Sunflowers

"Are you Millie or Tia?" I ask the elegant blond woman in pink tank top, pink skirt, and pink cap.

I'm leafing through a 2006 desk calendar that is a fundraiser for the Millie and Tia Sunflower Nursery.

"Those are my granddaughters," she replies.

I've walked into the Sunflower Bar situated on picturesque Loh Dalum Bay, next to the Phi Phi Memorial Park, in the late afternoon. Tom from Ireland is sprawled out on the bow, head on pillow, on the quartered boats that comprises seats at the funky outdoor bar.

He's obviously imbibed a few more Singhas than I at this hour. Yet I'm rather slow on that island afternoon myself (now two days ago).

That afternoon I learn how difficult it is to judge by appearances. Tom is no slacker. He's been laboring for the last two weeks in the intense heat in the memorial garden next door.

And, no, Maura, isn't the owner of the bar, either. It's her daughter and son-in-law's. She's just "come out to help" from the U.K.

We speak about the tsunami and the one year commemorative. Her daughter dined with her family, Carol (the Phi Phi Memorial Park visionary), Carol's husband and daughter Sacha, and another couple on Christmas Day 2004.

It takes ages before I begin to piece together that only four people seated at a dinner table pictured in my mind were alive by the next afternoon. The largest wave hit Loh Dalum Bay head on.  And so Maura flew back from a holiday in Miami to track down her daughter on Phi Phi.

The next day on my walk to the village, I notice a plastic water bottle vase bursting with wilting white roses. I walk this path to the Ton Sai village every day but I hadn't noted the bouquet before. It sits burrowed into the sandy beach in front of the local school, which just reopened in November, in front to the asphalt basketball court. Another reminder of someone lost in the tsunami.

Today, Maura is teaching English at the island school and tending bar. Her other daughter Alana has also temporarily relocated from the UK to work at the bar and spearhead efforts for the construction and ongoing maintenance of the Millie and Tia Sunflower Nursery for the young kids of displaced families relocated into temporary housing on the mainland town of Krabi. (Yes, many of those families still aren't back on Phi Phi Island a year later.)

"[T]he kids slowly started to get involved, they have their painted hand prints all over the wall and they helped to paint the flowers on the mural outside and also helped with painting the furniture, it was so brilliant for them to be taking such an interest in creating this nursery which with all their contributions they feel is theirs," says Alana McGowan on the HiPhiPhi website on the nursery's opening in March.

"[I]t was also very moving seeing them so happy and knowing Millie would have enjoyed every second of the day, essentially I have made a place that I knew she would love everything about it, the characters on the walls were her favourite and I hope she is looking down and can see all her friends from Phi Phi playing there and that she feels I have got everything right."

Alana continues: "I have registered 30 kids at the moment all of which are from Phi Phi, I have employed 3 teachers and 1 cook who are also from Phi Phi, which means 4 people who had no job are now back in employment which is brilliant."

I overhead a local guy at the bar yesterday evening as the pink skies seared the horizon, the tiki torches and thick white candles came out, thank Alana profusely: "You've done fantastic work to help many, many people."

To donate to the Millie and Tia Sunflower Nursery (their sister nursery is the Cambridge Sunflower Nursery), contact Alana at alanamcgowan -at- hotmail -dot- co -dot- uk

More via Paradise Found Project:

At present all children are all able to attend the local school in Krabi, however there are no facilities for the very young from 0 to 3 years. In order for the parents and older members to be able to go and look for work, or return to Phi Phi to clear up and rebuild, it is really important they have a safe environment to be able to leave the young children at home...

In addition to the more pressing needs we have also made some small attempts to restore normality. We bought some crayons, paper and plastercine which immediately helped the young children to have some fun again and really changed their attitudes towards us. Having previously been shy you cannot now walk without a small child hanging onto you...

The aim of this day care center is to provide a safe place for the preschool children of Phi Phi Island. This will enable their parents to seek employment further afield until the island is reopened.

p.s. I just arrived on Phuket, Thailand this p.m.

tag Disaster Remembrance Week

Comments

[~laurent]

Happy new year, and I hope to see you one day in Thaïland (where ma father leave) or in Casablanca (where I'm leaving).

[~laurent]

excuse my (phonetic english ;-) juste read that "I'm living" in Casablanca like my father lives in Bangkok

[Antony]

Hey Evelyn!

It's good to hear of someone else's experience on Phi Phi!
I'm still on Phi Phi and painting a sign for the Sunflower bar! I'll be mentioning your post to Maura when I see her later today. Alana has been on Koh Samui for the last two days!

And supporting the donation programme for the Nursery is another excellent point (through alana's hotmail address mentioned above).

Take care and have fun on your journey.

Antony B.