I have enjoyed interactions with my community, both near and far, the past couple of weeks. As John shared in his recent blog post, we did make it out to the Fireball Festival recently - and thankfully, didn't bring anything home with us like we did last year (ahem, dengue fever).
We had several outings the following week as well - such as a GSV Community of Three bike ride to Nongkhai, which included a much needed haircut for yours truly, delicious bowls of guay tee-ow (a Northeastern Thai noodle soup), lots of flour-purchasing by Lauren, and of course breaks for ice cream.
We also went to the opening and blessing of Gate's new home. Gate is one of the social workers here, and she is a lovely person to be around - as is her family. We may have eaten 'second breakfasts' that day, thanks to their hospitality.
Yet another excursion included a trip to P. Bon's new home as well. She is in the final stages of completion, so John jumped in to assist the pile of men raising electrical poles - while Lauren and I did essential things like play with P. Bon's granddaughter and eat snacks.
I also got in a few Skype sessions with a couple of my sisters, which is always a treat. As I've shared and as you have probably read between the lines, the final third of our volunteer commitment has been surprisingly challenging. So this recent burst of community and sharing has been definitively valued.
Selfie exploration: Me with Sr. Mary's monkey, and the result of my bike accident
I feel like we have begun to establish a groove of living with another community member, and it feels good that the dust is finally settling a bit.
Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers, as our patient load is quite high and there were some recent staffing changes recently. Everyone is managing quite well, so let's focus on sustainability.
Until next time - sowatdee kha!
Rice-harvesting for some has begun.