What I Saw On Children’s Day In My Sa Kaeo Village

[Mobi]

For those of you who rarely leave the confines of Pattaya, I thought you might be interested in a few pics of life in real Thailand.

Last Saturday my family and I went to Sakaeo and set up camp at Grandma Mobi’s house for our annual Children’s bash for the local children.

Every year we seem to get more and more kids, and I reckon there were well over 100 this year. They started assembling at 10 a.m, for an open air karaoke, and then tucked into a lunch of noodles, followed by ice cream.

Then sweets, fruit and other edible goodies were handed out, followed by exercise books, pens, rulers and pencils.

A great time was had by one and all - especially the kids - many are very poor, and some don’t even go to school.

The village "Baht Bus" after disgorging some kids. (The dog wasn't interested!)

Preparing lunch

Tucking in

Ice cream man awaiting his turn.

More tucking in

The ice cream queue

Enjoying the ice cream

More queues

And more..

Loadsa goodies

The kaman's wife presenting books

A young student

Edited January 15, 2008 by Mobi

[Who, me ?]

Very nice pictures.

The black labrador looks so much like mine !

[EmCross]

Well done Mobi! sounds and looks like they all had a great time.

[thaihome]

Great pictures, but shouldn't this be in the Central Thailand Forum since it is about Sa Kaeo?

TH

[richardb]

Nice one Mobi.

There is life beyond second road then.

Nice pics.

Richard

[mrbojangles]

Nice one Mobi

How did this annual event come about?

[Mossfinn]

Sounds like a helluva party Mobi,

Moss

[Mobi]

Great pictures, but shouldn't this be in the Central Thailand Forum since it is about Sa Kaeo?

TH

Possibly, but I specifically wanted it in the Pattaya Forum because:

• Folks in central Thailand are more familiar with sights like this, and it would probably be of minimal interest.
  

• I live in Pattaya, and wanted to show my fellow 'Pattayan's' that there's another world outside of Pattaya. It's not all wine women and song.
  

[Mobi]

Sounds like a helluva party Mobi,

Moss

It was

Another part of the tradition is that we always arrive on the previous evening, and treat the "Puyais" to a few bevies.

So by 2.a.m. we all were all royally pissed, and after a mere 2 hours sleep had to go to the local market and buy all the fresh veg and meat for the kids lunch.

Quite a marathon.

[Mobi]

Nice one Mobi

How did this annual event come about?

Although Mrs Mobi and all her family are ethnic Lao (Khon Kaen) she was born in the village, and was brought up there in very impoverished circumstances. (At the age of 12, she was taken out of school and "sold" as a maid to a rich family in Bangkok for five years to pay her mother's debts. Dad was shot dead in front of her when she was 10, so they had no income.

Now she, and her family have a better life, but she has never forgotten how they suffered (her mother is illiterate), and a few years ago she decided to do this little thing for the local kids who have not been as fortunate as her.

This year, for the first time, she mentioned her annual project to a few of her friends, and we were both surprised and delighted when they delivered a 'contribution' to our home, the day before the party.

It is a wonderful, humbling experience, and puts everything into perspective.

[zzdocxx]

nice.

[billd766]

My childrens day was not so good this year.

Unfortunately I missed it this year as my wife and son went off to see his other "Yai" in Petchabun this year. She apparantly may have cancer (as far as I can understand) and this may be the last time that he will see her except for the funeral rites and I stayed home with my mother in law. She is about a year younger than me and on Friday she was feeling breathless and nuai so I had to get her up to the local hospital where she was on oxygen and she came out yesterday (Tuesday). I speak a little Thai and she speaks no English past hallo, morning and OK.

Some of her friends from the village visited every day and my wife called her as well but I did not go to the hospital as the conversation would have been over inside of 2 minutes leaving an embarrased pair of us inable to talk to each other.

She seems better now but I am not sure when it will happen again.

Edited January 16, 2008 by billd766

[thaihome]

... had to go to the local market and buy all the fresh veg and meat for the kids lunch.

...

You mean a market like this?

TH

Edited January 16, 2008 by thaihome

[philliphn]

Bless you Mobi. You are Jai dee!

[onzestan]

Bless you Mobi. You are Jai dee!

Seconded.

Onzestan

[mrbojangles]

Bless you Mobi. You are Jai dee!

Seconded.

Onzestan

Unanimous

[Naam]

Although Mrs Mobi and all her family are ethnic Lao (Khon Kaen) she was born in the village, and was brought up there in very impoverished circumstances. (At the age of 12, she was taken out of school and "sold" as a maid to a rich family in Bangkok for five years to pay her mother's debts. Dad was shot dead in front of her when she was 10, so they had no income.

Now she, and her family have a better life, but she has never forgotten how they suffered (her mother is illiterate), and a few years ago she decided to do this little thing for the local kids who have not been as fortunate as her.

This year, for the first time, she mentioned her annual project to a few of her friends, and we were both surprised and delighted when they delivered a 'contribution' to our home, the day before the party.

It is a wonderful, humbling experience, and puts everything into perspective.

slightly off topic: a couple of months ago i had the honour of having Mr. and Mrs. Mobi as guests in my house. my initial thoughts were "d@mn! how do these Brits get away with cradle snatching? aren't there laws in Thailand which forbid dilly-dallying with underaged girls no matter how beautiful they are?"

later we talked about children. talk was about a ten year old son and... it turned out that Mrs. Mobi was more than a dozen years older than i thought.

i can only say that Mr. Mobi is one lucky b@st@rd although his electricity consumption and carbon footprint [see thread "how much electricity...?"] is an abomination and similar to mine

[Pattayatony]

For those of you who rarely leave the confines of Pattaya, I thought you might be interested in a few pics of life in real Thailand.

Last Saturday my family and I went to Sakaeo and set up camp at Grandma Mobi’s house for our annual Children’s bash for the local children.

Every year we seem to get more and more kids, and I reckon there were well over 100 this year. They started assembling at 10 a.m, for an open air karaoke, and then tucked into a lunch of noodles, followed by ice cream.

Then sweets, fruit and other edible goodies were handed out, followed by exercise books, pens, rulers and pencils.

A great time was had by one and all - especially the kids - many are very poor, and some don’t even go to school.

The village "Baht Bus" after disgorging some kids. (The dog wasn't interested!)

Preparing lunch

Tucking in

Ice cream man awaiting his turn.

More tucking in

The ice cream queue

Enjoying the ice cream

More queues

And more..

Loadsa goodies

The kaman's wife presenting books

A young student

Hey Mobi,

You really are one of a kind.