US Travel Warning Lifted

It is a shame that UCLA canceled the trip prematurely! The UCLA students that are currently studying there were not sent home and other universities did not cancel their summer programs. At least this means there will be plenty of other students around while I am there. I am still working with Andaman Discoveries, who has put together a nice program for me and the ONE other UCLA student going with me. We will still be learning as if taking the UCLA classes, but we will not be getting the credit. Personally, I think the experience is more important anyway.

We will be studying in Khura Buri, north of Phuket on the Isthmus Kra in Southern Thailand. During week one, we will be working at the Burmese Learning Centre and Nursery offers education and help for political refugee children from Burma (Myanmar) in Thailand. These children are not recognized by the Thai government for education, economic or medical benefits -- so volunteers at the center play an important role in these kids' lives. We will be helping to teach them English, grow a kitchen garden, and learn to be self-sustaining. Week two is a homestay and community assistance program in Ban Talae Nok, a Muslim community. We will be working with a youth group to help put in place an ecotourism cooperative in the fishing village, jungle and mangrove with nature trails and educational signage. Week three is on the island of Koh Prathong, where we will work on a river restoration program and monitor the sea grass and wildlife of the ecosystem. During our last week, we will live/work/learn with Buddhist monks at the temple and nature/wildlife conservation area in Mae Nang Kaow. As I learn about Buddhism, I will help teach English and plant identification.

This program takes me so far out of my comfort zone, I can't even explain. However, my mind and heart is open to these new experiences and I am very excited about it. I need to prepare by learning some basic Thai and also some basic Burmese. Challenging! Not sure if I will blog again before I leave, since I still have to finish my research and Devan is now here visiting -- it's good to have him home! At the latest, I will blog again when arrive in Phuket, where I am spending the first night to recover from jet lag.