Another one... can you believe it?

When I heard the news that Indonesia has been greatly affected by another earthquake which resulted in another tsunami on July 17, 2006. I started to worry about what it meant for the people in these countries and for the people in Thailand. I hope that something like this will not become an everyday routine.From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_2006_Java_earthquake.

The earthquake caused a three-metre-high tsunami which destroyed houses on the south coast of Java, killing at least 550 people and leaving at least 229 missing.
The tsunami smashed into a 110-mile stretch of Java’s coastline that was unaffected by the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Waves more than 6 feet high reached 200 yards inland in some places, destroying scores of houses, restaurants and hotels. Cars, motorbikes and boats were left mangled amid fishing nets, furniture and other debris.
The tsunami struck the southern Indonesian coastal villages of Cipatujah and Pangandaran on the coast southeast of Bandung and Garut. There is reportedly extensive damage at the West Java beach resort of Pangandaran. Thousands of people at the resort fled to higher ground.

Following the earthquake, the Indonesian Meteorological and Geophysics Agency stated that “There is the possibility of a local tsunami that could affect coasts located usually no more than 100 kilometres from the earthquake epicentre”, indicating the improbability of a large-scale tsunami, like the one that struck the same region on December 26, 2004. Despite this, India still issued a tsunami warning for the Andaman Islands archipelago region, which is located in the Bay of Bengal. This archipelago suffered severe damage in the December 26, 2004 tsunami. A warning was also issued for Christmas Island, however police reports from the island say that no damage was caused. A mere 60 cm tsunami was recorded at the Bureau of Meteorology’s tide gauge on the island. A warning was also issued for the Kimberley region of Western Australia.


I see things like this and I worry about these countries that are continuously losing their people. 550 dead and 229 missing and I am sure that their I so many more people that are not accounted for. I definitely want to go back to help if I can. I'm sure they will accept any help they can get to rebuild their country.

Missing it ALL

Well, though it was great to be back for a couple of days, I am now in Florida with my family, away from home again :'(. But, while I was home I went to Harbor Nights, and who should I see but Annefa and Tia..."what, you AGAIN?!!?" lol...but it was great to have someone know how much you miss a place after being there so long, and I'm sure everyone is just as eager as me to go back. I have to say, a lot of the culture has rubbed off on me, I need to stop myself mentally from bowing and saying "sawasdeeka" when I meet someone new, and I feel like I'm flashing when I show the bottom of my feet! Also, I would like to announce to the RA (riceaholics anonymous) that it has been at least two weeks since I last had rice...yay! lol...Missing everyone and everything, thanks so much to my sponsor for helping me get there, I cannot find words to express my gratitude.

A Little Write Up From The Regent's School in Pattaya, Thailand!

SawadeeKa, Everyone!

I thought that I would include a little Write Up that I found on The Regent's School's website written by Declan & Tae Kyoung, two Regent's School students that joined us on Koh Phi Phi Don, Thailand for our Round Square International Service Project. The original article can be found on one of the school's pop ups by clicking HERE.

Here is the article & I believe that they will be posting pictures soon as well...enjoy!

Regents School supports Koh Phi Phi community during annual tsunami relief project

On the dusk of 20^th of June a team of dedicated Regent’s students and staff embarked on a mission to the Koh Phi Phi Island to work on drama activities, hospital service work, Art and English workshops. The mission would last one week and also involve the joint effort of The Bermuda High School, also a Round Square school.

The two schools have organised this trip over a number of months, with the main aims to promote global cooperation between different cultures and supporting the less privileged after a devastating natural disaster. The work was divided into 3 main sections, which included Drama, Service and Art with some English teaching as well. All the students were divided into 3 RS groups, of Regents, Bermuda and Baan Ko Phi Phi School students, to carry out each task of the mission during the week.

In spite of heavy rains, the students successfully completed each of the tasks. They cleared land, made channels for the pipes by digging trenches, all for the foundation of the new hospital to be built on Ko Phi Phi. We also performed “Comedia” on the streets of Koh Phi Phi to give a cultural experience to the local people and tourist community. The performance also included Thai students from the Baan Koh Phi Phi School and many tourists and local people enjoyed the performance, as it rolled through the streets of Koh Phi Phi. In true “Comedia” style, masks play a very important role. Making the masks was one of the art sessions during the week. All the students ensured that everybody had a mask to wear on the night of the performance.

The students from the Regents School also made a Round Square Garden for the Baan Koh Phi Phi school to symbolize the friendship between Regents and their sister school and also the similar IDEALS that both schools share. We also enjoyed playing football matches with the local people each evening, on the beach or the school playground. The local community and staff at the Baan Koh Phi Phi School provided delicious Thai cuisine during the whole week and also fantastic hospitality. We all made many new friends from both our sister Thai school and The Bermuda High School. We taught each other new words, cultures and values.

The Regents School library donated over 100 English and Thai books to The Baan Koh Phi Phi School library to provide further reading and ESL material. The Regents School students also created ESL flash cards as part of their school activities during the last term, which were also presented.

It was great to see the new and improved school kitchen and facilities at The Baan Ko Phi Phi School that now provide the 70 students with wholesome lunches everyday. The Regents School, Pattaya Panthers RFC, Jester’s Care for Kids Charity Drive and over 12 other Round Square Schools have now sponsored these school lunches well into the year 2008.

Despite the torrential down pours of rain the spirits of the students from The Regents School and the girls from Bermuda High School, were not dampened. Instead, they braved the conditions, performed “extreme gardening”, dug trenches under both the blistering sun and heavy downpours of rain and never gave in to the atrocious conditions. All the students never hesitated with the Round Square spirit to continue our work for the better of the community and to help bring the island gem back to its former grace and splendor.

Declan and Tae Kyoung (Year 11)

THINGS I LEARNED IN THAILAND | by Khun Tina

1. It is Far, Far Easier to Get Media Support for our Tsunami Relief Project in Phuket, Thailand Than in Hamilton, Bermuda!

2. Beanie Babies Make Children Smile Everywhere - Especially if They Come With Tags!!

3. Bottled Water is NOT a Luxury When Your Tap Water Isn’t Drinkable!

4. Brackish Showers aren’t as Bad as I Thought - Just Don’t Open Your Mouth & Use Lots of Conditioner!

5. NEVER Question What Thai People Mean When They Say, “Low Tide”, “High Tide”, “No Speed Limit”, “It’s Going to be Warm Today”, “There MAY be SOME Mosquitoes” or “This Food MAY be Spicy”! When Thais Say Food is Spicy, it’s ‘Preparation H’ Spicy!

6. NEVER Underestimate the Strength or Fortitude of a B.H.S. Student, Teacher or Spouse. We ALL Accomplished Amazing Tasks During This Service Project & Have Returned Home Stronger and More Confident!

7. I Will NEVER Complain about Bermuda’s Heat or Humidity Again! I Actually Thought it Felt a Little Cool Coming Off of the Plane at the Airport…Honest!

8. Beanie Babies With Sandy Bottoms MUST be Washed and Hung out to Dry!

9. You Can NEVER Take Enough Pictures of Thai Children---They Are Cute, Cute, Cute!

10. Children on Koh Phi Phi Grow Up Playing with Kerosene & Fire While Children in Bermuda Grow Up Playing with Plasticine (Play-Doh) & Lego.

11. NEVER EVER Take for Granted Things Like: Regular Trash Pick Up, Waste Management Programmes, Effective Governmental Programmes & Policies, Electricity, Potable Water, Fresh Water Showers, Effective Public & Private Education, Law Enforcement, Child Safety Laws, Road & Traffic Laws, Mandatory Education Laws, A Strong Economy, Environment Protection Laws, Crosswalks, Courteous Drivers, etc.

12. NEVER Take for Granted the BENEFITS & PRIVILEGE of Travelling with an Internationally Recognised Passport (i.e. Canada, United Kingdom and U.S.A.)

***Heads Up to Bermuda Only Passport Holders!!***

13. NEVER Assume that Money Ensures Happiness - I Saw More Happy & Smiling People Living in Tin Huts on Koh Phi Phi than Walking the Streets of Hamilton, Bermuda!

Come On, People, We Have it Good - Really Good!

14. There is Math in Everything - Even in a Simple Mural (Thank you, Mr. Walter!)

15. There is No Better Way to Loose Weight Than the Koh Phi Phi Service Project Diet Regime!

16. NEVER Fry Morning Glory Without Calling the Fire Department First!

17. I LOVE Manual Labour & Can Dig a Ditch For Hours Without Stopping!

18. I Do Like Drama & Can Have a Great Time Performing in Front of Others!

19. One Can Love Another Country’s Monarch! Long Live The King!

20. “Simon Says” & “Follow the Leader” are International Games Enjoyed by Children Everywhere!

21. Just Because a School is Rural, Doesn’t Mean That it is Regressive & Dependent!

22. Just Because a School is Urban, Doesn’t Mean That it is Progressive or Self-Sustaining!

23. Sea Gypsy Children are Beautiful, Have Their Own Language & Spontaneously Rub People with “Buddha Bellies”.

24. Blogging Can Be More Fun Than Emailing or Chatting!

25. A Longtail Isn’t Always a Longtail…hhhhhhmmmmmmmm….

26. Everyone Has a Little Buddha in Them…Everyone!

27. Hearing the Salaat (Islamic Call to Prayer) Five Times a Day on Koh Phi Phi Gave me a Wonderful Sense of Security, Warmth & Reverence.

28. Sanity on an 18 Hour Flight or a 28 Hour Journey has Little to do With Seat Comfort and More to do With Movie & Game Selection!

29. I Don’t Need as Much Stuff as I Have.

30. Age Has Little to do With Maturity & Maturity Has Little to do With Age!

31. My Bike (Suzuki Sigma 100cc) Holds a Family of FIVE on the Roads of Phuket!

32. After Seeing the Rice Fields of North Bangkok & the Amount of Work That Goes into Harvesting Each Grain, I Will Never Under-Appreciate the Nutritive Value of Rice Again!

33. Authentic Thai Food is So Tasty That it Doesn’t Need ANY Condiments - Not Even Salt!

34. Compared to the Cats & Dogs in Thailand, My Cats are Obese!

35. Khun Julie is One Tough Cookie!

36. Khun Howard is a Newspaper Addict!

37. Khun Alan is an Artist in Waiting!

38. Khun Susan is Everyone’s Mom!

39. Khun Mark is Even More Amazing Than I Thought He Was!

40. Khun Sheila is a Travelling Minimalist!

41. Khun Paul is a Bashful Guy!

42. Khun Meena Looks Great in Newsprint!

43. Khun Weerawut is a Legend on Koh Phi Phi Don!

44. Khun Michelle Can Take Care of Herself and a Family of Fourteen!

45. Khun Annefa is a Shop-a-Holic in Serious Denial!

46. Khun Ty Doesn’t Like Service Projects AT ALL!

47. Khun Alexandra Can Do Anything She Sets Her Mind To!

48. Khun Freya is a Great Friend to Everyone!

49. Khun Tia is NOT a Morning Person!

50. Khun Allison Receives Applause From Strangers When She Does a Back Arch!

51. Khun Martina is a Thai Massage Queen!

52. Blisters Following Service Work Feel Great!

53. Thai Children Can Sleep ANYWHERE!!

54. Saying Goodbye to The Regent’s School Wasn’t an Easy Task :(

55. I Miss Thailand & the People Already…

We're back? :(

After more than 17 hours of travelling, we have come back to Bermuda to the happy and familiar faces of our family and friends. However, nothing can compare to the things we have experienced in Thailand. To see the children in Thailand happy for something as simple as a beanie baby, is something I will never forget. Sometimes I imagine how hard it must be for some of them to have gone through losing family members, parents and people close to them, but I don't think that I can come close to imagining how they feel. I went to Thailand in hopes that I could make a change in their lives, but they have done that for me. I miss Thailand because of how unique it is and how comfortable it felt to be there, it's like a home away from home. If I am able to return, what an experience that will be. Without so much support from sponsors, teachers, parents, friends and students we wouldn't have made it to Thailand. Thank you all for this opportunity!

Thousands of Photos Now Available!

SawadeeKa, everyone!

As promised, Mark has secured a web location for us to dump all of the photos that were given to him on the final day of our Project together. There are thousands of photos from the B.H.S. Team (Alexandra, Sheila & myself) and the Regent's Team (Paul, Mike and Fran) for you all to enjoy.

I hope that this link works...enjoy!

Click Here for Photo Albums

Have a wonderful day.

P.S. I will be adding personal Blogs later today.

Toodle-oo for now!

Khun Tina

Our project chronicled in the Phuket Gazette

Well, those of us returning to Bermuda made it home safely (but very tired). After waking from a 16 hour nap we checked the Phuket Gazette website this morning to see if the article about us has been posted to their website. It has! Click the following link to read the article in full:

Phuket Gazette Article

We are International TV stars!

Follow this link to see the interview with our team that appeared on Phuket Gazette TV. It is the second story in the newscast.

Phuket Gazette News Story

The Outside Mural

The Outside Mural (cont.)

The Inside Mural

"To the children of Koh Phi Phi"

"From the children of Bermuda"

Beanie Babies for the Children