A "sickly cat", the women in black, and adult education

11/8
Today at STOU I shared many of my UAF and TVC resources with Tuk.

We looked at the following tools:
Training materials provided by Computing and Communication
The Center for Distance Learning
The Distance Education course rubric
The TVC faculty development workshop
The TVC Community Bulletin and the CIOS course schedule
The ITS competencies and course advising web site
Blackboard
My courses and materials including grade sheets and sample lessons
UA Online and the faculty support materials that are provided.
Faculty web sites that are provided by Computing and Communications
There were many similarities and possible tools that we could share.

We had an excellent lunch with Nun. Nun is a wonderful person to know, Jit and Nun have a great relationship. I enjoy talking with her also. She has many wonderful experiences and talents. What I especially appreciate are her values and perspective on life. I am very lucky to be working with Nun. As we walked to lunch there was a large open drainage manhole in the walkway. Over and over again I am reminded how important it is in Thailand to be aware and watchful. There is no safety net to protect us from ourselves. Before I leave each monring I, seriously, remind myself to "Watch both ways!"

Tomorrow we will visit Dr Sumalee's adult education seminar. I will then return to STOU on Monday. Next Wednesday will be Loy Krathon ceremony. At STOU, with its waterways, it is supposed to be a good experience.

11/9
Today we visited Dr. Sumalee's adult education seminar. There were students from many places in Thailand, they were finishing their research. The students were involved in many projects in Thailand. The man from Surin had some excellent ideas, he mentioned that there is a traditional craft of making medallions and necklaces, but that the craft is slowly dying. We talked about the similarity between his experience and some experiences in Alaska. We also talked about making items to sell to tourists and its effect of craftsmanship.

Another person was working with hill tribes in Thailand and cultural preservation. It was excellent to see so many similarities.

I talked for about an hour about how I grade and evaluate some of my courses using projects and activities. I especially talked about teaching adults. I also talked about the similarity of mission between Tanana Valley Campus and Non-Formal Education centers. There were many good questions about our community advisory board and our funding. There were also questions about the social conditions in Alaska and street people.

After the funerals I have been feeling worn down, I am going to take a break for a few days to just be around the house, at least that is plan for now. We will be leaving Saturday night to Kao Yai for a Kathin ceremony. Many people from Jit's community will be going in a van. I hope the music is as good as the Kathin ceremony we went to a couple weeks ago.

Coming home from the seminar we went to get some Thai herbal medicine for Jit's uncle. The location was near the "Big Court" the Hall of Justice. After using the cell phone we found it. It looks like people can go to the store to see a Doctor and get specific herbal recommendations. We bought what we needed and headed home.

Since our terrible taxi experience, a couple days ago, we have been more selective. So far the Taxi's have been fine. Jit always asks the driver "Do you drive safely?" Many times we see a smile and sometimes they ask why.

This morning when we caught a Taxi I looked for the women in black, who now wears flowers, at the 7-11. She was sitting in her usual location, but she was hitting herself in the face, hard. It was very sad. To me I think she is mentally ill. Thailand has good resources for people who are mentally ill, I hope that she gets help. When we returned in the afternoon she was not in her usual location. I hope that she was hospitalized and will get medication and treatment.

I have also been thinking about the very skinny cat that I saw last week. I keep wondering what I should have done, if anything. What would I would have done at home in Alaska? Probably the kindest thing to do for the cat would be to kill it, but when I write those words I am uncomfortable. At home, when my animals are very sick or in pain, and there is no reasonable chance for cure, I will have them "put to sleep" which is an euphemism for being killed. Anyway the very skinny cat is a challenge.

For anybody who is reading this blog, after seeing the picture of the cat, what would you do if you were in Thailand? What would you do if you were at your home? I am not being judgemental, I just know that seeing the suffering makes me think and feel. For now, and probably in the future, I will notice, probably document the experience, and walk by. What is the trigger that moves me from observation to action? And if I move from observation to action what action do I take?