While writing this, I am on my way to Bangkok to fly back home in a couple of days.
I must say that, at this moment, there are not many things I want more than go home and spend time with my family. One of the things that this experience brought me actually is that I fully, fully realize now how important my family and being ‘home’ is for me. However, there are dozens of other things this experience brought me.

Teaching at the little Shan school during my first 2 weeks gave me a place where I actually wanted to come back to, back to the place, the children and the teachers, and I did several time. With fields around it and hills on the background, it is a lovely landscape. Children laughing and playing a lot and the teachers are gentle and patient. I could never fully realize that these are the same people that have to live in so difficult circumstances and with so many problems.

Teaching at a vocational college outside Fang, where I was treated as a big star and came to the conclusion that I did not quite like that attention, at all. Students from my age (18) and older only giggling hysterically when I asked a simple question. It was very interesting to try and find ways to make them talk in English (they know so much more than they would actually say) and to see them relax a little bit during a class, growing in self-confidence and starting to speak out loud.

By Anne de Boer

The new week started with saying goodbye at the school I've been teaching at for my first 2 weeks. Last week I had my last teaching a bit unexpected, so on Monday I went back to be able to end this great experience in a good way!

The school is a very small Shan school (about 25 students), located in the middle of the farm lands the families are working and living on. So this was my first school to teach at, just after arriving in Fang, and I can't imagine a better welcome. The teachers were happy to have me there, the children were motivated (and very huggable!) and it was the perfect place to get to know more about the culture and the different aspects of trying to give these children an education.

A short example: families would move a lot, so it is quite normal that children come and go and maybe come back again to the school. The differences between how much the children know are very big and the progress, at least in English, is very small.

Still, the teachers are really supportive and patient towards the kids and the children are willing to learn, so there is definitely hope!!

By Anne de Boer

It has been almost 2 weeks now since I arrived in Fang and started as a volunteer with Blood Foundation. In the beginning everything that was happening was almost too much, all the new people, the new environment, the differences in culture, the teaching. So much going on...

By now, I found my own place in it all: in Fang, in the schools and in the organisation and I'm so glad I am here!

During my stay I will write about what is happening: what have I been doing, how is it going, the great things, the hard things. Everything.

Yesterday it was Loi Krathong Day in Thailand, and I had a great day at Moung Choum government school and the Daylight school.

Loi Krathong at Moung Choum

When we (Ben and the other volunteer, David) arrived at the school in the morning, and it couldn't have been clearer that it wasn't a normal school day. Every 10 seconds you would hear firework go off, in the middle of the sport field a group of students were leaving huge happy colored Khom Loi's in the air and groups of students were letting their selfmade Loi Krathongs on the water. To understand and to imagine, just take a look at the pictues. It's absolutely wonderful!!

We take great pleasure in welcoming Blood Foundation volunteer Anne de Boer back to Fang Valley. Anne, who is from The Netherlands, first traveled to Fang with her family in July 2010. During that time she visited many of the projects and was curious to the situation of the Shan people and their story. Now having graduated from high school Anne has returned to fulfill a 6 week volunteer placement. Anne has done a great deal of research before coming to the field and aside from helping teach English in various communities she will also be implementing a broad HIV Aids education program through some of the schools here in the region.

Anne first came across the innovative HIV education program, known as The World Starts With Me, after a school trip to Kenya. She then conducted her own research to find the program was being run in Bangkok, Thailand. Anne has shown exceptional initiative so far and is working closely with Blood Foundation Field Officer Carol Doyle. Together they are working hard to bring this comprehensive and important program to the Fang region. They are engaging both local communities and the regional education department to get this program into schools in the Fang Valley region.

We take great pleasure in welcoming Anne back to Fang Valley and wish her all the best for her exiting volunteer placement.