Day 12-14: Work Hard, Get a Massage

On Monday, we worked on the Activity Report and the lesson plan from our guest house. Since our guest house has somewhat iffy wifi, we decided to venture to Nature’s Way, or as I call it, “Staple’s Way (Into My Stomach).” Believe it or not, staples in my diet do not literally include staples. A somewhat traumatic memory had to be forgone for the sake of our most precious prize: wifi. Over brunch, we planned out an English curriculum for the workers at KWAT for the next month. We came up with around 15 lesson plans and topics to go over with the workers and decided to incorporate practical topics, such as office and KWAT-specific lingo, into our daily lessons. We made Tuesday’s lesson, which consisted of subject-verb agreement and adverb practice, and planned out the lessons for the rest of the week. It was a very productive morning to start off the week!

After devising the curriculum and tweaking the Activity Report a bit, we reveled at the cool breeze, which seemed somewhat foreign, and enjoyed the rain as we sat underneath a bamboo roof. Chicaiza, on the other hand, had a very different experience. After he took one bite of his Khao Soi, a traditional Northern Thai dish, I think he started to cry. Partly because it was so delicious, but mostly because it had a million chillies (Chicaiza would like to think this were true and not an exaggeration). Sweat rolled down the side of his cheek as he tried to take bites of the fiery noodles. It was a long battle–90 minutes to be exact–but Chicaiza wound up victorious. His reward? An empty bowl of Khao Soi. And clear sinuses. All at the cost of a few hundred taste buds. But, who needs all those taste buds anyway?

Pad Thai at the Correctional Institute

After a morning of spice and adverbs, we decided to embrace the rainy season and officially have a Spa Day. We headed over to the Women’s Correctional Institution because–wait what? A correctional institute? Did Lisa or I have something to confess? The institute has a program in which convicts, with only 6 months or less of time left in the institute, run a cafe and a massage facility. All the money they earn goes to their start for a new life. After randomly running into Cecile at the cafe, the five of us got massages. While I opted for a foot massage, the others got a traditional Thai massage. Afterwards, Lisa felt as though she had “been hit by a bus…but in a good way.”

Rejuvenated and energized, we were ready for a day of work at KWAT on Tuesday. Lisa and I worked to fill in the missing pieces of the Seven-Year Activity Report. Although there is still a lot to add and polish up, we are getting closer to finishing it for publication. While Lisa and I chipped away on the Activity Report, adding new information, data, and edits, Chicaiza was working hard on KWAT’s website design. Hoon even got access to KWAT’s website and was able to set up a PayPal account! Now anyone can donate to KWAT on an individual or monthly basis (hint hint, please donate, whoever is reading this). With access to the website, the possibilities are now endless.

On Wednesday, we had a similar work day, working on the Activity Report and renovating/redesigning KWAT’s website. Lisa and I even created a ghU lesson plan for one of GlobeMed’s meetings this coming fall. The lesson focuses on health-related issues in Burma, including how KWAT works to combat and ameliorate the situation of those affected by the limited access to health resources. It is imperative that members of GlobeMed at Dartmouth understand these pressing issues and become more familiar with KWAT’s work.

To top off our day, we had lunch with two of the founders of KWAT, one of whom is also one of KWAT’s first investors. Can’t wait for what’s in store tomorrow!

-Ritz