Lost on Earth

This morning I dropped my friend Katharina off at the airport - she is leaving Thailand. Katharina and I hardly met each other before she had to leave, but we became good friends. The two of us used to type furiously in the same internet cafe for the last four months and steal curious glances at each other, and both assumed the other was just a tourist. BY the time I got up the courage to say hello to her she had only a month left ion Mae Hong Son, but we went out often, talked until late in the evenings, and I am sorry to see her go. I went home and ate chocolate because I was so depressed at her leaving.

Last night a father and son came to the OPC shelter and brought a guitar for the children. Then they played their own instruments (guitar and harmonica) until the sun set and Kham Chuen lit small white candles (we have no electricity at the shelter). It was so nice to sit with the kids and hear live music that isn't Thai! The mood was a bit spoiled when the other volunteers came bearing a big battery powered fluorescent light, which drown out the calm ambiance of the candles, but it was a delightful evening anyhow, and several of the children learned some basic chords on the guitar - which they were then allowed to keep after the visitors left.