This is what goodbye looks like

my scrapbooked journal: now an inch thick with travel stories

traveller bands: the yellow stolen from southern belle Lucy, the pink and yellow made for me by girls at the orphanage, the white and red, some string I found on Mod's porch and fashioned into a band

the brown books: messages from everyone at foundation. We all wrote in each others and vowed not to read them until on the plane home. They have quotes from funny happenings here, contact details and just funny things to read. There are so many beautiful and hilarious messages in those pages, testimony to my amazing and hilarious new friends!

thank you cards: from kids at my last placement: a reminder of the children, the lessons, the songs, the games...

I want to say thank you, lastly to so many people- those who started this journey with me- who sponsored me to come out here and the teachers and friends who inspired me to travel. Those who listened to this blog which now has almost 1000 views, that's so cool to see, thank you! And to the wonderful volunteers and travellers who I shared this experiences with, thank you guys. This summer has gone beyond words (coming from someone who writes a lot...). Anyone on this webpage must fall into one of those three categories, so THANK YOU ALL!

Lastly, my wish for anyone reading this page is that they travel. If you can't get on a plane this summer, get a bus and see your own hometown- go to new coffee shops, talk to strangers, get involved in local culture be it temples, theatres or bookstores nearby. Go out and see the world (well, a bit of it...)

Above 1: A quote I found on the wall in Peace Bar (Chiang Rai) and loved instantly
Above 2: Playing my favourite game- how many people can you fit round a table in Doi Chaang

 

Until next time
"Goodbye"
Georgia <3

Tree Three Free

I’ve spent the last two days tutoring this girl for an English competition; she’s reciting the story of ‘The Three Little Pigs’. I think the volunteer who taught her numbers must have been Irish because she kept saying the ‘tree little pigs’ which was equally endearing and frustrating, it’s cute, but it’s wrong.

We chanted ‘Three, Three Three’
We counted ‘One, Two, THREE’
We walked outside, I pointed to a tree and demonstrated “This is Tree, you say Three”
All to no avail.

Then miracle struck, in the form of Youtube. I got up John Mayer’s ‘Free Falling’ because in the chorus there’s an on going repetition of ‘I’m FREE FALLING’ and the ‘free’ is the same sound used for ‘three’ so I played that on loud and she started singing ‘FREE FALLING, NOW I’M- FREE FALLING NO-OW’ with John Mayer and I (paha!).
And suddenly, after two days of wanting to head desk, she could pronounce ‘Three’.

I took a shameless selfie just after that moment. Here’s us, after singing John Mayer (for totally academic purposes) :P