Updates

Sawadee Khaa (spelled wrong, but means hello!)!!! I can't believe how quickly these several weeks have passed, and how much I have learned and experienced. Most importantly, I've realized how much the children of AmaGhar mean to me, and that I am not ready to leave the joy and fulfillment of working with them. After much thinking and planning, I have been able to register for part-time student status (working on my thesis), and return to AmaGhar this Saturday! I don't need to say how excited I am!!!

Volunteering in Thailand has been amazing as well. The children at the orphanage are so much fun, and so eager to learn! Their art is amazing - they will draw and paint for hours. I have great pictures, and hope to post them soon. They are all rescued street children, flourishing in their amazing home. They have all worked so hard to construct the buildings, literally built with their own hands, with pieces of plywood and tin. Clearly everything is very basic. All the kids contribute with chores and responsibilities. Their amazing personalities make the sweltering heat a bit more bearable! And, I love the fact that they have puppies!!!

I've also been teaching English with Jennryn at the resort, which we are so lucky to call home (beach, pool, a bunny farm, palm trees everywhere!). It's been so hard to get out of living in "survival mode" of Nepal, and relax with so many luxuries! We teach English to the restaurant staff and have had such a blast! Jennryn and I work amazing as a team, but also laugh endlessly, so there is never a dull moment. Yesterday we filmed our soap operas that we had our teams create - HILARIOUS!!! We had them write brief scripts in English, and then act them out, so they could see and hear themselves speak English. When Jennryn and I decided not only to direct, but also star in the dramas, it just added a whole new dimension!

Today we had a charade/scavenger hunt with English words. One of the descriptions was to "find red food." It wasn't until after the game was over that Jennryn and I realized one of my team members ate every piece of red food in the room, so the other team couldn't win!!! Such a smarty!!! He had apple cores and watermelon rinds all over the table!!

We ended class with an amazing round of "English Aerobics"! On the board we wrote hand, foot, up, down, left, right, turn around. Jennryn and I took turns leading the group in crazy actions using these words. We were lucky enough to have music and a camera!!! Hmmmm....maybe my calling isn't working with children....maybe it's acting as a soap opera actress and teaching aerobics!

Arrival in Thailand!!!

I've sadly left my family in AmaGhar and am now in Thailand. It is amazing to be at a beach resort, yet I can't help but miss Nepal :) I am staying with my friend Jennryn, so wonderful to see her! We are teaching english to the resort staff, and also working at a child development center for street children. I had such a great time yesterday getting to know the kids, playing Red Rover, running around in the dirt! And, to and from the development center, we took motorbike taxis!!!! A little frightening at first, but sooooo fun! The traffic is nowhere near comparable to Kathmandu, so it wasn't as scary as riding motorbikes in Nepal! I wish I had more time here! These two weeks are going to fly by....