We had a wonderful start, amazed by the beaches and the kind people we met at Step Ahead. The community center where we lived is also where we taught, and was right off the main road running through little Khao Lak, Thailand, a favorite beach getaway for German vacations. We learned quickly that there were jelly fish in the water and crashed a lovely resort for their chairs, shade and pools. We didn't waste any time getting started with teaching - our students were adults in the community, most of which worked in the tourist industry. We taught about God's love through Bible stories and writing practice. We became very close with our students.
When we weren't in the classroom, we kept ourselves busy with community projects. Derek worked on setting up a village garden for Sea Gypsies in the town. I spent mornings at the preschools our organization ran, playing with the kids and teaching them English words for fruits and animals. On the weekends, we watched movies and read and painted. When the rainy season came, we were often stuck inside, but inside there was air conditioning, for which we were very grateful.
My parents came to see us in March, and we experienced scuba diving and snorkeling with them. We visited Bangkok and Singapore, and they were able to visit Khao Lak, where my father's insatiable need for ice cream landed him in the hospital with food poisoning. In case you believe this is an indication of the poor conditions that others in the world experience, keep in mind that both Derek and I were never seriously ill in the 6 months we were there, and we didn't have medication or shots. Thailand is the cheaper, more Eden-like version of Hawaii. Go, if you ever get the chance.
We spent our last month in July backpacking to Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. We lived very cheaply but saw many incredible things and met many nice people. The beauty of the land and the unique lifestyle of Southeast Asia is truly life-changing. We both agree that it's one of the greatest things we've ever done in our lives, and would do it again in an instant. Thank you all for your prayers and financial support. We're better people for that experience.
We returned to the states in August and enjoyed Craig's 60th birthday party and Craig and Ranae's 25th Anniversary in Colorado before driving our little purple bug and Avery the pig back to Spokane. We picked up a new addition to our family on the way - Paprika, who was later re-named Bernadette because of the Four Top's song. We settled in to a two bedroom apartment and Derek started Medical school with 20 first year students for the University of Washington's School of Medicine.
Kendra was hired at Jigsaw, a Salesforce company, in their Customer Success department, where she trains new clients and manages accounts for the organization. As her department is being restructured, she plans to move to the Operations department to assist with automating the new account set-up process. She loves her job and is doing very well, though she is still undecided about her chosen course for her future career.
We will be fortunate enough to see both of our families for Christmas this year and are very much looking forward to time off and time together. God bless you and yours this holiday season!
~ Derek, Kendra, Bernadette and Avery
