02-04-2008, 05:57 PM
Beachboy, good question...
I came to this particular village for recovery from dental surgery. My friend Theo just married a woman he met in Chiang Mai but originally from this village. His last visit here he met a man from London who has a home in Chiang Mai and a little cabin in this village. This friend, Anton, has allowed me to use both houses for free during my two month stay here. He arranged for a young girl (16 yrs old, Lek) to take care of me while in the village. No free public education here; she was not going to school because her family was behind on tuition. She hoped to do some work for me to earn money to pay it. I went to her school and talked to the financial aid officer, her school advisor and a teacher. That is how it began. I simply found the condition of her family and waded in. I have done this in Puna too with several families. I provide a ladder; they have to climb.
I have also found an 80 year old woman who is all alone. She never married and has no children. She lives in a little one room bamboo house about 10 x 12. She does the best she can for herself but many here give her a little food. Today I took her two containers of cooked food... Thai and American. I saw her later in the day on her porch eating and smiling. She held up the food to me and said ARROY (good). Just a little thing for someone. Same reason I brought a giant box of chocolate for the children of the village.... and a few dozen toothbrushes!
I am having fun. I am getting many of you to help me buy a "ladder" and getting it in place. It will be up to this family to climb the ladder. Nate is right in this. The other things I provide I do for the immediate comfort of the children.
Hope everyne has a wonderful day. Again, thank you for both your support and wisdom.
Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!
I came to this particular village for recovery from dental surgery. My friend Theo just married a woman he met in Chiang Mai but originally from this village. His last visit here he met a man from London who has a home in Chiang Mai and a little cabin in this village. This friend, Anton, has allowed me to use both houses for free during my two month stay here. He arranged for a young girl (16 yrs old, Lek) to take care of me while in the village. No free public education here; she was not going to school because her family was behind on tuition. She hoped to do some work for me to earn money to pay it. I went to her school and talked to the financial aid officer, her school advisor and a teacher. That is how it began. I simply found the condition of her family and waded in. I have done this in Puna too with several families. I provide a ladder; they have to climb.
I have also found an 80 year old woman who is all alone. She never married and has no children. She lives in a little one room bamboo house about 10 x 12. She does the best she can for herself but many here give her a little food. Today I took her two containers of cooked food... Thai and American. I saw her later in the day on her porch eating and smiling. She held up the food to me and said ARROY (good). Just a little thing for someone. Same reason I brought a giant box of chocolate for the children of the village.... and a few dozen toothbrushes!
I am having fun. I am getting many of you to help me buy a "ladder" and getting it in place. It will be up to this family to climb the ladder. Nate is right in this. The other things I provide I do for the immediate comfort of the children.
Hope everyne has a wonderful day. Again, thank you for both your support and wisdom.
Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"