And I Ended Up In Thailand: A Retreat Like Non Other

March 8-12= Staff Retreat 2010
Location= Ubon Ratchathani
Length of Predicted Drive= 8 hours
Length of Actual Drive= 13 hours
Number of Times Stopped for Snacks= countless
Number of Vehicle Breakdowns= 2
Number of Emily's Emotional Breakdowns=1
Breakfast=Rice
Lunch=Rice
Supper=Rice
Number of Staff Attending= 63
Number of Staff Emily is in Love With=63

So, this week was the long awaited (and maybe dreaded) staff retreat. The only reason the retreat might have been dreaded. . .by myself, is because of the long journey. I am not a particularly gracious traveler when it comes to heat, small spaces, and long hours. Whenever my family would make a trip down to the states when the weather was warm, I was horrific. Nobody could touch me if I was sitting in the middle. I was constantly ordering my brother and sister to stick to their sides. I admit it, maybe I was a bit of a diva.

Heat often brings out an impatient and moody side of me, and I can remember my dad asking me, "So are you sure you want to go to Thailand?" I imagine as my family waved goodbye they were saying silent prayers for whoever might encounter me on a 30 degree weather day.

However, as Thailand has graced me with it's incredible heat, pollution, and humidity, I have been able to conquer it all with welcoming and accepting attitude. Miraculous.

The drive was hot, squished, and long, but the staff were able to bring out the humour in every situation. When we were stranded at a gas station, watching the van leak important fluid onto the road, the Thai's laughed and bought some snacks. While we waited for the bus's engine to cool and for the water to stop boiling, the Thai's laughed and bought some snacks. When I was on the side of the road wondering if the day could get any worse, the Thai's laughed, sang me happy birthday, and bought me ice cream. It's a fantastic way to travel really.

Getting ready to make the trek up north.

Lizzie and Charlotte outside our van after it's breakdown.

When we arrived in Ubon Ratchathani (which is minutes from the Laos/Thailand border) we were greeted with a parade of dancers and music, and a meal.

Ubon Ratchathani is Khun Wasan's (CCD Director) hometown. We stayed at his childhood house and had the retreat in his original village.

Getting ready for bed!(left to right- Phi Gai aka The Cook, Me, Lizzie, Kru Nok, Michon, and Joke)

For my birthday, Charlotte gave me an amazing gift! A jar of peanut butter! The cook was in love with my peanut butter and would often ask for it at night for her bed time snack. She ate it on anything and everything! mmmmmm

This is how we woke up in the morning, FREEZING. It was shockingly cold up north and I hadn't brought any pants or sweaters. The Thai staff would shower 3 times a day in ice cold water, it was incredible. They were constantly teasing the volunteers because there was no way we were braving that shower of frostbite. They were quite disgusted with our measly "shower every other day" routine.

The school we spent most of our time at. This was Khun Wasan's school as a child. The theme of our retreat was serving the community, so we did some stuff with the school kids, and painted murals and the fence surrounding the school.

The wall we were cleaning in preparation to paint

Another school we visited. One thing I've learned, volunteers are great to show off. These people don't see white people very often. Everywhere we went, Khun Wasan would present us to the crowds. "Here's one from Belgium, Canada, four from England, one from Holland, and one from the US!" Sometimes we would say something, sometimes we were silent, but we were always praised. I felt silly standing there front and center as the Thai staff stood behind us. They are the ones that really work, and really make differences in the kids lives. I thought it was unfortunate that their hardworking efforts weren't made as public as our meager ones.

Painting!

Some of the students pitched in.

I wasn't a part of this mural painting. I joined the majority of the staff in painting a long fence. It's perimeter was estimated to be a kilometer long. It was quite a job! It was surprisingly fun however, and we had some good laughs with the staff. There are no pictures as all of these pictures are stolen from Charlotte who was stationed with the murals.

After working one day, we went to the Mekong river. It separates Laos and Thailand. The beach was incredible, and unbelievably windy! There was actually a sandstorm in its early stages happening at the moment. It was a great energizer though, and definitely the highlight of the trip.

I was loving the wind, and the sand!

The stairs leading to the river

The staff retreat was great! I had a lot of fun getting to know the staff and even the volunteers. I had the opportunity to practice a lot of Thai, which was exhasuting, but good for me.

AND! It wouldn't have been complete without a strange dish from the famous northern cuisine.Here's what we were fed one night for supper!