Youthlinc: Thailand Trip: Day 5

Once again, it is late and I am so tired! And we just had visitors in our room until late, so I am posting short and sweet about what we did today.

1. Woke up bright and early to get to the school at 7. Ate our quality breakfast full of rice, noodles, fried eggs, and seafood. Plenty of carbs to go around!

2. Had opening ceremonies with the kids and got to give them our gifts of a school bag and friendship bracelets. We also sang to them and it was darling (video posts when I get home. It is WAY too slow here).

3. Hot, humid, sweaty, exhausting work! It was so funny, most of the kids are in high school that are here and so a lot of them are getting a good dose of reality and hard work. As they are digging away, one says, "I wish my father could see me now! He doesn't even think I know how to wash a single dish!". I thought it was cute, and everyone is working so hard here and the school is looking AMAZING.

4. Worked on the first aid room we are putting in the school. It is going to be great! Soon it will be filled with supplies, they are plumbing in a sink, supplies, and a bed.

5. Went to visit a Thai hospital. After seeing a few third world hospitals, theirs was awesome. So hot though. We got into the E.R. and I thought to myself, "Wow, I would want them to let me die if I came in here in massive amounts of pain in this heat. I would also hate to be in this heat working on a patient all day. I would also like to die for that as well." Mainly what they need now in that hospital is a CT scanner and an MRI. Pictures to come later.

6. Sang and played with the kids after some of our group taught English lessons. These sweet little girls also presented me with a gift. I LOST it, bawlling like a little baby. They were so sweet and tender and I know how much of a sacrifice that was for them. It was one of my favorite little girls and she wrote in English, "love you". So sweet.

7. Went to an INSANE Buddhist temple. Let me just set this up for you: we get there and there is a long

dragon tunnel that you walk through. It is probably the length of 50 yards, maybe longer, that is creepy! This takes you to a cave full of Buddhist statues and spirit houses for honoring their ancestors. After you come out of that, there is a garden with statues depicting Hell. The scariest, creepiest place I have ever been. I mean these statues are GRAPHIC. And well, I just hope I never end up there. Intestines being pulled out, a tree stabbing through a lady...I mean, gross stuff. After we get out, I walk into a garden to see a Monk, with a slingshot shooting at a monkey. Aren't the supposed to be peaceful? Anyway, these monkeys were climbing all over us, we were feeding them bananas. It was awesome! That then leads to the Monks inviting us to climb up 6 flights of the tallest stairs you have ever seen to this beautiful temple that overlooks everything. I am guessing that was Heaven, and I will keep aiming towards that. It was pretty cool that they invited us, apparently that doesn't happen very often.

8. Went to a Thai market. Not like one for touristy stuff, but like a legitimate market. Oh, and don't worry a guy pulled a gun on us. Good thing it was FAKE. I never ran so fast and have been that scared in my life. I was for sure he was going to open fire on us. Whew.

9. Had a FABULOUS dinner, and the much awaited shower. You can't know how bad we sweat and are gross.

Ohhhh, more later. I love it here! It is going to kill me to leave.

Quality pictures of the day:

My girls with their brand new school bags!