Here's the logo and the link. I definitely need to develop a better French accent.

Who?

The project is run by Medecins Sans Frontieres France, aka MSF or Doctors Without Borders. MSF has 5 centres in Europe that direct their projects worldwide. They run 4 projects in Thailand (the Belgian office also has one). For my project, there are two other expats - a field co-ordinator and a nurse / midwife - and about 20 local staff, some of whom have been trained as clinical staff.

The camp is home for about 9000 Karen ("Kuh-REN" for my fellow Aussies) people who fled from Myanmar around 1997 and were housed in this camp from June of that year. Their tribe is one of several around the border area that are minorities in both Thailand and Myanmar. In this camp, most of the people are Christian and few speak Thai.

So, am not just having to learn a bit of Thai, but Karen and French as well!

When?

I'm heading off from home on the 14th of March and (as you do) going to Bangkok via Paris. Expect to be in Thailand by 20th of March for roughly 4 months, depending on how the project goes.

More specifically...

I'll be working in a refugee camp called Tham Hin "about 11km from the border in an isolated mountainous area" and living in a town called Chat Pa Wai. It's about 50 minutes drive from Ratchaburi (the town). I'll try to find a map of Ratchaburi (the province) for both my own and your information!

Where?
Ratchaburi, about 80km west of Bangkok on the Myanmar (Burmese) border.

I'm going to Thailand!

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to my blog. We'll be flying within a few weeks and just have a few safety anouncements. If you are a frequent guest, you may have heard this before, but please pay attention as subtly each blog is different. Please make note of your nearest exit and remove high heels before using the ramps.