January 25th & 26th - Prepping and Going Home

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Yes, I’m a little delayed in my journal writing. Yesterday, was the 25th and our last day in Thailand. We spent the morning doing evaluations and talking with the staff about our time in Thailand. I thought that things came off harsher than I would have liked them to sound, and I felt slightly annoyed by the complaints that were being made, given that we had already talked to Debbie about most of them. I recognize that I make cultural mistakes all the time, but it is frustrating to me that people continue to push American ideas and reactions onto situations even after already talking about how to do things better and more respectfully. At least evaluations are over. I am hoping that next year goes just as smoothly as our year. I was extremely bummed to leave my buddies, but it was funny how we took care of one another by all crying at different times. I can’t believe I forgot to talk about the going away party in my last journal entry. I guess that proves how tired I am. absolutely adored the going away party from the scenery to the karaoke. Anyways, at the farewell party, Nan gave me a scrapbook of pictures and notes. It was like a journal as she wrote little entries from each day of the trip. It made me feel so loved because I knew how much time and effort she put into making the scrapbook. I was fully aware of her busy schedule and lack of sleep, yet she made this for me and filled it with kind heart felt words and memories that I can carry with me forever. So it was at that place that Nan I shed all our tears, but it came in handy because then at the airport we were able to hug Mork as she shed hers. We could cover for one another, coming together as sisters — the title we gave one another.



Honestly, it wasn’t until I was on the plane that I was struck with emotion. I began to cry through a movie that was only slightly sad and emotional. Everything was hitting me like a ton of bricks. I wanted to go back to Chiang Mai. I wanted to go back to see my friends, be in the warm weather, be a part of a laid back time-frame. I was so tired by the second flight and allowed myself to finally fall asleep… for nine hours. Though my neck was cramped, my body fully needed this rest. I’m going to need to take a few days to write a final journal entry. It’s almost time to see my family and friends from home on the other side of the gate. I’m going to be so excited to see them, but I’ll have a lot of processing to do as well, so farewell for now. I’ll get back to you soon with some final reflections. All I know is that I hope to love those I see this week with the same love I’ve been shown in Thailand.

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