Thailand – Hero Holiday Part II

I had good intentions!  Good intentions meaning I was going to send out at least three blogs while I was in Northern Thailand.  Yes – I had good intentions!

The good intentions went to the wayside as I dove deep into working with the children – playing with them, eating with them and relaxing with them.  I actually got to play again.  I can’t remember the last time I played Red Rover, Duck-duck-duck-goose and clapping games (think Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man).  I felt alive!

Then there was the “Aha” moment.  Playing together was not only fun but it was a way to communicate when presented with a language barrier.  It also brought to light that wherever you are in the world – children are children – no matter what – even when they have been exploited.  Children are children.

The learning lessons began to flow…

Lesson #1 – Don’t lose your inner child

We were split into four groups and these four groups were maintained for the rest of the time spent with the children.  Each group had their own flag, name and dance.  My group was represented by a yellow flag.  We were the Rhinos.  A nice, sultry Rhino dance followed.  I have been back for about 2 weeks now and I still do our Rhino dance!

Lesson #2 – Allow yourself to be vulnerable

We were paired up with a child and were asked to draw each others portrait.  This was an absolute nightmare for me.  My inner thoughts kicked in – I can’t draw, I won’t be able to portray the child’s beauty, I am going to open myself up to being judged.  The outcome – I can’t draw but I committed pencil to paper.  It felt wonderful to let down my guard and just draw.  My partner drew a picture of me and we both chuckled.

Lesson #3 – Appreciate and celebrate

The children taught me it is not about what you have or what you do in life.  It is about appreciating your achievements and celebrating them.  Once you have lost that perspective then you have potentially lost perspective on life.  Everyday I witnessed the children celebrate the basic necessities in life – food, water and shelter.  They had an appreciation for each other and genuinely cared for each other.  Again it is okay to have but don’t forget to appreciate and celebrate what you have.

Lesson #4 – Remember to dream

I spoke to some of the children at the shelter and even though they endured whatever they endured in their lifetime they still had dreams.  Dreams of becoming professional athletes, poets, artists, doctors and musicians.  They still had dreams.  So no matter where you are in your journey called life don’t forget to dream and even better don’t forget to follow your dreams.

Korp kun ka to the children for allowing me into their hearts and for teaching me incredible life lessons.  My challenge now is to continue to practice these life lessons and to incorporate them into my practice.  And…remembering these lessons can only lead to moving my patients toward success!

In Good Health!

Shelley

Thailand – The Beginning of My Hero Holiday

After touring Hong Kong and Chiang Mai I made it to my final destination – Chiang Saen to work with children in a shelter.  These are children of many different ages starting from the age of 2 onward.  We were told there would be 90 children as a number of them were on summer holiday.

When our van arrived at the camp the children were waiting for us waving flags.  We were first greeted with a bracelet and a necklace made of jasmine flowers and rosettes.  The garlands are given as a greeting and are a sign of respect.

As we continued walking through the line some children were carrying buckets of white paste made from water and talcum powder.  As we walked through the line a child would apply the paste to our face – for protection and to ward off evil.

We were also splashed with water signifying cleansing and renewal.  It also signified blessings and respect.

We later learned the white paste and water was in celebration of Songkran – the Thai New Year.  Thai New Year was celebrated from April 12th to 15th and the children wanted to celebrate it with us.

As I was walking through the line having paste applied to my face and water poured on me I became extremely overwhelmed as two children grabbed my hand and looked up at me and guided me to their play area.  Here I am amongst a group of children who had been exploited yet have an incredible amount of love to give.  Their smiles were genuine.

As a Naturopathic Doctor my role is to teach and educate patients through their health journey.  Now it is my turn to be taught and educated!  Our excursion is called a Hero Holiday but it does not refer to us as the heroes.  It refers to the children who braved through extremely difficult times in their young lives.

And this was just my first day…

Sawatdee,

Shelley