Does Your Mom Drive a Motorcycle?

Does your mom drive a motorcycle? Do you own a helicopter? Do you have an elephant?

These are just a few of the candid questions children in the village of Baan Kew Sua ask of Westerners. They would not be at all shocked if we answered yes to any of them; they’ve seen how Westerners live on TV. (Anyone remember Hart to Hart?) The kids are adorable and hungry to learn. The staff at Kew Sua, despite the language barrier, has been warmly welcoming. A few of them (students, that is), taught by Dan, have learned to juggle; we also found out that these kids have never been “helicopter”-ed! You know, when you swing them in a circle? They went crazy with terror/joy.

We’ve been working hard, living clean and have logged more exercise in the last month than the entire year previous! We’ve also made a number of new friends, and are excited that another teacher from the Seattle area has decided to come up to the village and help out.

The next big project at the Kew Sua school is getting a new dormitory and kitchen built so that the kids can stop sleeping on the ground in a former storeroom and meals can be prepared in something more than the crudest of kitchens.

Another Kew Sua English teacher, Stacia Davis, has been working extremely hard over the last few months to find an NGO to sponsor the dormitory project. Scott Jones of Give and Live (www.giveandlive.org/KewsuaProject.htm) has graciously agreed to sponsor the dormitory project by accepting tax-deductable donations, 100% of which will go toward the schools new dormitory and kitchen. We still have $7,000 to raise to meet the $10,000 cost for the dormitory. Anything we raise above and beyond that will go into helping stock up on school supplies, text books and so many other needs of the school. Please visit the Give and Live Website to learn about the dormitory project and how to give.

Loy Krathong was a gorgeous holiday, as always. I surprised Dan for his birthday with not just a pair of too-small shoes and a keyring that broke the very first time he used it, but also a lewd T-shirt he’ll never wear that I bought after having 2 drinks, and, to save the day, THE GUITAR OF HIS CHOICE which saved my reputation, and a hideously decadent chocolate cake. We had dinner at the Riverside, very romantic if you could block the noise from all the fireworks (Loy Krathong weekend, remember?) And it’s been work, work, work, sun, fun, fun otherwise.

Dan’s forbade me to post the story on the blog, but he has a very juicy story about having his moto impounded and the resulting hilarity of his police escort afterward. If you remember to, hit him up for this.

And, if you're STILL reading... as I've improved my language skills, I've been able to understand more and more about what exactly the Kew Sua dormitory will mean to the people living in the surrounding villages. What I didn't realize before was that there are nearly TWICE as many children who would like to attend school than are able to because the distance is too far for a daily commute and the current dormitory is overcrowded as it is. Once we expand this dormitory, children who up until this point have been spending their days working in the rice fields with their parents will now have an opportunity to attend school for the FIRST TIME in their lives! Word has already begun to spread to the neighboring villages that next year their children may be able to come to school and parents have been sending back messages of thanks in the form of pumpkins, bundles of corn and other foods along with their hopeful anticipation for their children's future educational opportunities. Just imagine the ripple effect this one little dormitory project could have on so many children's lives. WOW!!

Much love to you all and here's wishing you a warm and happy holiday!

To make a donation toward the Kew Sua Dormitory Project, please follow this link: http://www.giveandlive.org/KewsuaProject.htm

New blog coming soon: Amazing, surprising, unexpected holiday festivities that hijacked me with excruciating LOVE and HOPE...

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