GC Moretown Explores the World!

Global Campus begins by the ritual passing of the feathered pine stick that starts every class. Each person shares a little bit about their current agenda and plans for the future. Andreas, our Academic Coordinator, went to the library for our class project. For this project we are supposed to select a country we would like to visit and then choose a book that has stories and descriptions of that country. Once introductions are over, people dive into research on their topic countries, deciding how they are going to present their projects. Each person picks something unique to their own interests then by formulating a common goal of sharing compiled information about a specified place. We not only learn about our countries but inform others as well.

By Lee Willsey Potter, GC Moretown Participant

Thailand Missive #2

Hello to Global Campuses in Vermont,

I heard you’ve had quite the snowy few weeks! I hope you are able to enjoy the winter weather. It’s winter in Thailand as well and it’s about 80 degrees. At night it falls to about 65 degrees. All the locals here are very cold – they wear coats and scarves at night and complain about the weather. They are very interested to see photos of snow and think that they would not like winter in Vermont. One of the participants asked questions about wheelchairs in the snow – how do they move?

Last Sunday, Global Campuses Foundation had a meeting at a local hot spring. GCF has been working with the hot spring park for about a year in order to make it more accessible to people with disabilities. Before GCF began work with the park, people in wheelchairs could not use the facilities and it was difficult to walk around the park if you were not in good shape. Now, after many meetings and some construction, the park is accessible to wheelchairs. They are working on building guardrails on the hot springs so that more people will be able to get in and out of the hot springs.

The hot springs have become a big tourist attraction for people living in Chiang Mai. The park has long rivers of hot spring water that people dip their feet into. There are also sections where people can take baths or swim. A popular thing to do at the park is boil eggs in the hot springs. One section of the water is 100 degrees Celsius – perfect for boiling eggs. Outside the park, we bought straw baskets filled with speckled bird eggs and chicken eggs. Inside the park, we boiled the eggs in the baskets by putting them in the boiling hot spring water. We ate the eggs with soy sauce – mmmm!

Yesterday, I visited with Global Campus San Sai. The campus has about thirty campus participants and they met at the town building in San Sai. Volunteers from the village come to the campus to help with setting up the classroom and serving lunch. Lunch has been served at every campus meeting I’ve attended – I’m not sure if we could do that in Vermont! The campus does not meet weekly like we do in VT. But they want to get together more often and have lots of ideas for things they could do. While I was there, they were talking about a trip to the hot springs mentioned above. I told the group about the campuses in VT and all that you’ve accomplished in your Fall Terms.

I wish you my best and will see you soon.

Signing off from Thailand!

Amy Miller, GCF Academic Coordinator

Thailand Missive #1

Hello to Global Campuses in Vermont!

I am very excited to be in Thailand – I have been here for about a week now. I was greeted at the airport by Ka, GCF’s Regional Director in Southeast Asia, Non, Director of GC Chiang Mai, and Phakob, Director Global Campus San Sai. To welcome me, they put a necklace of jasmine flowers around my neck and greeted me with the traditional Sa Wa Dee Ka , or in Non’s case, Sa Wa Dee Krap, because he is male. I know many of you are familiar with that phrase. Jasmine flowers are often used as offerings in Buddhist temples and to pay respect. They smell amazing!

I have been busy getting to know the campuses here. Like in Vermont, the campus meets as a group for classes and meetings. They also go on many field trips and visit Thai historical sites in order to advocate for people with disabilities. Walking around Thailand, one might notice that many buildings do not have ramps for wheel chairs or accessible ways to enter the building. Part of Global Campuses Foundation’s mission in Thailand is to promote accessibility and equal opportunity for people with disabilities.

Global Campus participants in Thailand have learned to become great advocates for themselves. I have met three women in wheel chairs at the campus who all drive motorcycles. They have attached a sidecar to the motorcycle and wired the handlebars so that the bike can be driven from the sidecar. The sidecar has a ramp so the wheel chair can get into the car. The bike can take a passenger as well – the passenger sits on the motorcycle but does not drive. Khun Oo, one of these women, has opened a very successful jewelry business at one of Chiang Mai’s many markets. She makes necklaces and bracelets out of copper and entwines beads with the metal, looping the wire around the beads to make beautiful designs.

I am enjoying visiting many of Chiang Mai’s markets. The markets sell all types of goods, ranging from fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, spices, desserts, clothes, shoes, accessories, household supplies – you name it! It is neat to see all these things sold outside, not in supermarkets like we have in the USA.

I hope you are enjoying the beginning of your Winter Interim studies. In keeping with your theme, I’ve included some pictures of myself in some mysterious places… You all know I’m in Thailand, but can you guess where I am or what I’m doing in these photos?

I wish you all the best and look forward to catching up with you soon!

Amy Miller, GCF Academic Coordinator

Vermont Academic Coordinator Visits Thai Campuses!

Greetings from Chiang Mai, Thailand! It is a great honor to be visiting Global Campus Southeast Asia and some of the participants from Global Campus Chiang Mai, Global Campus San Sai and Global Campus Nan.

English Class was my first introduction to the campus. The campus meets in a house in Chiang Mai and participants sit in a circle with notebooks and looking at a white board. Around the campus I can see framed Certificates, campus flags and photographs of the campus’ achievements.. The group meets weekly to practice English and is led by one of the Global Campus participants, who is fluent in English. We began class by reading some of the letters sent to Thailand by Global Campus Randolph. The class was working on their responses to these letters and asked for my help in proofreading and editing. Global Campus Randolph can look forward to letters coming soon –the letters will include pictures of GC Chiang Mai participants.

After working on the letters, I asked the group to share a bit about their interests – in English, of course! We practiced saying the phrase, “I am interested in…” and then went over some vocabulary words as they came up in discussion. The group has a diverse set of interests including farming, reading, bicycling, making jewelry, and cooking. After class, the group orders lunch together – take out from a food stall down the road. We sat around an outside table eating foods such as Pad Thai – fried noodles with egg and chili, Kao Klog Ka Pre – rice with shrimp paste, Hao Tom Ba – fish soup, or Pat See You – fried noodles with soy sauce. The noodle dishes are served with packets of chili and sugar to add more flavor to the dishes. Everything is delicious!

Many of the Global Campus Chiang Mai and San Sai participants do not come to the campus every week. In some cases, it is difficult for people to get out of their house or find transportation to the campus. To make sure all participants feel included, the group has set up a home-visit program. We spent a full day visiting participants in their homes and encouraging them to get out of the house and into the community. Ka, GCF’s Regional Director in Southeast Asia, spoke with the participants about how to advocate for themselves. Many were worried that they would be a burden to their families if they went into the community, as they would have to ask others for help. Ka brought with her an informational video about how to improve accessibility in the home and the community.

On Sundays, the city of Chiang Mai is famous for its Night Market. Non, the Director of Global Campus Chiang Mai, took me to the market to walk around and explore Thai culture. The market has a section devoted specifically for people with disabilities to sell handicrafts and many of the campus participants have set up booths. Many of the GC Chiang Mai participants spend a lot of time at a place called, The House of Potentiality, which is a cooperative craft facility for people with disabilities to use. They have learned to make jewelry, metal work, leatherwork and recently soap. A few of the participants the crafts at the night market to make some extra money. I watched Khun Oo, one of the GC Chiang Mai participants make jewelry at the market. Using copper wire and beads she curls the wire around pliers to make little loops and then adds beads. Her handiwork is beautiful and very unique.

The campus has many events planned while I’m here in Thailand. It is fun to meet the campus participants and learn about Thai culture and disability culture. Every day I learn something new! Best wishes to the GCF community and I look forward to telling more stories when I return.

Amy Miller, Academic Coordinator, Global Campuses Foundation

GC Moretown Kicks of Winter Interim 2011!

Global Campus Moretown kicked off an exciting Winter Interim this afternoon, exploring the world through story, legend and myth. Andreas shared a few stories orally and then Allison and Roy each read a story while Andreas acted it out in three dimensions with a puppet show. We heard tales from Sweden, Ghana, Vietnam, and from the Pueblo nation of the American dessert southwest. This is what GC Moretown Lee Potter wrote about the day:

Global Campus starts with the ritual passing of the feathered pine stick for a turn to voice each persons passing of time and stories of the New Year. While most of us were glad the holidays were over, there were some that wished the festivities had not ended, and new snow had not come. After everyone had shared we moved on to reading stories that explored the different abstract qualities of life, such as freedom, true love, and the inevitable flaws held within every person. The last story tells of deceit and survival of the fittest from Sweden and America and the path to becoming a man and growing up.

By Lee Willsey Potter, GC Moretown Participant

Meet Susana Sanders – Long time GCF Supporter

So what do a math teacher in Bisbee, Arizona, and Global Campuses Foundation have in common? A passion for teaching through empowerment – and for encouraging learners to do as much as they can on their own. That passion is why Susana Sanders has been a long time financial supporter of Global Campuses Foundation.

She met Jim & Sheryl Tewksbury when the Global Campuses concept was just a vision. She has been inspired by the GCF philosophy ever since, and has keep close contact with the evolution of Global Campuses to its current day reality – four campuses in Thailand and seven in Vermont. As a fellow academic, Susana enjoys comparing learning approaches in her classroom with those that emerge at GCF campuses.

Susana has had many global experiences in her own life, beginning with Peace Corp travels to places like Africa, Asia and Latin America. She loves hearing Jim & Sheryl’s stories of Thailand and describes them as magical. She is continually amazed by the transformative experiences at all the campuses.

She views her donation as “a great bargain”. She knows how far a modest amount of money can go when it is supporting GCF. Susana contributes monthly through an automatic funds transfer arrangement. She used to write a check each month but thinks the new method is wonderful. “It has been fantastic – I don’t notice the money each month and I don’t have to do anything! GCF can count on a set amount – I feel I’m contributing to a stable funding stream.”

Susana’s recommendation to others considering supporting GCF: Visit a campus, either in Vermont or even in Thailand. Anyone who does this will want to get involved and support this positive work! “It is so moving to know the difference you can make in people’s lives.”

To make a donation to GCF, please visit our website at www.globalcampuses.org

To learn more about a monthly contribution plan, please contact us at info@globalcampuses.org