16
Location: Bangkok
Today we went to a kindergarten in a community on the outskirts of Bangkok. It was the first of a two-day project of renovating, painting and planting trees. We were happy to do this because we wanted the kids to have a good place to play. Quite soon after we arrived there, they welcomed us with performances, Thai style dancing! Then afterward, we played games together, in one we were in a circle and handed round a bottle of baby powder, and the one had the bottle when the music stopped had to put powder on their face, or on someone else’s face, it became a big fun white powder explosion it was very funny.. My hair and body became white! Afterward, the staff surprised me with an Owen face cake for my birthday!!! They brought out a big cake with a picture of me on it, and then everyone had a piece of it. Then things got more playful, and people started putting the cake butter on my face! After all the fun we started to work outside in the playground. We spent a long hot day working, we painted walls, we built walls, we plastered, we poured cement, we repainted some of the equipment and re-did the roof one of the playground games. Although it was very tiring, we enjoyed it because we knew it would make the children very happy. Afterward, we came back to the hotel and went out for a birthday meal. Everyone surprised me with balloons, they tied them to me, and we went out, and everyone on the streets was looking at me! We had a meal; then we went bowling. Ryan and Rose were very good at bowling. Tres always did a spin – and got strike lots of times. Bri and I were dancing with the music. I liked the bowling a lot – I learned how to bowl and hit a strike twice! I had a really happy day with my new friends; I will never forget my 16th birthday!