Weird

So after breakfast, I hear someone shouting my name. I run out, and the lady in charge of the crafts store motions me to follow her. She briskly walks, and I try my hardest to keep up, trying to navigate the crazy terrain. (All my Vandy friends accuse me of walking fast, but I’m a turtle compared to these people.) We end up at her motorbike. I get on. She drives. Now, she doesn’t know much English at all, so I have no clue where we’re going. I recognize the Chem/Jem Luang School as we pass by, and we make a couple stops along the way. We’re zooming through the middle of nowhere, but I just hang on tight to the seat. Eventually, we end up at a place with signs that read, “Ecological tourism project” or something. And after I get off the bike and throw my tangled hair out of my face, I notice that we’re at a REALLY NICE place. The people there are wearing shirts that say, “Le Musikee Resort”, www.lemusikeeresort.com. Hmm. Now, I know I’m supposed to weave a Karen shirt with this lady, so I’m thinking that maybe the supplies are here. We walk around, admire the grounds. Then get back on the bike. Okay, I was wrong. Another crazy ride to who knows where.

We end up back at the center. Umm…?? She motions “5 minutes” to me, so I go to my room and sit there in confusion for 5 minutes. Then we meet at the staff dining area, she puts some thread in a bowl of water, throws cooked rice in there, and starts kneading. We knead for awhile, shake the rice out, then hang the thread on a bamboo stick. Okay. Step 1 of making Karen clothes. Got it.

I then motioned to the craft room because I want to get Jah-Leh a Karen shirt. Today, most of the kids are supposed to wear Karen clothes to school. I jokingly give the boys dirty looks as everyone lines up before school because the girls always have their bags, etc. Once the songs and prayers are over, the girls turn right and walk straight to school. But the boys. The boys never have their books. And some aren’t even dressed, so there’s a mad dash back to their rooms. Today, Jah-Leh wasn’t ready at all. And he was the last to leave. I spotted him walking out in non-school clothes, and when he saw me, he made a mad dash to hide. We then realized that he doesn’t have a Karen shirt. Oops, I feel bad for teasing him. Poor kid. So I told the crafts lady that I want to buy him one. I picked out a nice red one with cool stitching. It was the manliest one. We went to his bed, the lady wrote his name on a piece of paper (and I added a heart and smiley face), and I hope it’s a pleasant surprise.