Hi! This morning started with a trip to Huai Yang school for the dedication ceremony of PUC Thailand 138. They did a phenomenal job building a water filtration system with 10 sinks for the students to receive potable water. Congrats PUC Thailand 138!!
The opening ceremony was followed by lunch. Not just any lunch but an enormous Thai feast with countless plates being brought to our table. We had Pad Thai, Tom Yum soup, fried frog legs, chicken skewers, fish, several noodle dishes, fried chicken, fruit salad, ice cream, pumpkin bars, grapes, cherry apples, and of course, sticky rice and mango!
After lunch, we returned to the church and took a nice long nap. When we all woke up, we played cards for the rest of the day while taking breaks to pack. As an afternoon snack, we went over to the pastors' house and had fresh coconuts. They were delicious!
Dinner was bittersweet as we had some pizza but said goodbye to close friends. Amongst those were Khem, our cooks, and our translator Ploy. These people have been instrumental to our success while in Thailand, and we'll hold onto our memories with them forever.
Personally, these last 3 weeks have taught me a huge lesson in humility. To make a successful project, many people are involved, including those at the New Life Church, students and teachers at the Ban Thap Ta Thaen school, advisors at UT Austin, contractors, Khem, Pastor Mike, Pastor Dar, Mary Lou, the 7 team members, and friends/family cheering us on in the US. Everyone involved taught me invaluable life lessons, and there's a couple I want to highlight:
Learn to laugh at yourself the way Taylor constantly does
See things from others' perspectives just like Maddie
Ask the right questions to incite good conversation the way Reese does
Be carefree and go with the flow the way Kevan does
Add humor to every situation like Sara
Stay objective and tackle the root issue the way Margaret does under stress
Have a good work ethic and mold your own future like our travel advisor, Mary Lou
Give and give with no expectation of receiving the way Khem does to everyone every day
Turn strangers into family the way Pastors Mike and Dar did to us
Be kind and friendly just like our translator, Ploy
Welcome others with open arms just like every community member of Thap Luang and Don Klang
THANK YOU ALL!!
These past few weeks taught us more than any of us could have asked for. Though we are excited to go back home, we are sad to leave the village of Dan Klang. As I was leaving Ban Thap Ta Thaen yesterday, one kid asked me when we would return. Hopefully, the answer to that question is soon!
Tonight we will go to sleep early because we leave for Bangkok at 2:30 am. We'll enjoy a whole day of sightseeing before going back to the US on the 13th.
Signing off for the last time,
Andres