I know that I owe updates and pictures from the last two months, but for this post I've decided to focus only on the last week since it was pretty fantastic and I actually have some pictures to post. The last two months will follow soon enough so just jai-yen-yen.
On Christmas day, rather than lounging around the house drinking coffee and eating apple turnovers, I woke up bright and early and biked to the school for scout day. I was told the day before that we would be leaving the school around 8:00 to bike 20 kilometers to a waterfall, play some games with the kids, and then bike back. You would think that after two years here I would realize that 8:00 really means 9:30 but for some reason I still showed up on time. After the morning assembly, opening speeches, bicycle repairs, and splitting up into teams we were finally on the road. Once we started biking I realized that I was the only adult biking, and the teachers were all driving motorcycles or trucks and cheering us on. It was a beautiful bike ride, through serene country roads with sweeping mountains in the background. At the waterfall the kids learned about the national park, cleaned up trash along the river, jumped of bridges, and climbed ropes while hanging upside down. I made Christmas cookies for all of the students and teachers that were devoured instantly. By the end of the day the kids were happy and exhausted as we started our bike ride home. When I got home two of my favorite kids were waiting on my porch to wish me a Merry Christmas and discuss the newest Korean popstar heartthrobs while opening presents. As soon as they left another one of my neighborhood kids showed up asking me why my Christmas party hadn't started yet. Since I couldn't handle the look of disappointment on her face when I said there was no party this year I pulled out cookie dough I made the day before and let her decorate and bake some cookies.
Two days after Christmas I worked with the Population and Community Development Association (PDA) to distribute blankets and sweaters to the elderly, children, and the disabled in my village. We were able to distribute over 200 blankets and 200 sweaters, helping more than 400 people stay warm during cold season on the mountain. All the supplies were donated by PDA using funds supplied by the Stavros S. Niarchos Foundation in New York. I was able to contact PDA after hearing about them from Peace Corps and connected PDA with people in my village in need of the supplies.
You might not think of Thailand as ever getting cold, but in my village in the far north it has been dropping down to around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, which is very uncomfortable when you live in a wooden house with a metal roof that doesn't attach all the way. The blankets and sweaters were definitely appreciated, and the villagers couldn't have been more grateful. Most of the people who received blankets and sweaters are from either Hmong or Mien Hill tribes.
All pictures were taken by PDA.
That's all for now. Happy New Year!
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