November 2018
SILC NEWS
A publication by the Samutprakarn International Ladies’ Club
IN THIS ISSUE
3. All about the Bazaar!
9. Dates for your diaries
11. Meet Sunita
13. ‘60 seconds’ with Debbie!
14. Diwali potluck
21. RSVP’d for Xmas lunch?
A WORD FROM OUR CHAIR November is upon us already and that means only one thing - the SILC Bazaar! With over 70 vendors expected, there will be something for everyone. This year you can be super organised for Christmas by shopping at the Bazaar. You can buy your Christmas cake, stockings, ornaments, Thai themed gifts, homewares, clothes for all the family, jewellery ... the list is endless! In addition to Christmas related shopping, you will be able to enjoy delicious food, watch demonstrations including making an organic lip balm and shop for everyday items.
TELL people (in your building /school etc) to come & bring friends! DONATE pre-loved books, toys, clothes etc (you can drop off the week before) GET BAKING for SILC’s ever-popular cake stall! VOLUNTEER for a timeslot between 8am and 4pm on the day. EMAIL silcbazaar@gmail.com to let us know how you want to be involved. COME ALONG, EAT, SPEND & HAVE FUN! Thank you!
The Bazaar is SILC’s main regular fundraiser. By selling table space, cakes, crafts, drinks, pre-loved books and bric-a-brac, we are able to generate significant income for our Community Projects. Our current record is 258,432 THB! Please help us make this Bazaar a success. See right for a list of all the ways you can get involved. Everyone is welcome and I look forward to seeing you there. Oh, and remember to bring lots of cash, and a reusable bag or two!
x Tracey x
Let’s make the 2018 cake stall even yummier!
SILC BAZAAR
COMING SOON! WITH THE VENDORS YOU LOVE PLUS LOTS OF NEW FACES, SELLING EVERYTHING FROM TOYS, TO CLOTHES, TO HOMEWARE AND JEWELLERY... Fri Nov 23rd | 8:00 - 16:00 Bangkok Patana School (Lasalle Rd) Entrance: 100 THB for charity Please bring photo ID and a reusable bag!
www.facebook.com/silcbangkok
silcbazaar@gmail.com
www.silcbangkok.com
CALLING ALL CAKE BAKERS!
Lovely ladies! The SILC Bazaar team needs you to put on your aprons and bake something yummy for our popular cake stall. Make it or fake it, we don’t mind! Just bring your cake in on the morning of 23rd November Please let us know what you will be bringing: silcbazaar@gmail.com
TIME FOR A CLEAR-OUT? Please bring-in your unwanted bric-a-brac, 2nd-hand clothes, toys and books for our charity sale Collection box by Bangkok Patana School transport office between 12th and 22nd November
3 weeks to go!
Friday 23rd November, 8am - 4pm at Patana School. 70+ fabulous vendors, from fashion to food to jewellery. Loads of amazing gift ideas. Have you told your friends?
Christmas Cake panic? Leave it to us! We use the very finest ingredients and a traditional recipe to ensure that each of our Christmas Cakes is delicious. It is the most important cake of the year after all! Homemade and hand decorated, rich, moist fruit cake, topped with marzipan, fondant icing and decorated with a simple holly, star or snowflake design. The perfect centrepiece for your Christmas celebrations. Choose either the boozy version or equally delicious non-alcoholic one. Ordering is easy. Simply email CharityChristmasCakes@gmail.com and let us know whether you wish to collect at the SILC Bazaar on 23rd Nov or closer to Christmas. Each year we donate all profits from our cake sales to charity. This year funds will be helping to build much needed shelter for the homeless. Join us in helping to make a positive difference.
1.2kg* Cake = 900 thb 2.4kg* Cake = 1800 thb * approximate weights
COMING UP IN NOVEMBER
Monday
5 Yoga trial English @ Prakasamai 12 English @ Prakasamai
19 Sunita’s open house English @ Prakasamai
Tuesday
6 Diwali potluck
Wednesday
7 Aqua Aerobics Mahjong
13
20
English @ Prakasamai
Book club
3
4
8 Zumba
9
10
11
17
18
24
25
English @ Mahawong
Community Craft @ MW
22 Krathong making Zumba English @ Mahawong
23
29 Zumba
30
Mahjong
Sunday
2
21
28 Aqua Aerobics
Saturday
1 Zumba English @ Mahawong
15 Zumba
Mahjong 27
Friday
14 Community Craft @ PS Aqua Aerobics Mahjong
Aqua Aerobics
26
Thursday
English @ Mahawong
English @ Mahawong
16 Lotus leaf painting
SILC BAZAAR
Olive night-out
We try to schedule activities well ahead of time to allow you to plan your diaries, however please note these may change. Keep an eye on the SILC Facebook page and the next newsletter for updates! Contact silc.activities@gmail.com with any questions.
COMING UP IN DECEMBER
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
3
4
5
6
7
English @ Prakasamai
Community Craft @ MW
Aqua Aerobics Mahjong
Zumba English @ Mahawong
Christmas lunch
10
11
13
English @ Prakasamai
Community Craft @ PS
12 Bang Krachao tour Aqua Aerobics Mahjong
17
18
19
24
25
26
Saturday
Sunday
8
9
14
15
16
20
21
22
23
27
28
29
30
Zumba English @ Mahawong
31
We try to schedule activities well ahead of time to allow you to plan your diaries, however please note these may change. Keep an eye on the SILC Facebook page and the next newsletter for updates! Contact silc.activities@gmail.com with any questions.
Meet Sunita! When did you first come to Bangkok? Oh, a very long time ago - more than 40 years! My husband had been born in Bangkok and we moved here after we married. In fact, my first ever flight was to Bangkok! What were your first impressions? As you can imagine, everything was very new. I didn’t speak a word of Thai. But everyone was very welcoming. I had a ready-made family at home with my in-laws, but beyond them I knew very few people. We all lived together on Sukhumvit Road at first. It was only later that we moved out to Lakeside Villa in Bangna. How did you meet other expats? I was really keen to start volunteering, so my cousin introduced me to the ISG (International Support Group). It was like a second family. We started doing various charitable activities together and it grew from there. The ISG - under the auspices of the Department of Public Welfare - now supports over 700 children’s and old age homes throughout Thailand.
As we gear up for our 25th SILC Bazaar, we wanted to introduce you to Sunita Kulisra. Now an honorary member, Sunita was one of the very first SILC members, and the initiator of SILC’s first fundraising activities all those years ago. Originally from India, Sunita came here a time when Samutprakan and indeed Bangkok looked very different - particularly for expat ladies. Here is her story….
What did your days look like? That depends when! I first arrived as a newly-married young woman. Over the years, we built up our jewellery business, as well as our family. So I’ve been a housewife, a stay-at-home mum, and a ‘mompreneur’! And at each stage I have had wonderful friends to help support me - many from SILC. So how did SILC begin? It’s hard to image these days, but back then expat ladies in Samutprakan were pretty isolated. There was no Banga Trad, no shopping malls, no Facebook. There
were just a handful of expat families living in one or two compounds. And the traffic was even worse than it is now, so we preferred not to leave! Generally speaking, expat wives were ‘stuck’ at home. So a handful of very forward-thinking ladies got together to create a locally-based women's group. That was back in 1992. What was the plan? The idea was to get together socially, and do some activities to keep ourselves busy. We hoped to find people with varying talents and time to spare so we could do things together without having to crawl into Bangkok. There was no social media, so forms were distributed during evening walks or at School. To everyone’s surprise almost 30 ladies showed up to the first meeting! Thus SILC was officially born. The first few months were hectic. The active members were running around in different directions to get as much information as possible about the Samutprakarn area. Several activities were organized including aerobics, a book club, and tennis. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, like a family. How about the welfare side? As I was a founder member of ISG, I had access to information on what was needed where. SILC made two trips with loaded vans to a halfway home for men and women in Pakret. Meanwhile, by popular demand from SILC ladies, I had started giving Indian cooking classes. It was during these that the idea was born for our first fundraising event - ‘An Indian Evening’. All the ladies in my cooking course prepared an evening meal. To add to the fun we all became models for an Indian fashion show. We had fantastic fun, dancing until the early hours to Indian music. We raised 9,000 THB for various children's charities and it grew from there.
Our first ever SILC fundraiser was a cooking class and indian fashion show
Is there a downside to this lifestyle? For 10-15 years I was a real SILC regular and held various Committee positions. Over this time our business grew, and so did our kids. I made loads of great friends, from all over the world, but it got increasingly hard to keep saying goodbye as people moved on to their next postings. So I took a bit of a break. But more recently I have started going to Mahjong mornings which I love. It’s good to keep the grey cells active! What do you feel when you look back? Over the years the SILC Community has continued to do wonderful work in and outside the Bangna area. It has come a long and successful way with many new members and ideas. Many ladies and needy communities have certainly benefited from that first bright idea to create SILC! What does the future hold for you? I never sit still! I intend to keep on supporting the charities closest to my heart, as well as continuing my cooking courses, I will also be starting a small catering service. And of course I will enjoy watching SILC grow and evolve, getting involved where I can! You are all warmly invited to Sunita’s open house on 19th November (RSVP to silc.activities@gmail.com)
60 seconds with… Khun Debbie! Debbie Morton comes from Wales in the UK, and moved to Bangkok with her husband and daughter 6 years ago. They had previously lived in Kuwait for 10 years and Dubai for 2.5. Debbie joined SILC in 2014 and loves volunteering at our pre-school craft sessions, as well as trying her hand at the various crafting activities organised by SILC. She has lived both in Bangna and the city, so is a great source of advice on the pros and cons of each.
●
I wish I had known… how handy it would have been to know a few words in Thai before we arrived. Too late now!
●
I really miss... Like most of us expats, I miss the changing seasons more than I would ever have thought possible!
●
I never thought I would ... join a ladies group! I never thought it would be for me, but look at me now. Some of my best Bangkok buddies have been made through SILC and I wouldn’t be without it.
●
Favorite Thai dish… Chicken yellow curry with rice and crispy roti from The Dish on Sukhumvit 107.
●
Top Date Night restaurant… The Medici Italian in the Hotel Muse Langsuan
●
Fun night out with kids… No contest, that has got to be the Flying Chicken on Bangna Trad. It’s the most bonkers restaurant you’ll ever come across! Order a chicken and they will shoot it into the air to be caught on a spike on the helmet of a man riding a unicycle down a ramp. Only in Thailand folks!!!
●
Best Thai holiday... Definitely the time we went to Chiang Mai and stayed in a Bungalow next to an elephant reserve, visited the Karen tribe, went river rafting and zip wiring.
●
Best Thai bargain… You can buy anything and everything in Chatuchak market, and all for a good price. I recommend checking out The Chinese House in particular.
●
My ‘must visit’ recommendation ... Not many people have heard of the Erewan museum in Samutprakan but it’s really worth a visit. Probably the only time you’ll climb into the belly of a three-headed elephant...
SILC OUT & ABOUT
YOGA TRIAL Come and join SILC for a free yoga trial on Monday November 5th at Bangna’s newest and healthiest Yoga cafe - in the DADFA building on soi Lasalle 33 (close to Patana school). The session will start at 10. And why not stay after for a healthy lunch? Contact silc.activities@gmail.com to book your space.
DIWALI POTLUCK Kala invites you to a Diwali-themed potluck lunch 11:00am-1:00pm on Tuesday 6th November. We will share some Indian customs associated with the“festival of lights”, eg. the rituals of 'aarti' and 'rangoli'. Dresscode: As Bollywood as you dare! Please bring
nibbles to share, and RSVP as space is limited: silc.activities@gmail.com
SILC OUT & ABOUT
LOTUS LEAF PAINTING There is nothing more therapeutic than a morning of painting, but if you’re new to Thailand, this is something a little different… Join SILC on Friday 16th November from 9am until 12.00, to paint your very own Lotus-leaf canvas. No artistic skills needed - the patient teachers at the Himapan gallery (near BTS Phrom Phong) will teach us everything! Fee: 2500+ thb depending on canvas size. Email: silc.activities@gmail.com
KRATHONG WORKSHOP The Loy Kratong festival will take place on Thursday 22nd November this year. “Loy” means “float”, and a “krathong” is a special Thai sculpture particular to the festival. From 09.30 till 12.00, Jimmy will show us how to make our own kratongs (from banana leaves and flowers) and tell us more about the history of this festival. Fee: 500 THB/pers. RSVP: silc.activities@gmail.com
What is Loy Krathong? Loy Kratong - one of Thailand’s most important and popular festivals (and a firm favorite amongst expats!) - takes place each year on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the Thai lunar calendar. On the night of the full moon, Thais launch their ‘krathong’ on a river, canal or a pond, making a wish as they do so. The festival may originate from an ancient ritual paying respect to the water spirits. Learn how to make your own krathong with Jimmy on 22nd November (contact: silc.activities@gmail.com)
SILC OUT & ABOUT
A GREEK TREAT SILC has a delicious night out planned at Olive Greek Restaurant (Ekamai Soi 10) on Friday 30th November. The evenings have even been known to end in some spontaneous zorba-dancing, so bring some comfortable shoes! RSVP: silc.activities@gmail.com
Join the Activities team on Wednesday 12th December for a cycling Tour of Bang Krachao, aka ‘the Green lungs’ of Bangkok. We will meet at 08.30 at Wat Klongtoey Nok Pier to take the short boat ride across. We will rent bike on arrival and plan to finish around 2:00pm.
BANG KRACHAO BIKE TOUR
RSVP: silc.activities@gmail.com
@silc_bangkok
SILC OUT & ABOUT
BOOK CLUB We try to meet once a month, usually over lunch. Our book for November is Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies! We will meet to discuss it on Tuesday 27th November at 10am. Please contact Andi tor meeting details: amccolough@gmail.com
MAHJONG Our group of Mahjong-playing ladies is growing steadily and ranges from novices to experts. Please get in touch if you would like to join us! Everyone welcome. We meet on Wednesdays at members’ houses. Contact: Sally mikeandsally@bluewin.ch
LA ST
SPA
CE
S!
SILC CHRISTMAS LUNCH Friday 7th December @ 27 BITES, THE RADISSON BLU (Asoke)
Early bird special offer (till 16th Nov): 950 (soft drinks) / 1200 (free flow). Normal rate: 1100 / 1500 RSVP: silcchair@gmail.com
SILC SPORTS
aqua aerobics If you would like to join our weekly sessions at Ekamai Gardens on Wednesdays 10-11:00 (400 THB), please contact silc.activities@gmail.com
zumba We meet on Thursday mornings 08.30-09.30 in Bangna. If you would like to join please contact silcmagazine@gmail.com
tennis If you’re a keen tennis player but need a partner, we can put you in touch! Please contact: silc.activities@gmail.com
Is there another social or sporting activity you’d like to try with SILC? Email silc.activities@gmail.com with any ideas.
SILC OUT & ABOUT LAST MONTH Thanks to Jimmy’s classes last month, this group of SILC ladies know a lot more about Thai ingredients and cooking. Now you know whose house to pop around to for lunch!
Meanwhile this arty bunch headed on down to Atelier 49 for some basket-decorating fun, and were very pleased with the results!
A big thank you to the team at Steps with Theera cafe for our delicious brunch! Try it out soon! The annual Lotus Throwing festival on the Sam Rong canal in the Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan was an unforgettable experience for these SILC ladies. At Rap Bua, devotees throw lotuses onto the barges carrying traditional decorations. Special thanks to Jimmy for explaining all of the traditions.
COMMUNITY PROJECTS
LOY KRATHONG CRAFT! We can’t wait to celebrate Loy Krathong with the kids and our craft activity this month. We will visit Mahawong daycare on Friday 9th November, and Prakkasamai on Wednesday 14th. Please come and help if you can! Visitors also welcome. For details, email: silc.community@gmail.com
Thank you to everyone who helped the kids make spinning tops last month, they were a huge success!
ENGLISH PROGRAMME Our English lessons at the two pre-schools will operate throughout this month. It wouldn’t be possible without our super energetic and dedicated teaching team. Thank you to Hanneke, Pat and Manpreet (teachers), Herma, Karin, Chris, Cathy, Brenda, Kasia and Tania (teaching assistants)! You are all amazing! If you would be interested in knowing more about the programme or potentially volunteering later in the year, please email henk_janna@hotmail.com
SILC OUT & ABOUT
November Club Night: Decoration making workshop Club nights are free for BCT members and B100 for guests. For grown-ups aged 16+ Please note: No outside food/drinks are allowed; Reasonably priced food & drink available at Bistro 33. Venue: Bistro 33, Sukhumvit 33, Bangkok Time: 7pm Date: 1st November
Aims & policies Organisation of the Club SILC creates an opportunity for women of all nationalities living in Samutprakarn and Bangkok to meet and participate in a variety of activities. We invite members to join monthly events and interest groups. Members pay an annual fee of 1000 Baht. Privacy The membership list is for the sole use of SILC members in a social setting and may not be used for commercial purposes. E-Newsletter The e-newsletter is published ten times a year with articles and information on club activities. Contributions are welcome and can be sent to the newsletter editor. Committee Meetings These are held monthly and are open to all members. Please inform the SILC Chair if you wish to attend. All SILC events are subject to change. Please confirm your attendance with the relevant contact, and advise of any cancellation asap so another member may take your place. Committee Contacts Chair Secretary Treasury Team Membership Team Community Projects E-newsletter & Ads
Tracey Hewison Sandra Crane Liliya Andreeva & Janna van Duyn Aakriti Sultania & Amelia Deely Laura Troncoso Charlotte Wawrzyniak
silcchair@gmail.com silcsecretary@gmail.com silctreasurer@gmail.com silcthai@gmail.com silc.community@gmail.com silcmagazine@gmail.com
Jimmy James, Barbara Clarke, Trijnie Geuzinge, Kala Khanna & Malin Nauska Gowri Kumaran Marta Skeen, Arminta Ochoa Lek Burrell, Manprit Kaur, Renee Lua, Hanneke Langschmidt, Saskia Leeuwangh, Alex Rogan, Herma Vos, Shirley Tan, Helen Hardwick-Jones, Marina Drake
silc.activities@gmail.com
SILC teams Activities
Website Online/Marketing Community Projects
silc.websites@gmail.com silcpromo@gmail.com silc.community@gmail.com
Advertise here!
SILC News goes every month to over 170 SILC members throughout Bangkok. Advertisements for non-profit community events are welcome and free of charge. Personal advertisements for SILC members are free of charge. Email reminders for SILC and non-profit community events will be sent out free of charge; other events must be advertised in our magazine.
RATES
DISCOUNTS
Full Page Half Page Quarter Page
1500 Baht 800 Baht 400 Baht
Member - 25%
Website
3000 Baht per year
Only one discount may be applied.
Annual contract (10 ads/year) - 10%
Advertising requests and payment must be received prior to the published deadline. To advertise in the Newsletter, please contact: Charlotte - silcmagazine@gmail.com To advertise on the SILC Website, please contact: silc.websites@gmail.com To arrange payment, please contact: Liliya - silctreasurer@gmail.com
SILC News Copy Deadline for December/January e-Newsletter: 12th December If you have any activities, events, book reviews, recommendations for holidays or items for our bulletin board please forward them to the Newsletter Editor: silcmagazine@gmail.com