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
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