Isara Learning Center

[ZeroG]

It is good that you recognize the good influences too. As you probably know Western Culture is all about the hype. Maybe the Learning Center can teach the students how to hype the Thai culture to the Thai.

Hype sometimes is accomplished with clever slogans (as you have seen promoting Isara). I don't know Thai at all but a cool Thai slogan to promote/hype the Thai culture would be interesting to for us Westerners to see. You could even put the latest or greatest slogan-of-the-day on the sign in front of the Learning Center. 

[PK]

We're looking into getting an outdoor LED sign that will be hung from the Isara sign and viewable from the street (there's a lot of traffic out front). It will scroll important facts (in Thai) and maybe even a slogan or two.

[Ginafish]

Not sure the cost effectiveness of a scrolling LED sign when most of the traffic is quickily passing by on motorcycles, tuktuks, etc.. It doesn't look like you are at an intersection where LED signs are commonly used for people stuck in traffic, but maybe I'm wrong.

Sorry to be a spoiled sport, I just want to make sure your advertisements are reaching your audience. A sign that doesn't move might be easier to see for traffic. Hmmm...

And yes, Sunshine, the Learning Center is exceeding anything we had imagined. I wonder what Isara will be like in another year! WooHOo!

[Sunshine]

Oh   another thing,  I am not disappointed in the hand-carved wooden Thai dancers    I for one think that they are beautiful and will be even more so when hung on the wall in the spot lights     You did good 

[PK]

UPDATE: The Learning Center is now online!!!  After the bathrooms were completed it was time to get the ILC wired right. Yesterday we got new phonelines installed and just a few minutes ago we got connected to the Internet. This is our first post from our new home!

[Sunshine]

Thank you PK for following through and seeing that it came to pass.

[melindah]

The new pad looks great pk! What a transformation. Are you going to use the new LED sign for karaoke too?! Air guitar and karaoke on the side porch...now that's living!

[Ming]

Sawaddee kha. Melendah. Glad to see you on forum.
How was the trip in Cambodia? Every thing is going well here.
Jen is learning about every thing very quickly and adjusting
with everything perfectly! 

[Soulessaint]

Great news, PK. Gbya

[PK]

Sorry for the lack of updates. But here's a quick slide show of what we've been doing for the past week at the new Isara Learning Center.

Cleaning the Floor:


Moving Day:


Decorating the Lobby:


Main Electrical Changed (before/after):




Isara was invited to play in a Pae Tong competition*:

*We lost to some 9 year olds.

Volunteers Relaxing at the Learning Center:


The fountain has been attracting all kinds of creatures:


Making the Classroom White Board:


Installing the Sign (this evening):


The strangest thing happened a second after taking that last photo. As we were celebrating the official unveiling of the Isara Learning Center, a parade of police and motorcycles went by as part of a helmet campaign. They all waved and we gave them a thumbs up. Isara had nothing to do with the parade (we didn't know about it) but what an odd thing to see the moment the Learning Center opens up. 1) Because they never have parades in the evening here and 2) They NEVER have helmet parades!!!  Isn't that strange?




We really wanted to get the sign up today because it's KitKat's last day in Nong Khai. She has been here for nearly 30 days, helping with all the renovations. Tomorrow she and I will go to Bangkok and then she'll go back home to Texas. We will all truly miss her. Thank you for all your help, financially and motivationally.

And thanks for all the paper towels!


Love you, Mom!

[Ginafish]

Yippee The SIGN!!! Yippee The Lizards and Frogs! The Helmet parade! What a great send off for Mom!


Thank you for the updated photos and news 

Now, about the back of helmet on the moving day...where's its Isara sticker??!!

[PK]

It's out of frame. But you can see it in this shot of Ming and KitKat coming back from shopping. We shall call this Exhibit A.

[Ginafish]

  Thanks! I feel better about the orangey helmet. Now about the silver one... 

I can't wait to ask KitKat who was the better driver, Pk or Ming! Was she ever brave enough to drive by herself?? After all, you drove without a license for 4 years... 

[ZeroG]

Thanks for the picts!

The lobby decorations have that Kathy touch I grew up with. I think I was the only guy who was sent to college with knick-knacks to decorate my dorm room. No one else had a brass pyramid, obelisk and sphere, with companion wooden black African statues.

It looks great! Very nice job.

PS. what is the large concrete box behind you on the porch while you were working on the whiteboard?

[thartley]

Fantastic update!  You know how we all love seeing new pics!    Perhaps you started a whole new awareness of the helmet issue and the right offices are taking the right actions.

The place looks great and makes me want to go sit on my back porch...except I dont have a chair out there yet.  That is on my agenda today, though.

Thanks again for the update, what a makeover that place got!

[Soulessaint]

The Learning Center looks, Absolutely Fabulous!!!! You guys are awesome. Everyone has done such a wonderful job.

It was really nice of the people to have the helmet parade. This goes to show how much Isara has affected the community in a great way.

Kitkat, you be careful going home. Let us know you made it safely. Gbya

P.S.
The Buddha piece on the wall is so beautiful.

[Stasven]

Nice guys, I like the sign.

[KitKat]

 
Hello everyone. I arrived safely in Austin, Tx. last night after a very long journey home.
My sweet husband met me at the airport baggage claim and handed me a beautiful large nosegay of red roses.  Thanks Gwiz they're beautiful.   He then surprised me with a dinner at our favorite mexican restraunt.  I had lots of stories to tell him and after arriving home he had another long stem red rose awaiting me beside our bed. Whoohoo! I think he really missed me!!! The house was emaculate and he even put mints on my pillow. I'm married to a really great guy! 

My trip to Nongkhai to help with the Learning Center renovation was an amazing 30 days. Fulfilling days I'll never forget. Working together on this project with my son PK, Ming and Jen was an awesome experience!  I'm sorry I didn't get to meer Jack and Melinda, they left for Cambodia just before I arrived. They were amazing to help with the renovation project. Thanks so much Jack and Melinda for all you help. Although your names came up a lot during the many projects after you left.  We were always saying "I wish Jack or Melinda were here, they'd know what to do!"


The volunteers have worked hard under very difficult conditions.  The heat and humidity was so intense not to mention working with premative tools . At the end of each day we'd laugh and make jokes about what we should have packed in our luggage.  Here are just a few things Jen and I forgot to bring with us. LOL
 
1) SINGLE EDGED RAZOR BLADES. The day we were cleaning the paint off all the windows and doors, we just need single edged razor blades. We discovered Thailand uses a putty knife. Unfortunately most of the paint on the windows and doors was old and a putty knife just wouldn't do.
2) PAIR OF PLIERS. PK was working on a project and needed a pair of pliers. Now wouldn't you think a hardware store would have that! Wrong no pliers.
3) VACUUM CLEANER. We needed a vac to clean up the mess the painters left us on the second floor and couldn't find one that could do a good job and one we could afford. 

There was always lots of things going on all the time and with the confusing  Thai conversations happening all day, I must say, by the end of each day I was ready for a good nights rest.

My last day in Nongkhai was awesome with the Isara sign being completed. I was so excited when I fist saw the lighted sign turn on.   The the best bonus of all was right after we turned on our new sign the police parade rode by right in front of our new home. An incredible and unforgettible moment!!  We all gave them cheers and thumbs up!

Congratulations Isara!  You now have a beautiful presence in Thailand.  An amazing new home and Learning Center.  A place to grow and make a big difference in our world.  Thanks everyone for all your cheers and support.  We could't have done it without you!

[Ming]

Sawaddee ka, Kitkat. Good news you already arrived.
We were happy and great time here with you.
Thank you for visited Isara,Kitkat.
You left only one day but we already miss ya!

[thartley]

Thanks for the summary of events, Kitkat!  You have to know that you were my honorary representative in the ILC project.      Thanks for your hard work!  And yes, it does sound like GWiz missed you very much and did very well in letting you know how much he loves and cares for you. 

Rest up and enjoy some air conditioning!!!!   

[KitKat]

Thanks for the summary of events, Kitkat!  You have to know that you were my honorary representative in the ILC project.      Thanks for your hard work!  And yes, it does sound like GWiz missed you very much and did very well in letting you know how much he loves and cares for you. 

Rest up and enjoy some air conditioning!!!!   

You're right I was your representative and that's why I wanted to be there and why I worked so hard on this project.  It was my way of saying Thank You! to all of Isara's supporters.

Today I'll rest up and enjoy my A/C.

It's been raining here a lot while I was away and every thing is green and blooming.

[thartley]

So, what's up next for the ILC now that the majority of the renovations are complete and moving day has come and gone? 

[PK]

Now that the place is livable, we're working on turning the place into a school. Classroom supplies have been purchased and placed on the walls (just moments ago). Once it's ready for students we'll start preparing the schedule of classes and then start handing out flyers inviting people to sign-up. News spreads fast in this town so we're certain that all the seats will be filled.

The Song Kran festival is in a week so we're planning on launching soon after the festival is complete and everyone has dried off from the water fights.

[Ginafish]

Please post some pics of the class when you get it all set up. And definitely some Song Kran pictures! People soaking wet is always makes for good photos!

Don't forget to post a sign by the Isara fountain: Please don't touch the water. Feed the frogs instead.

[ZeroG]

Since the ILC is on one of the main streets in Nong Khai, you should get lots of publicity. Finally people can point to something and say "that is Isara", instead of it just being that farang who shows up every once in a while to hand out helmets and do other helpful things.

KitKat said you might be handing out helmets during Song Kran. Sounds like a good idea. Maybe some non-clothes-staining orange or blue die in the water coming from Isara would be fun.

Enjoy the festival. Can't wait to see pictures.