#nobody is doing it like the sign when it comes to promoting thai culture

[strategist-scientia]

The true epitome of the enemies-to-lovers trope because the Naga and the Garuda are historically enemies, but Tharn and Phaya defied those odds by falling in love. 🥺

[kristatotheworld]

What I’ve Learned on My Exchange

I’ve learned so so much here-- so much about me, about others, about the world, about life. I’ve mentioned a few times how much I’ve changed on this exchange, but I’ve never gone into details on the things I’ve learned. I could probably write an entire novel filled with all of the things I’ve learned. But, for today I think I’ll just stick to the more important things. 

By the way, these are in no certain order.

1. How to go out and do things alone: This is something I feel like a lot of people struggle with. Who wants to go out to eat alone? Who wants to sit in a cafe alone? Well, me. Before coming here though, I was definitely like that. I didn’t wanna go anywhere alone, and there was no way I would ever enjoy it. In fact, I would pretty much avoid doing anything alone in public if I could. So how did I come to enjoy doing things alone in public, you ask? (Or maybe you don’t care, but I’m gonna tell you anyways). I realized that nobody cares if I’m alone, so I shouldn’t either. I realized that being confident and comfortable with myself enough to go out alone and enjoy it doesn’t make me a loser, but radiates BDE (uhhh.. superiority). Once I overcame the anxiety that held me back, I realized spending time alone and having fun is quite therapeutic. I go to cafes alone, to karaoke alone, shopping alone, travelling alone-- really anything that I want to do. 

2.  No shame: This one is like a mindset. I say this quite often. It kind of goes hand in hand with the last one. It’s about not caring about what other people might think, realizing that most people don’t care and aren’t judging you, and not caring even if they are. I realized that, in a lot of cases, the only person judging me was myself. I also realized that people don’t care about what I’m doing as much as I make them do in my head. Things like not wearing makeup when I went out used to give me anxiety. I wish I could tell my past self, “Krista, nobody but you cares if you’re wearing makeup or not. Nobody but you cares about that pimple. The only one judging you is you.” And for the very  very small amount of [butt]holes that would judge me, or anyone for something like that-- well, screw them. They’ve got more problems with themself than with the people they’re judging. The lesson here is: do what you want (if it’s legal, of course)-- no shame. ;)

3. Get those steps in: I say this multiple times everyday. It promotes physical activity and being green, so only positives there. I’m not exactly sure when my friends and I made this a thing, but I know we pretty much live by it now. Here, I walk pretty much everywhere that I can. I get quite a few steps in on a normal day. My iphone tells me I walked 11,635 (7.2 km, or 4.47 mi) steps yesterday, but my highest amount in a day in the past few weeks was 21,194 (14.7 km, or 9.13 mi). Basically, I get those steps in whenever I can. I take the stairs instead of the escalator, I will refuse a ride if I can walk (unless I’m like, sick or dying or something), and when I have time, I take the stairs to my apartment instead of the elevator. (I live on the 18th floor. It takes me approximately 2 minutes going down if I run, and way longer going up-- so if I’m in a hurry, I’ll probably take the elevator). 

4. How to say no/ stand up for myself: I’ve always been quite a passive person (in almost all situations). It was very hard for me to tell people no. I often got myself into stressful situations because of this. Here, I’ve definitely learned that I can say no if I don’t want to do something, and that doesn’t automatically make me a terrible person. That being said, I will still do just about anything (emphasis on just about) for anyone because I like to be nice, and helping people makes me happy. I’ve also learned how to stand up for myself. If someone says something to me or about me that I don’t like, I’ll tell them. I’m not afraid of confrontation anymore.

5. How to leave my comfort zone: This is something anyone on an exchange has to be able to do. In the states, I did have a pretty large comfort zone, but leaving it was not something I liked to do. After all, who likes to be uncomfortable? (Me) Of course, when I say uncomfortable, I mean a healthy type of discomfort, a type that you can (and should) overcome. Not a weird, scary type of discomfort that’s probably a warning sign that something isn’t right. If a stranger asks you to get in their car because they have candy, yeah, you definitely should be uncomfortable. And you definitely should NOT get in the car. Now that I’ve made that clear, I can move on to what I do mean. I have to speak a language I’m not confident every day. Of course, sometimes it’s embarrassing, and sometimes it makes me uncomfortable. But I leave my comfort zone. Something I’m particularly uncomfortable with is being naked in front of people (I feel like that’s pretty rational). Korean women, however, don’t seem to relate-- a cultural thing. And that’s okay. I’ve seen a lot of naked Korean ladies (in locker rooms and things like that-- not just walking around). Yeah, I’m not really uncomfortable with changing clothes in front of other girls anymore. 

6. I am capable with so much more than I thought: There’s this saying like: “You can do anything you set your mind to.” While anything is a bit of a broad category, it’s true. (Maybe you want to become a bird, which is kind of impossible, but who knows, maybe if you set your mind to it, it’ll happen). If someone tells you you can’t do something, do it anyways and take pictures. If you tell yourself that you can’t do something, do it anyways and realize that you should never let self-doubt hold you back. If I really want to do something, and I’m willing to work hard for it, I will make it happen. Instead of telling myself that it’s too hard, I tell myself that I’m willing to put in the work to make it happen. 

7. How to go with the flow: There’s this thing in Korea that I like to call 가자 (pronounced ga-ja) culture. 가자 means let’s go. Basically, my Korean parents had a tendency to not tell me when there was a plan, and just come to my room and say “가자”. It was quite stressful. I realized that this is a cultural thing. When your parents say 가자, well you just 가자 then. At first this was quite stressful. Why couldn’t they just tell me like, maybe 2 hours in advance? Why couldn’t they ever give me any details? But, now I’m pretty okay with 가자 culture (most of the time-- sometimes the lack of communication and details given still gets on my nerves, but I am a very structured person). I’ve learned to just roll with it, or to go with the flow. I go for what I thought was a  short car ride and end up at a random river 30 minutes away with ducks aggressively hissing at me? Okay, cool. (Yes, this happened to me). 

8. How to be healthy: I’ve learned a bit of healthiness here. I’ve become physically and mentally healthier here. I lost some kilos, and became less anxious. I’ve learned how to control myself-- my host parents just bought a whole bunch of snacks and bread? Great, I’ll take a banana. I’ve come to crave fruits, vegetables, and healthy foods a lot more than I crave things like ice cream or chocolate. But, that doesn’t mean I never eat those things. It’s about balance. It’s about the mindset. I learned that I shouldn’t constantly deprive myself of all “bad” foods because I want to lose weight. Rather, I should make a conscious decision to eat healthier because I want to be healthier, and I will naturally lose fat (not weight!! muscle weighs more than fat! the number on the scale means wayyy less than they way your body looks, or the way you feel). I’m also extremely physically active here, with all the walking, and muay thai or crossfit every week day. I’ve also learned how to take better care of myself, self-forgiveness, and self-validation. These are important for a healthy mindset. My body needs sleep, food, and water. I have to make sure I give my body those things so that my body and my mind feel better. Sometimes, I lost a bit of my self control, and I ate a lot of sweets or bread because I was feeling bad, but the next day I would forgive myself and try again instead of feeling guilty about it. Self-validation is also very important. My emotions and feelings are valid. I am valid. I used to invalidate the way I was feeling a lot. But, I’ve realized that all emotions are okay and valid. The first step in dealing with emotions is to acknowledge that they are valid. I’ve also learned to take breaks if I really need one. If I’m feeling exhausted and drained, there’s probably a reason. 

9. A friend can be made anywhere: Being on an exchange, I have friends from all over the world. I’ve also made friends in so many places. You never know who you’re going to meet in the place you’re at. Maybe someone you’ll meet will become someone very important to you. 

10. There is so much love in the world: There was a time in which I could only see that bad in the world. I was really depressed and pessimistic. When I came out of that, I realized I never wanted to think that way again. Sure, there’s bad in the world. That can’t and shouldn’t be ignored. But there’s also so much good and beauty in the world. A whole lot more good than bad. I love people, and I love the world. 

11. How to do things for myself and not for others: I like dressing up, taking care of my skin, wearing makeup, and not wearing makeup. But I’ve learned to do those things for myself, and not because I’m concerned with how other people are thinking about me. I do those things to feel more confident with myself, not because I feel like I should. I’ve felt ashamed for wearing makeup, and for not wearing makeup before-- because I was so concerned with how others saw me. Now, I’ll do my makeup if I feel like it. 

12. I hate alcohol: I’m really glad I learned this on my exchange. There are some experiences that people just need to have. My experiences with alcohol are something that I needed. I learned that alcohol isn’t as great as it sounds. It tastes disgusting. I can have so much more fun without it. This is for me: I’m not saying this applies to everyone. But for me, I just really really don’t like alcohol. I have no reason to drink it. There are plenty of things that taste way better than alcohol. I’m not demonizing alcohol, either. But, now I know. I’ve had my experience with alcohol, and I’ve learned that I don’t care for it (or the morning after). I’m perfectly fine with some apple juice-- or maybe some milk tea. Those are nice drinks.

13. How to see the good in every day: In America, sometime it felt like every day was the exact same, only a little different. Like okay, different things happened maybe, but in the end it was just the same. Here, I’ve learned how to see the difference in every day, how to notice every good thing that happens every day. I learned this through journaling. I’ve journaled my entire exchange. I journal pretty much every day in detail. Being able to spot the details in every day has made me appreciate them much more. 

14. I have something in common with so many more people than I thought: I feel like a lot of the time, it’s easier to see the differences between us and others than it is to see the similarities. I realized that I can relate with so many people-- people different from me in so many ways-- and find something in common with them. 

15. Loneliness is okay: Loneliness isn’t always as bad as it’s made out to be. And sometimes, it can be a good thing. Loneliness doesn’t last forever. I’ve learned how to feel more comfortable with myself, how to improve myself, and how to get to know more about myself through loneliness. Sometimes we’re lonely because we need to learn how to be comfortable with ourselves before we can be comfortable with others. Sometimes we’re lonely because we need to fix problems we have with ourselves before we can put that attention into others. And I’ve learned that loneliness is more of a feeling than an actuality for me. I’m not ever really alone. But I feel alone sometimes. In those times, it’s usually because of an inner problem than an outer problem. My loneliness is time for me to put my attention on helping myself. 

16. How to love myself: Self love is very important. Every number before this, every thing I’ve learned here and before has contributed to my journey of learning to love myself. When I learned how to love myself, it felt like the world became a different place. But it didn’t. It was just me that changed. Self love changed so many things for me. It’s a real journey. I had ups and downs. And self love doesn’t mean I feel amazing about myself 100% of the time. It means I treat myself like I love myself. Of course there are times when I still feel a bit insecure, but those times don’t consume me like they used to. I’ve learned how to respect myself like I love myself. My self talk is positive. I help myself when I need it. I take care of myself. 

That’s all for this post! I hope you enjoyed it :) As always, if you have any questions, my dms are open. 

Quick note: I only have 2 more months left in Korea. That’s so crazy. Time goes way too fast. I’m not ready to say goodbye anytime soon. This exchange has been so incredible and life changing.  I want to make these last 2 months amazing, and I know I will. 

[nicartph]

Thailand Kabayan

Sawadeekrap!

Thailand: The Land of Smiles has been the tourist spot destination of most of the expats around the globe. It’s award and ranking recognitions every year could explicitly define the kind of lifestyle, livelihood, and tourism to be explored in Thailand.This year, Thailand, in general, has been yet again recognized as the 3rd  world’s best cities (Chang Mai), 1st in best countries to start a business,  27th world’s most competitive nation, 4th world’s best fresh market, 1st in the least unhappy country and much more. ( http://www.thailandtoday.in.th/culture-and-society/ThailandAward-Rankings ). 

Thailand has a lot to offer to every expat visiting the country that fits their budget, interest, fun, and leisure experience. It’s friendly, safe and crowded city in Bangkok, the aesthetically maintained ancient cultural temples, palaces and visual form of arts, its authentic and apologetic Thai cuisine, and relaxing islands and beaches await you. To top it all, the low-cost shopping experience and the Thai (local) itself add up to the total “BEST VACATION XP EVER”.

Why visiting Thailand? The hype of promoting the tourism in Thailand is not under nor over rated. Most the blogs and vlogs you’ll get across are accurate. Why Filipinos should go and have it experienced despite the fact we have our own Philippine pride to explore, to begin with.  Though, yes resemblance is likely but I am telling you, It is worth the visit. #OnlyinThailand.

So let me go ahead with the reasons why you kabayans need to travel and experience Land of smiles- Thailand.

1. Monetary Conversion.  By far, Pinoy traveler does a budget type expenditure with the quality worth experience. You have nothing to worry! The exchange rate of Baht to Peso (VV) is almost similar so conversion is not much of a big deal. From flight ticket especially when you are coming from Manila where you can have promo fare ticket- if you're lucky enough. The foods, transports, hotel, shopping item are bloody cheap. Kabayan from other parts of the world may have a leverage on this regards. A dollar equates to 33 baht and a dirham is 6.9 bahts.

TIP: Make your own itinerary as against to getting a tour package. It’ll be relatively cheaper and you have your whole time managed.Don't be afraid to commute and explore the beautiful city of Bangkok.Also, exchange your money outside of the airport as the rate is greater than inside.

2. Thai / Local People.  Thais are genuinely happy, humble, and kind creatures. They will patiently stop and wait until your selfie taking gets over, let you go ahead on the train and escalator respectfully without being physically charge, bow and say thank you for every action done with them and most importantly won't steal nor touch any of your left valuable in any places thus safety is my next point. 

TIP:  They’re skeptically unapproachable as they aren't English speaking people. But that doesn't make them less of a person. As a matter of fact, they try to communicate with a minimal English word and a lot of hand gestures.  Learn basic Thai phrases especially the difference of KRAP and KAH in conversing. 

3. Safety.  Surprise to know that amongst the Asian countries Thailand is one of the safe places to travel. Pickpocketing, physical charging and groping especially in crowded places,  and holdapping do not exist in here ( or with very less case / controlled ). I once witnessed a lost cell phone in Wat Pho on a chair and nobody is touching it until the owner came back after some time to collect it. 

TIP: Though claiming it’s safe, a scammer is inevitable. Be always street smart enough to identify pricey tuk-tuk ride.

4.Tour Friendly. All transport means from a tuk-tuk,  bus, taxi, and the sky train BTS are amicably commendable, self-directed, reasonably cheap ( especially taxi) and easy access and to understand. The idea of you traveling alone around the city is possible and is recommended. 

TIP:  These are worth trying. Having a map from the airport or from your hotel reception is essential and a must. Also, getting a local sim card with internet data is equally important. DTAC  sim with  7 days data, 4G service for 299 baht is my suggestion. 

5. Visual arts.  If you’re a kind of traveler that dwells into the baroquely intrinsic design of the sculpture, painting, and architecture, then Thailand is for you. From ancient relics, preserved arts to modern are all eyes watery creation of arts that you can see anywhere in Bangkok.  Ayutthaya is a place where you can find the olden days relics and temples. Grand Palace is the preserved and maintained place of excellent sculpture, painting, and architecture to go to.  The Chatuchak Market exhibits a variety of visual arts coming from different part of the worlds to look into and purchase. 

TIP:  Read a chunk of information from Google about the historical form of visual arts you’ll be visiting especially the famous ones to be guided on the etiquette it entails. “Buddha is not an attraction, respect is common sense”

 6. Resto Bar. Khao San Road is the perfect place to hang out and chill. Apart from the locals, there’s a great chance for you to get along with the other tourist, especially western people. Ambiance, Food specialties, and gimmick differ one bar to another. Pat Pong in Sala Daeng BTS exhibits a different kind of hang out places for the people who love sexy pleasure activity.

TIP: As early as 4 pm Khao San is ready for a party drink. Try to come early so to avoid home time late jam. In Patpong, most of the almost naked entertainers are ladyboy. Be cautious. 

7. Selfie Taking.  Who’s not fond of taking pictures? Thailand is conducive for a selfie and/or blog purpose pictures. Temple, Places, and Buddha sculptures are totally not a question. Be it in the street,  public utility vehicles,  crowded mall, you will still find your perfect angle as you aren't worried whether you’ll get your mobile lost or stolen upon taking a shot. The entire city is SAFE for this activity. As a matter of fact,  Most locals tend to stop while getting across to your place just to give you space for taking a selfie. 

TIP:  Be sensitive in taking pictures in the religious places that you’ll be visiting. Always follow the not allowed photo sign in place if there’s any. Respect.

8.Tourist Galore. The idea of being a foreigner in this land surrounded by other expats especially if it's white men make you feel freer and wander. You won't feel alienated touring around downtown as the presence of the many others tourist is felt more. If given a chance, try to sit down with them have a small talk, and enjoy everybody’s company, it’ll improve your communication and people smart skills.

TIP: Be extra careful with other ethnicities as they might misinterpret your kindness. Also, make yourself ready seeing a white foreigner with a local woman or with a lady boy along with them. It’s completely normal in here.

9. Food.   It literally everywhere! No starve moment when you’re in Thailand. Every street has its food cart to offer and every stop light has 7-11 mart. In shopping mall and religious places, there’s back to back eatery and restaurant available. The price of all kind of foods, from native street foods and delicacies, sweetened products to the steak restaurant in the mall are bloody affordable.

TIP:  Try the only in Thailand authentic foods. It’s worth it. just don't forget your antihistamine tablet for your food allergy (if there’s any). Like in my case I am allergic to sea food, so I am extra careful especially while eating my fave Padthai. 

10.Shopping. Bangkok is a trend setter in fashion thus shopping in here is also becoming a trend. There are ways for you to enjoy a shopping spree with your limited budget.  The night market is a must go to, the Chatuchak Weekend Market should be first to visit. MBK Center is also a place to be. Buying pasalubong in here is recommendable. 

TIP: It's okay to ask for a discount, but mostly the stated prices are already fixed. Learn the Thai phrase of saying “thank you” and  you’re welcome” 

Travel doesn't have to be expensive. The sole purpose of the entire trip is to get to know more of yourself, explore, and improve and not to mention have fun. 

Korpun Krap! 

Sharing you some photos of myself.

Wat Mahathat @Ayutthaya

Chao Phraya Express Boat

The Victory Residence Suite Hotel

In tuk-tuk

Swimming at the hotel rooftop

Skytrain BTS ( Bangkok Mass Transit System)

Chatuchak Weekend Market @Mochit

The Grand Palace

Siam Paragon Mall

Suvarnabhumi International Airport @ Bangkok Thailand

 For more photos;

https://www.facebook.com/PhysedDXB/media_set?set=a.1373698836084381.1073741865.100003328328654&type=3

https://www.facebook.com/PhysedDXB/posts/1373670592753872

Sample Itinerary with expenditure breakdown is upon request. Just message me up and will share it with you.

[warmheartworldwide]

Our Year-long Honeymoon

The following blog comes from David Drost and Ganja Ailina who recently volunteered at Warm Heart:

We are David and Ganja, originally from the Netherlands and Switzerland. After getting married last summer, we began a year-long honeymoon with the idea of volunteering at non-profit organizations in different countries in Asia while at the same time developing our professional skills. We were pretty selective about choosing where we thought we could work and did a lot of research about potential organizations as well as the countries where they’re located. Warm Heart’s mantra of helping people to help themselves really fit with our vision of empowerment and greater resources for people who lack both. We also liked their diverse projects. Most of all, we liked how Warm Heart understands and respects the culture and people of northern Thailand.

Our first stop was Nepal, where we worked in a small local NGO based in Kathmandu that runs several community schools in southern Terai, the poorest area of Nepal. Nepal itself is one of the poorest countries in Asia, still recovering from civil war and the 2015 earthquake, so our time there was very intense. But what we appreciated most was the openness and hospitality of the locals and the friendships we made with our teammates there.

Eating in Nepal

We then went to Malaysia and volunteered at Same Skies which works for the rights of refugees. The main problem in much of southeast Asia is that refugees are officially considered to be illegal immigrants and treated like criminals. Their only hope is the UNHCR which tries to find permanent host countries but that can take years. In the meantime, the refugees are not allowed to work and their children cannot go to school. Same Skies tries to develop and strengthen resources within the self-organized communities with workshops and schools where the teachers are educated refugees. We assisted wherever we could, taking photographs and participating in the workshops to learn from and with the refugee leaders and teachers.

Finally it was time to come to Warm Heart. Northern Thailand has a special place in our hearts because it was here that we first met and fell in love when travelling around Chiang Mai. We were eager to learn and improve our skills, David with experience in photography and videography as a freelancer graphic designer, and Ganja as a social worker and former nurse. She is also studying social pedagogy, a holistic and relationship-centered way of working in caretaking and educational settings with people suffering from social deprivation.

David:

Warm Heart has been great for me but if I’m honest, I had a hard time really getting into my project work. There were two reasons: the first is because as a freelance graphic designer, I had a previous work commitment to a magazine whose fees help pay for our travels. The second reason is maybe really an excuse. Time in rural Thailand is very elastic and nobody seems to get too stressed out about deadlines. Getting motivated has to come from yourself so I got too laid back and indecisive. Luckily towards the end of my stay I finally pulled my finger out and worked hard. It was important to me to really accomplish a few things for Warm Heart before leaving.

I’ve never formally studied videography, nor have I done a lot of filming. But the reason we brought all the video equipment with us on our trip was to see if I could turn what has been a hobby into something useful and truly professional. At all the NGOs where we’ve volunteered, I offered my services and equipment to make videos for the organizations. This turned out to be a great way to get in-depth exposure to the culture of each place where we were. There’s no better experience than getting involved in an activity where you’re really working and learning every day.

Michael and Evelind had initially given me quite a long to-do list. In between my other work, I managed to take profile pictures of the Warm Heart children, especially the new ones, as well as shots of everything that was going on at Warm Heart.

David tries to work 

My last weeks at Warm Heart were intense but fun. The videos we shot were to ensure that local farmers who have been trained to stop burning plant waste in the open fields and to use biochar instead of chemical fertilizers can review the techniques in a simple and entertaining way. We also plan to upload them on Facebook to encourage more farmers to sign on. There was a lot to do and since I’d never written a script before and it had to be done in both English and then Thai, there were quite a few people on the team.

Of course Aom was involved. Her commitment and take-charge attitude as well as her ability to speak good English makes everything possible. Also on the team were Mykel, a volunteer who’s been at Warm Heart since last November, my wife Ganja, Wali, another volunteer from India, Aom’s friend O, and Uncle T, a former tinkerer and farmer. Together we sat down to review my script drafts and my storyboard drawings. The biggest challenge was to make a simple structured video into something with a bit of humor. We hoped that these little jokes would work in Thai. On set we all had a ton of fun. We had to do some takes again, but there was never a dull moment. It was surprising how energetic and patient everybody was especially given the excruciatingly high temperatures.

David works on video storyboard

Back in Switzerland I cannot wait to see the final results. We managed to shoot four videos before I left. Mykel and Uncle T did the talking. Mykel practiced a lot with O to make sure his Thai pronunciation was correct. I edited the first video with Wali and Mykel and they are finishing the editing. Any missing information will be given in Thai subtitles. Each video will be 10-15 minutes long. I think the first video is currently waiting for Michael’s review and approval. I’m not too sure how the editing is going on the other three. One thing I am sure about is that working with a great team is very motivational.

Ganja:

I’m still studying social work as an undergraduate at university so I called this gap year my ‘unofficial internship’. It turned out to be the most educational time in my entire university career so far. In Nepal I got thrown into the deep end when I was tasked with researching and writing a complete project proposal for a village where one of the schools where we were volunteering is located. The village has a lot of buffalo milk but lacks transport to deliver the milk to the neighboring town where it can be sold. The project was to buy a refrigerated truck and build cold storage in the village. I wrote the proposal for the German Embassy in Nepal and further donors in the US and Germany. Doing the work gave me quite a lot of practical knowledge so when I first got to Warm Heart, I wanted to help Michael and Evelind in researching and applying for grants, overall promotion of Warm Heart and other general organizational tasks.

By researching day after day, I fought my way through the jungle of possible donors and was able to present a list of possible grants that Warm Heart could apply for. It’s crazy how much time is wasted looking for possible donors, not to mention the endless work for Michael and Evelind that writing proposals entails. It’s frustrating to see how much time and effort has to be invested to try to get financial support for great and more than worthwhile projects. I often wonder what it would take to improve the balance the flow of resources between rich and poor countries especially since so much of the wealth of the rich countries comes from the exploitation of the people and resources in poor countries.

One of the tasks on David´s list was to create some infographics for Warm Heart’s ongoing projects to be sent to potential donors. Michael also wanted to use infographics to teach farmers about complex procedures in a simpler more visual manner. Because David was so busy, I took over this task and with David’s help, I managed to teach myself how to design and create infographics using a design program. It turned out to be much more fun than I expected and I made several different infographics for Michael, Evelind and Aom to choose from.

Biochar infographic

Another of my tasks was to use my knowledge as a former nurse to work with our ongoing public health care project. Unfortunately that turned out to be more difficult than expected. Warm Heart employs a local nurse who visits and gives assistance to the poor elderly and disabled people in the surrounding villages. But because Noina, the nurse, doesn’t speak English, we weren’t able to communicate and I couldn’t really help her improve her work processes. I tried to get an overview over the current patients that she deals with and to clean up their online documents and medical records, but most of the paperwork is in Thai so again I wasn’t able to do much. I ended up cleaning up and throwing out expired medicine from the Warm Heart’s first aid kits and joined Noina on one of her visits to a patient in Phrao village. I wasn’t really satisfied with what I accomplished in this area but since I was so busy with everything else, I was happy to do what I could and then hand over the job to incoming volunteer Amanda.

I also modeled a new scarf style for our online stores

All in all, we enjoyed our time at Warm Heart immensely. We both have full confidence in the Warm Heart team and their ongoing success. We will try to stay in contact with them to assist them from afar. Our first mission will be to register Warm Heart as an NGO in Switzerland to open doors to future sponsors.