Journal Entry: Day 11
Renee Willette
Minneapolis, MN

If ever there was a time when I’ve been thoroughly exhausted, today was it. We all piled into the c-laws at 8 am and headed off to Sahamit, the school that Musekee’s kids go to. The students seemed happy to have us take over their classrooms for a brief time to sing songs with them and attempt to teach them english. We all divided up to cover most of their classes and I worked with Claire (the future teacher herself!). Needless to say, after getting a group of 5th grade Thai kids to sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," Claire will be ready for any teaching challenge. Overall, the students were very shy so it was difficult to judge their actual speaking ability but they did loosen up after awhile.

After the in class work, it was another full morning of pure PE! I worked the Bball stations for the first hour then switched to the "Hokey Pokey" group with the ever-enduring "Hokey Master" Larry Tompkins leading the way. With the exception of one group of older, shy students, every kid loved doing the "Hokey Pokey," "The Chicken Dance" and of course "The Bunny Hop!" Our morning concluded with a Volleyball game and I am happy to report that Carleton is the first group Mike has taken over who defeated Sahamit. Rack one up for the Americans!

The afternoon was restful, back at Musekee. And despite all the fun activities of the day, my highlight was still to come. After dinner, Ajarn Tete spoke to the team regarding details of the center and exactly where she need more help and more resources to go. We all got a chance to ask her specific questions ranging from finances to religion. And I was pleased to hear of how she accepts people of all religious backgrounds. Ajarn Tete truly is an amazing woman. She gives so much away, and expects so little. Speaking with her helped me understand a lot more about this Center. She sets a good example of compassion and also action, that all people can follow. It has been a powerful experience living and teaching children without speaking their language. An experience that will stay with all of us.