Last Days at Anjali & Thailand

Last Thursday was potentially the hardest day I've had to endure in my entire life. I said goodbye to my students at Anjali house who, over the past several weeks, have taught me more about life then I ever thought possible. I hope my students learned as much from me as I have from them.

It's easy to forget how easy we have it in the west until you teach in a school where almost every student comes from a family that makes less than $1/day. Ideally I'd like to work for Anjali one day, if they'd take me of course, but I can guarantee they have not seen the last of me. Those students will continually be my pride and joy; their infectious smiles will stay in my mind for quite awhile.

Once I finished at Anjali I went and met up with some fellow volunteers in Thailand. After spending a day in Bangkok with my fellow Eastern European volunteer, I headed to the island of Koh Chang for a reunion with my roommate. I sincerely don't think I'm cut out for island life. As touristy as Koh Chang was, I still didn't find it too enjoyable. Plus I was rented a faulty moto and almost crashed several times.

After staying on Koh Chang for a couple days we decided to move back to Bangkok, which is where I sit until I fly home on Sunday. This city is unlike anything I expected from Southeast Asia. I feel like I'm back in North America, not Asia. The contrast of the poverty in Cambodia versus Thailand is ever apparent and somewhat hard to come to terms with.

Bangkok itself is also hard to come to terms with. The amount of prostitution I have seen in the past couple days is so off-putting. I understand that's how it works in this part of the world, but finally seeing it for myself is another eye-opener. It is so astronomically uncomfortable, and yet it's the norm here. Sad life, but that's how it is.

Three and a half more days left in Asia before I head home. It's a bittersweet notion, but I have the most fantastic memories of my 11 smiling Anjali students to keep me going once Canadian culture hits me again.