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I Believe I Can Fly, and I Did!

11 December, 2015 blind travelog - Happy Blind Life in Thailand 0 Comments
Yoshi in free fall

This is not a metaphor. I really flew, though it was just for 5 minutes. Let me tell you my seemingly once-in-a-lifetime experience of sky diving! I want to share how you feel when you jump from 3000 meters above without sight.

When I told my friends that I was doing sky diving for fund raising for my friend organization CYDA, supporting teenagers from hill tribe communities in Chiang Mai, most of them were horrified. But no worries, I didn’t jump alone. I did tandem, which means that I was strapped to an experienced professional sky diver throughout. We were group of four, and all of us except for Alex, a volunteer from London, had never done it before.

So last Saturday, after four hours of waiting at Thai Sky Adventures in Pattaya, we were assigned a partner each. My partner was Johan, a friendly guy probably from northern Europe. He was so great–explaining me every step and even letting me practice postures during the dive while we were still on the ground.

Climbing onto the planeBut this did not prevent me from getting scared to death as we climbed onto the small airplane. It was running at 80 km per hour only, but I felt as if I was in a unstoppable jet.

 

 

Praying for protectionI was asking my late grandpa and dad to protect me from wherever they are.
As we reached the height of 3000 meters (9000 feet), things happened quite quickly. First, another fund raising challenger Alex jumped out with his partner. My stomach felt strange when I felt the rush of air from the exit as they jumped.

About to jumpFinally, it was my turn. First I was almost sitting on the lap of Johan with my legs outstretched as if I were a child going on a slider with the parent. Then Johan moved in the same posture to the exit. For a few seconds, my feet was dangling from the exit, like I was sitting on a comfy bench. Then as I was leaning against his chest, Johan gave me the count of three, rocking his body slightly to give me the rhythm. Then, we were out!!

Free fall from the back

Free fall in the cloudsWe fell and fell and fell. No chance to scream. The free fall lasted 30 seconds, which felt so so long! We were on our stomach, and I was told to hold onto the harness on my chest, and my feet tacked behind me. Johan told me to imagine as if I become a big banana, but the air pressure was so much that I didn’t know banana or mango. It was like fighting against a enormous wall of wind.

Frog position from the sideThen he gave me taps on the shoulder, then I had to push my elbows out and palms down, as if I were a frog. This is to keep balance, I guess. It was not easy, but somehow I managed.

 

 

Close-up frog positionSuddenly I felt a big tag upwards as Johan pulled our parachute open. I cannot even remember if I felt going up or down, but it was so dramatic that I had to scream. Then suddenly, everything became quiet, as we slowed down significantly.

 

Parachute about to openMy friends told me that at that point, we were still on our stomach, but I felt as if I were standing. I didn’t even feel that we were going down, so I had to ask Johan.

 

 

Slowly descendingThen he showed me how to make a turn by pulling the string of the parachute, and this was so cool! As I pulled the left string, I would feel the left turn, and suddenly a strong sensation as if I was flying upwards towards the right. Later he told me that this is due to the gravity. I really felt like we were flying even though I felt a bit dizzy afterwards. As we were descending slowly, Johan told me that we were flying through the clouds, and that he could see the reservoir and trees below.

This was the best partThe touch down was very soft. I just had to pull my legs up for 10 seconds or so, and Johan let us land from our butt. There was no pain, shock, nothing.

 

 

Touch down!After all, the scariest part was the plane rising up to the jumping point. I’m proud of my team–Alex the volunteer, Frank and Pet (high school boys from hill tribe at CYDA), and myself–for not chickening out. I am very thankful to all of you who made contributions for our challenge 🙂 If you’d like, the fund raising website is still open and we would appreciate any contribution for CYDA.

Would I do this again? Yeah, maybe, a bit later. But I must say that at the moment, I am ever so grateful for my solid ground.

 

Revelation at the Beauty Shop

10 August, 2015 Happy Blind Life in Thailand 0 Comments
Yoshimi with two pairs of scissors

For 32 years, I have no idea how many times I have my hair cut, but this very day, I have got a chance to touch their scissors for the first time in life!
You see, for blind kids (and grownup kids like me), if we don’t have a chance just to touch, we have no idea how anything look like.
I have always imagined that they must be much bigger scissors.
It may be something so trivial for you who can see, but it’s very important memory for me now.
You cannot imagine how many things around our life I have no idea how their shapes are, like doctor’s instruments, things that are used in professional kitchen, etc. etc., just because we don’t have a chance to feel them with our 2 little hands tongue emoticon
If you know any blind kids, let them feel everything around them! It’s easier to do when they are small–a bit awkward to ask when we are grown up, hahaha.

Letter from Bookworms: Jul. 2012

27 July, 2012 Bookworm News

Letter from Bookworms: Jul. 2012

 

Dear friends and supporters,

 

Sawasdee kha. Warm greetings from Phrao, Chiangmai.

We are in the middle of rainy season, and are about to welcome the lamyai season.

 

Lamyai, or longan in English, is a sweet and juicy fruit, which is one of the main crops in this area. Now, the tree branches are heavy with fruits, waiting to be harvested.

 

Our project has grown quite a lot over this few months. Some of you may have been following us on Facebook, but let me try to sum up what has been happening to this 2-year-old toddler called ARC. Here is the menu for today!

 

1. Sunshine Kids Center in Action!

2. Glimpse into Our Mobile Library Visits in Villages

3. ARC Library in Phrao Town in Need

4. Introduction of ARC Staff in the North

5. New Social Media: Causes.com

6. Help us to spread the words!

 

Bon appetit!

 

 

1. Sunshine Kids Center in Action!

The early childhood learning center for Akha children, now named Sunshine Kids Center, was born as a result of hard work of many people over January through April.

 

One person that we must mention here is Mr. Daniel Lockwood at the Dragonfly Community Foundation. With his expertise, we were able to build a beautiful mud house to be used as the classroom. On May 18, with our sponsor Mr. Katsuhiro Mizuno, 10 children from age 2 to 6, started to learn Thai and Akha language, basic math, and many other life skills. Please be proud, as your support has resulted in opening door for education for all the children!

 

 

2. Glimpse into Our Mobile Library Visits in Villages

We mainly visit book lovers who happen to have difficulty in visiting our library. Books cannot walk, so we walk on behalf of them, right?

 

For instance, this grandpa, Taa Inta, is 89 years old, and has lost most of hearing.

 

As his children are working outside all day, he is mostly bound to home. He is the only Christian in the family, and LOVES reading. The moment we bring the books, he immediately starts to read!

 

Another regular customer is this adorable girl, N’Waeo.

 

She is in her early teen, but is not enrolled in education as she has developmental disability. Although she cannot read, she is so happy to see books with lively pictures of animals and friends. We are planning to bring books with music and see if we could play an interactive game with her.

 

 

3. ARC Library in Phrao Town in Need

Our library base on the site of Warm Heart Foundation is getting too small for us. Now that we have over 1000 books, we are quite desperately in need of another place to keep some of them. So at the beginning of July, I have moved into a two-storey flat in Phrao Town. I will live upstairs, and the entire first floor (about 40 square meters) will be used as community library and office.

 

But as you can see on this photo, it’s so empty at this moment because we hardly have any furniture—bookshelves, desks, etc. In order to make this place appropriate for a library, we roughly need 90,000 baht (or 835 USD). We are planning to do a big online fundraising, so please help us to reach out to more people once started.

 

 

4. Introduction of ARC Staff in the North

Can you believe that we now have 2 paid staff at ARC? These powerful ladies are untradable assets for ARC now. Let me introduce them briefly.

 

Ms. Orapin Sata (Tuu)

Position: project assistant

“Active, straightforward, and fun-loving”

 

 

She is stationed in Phrao, Chiangmai, which is her hometown. Ever since she joined ARC as its first full time staff in February this year, she has been supporting me in countless ways: driving around on her mighty motorbike, organizing our library, preparing various documents, etc.

 

Ms. Ahmee Biapa (P’Nalae)

Position: Teacher at Sunshine Kids Center

“Lively, strong, and caring”

 

She is the main pillar for the Sunshine Kids Center. Three days a week, she teaches 10 unstoppable children in her village, how to read and write, to count, to sing and dance—simply to live as a happy child of the world. By the way, she is a great cook as well J

 

 

5. New Social Media: Causes.com

In addition to Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube, we now have a new social media platform on Causes.com. This is another way to promote our activities, and also is going to be used as fundraising platform, connected to our Pay Pal account. Please check it out, join the cause, and write why you support the cause to spread the words.

 

http://www.causes.com/causes/788244-always-reading-caravan

 

 

6. Help us to spread the words!

Thank you for reading all the way through. Last but not least, all staff at ARC appreciates your continuous support. Children are our future, and we do want to help open their window into the world through reading, but all the activities would not have been possible without your support. We would be very happy if you could spread the words about us to your friends and colleagues so that we can reach out to more potential bookworms here in Thailand. Here are some ways that you can join our caravan.

 

  1. Monetary Donation:

We are currently in the process of registration as an official organization in Thailand. In the meantime, please use the following bank account. This account is to be used only for ARC activities.

Account Holder: Yoshimi Horiuchi
Bank name: Thai Military Bank
Branch: Arkhaan Yada (Yada Building) Silom branch
Bank No.: Savings Account 232-204-9202

2. Books Donation:
Please send any type of new or gently-used books (except for textbooks) to either of the following addresses. We are mainly in need of books written in Thai language, but English picture books would be equally appreciated.
Ms. Yoshimi Horiuchi
Urai Apartment 209
70 Krungthonburi Rd, Soi 4
Banglamphulang, Khlongsan,
Bangkok 10600
Thailand
Yoshimi Horiuchi
c/o Warm Heart PO Box 8
T. Wiang, A. Phrao, Chiangmai 50190
THAILAND

3. Volunteers:
Wherever you are, whatever you are good at, we are always happy to welcome you as our volunteer. If you are interested, please send your inquiry first. If you already know what you would like to do, please send your CV directly.
Email: volunteer@alwaysreadingcaravan.org
Our director, Yoshimi Horiuchi, can be reached at
083-542-7283
in Thai, English, or Japanese.

 

KHOB KHUN KHA = THANK YOU!

 

 

—————————————-

Yoshimi Horiuchi

Director/Founder, Always Reading Caravan (ARC)

235/2 M. 2, T. Wiang, A. Phrao, Chiangmai 50190 Thailand

 

Email: yoshimi.horiuchi@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/yoshimiarc

Twitter: www.twitter.com/yoshimiarc

Mobile in Thailand: (+66) 83-542-7283

—————————————-

Million Thanks to Security Guards in Thailand!! (Letter from a Blind Bookworm)

16 June, 2012 Happy Blind Life in Thailand 1 Comment
With Security Guard Guy at the Stamp Shop, MBK (Jun. 16, 2012)
With Security Guard Guy at the Stamp Shop, MBK (Jun. 16, 2012)
    Those of you who live or have lived in Thailand must know that we can see a lot of security guards all around the country. Department stores, airport, bus terminals, stations, schools, government buildings… I cannot even imagine how many people stand on guard for all of us.

    But do you know that they play very essential roles for life of persons with disabilities–especially blind travellers like me? They are always there to help me navigate through the caotic city of Bangkok, get on the right bus at the terminal in up-province, and even to go shopping.

    Today, I met some friends at Victory Monument station, and went to Siam Paragon to stop by at bank. Afterwards, I went to MBK Center to pick up our new stamp for ARC. I did it all by myself BECAUSE I got help from security guard staff at every single spots. To honor their friendly and untold work, I would like to list up all of them here:

    1. At Victory Monument Station from the ticket gate to the platform
    2. At Siam station from platform to the entrance of Siam Paragon
    3. Inside Paragon, from entrance to the bank, and back to BTS gate
    4. At the Siam station, from the gate to the platform again
    5. At National Stadium station, from platform to the entrance of MBK Center
    6. At MBK, at the entrance to the stamp shop (with some wandering around, trying to locate the small shop), and back to the BTS (This is the guy in this photo with me.)
    7. At National Stadium station, from the gate to the platform again.

    I know that most of security guards might not be on Facebook, and nor do they read English, but I just want to take this chance to express my gratitude for their work that is rarely appreciated publicly. Brothers and sisters, without your help, my life in Thailand would have been much harder than it is!

    With much much respect and gratitude,

    Yoshimi

Bookworm News Oct. 2011

31 October, 2011 ARC on the Road - General News

Prologue

 

Dear everyone,

 

Greetings from Phrao, Chiangmai. This is Yoshimi at Always Reading Caravan.

Yes, it has been such a long time since I wrote to you about the progress of ARC. I am so embarrassed about it, and feel so bad about it. There is no excuse that I can make, but I promise that you will hear from us more often after this.

 

I am happy to tell you that I have so much to tell you regarding ARC. Actually, it ended up to be rather long letter… So please sit back and enjoy!

 

****************************************

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Chapter 1. Flood in Thailand

Chapter 2. Our Partner in Suphanburi: A Flower of Library in Blossom

Chapter 3. Projects in Chiangmai

Chapter 4. Projects in Bangkok

Chapter 5. Picture books/Kamishibai Translation Project

Chapter 6. Social Media and ARC

Chapter 7. Introduction of ARC Members

Epilogue

 

****************************************

 

Chapter 1. Flood in Thailand

 

You might be worried about us as Thailand has been hit by the worst flood in half a century. At the moment, 26 out of 77 provinces have been affected. Over 300 people lost their lives, and 2.4 million people have been affected by the disaster.

 

Water is reaching Bangkok slowly but steadily. I am not in Bangkok, but have to go back in 10 days time before going back to Japan briefly. I hope that the road between Chiangmai and Bangkok will be still accessible by then…

 

Fortunately, up to now, nobody at ARC has been affected by the disaster. Our partners in Suphanburi and Chiangmai are also unaffected. All the books for our Bangkok projects are in my apartment, but it’s on the second floor, so there is no need to worry. I assure you that all books are kept safe and dry!

 

Please pray for us so that water will go back to where it belongs. If possible, please make a donation to support flood relief.

 

The Thai Red Cross is accepting donations as they continue working in 34 provinces to provide fresh water, hot meals, medical help, and rescue services to victims of the flood.

http://english.redcross.or.th/home

The Bangkok Post has also put out a list of public and private groups accepting donations, including the Prime Minister’s Office and the Rajaprajanugroh Foundation.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/feature/charities/203275/information-for-flood-donation

 

****************************************

 

Chapter 2. Our partner in Suphanburi: A flower of library in blossom

 

Since last year, we have conducted several mobile library activities in Suphanburi Province in Central Thailand. This has been one of the most successful library sites as we have a local partner in the village itself.

 

Aj. Wiboon is a Thai teacher at a local high school. She and her husband have a piece of land full of beautiful trees and cozy houses. Her long-term dream has been to open a small community library at home to encourage people in the village to read more and freely. So when I met her by coincidence and told her about the concept of ARC, she immediately offered us to open weekend library activity at her home itself!

 

See pictures of our activities here:

 

Activity in Mar. 2011

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.179861638726769.37179.123556324357301&type=3

 

Activity in Oct. 2011

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.255827787796820.58209.123556324357301&type=3

 

After our latest activity at her place, she wrote to me via Facebook:

“We are in the school holiday now, and many kids keep coming to borrow books from here. They also make record of borrowed books nicely. Our dream may really come true, Yoshi!”
ARC is so happy to see our first seed of library, beginning to grow to be a beautiful flower in the community. Thank you, Aj. Wiboon, brothers and sisters in the village, and all the small bookworms there! And we thank you, friends and supporters around the world, for making this happen.

 

****************************************

 

 

 

Chapter 3. Projects in Chiangmai

 

We have started our permanent service in this area in collaboration with Warm Heart Foundation.

http://www.warmheartworldwide.org/

 

We will hire a full-time paid staff as project assistant, and start the following projects:

      Motorbike library: a mobile library on a motorbike for children in and around Huai Sai village, Mae Pang Subdistrict, Phrao District, Chiangmai Province. We are in the process of needs study, and are hoping to kick-start our library within a month. We have set up a station for our mobile library at the children home at Warm Heart Foundation. It’s a small rice barn with raised floor, and it’s a perfect place to relax, read, and take a nap too!! You can see its photo here…

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=260429474003318&set=pu.123556324357301&type=1&theater

 

      Preparatory school for Akha children: a pre-primary school on the mountain for children from Akha tribe in Sip-lang village, Monlan Mountain, Wiang-pa-pao District, Chiangmai Province. You can see the village view from here:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.236459269733672.53562.123556324357301&type=3

 

We are going to start this project in December with construction of small schoolhouse out of mud, straw, grass, and bamboo. Very excited to send you the progress later on!

 

****************************************

 

Chapter 4. Projects in Bangkok

 

In this area, we have been conducting weekend mobile libraries and small story-telling activities with volunteers. From now on, this area will be concentrating more on administrative and PR-related work. Some of the activities that will be covered are:

      Fundraising: We will conduct various activities (e.g. book bazaar) to raise fund.

      Media coverage: We will take interviews to raise awareness towards the public.

      Delivery story-telling: Small groups of volunteers visits organizations/individuals who are in need of readers, such as elderly, persons with disabilities, hospitalized patients, etc.

      Weekend mobile library: We visit communities with committed partners and conduct 2-3 day activities to encourage reading. We will start from the community in Suphanburi Province, as this will be our official land of registration.

 

At the moment, activities must slow down due to the flooding, but hopefully life will be back to normal in a month or so…

 

****************************************

 

Chapter 5. Picture books/kamishibai translation Project

 

We have over 30 volunteer translators around Thailand and beyond, willing to translate English/Japanese picture books into Thai. Then, we will use them in our activities both in Central and Northern Thailand.

 

There are a lot of quality picture books in Thai language, but we are looking for the following type of books (new or gently used) in English or Japanese.

      Tactile books (books that children can touch and feel)

      Pop-up books (durable ones, if possible)

      Folktales from around the world (except for well-known ones such as Isop, Grimm, Andersen, etc.)

      Picture books based on lives of children around the world (wars and conflicts, poverty, adventure, disease, etc.)

      Kamishibai (Japanese-style picture slides for story-telling)

 

Please send them to my apartment in Bangkok, and then I will distribute them to volunteer translators. (Please see my signature below for my postal address.)

 

* As we will be physically cutting and pasting the translated text onto original text in the picture books, kindly select books with less text. For instance, literature for young adults with tiny illustration for each chapter would be too difficult to be translated. If you are interested in contributing into this project in any way, please feel free to contact me.

 

****************************************

 

Chapter 6. Social media and ARC

 

We now have a Facebook page, Twitter account, and Youtube channel. Please come back to check regularly for update.

 

Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/ARCBookworm

 

Twitter

http://www.twitter.com/arcbookworm

 

Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/user/AlwaysReadingCaravan

 

****************************************

 

 

 

 

Chapter 7. Introduction of ARC members

 

Please watch this Youtube video to see some of our core members working closely with me, mainly in Bangkok area. Excuse me, the video is in Japanese, but we put detailed description in English too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xHPNfyczoQ

 

****************************************

 

Epilogue

 

Thank you for reading all the way through. I hope to stay in touch with you more regularly so that you don’t have to read such a long story in months!

 

Last but not least, all staff at ARC appreciates your continuous support. Children are our future, and we do want to help open their window into the world through reading, but all the activities would not have been possible without your support. We would be very happy if you could spread the words about us to your friends and colleagues so that we can reach out to more potential bookworms here in Thailand. Here are some ways that you can join our caravan.

 

1. Monetary Donation:
We are currently in the process of registration as an official organization in Thailand. In the meantime, please use the following bank account. This account is to be used only for ARC activities.

Account Holder: Yoshimi Horiuchi
Bank name: Thai Military Bank
Branch: Arkhaan Yada (Yaka Building) Silom branch
Bank No.: Saving Account 232-204-9202

2. Books Donation:
Please send any type of new or gently-used books (except for textbooks) to the following address. We will use the books for children in our activities, and other books will be sold to raise fund for ARC.

Ms. Yoshimi Horiuchi
Urai Apartment 209
70 Krungthonburi Rd, Soi 4
Banglamphulang, Khlongsan,
Bangkok 10600
Thailand

 
If you are near Chiangmai or would like to donate books for children in particular, please send them to the following address. It will be used mainly for children from various hill tribes in Phrao, Chiangmai.

Yoshimi Horiuchi
c/o Warm Heart PO Box 8
T. Wiang, A. Phrao, Chiangmai 50190
THAILAND

3. Volunteers:
Wherever you are, whatever you are good at, we are always happy to welcome you as our volunteer. If you are interested, please send your inquiry first. If you already know what you would like to do, please send your CV directly.
Email: volunteer@alwaysreadingcaravan.org
Our director, Yoshimi Horiuchi, can be reached at
083-542-7283
in Thai, English, or Japanese.

 

THANK YOU!

 

—————————————-

Yoshimi Horiuchi

Director/Founder, Always Reading Caravan (ARC)

Urai Apartment 209

70 Krungthonburi Rd, Soi 4, Banglamphulang, Khlongsan, Bangkok 10600 THAILAND

Email: yoshimi.horiuchi@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/yoshimiarc

Twitter: www.twitter.com/yoshimiarc

Mobile in Thailand: (+66) 83-542-7283

—————————————-

 

THE END

City Blind Mouse and Country Blind Mouse

23 September, 2011 Happy Blind Life in Thailand

I regard myself as quite independent in terms of daily life including mobility. I go anywhere I want to go on my own, although I do ask my friends to go with me in some occasions, like shopping clothes.

 I started to walk around without sighted guide when I was 15 as I entered a boarding school 800 km away from my hometown. There was no protective family and caring neighbors there. It was not easy at first as I am very bad at directions up to now, but practice makes somewhat close to perfect, right?

So I have taken it granted that I can move around like any other people. But… it seems that the country mouse has gotten used to the city life a bit too much and forgot about the countryside.

This month, I started to live in a small town called Phrao, 90 km away from the province capital of Chiangmai, the second-largest city in Thailand. Here, ARC will start two new projects in collaboration with Warm Heart Foundation. I’m very lucky to be here, and things are going smoothly, except one tiny stumbling block…

Near my house, there is a bus stop, yes. But the bus comes only a few times in an hour (if any). Almost everyone move around on their neat motorbikes, if not vehicle.

So how do I move around?

Well, lucky me again. My colleagues and friends here comes to pick me up and drop me at home every day when I go to work at Warm Heart office. If I need something to eat, someone can take me on a motorbike.

It’s just like when I go back home in Kochi… I totally depend on people around. The only difference here is that I have to work constantly, not just relaxing at home with occasional outings.

Needless to say, I feel so grateful to have friends who offer me transportation. And like the famous Isop fable, the country mouse love the modest and peaceful way of living that she has been used to from childhood. I must admit that I do miss the freedom that I enjoy in the city like Tokyo and Bangkok…

If ever possible, genious people out there, please invent motorbike for blind mice like me! I wouldn’t be greedy and ask for the car, you know :d

Or, maybe it’s easier if I get a horse, and train him to be my guide horse that I can ride anywhere in this beautiful countryside!

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: Always Reading Caravan (ARC) Project Assistant

15 September, 2011 ARC on the Road - General News 1 Comment

Always Reading Caravan (ARC) is a non-governmental and not-for-profit organization to promote the joy of reading and learning among children with and without disabilities in Thailand.  Our missions are:
• to promote reading for pleasure,
• to provide equal reading opportunities for children from various background, and
• to encourage children with and without disabilities to mingle with one another to remove mental barrier between them.

Currently, we are planning to start two new projects in Phrao, Chiangmai in collaboration with Warm Heart Foundation.
1. Motorbike library: a mobile library on a motorbike for children in and around Huai Sai village.
2. Preparatory school for Akha children: a pre-primary school in Sip-lang village on the mountain for children from Akha tribe.

Job Description:
Ms. Yoshimi Horiuchi will be in charge of the projects mentioned above.  The project assistant is required to work closely with the director in all aspects of work.  He/she must be able to travel and make overnight trips. The main tasks are as follows:
• Conduct story-telling and other fun activities for children at the library site. The director will accompany first, but later he/she may need to conduct all the activities by himself/herself.
• Take photographs and videos.
• Drive car and motorbike.
Qualifications:
• Has a driver’s license, and owns a car or motorbike.
• Basic computer skills (MS Word and Excel, emailing software, internet)
• Strong communication skills
• Problem-solving skills.
• Sense of responsibility.
• Adventurous and ready for challenges.
• Love working with children and youth.
• Preferably can speak English and languages of ethnic groups in the north (e.g. Akha, Lahu, Lisu, Karen, etc.).  If not, must be willing to learn from scratch.

Education Requirement: N/A (as long as you can read and write in Thai)
Language Requirement: Thai, but preferably English and Japanese
Working area: In and around Huai Sai Village, Mae-Pang Subdistrict, Phrao District, Chiangmai
Employment Type: full time
Salary Level: based on skills/experiences
Benefits:
• Free shared accommodation if desired (to be shared with the project director)
• Chance to learn English and Japanese
• Health insurance

How to Apply:
Interested candidates should submit a CV to
apply@alwaysreadingcaravan.org
or call
083-542-7283

Announcement: ARC Project Presentation in Tokyo (Nov. 24, 27)

7 October, 2010 General News - Thank You, ARC Supporters!

Dear friends and supporters of ARC,

 

It has been more than 8 months since I left Japan to set up ARC here in Thailand. The progress that we made seems tiny, but I believe that 1 is much much greater than 0.

To share our progress and talk about our future path, we are going to organize two presentation event when I go back to Japan in November.

I think most of the English readers here are not in Japan, but in case you could join us on either date, please send us an email to

bookworm@alwaysreadingcaravan.org

 

The date and place are:

 

1. Nov. 24 (Wed.), 18:00-20:000 at the Nippon Foundation (Meeting room on the second floor)

2. Nov. 27 (Sat.), 10:00-12:00 at Sawasdee (a Thai restaurant in Dogenzaka, Shibuya)

 

We hope to meet as many people as possible, and paint our dream even more colorully!

How Many Strangers Do I Talk with Throughout a Day

18 September, 2010 Happy Blind Life in Thailand

This is a list of people whom I talked with throughout a day today on the way to and back from work.

Note I excluded simple thank yous and sorrys from

This list.

 

1 Soy milk vendor auntie (I asked her to put basil seeds)

2 Security gard lady at Wong-wiang-yai station (She helped me get on the train)

3 Security guard guy at Siam, who helped me to transit

4 Security guard guy at Victory Monument who took me to the sandwich stand in the station

5 A lady who walked with me on the overhead bridge towards Rajvithi Hospital

6 A girl who looked for bus No. 12 for me

7 Bus conductor to whom I told the bus stop that I get off

8 An auntie who walked with me to the gate of my working place

9-10. 2 security guys at Aree Station.

11. Security guy at Siam

12. BTS driver (at

 Wong-wiang-yai station. He was waiting with me till the security guy ran up to meet me).

13. Motorbike driver in my soi. (He even gives me free ride all the time.)

14. A newly moved-in neighbor at the apartment, who turned out to be one of the security ladies at Wong-wiang-yai station! She always wares a bangle with small bells, and she shook it like anything to let me realize who she was J What a surprising end of a day!

 

People ask me how I learned Thai language so quickly, but now you see it, right? If you talk with more than 10 people on the street (besides your friends and colleagues), you would be able to speak; no other choice!

 

And trust me, through such a small chitchat and conversations, these people really make my day, even in the most depressing situation.