Day 28-33: Treat Yo Self

I think it’s safe to say that Phuket was an error on our part; Chiang Mai is the best, why would we ever leave? After an emotionally and physically taxing weekend in Phuket and a somewhat unproductive day at KWAT, we were ready for bed. After sleeping for a solid 15 hours, my fever had finally subsided and we were ready for another day at KWAT. Seems like sleep did the trick!

On Wednesday, I designed a 45th wedding anniversary present for one of the founder’s of KWAT. After designing a collage of the happy couple, I took a ride on Ah Ling’s scooter to print the present. Considering it was my first time on a motorbike, I was pretty nervous. Aside from riding against traffic on the highway, it was actually quite pleasant. It took me a while to settle my fears, but once I got that out of the way I could finally enjoy the feeling of anticipating a fall at any second. I don’t think I will be riding a motorbike by myself any time soon.

The rest of the week, the four of us continued on our assigned projects. Lisa continued to work on the Activity Report, Hoon and Anthony figured out how to edit the website, and I finally finished the brochure for Aunt Shirley. By Friday, the Activity Report was completely edited; there are no more missing holes or awkward sentences! Lisa and I even found and edited many pictures to use in the publication itself.

On Thursday, the four of us discussed our MOU for the upcoming year with Mai. We are still deciding our goal for fundraising, but we expect to keep it around the same–if not more–as last year. As for the programs we are going to support, we are still deciding amongst ourselves and KWAT. We expect to fund health-related projects, some of which will deal with the expansion of the clinic and the increase of health education classes in schools.

We decided to take it easy this weekend, so we made our two days off as relaxing as possible. Considering we only have a couple weeks left in Thailand, we thought it was finally time to buy presents for everyone back home. We hopped into the first tuk tuk we saw and headed to San Kamphaeng District, an area forty minutes outside of Chiang Mai that is known for its authentic Thai products like silk, paper fans, jewelry, and celadon.

Although my bank account may be whimpering just a bit, we were able to find some quality silk and earrings instead of the “genuine fake” scarves and jewelry we’ve seen elsewhere (yes, some of them are actually labeled “Genuine Fake Designer”). We even saw how silk is made; though I felt bad for the silk worms who are sacrificed in the process, the scarves were irresistible.

Sunday was Spa Day round 2. After a nice brunch of pancakes and french toast at Angel’s Secret (idk what their secret is but man that french toast was the bomb), we headed over to the Women’s Correctional Institute for massages. I finally gained some courage and decided to try a traditional Thai massage…which was definitely an experience. About halfway into the massage, the masseuse looked at me extremely worried and asked, “Are you ok?” I laughed, explaining how ticklish I am and was not actually writhing in pain. I mean, I was in pain, but I wasn’t writhing in it. It was moderately uncomfortable, but I felt rejuvenated afterwards. Spa Day ended with a stroll down the Sunday Walking Street in the pouring rain. The street was still crowded as usual–seems like the weather hindered no one!

On Monday, I worked closely with Aunt Shirley to finalize the brochure. The design is set in stone, but she and other founders are still editing the stories in Kachin. Meanwhile, Chicaiza, Hoon, and Lisa all worked on perfecting the website. Though it still needs a bit of polishing up, they’ve taken multiple steps in the right direction. Lisa and Chicaiza are finalizing the “Shop” on the website, hoping to make it convenient for internet users to buy products (so, our seven precious readers, stay tuned! You’ll be able to purchase handmade Kachin-styled goods super soon). After work, we decided to stop at a Tesco Lotus store to buy some peanut butter and left the store with Dunkin Donuts bubble tea…it was a good day.

As the others are finalizing the website and store, I’m getting ready to design the Activity Report on InDesign (aka my most beloved and hated frenemy). Looks like a busy week ahead!

-Ritika

For your entertainment: Treat Yo Self