2019 Youthlinc Real Life Refugee Scholarship Winners Youthlinc is pleased to announce a new…
Thailand June Day 4: Youthlinc magic
What would we do without technology? We have been loving these daily updates from Mike Denison, our Team Leader currently in Thailand. Thankfully we are very prepared for unexpected tech-related hiccups!
“DAY 4: Technology to the rescue! Yesterday my U.S. phone decided to stop working on the Thai networks, so no Internet access on that device for now. Fortunately, Thailand is super-connected even in small, remote villages such as where we are.
So I’m typing this out on the team phone our in-country-coordinator had waiting for us when we arrived. Up until now, it’s been patiently waiting in my pack for an emergency. Not sure if this qualifies, but I’m glad I can keep you up on things!
Our students have been doing a fantastic job of opening their hearts to their new Thai friends. We wanted them to try branching out even more. So we started today with a challenge: spend the day focusing on growing your circle of friends within our team. Everyone seemed to rise to the challenge. New friendships started forming right away, and the level of happiness here shot up several notches.
Did you know that mixing concrete gets REALLY difficult when you add a bunch of rocks? That’s what our sturdy mixers discovered as they prepped the cement to top the stage. Will it really be finished before we leave? I had my doubts earlier, but I’m learning this team can accomplish anything!
The library is nearly finished inside, with English charts and posters hung on the walls. Saturday we will begin our mural inside as a lasting sign of our friendship with the school.
Many of our students were able to rotate over to the community center to observe the solar dehydrators, the sewing center classes, and the large loom we donated to the village. Many of us even got the opportunity to help with the tedious process of threading the loom to prep it for weaving.
During sewing class, the village women brought several of the Thai traditional shirts they had made by hand to show and sell to our team. They were snatched up in a flash! I’m guessing we’ll see a lot more today 🙂
It’s so fun to see how much the team loves it here. They’re gaining more confidence to venture out every day. After dinner, most of them strolled down the street to buy baggy Thai pants and other new treasures.
They then headed out for more home visits to chat with local families. These wonderful Thai families are so warm and welcoming. Our students loved the opportunity to ask and answer questions in such an intimate setting.
