Changing Lives, One Day At A Time

Dec. 5: We all made it to Mae Sot, our final destination. The first school we visited was Wide Horizons. This is a post secondary school that takes 24 students a year and tries to give them the proper education they need to get out into the world and get a good job. It was the original site of Hsa Thoo Lei, which was the school we visited next. We were able to get a tour of the school and learned about the difference Global Neighbors has made to the lives of the kids living and going to school at Hsa Thoo Lei. We were able to go to the garden with the kids who look after it. We all helped them water the plants, and it was a very cool experience to help them out. Hsa Thoo Lei is a school for Burmese kids. Today was also the King's birthday. I took part in a small ceremony for him, which was a very cool experience.

Dec. 6: We visited Hlee Bee School, the one we were supposed to build. Turns out it was already built, but there were still some finishing details that had to be done. So the purpose of visiting was to determine what was left to do. After figuring that out we went to the Global Neighbors farm, where they have offices and a wharehouse. This is where we prepared for our first distribution of blankets, kitchen ware, and necessities for the families and students at Ah Yone Oo School. To see the joy and thanks on the faces of those we helped was so heartwarming. We took a small tour of the school and its surrounding buildings. The place is not in very good shape, but to the people is means everything. Another great part of the day was interacting with the kids. They adored us, even though the language barrier was quite tough. We still were able to play with them and have a lot of fun.

Dec. 7: Today I took part in painting the interior and exterior of Hlee Bee School. Classes did not stop for our disruption, so the kids had a hard time focusing because they kept watching us with interest. This school is for kids in grade one to five, I believe, so they are all very young and completely adorable. We did another distribution at a Buddist school. This one was a clothing distribution. The kids could not have been more excited and thrilled about the items we brought for them. Most put their new outfits on right away and could not stop jumping around. We had supper at a Burmese restuarant on this night. There a man spoke to us about his past with Burma. It was very moving, and and incredible wake up call. It's easy to be blinded by the adorable children, and not think about what their elders had to do to get them to Thailand safely.

Dec. 8: Today was my day to teach Sketch Up to the grade twelves at Hsa Thoo Lei. It was a very rewarding and interesting experience. The language barrier was definitely the hardest challenge, but it was really cool to see the progression of what we were teaching them. In the afternoon we visited Mae La Refugee Camp. This was one of my favorite days here. This is the day that we did the camera project at Henry's School. Before we came to Thailand we had to take pictures of our life and assemble them on a USB. We brought a camera and a USB stick to Mae La to leave behind. At the school we were paired up with two students each. We showed them our pictures and then they brought us around and showed us their life, taking pictures as they went. We then swapped pictures. The students loved this project, as did we. I gave away all of the extra pictures I had printed off at this school. The ones of me and my family went in the blink of an eye.

Dec. 9: I prepared Christmas gifts for the kids at Arthur's Orpanage in Mae La Camp in the morning and taught the grade elevens Sketch Up at Hsa Thoo Lei in the early afternoon. Then we did our final distribution of food at Sky Blue School. The kids here were so happy, and loved having us there. They wanted us to take so many pictures of them, which we gladly did. We finished off the day by going back to Wide Horizons. Here we partnered up with a couple people there and just talked to them. We exchanged information so we can stay in touch, and they shared their stories with us. All filled with hardships.

Dec. 10: We went back to Mae La Camp, this time visiting Arthur's Orphanage. They made us lunch as soon as we arrived, and the food was delicious! Then the kids sang us Christmas songs. Their voices were absolutely beautiful. It was hard to choke back tears. After this we were able to hang out for awhile and get to know some of the kids. I went into one of the girls' dorms and they showed me their weaving work. They also put their make up on us, which was a very cool and humble experience. After spending some time at the camp we left to a Thai Karen village. This is where we stayed the night, getting the full Thailand experience. They cooked us a traditional meal, sang to us and sold us some traditional clothing, blankets and bags. It rained all evening, night and the next day, but the epxerience was still a good one.

Dec. 11: We were supposed to visit a remote waterfall today, but because of the rain the roads were too dangerous. Instead we took a driving tour through the jungle and we ended up in a stunning provincial park. There we stopped and hiked halfway up a moutain in search of a waterfall. We did not find it, as we went the wrong way, but nonetheless is was still breathtaking (exercise and view).

Today is December 12 and it is our free day. Our days are running out and this saddens me. I don't want to come home. Everything is so beautiful here and the weather is quite nice now that I have gotten used to it. I am not ready for the cold, but I do miss snow. I can't wait to jump in it with my brothers and sister. I miss home, and mom's cooking. I miss my friends. And of course I miss my car. We have never been apart this long. ;)

Before I sign off I need to share this quote with you because it made me laugh. FYI, Henry is a Burmese man that works for Global Neighbors. He acted as our tour guide some of the time. On this particular day Denton, who is with Gobal Neighbors (from PA) was driving the van and Henry was in the passenger seat. I just happened to hear this part of the conversation.

Henry: "What are you growing in Canada right now?"
Denton: "Snowballs."

With love,