This year for christmas a few friends, Jim and Anne donated some stuffed animals for the little kids, there are about 25 of them and I had a fun time giving them out so here are a few pictures, so cute. Other then that there were not many activities as it is a Buddhist Temple.

On New Years this year the kids had an extra 2 days off from school. The Monks set up the sound system so that they could sing karaoke for hours and dance. As well a friend of mine, Barry and his family donated a meal and snacks for all 650 kids, it was Barrys daughters birthday. Thai people usually celebrate by giving a donation to a temple or an orphanage or give something to Monks so this is how they wanted to celebrate, great idea.

In January, in Thailand they also celebrate the children by giving them a whole day of activities, food, singing and dancing, snacks, snacks and did I say snacks, lol. So much so that the kids run around with a sugar high all day, it is a blast. I was able to bring my friend Nik, a teacher from Australia, she loved it and she is working on coming back next year to help teach at the primary school. She is also going to help to raise donations for Stu and the Kids, Nik is really nice and we are grateful. Nik also made a contribution to Sum Yot for his school for next year and it was exciting for them to meet on Children’s Day. In the evening they had a Hill Tribe Beauty contest where they have 1 representative from each Hill Tribe, 9 in total compete in dancing, singing, wearing their traditional hill tribe clothing, etc. Sadly I had to go and could not be part of that but I know they had good fun and one of my second year accounting students took first prize.

I also just wanted to add a few pictures of some of the kids from some of the classes I teach, I hope you enjoy them…….

As for me it has been a bit of a crazy year, I will not dwell but just want to keep you posted……Well to start I am still waiting for my 1 year visa. Normally this is not a problem but for some reason this year it is. Luckily my lawyer has been helping me so I do not have to leave Thailand every 3 months but still, it cost me more money and it more of a pain in butt. He says my paper work is now in Bangkok and as soon as it comes back here I should be all good. Let’s hope so since I have been waiting for 14 months. Also 28 days ago had a heart attack, I am ok but it sure was scary. The doctors were great and they say that as long as I eat right and take good care of myself I should be just fine. I am taking things slow and still a bit tired but getting back to normal.

Only 2 more weeks of school left for this semester so we are preparing for their final test and their graduation ceremony, this is a very exciting time. Peace

Sum Yot and Mimi are the 2 students I have been working on getting funds for them to continue their education but one small issue was having a passport or legal ID to study here in Thailand. Well this is no longer a worry, they both now have passports and can study here in Chiang Mai. They were able to go back to Myanmar together and with the help of a former teacher, they filled out all of the paper work and collected enough money from a few other teachers to get passports. I am so excited for them and so are they.

Sum Yot and Mimi have been the best of friends since they were kids and were lucky enough to have each other to lean on at the Wat Don Chan. Now they will be going to the same school to continue their studies. These 2 are just like brother and sister and love each other very much. Again, I am so excited for them.

Over the past few months Stu and the Kids has received close to 30,000 baht,$1000 USD for Sum Yot (we still need 120,000 baht, $4000 USD more for 2 years of room, food, books, uniforms and tuition but I am confident it will happen, 30,000 baht is enough to get him started) and Mimi has a sponsor. My very good friends Bruce and Yai are going to take care of Mimi and all of her bills, she is a lucky girl and I am so lucky to have such great friends. Bruce and Yai’s family have also been very generous to Stu and the Kids. Every year when they come for a visit from Australia they bring bags of clothes and gifts for many of the kids at the Wat Don Chan and this year was no different, thank you Jim and Anne. In addition Jim and Anne’s brother and sister-in-law, Andy and Mary bought us a new, fancy camera so that I can take better pictures and video to make movies to show you all of the kids, thanks guys so much for this.

I also want to thank Scott and Rema Oxandaboure, Nicole Ditty, Stephanie Brockermeye, Lisa Laramee, Leroy Salih, Shawn Rubin, Mark Laramee, Carol and Jeffery Hall, Nicole McKinnon and Noelene Costello for their super kind contributions, it really, really, really helps us. In addition to all of this Nik brought 2 suitcases full of clothes and 3 laptop computers for the kids. I am giving out all of the clothes this week and the computers will goto the 3 top kids in their class that are graduating from the Wat Don Chan this year, well actually 1 month from now.

Hello everyone, I hope this new post finds all that read it doing well. I would like you all to meet Pankeaw or Mimi which is her nickname and what everyone calls her. She is such a sweet young lady that I have had the pleasure of knowing and teaching for almost 2 1/2 years now. Mimi comes from Myanmar and is one of the lucky ones that has a legal ID so she can live, study and eventually work here in Thailand.

Mimi is 20 years old and has 4 younger siblings. Her mother is a rice farmer that lives in Myanmar and sadly her father has passed away leaving Mom with the big job of raising 5 kids. Mimi is studying Accounting at the Technical college at the Wat Don Chan but here she can only get her certificate so she needs to continue to study else where to get her diploma. When I spoke to her about her plans she told me she would need to study on the weekends and work to survive and pay bills during the week. I believe she said it would take her 4 years to get her diploma, I know this is a long time. She really would like to study for 2 years to get this done so she can work and make a living. It is also very important for her to be able help out her Mom and siblings.

So I wanted to introduce you all to her, hear her story and see if there was anyway you could help Stu and the Kids help her to achieve her goals. I must tell you that she is one of the best English students as well as getting amazing grades in all of her other classes. She also is a very important and helpful young lady when it comes to helping out with the younger girls at the Wat.

Below I have listed all of the things needed to help Mimi for 2 years;

4 semesters of school (2 years) = 16,000 Baht or $534 USD

school uniforms = 6,000 Baht or $200 USD

books and school supplies 6,000 Baht or $200 USD

school sports and activities 5,000 Baht or $167 USD

rent & all utilities for a small room = 45,000 Baht or $1,500 USD

food 72,000 Baht or $2,400 USD

TOTAL 150,000 Baht or $5,000 USD

I would like to be very clear that this is for Mimi for 2 years of school but these expenses are really for 18 months. As all of the kids that are helped by Stu and the KIds do, they must find a job and work during school break. This has worked so far and they enjoy working, learning and providing for themselves during their break. In Mimi’s case she may go to see her family during the break which I think is great, as they say here, “up to you”. I just want to see her succeed and help her family. Thank you so much for reading this as well as all of the love and support. Peace, -Stu

This is how the past 2 months have felt.

First of all let’s get the not so happy stuff out of the way and I will tell you I will be short with this part. Many people came here and many more contacted me, all about helping out at the Wat. I was told that I could have them help (which is something that has not been able to happen for a while) and some did but then I got the word in very few words that this was no longer OK. I just wish it was always a yes since the kids love having help and more volunteers. If you have more questions about this please read my last blog post. But the long and short of that is, I am a volunteer and I do what I can do at the Wat and I have rocked the boat before but I need to stop that for a while. So if you do want to help the best way is to make a donation so I can use that for getting the kids into University when they graduate from the Wat.

Also been dealing with a new visa process and by this time I usually have it but I am still waiting, 6 months of waiting so far but there is a light at the end of the long tunnel. I am told I should know by the end of September or October????? I am hoping this is true since I need to get home to work and make some money so that I can continue volunteering as well I need to fundraise so I can get Som Yot and Belle into college. I am planning to do a fundraiser in LA, Philly and Jersey. Som Yot and Belle are both Shan from Shan State, if you get a chance to google this, please do so much to learn about these people (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shan_State). Belle now has a legal ID card to live here in Thailand so she can goto school. As for Som Yot the first step is to get him a Legal ID card and after that we can get him into university. I was just told it will cost nearly $4000 to do this process but earlier I was told it would only be about $1000. Needless to say we are “shopping” around to see what we can do. So far I have raised $500 from some very nice people stopping by here and hitting that sweet lil paypal button, thank you all so much.

Am I going off or are you all still with me?

So the beautiful and very kind Lana Shea Genna and her husband Joe Mattia came for a visit and the plan was to teach yoga to the kids, I was told just the girls could join for this activity. Unfortunately this plan had to change a bit. Poor Joe got dengue fever so he was not well enough to go but Lana just hooped on the back of my bike and taught an amazing class to 30 of the girls and they loved it so much. Oh and Joe is doing great now, pretty sick for a few weeks though. Thank you so much for your time, the girls are still talking about it.

Jesse Hall came from California and brought 3 electric guitars to donate to the kids. He brought them on a Friday afternoon and gave them a 1 hour lesson too. Now this activity was just for the boys. The guitars are now in one of the teachers offices and when they want to use them they must sign them out and bring them back. The worry was that the kids would not share as well as play them when ever they wanted and at 2 Am when most are trying to sleep, well you get the picture.

Around the same time that I heard from Jesse about the guitars I heard from another Jesse, Jesse Ash and his lovely girlfriend Faith Karg. Faith had lived here for a year a few years ago and was back for a visit, Jesse was to join her for the end part of her trip. She found this lil blog, Stu and the Kids and she went to visit the Wat, on her own and had a chance to hang out and play for a few hours. We finally got to meet when Jesse arrived and he brought a HUGE bag of clothes and 15 thumb drives to donate. That’s not all……. They had friends make donations on here too, amazing, truly amazing. I am so grateful, thank you so much.

Whitney Spathelf and Jenny Lenardson were here 2 months ago from LA and they brought a HUGE bag of clothes, school supplies, thumb drives and baseball hats for the kids too. It has been so great to give all of these nice gifts out to the kids. Some of which I keep for prizes for games during class time. You should see when I let them pick something, they love it!

What else, what else, I am sure I am forgetting something????????

Oh yeah, I met with a wonderful lady from the Karen Hill Tribe that runs the Elephant Nature Park here in Chiang Mai. I wanted to speak with her about volunteers and opportunities for when people contact me and I am not able to bring them to the Wat. Again, sometimes I can but this is for when I can’t. She told me about her Elephant Park here in Chiang Mai, the one in Cambodia, her dog park and the cat park she is building. So if you like animals and wanna help, contact me or the folks from the Elephant Nature Park at http://www.saveelephant.org. She also is involved with building schools and education programs in remote Hill Tribe villages, now this is what I like to help with. Some of her volunteering projects are free but some you have to pay a bit for but I think it is mainly for room, food, gas, stuff like that. I am not 100% on all of this so if interested it is best to check out her website.

For the past 3 months I have been volunteering at another school, teaching a really fun Friday English Camp, I guess we will call it a camp??? A friend of mine is a teacher at the Siripi Technical School and the kids had Fridays off so she asked if I could do this. My friend Lynn Anderson helped out and did a few classes too. The kids are so great and this was an extra course for them, they did not have to go but the ones that did loved it and so did I. Most classes had 20 kids, I hope to have the opportunity to work with them again. Last week after class we took them to a hotel to eat at the international buffet, stuffed, totally stuffed, lol.

Quick update on the Stu and the Kids, kids, Tanagone, Surisit and Thammasak…..Doing well, grades are good and happy. Surisit and Thammasak have 1 more semester after this one and then it if off to the working world for them. Thammasak is working on his final project and for that he is making an electric fence. Surisit is making a needle making machine, I will post pictures if they ever email them to me, lol. They have also been traveling a bit playing and competing in a game similar to Chess, “Ko” with their school, they both made it to the finals so we will see if they take the gold. Tanagone has been coaching Badminton at his university, he loves it. His grades this year are so good but it is a lot of work, this term he has 3 different English courses, good luck buddy. Tanagone still has 2 more years to go after this semester. All of the money for all expenses are already in the bank for all of this so all of the new donations will go for helping out Som Yot and Belle. I have 2 other kids that I want to help also but first we need to see if we can raise that money and if not they plan to take a year off and work to save some money or try to take out a school loan which could be quite difficult……….. So there you have it, you are up to date. As always, peace and gratitude, -Stu.

OK so I as you may know I have been a volunteer at the Wat Don Chan for close to 4 years now. I have done many projects there including helping others when they go there to volunteer. Over the past year or so it has been much harder for me to do projects at the Wat. I am now mainly teaching at the Wat 3-4 days per week, mostly English and sometimes cooking. I also raise money to send kids to University when they are finished with their schooling at the Wat. This is something I will continue to do.

I am writing this blog post because over the past few months I have gotten several request from people with interest in helping out at the Wat. I have tried my best to help with these request but the head Monk and the folks that run the place prefer you go through them. I would love to continue to help but as of right now all I can do is teach, be there for the kids and help, when there are funds to get the kids into University, I have 3 in school now and they are doing really well.

If you are interested in volunteering at the Wat you will need to contact the Wat directly to make any arrangements. If you are interested in making a contribution of clothes, cameras, laptop computers, stuffed animals or anything else you can contact me. If you are going to be in Chiang Mai we can meet up and I can get the items from you to pass on to the kids. If you want to go to the Wat yourself to donate any items then you can just go on your own at anytime to do so or just contact the Wat directly.

I wish that I could be more help but I do not want to “rock the boat”. I have seen several volunteers come and go and since I really want to continue teaching and helping the kids it is better for me to not get involved. That being said I am in the process of meeting with a few people with other organizations here in Chiang Mai so when I am contacted about volunteering, I can then help by sending good people their way. As soon as I know more about these opportunities I will post information about them.

All donations send to me here at Stu and the Kids will continue to goto helping kids from the Wat Don Chan get their University education when they leave the Wat. As always thank you all so much for the continued love and support, the kids as well as myself are so grateful.

Peace

The new school year has begun and all is pretty much going well so far. First of all I would like to inform you that Mix, the young lady that I have written about before will not be going to University this year. I heard from her about 1 month before she would need to take the entry exam and she was going to Bangkok to work in a bakery. When I asked her about school she said she was not sure if she wanted to go now. I tried to contact her by email, phone and Facebook but there was no answer from her. I finally heard through one of her friends that she was staying in Bangkok and would maybe want to goto University next year but I still have not heard from her. As they say here….”up to you”. I wish her all the best and if there is a way to help her sometime then maybe we can.

We paid the 3 boys (Tamasak, Surasit and Tanakorn) tuition for their first semester of school and it all seems to be going well for them. They each have 1 more class then last year so I hope it is not too much for them. I am very excited to see how they do, I know they can do it.

As for me and the kids at the Wat Don Chan, all is just fine. I am teaching 4 English classes per week. 2 of which are first year students and I am loving those classes so much. There are 3 boys in one of my classes that do not even speak Thai. They come from a very remote Karen village and only speak Karen, this could be tough but I will do my best with them. Some of the kids come from refuge camps and they must have had foreign volunteers because they can speak, read and write some English. At the moment we have no plans for cooking classes here, this semester but at the Wat Doi Saket we have monthly classes in the works with my friend Dave’s charity, Atma Seva. I will keep you posted.

Well I am now 40 years old and this year for my birthday people donated to Stu and the Kids, it was such a surprise and so awesome. The total was $350 USD and that can do a lot for these kids in University, I am so grateful. This money will be used toward the new kids that will go to university this next coming school year. We have a way to go but this is an amazing start. We also got a lot of things donated from Anne Smith from Australia. She sent a full piece of luggage here whit her friend and it was full of cameras, thumb drives, teddy bears, under ware, pens, pencils, books, an air pump for footballs or well soccer balls and volleyballs. She could not fit them so Anne generously sent the money for me to buy them.

If you are coming here to Chiang Mai or know someone coming here and there is some extra space in their suitcase to bring donated items it would be greatly appreciated. At the Wat Don Chan there are 650 kids half boys and half girls from the ages of 3-24, all things are welcome. So if you have friends with kids with clothes they have out grown or old toys, old lap-top computers, teddy bears, cameras, etc. send them our way. Also it would be great to take you there to meet these beautiful children. Thank you all so much for all of the love and support…….-Stu

For this years summer break from school I did a very small English camp for 6 weeks with some of the older kids here at the Wat. There were 6 kids that really wanted learn more English and we had a lot of fun. I asked them what did they want to learn? They said things you would talk about in daily life. Alrighty then lets keep it very casual. We even watched a movie, Hotel Transylvania in English with no subtitles. I paused the movie every 15 minutes to see what they were thinking and they were really getting it.

We also talked about items that they needed and wanted (check out the kids wish list) from themselves as well as the lil ones they look after. You see the older kids take care of the younger ones and they each have their own little group. These 6 kids are are also a ones that I hope to help get into University. Anyway 2 of the computer students asked for laptop computers. My dear friend Emily Carryer had told me she had one to donate and my very generous cousin Jeff Skversky gave me one while I was in the states and I was just waiting for the right time and the right students. Now 2 great kids, Belle and On that are studying Computers have their own laptops, AWESOME! I am so happy for them and they are so excited to have their first laptops……..Thanks so much Emily and Jeff, love you both.

Well it sure has been a good and busy semester at school. I still have been teaching English 3 days a week and a little cooking/beverage/ice cream course 1 day per week. The kids did really well this semester and we all had good fun. My Monday class was one of my favorites, these kids really worked hard. They range from ages 18-21 and really want to learn how to speak English. Don’t get me wrong the cooking and ice cream class was fun but it was a lot of note taking and talking. There was not to much in the school budget so we did not get to actually cook as much as I would have liked. I am hoping if they have this course again that there is some way to raise funds to get down and really cook.

I did have an opportunity to do some work with a fun and amazing organization, www.atmaseva.org. Last time I told you about how we went to a remote village with several other volunteers to do a weekend English camp for the Lawa tribe. We broke up into 6 groups doing different activities all centered around English speaking, writing and fun. We had such a great time and all of the kids won prizes. I look forward to working with this group and in the village again. One of the other activities I had the honor of doing was a cooking class for the Novice (young) Monks from the Wat Doi Saket. We did Italian food, yum! We started with Bruschetta on toast then made Pork Bolognese with Spaghetti and finished with delicious Orange Granita. I think the boys really enjoyed trying something different for a meal. I picked these dishes because there are similar things to this in Thailand and figured it would not be so hard to get them to try it. We all got dirty and cooked our hearts out that day. The volunteers from Atma Seva were all so hands on. Thanks to Dave, Michael, Alexis, Jamie and Katherine, you guys are some good Sous Chefs.

Since school has now come to a close I took the kids that you all help to support out for Moo Ga Tah, Thai BBQ. It was Tanagone and his Mom, Surisit, Tamasak and myself, so much food, we were stuffed. These are the 3 boys in University, the ones I raise the funds for. We are hoping to get a girl, Mix in Uni this next semester and then 5-6 more kids for next year. One Shan boy, Thong really needs the help. His whole family was killed by Burmese solders, so sad but he found his way to Thailand and the Wat Don Chan. He is the school President and involved with many of the activities at the school and the Wat. I plan to help him but first we have to raise the money to get him a legal Thai ID. Without that he cannot move on to University. At the Wat they will take any kid that needs help but for further education he must be legal. I am in the process of finding out what it takes to do this but I know it will be pricey. If you would like to help with this just click on the paypal button and send what you can, all is so appricated.

There was a great graduation ceremony at the Chiang Mai Hill Hotel for the kids finishing at the Vocational school at the WDC. Usually they have it at the Wat but due to new construction of their new meeting room and it not being ready they did it off the premises, which was awesome. It was great for the kids to get out of the Wat and see something different. They got to have snack breaks and a delicious lunch in a big hotel, they loved it. It was fun and a bit sad to see them go but really hoping for good things for them in the future.

One of the things I try to stress with the kids that get help from Stu and the Kids is to help and give back. So this year Tanagone went to the graduation as one of the speakers to help prepare the kids for what they may in-counter now that they will be leaving the Wat. It was so great to see him speak and the kids really learned from him, he is a really good student and a nice guy. Tanagone with be getting a job for the summer and then will begin his second year in University in May. Surisit is doing an intership with the cable company and Tamasak will be doing internship with a phone repair company for the summer and in May it is back to school for them too. Good luck to all of the kids I have had the pleasure of teaching and working with this year…..Now time to prepare for next semester. But since I am doing a month long English camp, let’s get that done then prepare.

As always thank you for the love, support and the contributions. Peace, -Stu

I hope this post finds you all doing well. I wish you a very happy, healthy, successful new year, full of peace, love and happiness. The end of 2012 was super busy for me and I wanted to fill you in on all of the happenings and update you from the last post.

Still at the Wat Don Chan and as crazy as it is there things are going well for all of my classes. On Mondays I have been teaching a college English course and the students are doing really well. I like this class so much because I am the only teacher. Sometimes when sharing the class with a Thai teacher the kids will start to ask them questions and get the answers in Thai. When it is just me I make them really work for it and if they still do not understand, we just work harder. Not to say that I do not enjoy my other classes because I do but it is just different. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I am teaching English with another teacher, a very nice Thai man, Arjan Narin. Sometimes he has a meeting or some other commitment so I will do it alone. The Tuesday class is much better then the Thursday class. On Thursdays there are on 7 boys, 4 of which do not understand anything. They just moved in to the WDC a few months ago and have never had English class so we just try to get them to understand some of the basics, “hi, how are you, my name is, I come from….”, you get it.

On Wednesdays I am assisting with 2 classes where we teach about Ice Cream, Beverages, Coffee, Tea, Fruit Shakes, Wine, etc. This has been a very fun class. 95% of the class is taught in Thai but I get to chime in with my experiences on these topics. 2 weeks ago we made some of the things the kids have been hearing and learning about. We made Chocolate-Brownie Ice Cream and Watermelon-Chocolate Chip Sorbet. It was a great time and we are looking forward to the next time we can get into the kitchen to make some other food or drinks. I think this will happen soon but we have to wait to see if the school has some money for this. If not I will pay half and the teachers will pay the other half. It really is not that much so not a biggie. It is about $20 per class, so like $1 a kid. We are in talks with a local coffee shop and wholesale tea company to take the kids there and let them order a beverage of their choice then they will go behind the counter and learn how to make it. FUN……

Last time I told you about Mix and how I have a friend here, Siriwan that wants to help her to get into University. She will get in for sure but we need to just talk about all of the details. Mix has a father but very poor. He is excited for his daughter to have this opportunity. He said he will do whatever he can to help and right now it looks like he will be able to pay for here food. We are wishing Mix all the best for a great start in Uni. The other boys are doing well in school too. I will take them all out for dinner next week with Mix, kind of like a stuandthekids New Years Celebration. I am hoping to raise enough funds to have 10 kids in University by late next year, wish me luck.

I also met with some ladies promoting a care-giving program for the elderly and or babies. There are 4 girls at the WDC that are very interested in this. The cost is only $1200 USD for a 6 month program. This includes, housing, food, books, classes, uniforms and after the course they place them with a job. Most kids after graduating get a good starting salary  and housing and food. I will keep you posted with any new info about the girls interested in this program. I am going next month to check out the school and where they will potently live.

Lastly I went to a Lawa village about 5 hours out of town with Atma Seva to do an English camp. It was a blast! There were 64 kids and we did 6 different stations where they got to play, compete and learn. At the end of the 2 day camp the kids all won prizes at the ending awards ceremony. This village and school was really so great, oh and the villagers, AMAZING! Check out www.atmaseva.org for more info about this camp and their other projects. They took such good care of use while we were there. They cooked every meal, gave us a great place to sleep and even did a chicken and rice-whiskey, blessing ceremony for us. This is were they offer a chicken, we get blessed then eat some, drink some and then they put a bit of all of it in a banana leaf and offer it up to the spirits. They then attach bracelets made of yarn to our wrist so we can carry that blessing with us. It truly was an amazing experience and I look forward to going to the village again sometime in the near future.

I was lucky enough to find several talented women in the village making hand-made bags in their true village style so I bought 30 of them (I could not say no) to sell and raffle off at the stuandthekids fundraiser. When I got back here I met a really nice couple from Corsica and they have a shop where they sell such items to help out Hill Tribes and the like. They bought 20 from me and next time they visit they want me to get them more from other tribes. So thank you to Fred and Lydia for your kind purchase and donation. If any of you are interested in any of the bags just let send me a message and let me know. OK thats all for now….Peace, always. -Stu

Since I have been back I have been very busy. The first week, I was busy sleeping, lol. I was so tired and messed up from the jet-lag, thank goodness it was only for a week. The second week I was shopping all over town looking for the perfect motorbike. What I really wanted was way to expensive but then I picked up one through a friend and I am so happy with it. The third week was all about setting up meetings and letting everyone know I was back in town and ready to work.

The kids at the Wat Don Chan were on holiday from school so there was no volunteering yet. I meet with Tanogone about his University tuition and I wanted to hear all about his grades. He is doing well and I have to pay for his school the first week of November. He is taking Business and English and his English is getting really good. Tanagones Aunt is looking to be a Nanny in the states so I helped her with her application, references and her video. I wish her all the best she is such a great girl and I hope she finds something soon. If any of you out there know anyone looking for a Nanny please let me know and I can direct you to the website.

Next week I will be meeting with the school where Surasit and Thammasak go to get all of the info about their tuition so I will be prepared to pay for them (with your very kind contributions) for their next semester. The amount of donations that stuandthekids received  this year will be able to pay for the 3 of them for the remainder of their University studies, 3more years. I am so grateful for all of your help, thank you all so much.

I then met up with a young lady that I used to teach, her name is Mix and she is from the Akha Hill Tribe. She was one of the best students that I taught at the Wat Don Chan and she took an Accounting course while there as well. She is now living in a very small room with no electricity, close to the Wat Don Chan and she is an Accounting assistant at a restaurant. She told me she really wants to continue her studies but has no money for tuition. Mix has not parents and is pretty much all on her own. I told her if I can help her, I will.

Two days later I had a lunch meeting with a friend of mine from Chiang Mai and I told her all about Mix. The next thing she told me made me very happy, she will pay for Mix to goto school. Next week I will meet with Mix to tell her the good news, I am so excited and I think she will be too. Mix will have to apply and take a test to get in to Uni but once she does, she will get the help she need. I am still not sure if my friend will help pay for her room and food but if not we will figure something out. I am just so glad that Mix will be able to have a better life.

Yesterday I finally got my schedule for teaching at the Wat Don Chan and I will be doing 4 days a week. 3 days of teaching English and 1 day of Ice Cream and beverages. I know it sounds funny but this is a class that the school wants to have. Thai people love drinks, smoothies, coffee, fruit shakes and ice cream so it really is a good class. When they leave school for not very much money they can open up a coffee shop, smoothie shop or have an ice cream cart or small shop.

I will also be volunteering at Wat Doi Saket with Atma Seva, check them out at www.atmaseva.org, they do really good things. At Wat Doi Sutep I will be teaching cooking classes once a month to Novice Monks, those are the little kid Monks. I have also sent an email to a group that works with Hill Tribe kids with HIV. I know they need lots of help so I am hoping to work something out with them, for one day a week or maybe two. I know it seems like a lot but 2 of the days at the Wat Don Chan are just morning classes so I could do afternoons if they want me to. I will keep you posted on that when I hear from them.

Thanks for taking the time to check out www.stuandthekids.org….Peace