Thailand part two was relaxing. Which is ironic since Bangkok is such a bustling city! Beautiful nonetheless. And I’m sure the Thai and foot massages helped a bit. Reservation park on an island, Pattaya Beach, the Grand Palace (sort of), and most importantly time spent with good friends. Who wouldn’t want to enter the New Year in a different country?
Rather than bore you with all the details, I’ll just show you the pictures!
Returning back to site after basically a three week hiatus was not as difficult as I thought it would be. It was enlightening. I was welcomed back to my health center with hugs, “I missed you” and smiles! I ate lunch at my usual spot in which the yeiy “grandma” screamed when she saw me. I bought fruit from the same bong srey I usually buy my fruit from in the market who politely smiled and said she hadn’t seen me in a long time. All of this and I thought to myself I haven’t really done much yet and already have an impact in my community. Sometimes I feel we get so caught up in trying to do all of these development projects, clubs, and classes (essentially why we’re here) that we forget that our presence alone also makes a difference in both our community and in ourselves. It’s about to be my fourth month at site and I continue to wonder when does it start? What do I mean by it? I’m not sure yet. Maybe, when do I start to put myself out there more? I’m not sure.
There’s a quote from this book The Unbearable Lightness of Being that struck me.
“Being in a foreign country means walking a tightrope high above the ground without the net afforded a person by the country where he has his family, colleagues, and friends, and where he can easily say what he has to say in a language he has known from childhood.”
I find myself wanting to fall sometimes. Although I don’t have the conveniences I once had, such as family and friends I’ve had all my life, I’m slowly but surely making new friends and I now have an addition to my family. Maybe falling off this tight rope life has so diligently tied up for us isn’t so terrifying. Maybe allowing ourselves to fall means learning how to get back up.
WAIT! Volunteers in our lovely province of Kampot are putting on a Camp for young girls. We’re almost close to our fundraising goal! With your help you can help us let girls learn.
“Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) is a three-day camp which brings together sixty high school girls from around Kampot province to develop their personal and professional skills, and empower them to become leaders in their communities. During the camp, students will gain a practical skill set for creating positive change in their communities by learning about topics including: higher education, career planning, gender equality and women’s empowerment, volunteerism, and healthy lifestyles. With the tools learned through Camp GLOW, students will walk away with vital information that will affect their decision-making for the rest of their lives.”
https://donate.peacecorps.gov/donate/project/camp-glow2016/
