7
Location: New Life Project, Kanchanaburi
Today we had a little special surprise because I woke everyone up an hour early on accident! Oops. After some more sleep and our yummy breakfast, we went to make some traditional Thai banana coconut pudding. While we were waiting for the banana coconut pudding to finish cooking we played Chief, a fun game that filled the kitchen with clapping sound and smiles. We then taught the kids an English lesson by doing the Hokey Pokey. You put your right hand in, you put your right hand out, and ya shake it all about!!! After teaching kids, we had lunch. Today lunch was delicious ramen noodles. Those noodles were not only yummy, but they were also amazing! Afterward, all of the girls spent hours getting dressed up in traditional festival clothes and makeup while the boys made little floats out of plants and candles and flowers for the Loi Krathong celebration. Once we’d eaten our dinner, the boys dressed up in their traditional attire (it took hours for the girls to get done up and just a few minutes for the boys!) we went to a nearby canal to release the floats. They were decorated with folded banana leaves, flowers, and had candles and incense atop them. We set them in the water and admired the beautiful scenery of glowing floats across the canal before the fireworks show startled and mesmerized us all. This celebration usually takes place in October, but the New Life Project kindly recreated the regalia so we could experience it while we are here with them. I love being surrounded by kids and all of the activities we get to do with New Life Project. Getting to dress up in traditional Thai costume was such a cool experience, but please, no more make-up!