December 2009
Over the hills and west of Bangkok near the Burma border is the hidden gem, Baan Dada. Baan in Thai means 'home' and Dada in Sanskrit means 'Brother'. Please have a look at this link for more information.
It's a pleasure to take MSI out of Nepal where it has been rooted for the last three years. Thanks to the help of some wonderful people in 2009, I was able to return to Asia and keep the program running.
The first stop was Baan Dada and the greatest thing about this experience was 'The Lazy Monkeys', a rock band that Dada has been watering diligently. These 15 year olds are already out playing Thai and English songs in Guesthouses earning an income and paying for their future educations. They had no original material; now they do. They have written and recorded their first song 'We are Family' and you can see it in the video section by clicking on the above section. The band chose to sing about their home to get out of the writing gate. Dada has found a Thai songwriter to come and pick up where i left off. Good luck guys.
Once a week Dada #2 holds a meditation/singing session and I was so moved by hearing the children sing his song, 'Babanam Kevalum', that we recorded that as well and it will be posted shortly as it is still in the recording stage as I write this.
We went caroling for three nights before Christmas and the response from the village homes was warm and generous. There are Thai Christians in this area due mainly to the missionary work that has gone on here over the years. Some of the children attend a local Christian school and there is a Christian hospital in the area as well.
Things accomplished on this stop were include:
- songwriting workshop with 'We are Family' being completed and recorded
-rock band mentoring
-live sound training (for me as well as Dada-haha)
-sound recording training
-Upgrade to existing computer and recording software
-singing tips
-Recording and singing of 'Babanam Kevalum'/ Meditation Mantra
-fundraising through Christmas caroling
The kids have a great life here because of the work of the Neo-Humanist Foundation. For more information please follow the link below
http://baandada.org/about/neohumanist-foundation/
I met so many great people here. If you want to have a different travel experience contact Dada through the website. I learned so much from these kids. Thanks for making my Christmas one the best yet.
Please visit the gallery for the song/video and photos.