Thursday, July 30, 2009

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

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

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)

Saturday, July 25, 2009

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)




Day 5







Today we visited the slums, but before that we met Ms. Prateep (the boss lady). She showed us a video of how the foundation was started. Then we were on the road for three hours. Arriving at our next stop, I was upset to find two frogs waiting for me in my dorm. The curry was great that night, but there were too many mosquitos while we were eating.

(J.T.)


"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines; sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover".

(Mark Twain)





"Remember: no one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

(Eleanor Roosevelt)

Day 4




"Zorba came upon an old man planting an apricot seedling and asked why he, an old man, was planting a new tree. "I live as though I would never die" was his reply. "And me, I live as though I might die tomorrow," said Zorba. "Which one of us is right?"

(Nikos Kazantzakis)

Day 3

On our two hour bus ride to our second day of temples, we played "Twenty Questions". At first, it started with simple things like car, taxi, etc. When it was Jorge's turn, and after ten minutes of guessing, he told us he was thinking of "Mexico". He said it was wet in some places and it moved when the earth moved. We all thought he was crazy but we laughed and talked about how absurd his rationale was. It helped to break the ice even further and gave us something to talk about whenever there was an awkward silence. Like the day before, we spent a lot of time looking at other temples.

(Emily)




"Winning is measuring yourself against yourself. It is learning to take pride in your improvements, no matter how small. Later it is taking pleasure in more subtle measures of victory which have little to do with time and place..."

"Losing is matching yourself aginst everyone else. This is self-defeating because few people ever win this way and those who do don't keep it up for long."

(Joe Anderson)

Day 2




"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

We woke up bright and early, exhausted from little sleep and anxious for what the first day would bring. Yet we were quite excited t oexplore Bangkok. We began our journey with a longtail boat ride where we were fascinated by the poor lifestyle but encouraged by the smiling faces of the Thai people. Everywhere we looked there were elaborate temples and colorful trees and flowers.

As the boat sped on, we were splashed. We landed at the Royal Temple Barge Museum, where we saw the elegant boats used by the royal family. Then, dripping with sweat, we marveled at the beauty of the Grand Palace and stood awkwardly in our traditional skirts for pictures.

With our day of sightseeing approaching its end, we visited Backpacker's Street where we shopped till we dropped.

(Gabriella)

Day 1






Quote of the Day:

"Success: to laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived. This is to have succeeded." (Harry Emerson Fosdick)