Respect the dengue.

Unfortunately, my time at TCDF coincided with an outbreak of dengue fever in the area. Dengue fever is spread through the bite of a female mosquito. The symptoms of dengue include fever, headache, and muscle or joint pain. Not particularly fun. Unlike malaria, there is no preventative pill to take.  The only way to prevent dengue is to avoid mosquito bites altogether. The most effect method is to wear DEET.

However, if you’re allergic to DEET, as I am, you’ll just have to put your faith in something a little less chemical. After a few days my legs were covered in bites. I had to admit that my natural bug repellant was no match for the local mosquitoes. I found the lowest concentration of DEET repellant available (12%) and decided to endure the red burning rash it always gives me.

A few volunteers came down with dengue and had to go to the local hospital. Judging from their stories, it was not a pleasant experience.

So you can imagine how terrified I felt when during my second week I realized my face was burning hot with a fever. I went to bed early and did my best to sleep it off. The next morning I felt weak, achy, and lacked an appetite. Manual labor in that condition is basically impossible. I tried to take it easy for a few days but the reality was I just couldn’t fufill my volunteer obligations. Another volunteer, Val, was also sick (her much worse off than I) so we decided to leave a few days early and recuperate in Ranong. We were ready for air conditioning and hot showers.

Of course, getting to Ranong wasn’t so simple. For the first time in the history of Paksong the bus came through early. It actually took us several minutes to realize that we had missed it. We were left on the side of the road attempting to hitch our way to Ranong. One friendly driver took us to the junction and a short while later we got a ride into town. My hair looked awesome.

So, did I have dengue? I’ll never know. Only a blood test can confirm it and there was no way I was going to the village hospital. But when I compared my symptoms to the volunteers who did have the blood test, it seems pretty likely. Although, I must say, my case was fairly mild. Thank goodness.

xo, jill

PS I just want to make sure it’s clear that TCDF actively does all it can to prevent mosquitos from breeding and spreading dengue. The disease was brought in by a volunteer who had been vacationing in a different part of Thailand. It happens.

…and a tour of the countryside.

On my second day off while volunteering, Val and I hiked to a nearby waterfall. When I say “hiked” I mean, “walked down the road” and when I say “nearby” I mean, “two hours away.” From a wrong turn in the beginning to missing the actual turn off later on… it was quite the journey.

I think it also contributed to a sunburn and a bit of fatigue. When you’re working out in the hot sun 5 days a week, that’s probably not how you should spend your days off. Oh well. It was worth it.

Once at the waterfall we waded in the cool refreshing water just chatting and relaxing.

It was a nice way to spend the day even though getting there and back felt a bit grueling at times.

xo, jill 

Thai cooking class.

After my first week of hard work at TCDF’s Eco-Logic, the other volunteers and I were ready to relax and enjoy our two days off. There are several activities to enjoy at and around Eco-Logic, but we decided to take a Thai cooking class.

First, we were given a cooking handbook with a list of potential dishes. We were then able to select the four dishes we’d all like to make. The handbook also included a place for notes, other recipes, and a Thai-English food dictionary.

We decided to make Massaman Curry with Tofu and Potatoes, Sweet and Sour Vegetables, Cinnamon Soup with Egg and Tofu, and Papaya Salad. I was not enthusiastic about the soup choice… but it’s not as strange as it sounds.

The first part of the class is spent chopping the many vegetables. With five cooks, it went fairly quickly.

After all the veggies were chopped we went downstairs to the kitchen for the actual cooking.

Our dishes were served as the shared meal for dinner.

It was fun to play chef for the night!

xo, jill

Breakin’ a sweat.

So now that I’ve given you a little tour of TCDF and explained their mission a bit, how about I fill you in on their volunteer program and what I actually did?

Here’s how the volunteer program works. In exchange for your labor, TCDF will provide you with free dorm accommodation. If you’d like to stay in a guesthouse or bungalow, you’ll pay 50% of the price. Not bad.

If you’d like to eat, which you probably will, meals are offered at 200baht ($6) per day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) or 100baht ($3) per individual meal. These meals are shared and consist of healthy Thai dishes. If you participate in the shared meals you are also expected to help wash dishes and clean up.

The food was pretty good but I just couldn’t bring myself to eat Thai food so early in the morning in a hot climate (and I love leftovers for breakfast). After the first day I bought little cups of yogurt from the shops in town for breakfast instead.

So that’s the room and board situation. On to the work.

Volunteers start their day with a morning meeting at 8:30am. At this time the tasks for the day are assigned to different groups of volunteers. The morning usually consisted of watering the various gardens and working in the river garden before it became too hot. The morning work period is from 8:30am to 12:00pm.

After lunch volunteers gear back up for three more hours of work, 1:30pm to 4:30pm. Afternoons are usually spent on less physically demanding tasks, like weeding or making mosaics.

I spent most mornings looking after the chickens, ducks, and fish. This was probably my favorite task. While I was there three baby chicks were born! Once I finished with the animals I joined the rest of the team in the river garden.

In the river garden I dug, transplanted kale, built a bamboo shade structure, built A-frames, and did a lot of watering. Nothing makes you appreciate a sprinkler system like hauling water from a river.

In the afternoons I mainly worked on a mosaic. I was paired up with Val, a volunteer from Seattle. We were quite dedicated to making this little bench as beautiful as possible with minimal resources. We were a bit territorial as well. Unfortunately, we both fell sick towards the end of the second week and weren’t able to finish it. Hopefully, someone took over after we left and it’s a pretty little place to sit by now.

I have to say, working in the hot Thai sun is not easy. Luckily, when you’re helping out such a good cause you don’t mind the sweat so much.

xo, jill

Where to begin?

Here’s where I’ll do my best to explain the many positive things happening at TCDF.

The most visible program at work is the special school. The children who attend the school have a wide range of special needs. There are children who have Autism or Down Syndrome, and others who have physical challenges like one boy whose arms and legs are growing backwards. At school the students are learning ways to be independent and interact with others.

The recycling program is a great example of how the foundation is benefiting the children and the community. The students collect recyclable materials from around the site and their homes. The materials are then sold and the students are able to earn money to buy prizes, such as a soccer ball or a bike. The children are learning an important habit that they will then teach to their families. Because of this program, the students at the school are the only kids in the area who have bank accounts. I think that’s so neat!

In addition to the recycling program the students also work in the garden near the school. Here students can learn how to grow vegetables and look after plants. 

I was really impressed by the staff at the school. When the school was first opening it was difficult to find teachers, nurses, and therapists. Not too many professionals wanted to live in a tiny village and receive a typical wage.* To solve that problem the foundation interviewed people in the area who were passionate about helping children and the community and provided the necessary training. I especially liked that the foundation employs local Thai people. This not only provides jobs and job training, it also encourages self-efficacy for the community.

It was very obvious that the children were well cared for and well loved. For example, some children receive theraputic massage. During school breaks the massage therapist willingly travels to each student’s home so their their therapy will not be interrupted. That’s dedication.

Currently, the school has enough funding to operate three days a week for special students.  On the weekends the local children are invited to come for games, help with homework, and English class.

Other ways TCDF benefits the community include:
– providing jobs for local people (cooks, cleaners, handymen, etc)
– providing scholarships for local children to attend government schools
– providing transportation costs for local children to attend government schools
– providing nutrition assistance to local children 

TCDF is working hard to become sustainable and self-sufficient. In order to finance the programs and overhead costs, TCDF established Eco-Logic. Eco-Logic is an eco-lodge that welcomes paying guests as well as volunteers…like me! Yesterday when I mentioned the restaurant, bungalows, and guest rooms… that’s Eco-Logic. (It’s all on the same property.)

All the profits from Eco-Logic are put back into TCDF. That means that whenever you rent a bungalow, eat a meal, or drink a Coke… the money goes straight to a worthy cause. It also means that charitable donations are only spent on the amazing social programs, not on repairing the chicken shed or buying gardening tools. So that Thai Dinner fundraiser I had? All that money went directly to the school.

Read more about TCDF’s aims here and the projects here.

Next I’ll explain how the volunteer program works and what I actually did while there.

xo, jill

*It is important to note that TCDF and Eco-Logic pay their employees and local partners fair local wages. For example, because the village is fairly remote, neighbors act as taxi drivers in the area. TCDF has pre-negoiated fares to ensure that the price will be fair for both parties. This is another example of how TCDF shows the local people respect.

Let’s take a tour.

Arriving in Bangkok was pretty uneventful. I made it to my hostel, took a nap, and headed out to take care of a few essentials, like getting a Thai sim card and buying snacks. The next morning I headed to the southern bus terminal and boarded the bus to Ranong. Luckily, at the bus station I met another TCDF volunteer. We had the entire 6 hour bus ride to get to know each other.

Later that evening we arrived in Ranong and met up with another volunteer en route to TCDF. The next morning the three of us hopped on a bus to Paksong and I suppose that’s where the real adventure began. To our delight, we were pulled off the passenger section of the bus and told to ride in the luggage compartment! I immediately thought of this funny travel story. Thankfully, the compartment was air conditioned and the ride was only about an hour.

We were met at the bus stop in Paksong by Rose, the founder of TCDF, and rode in the back of her truck to the site. The rest of the day was spent going through orientation, taking a tour of the grounds, eating delicious Thai food, and enjoying a campfire singalong.

Are you ready for the tour?

(I’ll explain more about what TCDF actually does and how the volunteer program works in a later post. It’s just too much!)

The restaurant is the main meeting point at TCDF. It sits on a hill above the kitchen in the open air. While you eat dinner (or wash dishes below) you have an amazing view of the rainforest.

Everything else on the property is downhill from the restaurant. This means that every meal you eat is proceeded by a mini-workout.

A short walk from the restaurant is the school. Before Rose and TCDF began operating in the area, children who had special needs didn’t go to school. Now they have a school of their very own! Like the restaurant the school is open air. It was fun to hear the students laughing and enjoying their school day while I volunteered.

The female volunteers stay in a 12-bed dorm with a little kitchen attached. It’s pretty nice accommodations considering you stay for free but I cannot say the beds were comfortable. We joked that the rock hard mattresses were probably just a technique to help volunteers get out of bed in the morning. The males sleep in a smaller 6-bed dorm nearby.

In addition to lodging for volunteers, there are three bungalows and four guestrooms for visitors to rent. The guest accommodations are set in a quiet area of the property and I’d imagine staying there would be very peaceful.         

And in addition to lodging for volunteers and guests, there’s also a very whimsical house where the head teacher of the special school lives. I love this house. I’m pretty sure it’s straight out of a fairytale.

The location of TCDF is just gorgeous. As if the view of the rainforest wasn’t enough, a river runs along the edge of the property as well. It provides a nice place for guests to relax and cool off, as well as water for the main garden and bathing for the nearby local families.

So that’s the basic tour! More to come.

xo, jill