Nearing the End

11/11/09

Tucker finished teaching around 4:00 and we didn't get back to his house until 4:30 which means we didn't start running until 5:00. The sun was just barely setting over the bubbly hillside as we began our run down the dirt road that connects everyone's farmland. The trail took us through a valley, but even the valley was full of highs and lows. Both sides of the path were surrounded in the distance by monolith hills covered by jungle and just inside of those were wave-like mounds half the size of the panoramic mountains. Corn is the main crop near Tucker and the mounds are almost all treeless to make room for agriculture.

By the time we hit the half way point it was already dark. We didn't care though. We walked and jogged the final six kilometers home, all the while talking and telling stories. The stars were out, brighter than I had seen in months and had we not gotten stuck in the dark, we may not have spotted them from Tucker's brightly lit village.

11/12/09

Today is the last day of my, "volunteer visit trip." My original goal was to only stay with other volunteers, in order to save on accommodation, to see some other sites, and to get to know my peers better. Over a span of almost two weeks, I was able to stay with volunteers all but two nights. I left Tucker's village this morning and right now I am in Nan. My bus for Utaradit leaves at 1:45 where I'll meet my friend Jeff and in his village for the night. Tomorrow I am going to the American Women's Club English Camp, which will pretty much signify the end of my trip.

Its been great being able to see some of my friend's villages and to share their experience with them. I often caught myself comparing my own experience to theirs but I realize this is unfair because every single person is dealt a different hand. A couple of times on this trip, I had to remind myself that even though another volunteer may have it better in so many ways, I played the hand I was dealt, not the hand they were dealt. Everyone's experience is unique. Your own experience is what you make it.

I don't know if anyone is reading this blog besides my parents, so I was planning on stopping after I get to Jeff's. If you are following along and you want me to keep writing, please comment or email me (mrtonybones@gmail.com) and it will motivate me to continue posting my experience. Otherwise, I'm going to get lazy if no one is interested in what I'm doing.