I got my official placement email for Bangkok a couple of days ago--I'll be at APSW, or the Association for the Promotion of the Status of Women. APSW has an Emergency Shelter, which includes a clinic serving mostly young, unwed pregnant women, a Children's Home/Nursery, a Rape Crisis Center, an HIV/AIDS shelter, and a couple of youth programs that do reproductive health education. Awesome! I'm sure it'll be sobering and difficult at times, but I'm feeling pretty pumped about it as well.
At the same time I got my placement, I got a list of fellow volunteers: there'll be 18 of us arriving at the same time, joining 3 people already in the house (which has an in-house cook and snacks--including fruit--available 24/7. I'm embarrassingly excited about both of those things. Fruit! All the time!) Today I got an email from a 16 year old girl on the list; the only Trang volunteer I've talked to thus far is a 17 year old Italian boy. They both seem very sweet, but I'm hoping there'll be a few people a little closer to my age (oh god, how old am I that 16 sounds young?)
Today I went shopping with my sister, mom, and grandma and added some very light weight skirts, a dress, and a couple of tops to my wardrobe for dealing with 80-90 degree heat coupled with 60-70 percent humidity. Yipes! Actually, though, it's been so cold and gray in Spokane that I'm look forward to being able to walk around the house without wrapping myself in a blanket all the time.
It feels like there's still so much to do! Trips to REI for hardcore bug spray and sunscreen, locating a backpack that's big enough for three day weekend trips but small enough to be managable when I'm dragging a suitcase, the beauty supply place with my sister for new shampoo/conditioner/"product," packing, un-packing, and re-packing to make sure I haven't forgotten something or brought way more than I need.
I can't believe I'll be in Thailand in less than three weeks.
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1 comment:
Yay, Emily! And 16 is young.
loves.
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