Graduation Day

Last week, three of our oldest girls at Agape Home graduated from primary school (the compulsory portion of their education) to the Thai system of high school---a great achievement indeed! This means that they are one step closer to being able to choose to study further (one wants to go on to study computers and IT), and to graduating to the promise of a good job and a future with possibilities that we all dream of at their age. I am so proud of them. All are excellent students, well thought of by their teachers and friends. Given the odds against them based on the circumstances of their early lives, their maturity, grace and success is all the more stunning. The same day, 5 of our young boys graduated from the Thai version of elementary school to what we would know as middle school, or junior high. In a few years, they will join their "older sisters" as success stories in the educational system. I hope there will be many more to follow. We hear a lot about metrics these days---what a wonderful thing to be greeted with the news of this particular "metric of success"!!

Safe and sound!

Well, certainly safe...I do not know how sound one can be after 36 hours of travel, crossing the international date line, and walking into a blast furnace! I am up and talking though, so that is a good sign! I will write more later, but just wanted to say a quick hi from the other side of the globe!

I can’t believe it’s snowing again!

In two days I will board a plane that will take me to the other side of the globe---and to the other side of the “climate”!!  From the chilly, damp, blustery end of a Minnesota winter (or, beginning of a Minnesota spring), to the sultry, hot humid summer of Northern Thailand, it should prove to be an interesting adjustment!  It will be a little like stepping into a blast furnace!  I haven’t experienced Thailand during the “hot season” in four years and I find that I am just a little unnerved at the prospect.  The HOT sun, the HOT breeze, the HOT pavement underfoot, the inevitable HOT downpour at some point during the day (the rain really is warm!), are all to be anticipated with a healthy mix of fear and respect.  Like surviving the sub-zero Minnesota climate in the winter, surviving hot season in Thailand is just as much a “badge of honor”!  Wish me luck!

Time to start writing again---my next trip to Agape Home departs March 28th. I will be updating this blog during my travels and hope you might join me! Please don't forget to post a comment or two along the way. I enjoy hearing from you as well!

Oishi means "yummy"

I love this green tea drink called "Oishi". It is a Japanese product, flavored with honey and lemon, and is delicious. Of course, when I found out that the word actually means "yummy", well that made perfect sense to me as a bit of genius marketing! Years before when I lived here, I was similarly addicted to coca-cola---so I hope this is a slight improvement!! Refreshing cold drinks are an absolute necessity in this hot and humid climate. I am just back from three days up on the mountain at the annual Chiang Mai Womens Retreat. This event attracted over 200 women, some from as far away as Egypt, and was a splendid and refreshing time. It is a great chance to get caught up with old friends that you otherwise do not get to see, and for me, a real highlight of my trip. The mountain is so beautiful, and is so close to the city that it seems like just a short drive until you are heading up, up, up---on a winding and narrow road of course! I will try to post a few pictures later today to give you an idea of what it looks like.

Happy Birthday Party Part 2

Happy Birthday Party!

Every Agape Home child has a celebration of their birthday each year---for many, the first ever birthday celebrations they have ever had! It still touches me after all these years to see how excited they all get...the build-up, the anticipation, and the HUGE smiles on the "big day"! I love being here to share in some of those special days...and with 72 children and young people in residence currently, chances are pretty good that I will catch at least one party no matter what time of the year I am here!! In the "old days", we used to be able to celebrate each day separately...but with so many now, the practice is to group children who share the same day/week for their party. The practical impact is just the same though---as no matter how many birthday boys and girls are being celebrated, each sits in their own specially decorated chair, has their own birthday cake and candles to blow out, and thier own bag of presents chosen just for them. We had such a celebration just this last Monday---and it was as great as ever! My favorite part comes at the end though, when one child is chosen from the celebrants to step forward and offer a prayer for the birthday child. It is a special moment indeed---often followed up with squeals of laughter, and cake-eating, and at least one balloon "fight"!!