This week was bittersweet for one
of our girl’s homes. We have officially moved all four homes in the Chiang Mai area
onto the same property! The girls had to say goodbye to the home they’ve lived
in for many years but the excitement of being on the same land with their
friends from the other homes quickly erased any sad thoughts they had. It
reminded me of when I was 15 and my family moved from Miami to Daytona. I didn’t
want to leave the house I grew up in, but I trusted my parents and there was
excitement about a new home, a new start. I think the girls feel the same way.
All last week, furniture from the
home was moved piece by piece but Monday was the final move. While the children
were in school, American and Thai staff worked together to move the remaining
belongings of the girls, drawers of clothes, kitchen appliances and utensils,
bookshelves, computers and the like. I brought my camera to document the process
and the guys were definitely not camera shy! They made silly faces as they
moved the heavy stuff. One of the house moms (who loves to put me to work)
avoided me at all cost because I kept taking pictures of her. Every time she
approached me to task me with a chore, I held my camera to my eye and she would
flee from me. I don’t think she realized I was foiling her plan of giving me
chores. Clever or lazy, I got out of heavy lifting.
Around noon, we all sat together
and ate pumpkin curry, fried wontons (with hot dogs in the middle), and hotdogs
and pork meatballs. I don’t understand this country’s obsession with hotdogs
and pork meatballs, but they love it. It was nice to sit and enjoy each other’s
company. We talked about foods we like and dislike, practiced English conversation,
and of course Pokémon Go. Yes, the craze has reached the land of smiles and we
are all participants. We talked about which Pokémon we’ve captured and the best
places for Poké stops. It was fun to just be goofy with each other.
The man who created all this from nothing, P. Ton
After lunch
we did some last minute rearranging of beds and tables and then we were free to
go home for a few hours before coming back to share a house warming dinner and the
house mom’s birthday. When we came back to the home around 5:30 the
girls were buzzing with excitement. The younger girls were outside chasing each
other while the older girls were personalizing their sleeping areas. At 6 o’clock
on the dot, the girls were in line to share their first meal in their new home
together. As the girls ate, they talked about what it would be like to attend a
new school, what they would do with their friends now that they all lived on
the same property, and how they would sleep the first night in their new home. Once
the birthday cake was brought out, the party really started. Girls were giggly
and laughing as they shoveled pieces of chocolate cake and ice cream into their
mouths. I would’ve taken way more pictures of them eating dessert if I wasn’t too
busy shoving cake and ice cream into my mouth too.
The next night, I visited one of our
boy’s homes. A Jesus Church from Portland donated a small group set of Leapfrog pens and a few other churches donated tons of children’s books that are
being collected for a future library (if you know me you know how much I love
books and how much this excites me). As a child, I’ve always loved books. I especially
loved used books. Whenever my mom would take me to a thrift store, I would
always head over to the book section and thumb through copies upon copies
of books, titles just waiting to be read again. Even as an adult, I still find
myself going to thrift stores and combing through their book selection to see
if there are any books I must have. Since we don’t have an actual library room for our children
yet, I am acting as a traveling library. I brought over some science books and
the Leapfrog pens to the boys home and discussed how libraries in America are
different from libraries in Thailand. They were surprised to learn that in
America, we have libraries outside of schools that anyone with a library card
can access. We discussed the importance of respecting and taking care of the
books because these books cannot be repurchased
in Thailand. Naturally the boys flocked to the Leapfrog pens. It was adorable
hearing them repeat English words they were listening to like, “Woody. Is.
Helping. His. Friend. Buzz” and “Ozzie. Was. Very. Happy.” Around 7:30 I
started to pack up the books so the boys could wind down and get ready for bed
and I was asked how soon I could return with the books.
As the weeks continue, it’s my
goal for each home to experience the traveling library and for each child to fall
in love with books the way I have. I believe bringing these books into the
homes will also help further the children’s ability to learn and speak English fluently.
Until next time!
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