Thailand Day 22: Travel day to Bangkok / Wat Phrabat Nam Phu AIDS Hospice

This will be my last post for a few days as I will be leaving my laptop in Bangkok while we are on the island of Koh Samet. My hope is that stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking will occupy what would normally be blogging time :)

In terms of cumulative hours in a car, I think today was the longest travel day of the trip. We left Kamphaeng Phet around 8:30 this morning, drove about 3 hours to Lopburi, had lunch (we joined Noi at MK Hotpot and trusted her to order on behalf of the entire table--she didn't disappoint!), and drove another 20 minutes to Wat Phrabat Nam Phi AIDS Hospice. 

Noi ordered us quite the hotpot spread

At the beginning of the trip, it wasn't clear whether we'd be able to visit the hospice due to COVID. The folks living (voluntarily) at the hospice (all HIV/AIDS positive) are immunocompromised, so visitors during COVID obviously pose a huge threat. In previous years, students had the opportunity to visit and converse with folks living at the Wat, but that was not an option this year. Instead, we toured the grounds and visited some of the exhibits, including a display of actual bodies of patients afflicted with AIDS that had died at the Wat and volunteered their bodies to be displayed for AIDS education and awareness. Also on display were bags of patients who had been cremated (as is the custom in Buddhism) whose ashes had not been claimed by family members. It was shocking and jarring and had a tremendous impact on the group. I don't want to characterize this experience as negative or voyeuristic. It didn't feel that way. It just felt significant. In the U.S., we have a different definition of patient dignity in terms of what we share and offer to the rest of the world related to the realities of death. All of the things we saw today were offered voluntarily by the patients themselves with the hope that viewers would learn something and contribute support to fighting the AIDS epidemic. It's my belief and hope that our experience at the hospice had that impact on our group today. 

(Note: I took very few pictures at the hospice)

Han providing context for the AIDS hospice

After leaving the hospice, we drove another 2 hours back to Bangkok, where students had free time to eat dinner, shop, etc., A group of students and the faculty hopped aboard Bangkok's amazing subway system to enjoy dinner in the Chinatown district. Han, Kathryn, and I ate at T&K Seafood, this super cool itty-bitty-tiny Chinese seafood restaurant before closing out the night (early) on the rooftop of the Banyang Tree resort. Food update for Nathan: I regret that I got no pictures of our meal at T&K. We had sautéed squid in chili paste, grilled scallops, baked sea-bass, sautéed morning glory, and trust me, it was good.

Views of Bangkok at night

View from the 59th floor

View from the 59th floor

 View from the 59th floor

We're feeling kind of fancy...other than our footwear :(

Waiting on the subway at the end of the evening. I told them to "act natural"

I'm going off grid for a few days--I look forward to updating my readers reader upon our return from Koh Samet!

Thailand Day 21: Travel Day to Kamphaeng Phet / Thai Elephant Conservation Center (Lampang)

It sure does feel good to be writing this post from my bed at 8:47PM. :) :)

Today was another long travel day as we have started our return trek to central Thailand (Bangkok, specifically) from Chiang Mai, located in the northern part of the country. We are breaking the drive up over two days with a few prominent stopping points.

Today, we visited the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang, about an hour south of Chiang Mai. Boy, elephant tourism generates a lot of discussion and folks have strong opinions on it. 

My personal opinion: I think zoos, aquariums, and similar institutions are complicated. Obviously, mistreatment of animals under any circumstance is bad, and plucking animals out of the wild to live a life in captivity is also bad. That said, zoos, aquariums, etc., may also instill in folks--especially young folks--an ethic of care and conservation where they grow up wanting to protect these animals and their habitats. And they may raise a lot of money for habitat conservation and research. I also think that places where animals are forced to perform with negative reinforcements (e.g. hitting or whipping an animal if they don't comply with the desired trick) are not okay. I guess the point is that from my point of view, there's a spectrum of ethical behaviors and treatment of animals, and all zoos/aquariums/refuges/Sea Worlds, etc. exist somewhere along that spectrum. The goal is to move all of these institutions toward the side of doing what's in the best interest of the animal and shutting down the institutions that don't have the resources or desire to do so.

As I learned today, elephant tourism is another complicated issue. We were encouraged today to approach our experience at the Elephant Conservation Center with an open and curious mind. It's easy for Westerners, such as myself, to finger wag and say that elephants shouldn't be made to serve the interests of tourists, but I would argue that the way we (U.S.A.) treat animals involved in large-scale beef, pork, and poultry production is waaaaay worse--yet I continue to eat beef, pork, and poultry.

In some cases--elephants in Thailand being one of them--deforestation and habitat loss may actually preclude animals from being able to survive in the wild, and sanctuaries, like the one we visited today, might give elephants their best shot at a safe and healthy life. Elephants are expensive to feed and care for. Tourism dollars help fund their care. As mentioned previously, institutions can exist on a spectrum from "really crappy practices" to "consistently demonstrating ethical behaviors," and I think the global goal is helping institutions move further down the spectrum toward the good end.

I am personally grateful for the opportunity to visit the Elephant Conservation Center, and from my perspective, the respect demonstrated by the mahouts (individual trainers assigned to individual elephants) toward the elephants was really profound. From Fodor's Travel article:

On top of the $12,000 [for annual care of a single elephant] is $6,000/year for wages, room, and board for each elephant’s mahout. “Mahout”, a Hindi word meaning “elephant keeper,” is commonly used in Thailand. The proper Thai term is “kwan chang,” meaning, “one who drives or walks with the elephant.” Traditionally, each elephant has a mahout who cares for it and the two are often paired for life. The job was esteemed (though not well-paid) and often passed from father to son in Southeast Asia’s Indigenous communities. A mahout spends most of his waking hours with his elephant, ensuring the animal is safe and content.

I'm not sure how I feel about the performance/demonstration pieces--elephants were and are used for agricultural purposes in Thailand, and it was genuinely fascinating to watch elephants walk across logs and hoist timber with their trunks as they would when working in an agricultural context (think about how we used horses and mules prior to the development of new machinery). It was clear that this particular Conservation Center uses positive reinforcement to encourage desired behaviors (lots of treats and affection shown to the elephants) rather than punishments. Again, a complicated issue.

I think the big takeaways from me were:

• Elephants are awesome.
• I appreciated getting to observe the relationship between mahout and elephant.
• We Western folks should probably check our own receipts re: animal rights and animal cruelty before criticizing other countries and cultures when we don't have the full cultural context and/or try and paint all institutions with the same broad brush.

I would strongly, strongly encourage my readers reader to check out these two articles (shared by Han prior to our visit) for additional context on elephant tourism.

• Cruelty debate over zoo exhibition highlights complexities of elephant tourism in Thailand" (Leukens, 2021, CNN)
• Elephant Tourism Is Way More Complex Than You’d Imagine: The Thailand Example (Read, 2020, Fodor's Travel)

Mahouts and their elephants

Bath time!

Students enjoying elephant time

Dzana and her new elephant friend

Matt and his new elephant friend

This elephant is patiently waiting for elephant treats

Note the ear size--Asian elephants have smaller ears than their African elephant counterparts

Faculty enjoying the scenery at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center

After leaving the Conservation Center, we traveled a few more hours south to Kamphaeng Phet, a province in lower-northern Thailand with a population of about 730,000. One of the best parts about Kamphaeng Phet is that the city is located along the Mae Ping ("mae" is river), and our hotel has a great view of the river.

After we arrived to our hotel, I wanted to take advantage of the afternoon rainstorm and took a walk along the river. We ate dinner as a large group at Mae Ping Riverside Restaurant before calling it an early evening. 

View from my walk along the river this afternoon

I love a good walk in the rain

The group eating dinner at the Riverside restaurant

Tomorrow, we will visit an HIV/AIDS Hospice/wat in the afternoon en route to Bangkok--it's about a 5 hour drive so we'll probably reach our final destination around dinner time.

Thailand Day 20: Free Day in Chiang Mai

We made the decision to cancel our planned trip to Mae Wang National Park because the planned trail (Phachor) was only 1.5 miles and it would have been a 2-hour drive roundtrip. Now that the faculty have a better sense of options and opportunities for outdoor recreation, we'll be able to plan accordingly for future years. That being said, the students seemed *pretty pumped* to have a full free day in Chiang Mai, and it seems like everyone got out and found fun and unique ways to spend their time today.

Some students spent their afternoon at the Grand Canyon Water Park (link), where they played on giant floating trampolines, shot out of a giant slide, etc. Other students walked a few miles to Wat Umong Suan Phutthatham, a 700-year-old Buddhist temple. Some students used today as a "Treat Yo'self" day and got mani/pedis.

After waking up to complete a run on the Chiang Mai University campus (I didn't take any pictures of my running route, but take my word for it, the on-campus reservoir is lovely), I joined up with a group of students and Han to visit the Chiang Mai City Arts and Cultural Center, which ended up being one of the highlights of my trip experience thus far. The Center is a museum that showcases the history and and culture of Chiang Mai. It was a fabulous experience and I learned so much. As our small group of 6 were basically the only people in the Center, one of the English-fluent employees gave us a guided tour of the museum, which dramatically enhanced our appreciation and understanding of the things we were looking at.

Han and the students and I all agreed that the Cultural Center might need to be added as a permanent fixture on this trip, preferably on one of the first days spent in Chiang Mai. The Center (link), housed in a colonial style building, features 14 permanent exhibitions that showcase and educate on a variety of topics ranging from early settlement to modern-day Chiang Mai.

Note: I edited this post on 5/29 because I decided that the verbatim description of the individual exhibitions was incredibly boring to read and didn't do justice to how good the exhibitions were. Instead, I'll give a brief summary:

The Center was laid out in an IKEA-esque format where visitors traveled sequentially from one exhibit to the next. Exhibits were a mixture of multimedia (film / touchscreens), 3D miniature models, actual artifacts (e.g. stone tools), and examples of crafts (textiles, lanterns, jewelry). For me, I especially enjoyed the "Life on the Hill," "Constructing the City," and "Life in the City" exhibitions--getting to learn more about the Karen people and their lifestyles, understanding a traditional historical Thai home, what is being sold in the market, and how Chiang Mai became such an important political and economic center--it was all such useful context for the things we've seen and experienced over the past several weeks. I also think touring the Center was especially helpful in understanding the practice and evolution of Theravada Buddhism and understanding the political savvy and influence of King Rama V.

Watching a video that gave an overview of "Chiang Mai, today."

This model helped us understand where Chiang Mai is situated within the larger topography of Thailand. It also helped illustrate the importance of being located near rivers for agriculture and commerce.

A handmade lantern, one of the signature crafts of Chiang Mai

Dried betel nuts--chewing betel nuts gives the same effect (more or less) as chewing tobacco or using a nicotine pouch. A common occurrence in northern Thailand, you can point out someone who chews betel from the stains on their teeth

A map of the city

Provides an overview of unique regional aspects of Theravada Buddhism and its connection to the 12 month calendar 

Additional context for the importance and craft of textiles and clothing

After touring the Center, we ate lunch at Khao Soi Khun Yai, which is a Khao Soi open-air restaurant that was recommended by many locals, including our driver. We snuck in right before closing time (and before they ran out of food!). Khao Soi is perhaps the most famous of the Northern Thai dishes and is a signature dish of Chiang Mai. From Wikipedia:

The name means 'cut rice', although it is possible that it is simply a corruption of the Burmese word for noodles – "khao swè" – which may account for the variations. Traditionally, the dough for the rice noodles is spread out on a cloth stretched over boiling water. After steaming the large sheet noodle is then rolled and cut with scissors. Lao khao soi is traditionally made with hand sliced rice noodles in clear soup broth and topped with minced pork and tomato sauce. In some markets in Luang Namtha and Muang Sing vendors still hand cut the noodles. These traditionally cut noodles can also be found in several places in northern Thailand.

Khao Soi

Yum.

After lunch, I went back to the hotel with a student so that I could meet Kathryn before our scheduled Thai massages at "The Artist," a local Thai massage parlor near our hotel. This massage was gifted to me by my dear friend, Pete. Thank you Pete! After putting in a tough 8 miles this morning, a deep tissue massage was exactly what I needed, and my masseuse had the strongest thumbs of any person I've ever met in my life. We were laughing along with our masseuses because Kathryn and I were comically stiff, and they kept trying to get us to relax our muscles (to no avail...ha!). The parlor itself was charming and the staff were so kind--they served us tea and cookies afterwards. Treat yo'self.

Let's see...what happened after the massage...we grabbed a cup of fancy coffee at a local roaster (this day sure does sound nice now that I'm writing it all out...) and then went back to the hotel to check in with students before distributing laundry and heading back out for dinner. We ate dinner at a restaurant in the Old City called "Dash." We opted for "family style" and everyone ordered something different, so it was cool to try a bunch of different dishes.

We leave Chiang Mai tomorrow morning. We'll take a few days to make a slow return to Bangkok. On the docket for tomorrow is an elephant sanctuary.

------ from the original post -------

Descriptions from the Cultural Center website:

• Chiang Mai Today: A digital video presentation presenting "Chiang Mai in the Present Day", an overview of the entire exhibition as an introduction to the interesting culture, traditions and the way of life of Chiang Mai.
• Pre-Chaing Mai: The prehistory of Chiang Mai with evidences indicate that people lived in the area of Lanna Kingdom many thousands of years ago. traces of prehistoric civilizations and the settlement of former inhabitants including tools that they used.
• Two Sivers Civilization: King Mangrai founded the city of Chiang Rai or Yonok Nakorn as his new capital in the Kok River basin. Decades later, he determined to go further south to conquer the prosperous Mon kingdom of Hariphunchai.
• Constructing the City: The founding of Chiang Mai started from looking for "Auspicious Signs" and "Seven Signs of Good Omens".The city was built according to traditional astrological and religious belief of Trai Phum or the Three Worlds. Unlike earlier settlements of other cities which ware oval, the fortified city was rectangular in shape. almost a square.
• External Relations: Chiang Mai culture has a positive influence on other cities in the region. Chiang Mai and neighboring regions are culturally similar in Buddhism, food, attire and language.
• A century of Chiang Mai: Chiang Mai has changed rapidly in the past century due to the construction of the railway line from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, logging concessions of teak, trading and the change of the administration.
• The Best of Chiang Mai: The unique culture, traditions, rituals, arts and crafts as well as traces of settlement and architecture that represent the glory of Chiang Mai City in the past.
• The Building History: The history and importance of "Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Centre" building.
• Dynasty Rulers: Administration under the ruler of Chiang Mai after the Burmese were driven away and King Kawila began to restore Chiang Mai including other important events are shown here.
• Life Along The Ping River: Rowing a wooden boat for fishing.... and rice farming along the Ping river banks, this was a typical Lanna Lifestyle in the past .... The importance of the Ping River for the people of Chiang Mai and how they made the banks their home.
• Life in the city: Chiang Mai was a melting pot of cultures living together. There were local shops and markets where people enjoy exchanging everyday items.
• Buddhism: Buddhism has been a number of Lanna culture. Vihara (Buddhist monastery) host a number of religious activities and also represents Lanna Buddhist Art.
• Traditions of the 12 months: The Twelve Month Traditions are related to supernatural beliefs, ancestors worship, faith in Buddhism and contemporary traditions.
• Agricultural Life: Chiang Mai province encompasses both fertile plains along the Ping River and high mountain ranges. The people used local wisdom to manager water resources by building weirs for sharing water fairly.
• Life on the hill: Scattered through the mountains and valleys of Northern Thailand, a home to interesting ethnic minorities with different culture and beliefs from Chiang Mai people who live on lowland but they all depend on each other and live peacefully together creating a rich melting pot of cultures

Thailand Day 19: Leaving Omkoi / Op Luang National Park / Back to Chiang Mai

Y'all. Before getting into today's play-by-play, I have to say that trying to find history and context about the places we visit on this trip is requiring Sherlock Holmes-level* detective work.

(*Fun fact: The Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock rounds out my trinity of favorite TV shows along with 30 Rock and Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

We left Sarisa Place (our Omkoi hotel) around 8:30 this morning. I can't say enough great things about Sarisa. I think COVID/lack of tourism hit the business pretty hard, so the owner/operator was very appreciative of Westminster's decision to stay there. He and his staff were super attentive and hospitable, and the food was *amazing.* Multiple students expressed that Sarisa's fried chicken was the best they'd ever had in their lives.

Students, if you happen to be reading this and are willing to leave Sarisa a positive review on TripAdvisor, I know the owner would really appreciate it. Here's the link.

Before departing Omkoi, we stopped at Ban Omkoi Community School, another elementary school serving about 400 students and more centrally located than the rural/satellite campuses we previously visited. We didn't have very much time at the school so we were limited to a quick tour, but it was apparent that the school was very well-run and had access to more resources than the rural schools. That is not to say that the rural schools weren't well-run--they definitely were--but they certainly suffered from a lack of resources based on their remote locations and difficulty of recruiting teachers to commit for more than 2 years. It reminded me of the Teach for America model in the U.S., where some really talented and enthusiastic folks want to teach and positively contribute to our public education system, but after two years, burnout and exhaustion prohibit a lot of folks from wanting to re-up their contracts.

Students touring the Omkoi Community School

Administrative building at Omkoi Community School

This recently refurbished building was the source of the wood for new Language Center at the rural school. If you look above the roof, you can can see original wood (painted green)

We both happened to wear "OEL Starter Kit" outfits today :)

After touring the school, we got back on the road, destined for Chiang Mai. To break up the drive, we stopped in Op Luang National Park. I mentioned this park in a previous post but didn't have much to say as we weren't able to hike on that day due to unsafe water levels. Luckily, weather and water were on our side today, so our group was able to complete a short hike to the Pra Chang (? maybe?) viewpoint. 

I took pictures of every interpretive sign I could find on the trail and then put those into Google translate. Here's what I got (there a bunch of mis-translated terms...sorry!):

Pra Background:

According to the original history, it is said that In the past, Mae Chaem was called the Salak Hin River because the housewife had drilled it. rocky mountain escape (?) until it penetrated through the river where it was called "Op Luang", later changed to Mae Chaem River, which is Ob Luang.

The current name "Ob" is a local dialect of the northern region, meaning the strait, the word "Luang". Means big, so "Oblong" in the local language, which means a large strait because of the mountains with cliffs. The steep was pierced by the Mae Chaem River. In 1965, the Royal Forest Department saw that the area along the road in the area of ​​Hang Dong Subdistrict, Hot District and Ban Pae Subdistrict, Chom Thong District, Chiang Mai Province a shady place topography. Strangely beautiful, there is a natural wonder. It consists of cliffs and rivers that flow strongly through the gorges that the northerners call "Op Luang". Nature always finds pleasure. Therefore, it has been arranged as a place for recreation of the people in the form of a forest park. 

From March 16, 1966, under the supervision of Chiang Mai District Forestry Office Ob Luang Forest Park in the past was a place of stay for Borneo Company with a woodworking business. In those days, teak production was carried out by two methods of transport along the Mae Chaem River. The wood will come in circles at Ob Luang, which is a very deep and deep whirlpool. The timber company therefore set up a resting point at this point to keep the timber flowing from flowing into the whirlpool. National Park in the year 2531 has been conducted a preliminary survey of the surrounding areas surrounding the forest park. To raise the status of the establishment of a national park, care has been announced. in the Government Gazette According to a special royal decree (Appendix A. Royal Decree), page 21, 24, volume 108, part 211 dated 4 December 2011, defining land plots on Bo Chom Thong, Bo Mae Chaem and Mae Tuek forest. In the area of ​​Doi Kaeo Sub-district, Bkhia Sub-district, Mae Soi Sub-district, Ban Pae Sub-district, Chom Thong Sub-district, Kong Yaek Sub-district, Mae Chaem District, and Hang Dong Sub-district, Kham Bod Sub-district, Na Kor Ruea Sub-district, Bo Thalang Sub-district, Hot District, Chiang Mai Province To be a national park in 1991 (Op Luang National Park), with an area of ​​approximately 553 square kilometers or 345,625 rai, is the 68th national park in Thailand. The survey results show that the forest is complete with all ecosystems. There are many beautiful natural features such as waterfalls and hot springs, which are very important historical sites. and is a source of watersheds Mae Chaem and the lower Ping River suitable to be established as a national park.

So, key facts:

• Ob Luang - roughly translates to "Large Straight" referring to the Mae Chaem river cutting through the canyon walls
• Ob Luang protected by Thai government in 1966; originally designated as a site for timber harvesting
• Established as an official national park in 1991, making it the 68th national park in Thailand

Along our hike, we had opportunities to view remnants of a grave from the Bronze Period (3300-1200 BCE) and pictographs (paintings on rock).

The Mae Chaem river was lower than it was a week ago, but still flowing quickly.

Mae Chaem River

Students enjoying the hike

These students are on the bridge that you can see in the first photo

Enjoying the view from the top

Enjoying the view from the top

I told them to all look and point in different directions :)

Contemplating the deeper meaning of life

After finishing the hike, we completed our drive to Chiang Mai, where folks had free time the rest of the day. I was able to convince Kathryn and Han to join me for a return trip to Tong Tem Toh, the restaurant that still holds the #1 slot for best meal in Thailand for me on this trip. Nathan, this photo/caption is for you!

Northern Thai Cuisine at Tong Tem Toh. We had nam prik noom (on the center plate), a dipping sauce made from banana peppers, jeen som mok kai (same plate, lower right) a fermented pork and egg sausage, sai ua (also same plate), pork sausage mixed with galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and chiles, some sautéed morning glory (the green vegetable on the right), the Burmese style pork curry, Kaeng hang lay (still my favorite-- upper right), and some other pork dish (left) that I can't remember the name of. 

Thanks to this site (link) for the names of dishes and descriptions

Tomorrow is another free day in Chiang Mai. We hope to visit some Wats in the old city and try out a few more restaurants!

Thailand Day 18: Omkoi (Banyang Kaew School - last day)

Last full day in Omkoi!

We started the day off by visiting a satellite school associated with the Banyang Kaew School--this school is located in an even more remote location than the main school. The May Term Thailand program completed some service projects at this school in 2019 (the last time this program ran pre-COVID), so it was cool return to this school and see how the infrastructure projects were faring. Students were also able to pop into some of the classrooms to converse and practice English with the kiddos.

Students touring the satellite campus

After touring the school, we loaded up the trucks, along with some of the older students from the satellite school, to return to the main Banyang Kaew campus. The primary focus of today was spending time with the students and teachers. Our first activity was planting trees around the campus. Westminster students were paired with Thai students to plant a pair of trees. Our hope is that we can get updates from the school with some photos of how the trees and students are growing!

Students planting trees

The nursing students and I were then asked to provide the Thai teachers with a basic first aid demonstration, so we helped them learn how to pack a basic first aid kit and treat minor wounds. While we were completing our first aid demonstration, other students were helping to plow and plant a rice field. 

Nursing students partnering with the Thai faculty to pack first aid kits

Plowing a rice field

After breaking for lunch, we gathered together (all Thai students and all Westminster students) for a field day of sorts. The Banyang Kaew School organized a fantastic lineup of challenges:

• Pid Ta Tee Moh - this is a traditional Thai game. "Pid Ta" refers to a blindfold. Tee - a baton. Moh - a pot (I think? It was hard to find any information on this game or a spelling of the game's name). Students are blindfolded and handed a baton (in this case, it was a piece of bamboo) and they have to run across a field and be the first to hit a pot with their baton (we used metal boxes). 
• Potato sack race
• 5-legged race
• [name unknown] game in which a baton is tied between the legs of the competitor and they have to hit a ball down the field without touching it with their hands

The field day culminated in a soccer match between the Westminster students and Thai students. 

After games were complete, each grade (age group) of Thai students performed a dance for the Westminster students, after which the Westminster students performed a dance to Shakira's Waka Waka. I took a bunch of videos but I don't think they load very well on the blog, so I'll try and post them on social media.

Students lining up for the 5-legged race

Aftermath of the 5-legged race

Thai students performing a dance routine for Westminster students

Getting to watch our students form relationships with the Thai students was such a special experience. I think it was the most joy I've seen from our students on the trip thus far. Lots of smiles and laughter and dancing. The Principal, Paul, concluded the day with a Thank You Ceremony and Celebration in the new Language Center. 

Westminster Students and Thai staff celebrating the end of a wonderful week in front of the new Language Center

Tomorrow, we return to Chiang Mai. I believe the plan is to visit a middle school in Omkoi and complete a hike in Op Luang National Park before we arrive in Chiang Mai. Cheers!

Thailand Day 17: Omkoi (Banyang Kaew School - Day 2)

I'm keeping the post short and sweet tonight. It's 7:37pm Thailand time and I'm really excited by the prospect of being asleep by 8:30. 

We had a *full* day of physically demanding work. A small group finished up applying a second coat of stain to the floor of the new Language Center, and after that, it was all hands on deck for concrete work. The school had a professional crew do the concrete mixing, framing of the driveway, and actual pouring/spreading of the concrete, but our group was responsible for shoveling and shuttling buckets of gravel and sand from one side of the grounds to the concrete truck for mixing. 

Our group worked well together. At times, it felt like there might be a few too many cooks in the kitchen (30 people is a lot!) but it was cool to see everyone find a role that was valuable to the team, and folks were happy to sub in and out for each other when someone needed a break from shoveling or bucket shuttling. We committed to getting the driveway project complete today, and it took us from 9AM to nearly 6PM tonight, but we got it done and it looks great.

During breaks today, our students were able to meet up the elementary school kids to play some pick-up soccer or teach each other dances. We all agreed that the 10-year-old Thai students were way better dancers than our group, and their songs were really fun!

The completed Language Center after we applied the second coating to the floor

About halfway done with the concrete project

Westminster students learning dances from the Thai students

Westminster students learning dances from the Thai students

Westminster students playing soccer with Thai students

Getting ready to pass 26 buckets of gravel!

Driving home from the school after a long and fulfilling day

Tomorrow is our last full day at the Banyang Kaew School. I think I'll be working with the Westminster nursing students to teach basic first aid to the teachers while the rest of the group participates in a rice planting demonstration, among some other activities. With that, I'm off to bed. Cheers!