thailand blog

Hello! So I was texting with Tyler last night & he was asking me some specific questions & it made me realize there is a lot of feelings I have about the villages & the people here that I haven't shared with you guys yet. So I'm going to do that now.

First I'll start off with some of the volunteers:
Madison (24) & Abby (19) are my two closest friends here. However I get along great with everyone & they all have their own unique personalities that I've enjoyed getting to know. Madison is married to a very adventurous man & they do a lot of crazy cool things together. A very outdoorsy & cute couple. I'll meet her husband at the end of the summer when he comes out. Madison also is just the sweetest & is so genuine & caring. Abby brings so much energy & fun to the group! She is the filmer/photographer for this trip & is amazing at what she does! Liz (23) served in Thailand so she knows Thai. She is going to be a great mom. Haha she is just so kind & caring. Very sincere. We have some twins here & they are fun. Along with a few other great girls! (Yes all the volunteers for third wave are girls) but then we have our two team leads David & Russell. They are the best. They both served their missions in Thailand so they also know Thai. We got lucky with great team leads. Russell's wife Dani is here with him as well. She's adorable. Such a fun group!

Villages:
It's so hard to learn all of their names (especially when their names sound like just random sounds) so I'm just going to speak about them in general.  I have loved getting to know these villagers, especially the kids because they are who we spend most of our time with. This trip has already been a changing & growing experience that is definitely shaping me. I've learned so many new things about this culture & seen things that I have only really read about. I love being a part of something that is good & positive. It's been a very humbling experience. It's pushed me out of my comfort zone & that alone has been a changing experience. What I have a hard time with is the fact that we come here for this experience & help them...then we just leave. They don't have the choice to just leave. And even if they did I don't think they would because it's their home & they love it. But to me it's just still sad. Like there is a small kid here that is so athletic & I want him to be grow up to be an athlete. Or I want one of the young girls to become a doctor! & they totally can! But it's not likely. They will probably live the rest of their lives farming at their village. Or if they value education then they might get a job possibly in Chiang Mai. But they can do so much more!!!! Hopefully they continue on their own with the things that we teach them & get motivated about it. Because that's when real change will start to happen. Tyler made me realize though how I don't have to just leave. I can continue to "help" in so many ways after my time here is finished. & he's 100% right!