Goodbyes are never easy...

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Sorry I haven't written a blog in about 2 weeks (even with mommy nagging me about it almost every day) but it has been a crazy few weeks and I haven't really had time to write or really felt like writing for that matter. But here it goes...

Monday 11/10:
Work was good, it was just Sam and I which was really weird since I've been used to having either Ashley or Nicole with me the whole time, but Sam is really good with the kids too. I don't believe anything really special happened, at least nothing that stuck in my mind(obviously).
After work we had a free day. Went to bed pretty early.

Tuesday 11/11:
Again work wasn't anything special and neither was after work.

Wednesday 11/12:
After work today Khem and Jack ordered pizza and at around 8 o'clock we headed over to the river for another festival(Thailand has so many festivals, its insane). This festival is called Loh Krathong which is a festival honoring the river god. Before we left for it we each made our own Krathong which is made out of the steam of a banana tree and you decorate it with banana leaves and flowers, it was pretty cool, but SOOOO hard. At the festival there is also a beauty pageant(another thing that Thai's LOVE)and two of the girls volunteering here got to be in it. Although they weren't competing but they did get all dolled up by Lady Boys and did some Thai dancing and then some American dancing (they chose the Electric Slide). It was really cool to watch them. After they got done (around 10) we went to the river and lit the candle(that we put on our Krathongs) and made a wish before pushing them off down the river. It was a very cool experience.

Thursday 11/13:
Work was kind of hard today because it was Sam's last day and I was very nervous for next week, to be by myself.
After work we had dinner and then decided to go to Bang Bar(which is pronounced Bong Bar). It was Sam and another volunteer Jackson's last night so everyone, including Khem and Jack came out to celebrate. It was really fun, they had live music (Jack even sang a song) and the drinks were good. We were having such a good time that we didn't even realize they were closing and they had to kick us out so they could finish cleaning up. Jack and Khem then decided to spend the night so we all had a slumber party in the living room, it was SO much fun!!

Friday 11/14:
Woke up fairly early to head out for the weekend, with only 8 people... it was weird. Saying goodbye to Sam and Jackson was very hard and I believe everyone left in tears (well at least the girls). We drove 2 hours down to Satun providence and from there took a 2 hour boat ride to Koh Lipe. It was probably one of the weirdest cultural exchanges. Instead of pulling up to a dock near the shore, there is a floating dock in the middle of the ocean and the boat docks to it and we get off and then get into a few long tail boats that are docked to the other side, which then take us to our hotel.
Koh Lipe was probably the most amazingly beautiful island we had been to yet. The water was so clear, it can't even be described and the beach blinding white. Plus the weather was absolutely gorgeous so that also made it 10 times better. The hotel we were staying at was made out of bungalows and was pretty nice compared to what we had become used too.

Saturday 11/15:
Kiri and I (we shared a room) woke up REALLY late, around 1245 and proceeded to go and find some where to eat. We found this little place on the side of the road called Banana Tree and enjoyed one of my best meals yet. I had Massaman green curry which is this amazing soup type thing that you put on top of fried rice and Kiri had Red Curry Soup.
After lunch we went to the beach to soak up the last rays of the vacation and stayed there till around 5. We all met up for dinner around 9 and went to this restaurant called Pooh's Restaurant which was really good and fairly cheap. As a last hurray after dinner we ALL went swimming in the ocean so we could take pictures and just have a good time.

Sunday 11/16:
We had to leave for the boat around 130 so we just laid out in the sun for a couple of hours. Nothing very exciting happened.
Koh Lipe had to have been the most beautiful place in Thailand though and I really wish we could have spent a few more days there. There is so much to do around the island, since it is surrounded by a nature park and would have been included in the park had there not already been some development on the island(don't get me wrong though, it is very much NOT developed).

Monday 11/17:
So the start of my last week in Thailand. I thought I was going to have to go to the daycare by myself but Kiri ended up coming with me this week so that was nice.
After work we made this flower things that everyone hangs in their cars to make them smell better, it was really really cool. After dinner we all headed up to the little shop on the corner for a few beers but all went to bed relitively early.

Tuesday 11/18:
I though having Kiri with me at the daycare would be fun, but its actually kind of really annoying (and I'm totally not being selfish) she just isn't very good with the kids, and sort of just follows me around wherever I go and its quit annoying. Plus she never talks to the teachers and they are always asking me about it. But I can't be too hard on her, she is only here for one week and she probably feels a little weird.
After work I started packing a little bit and its really hard.

Wednesday 11/19:
Today at work was good but I am so sad. My favorite little boy Nice hasn't been here all week and I am afraid I wont have the chance to say goodbye to him and it's going to break my heart. Kruu Phon said that he is sick and probably wont be here at all this week... :-/
After work we ran some errands, I went to get some pictures developed so I could make a couple of poster boards for the daycare. After we were done running errands and since it was a wednesday we went out to dinner. We drove about 40 minutes to this restaurant near the beach...well actually right across the street from the beach but unfortunately it was a seafood restaurant and there wasn't much for me to eat. But I didn't really mind, I am really sick of Thai food any ways so I wasn't really complaining.

Thursday 11/20:
So today as my last day at the daycare. It had to have been the saddest day EVER, I honestly couldn't stop crying once it came to nap time. The teachers were all making fun of me because I was crying. It was so hard to say goodbye and of course Nice wasn't there today, actually my 3 favorite kids weren't there, Nice, Nine and Ing(I guess its a sign... I'll have to come back).
After work Khem went and picked up my pictures so I made the two poster boards for the daycare and she said she would drop them off next week for me. And now I am sitting in my bed writing this blog. I finished packing for the most part, I just have to put away the stuff I plan on using after my shower and then I'll be ready to go.
I won't say I'm not excited to come home, because I totally am, I am so home sick its not even funny, but at the same time I really don't want to leave. Thailand is such an amazing place and the people here are the nicest I've ever met. If everyone in the world smiled as much as the Thai's do then the world would be a much better place. I just wish it wasn't so damn far away from home. I plan to come here again sometime soon, I would really like to explore northern Thailand, I've herd its amazing.

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Photos

Ashley and Caroline
dolled up for the Krathong festival