Ou Anchana Suntornpitak Let Instinct Leads Your Way How many people are brave enough to follow their instinct to a new path totally different from the one they’ve been leading. Especially in the world where money is everything. Well, at least there is one woman here. Today we talked to Ou, Anchana Suntornpitak on how she’d left her career in TV and became a Waldorf teacher for the disabled children. ‘I have this love in the arts since I was a child and remembered going to all the museums and plays. So I decided to study filmmaking, which is the heart of all forms of arts for me. During my study, I had a chance to do some charity works for the kids, that was when my instinct told me that I must do something for them.’ ‘But after I graduated, I got this job as a tour guide. Again, what I saw from touring the world was that there are lots of kids on the street, doing small crimes in order to survive. I thought to myself is there anything I can do to help? Am I more capable of things more meaningful than just taking people to places? So I quitted to take another job as a scriptwriter for a TV show for kids. There, I met lots of good-hearted people such as Khun Ying Jamnongsri Hanjenluck but still what we showed on TV is far from reality. On screen, you see only healthy, cheerful faces while in fact, there are lots of things left unsaid. While I was thinking of ways to solve this problem by incorporating more arts into it, I heard that there’ll be a seminar on Waldorf education, so I participated in the session and found that it must be the right path for me.’ ‘I applied for a scholarship to study the programme in Australia for 2 years. There I learned to probe inside my inner self because it’s more important to truly understand yourself before you’re able to help others. I then further my study the ‘You With Me’ programme in the U.K. on autistic kids. Why autistic? Because I think these kids are so special and are able to see miracles in our mundane, ordinary world. We just needed to understand them. So I decided to come back to Thailand to set up a school for these kids.’ Though the school she mentioned is not yet finished, today we have a chance to follow her to the Foundation for Children with Disabiliites (www.hoytakpoolom.org) located in Soi Ladprao 47. There were around 12 kids that day and they were divided into 4 groups which underwent different therapies. ‘Each kids responded differently to each activities. So it’s our job to observe and decide what’s best for them. Usually these kids spent 5-6 hours at school and they have to go home, so it’s important for their parents to give us their cooperations in order to maintain the constant pace. If they sleep, eat, play and wake up in the right pattern, they’ll become stonger, both physically and mentally.’ I watched as Ou played with the kids peacefully, not curious anymore how one can truly find their path. ‘Working with these kids, I find miracles in every single moment. And it’s clear to me that eventhough we’re all different, but with love and compassion, we can all live together in peace. And’ Ou made her last words with a gentle smile.