By Graham K. Rogers

I had allowed myself to be dragged out of town for the weekend. Part of the trip centred round a visit to a school for the blind. The main purpose here was to make donations both in cash terms and with practical gifts. It also allowed me to meet some blind kids and appreciate the obstacles they face.

Starting the Day

I tacked on to a small group heading for coffee. The shop they intended to use was still shut, but (mercifully) a Starbucks in the Market Village mall (I saw this has an iBeat and BananaIT stores, both by Com7) was just springing to life. Orange juice, cappuccino, and some cake improved the world no end.

Back at the hotel -- which I now find has rooms, cabins, a hostel for parties and the private houses at the rear of the compound -- another breakfast was waiting for me: khao thom (a rice porridge) which I particularly like. I grabbed a bowl. More food arrived: crabs, a plate full of shrimp, pork on sticks and kanom krok, another favourite of mine. This is a sweet rice mixture cooked in a special mould, with the outside hard and the center still slightly runny. Two are put together.

Almost everyone, except me and the guys I had been to Starbucks with, was wearing a tee-shirt with a group logo on it. Try as I can, no one will tell me who or what is behind the trip and the donations, except a group of interested people within the Faculty of Engineering, although this is not an official Faculty-backed event. I guess that will do for now.

A tee-shirt arrived for me -- a suitably large size -- and I was encouraged to change there and then. I slid off later and put it on in the bathroom. No point in shocking everyone at breakfast time.

After breakfast, the mini-buses were loaded, there was the usual group photo and ten minutes later we were on the road.

Dhamikkayawittaya School for the Blind

Among the gifts were several toys and learning devices designed to help blind students that had been sent by the Rachasuda Foundation which specialises in teaching students with disabilities, as well as the students who will teach them.

Some of the resident students could be seen in the dormitory area, playing musical instruments. A P.A. system was set up, but no matter what sliders were tried in the ten minutes this was going on, the test phrase being used sounded just the same.

At 11:30, a bell was rung and the students filed towards the dining section which doubled as a meeting area where we were. Some walked alone, some in small lines helping each other. All turned left before the hall and washed their hands.

Most sat at tables although six were to provide a small musical entertainment and a recital. All of the students stood and sang a couple of songs together in that earnest way blind people demonstrate, looking to what they can never see.

Trays were set out with food in six sections. The students recited a blessing and a teacher announced what was in the sections of the trays.

Some of our party walked round and chatted. Some took photographs. I noticed that a number of the students had bruises: there are some harsh lessons when you cannot see what is around you. The meal continued. One or two students went to the bathroom, but staff were ready to redirect them if they seemed to be going slightly the wrong way.

One of the recitals, by a tiny child who appeared to be no more than five, was of the Braille alphabet and a numerical equivalent: critical to being able to read or write.

Although the full trays had been put on the tables, as they finished the students took their own back, gingerly, to the side of the serving area. One raised a hand and kept it raised. A staff member came with a second tray and she was the one who put the raised hand down. Some of our party also helped by distributing desserts: putting the bowl down and taking a student's hand so that the bowl was properly located.

I sat down with one of the group who was talking to three young boys who were about 11 years old, but not yet able to read. My friend had a Braille alphabet book from the Rachasuda Foundation with the large capital letter made of a ceramic, a picture beneath, with Thai, English and Braille characters. One of the kids was partially sighted so was a little more forward, but lacked concentration. Another tried but was also apparently partially autistic (as it was explained to me) and rocked back and forth all the time.

The third boy, we were told, did not speak. He was from Burma and only had a partial ability in Thai (another handicap). As the book was being examined, his face suddenly became animated as the letter W, and whale, was being explained. He started asking questions, including about England, so he had obviously taken in what had been said earlier. It was not easy with my less-than-perfect Thai, but there was communication and he seemed interested with things that were connected with the sea: a glimmer of light in an otherwise gloomy experience.

The visit closed with the usual photo session and several smiling kids, unable to know who (or what) they were smiling at.

Homeward with a Detour

During some parts of the journey we made there was no cellular service and certainly no 3G: hard to take for someone usually hooked into tech. I looked at the greenery and loved it.

About 70 Kms of twisty roads brought us to the restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Even at the late lunch time we arrived, it was busy with more cars arriving while we ate. The tables were set for us and were already loaded with lots of dishes including fried shrimp, fried mushrooms, a massive fish from the nearby lake and a few other dishes. I tried the frog, to the surprise of some, but I remember eating grenouille on my very last night in Nottingham over 25 years ago, before going to study in the US: a trip which led to me coming here.

The frog legs were a bit chewy, and some of the dishes were a bit to the north of spicy, but this is all in a day's work now.

Due to the lateness and perhaps the expectation of more bad weather, a trip to the dam that had been discussed was shelved and we began the journey home. We were on country roads for a while and followed an irrigation canal for several kilometres. Despite the overcast nature of the day, some Thai teens were still playing in the water.

There was another stop, of course, at a so-called factory outlet for cheaper brand-name clothes, but also local food produce. I loaded up for friends and for me with honey, cookies and a couple of nice coffee mugs. The afternoon was fast disappearing by the time we left and I began to remind myself of the Formula One race: at Spa this week.

Approaching the southern edges of Bangkok through Samut Songkhram the bars on the iPhone went higher than they had been for the previous 24 hours and the 3G signal was working well (within local limits that is).

I arrived at my apartment a couple of minutes after 19:00 just in time to see an accident at Spa. As the start is always rerun several times by the TV companies and the race was slowed for a few laps behind the safety car, my weekend ended, neatly packaged and tied.

Note

See also: Off the Tech Track (1): Outbound

Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs.