Chiang Rai

"Wherever there is a human in need, there is an opportunity for kindness and to make a difference." -Kevin Heath 

I'm sitting in the consistently shunned middle seat of one of the very back rows of the plane, it wasn't much of a bother to me though because this plane ride was much different than the one I took to come to Thailand, this one was only about an hour. Bap Dtiao. Very short. Chiang Rai back to Bangkok.

The intercom turns off and so do the lights. I look up from my dark, my eyes struggle to adjust to the dark as suddenly the page I am reading is dark, but as I reach up to turn on my overhead light the kindly man next to me smiles and gestures up, he has already seen that I am reading and turned it on for me. Just another show of the simple kindness of the Thais.

I've had a wonderful week travelling, seeing old friends, helping others and learned some about myself but I am tired and I'm ready to be heading home; back to my family and my friends and homemade dinners and my comfortable home.

A week ago I took the ride to Bangkok in the front seat of my Dad's friends little truck, sucking on some strange Thai hard candy, occasionally talking, but mostly staring out the window as we pass houses, rice fields and banana trees. Arriving quite early at the airport I have time to get a foot massage before boarding my plane. Upon arrival in Chiang Rai my friend Mook (exchange student to Alaska last year, Wasilla Sunrise Rotary) and two of her friends are waiting for me at the airport, they even have a welcome sign for me! I see them and wave excitedly but I have to wait for my bag before heading out to meet them.

The next few days are spent travelling and sightseeing in Chiang Rai. To the mountains, to see huge gorgeous gardens, to eat Kao Soi (a very popular Northern Thai food, noodles with curry), to the Golden Triangle, to visit Mook's grandparents, to the famous White Temple (Wat Runkun) and to other interesting sights in Chiang Rai province.

I also got to see Whitney, another exchange student from Alaska who is staying in Chiang Rai and who I haven't seen since we parted at the Bangkok airport over five months ago. It was great to reconnect with her and to be able to share stories as of course coming from the same place we both really understand whats going on for each other.

Friday morning we woke up early to go to Maechan which is a smaller city about 40 minutes away, still in Chiang Rai province. I freely admit that with wet hair in the 15 degree celsius air I was absolutely freezing... and wearing both the coats I have with me in Thailand. (Side note; Ja gap yuu Alaska yangai?! How will I live in Alaska?!)

Anyways we arrived in Maechan just before 9am and Mook and I were both very excited to see Kathleen, a Rotarian from Anchorage, Alaska. We met all the other camp helpers, including Alaskans, Hawaiians, Australians, Chinese and Thais. The camp was at a boarding school for orphaned hill tribe children or hill tribe children who's parent's didn't have the money to give them an education or keep them at home. The children live in dorms at the school and have chores and quite regimented schedules. Children from two other schools also came for the English camp.

There were around seventy kids at the camp and seven groups each having two foreign teachers. The first thing on the first day of camp was to learn who your group was and create a team cheer, name and poster. I was paired with awesome Calethia who is a college student from the US but is studying in Shanghai, China this year. She and I had a fantastic team consisting of kids from all three schools from ages eleven to seventeen. Our team was named Ignite.

Camp consisted of games, listening games, drawing games, competitions, acting, singing, dancing-- lots of dancing, silly faces and lots of fun. Some things were difficult and some simpler but all in all it was a total success.

The first day didn't end until late because we had a special treat for the kids. The Hawaiian Rotarians had brought marshmallows and graham crackers from the US and we taught the kids how to make s'mores. That evening everyone wrote down something the wanted to release from there life and taped it to one of around six paper lanterns then we lit them and watched as our worries, annoyances and negativities floated away on the cool Northern breeze.

Before going home (I stayed at the home of a Thai teacher at the school) that night, one little girl came up to me. It had seemed to me that the day had been very difficult because her English was not very good, I was a bit worried that she was not having fun but all my worries were gone after she spoke to me. She came to me... pulling on my arm gently... "P'Kaohom" which is the polite way for her to call me, "P" because I am older than her. She then proceeded to tell me in Thai how happy she was that I had come and how happy she was she could meet me and the other foreign teachers, she told me she had lots of fun today and she wasn't lonely anymore. Her small voice made a big impact on me. I pulled her into a hug and she more than willingly squeezed her arms around me tightly. Soon other kids came, standing back from us a little bit but watching. Releasing this little girl I opened my arms to the next closest child and hugged her goodnight. Then another and another, they started coming in pairs-- shy at first, I hugged two at a time, they squeezed me tightly and buried there faces in my shirt. I hugged some of them more than once and told them all sweet dreams and that I would see them tomorrow. My parents came to my room and tucked me in each and every night, on my request, probably until I was in something like 7th or 8th grade. So, knowing that they don't have their mom and dad to hug them goodnight everyday is something I cannot even begin to understand... and only makes me appreciate this and so many other small things so, so, so much more. This thing that I cannot understand only wants me to help more, if it takes something as simple as a hug to make a child's life brighter then even if it takes my entire life, I will hug every single orphan on every single continent of the world. I've realized the joy it brings me to be of any comfort to these underprivileged children and I can't wait to be able to help other children.

The second day of camp another little girl came to me, also speaking in Thai she said, "big sister" and pointed at me and "little sister" and pointed at herself, then she hugged me, long and tightly. The end of camp was sad, I knew that next day the kids would go back to their normal lives; school and chores and strict schedules but mostly it was the fact that I had made connections with, laughed and smiled with all of these kids and I wasn't yet ready to leave them.

I suppose the purpose of me going to Kumjornwit school was to teach these children English but really I think the children taught me more than I taught them.

So, anyways, I found myself back on the plane... sitting between a sleepy young woman and kindly old man who turned on my reading light for me. This week I've certainly learned how far a simple act of kindness can go.

Kearney

P.S. Here are some photos, ---> January Photos <--- a few are from Ayuthaya which is a place I went with my family before going to Chiang Rai. It is one of the old capitals of Thailand and is very famous, the following photos of Chiang Rai and of camp.