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More Pics: Chonburi

Thailand - Part 2 (Longest post ever??!)

Pictures from National Youth and Family Camp, Sriracha, Chonburi:
The turnout was amazing...and with people of diverse backgrounds. Working with the youth who were organizers for the program for junior youth was a blessing for me. I learnt from them that unity and cooperation can only exist when we try to work together...how much easier it would've been to be one person deciding on the whole thing!


Pictures from the JY camp in Yasothon:
Mainly, there was a study session on Spirit of Faith with many supplementary activities for an exciting 2 day camp(in town)! Before the camp, we also had a study session (English - Thai) with the animators-to-be.



Thank Your Parents Day:
The junior youth camp ended with this special event. The parents of the JY were presented with a flower made by their own child. They JY sang the song "Take some time to thank your parents". So touching. I made this flower for you, mummy.

Thailand - Part 1

It's about time i take a few minutes to ease your worries about my whereabouts:

8 Oct - Left Battambang to Yasothon
9-12 Oct - Planning and participating in the Junior Youth Camp in Yasothon
13 - 17 Oct - Hidden Gems Kindergarten Mathematics Program in Yasothon
18 Oct - a day at Magic Years School, Bangkok
19 - 22 Oct - National Youth Camp, Chonburi
23- 25 Oct - Working holiday with Fay-Fay che-che
25 Oct - Back in Battambang!

Well, the primary purpose of coming to Thailand was to attend a training session on the Mathematics Program, so I'll start with that. It was conducted by Addis Fryback, the person who actually prepared Ruhi Book 3 - Teaching Children's Classes. She has a wealth of knowledge and patience. The training was mostly learning and practicing the mechanics and activities involved in teaching children to sort, form sets, count, recognize numbers and patterns, etc, etc. We had great fun though many of the activities were carried out in Thai language...and few of us 'international' participants had to guess what was going on.

We're going to introduce this Math program in Gems starting this semester and i shall return and train our teachers so that we can carry it out as soon as possible. Since we're on the topic of schools...here are also a few pictures of Santhitham Witthayakom School, Yasothon and Magic Years, Nonthaburi, besides those taken at the training. Both schools have been support to my knowledge and ideas for running a school. Mrs. Khanum Thampi (on my left in the group photo) is a generous soul and has shared enough reading material to keep me occupied in learning on my own for the next one year. Here's a thank you to all those involved in my learning experience in Thailand. Kop kun ma kah!

This is the whole group of us participants, trainer, organizers...

This is Addis Fryback, a wonderful educator and friend.

Most of the training was going through the activities in each unit.
It was a very practical learning experience.

Collins was in Battambang for 2 1/2 months. He came with his mum, Aunty Cecilia. He's good at being a younger brother...I have a feeling he's tired of doing carpentry work for Gems, though he hardly complained. He's only 14 but is more intelligent than some 20 year olds...whoever you are...siapa makan cili, dia rasa pedas.