Another great week so far!

We ended last week with a lot of corn planting with the Akha village! It was sort of tedious work but I really enjoyed spending the time outside in the beautiful green fields with the volunteers and Akha friends. To plant corn, one person with a hoe quickly digs small holes in a line about two feet apart. Another person follows with a bucket of corn kernels and drops two in each hole, and then lightly covers it with dirt. We make our way up the field, row by row, and it actually goes way faster than I expected. It was a fun time planting corn and so satisfying to look over the fields and see our work! My favorite part of the day was when we would stop for lunch and rest in one of the huts on the field. Arun made delicious vegetable stirfry's and other dishes that were so fresh and healthy. After we ate we all laid down on the bamboo floor of the hut and talked until we felt ready to go again. I just loved the conversations and good feelings all around!

Here's part of what we planted!

Arun, the village leader, who taught us how to plant corn!

Lunch!

On Saturday a group of volunteers went to Chiang Mai and another group was still in the South, so just Shivani, Madison, David, and I were here in Fang. We went up to the Lahu village to finish the mural and to get some sand for the playground's sandbox! It was a really fun morning! Shivani has been working so hard on her mural and it turned out great!

Got a small army of boys to dig sand out of the river!

Yesterday was a REALLY fun day! We headed up to the Akha village in the morning to "help" with some traditional swing building. Once a year there is a big celebration in Akha villages where the men build a giant swing out of trees and rope. It was so fun to watch the whole process of digging the holes, setting the poles in place, and then roping it all together. There really wasn't much that we could help with... but we later found out that Arun had asked us to come as motivation for the men to work. I guess when there's girls hanging around watching they pick up the pace a bit... haha  Anyway, after the swing was built we all got to try it out! So much fun! Tomorrow the actual celebrations start so I'll write more about it later!

The last few days have been so much fun! I'll start with the weekend!

On Saturday we took an amazing riverboat ride from Taton up to Chiang Mai on the Kok River. We had a blast and the view was beautiful! The ride took about 4 hours, including some stops along the way. We got to go to a very hot hot spring. The sign said it was about 130 degrees F, and some parts of the pool were boiling up. After that we stopped at a place that lets you hold large snakes and other reptiles, as well as sells souvenirs.

Once we made it to Chiang Rai we went to the famous white temple. The architecture and design here is incredible. This temple was designed/built 18 years ago by an artist and it is a functioning Buddhist temple, but apparently is also considered a museum of sorts. Really cool!

These hands were placed outside the temple and represent Hell. Once you pass the hands you cross a bridge and then enter the temple which symbolizes Heaven.

After we toured the white temple we went on a serious thrill ride.

And once was plenty.

Church in Chiang Rai was wonderful! This church is held in a rented space and has such a warm, welcoming feel. The lessons and testimonies were inspiring, and then afterwards we all ate together, watched Meet the Mormons, and had a baptism. Seriously a perfect day!

This week we made some major headway on the Lahu playground. We finished painting the tires in a rainbow scheme and there's just a few finishing touches that we'll make tomorrow!

The murals in the community room will hopefully be finished tomorrow as well. We have the following painted on the walls: David and Goliath, Moses parting the Red Sea, Mermaids/underwater scene, Daniel and the Lion's Den, and Jonah and the Whale. I'm way impressed by everyone that drew these murals. All I have done is fill them in with paint. I worked mostly on Jonah and the Whale. Lot's of fun! Mae (the lady who requested the murals, and who is the wife of the village elder) really likes them!

This week we also had swimming lessons. Lots of improvement is happening there and the kids just love it! Aerobics class is going strong, as well!

I got to start my hearing screenings this week, too! In the public health classes Janna focused on first aid for major wounds (broken bones, large cuts, and burns) and we paired that with basic check-ups. I did hearing screenings, Courtney and others did eye exams, and Madison checked blood pressure. It's so fun to apply what I've learned in school to real life situations. It makes me excited for grad school and my future career! Anyway, we're just getting started on that, so hopefully we'll got a lot more people tested next week! I'm not sure how accurate the hearing screenings are just because there is not a quiet place to be found in the village, so I'm also working on finding a more secluded place to go. 

In the Akha village we finished up a little painting and the garden for the daycare. The little kids are anywhere from toddler to about five years old and they were all so excited to plant their seeds! I'm excited for their plants to start growing, they're going to love taking care of their little gardens!

We got to work the first half of today planting corn with some of the Akha villagers. It was somewhat tiring work, but we were lucky to have plenty of clouds, some light rain, and a gorgeous view! The villagers plant many vegetables and fruits and seem fairly self-sufficient in that regard. Today we just planted corn seeds in the ground and in about 3-4 months it should be fully grown. We got to work side by side with about 7 or 8 villagers. At first I think we were throwing off their groove, but then we all got into a rhythm and it went fast! We got A LOT of corn planted today! After a few hours of planting we had a delicious lunch of vegetables and meat cooked by the village leader, Arun, who was out working in the field with us. He is such a wonderful man and does so much for his community. Because of his efforts this Akha village is nearly 100% drug free, which is a huge deal in these parts. They are a tight-knit community with a lot of order and stability. Anyway, it was really nice to spend some time talking all together over lunch. Then we headed back to work planting before calling it a day in the fields. 

It's been such a great few days!

The last three days we've been working pretty hard at building a new playground at the Lahu village and it has been so much fun! There is a hill that overlooks the village where the last wave of volunteers created an awesome soccer field. At the end of the soccer field there is some space, so Shivani and Ellen headed up a project to build a playground for the kids. The hill is made of very dense, compacted sand so we spent a couple days digging and pick-axing away at the dirt to make trenches to put in tires and other playground equipment. The first few days we joked that we were being sent to a labor camp, but we definitely had a lot of fun... and got a really good workout. Today was probably my favorite day working on the playground because all of the kids from the village came and helped us finish up some last minute digging, and then we all worked together cleaning off the tires to get them ready for painting. The older girls would go and get water in buckets to pour over the tires while the younger girls washed off the dirt with rags. At the same time the boys went off to get sand and concrete to secure the tires in place. There was so much unity and teamwork and we all were having so much fun. I felt so amazingly happy this whole afternoon. I just love this community and I love how willing and happy everyone is to contribute and give. This is such a poor village- the average person makes 200 ฿/ day (that's $6.25). Imagine trying to support a family of 2 or 3 kids on that wage. Although they may be lacking monetarily, they certainly are not lacking in happiness. It is such a good reminder to me that what really makes life sweet is our relationships and how we treat others. The Lahu are an amazing example of this! What a blessing and joy to get to be around such people!

 Some of our cute little helpers!

Yesterday Melanie, Janna, and I went to a different village called JaJuSii to teach dental care. This is a village I had never been to before and it was a special experience going there. We normally don't go to this village without a local just to be on the safe side because of potentially dangerous activity going on. There's a lady that we work with named Ouen who went with us. We parked at the Akha village and then walked about 20 minutes up a muddy road to get to this village. JaJuSii is much smaller than the Lahu and Akha villages, but it probably has the most beautiful view! The village is set atop a hill that overlooks lush fields and orchards and mountains. Heaven! I feel like the people in JaJuSii are less privileged than those of the other two villages and have had much less opportunity. They also are not quite as warm and welcoming as is typical here. However, I think the dental class was particularly helpful and insightful to the members of this community and they were happy to receive the toothbrushes and toothpaste. Also, a humanitarian group from Singapore had donated lots of toys to this village and we got to deliver them. The little kids were so excited! The toys that they donated were really nice- the type that light up and make music. It was definitely Christmas in JaJuSii yesterday!

Som Tam at the Lahu village! Let's just say it was quite an adventure...

 The girls made us some beautiful bouquets!

The last few days have been wonderful!

This last weekend was very relaxing! On Friday the whole group went to Chiang Mai, except for Ellen, Shivani, and me. Shivani wasn't feeling well, so she rested and Ellen and I got to go explore around Fang! This place reminds me of my first area on my mission, Mahasarakham. It's pretty small, but big enough to have a Tesco and KFC! On Saturday we headed to Chiang Mai and got there in the afternoon. Shivani and I went and ate Indian food for dinner, which was delicious! We spent some time walking around the streets as well. I think that is my favorite thing to do. It reminds me of being a missionary and it's the best way to get to know a city! Church on Sunday was wonderful! Shivani and I got called to be translators for primary for the next few weeks!

Monday was a great day- we got a lot accomplished! In the morning we were able to go to the Akha village and paint the exterior wall of a school where the kids are starting a garden. We painted lots of bright, happy flowers and trees! We also helped pack in dirt and sand in the garden, as well as invert motorcycle tires to be little planters for each kid. This was the teachers idea. She is very resourceful. It turned out great! Now I'm so excited to see the end result with the plants!

After we had finished painting and working on the garden the teacher, KhruuEl, ordered us noodle soup for lunch. They are so appreciative and love to show their thanks by feeding us. KhruuEl seemed really happy about the mural and garden, which makes me really glad because she was the one that asked us to do these projects. 

Later we got to go spend the evening in the Lahu village! While some volunteers were painting murals on the inside of the community center, Madison and I got to run our track and field day with Courtnee,  Mackenzie, and Janna. We originally came up with this idea because we noticed that in the Lahu village the girls and young boys didn't want to join in playing soccer with the older boys. So, we decided we'd have a track and field competition for them instead. We made a poster board with their names and the different events that each would participate in to keep track of their scores. We had them all participate in the high jump, vertical jump, long jump, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and running. The little kids were so enthusiastic about it and they seemed to enjoy seeing their name and scores on the board. It was definitely a little chaotic, but they certainly all had a really fun time! I think my favorite moment was when this little five-year old boy was trying to do pull-ups. He would make struggling noises, cringe his face and raise himself up maybe a millimeter. He did fifteen and made the record... not sure if that really counts. He was pleased, though!

After our track and field day I got to do the dental hygiene class! My mom's work at Columbia Falls Family Dental donated toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss, as well as visuals for dental classes. We had over forty kids and adults at the class and it went really well! Melanie is a dental assistant so we taught it together. We taught about the basics of brushing and flossing teeth, as well as foods that are good and bad for teeth. We dressed some of the kids in life-size teeth made out of pillowcases to create a row of teeth and to show them how to floss and brush properly. CF Family Dental gave us these ideas and my mom and grandma did the sewing, with attempted help from me (I have no sewing skills!) At the end of the class they all promised to brush and floss twice a day and use the kits that were donated. It was a really fun class with lots of participation! 

Here are a few pics from the night; however, Abby took some awesome pics with her camera that I'm going to post later!

We ended the night with an amazing cultural show! A village elder played music on a flute-like instrument and about ten or more girls danced along and played drums and cymbals, all decked out in their traditional clothing! We all got to join in the dancing at the end! Some of the teenage boys also showed us a traditional game they play with a big wooden spinny top. Nights like these are amazing! I just love getting a glimpse into their traditions and culture, and I love being invited to take part in it also! These people seem like a close-knit community with wonderful leaders and they are so willing to share what they have. I love them!

Today (Tuesday) we got to go to the Lahu village and begin building a playground by the newly created soccer field. The field sits atop the nearby hill  that overlooks the village on one side and rice fields on the other. The soccer field provides a great activity for the older children and the playground will be great for the cute little kids! Shivani and Ellen designed it and today we worked at digging small trenches to place tires and other equipment in. It's going to be great when it's finished!

Ellen, Shivani, and Abby are working on some awesome murals in the community center! We were asked to draw scenes from the Bible, so they put their artistic skills to work by creating Noah and the Ark, David and Goliath, Moses parting the Red Sea, and a few mermaids. haha Pretty impressive!

Natalie taught baby yoga today and it was the cutest thing in the world! Each little preschooler got a mat/ pad to sit on and they all followed her. They loved it and were surprisingly cooperative! One girls was so relaxed that she even fell asleep! 

Today we also taught swimming lessons... and froze! I never thought that was possible in Thailand. When we went to pick up the Akha boys for lessons we got drenched in a sudden rainstorm in the back of the pick-up. The temperature outside was cool as well, making it especially chilly to swim. By the time we were heading back to the village to drop the boys off my toes literally were numb. That is insane! I think the only time I have ever felt cold in Thailand was in the church with the AC blasting! Anyway, the lessons went great, though. There's definitely improvement happening and the kids love it! Dani, Shivani, and Madison teach the classes. I come along to help translate and watch the kids since my swimming skills peaked at level 3 when I was in first grade. I try to help as best I can. haha

This evening we got to teach another dental hygiene class at the Akha village. There was a really good turnout- we ran out of supplies! I just love how willing all the kids were to participate and how excited they were about everything! We will teach this class one more time at the JaJuuSii village on Thursday.

Tonight we made dinner at the house and it was delicious! Russell is a really good cook and he shared his tomato soup recipe that's full of vegetables. We also made grilled cheese sandwiches! อร่อยมากๆๆๆ 

The last few days have been so good and I'm so excited for everything else coming up this week. I'll keep things updated! I'm just so happy and feeling so grateful for the opportunity to be back here!