Day 45-49: Thai-ing Up Loose Ends

So it was the last (for me) and second to last (for everyone else) weekend. It went quietly: after busily going to places and traveling, we came to a tacit consensus that it was time to rest. For early dinner, we went to a place that sells Middle Eastern cuisine; the food was awesome, and the dog that they were babysitting was so cute! After the meal, for the last time, we went to the Saturday Market and found a few extra souvenirs. After getting stuck in the crowd for ten minutes or so, we figured out that the crowded market is not the best place for us.

Because I felt the falafel sandwich was not enough, I got a late-night Pad Thai. Here’s a picture for evidence.

On Sunday, we literally stayed inside the hotel, doing whatever we wanted to do.

From Monday, I started working on the items that Mai and I talked about last Friday. Although it was the last week of work, there were still a lot of things to do to tie up the loose ends. In my case, I had to write documents and upload verifications for PayPal. I also had to write terms of services for the online mart (though I do not have any prior experience in law). Mai wanted me to update KWAT’s network groups on the webpage and edit the slideshow with the latest photos.

Everyone else continued with their own share of work. Lisa, as the coordinator of our trip, discussed and finalized MoU (memorandum of understanding) with Mai and worked on the GROW-ghU curriculum. Chicaiza continued to edit the photos, and Ritika put a final touch on the activity report.

We got a day off for Tuesday (Aug. 12th; by this time, I’m pretty sure readers have lost track of date) because it was Mother’s Day in Thailand. Interestingly, Thailand celebrated Mother’s Day on the Queen’s birthday. The owner of the hotel’s restaurant told me that all businesses (except those targeted toward tourists) and government offices close to celebrate this day. At night, there was a firework, a row of food stands (much like the Saturday/Sunday market), and a concert that had several young girls (like 7-8 years old?) singing and dancing on stage. Unfortunately, all of the events were in Thai, so I could understand only little bits of the festival.

And it was Wednesday.

Mai informed me that KWAT has to halt all PayPal-related activities because of potential legal issues. This does not mean KWAT violated any laws or rules, but Mai told me that KWAT has to be extra careful because PayPal may share KWAT’s private information with third parties. To be honest, I was disappointed: after all, PayPal has been one of my main projects since the week 1. There is still a chance that KWAT will figure out a way to ensure their security; in other words, I might have to work on this with KWAT at home. (Well, I had nothing else to do anyways for the rest of summer)

After a final hug with Mai, I could feel the end of the trip was near. Looking back, it was indeed a memorable trip, full of cultural encounters, new perspectives, eye-opening sights, endless work, computer and real-life bugs, and monsoon. I’m pretty sure the next post or next-next post will have more emotional and comprehensive review of the trip, so I’ll stop here.

-Hoon

P.S. Lisa, I reused your pun for the title.

Already D-2 till the end of the trip