Clearly, time flies when you are having fun. It has been months since I last posted, and in that time I have gone to Australia where I held a koala and saw two platypuses, visited friends and generally had a great time; started my new job with HUG Project; spent a week with other Covenant missionaries from all over Asia at a conference/retreat at the Hua Hin beach; and bought a car. OK, that about sums it up!
Today, I had the pleasure of spending some time with my friend P'Angkhana and the kids she works with. We took them to a park in the city to eat some grilled chicken and som tam (a local favorite salad made with unripe papaya) and sang some songs together. I was thinking about the fact that it has been nearly 4 years to the day since I moved here and used to go to that park on Sunday's with the Taw Saeng kids and Field. At the time, I was super paranoid about keeping the kids in sight at all time, sure they would be snatched and trafficked in the blink of an eye. Clearly I have gotten way more relaxed about these types of things, as this morning the kids were playing on the swingsets on the complete opposite side of the park from where we had the picnic blankets set up. I have come to understand that trafficking doesn't really work that way here in Chiang Mai. However, in having a conversation with P'Ang, we were discussing our fears that two of the little girls she visits with may still get trafficked.
They are from a family from a neighboring country who are working here illegally. It's a sad family situation with no dad in the picture and the mom not even 21 with two little kids to raise and few parenting skills. P'Angkhana was telling me that the grandpa said he would just give her the kids when they go back to their country, if she wants them. It's always hard to tell when people say that if they are joking or serious, and also whether they are saying that because we have a relationship with the kids in question or if they would give them to just anyone to be rid of the responsibility. P'Ang is worried that if the family does return, will they take the little ones and just dump them with whoever wants kids. In that country, this is a real problem, due to extreme poverty. People sell their kids to traffickers much more often than it occurs in Thailand. P'Ang is not sure how to help them in this situation, but she is certainly not in a financial position to take them on her own and they would still be here illegally, so it could cause big problems for her down the road if she were even considering it.
Just when I think I get used to hearing these stories, another one comes up! I just can't wrap my head around the idea of giving your kids away, no matter how bad things are. I hope they choose to make a different decision, for the sake of those little girls.
Today, I had the pleasure of spending some time with my friend P'Angkhana and the kids she works with. We took them to a park in the city to eat some grilled chicken and som tam (a local favorite salad made with unripe papaya) and sang some songs together. I was thinking about the fact that it has been nearly 4 years to the day since I moved here and used to go to that park on Sunday's with the Taw Saeng kids and Field. At the time, I was super paranoid about keeping the kids in sight at all time, sure they would be snatched and trafficked in the blink of an eye. Clearly I have gotten way more relaxed about these types of things, as this morning the kids were playing on the swingsets on the complete opposite side of the park from where we had the picnic blankets set up. I have come to understand that trafficking doesn't really work that way here in Chiang Mai. However, in having a conversation with P'Ang, we were discussing our fears that two of the little girls she visits with may still get trafficked.
They are from a family from a neighboring country who are working here illegally. It's a sad family situation with no dad in the picture and the mom not even 21 with two little kids to raise and few parenting skills. P'Angkhana was telling me that the grandpa said he would just give her the kids when they go back to their country, if she wants them. It's always hard to tell when people say that if they are joking or serious, and also whether they are saying that because we have a relationship with the kids in question or if they would give them to just anyone to be rid of the responsibility. P'Ang is worried that if the family does return, will they take the little ones and just dump them with whoever wants kids. In that country, this is a real problem, due to extreme poverty. People sell their kids to traffickers much more often than it occurs in Thailand. P'Ang is not sure how to help them in this situation, but she is certainly not in a financial position to take them on her own and they would still be here illegally, so it could cause big problems for her down the road if she were even considering it.
Just when I think I get used to hearing these stories, another one comes up! I just can't wrap my head around the idea of giving your kids away, no matter how bad things are. I hope they choose to make a different decision, for the sake of those little girls.
