Childrens Day 2011

Here at the Mirror Foundation, we are preparing for Children’s Day 2011 and need your help!

Some of you may already know that Children’s Day is an annual event for the local hill tribe children living in the surrounding communities. We try our best to provide a great day for the children (about 3500 children plus their parents/guardians) and that everyone has as much fun as possible. We give the children toys, food, snack and great day out!

In order to do this we rely on donations given by both individuals and organizations. We are asking both past and future volunteers to help us as we need both toys and contributions towards the food costs for the festival.

If you have any unwanted toys that you are willing to donate please send them to us or if you are able to provide a monetary donation the hill tribe children will be most grateful.

If you are able to help please consider the following:

~ Shipping toys to us from your home may be expensive and a better option may be to bring them with you if you are due to volunteer soon or to give them to future volunteers who may live near you to bring

~ If you are able to cover the cost of shipments please send the donations to;
The Mirror Foundation (Children’s Day 2011
199/1-3 Moo 21 Singhaclai Road,
Wieng Muang,
Chiang Rai, Thailand 57000

If you can contribute some money please do so via Paypal at http://www.themirrorfoundation.org

We thank everyone for your ongoing support and look forward to seeing all the new volunteers who will arrive soon.

Z. and The Mirror Team

Eco-Tour Dinner

Ok so the other night we all went out for dinner, and by all I mean the 26 odd staff and their families. The staff all work on the Eco-Tour project. Colleagues also went, I am a colleague. We went to dinner at a BBQ place, vegetarianism went out the door (I am a confused vegetarian), never in my life have I eaten so much meat. I feel really bad saying that, but next year I will go back to normal. But I have been vegetarian for 9years so one year off, isn't too bad.

I sat with Surachai and his family (and my son), Stuart, P'Nu, Sakura, Rima, Tae and Win.

Surachai is the god of all farang (foreigners) and he looks after the Outdoor Program. Stuart our IT Guru for England, he also helps myself to look after the volunteers and support them. This is his family, he was off getting food when I had my camera out. But this is his 2 youngest sons and his wife. Arsaw is my son and I will be kidnapping him when I leave, he said he wanted to come to Australia... Arsaw is in the 2nd picture.

P'Nu run the Youth Project working mainly with teens from the local villages and he works on organising the schools and supporting the volunteers. Sakura and Rima are Japanese and Sakura runs the Japanese side of the Eco-Tour Project. Rima is like myself, she supports the volunteers and works on other projects as well. This is a picture of Rima and myself...

Tae is Akha (Hilltribe) works on a day-t0-day basis with the Outdoor Volunteers. He will also answer to Kha-dtoy... la la la

Win is Akha as well and works with the Japanese Volunteers, he takes them on their homestays and to schools etc. Below is Win, Sakura and Rima (L-R)

Overall it was such a fun night out, and good to see everyone of the Eco-Staff together. I actually didnt realise how many there is of us, and may next year we grow and prosper and better ourselves and the world.

Z.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall...

I know I've not done too much lately in keeping this updated but I will promise I will try to do better...

Mirror ATM.

As usual everyone is running around, we have Christmas coming up and New Years which is then followed closely by Children's Day. Currently we have only a few volunteers here, a small group but with a large intake coming in a week. Its Saturday here now and I have a Trekking Orientation that I will do with Stuart this morning, then off to do our normal work. Stuart is our IT Guru. You hear his name a lot especially if the Internet has gone down.

Today is a chilled day, the volunteers are currently playing games with the local youth who come from 3 main villages. They play for an hour and then our Indoor Program Volunteers teach English for an hour. Today they are focusing on Christmas. After that then the kids learn Japanese with the Japanese Volunteers.

The lunch! We had stick rice with custard for brekky this morning with thai donuts and 3 in 1 coffee. Can I just say that 3 in 1 coffee or milo or ovaltine is like the best invention ever. Its coffee, creamer and sugar all in one little convenient packet, perfect size for a cup! YUM!!

Anyway then the Outdoor Volunteers have there time in the spotlight with the kids for an hour. They usually do some type of craft thing with the kids. I think today they will be making Christmas Decorations. After the lessons are all done the volunteers can go get ready for town, and packing their bags...

Today is a sad day, we are losing 3 great volunteers, Patti, Melissa and Sean. They have been here for quite a long time and will be dearly missed after they leave. Melissa I think will come back and work on a Project as an Intern. Which would be awesome fun, as I will hopefully be back here next March, to work for Mirror under the Ebannok Handicrafts Project. I am so looking forward to coming back and working, I know I will be able to make a difference here.

Well that is today in kinda a nut shell, Stick Rice for brekky, teaching and trekking, leaving.

Cheers,

Zoxo