Dining Guide | All about Eating and Drinking in Chiang Mai: Free Bird Cafe, Chiang Mai
If you are interested in eating a delicious lunch and supporting an amazing charity at the same time, check out Free Bird Cafe and learn more about the project it helps support here at www.thaifreedomhouse.org
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Saturday, December 5, 2009
ORGANIC FARMING
Saturday started early at 8am where we all met up to go to the farm which was about 30 minutes outside of town. You could feel the excitement as we all crammed into a tour van for the trip. When we arrived we were handed big floppy hats to shield us from the sun, gloves to protect us from blisters and armed with cameras to document our day. We started with a lesson on basic ecology and how to make compost and EM, then we went out in the field to get our hands dirty. We made compost, EM and learned how to extract seeds from various plants, then planted seedlings to take back to the school and a tomato, chilli or eggplant seedling for each student to take home in a pot. We returned to Thai Freedom House in the evening, tired and full of stories from our day which also included a wonderful homemade, vegetarian lunch, a traditional song exchange and a wild run through the dry rice fields. We will return to visit the farm again and see how our plants are growing in February.
Homemade Books
Last week we made some books with the students:
After a few lessons about food, playing games with words and making worksheets, we thought: let's do something else! So we made a food-book with the students. The students looked in magazines and cut out food-pictures. They had to stick it on the right page: drinks on drinks page; beef on the meat page and a salad on the fruit and vegetables page. S, one of the students, even said "barbeque", when he looked at a picture of a meatstick on a grill, while we hadn't mentioned the word "barbeque" in class! Making the food-book was a big success. The students like to read and look in their self-made book.
After developing the pictures we made a nice book. Every page has a picture with a different move and the sentences are written in English, Thai and Shan. We made a copy for all of the students, so they can bring their books home. It's nice for them to have some pictures, but it's even more a good language exercise: they will read the book again and show other people, therefore reinforcing their learning and teaching someone else in their house. Most of our students don't have books or written material in any language in their house so we were happy to create something tri-lingual that they could take home and keep.
Making books with students is a great way to learn (and teach) English. You can make a book in almost every subject. The students use the words a lot while making a book. They enjoy doing it, and are even more proud when they see the result at the end. They made their own book and it looks great!
-Dorien and Judith
After a few lessons about food, playing games with words and making worksheets, we thought: let's do something else! So we made a food-book with the students. The students looked in magazines and cut out food-pictures. They had to stick it on the right page: drinks on drinks page; beef on the meat page and a salad on the fruit and vegetables page. S, one of the students, even said "barbeque", when he looked at a picture of a meatstick on a grill, while we hadn't mentioned the word "barbeque" in class! Making the food-book was a big success. The students like to read and look in their self-made book.
Last week we made another book, this one was about action words. We started reading a book about a Wizard who was kneeling, twisting and twirling and disappeared in the end. When we asked the students if they liked to make a book like that with their own pictures, they were very enthusiastic. They became even more enthusiastic when we started to take pictures. We asked "Who can dance?" and they all started to dance. We choose three girls and made a nice picture. We also did it with jumping, squatting, singing, running, making a handstand. It didn't take long for them to take the initiative and introduce some actions we didn't think about when we were making the lesson plan. That was great! We had a lot of fun... and made a lot of noise. Hopefully we didn't disturb the other classes. But... you have to speak when you are learning a language! So I think it's a good sign when English class is a bit noisy.
After developing the pictures we made a nice book. Every page has a picture with a different move and the sentences are written in English, Thai and Shan. We made a copy for all of the students, so they can bring their books home. It's nice for them to have some pictures, but it's even more a good language exercise: they will read the book again and show other people, therefore reinforcing their learning and teaching someone else in their house. Most of our students don't have books or written material in any language in their house so we were happy to create something tri-lingual that they could take home and keep. Making books with students is a great way to learn (and teach) English. You can make a book in almost every subject. The students use the words a lot while making a book. They enjoy doing it, and are even more proud when they see the result at the end. They made their own book and it looks great!
-Dorien and Judith
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Baby Sunday
He also has a 9 year old son in a missionary school in Chiang Dao and he is trying to save up enough money to go and tell him that his mother is dead.
Currently he is living in the store room at Thai Freedom House and we are supplying him with food and formula for the baby but he desperately wants to work, he can garden and do construction; if you know anyone who might have a job for him please let me know. Also, we need help supporting him until he is on his feet again, if you or someone you know would like to help with formula expenses or has anything for a 4 mo. old baby boy you can drop it off at the school on Moon Muang, Soi 7, Chiang Mai, across from Wat Lam Chang.
You may also make a donation on our website www.thaifreedomhouse.org
Thank you
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Teaching and Learning English As A Second Language
When we were kids we all learned to speak a language in a very natural way. We listened to our parents who spoke to us with very high voices, saying "oetsiekoetsie" and things like that. After a while we began to use our own voice, making different kind of sounds, and at the age of 1 most of us said their first real word. And then it goes fast! We learned one word after another and at the age of 5 we knew thousands of words and we were able to make sentences, using the right grammar (most of the time...). That all without following classes at such a young age! Isn't that amazing?
I think most of us have encountered that learning a second language is a different and way more difficult process. Remember the vocabulary lists in high school you had to repeat time after time? And when you didn't repeat them for a week you forgot most of the words... The innate ability to learn how to speak a language seems to disappear after the age of 7 years old. The older you are, the harder it gets.
Here at Thai Freedom House the students are learning English and Thai. "Shan" is their native language. You see it's hard for them and I really can imagine that. It took me more than a week just to say "Hello" and "Thank you" in Thai. Every new word I hear in Thai, I have to repeat more than a thousand times, and maybe if I continue to repeat the word again and again, I will remember the word (and the meaning) at the end of the week. But most of the time I fail... One of the first English lessons I did with the young adults group was about clothes. I taught them the names of different kind of clothes. We did some games with the words and the clothes, the students used the words a lot, so I was very disappointed that they didn't remember ANY of the words the week after. I suppose I learned that they also need to repeat and review the words everyday before they can remember them.
Pronunciation is also very hard for them. When we are practicing pronunciation, I can't keep the smile off my face, it's so funny. For example: short and shirts. They couldn't make the different sounds. They both sounded like "short" and it took them a while to find the right sound. So we sat there making sounds like "oooooooooo" and "iiiiiiiiiiiii". Quite funny, but after a while they found the right sound! Or what about saying the word "scarf", I think that's impossible for them... And the other way around: I'm having a hard time to pronounce their names right. I'm lucky they use nicknames!
And that's just the speaking part... We also want them to learn how to read and write. If they know how to read and write in English, they have more chances to find a better job than now. That's why we do a lot of exercises with ABC. But just to know how the letter sounds, doesn't make you able to read. That takes much more practice and phonics! Last week I had a new girl in my group, she didn't know anything of the ABC, but she was very eager (and shy), she copied the words I wrote on the whiteboard exactly. When you saw her notebook, you would really believe she could read and write. But when you asked her to read what she wrote, she couldn't.
It's a big challenge to teach them as much as possible and also make it enjoyable and fun to learn. I'm here for 6 weeks, still 3 to go. That's a very short time to see some progress, but I hope I will! Either way I am sure another eager volunteer will come along and follow the curriculum and they will all reach their goals!
-Judith
I think most of us have encountered that learning a second language is a different and way more difficult process. Remember the vocabulary lists in high school you had to repeat time after time? And when you didn't repeat them for a week you forgot most of the words... The innate ability to learn how to speak a language seems to disappear after the age of 7 years old. The older you are, the harder it gets.
Here at Thai Freedom House the students are learning English and Thai. "Shan" is their native language. You see it's hard for them and I really can imagine that. It took me more than a week just to say "Hello" and "Thank you" in Thai. Every new word I hear in Thai, I have to repeat more than a thousand times, and maybe if I continue to repeat the word again and again, I will remember the word (and the meaning) at the end of the week. But most of the time I fail... One of the first English lessons I did with the young adults group was about clothes. I taught them the names of different kind of clothes. We did some games with the words and the clothes, the students used the words a lot, so I was very disappointed that they didn't remember ANY of the words the week after. I suppose I learned that they also need to repeat and review the words everyday before they can remember them.
Pronunciation is also very hard for them. When we are practicing pronunciation, I can't keep the smile off my face, it's so funny. For example: short and shirts. They couldn't make the different sounds. They both sounded like "short" and it took them a while to find the right sound. So we sat there making sounds like "oooooooooo" and "iiiiiiiiiiiii". Quite funny, but after a while they found the right sound! Or what about saying the word "scarf", I think that's impossible for them... And the other way around: I'm having a hard time to pronounce their names right. I'm lucky they use nicknames!
And that's just the speaking part... We also want them to learn how to read and write. If they know how to read and write in English, they have more chances to find a better job than now. That's why we do a lot of exercises with ABC. But just to know how the letter sounds, doesn't make you able to read. That takes much more practice and phonics! Last week I had a new girl in my group, she didn't know anything of the ABC, but she was very eager (and shy), she copied the words I wrote on the whiteboard exactly. When you saw her notebook, you would really believe she could read and write. But when you asked her to read what she wrote, she couldn't.
It's a big challenge to teach them as much as possible and also make it enjoyable and fun to learn. I'm here for 6 weeks, still 3 to go. That's a very short time to see some progress, but I hope I will! Either way I am sure another eager volunteer will come along and follow the curriculum and they will all reach their goals!
-Judith
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
YOGA! with Mel
At Thai Freedom House we not only stretch our minds but our bodies with periodic yoga classes with visiting yoginis! This time Mel Cambell who teaches yoga at Wild Rose Yoga Studio and Sauna in Chiang Mai (right around the corner from us) www.wildrosesauna.com came by with her daughter to give us a good stretch, a good laugh and the quietest moment I have ever seen at TFH with the meditation at the end of the session. Check out the photos and if you are interested or know of another yogini in the area that would like to come by for a workshop, contact me at lisa@thaifreedomhouse.org or check out our website at www.thaifreedomhouse.org for more information. Thank you!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Visiting Free Bird Cafe
Hi there--
I am sitting in my favorite and most colorful cafe's in all of Thailand, Free Bird Cafe.
I am spending time here Mentoring clients and Coaching an Interior Design Company in Bangkok. It's the perfect office with children's paintings every where, art work, toys and the dreams of hopes of children painted on the walls and I know that 100% of what I spend here goes to support Thai Freedom House.
Freedom House is a non-government, not-for-profit organization dedicated to assisting refugees in Thailand. Their work includes helping refugees from Burma who have come to Thailand as well as Indigenous Hill Tribe families. The Shan, Burmese and Hill Tribe families don't have the same rights as the Thai people and there is a real sense of joy from the staff and the community of volunteers that have come here to help from all around the world.
But unlike most cafe's there is some thing special going on here, the Burmese people working here are students of Freedom House and you can feel the heart felt service, because they know that this cafe is helping the school and their Shan brothers and sisters to get a free education and to me that sincerity makes a world of difference.
In this space I can feel the energy and excitement of what is happening here and as a result of this creative abundance I am able to open my mind and be in the right head space to understand and meet the needs of my clients. For me being in this colorful and magical environment I have realized how much of our humanity has lost its ability to work with each other, instead of competing with each other we need to co-operate and this is a fine example of a community in action.
So from my time here in this Extra-Ordinary Community I have made it my mission now to work more with people, to respect the friends that I have and to build on the Freedom Foundation for the next generation to come, as we are all part of one family and we all need to co-operate as one Universal Humanity and make the future bright for our children.
Andrew Morrissey.
www.iam-andrew.com
I am sitting in my favorite and most colorful cafe's in all of Thailand, Free Bird Cafe.
Freedom House is a non-government, not-for-profit organization dedicated to assisting refugees in Thailand. Their work includes helping refugees from Burma who have come to Thailand as well as Indigenous Hill Tribe families. The Shan, Burmese and Hill Tribe families don't have the same rights as the Thai people and there is a real sense of joy from the staff and the community of volunteers that have come here to help from all around the world.
But unlike most cafe's there is some thing special going on here, the Burmese people working here are students of Freedom House and you can feel the heart felt service, because they know that this cafe is helping the school and their Shan brothers and sisters to get a free education and to me that sincerity makes a world of difference.
In this space I can feel the energy and excitement of what is happening here and as a result of this creative abundance I am able to open my mind and be in the right head space to understand and meet the needs of my clients. For me being in this colorful and magical environment I have realized how much of our humanity has lost its ability to work with each other, instead of competing with each other we need to co-operate and this is a fine example of a community in action.
So from my time here in this Extra-Ordinary Community I have made it my mission now to work more with people, to respect the friends that I have and to build on the Freedom Foundation for the next generation to come, as we are all part of one family and we all need to co-operate as one Universal Humanity and make the future bright for our children.
Andrew Morrissey.
www.iam-andrew.com
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