“Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.”
(Variously attributed to Charlotte Whitton or Maori Proverbs)
Budding, Blooming, Falling
Have you ever noticed that the people who achieve the most good for their community or for the community at large “Just do it!” They don’t fuss, or brag or grandstand; they just get on with the job at hand, behaving as if working for the good of others is a natural, normal thing to do.
What has this got to do with the quote I started with or with the Mexican Sunflower pictured, you might well ask?
Well, this last weekend I was privileged to accompany a number of hard-working under-recognised people (Thai and otherwise) on a whirlwind round of student-scholarship interviews and school-project visits in the northwest border province of Mae Hong Son. The projects and scholarships, which all aim to help seriously disadvantaged children in ‘The Hills’ continue their studies if they wish to, are funded by various institutions and individuals and managed through “THEP -Thailand Hilltribe Education Projects” and “ISGF – International Support Group Foundation”.
Communities in the remote Hilltribe areas tend to be quite small and marginalized. Although most now have some form of school in the vicinity, these schools are seriously under-resourced and usually do not include the higher grades. Historically, most children in these areas left school early, at least in part because they had no other choice, and either worked in the rice fields with their parents or moved to ‘the big city’ as unskilled labour. Projects like the ones I visited fund dormitories, canteens and other facilities at the larger schools so that children from outlying areas have the option of ‘boarding’ in their area instead of travelling great distances over virtually impassable roads, or dropping out completely.
Although education in Thailand is ostensibly free, this does not include the cost of books, extra-curricular activities, transport or accommodation, etc. While these costs may seem small, to subsistence families receiving very little in the way of government support, they are prohibitive, and many bright children are forced to leave school early. The individual scholarships help students from extremely disadvantaged families cope with these expenses and complete their basic education.
Misty Morning School Yard
Ready for the “Unveiling” ~ The New Dormitory
Cement Mixer at the Ready for the Next Project
Cooking Up Breakfast in the Village
Family Breakfast of Spicy Fried Green Beans
Modern Karen Hill-House
Karen Elder with Traditional Protective Tattoos
Watching the Big Kids go off to School
Morning in the Schoolyard ~ Mother’s Club
Peek-a-Boo!
Lined Up to Greet the Visitors
Karen Girl
Karen Boy
Boys will be Boys!
Beetle-Nut Break
A Happy Community ~ New Dormitory and Other Goodies
Some Like it Hot!
Watching the Baby
Typical Simple Karen Kitchen
Storage Area in a Poor Karen Farmer’s House
The main purpose of our trip was to check on the progress of scholarship recipients and the various projects, but it wasn’t all work! We joined the many people who travel north this time of year to visit the fields of wild Mexican Sunflowers which turn the hills around Khun Yuam a golden yellow. Walking up the mountain (Doi Mae U-Kho), I thought of the quote from that extraordinary educator Hellen Keller: “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.”
The Hills are Alive!
Hmong Market Colours
Mae Hong Son Curves
Turn your Face to the Sun!
Like the buds of these cheerful flowers, the children we’d been visiting were full of bright potential… How they will turn out, is anybody’s guess.
If you are anything like me, you get on with your daily life, doing “good” in small bits when it is relatively easy: donating here, direct deposits there, sponsoring children through big tax-deductible organisations, buying bits of bushland for animals, gift shopping from WWF and Oxfam, fund-raisers, charity walks and runs, and periods of unpaid work. Small stuff, really, considering how lucky most of us are! Hopefully, each small drop helps fill the bucket… but the need is still so great.
I personally am thrilled to have found an organisation whose work is congruent with my beliefs, and I plan to do more (watch this space!). In the meantime, if you want to help the easy way, I’m sure they’d be happy to take your money.
“We may have found a cure for most evils; but we have found no remedy for the worst of them all — the apathy of human beings.” – – Helen Keller
Very good and thought provoking. Like it heaps!ReplyCancel
Patama -November 19, 2010 - 11:22 pm
My friend works at Mae hong son and he always told me how beautiful it is 🙂ReplyCancel
Ursula -November 20, 2010 - 4:50 am
It sure is, Patama! You need to go and visit your friend one day. 🙂ReplyCancel
Susan Race -November 22, 2010 - 10:41 am
Thank you Ursula for the special comments and recognition. We were lucky to have you along on the trip. The photos are beautiful.ReplyCancel
Karen Gray -November 22, 2010 - 11:18 am
I have seen many THEP projects firsthand. They are remarkable and make a huge difference to the life of hilltribe people in Thailand. Thanks for sharing.ReplyCancel
Ursula -November 22, 2010 - 11:56 am
They are great, aren’t they Karen! We had a terrific trip.
Thanks for having me along, Susan. 😀ReplyCancel
THEP. Has made it possible for many of us to help others while sharing and living in this beautiful country. No wonder some of us cannot leave. Thank you Susan and Khun PanwadeeReplyCancel
Ursula -November 22, 2010 - 2:40 pm
Thanks, Bill – glad you enjoyed it!
Too right, Kathy! It’s a great place to be. 😀ReplyCancel
Bill -November 22, 2010 - 2:14 pm
Beautiful, beautiful. Thanks for sharing your trip with us Ursula.ReplyCancel
Lynda -November 23, 2010 - 9:31 am
I have enjoyed a couple of THEP visits in the Mae Sariang area with Susan and seen the completion various projects in villages and schools that have been funded by different voluntary charitable groups. What a difference it has made to the lives of the children and their families. Your photos brought back fond memories of my visits.ReplyCancel
I really hope to join one of Susan’s trips before I leave Thailand next July. Many of my BWG friends have had first hand experience and tell me it is the best way to see real Thailand.
Please let me know when you are going up to Mae Hong Song again.
[…] Projects, one of these charitable organisations. I’ve been on these trips before (see: Budding Potentials, Building Futures, and Schools), and what always impresses me – other than the beauty of the […]ReplyCancel
[…] had a lot of enthusiastic response to last week’s “Wander”; clearly the good works that are happening in Mae Hong Son province, in Northwestern Thailand, […]ReplyCancel
[…] to visit schools deep in the hills of Mae Hong Son. I’ve talked about previous trips (Budding Potentials, Building Better Futures, Schools at the end of the Road, and True Colours) in several previous […]ReplyCancel
[…] Education Projects. I’ve mentioned THEP and the work it does several times before (Budding Potentials 1, Building Better Futures, Schools at the End of the Road, True Thai Colours, and For the […]ReplyCancel
Hello Ursula,
I’d love to engage with communities of this region and help contribute art projects for free. Adding color to community, teaching teamwork and collaboration, and self expression. Youth and adults, potentially in schools or marketplaces, wherever art can help to enhance daily life.
Currently in Pai preparing a mural project here, preparing to explore the Mae Hong Son area in the coming weeks to inquire about potential projects.
Do you have any insight or leads into whom I may be able to contact to engage in such projects?
Hi Robert,
Thanks for your visit to my site. I’m sure lots of schools would be interested in what you do, but it is often difficult to fit short-term projects into full school programs.
My THEP contact is not in Thailand at the moment, and is focussed on projects and scholarships. One of the teachers involved in THEP is now in a school in Chiang Mai, I think. Her English is reasonably good, and you might like to contact her through Facebook Messenger: https://www.facebook.com/krusa.inta
Good luck!ReplyCancel
Honour Guard ~ Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA
For The Fallen
Laurence Binyon, Cornwall, 1915
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flash of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, Arlington Cemetery
Presenting Arms for the Changing of the Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA
“How many deaths will it take ’till he knows that too many people have died?” Bob Dylan, Blowin’ In The Wind
A Life Cut Short ~ Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA
Flags of the Fathers ~ Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington VA
Helping Hands Together ~ Iwo Jima Memorial
Women at War ~ The Mall, Washington DC
War Fatigue ~ The National World War II Memorial, Washington DC
The Passing Parade of Fallen ~ Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington DC
Names of the Fallen ~ Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington DC
Washington, DC photos taken 10th October, 2010. Photos from Arlington,VA taken 11th October, 2010.
What do you think of when someone says: “the beach”?
I think of tanning lotion and skin being bathed in sunlight… of gentle winds whispering through the casuarinas… of swaying palms and golden sands…
I guess my first thought is tropical: not at all like the beaches we visited on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia!
Just to be sure, I looked “beach” up in an online dictionary:
“beach: /bitʃ/ -noun
1. an expanse of sand or pebbles along a shore.
2. the part of the shore of an ocean, sea, large river, lake, etc., washed by the tides or waves.
3. the area adjacent to a seashore…”
(https://dictionary.reference.com/browse/beach)
So, we were, by definition, at the beach: expanses of pebble, rock and driftwood, bathed in fog and battered by the autumn seas. Magical and atmospheric, but never warm! Although the foreshores of the Strait of Georgia are protected from the worst of the elements by being in the lee of Vancouver Island, they provide the perfect pockets for cold, damp fog.
The weak afternoon sun has failed to burn off the fog at Smuggler Cove.
Sun sneaks through the fog to reflect on the waters of Smuggler Cove.
The opposite shore disappears into the mists of Smuggler Cove
This is logging country. Forests here, outside of National Parks, are all new growth timber planted and maintained by logging companies. Tug boats travel down the Strait with massive booms of logs behind them. Escaped logs bob around in the Strait as waterlogged, partially submerged “Deadheads” as dangerous as icebergs, or wash up on the shores as driftwood. Anyone who ever saw the Canadian TV program “The Beachcombers” knows that driftwood of any value doesn’t last long on the beach, so the piles that remain are of little commercial worth.
The foreshores of Sargeant Bay feature rock, pebbles and driftwood.
Fog Sitting over the rocky foreshores of Sargeant Bay
Beach Pebbles : Sargeant Bay Provincial Park
Cairn of Pebbles on a Fallen Log ~ Sargeant Bay Provincial Park
Aged Rings on the Rough-Cut Driftwood ~ Sargeant Bay Provincial Park, BC
A Walk on the Beach ~ Sargeant Bay
Serious Driftwood ~ Sechelt Beach
Creature out of the Mists: Sechelt (shíshálh) First Nation Totem Carving
As I said, magical and atmospheric… I am always a bit sorry to leave… Especially when I know it will be a long time before I will be back. Ah well, until next time ~ safe travels.
Ursula you really need to start entering your photos in competitions as they are so artistic and complex in nature. When you look closely at a photo you have to just stop and take it in and then you finally get what you are trying to tell us. You are an amazing photographer who shoots outside the box. regards PeterReplyCancel
One of the (many) delights of sailing is the characters you meet; there is something special about people who sail boats or fly planes. Often eccentric; always independent – what they seem to have in common is the diversity of their life experiences, the breadth of their interests, and the scope of their practical abilities. They are resilient, flexible and self-reliant. Perhaps it is the freedom of being on the water and the challenge of pitting one’s self against the elements that attracts people who prefer to be unfettered and self-sufficient.
The rules of sailing are real: ignore good preparation and good maritime manners at your peril! As Don Bamford said: “Only two sailors, in my experience, never ran aground. One never left port and the other was an atrocious liar.” The sailors I’ve met have learned many things the hard way, and their tales of troubles- and disasters-past provide ample entertainment for those long stretches when the sail is set and there is little to do but sit and enjoy the wind and water.
Notice that I didn’t mention the sun! This is because we saw very little of it during our last two weeks negotiating the waters of the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast peninsula. We did have some sun, mostly on days when there was little or no wind. We also had fog, mist, and rain… all the weather that you would expect from a Pacific Northwest autumn. Forecasted winds included regular small craft warnings, while the actual winds ranged from non-existant to almost gale-force, and were invariably icy!
One joy of sailing for me is the quiet. I love slicing through the water without the benefit of the motor. I also love sitting in the boat enjoying lunch or coffee ‘heaved-to’ in the middle of nowhere or tied up somewhere peaceful. Another thrill is the access to wildlife and being able to visit wonderful places that would be otherwise out of reach. River otters frolicked on our dock (and on our boat, at one stage!) and numerous seals bobbed up and down in the frigid waters near us. The birdlife – some of which I’ve managed to capture this time – was a treat.
Looking back through the photos, what I notice most is the predominant colour theme of each day: one day the green of reflecting waters; another day the grey of cold winds and rain; yet another, the misty blue of foggy firs and mountains.
Pier, Newcastle Island Passage, Nanaimo
A Great Blue Heron Greeted us as we Returned from our Shake-Down Sail.
Reefing the Main: This is usually my job, but I was at the helm of the boat, so shot this (left) through the plastic windshield.
Greens: Natural Sandstone Formation ~ Gabriola Sands Provincial Park, Gabriola Island, BC
Blue on Blue: A Sloop Racing, with the Mountains of Vancouver Island in the Background
Red Fishing Boat: When they clean the fish, the gulls stream behind the boats like a veil on the wind
Full Sail ~ Gray Day
Greys and Glitter: Welcome Pass
Warning Signs: Smuggler Cove Marine Provincial Park (which we also visited by land)
Green: Smuggler Cove
Browns: Seagull, Smuggler Cove, Sunshine Coast, BC
Cormorant on the Rocks: Smuggler Cove
The VERY dodgy wharf at Frenchman's Cove, Halfmoon Bay, Sunshine Coast, makes it a nice quiet spot to tie up.
White, Blue and Black: Thormanby Islands in the Afternoon
Distant Drummer: Moored in Idyllic Secret Cove
A Light in the Fog: Merry Island Lighthouse, Welcome Pass
Chasing the Sun: Racing the Storm back to Nanaimo
Wet and Wild: Wind, Rain and Water...
Batten Down the Hatches! It's Cold and Grey out There!
A Fitting end to our Sojourn ~ A Canada Goose joined us for our last meal on the boat.
“There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats,” as Ratty said to Mole in Kenneth Grahame’s 1908 classic, The Wind in the Willows. We had a wonderful time, and might have even learned a thing or two!
Enchanting! Beautifully written with great photos. What am insight you’ve given. Keep up the good work. I really look forward to hearing about your future adventures.ReplyCancel
[…] Nanaimo sits on the east coast of Vancouver Island: almost due west across the busy Georgia Strait from Vancouver, and an easy northwest sail to the Sechelt Peninsula and its “Sunshine Coast” (see also: “Messing About in Boats”). […]ReplyCancel
The weather in the Georgia Strait region of BC, Canada has been interesting the last two weeks: too cold for most flowers (and me!) but not cold enough to bring out all the oranges and scarlets that autumn is famous for. There have been some sunny spells which don’t actually warm, some icy winds that seem to have blown straight in from Alaska, some bone-chilling rains and some fogs; just about everything except frost or snow. I guess “changeable” would describe the prevailing conditions.
We’re in British Columbia at the moment, sharing our time between the east coast of Vancouver Island and the west “Sunshine Coast” peninsula on the mainland. We are here principally to visit family and to try to hone our sailing skills. We’ve had a couple of nice days on the water (more on that next week) but we’ve had a slight problem: if there is no wind and/or no visibility, then sailing is a bit of a bust! So, we’ve spent a lot more time ashore than we expected to.
This is not at all a bad thing when you are docked near areas of beautifully maintained trails that meander through mixed forests of coniferous and deciduous trees. There are few things I enjoy more than walking, and walking through the woods either side of Georgia Strait has been a sensory joy! The paths are soft underfoot in most places, with only rare birdsong interupting the quiet. The temperate rain forest smells of moss and moisture, overlaid with the sweet smells of cedar, fir, and spruce. In many places, soft autumn light filters through the trees; in other places, the angled light bounces brightly off ponds, lakes or coastal waters. The fading colours of dying leaves intermingle with evergreen greens and the bright reds of holly berries and rosehips.
Cottle Lake, Linley Valley Park, Nanaimo, BC
Ferns, Moss and Cedar in the Temperate Rain Forest of Linley Park
"The Last Leaf" ~ A Lonely Maple Leaf
"The Fallen" ~ Trails Include Elevated Walkways and even Stairs where Needed!
Fir Boughs and their Cones Smell like Christmas!
Pathway ~ Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park
Yellow Maples Catching the Autumn Light
Another Reminder of Christmas ~ Wild Holly Berries
One of the 8.8 Meter 40 Tonne Sandstone Columns Raised from the Sunken Zephyr
Tree Fungus : Sherman Walk, Smuggler Cove Provincial Marine Park
Beaver Dam Damage, Smuggler Cove Provincial Marine Park
Beaver Pond: Sherman Walk, Smuggler Cove Provincial Marine Park
Bullrushes in the Water
Leave Your Mark! Initials in the Arbutus
Moss on the Shady Forest Floor ~ Smuggler Cove Provincial Marine Park
Pine Cone
Uprooted Stump ~ Smuggler Cove Provincial Marine Park
Jay High Up in the Trees... Not a Good Shot, but the ONLY Bird I got Remotely Close to!!
More Autumn Colour: Maples Turning
Rose Hips ~ Sargeant Bay Provincial Park
I hope you are enjoying the colours of your season, where ever you are.
[…] the late 1800s, Newcastle Island was a source of architectural sandstone for large buildings (see: Walks in the Woods), and from the 1920s, pulp stones were quarried for the pulp and paper […]ReplyCancel
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
- Buddha Head from Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
- Harry Clarke Window from Dingle, Ireland
- Novice Monk Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Myanmar
Packets of 10 for $AU50.
Or - pick any photo from my Flickr or Wanders blog photos.
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“There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats,” as Ratty said to Mole in Kenneth Grahame’s 1908 classic, The Wind in the Willows. We had a wonderful time, and might have even learned a thing or two!
I hope you are enjoying the colours of your season, where ever you are.
Very good and thought provoking. Like it heaps!
My friend works at Mae hong son and he always told me how beautiful it is 🙂
It sure is, Patama! You need to go and visit your friend one day. 🙂
Thank you Ursula for the special comments and recognition. We were lucky to have you along on the trip. The photos are beautiful.
I have seen many THEP projects firsthand. They are remarkable and make a huge difference to the life of hilltribe people in Thailand. Thanks for sharing.
They are great, aren’t they Karen! We had a terrific trip.
Thanks for having me along, Susan. 😀
THEP. Has made it possible for many of us to help others while sharing and living in this beautiful country. No wonder some of us cannot leave. Thank you Susan and Khun Panwadee
Thanks, Bill – glad you enjoyed it!
Too right, Kathy! It’s a great place to be. 😀
Beautiful, beautiful. Thanks for sharing your trip with us Ursula.
I have enjoyed a couple of THEP visits in the Mae Sariang area with Susan and seen the completion various projects in villages and schools that have been funded by different voluntary charitable groups. What a difference it has made to the lives of the children and their families. Your photos brought back fond memories of my visits.
[…] https://www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/budding-potentials-mae-hong-son-part-1/ […]
So glad you like the posts, Pia. โชคดี//Good luck on your continued journey!
I really hope to join one of Susan’s trips before I leave Thailand next July. Many of my BWG friends have had first hand experience and tell me it is the best way to see real Thailand.
Please let me know when you are going up to Mae Hong Song again.
Fiona.
Hi Fiona,
I, too, hope to be able to go again soon! I’ll pass your note to Susan. 🙂
[…] I’ve talked about this collection of projects before, after my first visit, in my posts of mid- and late-November last […]
[…] Projects, one of these charitable organisations. I’ve been on these trips before (see: Budding Potentials, Building Futures, and Schools), and what always impresses me – other than the beauty of the […]
[…] had a lot of enthusiastic response to last week’s “Wander”; clearly the good works that are happening in Mae Hong Son province, in Northwestern Thailand, […]
[…] to visit schools deep in the hills of Mae Hong Son. I’ve talked about previous trips (Budding Potentials, Building Better Futures, Schools at the end of the Road, and True Colours) in several previous […]
[…] Education Projects. I’ve mentioned THEP and the work it does several times before (Budding Potentials 1, Building Better Futures, Schools at the End of the Road, True Thai Colours, and For the […]
Hello Ursula,
I’d love to engage with communities of this region and help contribute art projects for free. Adding color to community, teaching teamwork and collaboration, and self expression. Youth and adults, potentially in schools or marketplaces, wherever art can help to enhance daily life.
Currently in Pai preparing a mural project here, preparing to explore the Mae Hong Son area in the coming weeks to inquire about potential projects.
Do you have any insight or leads into whom I may be able to contact to engage in such projects?
Any information is helpful! Thank you.
Best,
Robert Louthan
http://www.robertlouthan.com
Hi Robert,
Thanks for your visit to my site. I’m sure lots of schools would be interested in what you do, but it is often difficult to fit short-term projects into full school programs.
My THEP contact is not in Thailand at the moment, and is focussed on projects and scholarships. One of the teachers involved in THEP is now in a school in Chiang Mai, I think. Her English is reasonably good, and you might like to contact her through Facebook Messenger: https://www.facebook.com/krusa.inta
Good luck!
[…] https://www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/budding-potentials-ma… […]