Feb 22

Allison left last night to go back to America. It was sad that she left because she really wanted to stay longer. I wish she could have too because all the kids and the staff were glad she came and it was great having another Physical Therapist here. Her leaving means that I only have about 3 more weeks here. Normally I would have 2 and ½ weeks left to volunteer with CCD, ending on a Friday and fly out on a Monday the 13th. However, there is a team of 8 people coming in on the 7th and the volunteer houses are going to be overcrowded by 2 people for the remaining days that me and Sarah are here. We decided that amidst the commotion it might be a good idea to take a few days to get out of the houses and go rest somewhere when the new people are coming in. So, we’re going to stop a week early and go recap the 6 months and start mentally preparing to go home. After Sarah leaves on the 9th I’m going to stay in Bangkok at a cheap guest house and visit with P Charlie and his family in the slums and take care of any unfinished business. I haven’t thought any about what it’s going to be like when I have to leave, and probably I won’t really think about it until a couple days before. I definitely will miss the guys I work with though and everyone else here. It’s definitely easy to fall in love with this country.

I’m thinking a lot more about coming out here for 5 years to do work among the slums in Bangkok with an organization called Servant Partners. The slums seem to breed hopelessness and sins which breed more sins and more hopelessness. I would be serving people through Servant Partners by helping to encourage social justice and spiritual freedom in the lives of the people. I was supposed to go today and meet again with one of the guys working in this organization, but he had lots of appointments today and so we rescheduled for next week. Instead I made it to the dentist and had my teeth cleaned and X Rayed for $22.50. Not bad considering I have no health insurance.

Upon returning home I was greeted by a snake in my room. Not sure what kind it was, but it seemed pretty scared once it realized I was still going to try to catch it despite the fact that it pretended it might bite me at first. After chasing it into every corner of my room I finally caught it using a coat hanger and my hand (a little technique I learned watching The Crocodile Hunter on the Discover Channel…see, TV can be a good thing). I figure that the snake was in my room anyways because it’s about 8000 degrees C. outside today, so I had some compassion on him and didn’t want to kill it. I dropped it off my balcony out back and then went to try to find it so I could take it to some guys and ask what kind it was. After I got downstairs though I couldn’t find it. Ah well.