"It costs nothing to dream, and everything not to."
-Unknown
....huh..... touché
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Back to the "Normal World"
Sorry for the big gap between posts, but I've been away for 2 weeks at my RYLA camp and my Northern Trip, and haven't had a chance to blog. But now I've got a lot of stuff to talk about!
So on the 11th of October, I left with Jenni, Hannah, Carol and 3 other Thai students from my city for the 8 hour drive to Chiang Rai. We arrived at some Institute for International Development, and were immediately greeted by music and dancing and smiles. The leader for the camp were set up outside a big open hall filled with abuot 200 Thai and exchange students. Before we were admitted, we were given some war paint looking stuff on our faces and had to give a little dance. Thats one way to break the ice I guess... :)
The camp went on with lots of games and activities to get to know everyone, but also to give students the opportunity to lead, possibly a new experience for many students, considering how shy the majority of them are. That day and the next went by much the same. We had a few speakers talk about leadership (in Thai...) and we watched a movie about the education system here, and how many rural communities lack the funds to give their children a good education, which just further worsens their situation, as the rest of the world progresses, yet they're stuck in a perpetual cycle or farm work and labour intensive jobs throughout the generations. It was interesting to see such an in-depth look at this problem, and although many of us were already aware of these issues, it was really good to see it from a solely Thai perspective, and not an "international aid" point of view.
The following day, (the 13th) we all headed a couple dozen miles down the road to the Hall of Opium; a museum dedicated to the history of the illegal drug trade and its impact on the Thai people, especially in the regions surrounding the Golden Triangle. It was actually a really cool place, and I learnt way more about drugs than I ever thought I would at a Rotary sanctioned event.
After that we split up into 3 groups who all went their separate ways for the day to each do different volunteer activities. 1 of the groups went to a temple to help clean it up a bit, the second I'm not entirely sure about, they too might have cleaned a temple, and my group went to a nearby primary school to repaint their playground. We spent the afternoon doing our good deeds and painting each other almost as much as we painted the park. You gotta remember to have fun too! However the Thai way to get paint off your skin is... well... paint thinner. So I had to scrub down my hands, arms and bits of my face with paint thinner. That wasn't much fun. That night we had a big talent show for all the attendees. The Canadians, Americans, French, and Taiwanese put together a dance to "Journey-Dont Stop Believing". Im not going to lie. It was fantastic, especially considering we only had about 2 hours to create the dance from scratch and practice it. That was a heck of a blast!
The final day of RYLA we were presented with certificates, had a big hug circle things where every person hugged or shook hands with every other student. That took over an hour, but I guess it was a good way to make sure you got to say goodbye to everyone. As of like 10am that day, us Kamphaeng Phet-ers still had no idea how we were getting home. We we're able to check our email, where our Committee chairman had sorted things out for us. The 3 girls were to go together to Phrae with another inbound student, and I was heading back to Lampang with 2 of the guys to stay at one of their houses for the 1 day we had between RYLA and the Northern Trip.
It was kinda strange to leave the girls from my city, because I had spent so much of my time in Thailand with them, and had never really been away from them, but I figured it was due time for me to get out and have some good 'ol guy time. You know, do stupid, immature things that girls don't really condone. :)
That will have to be all I recount for now, as it's back to the books tomorrow, and it's getting late. Stories from my Northern Trip should follow in the next couple of days, as well as a video and some more pictures!
Much love,
Cole
So on the 11th of October, I left with Jenni, Hannah, Carol and 3 other Thai students from my city for the 8 hour drive to Chiang Rai. We arrived at some Institute for International Development, and were immediately greeted by music and dancing and smiles. The leader for the camp were set up outside a big open hall filled with abuot 200 Thai and exchange students. Before we were admitted, we were given some war paint looking stuff on our faces and had to give a little dance. Thats one way to break the ice I guess... :)
The camp went on with lots of games and activities to get to know everyone, but also to give students the opportunity to lead, possibly a new experience for many students, considering how shy the majority of them are. That day and the next went by much the same. We had a few speakers talk about leadership (in Thai...) and we watched a movie about the education system here, and how many rural communities lack the funds to give their children a good education, which just further worsens their situation, as the rest of the world progresses, yet they're stuck in a perpetual cycle or farm work and labour intensive jobs throughout the generations. It was interesting to see such an in-depth look at this problem, and although many of us were already aware of these issues, it was really good to see it from a solely Thai perspective, and not an "international aid" point of view.
The following day, (the 13th) we all headed a couple dozen miles down the road to the Hall of Opium; a museum dedicated to the history of the illegal drug trade and its impact on the Thai people, especially in the regions surrounding the Golden Triangle. It was actually a really cool place, and I learnt way more about drugs than I ever thought I would at a Rotary sanctioned event.
After that we split up into 3 groups who all went their separate ways for the day to each do different volunteer activities. 1 of the groups went to a temple to help clean it up a bit, the second I'm not entirely sure about, they too might have cleaned a temple, and my group went to a nearby primary school to repaint their playground. We spent the afternoon doing our good deeds and painting each other almost as much as we painted the park. You gotta remember to have fun too! However the Thai way to get paint off your skin is... well... paint thinner. So I had to scrub down my hands, arms and bits of my face with paint thinner. That wasn't much fun. That night we had a big talent show for all the attendees. The Canadians, Americans, French, and Taiwanese put together a dance to "Journey-Dont Stop Believing". Im not going to lie. It was fantastic, especially considering we only had about 2 hours to create the dance from scratch and practice it. That was a heck of a blast!
The final day of RYLA we were presented with certificates, had a big hug circle things where every person hugged or shook hands with every other student. That took over an hour, but I guess it was a good way to make sure you got to say goodbye to everyone. As of like 10am that day, us Kamphaeng Phet-ers still had no idea how we were getting home. We we're able to check our email, where our Committee chairman had sorted things out for us. The 3 girls were to go together to Phrae with another inbound student, and I was heading back to Lampang with 2 of the guys to stay at one of their houses for the 1 day we had between RYLA and the Northern Trip.
It was kinda strange to leave the girls from my city, because I had spent so much of my time in Thailand with them, and had never really been away from them, but I figured it was due time for me to get out and have some good 'ol guy time. You know, do stupid, immature things that girls don't really condone. :)
That will have to be all I recount for now, as it's back to the books tomorrow, and it's getting late. Stories from my Northern Trip should follow in the next couple of days, as well as a video and some more pictures!
Much love,
Cole
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| View from my room... Jealous?? |
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Makes ya Stop and Think...
So just another day in the life of an exchanger. Wake up, eat breakfast with the fam, head to the National Park for a "run", hang out with friends; the norm. However, tonight something rather out of the norm happened.
We had our weekly Rotary meeting, and everything prceeded as usual. The main topics that we covered were about the 4 students from my city going to RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards), a 4 day leadership camp in Chiang Rai, and our Northern trip, an 8 day trip with all the inbounds touring Northern Thailand. All 4 of us were going to RYLA, but 1 of my friends couldn't afford the Northern Trip, so she wasn't able to go. We were all really bummed, because she would miss out on a week of crazy cool adventures, like cave exploring, seeing the Long-Neck Hill-tribesman, and visiting a royal mountain top garden; Doi Tung. It was kinda tough to be talking about it for the majority of the meeting, even though we had mostly come to terms with knowing that she wasn't coming.
As the meeting was wrapping up, our club president (the host mother of the girls who couldn't go) said her final comments and then started walking around to many of the people present who had started to pull money out of their wallets, 100, 500 and 1,000 B bills were being taken out and handed to our president. We didn't understand what our president had said at the end of the meeting, but we guessed that she was collecting gas money for someone to drive us up to the meeting location for our trips. It's about an 8 hour drive, and LPG burns pretty quickly, so we would have to fill up quite a bit.
After all the money was collected, our president counted it up, gave a bit of a nod, and everybody smiled. Most people then proceeded to turn to us, still smiling, as we sat there kind of awestruck. I mean, we get stared at a lot when new people see us, but we had attended these meetings before, so it was rather peculiar. A few of them started to point over at us, and particularly the friend of mine who couldn't go on the second trip. Her host mom then walked over to her, and through broken english and hand gestures, let us know that the people who barely knew us, many of whom have no direct implications in our lives, had just pooled together enough money to pay for my friends entire trip... We don't have a very big club, so there aren't a lot of members, and the trip costs around 15,000B. That means that each contributor put forward a substantial amount of money for her and the trip.
Many Thai people don't necessarily have a lot to give, so this gesture towards this girl means that much more. From what they have to begin with, they can still find it within themselves to give that kind of money to someone who is almost a complete stranger to them. Their actions brought a tear to my friends eyes, who graciously and very humbly took their gift. She was very considerate and appreciative of it, and while she was individually thanking people, not a single person who contributed seemed to have even the slightest inkling of regret or a sensation of being forced into it. They all just seemed happy to be able to give her the opportunity to go on the trip...
What these people did tonight will undoubtedly have a profound affect on my friend. I hope that she can see the good in these people and remember what they had done for her, and learn form it moving forward, but even if that isn't the case, she will now be able to participate on a trip where she will see and experience things the she otherwise may never have had the chance to do. Things that she can take back to her home country with her, and share with all her friends and family, and that she can cherish forever.
Whether or not I believe in the whole Buddhist vision of Merit and Karma, I damn well hope that these people get all the good luck they can, and have their prayers answered. Their completely unselfish and communal actions will go towards sending a young girl on a trip of a lifetime, and for that, they deserve some good coming back around to them.
I wish more people could see things the way these Thai people did tonight, and I truly hope that I can learn from this, and maybe start to see things in a slightly different light, a less selfish and more open-minded light.
Just something to think about...
Much Love,
Cole
We had our weekly Rotary meeting, and everything prceeded as usual. The main topics that we covered were about the 4 students from my city going to RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards), a 4 day leadership camp in Chiang Rai, and our Northern trip, an 8 day trip with all the inbounds touring Northern Thailand. All 4 of us were going to RYLA, but 1 of my friends couldn't afford the Northern Trip, so she wasn't able to go. We were all really bummed, because she would miss out on a week of crazy cool adventures, like cave exploring, seeing the Long-Neck Hill-tribesman, and visiting a royal mountain top garden; Doi Tung. It was kinda tough to be talking about it for the majority of the meeting, even though we had mostly come to terms with knowing that she wasn't coming.
As the meeting was wrapping up, our club president (the host mother of the girls who couldn't go) said her final comments and then started walking around to many of the people present who had started to pull money out of their wallets, 100, 500 and 1,000 B bills were being taken out and handed to our president. We didn't understand what our president had said at the end of the meeting, but we guessed that she was collecting gas money for someone to drive us up to the meeting location for our trips. It's about an 8 hour drive, and LPG burns pretty quickly, so we would have to fill up quite a bit.
After all the money was collected, our president counted it up, gave a bit of a nod, and everybody smiled. Most people then proceeded to turn to us, still smiling, as we sat there kind of awestruck. I mean, we get stared at a lot when new people see us, but we had attended these meetings before, so it was rather peculiar. A few of them started to point over at us, and particularly the friend of mine who couldn't go on the second trip. Her host mom then walked over to her, and through broken english and hand gestures, let us know that the people who barely knew us, many of whom have no direct implications in our lives, had just pooled together enough money to pay for my friends entire trip... We don't have a very big club, so there aren't a lot of members, and the trip costs around 15,000B. That means that each contributor put forward a substantial amount of money for her and the trip.
Many Thai people don't necessarily have a lot to give, so this gesture towards this girl means that much more. From what they have to begin with, they can still find it within themselves to give that kind of money to someone who is almost a complete stranger to them. Their actions brought a tear to my friends eyes, who graciously and very humbly took their gift. She was very considerate and appreciative of it, and while she was individually thanking people, not a single person who contributed seemed to have even the slightest inkling of regret or a sensation of being forced into it. They all just seemed happy to be able to give her the opportunity to go on the trip...
What these people did tonight will undoubtedly have a profound affect on my friend. I hope that she can see the good in these people and remember what they had done for her, and learn form it moving forward, but even if that isn't the case, she will now be able to participate on a trip where she will see and experience things the she otherwise may never have had the chance to do. Things that she can take back to her home country with her, and share with all her friends and family, and that she can cherish forever.
Whether or not I believe in the whole Buddhist vision of Merit and Karma, I damn well hope that these people get all the good luck they can, and have their prayers answered. Their completely unselfish and communal actions will go towards sending a young girl on a trip of a lifetime, and for that, they deserve some good coming back around to them.
I wish more people could see things the way these Thai people did tonight, and I truly hope that I can learn from this, and maybe start to see things in a slightly different light, a less selfish and more open-minded light.
Just something to think about...
Much Love,
Cole
Monday, October 8, 2012
Life is Good
So you know those days where you feel like nothing in the world could ever go wrong again? The days that seem like the sun could never set on you, and darkness could never touch you? The kind of day where invincibility isn't part of some far off realm, but a real sensation coursing through you? When sheer elation overwhelms you and your thoughts during every minute moment of the day?
Yeah... that was today...
To all my friends and family and Rotary members and anyone else who helped put this experience together for me, I need you guys to know how much I appreciate what you have done for me. The people Im meeting, the experiences and adventures I am having, and that are yet to come, are inconceivably extraordinary, and without your support I would never have had this opportunity. I've been here less than 2 months, and the journey you have laid before has already begun to weave itself into the very fabric of my being, to create vivid memories, relationships to last a life-time and mind opening life-lessons.
This is one big helluva thank you to every body who has contributed to the person I am today. I'll never be able to appreciate you enough...
Much love,
Wanlop Watcharawichet
William Cole Demorest
Yeah... that was today...
To all my friends and family and Rotary members and anyone else who helped put this experience together for me, I need you guys to know how much I appreciate what you have done for me. The people Im meeting, the experiences and adventures I am having, and that are yet to come, are inconceivably extraordinary, and without your support I would never have had this opportunity. I've been here less than 2 months, and the journey you have laid before has already begun to weave itself into the very fabric of my being, to create vivid memories, relationships to last a life-time and mind opening life-lessons.
This is one big helluva thank you to every body who has contributed to the person I am today. I'll never be able to appreciate you enough...
Much love,
Wanlop Watcharawichet
William Cole Demorest
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| The people along the way, create the person I am, and will always be... An intricate part of my past, present and future. |
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