Sad to Leave

Well, today I was sick, which was not fun, but apparently I missed a lot (see other posts!). I don't know how I'll be able to leave all my new animal friends...Ms. Chase has started checking my pockets for kittens... but I'll miss the island and its entire atmosphere. Thanks so much to my sponsor, Arthur Morris Christensen & Co, for making my trip possible. I'll miss all our friends at the school, from the older kids who teach us bad words in Thai then laugh at us when we say it to adults to the younger children who teach us how to say the colours in Thai in return for an English translation. Undoubtedly, tomorrow will be a sad last day with lots of tearful goodbyes. I will miss everyone and everything on and about this island, but I'll still be glad to be back in Bermuda with my family and friends. Talk about mixed emotions! Well, that's it for now, Peace out Bermuda!

P.S. Much love to my friends, hi Steven and Caroline, hope to see you all soon.

Yeah!!

Yesterday we started a mural inside and outside of the kindergarden classroom. On the outside we have a map of Bermuda with details of the cruise ships, long tails, the bermuda flag and our lighthouse. Today we had assembly with the children, but it wasn't any normal assembly we had been to in the previous days. All the children from kindergarden up to year 7 took the time to learn a bit of English just to say, "We thank you from the bottom of our hearts". They are all so patient and sweet to us. Later on we were able to give the kindergardeners some beanie babies, their face lit up with joy as they saw them. Later on today we will be picking up trash on the beach, not happy about that but it's for a good cause so I will. I also wanted to go to the other school on the island but as you can see from Tia's blog we weren't chosen and it burns me. However, i know that the girls chosen will do a great job of getting us information. But it still burns! We will be leaving for Phuket on Saturday, so tomorrow is the last day at the school. I will miss the children because of their selflessness(I hope that's a word) and the way that they gradually learned to love us.

Shopping!

Hey Y'all,
We said good-bye to the Regent School today. They were amazing people! I think I'm going to miss Gina most of all, she is so funny and nice. We have about two more days in Koh Phi Phi before we leave for Phuket and then we will be heading to Bangkok... Ultimate shopping! I don't think that I've ever shopped this much in my life, I even got sandals for my brother, Marc. Anyway, updates to come.

Friends Galore!

Well, today we said goodbye to our Regent school friends...sad goodbyes all round. Also, at the moment, while we are blogging, we have a set of adorable kittens on our laps! (I promise I won't bring them home mom, but I'll bring plenty of photos!) Loving the island, last night the kids put on a fire dance-like show for us. KIDS! WITH GASOLINE! Ah well, it was amazing to watch. I miss you all so much, as I've said before, but right now it's time to say goodbye and give this kitten some well-deserved attention. Peace out!

Today- an exciting day!

Well today we will be performing for the parents at the school in Koh Phi Phi and some of the locals here in Thailand. We will be putting on a drama production with the Regents School all around the Pier and at the school. The children here are so cute and friendly, I just feel like taking one home with me. We have tried so much amazing food, like the Thai pancakes, their amazing burgers and the Thai food that we get from the school every night. We shop for so many things almost everyday, and the exchange rate of dollars to baht is amazing. This is so much fun I hope that you will all stay updated because I will have more to come!

Tired... that' an understatement!

Hello Again Bermuda!
I have finally met the people from the Regents School, they are really nice people. Today we had a fun day, we went out on speed boats and went snorkeling and swimming on different islands. There is an island called mosquito island, and trust me it lives up to its name. Ty got 46 mosquito bites just sitting on the beach for a few minutes and Tia hasn't counted yet. After such a fun day, I am so exhausted, it was so hard to get up for dinner. However, it was beautiful to see all the cliffs and friendly fish. Anywho, I will keep you all updated tomorrow or as soon as I can. This has been an amazing experience.

Eventful Days

Wow, we've been having so much fun, it's hard to keep track of things. Glad to hear you guys had fun on the yr10 camp...sounded awesome. I miss all of you so much, and I am taking lots of awesome pictures and film. I'm making a lot of new friends, particularly the ones in feline form. Snorkeling today was awesome, the boat ride was really bumpy, but that's what makes it fun, right? I can't really think of nything to say that hasn't already been described beautifully by another member of our group, so I'll say, Sawasdeeka, Bermuda! More posts please!!!! Peace out

More photos

As promised, a bunch of photos (finally)

To Blog or Not To Blog...Part II

Sawadeeka, Bermuda!

Now that Annefa, Ty, Khun Sheila & Khun Howard have joined us here on Koh Phi Phi Don, it feels like the Family has been reunited!

Well, today was the first day that we really had an opportunity to meet and work with the students of Bann Koh Phi Phi School and WOW ARE THEY CUTIES! Despite the language differences, we were able to make beautiful Bermuda Kites and learn a bit of Thai along the way. My Round Square Group, 'Samliam', which means Triangle in Thai, did a huge Service Project yesterday where we cleared a large area of foliage and tsunami debris from behind the island's hospital. It was hard work, but well worth it. In the space that we cleared, a temporary living complex will be built for the hospital staff while the main "building" gets constructed. The hospital was under construction when the tsunami hit and has not been rebuilt yet due to "red tape". There is only one doctor on the island and he was out back raking and clearing right along with us! I have five very ugly blisters on my hands to proove that I didn't travel 10,000 miles to Thailand for nothing!!

I am sorry to all of our readers & sponsors that I have not been able to post any pictures lately but as the internet is down at our resort for a week, we have had to come into the vilage to use an Internet Cafe to get our blogging done. I will post some pictures in a few minutes if I can get them to allow me use their wireless service and use my laptop...let's cross our fingers!

As tomorrow is Saturday and the students have the weekend off, we will be having a fun day with the Regent's School Team. We have a great day planned with a speed boat trip to Koh Phi Phi Ley to snorkel and visit some Viking Caves and then we will be going to another island to "chill out". Tomorrow night we will have a camp fire on the beach and be entertained by Fire Dancers. I can't wait...maybe we'll even sing some Kumbaya, my Lord...!

Well, I'll sign off for now and see if Mark has been able to get the wireless option up and running.

I promise to write back soon!

Toodle-oo for now!

We Have Arrived and It's Satisfying!

Hello Bermuda, it's Annefa here!
Group B which is Ty, me, Khun Sheila, and Khun Walter just arrived in Koh Phi Phi. Our trip was long but it is all worth the effort. The flight was over booked in New York so we were there for about 5 hours until we were able to fly to Bangkok... 17 hours! However it was a wonderful flight because of the great hospitality of Thai Airways and their comfortable seats that reclined. We slept, ate... alot and watched TV, played games and listened to music. When we arrived I was so excited because of all the new sites and smells, however Thailand reminded me of my home in Jamaica. We waited for a ferry at Rassada Pier, where we met some friendly locals that taught us the ins and outs of the Thai language. The ferry ride to Koh Phi Phi Don was long, I fell asleep after a few minutes on the water, just to wake up a few minutes later. Because we had been travelling for that long, my body was not ready to be awakened from its' deep slumber. However, I had to get up so I did. At the dock, Group A met us with open arms, they even carried our bags! Well we just had dinner which was delicious and satisfying.

Anyway, I just want to say hello to Christie, Jackie, my mom and The O'Keefe family and I want them to know that I miss them.

I will see you soon!

Final Destination...isn't that a movie?

Well, we finally arrived yesterday on Kho Phi Phi Don island, and it is amazing. Our rooms are very nice, especially now that we've sprayed bug spray everywhere. All the children at the school are really nice from what we've seen, and it was awesome meeting up with the regent school. We will definitely have a huge load of new friend's email addresses once we leave. Todays activities were service work at the hospital for group 3, art and painting masks for group 2, and a drama class preparing us for the play we are to present on monday for us in group 1. The boat trip over was really cool, seeing all those huge pink and blue jellyfish off the side was scary, but they were funky looking ;D Longs story reasonably short, we're here, we have new friends, and we have already started working. Some of our troup have the blisters to prove it! I miss you all, hi esopecially to Carrol, Jordan, Emily x2, Tacha, Mackinnon, and all my good friends. Miss you guys so much. Love you mom and dad, see you in a couple of weeks! Sawadee, Bermuda!

To Blog or Not To Blog...That is The Question...

Sawadeeka, Bermuda!
Well, it's 6.11 a.m. Phuket Time and, believe it or not, this is the only chance that I have had to post something on our Blog Site since we first arrived!
It has been a fun-filled, non-stop, try-to-keep-up kind of trip so far. With bearly a moment to slow down enough to stop and smell the monkeys, it has only been in the wee hours of the mornings or late at night when any time is available to do the simple things like shower, eat, swim & post. Despite the Daytona 500 speed of things, we have been able to accomplish quite a lot!
I know that the other posts include some information on our shopping extravaganza at 'Central' (http://www.central.co.th/web/index.html), the largest Mall in Southern Asia, and TESCO Lotus Phuket (http://www.tescolotus.com/company/store.asp), so I won't go into much detail. What I can tell you all was how proud I was to be able to purchase so many required items and so many needed school supplies for the students at Bonn Koh Phi Phi School. It was very emotional for me to watch the items fly through the cash register knowing how hard so many of you worked to make this opportunity happen...I thank each and every one of you for helping to make this Project a reality. We spent some time sorting through the tons of school supplies, digital cameras, colour printers, printer paper, photo paper, life jackets, footballs, stereo/PA system & so many other items to try to put it in some sort of packing order. We were able to get it down to several heavy-ladden duffle bags, huge boxes and many smaller bags. We needed to reserve another mini-van to take the goodies with us to the Ferry to Koh Phi Phi Don later this afternoon! What a great problem to have!!!
We have had a tremendous amount of support from the amazingly kind people who work at Cape Panwa Resort (http://www.capepanwa.com/main.asp). Once they heard about our Tsunami Relief Project, they have assisted us at every corner! From booking us extra mini-vans, to telling us the best places to shop for specific items, to even sending a mini-van and driver to go purchase the Sports Cones for us when they found out that we were not able to find any!
But the biggest news that I have about their kind support, is that the General Manager, Mr. Poomiphat (Tom) Navanukroh, has called the local media, The Phuket Gazette (http://www.phuketgazette.net/), and they are coming this morning at 10.30 a.m. to interview us for the Newspaper! Khun Poomiphat even gave us each a nice Cape Panwa t-shirt! It is amazing to think that we are going to have an article written up about our B.H.S. Tsunami Relief Project in the Phuket Gazette! I guess that you could say that we are 'Going International' now! I'll keep you posted (no punn intended!) about when the article is to be published. As it is an English Language Paper, we won't need to ask Khun Cathy to translate it for us!

Well, it's 6.59 a.m. and I am going to go for an early morning swim before everyone wakes up for breakfast. We leave for Koh Phi Phi Don today on the 1.30 p.m. ferry to check into The Araya-Buri Resort

For some reason Blogger is having difficulty loading images at this time, so I'll post some pictures a little later on.

Sawadeeka, for now, Bermuda!

Group B... It looks awesome!

It looks like you are all having fun, except for being tired. In just a few hours Group B will be on their way, so make room for us. I can tell that Ms. Chase is crazy with excitement. Make sure to get lots of rest and send more pictures. Count down... only 17 hours left! Yay!!!!

Tired but smiling faces in Bangkok Airport

This was us after 12.5 hours from NY to Tokyo and 5.5 hours to Bangkok. Tired, but happy to be on the ground! More pictures to come in the next few days (after the first good night's sleep)
;o)

Thailand at last

Well, as Martina said, we're here. The flight from Tokyo to Bangkok was fine, except for some turbulence that seemed to be present in ALL of our flights! The hotel in Bangkok was nice, but it does not compare to the beauty of Phuket. I will be so sorry to leave (us girls have our own villa ;D) and school supply shopping is tomorrow. We're making jewelry out of Japanese currency and thread, and apparently, Peter Pan is in the villa next to us. We haven't seen him, but we'll keep you posted ;D. Lotsa cool stuff to see and do in our fabulous hotel, can't wait to see Annefa and Ty,, miss you all so much! But I have to go, all the girls are breathing down my neck for a turn at the computer because this is the only computer with internet access. Keep posting to us! Peace out!

Here's the deal, Bermudia buddies!

Ok, so we went to the airport later than expected, only to find that something went wrong, so we changed flight plans, blah blah, and now we are in Tokyo Japan!!!! It's incredible, we just had a twelve hour flight here where we made tons of new friends. Japan is awesome, the currency exchage rocks! Everyone is tired right now, because it was very hard to sleep on the plane, especially with Ms. Gunther's many attempts to be upgraded into first class. All in all, we are looking forward to a hotel room and soft, comfy beds tonight, but we won't get to Thailand until midnight (argh!). Ty and Annefa, hope to be seeing you soon, good luck on your exams! Peace out!

It's Here!?!

In just one day, the first group will be leaving for Thailand. I am so nervous even though I still have a few days left. I will miss the first group even though I will be seeing them a few days later and I hope that they will have a safe trip. My heart was ready for this experience but my mind was not. However, my mind has come to the realization that this is actually happening and I could not be happier. Opportunities like this do not happen everyday for many people. I am so happy that this opportunity has come my way. When you live in a society where you have so many material things, you lose sight of what is important. I think that I will be a changed person when I return because of all the things I would have learnt form this trip. In just a few more days, I will be on my way... In just a few more days, my view of life might change for the better and I will have the experience of a lifetime. I am happy for this privilege. See ya!

Like Who Put This Crazy 'Things to Bring' List Together Anyways???

...oh yeah, I did!

Good afternoon, Bermuda.
Of course, as one gets closer & closer to departure time for Thailand, one must begin to address the many 'Lists of Things to Bring to Thailand' that are available out there. There are the Lists from Lonely Planet, Travelocity, Travel Search, Hotel Travel, AAA, The National Geographic Traveller, Eyewitness Travel Guides - heck, even the CIA has a helpful 'List of Things to Bring to Thailand' on their website!
But the absolute silliest 'List of Things to Bring to Thailand List' out there is MINE! The one I put together! Heck, just the list of potential 'medications & personal toiletries' would make Martha Stewart hire HGTV's Mission: Disorganisation! to pack HER backpack! And, of course, who's bright idea was it to require everyone to "only bring one backpack and one day pack"? That would be me, as well!
After all of the needles that we had to take in March (see Shots...post), I didn't think that we would still have to take much more medication to ensure good health and, well regularity! I have pills, pills and more pills...besides the regular Advil, the dismal Pepto-Bismal, Tums & the old-faithfuls Day & NyQuil, I have anti-malaria pills, anti-biotic pills, anti-bacterial pills, anti-inflamatory pills (in case someone says something about me which just isn't true Ha!Ha!), and the pills that I am really, really hoping to bring each & every one back home with me...the anti-diarrhetic pills. Yep, I am starting to think that I should just bring some Miss Vicki's Salt & Vinegar chips with me to Thailand and eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner EVERY DAY! My bag would certainly appreciate the room!
I don't know if any of my Travelling Partners are experiencing the same challenge of finding space for basic necessities like undergarments, deodorant & a toothbrush, but if they are, I would appreciate some practical advice via email, please & thank you!
But for now, I think that I'll sit down to dinner with a wonderfully fresh bag of salt & vinegar Kettle Chips & contemplate their nutritional value (including fiber content) a little more carefully than usual! Ha! Ha!
Good Night, Bermy!

Wow... need I say more?

Fantabulous title Annefa, that about sums it up ;D I know everyone is experiencing mixed emotions right about now, and I can't blame them one bit. We'll be gone a long time and I'm sure we'll all miss our families and friends, but, what an experience, right? Saturday's lunch went excellently in my opinion (although we have more food and soda then we'll ever need :P) and Khun Tina actually went swimming! Not really that surprising, but she was the first one in and water guns provided entertainment for a couple of minutes. I have to say, I'm still having difficulty believing entirely that next Saturday I'll be at the airport for 7am (**groan** I live in Pembroke! lol) and we'll leave on a 17+ hour plane ride (groan again lol) to Thailand, with a culture and environment unlike any I've ever seen. I am incredibly excited about the cultural learning experience alone, but add that to the people we'll get to meet and work with and you get one absolutely unbelievable trip. On a final note, (I'm not that good at writing pages of comments **cough** Khun Tina **cough**) I'd like to inform everyone that tonight at 9:00 pm on channel 41 (the Discovery Channel (heehee my friends)) there will be a documentary on the Tsunami called 'Tsunami: Wave of Disaster'. Watch it!! lol Peace out all!

AHHHHH!!!! (Could it be said any better?)

It's so close I can taste it! We'll be leaving next week, NEXT WEEK! The week after this one! If you don't believe me check your calendar. Can someone make the time go faster because I am losing my mind. I can't wait to get to Thailand, 3 weeks away from something familiar is a breath of fresh air. Words can't explain my excitement, without our sponsors and teachers this would not be possible, I thank you all for this opportunity. If I pass out from all this, well... you all know why. Well, this is Annefa signing off (for now), TTFN!

It's 2.35 a.m. and I'm Too Darn Excited to Sleep...

Sawadeeka, Bermuda!
Well, I guess I should start off by saying 'Good Morning, Bermuda!'.
While everyone is snug in their beds, despite the sounds of some good "Bermuda Tank Rain" outside, once again, I can't sleep. After this afternoon's weekly B.H.S. Tsunami Relief Project meeting, I am finding it very difficult to stop my mind from whirling around at all that has taken place in my life since December 2004. It is with mixed emotions that I look at what will soon be the pinnacle of over a year and a half of solid fundraising and planning for this, our first ever B.H.S. Round Square International Service Project on the island of Koh Phi Phi Don, Thailand.
I remember watching from the comfort of my home with absolute helplessness and horror as hundreds of thousands of people were displaced, injured, separated from loved ones and ultimately perished in the tsunami that followed the Indian Ocean Earthquake on December 26th, 2004. I still find myself with tears in my eyes and an ache in my heart when I think of all that destruction - all that loss - all that unfulfilled human potential - all that pain...and then...somehow, in all that chaos, hope. Hope, love & support from people all over the world - including our little island of Bermuda. Twenty-one miles long and never a mile wide at any point, Bermuda pulled together and raised over a million dollars in donations for several local and overseas Relief Agencies - not bad for an island whose population (approx. 65,000) is smaller than many Universities and whose land mass is smaller than Heathrow Airport!
But most of all, I remember how my friend & colleague Susan Donovan-Gorbutt sat with me in our Faculty Room at school when we returned from our Winter Break, and immediately began planning what we were going to do as a school to support our fellow sisters & brothers across the world from us suffering from the worst natural disaster in recent history. It was so easy - so natural. You see, Susan has the heart of an angel, the mind of a fox and the spirit of a sunrise.
I remember how effortless it was when we asked our students & colleagues to sell 'Bands of Hope' (see first Blog entry) to family & friends. The money started coming in and we were learning that our simple rubber band bracelets were being sold to people all over the world! People were supporting our Project by purchasing and then wearing them in the U.S.A., Canada, Botswana, South Africa, England, Scotland, France, and even Peru!
I remember with amazement and pride at how many students offered to give up their Wednesday evenings to help us sell our 'Bands of Hope' to our cruise ship tourists during Harbour Nights in Hamilton. For an entire summer, students & teachers joined together to manage a booth, kindly donated to us by The Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, where we wore our school's uniform with pride and told travellers to Bermuda and Locals about the devastation, destruction & pain that followed the Indian Ocean Tsunami & that we were raising funds to try to bring some relief to the people most affected. I watched with an overwhelming sense of wonderment at my students, including a very confident & toothless Year One student named Mya, approaching with confidence & conviction the hundreds of people visiting our booth. Those moments shared with them on Front Street working towards a common goal are memories that I will remember forever. They are true "Sheroes"!
I remember with a thrill in my belly when I met Mr. Paul Crouch, the Round Square Coordinator at Regent's School in Pattaya, Thailand (www.regents.ac.th) at last year's Round Square International Conference in Melbourne, Australia. Being only inducted as a full-member school the previous day, I so clearly remember Paul's response when I informed him of my school's Tsunami Relief Project and that we were able to raise about $US 25,000. I also remember his reaction when I asked him if his school could help us spend it on a worthy project! Yes, indeed! Paul and his Team at Regent's School have been instrumental in organising this partnership between our two schools and Bonn Koh Phi Phi School. We are eternally grateful to them for supporting our dream and allowing us to be a part of their dream as well! Korp Koon Ka, Khun Paul!
And so here I am now, it's 3.46 a.m. and I'm still not tired! I have so much to do at school before we leave next Saturday...here come the butterflies again...but I am not worried. I am travelling to Thailand with the most amazing group of people you could ever wish to travel with. We have a team made up of seven students, six teachers & two husbands; all of whom have been intimately involved with this project since the beginning.
As we promised those who supported our Project by purchasing 'Bands of Hope', 100% of those funds raised would go directly to rebuilding a school & community, so everyone has been doing their own fundraising to get us all to Thailand. Biology teacher-extraordinaire, Julie Gunther, has been instrumental in collecting corporate donations, by far the largest portion of our Thailand Project travelling expenses. Teachers have organised weekly lunches to sell to colleagues & Fun Raffles. Students have organised Bake Sales, Environmental Clean Ups, Walk-a-Thons & Grocery Packing Days. My husband, Mark, organised a breakfast fundraiser for the group of re-insurance offices that he works for and one of our parents organised a Dinner & Social Evening at our local Thai Restaurant. A heartfelt thanks to each of them for their continued support & enduring energy! Korp Koon Ka!
We have had complete support from our school's Administration, generous support from many Corporate Members from Bermuda's Business Community and, of course, friends & family! Please check the local businesses that have supported us on our side banner. Without them, travelling to Thailand would have been next to impossible. My heartfelt thanks and gratitude goes to each of them and the many personal sponsors that have so generously donated to help us make this dream come true! Korp Koon Ka!

So, as you can see, these are some mixed feelings, indeed! But as we say here in Bermuda, "It's all good!"
We leave in about 10 days & 8.5 hours, but who's counting!

I'll sign off now & try to get back to sleep...wishful thinking, perhaps...but as you have read above, dreams can come true...

Good night, Bermuda!

Time Flies By

Wow...I would first like to congratulate Michelle and all the others who went to fundraise on a job well done, and apologize thoroughly for not being able to be there. Great job guys! However, the trip is creeping up on us fast, and it's almost unbelievable that we will be in Thailand in a little less than two weeks! I'm sure everyone is pretty stressed right now... I know I sure am! What with exams next week and the week after, we're all running around like crazy trying to get things done before we leave. It's feeling more real by the second, especially when people ask, "Hey, when are you guys going to Thailand?". It feels really strange to respond, "Well, we'll be gone Saturday after next!" As I said, unbelievable!