KID’S CORNER
HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Parents love high-flying nannies

Entrepreneur farmer cheats floods, amazes cynical neighbors

Lucky baby “drives away” with Carrefour’s 8th anniversary grand prize

History today at Garden International School (GIS)

Idyllic artworks of rural childhood to benefit disadvantaged school

‘Green’ schools to honor HM King

More scholarships available for foreign and Thai students

Parents love high-flying nannies

Noel Bruyns

Forget US President George Bush’s controversial armed sky marshals. Gulf Air, the carrier owned by Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, has gone one better.

The pan-Gulf carrier now boasts onboard Sky Nannies whose job it is to make the journey more pleasant for people travelling with babies and young children.

“The job of our Sky Nanny is quite simple; to do anything and everything she can to make life easier for parents travelling with children. From helping with boarding and disembarkation, to giving parents that much needed break during a long flight,” Gulf Air says. (Photo courtesy www.gulfairco .com)

The high-flying nannies have been specially trained for in-flight childcare services by the internationally recognised Norland College, described as the premier provider of childcare training. The college is based in Bath, in the United Kingdom.

They are completely capable of taking care of tiny travellers from Asia, where the carrier is based, and from the West: Gulf Air’s flight attendants, nannies and in-flight chefs are drawn from over 60 nationalities around the globe. Australian and British cabin crewmembers are among those who offer impeccable service.

“The job of our Sky Nanny is quite simple; to do anything and everything she can to make life easier for parents travelling with children. From helping with boarding and disembarkation, to giving parents that much needed break during a long flight,” Gulf Air says.

The job of a Sky Nanny isn’t confined to just helping onboard, the carrier’s website explains. When you arrive at the airport, your Sky Nanny will be at the boarding gate to meet and escort your family onto the aircraft and take you to a dedicated seating area in the aircraft. Onboard she will then outline her role to you and check things like required eating times for children and any special dietary requirements. You need only give notification at least 24 hours before takeoff.

Her job description is simple: to make parents’ life in-flight so much easier.

“She can also suggest separate dining times for your children to leave you free to enjoy your own meals. Once these preliminaries are organised, you can sit back and relax and settle in for the enjoyable flight ahead.

“It is after take-off where the Sky Nanny really comes into her own, as your children now become the centre of her attention. If you’re travelling with a baby, your Sky Nanny will set up the bassinet. Younger children will also be handed special Gulf Air Welcome Packs that include various activities.

“They’ll also organise drinks for children and do their meal service during the main bar service so you’re free to assist your children if necessary - without interrupting your own meal. They’ll also find lots of things to keep your children occupied throughout the journey. We even have our own games we can loan them,” Gulf Air explains.

And of course it’s very reassuring to know a Sky Nanny will be keeping a watchful eye on your child, should you doze off or just want to get engrossed in a book or a movie.

She is also on hand just before landing, when she’ll advise children exactly what’s happening and what to do - little things like how to clear their ears and arrival procedures.

* More information can be found at www.norland.co.uk

The latest issue of Gulf Air In-flight Magazine features the first in a series of tips, designed to assist people travelling with babies up to 18 months old.

The welcome advice from childcare experts deals with both considerations before you travel as well as on the day of your flight.

Passengers travelling with young children on any carrier will appreciate these useful suggestions.

* Check with your doctor on whether any vaccinations are required not only for yourself, but also ask your doctor or paediatrician about any recommended medication for your child.

* Ensure you have not only a valid passport and relevant visas, but also medical insurance for your whole family, including your baby.

* When booking flights, think about the times of departure that would be most convenient - and least disruptive - for your whole family, especially the tiny travellers, and whether you should stagger the flight if travelling long distance.

* Contact the airline in advance to confirm any child meal requirements and ensure the family is seated close together.

* On the day of your flight, ensure your baby is dressed in comfortable clothing.

* Babies will find it as difficult to adjust to a new time zone. This should be taken into account when keeping track of its regular routine.

Norland College offers additional tips for travelling with young children:

“Although airlines (particularly Gulf Air) have some items on board to keep children amused, it is always sensible to pack your own bag of tricks and these can also be used if there are any delays or while waiting for a change over.

“This idea can be used for any type of travel. It could include small bags of activities (‘surprises’) tailored for the child and given out at intervals.”

Suggestions the childcare experts list include reading books, components to make a puppet, stickers, magazines, travel games, play dough, a disposable camera to record their holiday, paper (which can be used for drawing and making things like aeroplanes and fans), washable colour pencils, instructions for little exercises to do at their seat (like wiggle toes, circle ankles), scrapbook or self-adhesive photo album to stick in pictures out of brochures, ticket stubs, postcards and any other memorabilia. In a scrapbook they can even get new friends they meet to sign their books and young children can colour or draw things to represent what they have seen.

“Try to plan the way you give out activities so that the things which need the most concentration are given out first when the child is most alert (like creative activities) and then a little way into the journey give out more relaxing activities (teddies, reading books, play dough).”

Norland also gives sensible but simple snacking tips for children during the plane journey.

“The idea of small bags of activities could be interspersed with snacks - like tangerines, small boxes of raisins, cheese straws, etc. Try to keep the sugar content of these snacks to a minimum (so the kids don’t get too hyperactive!). Give these out as required, but try not to do it too quickly or you will run out.

“When flying, try to coincide feeding time for your baby with take off and landing - this will help to ease inner ear pressure. For slightly older children drinking/swallowing will help.”

Other useful things to take with you when travelling include - a change of clothes (particularly for smaller children and babies), a small first-aid kit including medicines and creams that you would use at home), baby wipes, and carrier bags (for rubbish and illness).


Entrepreneur farmer cheats floods, amazes cynical neighbors

B Phillip Webb Jr.

Most farmers dread the annual floods as a time of lost revenue and lost work opportunity, but Rai Kongrut of Dong Bang in Issan says he cannot wait for the waters to hit his crops.

No, this man is not crazy. He is simply willing to try a new thing and plant what other people do not because he has discovered that he will not get any money if he does the same as everybody else.

He has only planted one crop in the last five years and does not use chemical fertilizers or pesticides because, he says, “The floods bring good fertilizer and to tell the truth, I want my farm to flood five times a year.”

Som, Rai Kongrut’s daughter with young rattan shoots.

Kongrut has planted a kind of rattan or rattan shoot has grown in the flooded areas since 1997 in his 10 rai of farmland. He could not plant other plants because of the floods.

“The villagers here laughed at me when I first planted the rattan because it was not what anyone did at that time,” he said. “They asked me why I planted it because it was easy to find in the forest. But today they buy my rattan because the forests lack wood.”

Rai Kongrut, now chief of the Education Department, becomes a farmer every weekend at Dong Bang village, well known as the “area of many flooded waters”. He bought a flooded area, which other farmers considered useless, from villagers there six years ago.

“Many villagers said that the area was not useful, but it was exactly the opposite,” he stressed. “It makes me income every Sunday.”

On Sundays he can sell between 4,000 and 5,000 shoots at 2 baht each. “I get between 8,000-10,000 baht for them,” he said.

He told me that in the dry season he sells from 1,000 to 2,500 shoots. “It is a small amount, but it earns me between 2,000-5,000 baht on Sundays,” he added.

“Every Sunday my family and I do different duties on the 10 rai,” he said. “I walk around to inspect merchants cutting my shoots, my children count the shoots when they finish cutting and my wife works as the accountant.

“The merchants buy it from me at a cheap price but they triple their money when they resell it at the local markets,” he said.

His customers are from Phu Kheng, Na Than and Kwan. Some customers export the shoots to Canada and America after drying them and packing them properly.

Some 3,000 shoots are exported each week and the number is growing. The shoots sell for around US$70 a kilogram on the world markets.

Thai restaurants overseas order it, he said.

“The price never goes down,” he added. “In the past years it was 1 baht per shoot, last year it was 1.5 baht and this year it is 2 baht.”

Kongrut said that he plants the shoots for eating and for sale, but he also plants for those who are unable to pay. “The shoots outside my fence are for visitors who don’t have enough money. They can take it if it’s outside my fence,” he said.

He invested only 150,000 baht when he started the business, but now it makes him big profits and he is building a new house.

After his products appeared in the markets a few years ago, many local villagers became interested in what he had done. They came to learn from him to plant the rattan.

“If many villagers do the same as me and crops reach 50 to 75 rai around the country, I am sure the shoots will be canned for export even more than they are now,” he said. “Today I am clearing five more rai because my 10 rai cannot produce enough for the markets.

“Planting the rattan was very difficult at first, but it makes you big profits if you try,” he continued.

When he first started, all of his rattan died but he did not think of stopping. He failed another two times before finally succeeding.

He explained that he had to take care of the rattan for one year when the first plantation started. He spent one month watering the seeds every morning and evening.

When the seeds sprout, they are put in plastic bags containing mud mixed with soil and taken care of for one year. Then they are taken out of the bags and planted in prepared land.

Five or six months later they are one to two meters high and good for market sale.

“When I finish planting, I have to cut the weeds out, not water. If I water immediately, the sprouts will not grow,” he said. “My lawnmowers are cows, they eat the grass and weeds, but they do not eat the sprouts because it has many thorns.”


Lucky baby “drives away” with Carrefour’s 8th anniversary grand prize

One lucky baby took home the Grand Prize - a Ford Everest 2.5 WLT-4x2 Z limited Edition worth over 1 million baht as part of Carrefour’s 8th anniversary celebrations.

At the award presentation held at Carrefour’s management center, young Thamabhodi (2nd from left ) and family were presented with the keys to their brand-new truck by Chatchai Techaiya (left), MD - Summit Auto Sales and Anatta Thalangdee (right), store manager - Carrefour Rattanathibeth.

While shopping at Carrefour, Rattanthibeth, the parents of young Thamabhodi Yangbantao wrote his name on one of their entries for good luck. And what a good idea that was because the one with his name on it was drawn as the million baht in prizes, discounts and special incentives were on offer for Carrefour shoppers.

Laurent Hamelet, Carrefour’s merchandise director said, “Carrefour’s 8th anniversary promotion has been a terrific event that was extremely well received by our customers. During the month long campaign in March, shoppers throughout the country had the opportunity to take home their share of 39 million baht in prizes, discounts and extra savings. We congratulate the Yangbantao family and thank everyone for making this year’s event an overwhelming success.”


History today at Garden International School (GIS)

The history department at GIS recently held a series of high-powered and interesting quizzes for the senior students. Suhas Bhat, Brooke Robbins, Katalaya Rosler and Navin Schduangrat represented Year 11 students. Year 10 students Shruti Kumar, Simon Schaverte and Baimai Silpamongkol enlisted Year 13 student, Gareth Sutcliffe, as part of their team.

The winning team comprising Simon Schaverte, Baimai Silpamongkol, Gareth Sutcliffe and Shruti Kumar.

Both the teams showed the velocity of knowledge, skill and word power which was very encouraging to their peers. The topic chosen was about the Cold War, and this was easily won by the Year 11 students. But the tables were turned by Year 10/13 with their excellent knowledge of The Inter-War Years.

However, the deciding Quiz was on the Vietnam War where Year 10/13 scored brilliantly to become the over all champions. This was really a mind stimulating experience. Congratulations and well-done Years 10, 11, and 13.


Idyllic artworks of rural childhood to benefit disadvantaged school

Jessada Kongsommart

Teaching and studying materials at Yod Kaeng Songkroh Community School in Kalasin Province, located in my hometown, are woefully inadequate. That’s also my former school. I have therefore come up with the idea of exhibiting and retailing more than 100 of my own paintings and combination artworks created between 1996-2004.

“Story of the Moon”, oil and acrylic

It is my pleasure to invite you to attend the “Tin Tee Chan Kerd (My Birth Place) Exhibition” in the exhibition room at the Eastern Culture and Art Hall, Burapha University on Tuesday, July 6 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Money raised from the sale of my works will be donated to the school.

Visualize this! Art and culture, the traditional warmth and peaceful lifestyle of rural existence, including love and care, are what I have experienced since I was young and what I will always keep in mind.

“Im-Oun”, oil and acrylic

The sounds of the operating loom, pounding mortar, a Thai vina and reed organ being played remind me of peaceful nights surrounded by an unpolluted environment and singing cicadas.

Odors of pure soil, grass, and new paddy mixed with the odor of natural fertilizer are things you cannot experience in cities. Cocks crowing at dawn to herald the start of a new day. Having finished preparing their working tools, farmers, led by the cattle’s bells, go about their chores. The mist moves horizontally, passing over the treetops. The birds sing as if they are celebrating life to the full.

“Night”, oil and acrylic

As time passes, the idyllic world and traditional culture are being forgotten. A new, developing environment is encroaching upon people’s way of life. The sounds of the operating loom, vina and reed organ may soon become a distant memory, a legend of days gone by.

This idyllic rustic world is what is captured in my artworks, and which you can be constantly be reminded of by acquiring some of them.

For more information, please contact me directly: Jessada Kongsommart 60/2 Village No.2, Yod Kaeng sub-district, Namon District, Kalasin Province 46230. Tel 01 499-0985.

“Landscape”, oil and acrylic


‘Green’ schools to honor HM King

A leading Japanese motorcycle manufacturer, an environmental pressure group, and the Ministry of Education launched a joint program on May 31 to create a network of ‘green’ schools across the country in honor of His Majesty the King.

Under the program, being run by Honda Co. (Thailand) in conjunction with the Thai Environment and Community Development Association, and the Ministry of Education, the number of ‘green’ schools across the country will leap from 175 to 540.

Asia Honda Motors will provide funding of 6 million baht for schools meeting the selection criteria. Schools participating in the program will have until the end of the year to institute environmental measures, after which they will be eligible to compete for various prizes.

The overall winner will receive a trophy from His Majesty the King, whose environmental awareness has prompted the launch of the program, now in its third year. (TNA)


More scholarships available for foreign and Thai students

Peter Rudd

I-TIM’s, the International Hotel and Tourism Industry Management School located in Bangkok, is now accepting applications for next intake, their 33rd which will commence in July 2004.

Scholarships are available for the two-year diploma program in hotel and tourism management for both Thai and foreign students.

In each year of the program, there will be a five month internship period with placement in all major tourist destinations, including Pattaya.

This intake will include students from Brazil, Sweden, South Africa, Vietnam, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Applications for scholarships are free and available from I-TIM and close on June 25. For further information telephone 02-732 0170-3, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.i-tim.ac.th