Advertisement
Published: December 16th 2010
Edit Blog Post
This will be my final blog from Thailand. After much consideration, I've decided to end my Peace Corps service a few months early. The timing seems right; the Living History of Ponetong has been published and now distributed (yes, yes, your copies are in the mail), the Ban Nongyarangka community library is a reality with open doors and eager participants and I am now a married woman and must go home to a very patient husband.
It is always bittersweet to say goodbye. This place became my home and the people surrounding me, my family. Like a family they watched over me to make sure I was safe, brought me food and stood on the sidelines quietly waiting if I needed help. I will sorely miss them. I will also miss the sound of people constantly calling out my name or the saa waa dee krup/ka as I rode my bike through the village. Or the children shouting out to me "Good morning, good afternoon" and then shyly disappearing. I'll miss the bike rides through the rice fields and the beauty of the fields as they turn from brown to an incredible green and then golden yellow, acre upon acre
of rice swaying harmoniously, softly blown by the breeze. I will not miss the 5AM public announcements made by the 500 decibel speakers across from my house, nor the motor scooters revving their 120cc engines, as though they were a Harley. Thank goodness, incredibly bad Karaoke will also be a thing of my past!
The past couple of nights, Nitaya and I have been distributing the Living History book to all the people we interviewed. What a humbling and absolutely wonderful experience. I don't think any of these individuals ever thought twice about what we were going to do with all the questions we asked . As we went to each house we would open the book to the picture of each person we were approaching. It would take them a minute or so to realize that it was them and we would then explain that their story was there too. It is difficult to explain the sense of humility one feels being wi'd and prayed over by these incredible people...they were thanking me, when it is I who has gained so much more. In most cases this is the first book any of these people has ever owned
and it is my hope that it will be shared with many family members and inspire more personal stories to be past down.
Today was the finale of my time spent in Ponetong. It was the Official Opening of the library with all the pomp accorded important events. The usual cast of characters was in attendance; the Nyoke, the Mayor of Chaiyaphum, the school Director, etc, etc. and they all had something to say about my approaching departure. It was Mr Domrong, school Director, who brought tears to my eyes as he gave me a big bear hug (Thais are not accustomed to demonstrative displays of emotion) and cried.
Farewell Ponetong, you shall always be a part of me.
Lynda
Advertisement
Tot: 0.112s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 10; qc: 64; dbt: 0.0755s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb