THAILAND: Last Working Day {DEPDC & Orphanage}

The Tuesday before I left Thailand was our last workday. There weren't a lot of us left so I went to DEPDC to take pictures for them. DEPDC (Development & Education Program for Daughters & Communities in the Greater Mekong Sub‐region) is a non‐profit, community‐based NGO working to prevent the trafficking of women and children into the sex industry and other exploitative child labor situations. DEPDC offers free education, vocational training, and full‐time accommodations for vulnerable children and teens who do not have access to Thailand’s public education system. The kids there are INSANE. I have never heard that much noise the whole time I was in Thailand. That day was a party day so they made thank you cards and then once I left to go to the orphanage they watched a movie. 

Krystal and Dave

 making thank you posters for some of the teachers

 Dave hard at work

 Aubrey. The kids are very touchy and clingy at DEPDC.

Group picture with Krystal and Aubrey

No one "was able" to go to the Orphanage to help teach with me so I prepared a last minute lesson by myself while eating lunch at one of the little places next to the bus station. I went over to the guys on the scooters for a ride to the place where we teach but they mixed up the office with the actual orphanage. I knew they would too. But I had no way of explaining it to them and no cell phone to have someone else speak to them in thai so I let them take me 30 mins all the way out to the orphanage where I might have the hope of finding someone to explain it to the driver. I am actually really glad that I got to have that last ride out there, especially on the back of a scooter. The drive out to the orphanage is breathtaking and it was a perfect sunny day. The sky was filled with the most gorgeous clouds I have ever seen and the mountains and rice fields were beautiful shades of green. I wish I could've stopped to take some photographs, but the memory is just as valuable. 

On the long road in to the orphanage we passed a man driving a truck and I recognized him as one of the teachers and had him stop. Eventually through some broken communication he explained to my driver to take me back into town to the office so I could teach. I was nervous at first because he kept driving in to the orphanage so I thought he didn't understand, but I had a bag of clothes to donate with me and they had me drop it off there (although no one was there to receive them, so I just left them outside the door). I finally made it to the office to teach, but some of the kids were missing unfortunately. But I taught those that were there. They were kind of crazy that day too. The craziest i've seen them actually. After playing an intense game of pictionary, we mutually decided it was time to end the lesson a little bit short. I wanted some pictures with them since it was my last time there but I had no other volunteers with me to help so I finally found one the people in the office to take one for me and then I think Phet took the second picture of me with the little girl. 

She was literally attached to my leg like a monkey while I was teaching that day. She kept reaching for me to hold her but since she didn't have a diaper on (and believe me I could tell) I tried to resist as much as possible but in the end she liked me tipping her upside down so much that I didn't stand a chance. 

It was a bit harder teaching them by myself that day, but looking back I am kind of glad that it was just me that got to see them for the last time. I was able to reflect back on all my experiences there (although short). I was there from the beginning of the project and as the lead I got to see it to the end (at least for now). I wish we could've had a party for them that last day, I wish I could've better explained that it was my last day and I wouldn't be coming back, and most of all I wish I could've spent more time with the children there. Paulo, however, knew. I really think he understood that it was the end and he was the only one that saw me all the way out and watched as the truck pulled out that day to take me to the bus station. Since he is a boy he isn't really used to girls hugging him, but I gave him a hug on the way out anyway. He really is an amazing kid and the deepest part of me wishes that he will have the bright future I know he, and all of the children, deserve. He is such a hard worker, and I know if given the right opportunity, he will succeed. On the ride to catch my bus one of the teacher was talking to me in the very small amount of english he knew, and it was so touching. You can tell how grateful they are for any help, because they care so much about those children and want them to have a better life.

BURMA {Myanmar}

The monday before I left Thailand I went up to Burma (Myanmar) for a day. By myself. With no cell phone. Probably not the safest thing for me to do ever but something I had to do. Especially since I was leaving on Wednesday and time was running out. I was supposed to go on Saturday but the tour guide that the group had been using was very hard to get a hold of. He is a Burmese man living in Thailand in a cave with monks and he rarely ever gets service. in a cave. with monks. So I finally got him to agree to meet me on Monday but I wasn't sure if he got my message about the time we were going to meet. But I took the bus 2 hours up to Mae Sai a northern border city that we go to a lot for the orphanage and DEPDC. And then I took a song tao to the border and waited near passport control on a bench for about 30 minutes. Then a man came up to me and asked if I was there for a tour with Saimoon. Yes I was. And so it began. Me and Saimoon on an adventure through Burma all day, as I rode on the back of a scooter with him. 

In front of the border of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Saimoon asked to take this picture for me, "good for remembrance," which was very nice of him and he continued to take pictures for me throughout the trip, without me even asking. 

it's monsoon season in southeast asia and it had been raining the two days previous to my visit so the market and surrounding streets were flooded, in some spots up to the knees. 

City of the Golden Trian

First stop: Buddhist nunnery. The ones in pink are Burmese and the ones in the light purple/white are Thai

They concentrate every body movement they make.

We visited a lot of small villages that day and all of them had a group of kids walking around or playing because it was a school holiday.

in Burma they wear cloth in the form of a skirt 

temple

okay, orange means it's a monk but my impression was and still is that this person is a woman. so i am still confused on the gender of this individual. either way this person saw was very cute and shy especially since i took a picture of them washing. haha probably should've asked but there are some things you must sacrifice for the sake of the picture.

starving and a mother. somehow my problems don't seem so bad.

western puppies

small monks playing with puppies? adorable. 

so much trash everywhere. it was so sad. for the most part we were out in the country where it was beautiful but when we were in the city it was extremely poor and extremely trashed. i didn't take very many pictures of that aspect of Burma especially since i was on a scooter but it's the saddest place i have ever been and even though burma is a dangerous war-torn country i never felt threatened. however i did have bad feelings while i was there. it was a very seedy place where everyone was desperate to the point where they do what they can to survive. 

we also went to a cemetery where saimoon told me some very interesting life stories complete with some choice cuss words. saimoon was a drunk who would often sleep on tombstones. but now he has reformed. thank goodness for monks in caves.

baby butt #1

saimoon led me through some very tricky/slippery areas and when we would get to the really muddy spots he would have me hold on his towel just in case. 

in burma they put this off-white cream/paint concoction on their faces to protect their skin form the sun

baby monks!

buddhist temple again

the clouds in southeast asia are amazing

he also took me to a woodworking shop...

where we were served all kinds of fruit (mango, pomelo) with the salt mixture by...

this man. apparently he is the wealthiest man in the village and built up his fortune through his business.

then we drove up to another temple up on the mountain with a gorgeous view. this temple was heavily funded and therefore it was gorgeous. 

you can't really tell but there are monks bathing in this picture.

food offerings

it was just going to be me in this picture but saimoon decided he wanted them in it too haha they were timid about being in it and tried to resist but saimoon won in the end. 

love her.

me infront of the temple

every time i tried to take a picture of them they would run away...

so i put the camera down and snapped it secretly. my method for most of these pictures i took, and some of them actually look presentable. 

baby butt #2

saimoon!

another temple with a amazing view

for one of the upcoming festivals

saimoon explained what all these meant but i don't quite remember now, but he did go on a rant about how people who eat animals will be burned i think

sleeping people/monks

those piles of sand have significance for the upcoming festival but i have forgotten what that is

big holy tree

we also went to a chinese buddhist temple

chinese pagoda

and then we drove up the mountain to get a bird's eye view but it took a lot of effort to get up there. which includes driving through tons of mud in which we got stuck so saimoon had me get of the bike while he rode up leaving me to walk through the slippery mud and get very dirty. fun times. 

saimoon talking to some locals to ask for directions down the mountain minus all the mud. and again the clouds are amazing. 

first floor flooded of most of the buildings. which meant that most of the market was closed but i still managed to buy 66 movies all for around a dollar each. i have an addiction for movies so it was hard stopping. i was going to buy some fake ray bans too but i didn't really have time. because the border closes at like 5:30ish and the last bus leaves at 6 for chiang rai. 

overall i am glad i went to Burma. it was eye-opening and a great experience. i have never seen anywhere like it, but i don't ever wish to go back. the whole time i was there i just kept thinking about how i wanted to be back in thailand. but i made it home safely and survived burma all by myself without a cell phone. when i came back through customs in detroit on the way home the man looking through my documents saw that i went to burma and then proceeded to lecture me on how i shouldn't have gone to such a dangerous place and then got more mad when he realized that i didn't really care all that much haha, whoops. 

so that's it for BURMA. now onto the rest of Thailand. which should only be like 1 or 2 more posts! YAY!