the compost.

The overgrown area by the teachers' house.

Samuey waters the newly planted squash, tomatoes, corn, and cucumbers.

Taking a break to eat a snack - fruit and chili!

The finished garden with the gravel walkway and bench!

Now we are just waiting for the vegetables and flowers to grow. The vegetables are growing really well, but it looks like we will have to wait on beautiful flowers lining the walkway!

Posted by: Erika

The Making of a Bench

2010-07-11T12:44:00.000+07:00

A few years ago at a local garden I saw a bamboo bench that I really liked. I've thought about that bench since, and wanted one here at school. A few days before school started, I stood around with some of the boys and shared my ideas. Before I knew it they took them and ran with them! They gathered bamboo at the farm and made me a very cool bench!

The boys discussing the design.

Atiwat holding in the bamboo so it could be nailed.

The stripped pieces of wood they put inside the bamboo to make it stronger.

Surachai checking out nature's cup holder!

The three "movers and shakers" on this project - Atiwat, Uaorawet, and Surachai.

The bench getting some use.

When the bench was being hauled away in the truck (to the school) Atiwat said, "My company has a guarantee, if you have a problem with your bench tell me!" Well, no problems to report yet!

Posted by: Erika

School's Here!

2010-06-29T07:47:00.001+07:00

Now, we just need chillies and sugar....

2010-04-09T08:16:00.000+07:00

Last week we had an incredibly strong storm at the school. I made my way to the middle of the house (which happens to be the bathroom) and far away from windows. I highly doubt that this precaution was necessary, but I think that's the Minnesotan coming out in me. Springtime, tornadoes, high winds - so it was a more natural instinct than something I thought about. I haven't seen a storm like this here before, though - we got hail!

Can you see the little pieces of hail?

The storm passed quickly enough and when I went outside there were branches, leaves, and fruit everywhere! (I know this pales in comparison to the earthquakes happening around the world, but when your student just took a long time that morning to sweep all around the school, you feel a little bad!) I was also a little worried about our garden because of the hail.

When he walked out of the house it looked more chaotic than this picture made it seem. A huge branch from one of the trees fell on the neighbors house.

When people walked by the school they looked a little surprised at all the debris. And we had to sweep the road so cars wouldn't drive over the fruit making it slippery and dangerous for motorbikes.

When I saw two of my students, Uaorawet and Atiwat, we took stock, and in typical fashion, their brains hadn't automatically gone to what may or may not have happened at the farm - there were more important things to consider. Atiwat announced that, "Now, we need chillies and sugar." So we gathered up all of the fallen fruit, mangoes and star apples.

They washed them and cut them up and...
...we had a snack. Good idea! Is this kind of like making lemons into lemonade...?

(Posted by Erika)

Legacy's Classes

2010-02-11T20:08:00.007+07:00

Hello....
These are about the things that Legacy's students do. We will tell what all of these are, such as studying and working at the farm.

This is the third year student's English class with Aj Erika.

Second year students' Leadership class with Aj Nathan.

First year students' Bible class with Aj Elainea.

First year students' English class with Aj Erika.

First year students' Discussion class with Aj Erika.

All students' choir class with Aj Nathan.

All students' sports class with Aj Nathan.

(Posted by Uaorawet)

Legacy Garden

2010-01-12T08:57:00.001+07:00

About three months ago our garden at the farm was a giant, tangled mess of weeds and brush. Frankly, it was a little scary looking - anything could live in there! I kept away. Well, things have changed. Atiwat (the drum maker) took over our garden a couple months ago. Since that time, the garden has been transformed. I get out to the farm maybe once a week and every time I go the garden looks different.

We've already eaten some of the food from there. Atiwat asked me what food I am looking forward to having. Well, cucumbers, squash, pumpkin (hmmm, should I try a pie?) and corn! He plucked a cucumber for me so I don't have to wait on that one. It was tasty.

Following are pictures from the new garden. Notice the nice signs? Pretty cool, huh?

Roselle, Hot peppers, Chinese kale, Corn
Long beans
Pumpkin and Long beans
Rat-tailed radish and Sugar peas

And here are some shots of the produce coming in...

Tomato
Corn
Squash
Pumpkin

We are also starting to get fish from our fish pond...

Tilapia
Posted by Erika