Highlights from Volunteer Summer 2007
From VS Thailand – June 28, 2007
Sawadee-ka/krup from Thailand!
It has been one week since we left the New York City Orientation, and here we are in Nongsaengnoi! So much has happened since our journey began from JFK. After a night stopover in Bangkok with pad-thai from Chabad, we boarded our connecting flight to Ubon Ratchathani and were greeted warmly by a smiling delegation of our partnering NGO - Pattanarak - members and children from the school in our village...
From VS Uganda – July 5, 2007
Mulembe! (Hello)
Since our last email update, a lot has happened. We've become acclimated and it's beginning to truly feel like home here. It's a true testament to how comfortable we feel, since we are able to walk from one area to another, guided only by moonlight. We've even become friends with 2 of the local goats, affectionately dubbing them Norman and Bambi. We've also been using them as a makeshift, all-natural garbage disposal. The outdoor bucket showers have become quite a commodity after a hot, long day of work...
From VS Ghana – July 5, 2007
Akpealeh Friends and Family!
Hello from the village of Likpe Mate. As we near the end of our second week, we're proud to say that we are a little tanner and a little stronger than last week!
Our immersion into our village has exceeded all expectations. We feel pretty popular amongst the locals, most of whom know our names and greet us with salutations of "Allo Sistah/Brotha (insert your child's name here)” those names that are harder to pronounce have been replaced by traditional Ghanaian ones. Rachel was recently dubbed 'Kola' and Aryeh is called 'Big Man Kofi.' - catchy huh? Still, some children prefer shouts of "Abruni! Abruni!" meaning white man! white man!...
From VS Honduras – July 13, 2007
Dear family and friends,
Our shoes are layered with cement and clothes covered in dirt, our water bottles are scratched, and our group feels closer than ever, like family… Here we are approaching the trip’s mid-point.
Last week ended with a beautiful and delicious Shabbat, thanks to Lindy, Arash, Kendall and Sarah Goodwin who cooked a tasty Honduran/Italian dinner. They made pasta with homemade tomato sauce, guacamole and tortilla chips. We also continue to love Abby’s fresh-baked kosher challah. Later that night we enjoyed each others company while playing cards and scrabble...
