Pecan Roll:
One of my favorite treats as a kid was a pecan roll. I’d always start by eating the outside of the spiral…it was so good because it was the first bites…but the more I nibbled my way to the center spiral…the better it tasted. I remember savoring that final center bite. Being here is like eating a pecan roll. The first few days were a treat being new and exciting but as the days go by…and I learn more…the richer & better it gets.
School Visit:
We always love visiting schools & so we hopped on the bike and rode to the school that our kids attend. Just inside the gate was a small building--I figured guard--wrong. It was a barber shop. Not sure if that meant they had a short hair policy or if it was just handy to be there. We managed to find someone who spoke enough English to give us permission to visit the classrooms. Neat bulletin boards, wooden desks, blackboards & about 40 kids in each class greeted us with giggles & snickers. The teachers were enthusiastic & let us participate. In some classrooms, we sang Itsy, Bitsy Spider…others we read aloud in their textbook & the higher English class was doing a dance--Right, Left, Forward, Backward, and Spin & Jump--so we did. The teacher was projecting a program that illustrated the movements & each kid wore a headphone which I assume was saying the words in English. Anyways, it was fun. Each time we found one of our students, we could sense their happiness at seeing us.
Big PJ Party:
Many nights I visit the girls’ dorm and it takes me back (way back) to my middle/high school PJ party days. The girls are doing each other’s hair, putting on make up, laughing at pictures in a book & generally having a good time. Last night, they were “doing up MooMooPu”. Bright red lipstick & rouge, black eyelids, Cleopatra eyes, & backcombed hair with fresh flowers. I have been the center of several of these make up sessions. Imagine, spending every night with your friends. So often I see them walking arm & arm, sharing laughs. Though it pains me to think they don’t have their parents…at least they have each other & of course, Big Mama (Tasanee).
Saturday Company:
Tasanee invited her brother’s family to church today…His family included his wife, 9 daughters, mother, aunt, and about 40 kids he cares for (at the Safe Haven Learning Center which is where we dropped food & blankets that first week). Church started up shortly after they arrived…but didn’t end shortly after. Singing, preaching, singing, bible reading, singing and more singing filled up over two hours. Lunch was then served to all--guest first. As usual, Rog & I didn’t know what the game plan was for the day, so about 1 we set out some art supplies. Ever seen flies on honey??? Two hours later, people started gathering at the church again, so we did a quick clean up & back to church. More singing…one time with Tasanee’s brother playing chords on the piano, preaching, singing, etc…just under two hours. Then back to the art projects until dinner…again for all…and with cookies too. Soccer was next with the big guys playing on one end & the younger boys on the other. Didn’t seem to matter that they often mingled & most were playing on the cement surface barefooted. Around 7, about half jumped in the back of the truck & Chom drove them home & then came back for the rest. Now that’s what you call “Having company for the day.”
Catholic Church:
We finally got around to stopping by the Catholic Church. We met a young girl & older couple all from France. The young girl was working for an NGO evidently checking up on their donated funds & teaching English. The older couple was making furniture for the church & for small villages the priest visits. The grounds housed kids from the small villages too far for the kids to walk to daily. The whole place was quite upscale--compared to Safe Haven. Church had woven roof with carved trim, teak flooring, colored windows & several nice statues. We were surprised that no one there even knew about Safe Haven. We found out what time church was (not that going to church everyday at Safe Haven wasn’t enough) & on Sunday arrived to see all the girls dressed in gorgeous white Karen gowns worn by those not yet married. Their mother’s had woven them. It made me sad to think of all the girls at Safe Haven that did not have a mother to sew them a gown.
