Tayler Jae...My Life in Pictures...and a lot of words!: Sawadee Ka!

So my Sister asked if I'd put up some pictures from my trip to Thailand, and I love her, so her you go Sis!:)

I went to Thailand on May 3rd, however I didn't officially get there till the 5th (we flew through the international dateline so we lost a day. When I went to Africa the same thing happened and ironically the day we lost was my 18th birthday!;) Kinda funny!) We flew from Utah to San Fransico, to Hong Kong, to Singapore, to Bangkok (spent two days there, just enough time for the entire group to get food poisoning :S ), then to Phuket. Once we got to Phuket we drove to the little town of Kury Bury to stay the first night, then drove to the village where we would be working called Bon Telly Nok. This village parallels the beach and was completely destroyed by the 2004 Tsunami. A Rotary Club helped to rebuild several homes and a new school for the village in 2005. (The previous school was the building closest to the ocean. The Tsunami hit on a Sunday afternoon, thankfully most of the children were at home with their families, however 14 children from the village had gone to the school that day to rehearse a play they were putting on for their families:( A beautiful memorial was built for these children at the site of their old school with pictures of each child lost on that terrible day). The goals of our trip were to hold a medical fair to teach basic medical care (CPR, first aid, personal hygiene, etc.), help the women of the village start a soap making business, teach basic English to the children, and also do a great deal of cultural exchange.

I have always had a passion for international health and the aid given in that area. Intentions are alway good, and often from the heart, however much of the aid that is given so frequently causes more harm than good. So often people of privilege go to countries in need with material dreams, in the hope that the supplies brought with them will end poverty, hunger, and bring about equality. Sadly, more often than not the supplies brought are too advanced, and given with little or no training to sustain them. Commonly supplies are brought that are not culturally fitting. Cultural competency is such a major part of international aid of any kind, and is so often neglected. This neglect can cause a helpful attempt to morph into yet another problem. What they forget to acknowledge is the cultural differences that make this "help" difficult and often impossible. We can't turn Africa into America or any other country for that matter. The help needs to come from the inside out, education for the people by the people to fit the culture of the people. Even more simple than all of that is the inevitable fact that things run out. You can take a literal ton of medical supplies, and they will help hundred or thousands of people, however they will run out and the cycle will start all over again. Our material dreams need to shift to sustainable dreams, culturally competent dreams, dreams not about complete change but improvement. Whoops, sorry I'll stop ranting now and get back to the trip! The reason I liked this trip is because it was all about education and passing on the simple knowledge we have to provide sustainable solutions to basic problems. I know that these small trips are small, and that my dreams and beliefs about the worlds needy are huge and far reaching. However I do believe in the power of small steps, the power of a few voices, and the power of touching the heart of even one person. The people I met in Thailand and in Africa touched my life, and did so much more for me than I could ever dream of doing for them.

Here are some pictures from Thailand!:)

My first Thai bathroom...the sign made me giggle!

The Grand Palace where the King lives!

The soap business!:)

The day after I got really sick, I think I was trying really hard not to fall asleep...or throw up!

My buddy Bot!

The cutest little girl I have ever seen!!

She wanted to show me how to skip! :)

Playing Monkey Monkey Tiger! :)

Part of our cultural exchange. They taught us how to make roofs out of bamboo leaves, it was amazing!

Heck yes I built a roof...or at least a panel of a roof!:)

Hehe!

Their soccer field

Luing loved the bubbles! I had such a hard time getting him to let me take a picture of him...until he got his bubbles, he was so into it that he had no clue I was even taking a picture!:)

These little crabs were everywhere, and the kids loved chasing us with them...screaming is not accepted in Thai culture, and holding it in while being chased with these was not an easy task!

Fishing!

Beach BBQ the last night in the village

Ellie's flash dance moves!!

Yep, I've got mad hops!!

The floating market!

Tooth care was part of the medical clinic, we took those pink tablets that you chew to show where you need to brush, the kids and even the grownups (teeth or no teeth;) ) loved them!