So... what can I tell you about being in Thailand and at Bamboo School so far? One of my most favorite moments so far is of a little boy appropriately named Moremorechore, who proudly holding up his finger with a big, gross booger on it yelled, "Teacher! Look!". I promptly made him go wash his hands. His proud fat booger reassuring me that yes, this is really where I should be. On my first day back at Bamboo School, Moremorechore also started a fire, on purpose, in the bushes right next to a bamboo dorm. The smoke from the fire gave him away, as well as, the lighter in his hand. I gave him a good spank on the rear and made him carry the water to put it out the fire. He really wasn't that sorry for it, seeing as he was grinning from ear to ear in-spite of the spanking and water carrying. I do think he likes to just make more and more chores for us volunteers.
I have also been doing a lot of grunt work clearing out overgrowth in order to develop a new garden. It is very difficult to hoe and turn over the ground here because the soil is very very rocky. I can only carry a half bucket of dirt because it is so dense and heavy. I have also been cutting back a lot of grass with machetes. I like to imagine myself bravely hacking through the jungle looking for missing Bamboo School children as I hack away. Chances are, it will happen too. Its quite prickly work though. There are great big thorny plants that grow amongst the grass so you have to wear thick clothing from top to bottom in order to avoid getting stickers and thorns stuck everywhere. In between the fingers is the worst!
Another lovely memory is swimming at the lake with the little girls. The lake is nestled amongst the jungly mountains and towards 4:30 or 5:00 pm the sun begins to tuck in behind the mountains and there is a very hazy, sun setting glow mixed with the sounds of little girls playing in the water. It is a very calming and beautiful time. Although, I have to suppress the fear of snakes every time I go swimming. I can just picture a snake making itself cozy with my ankles under the water.
I also get to make new friends with the other volunteers here. Ryan and Jesse, a young married couple around their 30's, introduced me to Tim Tam Slams. Tim Tams are a type of chocolate cookie from New Zealand and Australia. So a Tim Tam slam is biting the ends off the rectangular cookie and sucking hot chocolate through the cookie until the chocolate in the cookie melts and you have to slam the melting cookie into your mouth so you don't lose it into your hot chocolate. Very yummy and messy!
Well, thats all for know. There is so much more that I can write about but it will have to wait until another day.
