Sawadeeka Bprae Taet Thai

Has it been 4 months already? A few weeks ago I felt ready to pack up and go home to my family. I was homesick- in need of a hug from my grandmother, hungry for bagels and pizza and New York City’s merciless winter air. With only a few hours until I am finally home though, I cannot believe it’s already time to say goodbye.

I am currently sitting in the airport in Korea, waiting for the 14 -hour flight that will take me home to my family. I'm excited, I really am. There is so much to look forward to- Christmas, my last semester in college and my mom and brothers living only an hour away from me in New Jersey! They moved to New Jersey from Ecuador the day after I left for Thailand. My heart fills up with joy when I think about it but a big part of me is not ready to leave. I feel like in Thailand, there is still so much left to explore, so much more to learn and even more to reflect on.

These past four months, I've learned and loved so much. In the classroom, I've had the opportunity to develop opinions about topics that before this experience, I knew nothing about. Not only that, so much of what I learned was reinforced through excursions and opportunities to directly connect with the people and places we read about in our textbooks or heard about through lectures. I am thankful for this unique learning experience and all of the people that have opened themselves up to share incredible stories of devotion, struggle and survival. Despite moments of discomfort and confusion, these past four months have been the happiest months of my life full of adventures, beautiful people and eye-opening experiences.

Saying goodbye has never been easy for me. I do not want to lose the meaningful connections I've made with the people, the culture, this beautiful country. But the connections have been made and for that, I am so incredibly thankful. I don't mean to overuse the word "beautiful" but that is just what this experience has been- absolutely stunning in every possible way.

Below, I’ve included some of my last-minute Thailand adventures. Thailand, thank you for your warmth, your smiles, your huge heart. Di chan rak kun ka maak maak!

Ya pronto llego Nueva York.

Flight of the Gibbon

I won a raffle at Payap International Day and got to the zip line through the the Thai rainforest.

Tigers

Playing with tigers on my friend Loretta's birthday.

Palmy

I've developed a love for Thai pop music, haha. My friends and I went to see Palmy, a famous Thai singer in Chiang Mai last week. We danced all night to lyrics we didn't really understand and it was so much fun!

Pai

Loretta and I joined some of our Thai friends on their annual winter break trip to Pai. It was the first time Loretta and I got the chance to get around on a motor bike.

Man made ferris wheel!

My roommate Lookpla and I

Saying Goodbye

Thai and Southeast Asian Studies Program Fall 2011.

And finally the person that was always there to shine up everybody's day, Jayje!

สู้ๆ = Finish Strong

Sometimes I forget how much I love to write and how incredibly therapeutic it is. After feeling like I’ve been drowning in tons of research and academic writing, I have made little time to sit down and reflect on my feelings. I am going home in two weeks, my last day of school is on Friday and as the departure date approaches, I am feeling overwhelmed, anxious and even a little frustrated. Despite all of the negative emotions that lie on the surface though, inside my soul is experiencing a level of thankfulness I've never felt before...

I write to you in the midst of finals prep. I spent the week writing papers, preparing presentations, doing research and did hours of work every single day. This week will be quite similar as I prepare for another research paper, another presentation and exams! Woo hoo to the last week of school!

“An entire generation is vanishing in the shadows of AIDS” - Reporter Alice Park.

The past couple of days I’ve been working on my final integration paper for my service-learning course. Thursday was my last day with Grandma Cares and as I reflected on my experience, I felt so proud and thankful to have been given the opportunity to work with not only such a beautiful organization but an incredible person like Khun Hope.

Soy Chicana from Tejas! she says. Hope or Esperanza is Mexican-American and has lived in Chiang Mai for over 40 years dedicating her time to easing the hardships of rural children and families who have been affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. I have not written much about Khun Hope but Ella es la jefa- she is the boss and it is through her leadership and guidance that Grandma Cares continues to change the lives of over 70 families in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Four months ago, Khun Hope and I sat down and established goals regarding the website. Our small-scale goals became updating the website to be visually attractive as well as easy to navigate, concise but also informational. Our primary goal though was to gain sponsors for our 32 children still in need of sponsors. Throughout my experience with Grandma Cares, I dedicated my time to getting the word out there through casual conversations with classmates, Chiang Mai strangers, the website, Facebook Fan page and brochures. Whether it was teaching at the Bon Mae Yoi school or working in the office, I've had many positive experiences and as a human services student, I am happy to have spent 4 months learning the way an NGO works, especially one so committed to facilitating Quality of Life. In the end, I think that I as an individual have not made a huge impact on the issues Grandma Cares aims to address but I can only hope that what I did do serves as a positive step toward making Grandma Care's mission a reality.

I leave Grandma Cares with a new outlook on HIV/AIDS, not only as a disease that affects the person who has it but also as something that affects a population of children and families that are often overlooked. In Thailand, many children are orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS often left in the care of aging grandparents who don’t have the financial or physical stability to care for their grandchildren. Through their sponsorship program, Grandma Cares provides children with the funds they need to continue their education. And through vocational training, they offer grandparents and relatives emotional, financial and psychological support in an effort to keep families that are often torn apart due to HIV/AIDS, the opportunity to stay together.

To learn more about Grandma Cares: http://www.grandmacares.org/

To stay updated on what Grandma Cares is doing, be sure to "like" our Facebook Fan Page: Grandma Cares Partnership Program.

สู้ๆ or “su su” means “finish strong!” in Thai. As I prepare for finals and the inevitable and dreaded task of saying goodbye, I am trying my best to stay strong (and focused!). We are all going a little crazy, I think, trying to “finish strong” but also get the most out of our last bit in Thailand. This weekend, I say goodbye to a handful of people that have opened my mind up to perspectives and ideas I never even considered. So much has happened in the last 4 months and together we’ve laughed, learned, loved and supported each other with hugs and therapeutic conversations in moments of overwhelming stress and sadness.

School ends on Friday and I will be in Thailand for 7 days with no responsibilities- just me and the country that has given me more than I ever imagined.

Y finalmenete, el 23 Diciembre termina unas de las mejores experiencias de mi vida.

Grandma Cares Partnership Program

Khun Hope and I on Dec. 2 at Payap University's International Day Fair selling scarves made by the Padaeng Village Women's Weaving Group.

Last Day at the Bon Mae Yoi School