Day 18

Today we woke up and went to school where we learned how to cook traditional thai meals. we also learned how to make a dessert with flowers. After we finished working with them, we went to the Weekend Market which was HUGE. We shopped for the rest of the day, then headed back to the hotel and relaxed before dinner.

(Molly)

"The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it."

John Ruskin

Day 17

"Time spent laughing is time spent with the gods."

Japanese proverb

Day 16

Today is my seventeenth birthday- my gift? a ten hour train ride watching the pouring rain and incredibly boring rice fields. The rain just stopped; things just got exciting... (to be continued).

(Luke)

"You were never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however."

Richard Bach

Day 15

We began the day after eating breakfast with picking palm seeds. Many of us had difficulties, since the tool used to cut the seeds down weighed as much as a small child. We butchered many of the seeds with this tool in the process. Afterwards, we planted Longhan trees, followed by lunch. Then we painted small glasses and bottles with designs like dancing fruit. At the end of the day, we watched the New Life boys perform a closing ceremony. They first performed Thai martial arts which was very intense and well performed. Finally, they had a fire performance. First, threee guys jumped through a hoop of fire. And then, four guys did fire breathing. It was a very enchanting night. Exhausted, we went to bed preparing for our ten hour train ride the next day.

(Cynthia)

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

Mahatma Ghandi

Day 14

Today we woke up at 6:30AM and went to the rubber tree plantation. We got to see how they gathered the sap and we got to do it as well. After breakfast, we learned the art of silk screening and got to make our own t-shirts. After a great rice and fried chicken lunch, we learned about the Songran celebration. In Thailand, they celebrate the new year in April. Since it was the hottest time of the year then, the festival always ends in a water fight. So even though it was July, we participated in our own water fight with the boys in the rehab center.

Later in the evening, we enjoyed performances from the boys and in return, we danced the Macarena and Jorge sang opera in Italian. Like always, everyone was amazed at how beautiful it was. After the performances, we all had a dance party to celebrate the good times we had together.

(Tatiana)

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 13

We were all exhausted from the day before and yet excited for our first day at Chumphon. We got to know everyone by doing a rally which was really fun, interesting and brought us all together. We were told if it didn't rain we were going to the beach. To tell you the truth, when it comes to the weather, in Thailand you never know. Luckily it didn't rain and we got to go to the beach.

When we got there, we didn't know what to do so we all stared at each other then ran to the water. The temperature of the water was delicious. The only problem for most of the girls of course, was that the ocean was full of seaweed and the boys couldn't let that chance go out of their hands. They started a seaweed fight and after the seaweed was gone, we all wanted to continue "fighting" so we continued with mud. It was really fun.

After, we had a forum together. The guys were having a bit of a problem opening up with us about their pasts, but we encouraged them. Instead of us giving them advice, they actually ended up helping us more. I was really happy and thankful for that.

Lastly, I want to say that overall it has been really fun and it is definitely one of the best trips of my life. I would definitely do it again without changing a single thing.

(Maria)

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

Eleanor Roosevelt

Day 12

Everyone woke up at a shocking time of 5:30AM to catch our train. Soon after, we had our last breakfast at the New Life Center. After eating, we said goodbye to our buddies and they said their emotional farewells. Next was our six hour train ride to Chumphon. On the train, most people tried to catch some "Z's" while others, like Jorge and I, decided to fill our time making bracelets.

(Joyce)

"The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try nothing and succeed."

Lloyd Jones

Day 11

After breakfast, the team had some time to play with the kids. The teams was divided into three groups along with their buddies. We did activities such as painting keychains from palm seeds to weaving, and separating rice. We then separated into small forums where we and the New Life kids could ask each other questions. Everybody was surprised at how open they all were and how they all dreamt of love and stability rather than money.

(Jorge)

Day 10

Today we woke up and ate breakfast with our group at the New Life Project compound. Then we headed out to the fields to plant rice. First, the mud felt gross but before long we started a mud fight and brought down Brinya! We had so much fun. Later, we worked with the kids to build boats for the ceremony. All the girls and guys dressed up at night to celebrate the Thai ceremony and danced with our buddies for the rest of the night.

(Katie)

"Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and be that perfectly."

Sir Francis de Sales

Day 9

We woke up at 7AM, ate breakfast and then went back to the school we were at yesterday. We played games with the kids again and it was nice because they recognized us from the day before. Anissa and I spent time on the newly tiled floors. After that, we left the school and headed straight to Kanchanaburi. Some of the parents got worried because they hadn't heard from us, so must of us called home.

When we arrived at Kanchanaburi, we immediately had an opening ceremony and me our "buddies." We played games and then went to our house. Eleven girls in one room! Natalie, Maddy, Lindsy and Katie found a scorpion in their room and there were a lot of spiders.

(Anne)

"There's no thrill in easy sailing when the skies are clear and blue,
there's no joy in merely doing things which anyone can do.
But there is some satisfaction that is mighty to take,
when you reach a destination that you'd thought you'd never make."

Spirella

Day 8

We started the day with a jog. We had breakfast, then headed to the school. We were all having fun and spent most of the day there helping kids and working. We went back to the house and had a great dinner, then watched a great performance by "Michael Jackson" and his "chimp".

(Anika)

"Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance toward the distant summit keeps the goal in mind but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point. Climb slowly, steadily, enjoying each passing moment; and then the view from the summit will serve as a fitting climax for the journey."

Harold Melchert- Mount Sage

Day 7

Today was the second day of visiting schools in Petchaburi. We did pretty much the same things but it wasn't boring because we got to meet new kids and play different games. I was playing, "Duck, Duck, Goose" with Molly, Jorge and the fifth graders. There was this one kid who kept getting picked on and he really didn't even know how to play. One time he ran around the circle multiple times before he sat down which was hilarious.

(Natalie)

"When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, until it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer- never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn."

Jack London

Day 6

We woke up in the headmaster's guest houses at a somewhat reasonable time. We ate breakfast and then headed to the first school. We played with the children, sang songs, danced and put on a puppet show. Since it was our first school, it was definitely a learning experience. At the next school we went to, we had a better grasp of what worked and what didn't. Overall, the day was really enjoyable.

(Emily)

"This is the story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everbody was sure that Somebody would do it. Somebody got angry about it because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done."

(Eleventh Air Force reunion Letter)

mangosteens-n-more

Our time at Petchaburi unfortunately came to an end, after countless hours of puppet shows, playing games, dancing, running around, teaching English, eating plenty of mangosteens, and watching the Thai children smile their little hearts out. It was hard to say goodbye. After spending the morning at the Baan Yang Nam Klad Tai School, we headed back to our sweet little accomodation for our last meal at Petchaburi before heading out on a four hour bus ride to Kanchanaburi (New Life Project).

When the "party bus" rolled out, we had the entire school running to say good-bye as they wished us all the best of luck at our next destination.

Upon reaching Kanchanaburi at about 5:00PM, we were greeted by the children at New Life Project. Welcomed the Thai way with flower pins and a nice 'wai' by the children, seeing them was a good reminder of why we were here and an automatic energy booster.

The evening was filled with games and dancing. We were then paired up with the students (our new buddies!) The night ended with a traditional ceremony known as "Bai See Su Kwan", the Thai way of welcoming visitors and the promise of many good days to come.

- Pin

mud-n-stuff

Wake up at 5:30, for morning exercise and chores with the children at the New Life Project in Kanachanaburi!! Well, that was the intial plan, but getting everyone up was a struggle. That said, Cynthia, Emily, Tatiana, Pin and myself managed to muster up the strength to get a VERY early start on the day.

After breakfast, it was play time with our buddies. Our kids did an amazing job keeping them entertained for over an hour as the foundation prepared a powerpoint presentation about the New Life Project. The session was informative but what really stood out were the stories of how many of the children ended up at the New Life Center. Some of the kids were abused and one girl had actually been *living* in the back of a pickup truck.

Rice planting: You wouldn't think so, but this was definitely the highlight of the day. Well, perhaps not the rice planting part, but certainly the all out mudfight and subsequent pond swin were a big hit...although I am not sure who started it ;)

The rest of the day was just a blur of actvities: from games, to food, to dressing up in traditional Thai costumes. The finale was a candlelit procession to the river where we released our kratongs (individually handmade thai small floating votives of banana leaves and trunk)which we made earlier that afternoon.

It's been a long day, but I think that everyone would agree that it has once again been very fulfilling. I'd let you know but everyone is in bed and I will be joining them soon. Goodnight!!

(Brinya)