Yo. It’s me Wade. Back again. Go tell a friend. After writing the first blog I was forbidden from ever doing it again but yet here we are. (Office leave that in). So get ready.

I was told by my peers my first blog wasn’t intellectual enough so for this one I’m gonna use as many big words as possible. Like this one – consequently – boom. (Note from Becca & Hadley – we adored Wade’s first blog and talked about it all the time)(Note from Emily – I have loved all of this group’s blogs and will say that they have been so consistently thoughtful and thorough)

April 13
This week began in the most exquisite (#1) way possible. We initially (#2) began by hopping in our means of vehicular transportation (#3) – a bus. We disembarked (#4) our bus at what seemed to be a festival. We soon found out it was indeed. Songkran!!!!! It marks the joyous (#5 not long but still counts) time that is the beginning of the Thai New Year. It is a time based around community, connections, and fun. We jumped straight in with some of us immediately (#6) engaging in water gun fights with local children and adults alike. Some of us participated in dancing and others joined into help making caramels with the locals. We even got the opportunity to indulge (#7) ourselves in local food like mango and spicy salt. Might I add what a combination that was. After being completely and utterly drenched from head to toe we climbed back aboard our trusty steed and headed to where we would lay to rest. For the next four days of course. We arrived at the house and sat down with our soon to be host families. A bit of foreshadowing (#8) some might say. We put together our own lunch, scooping noodles, meats, vegetables, broths, and spices into our bowls. After lunch, our first activity was assembling (#9) a traditional Thai welcome gift made out of banana leaves and marigolds. Some of the group struggled with the banana leaves into the correct conical shapes (#10). Cough cough Johnny cough cough. It was then coated in a special fragrance before presented to our host families. After, we indulged in a traditional Thai ceremony where the elders blessed us with their words and tied pieces of string around our wrists which signified (#11) the respect that we had for them and they had for us in allowing to be apart of something special like that, and they wished us good luck in our futures. After a questionable (#12 jeez I’m good at this) drumroll we found out which host family was ours. We also got our new Thai names for the week and ventured (#13) to our new homes. Me and the boys were staying in our own little wooden lodge which was really cool. We then had some time to explore the serene (#14) natural setting that was all around us. We then experienced (#15) the deliciousness (#16, dang, back to back) that was homemade Thai cooking. After some delicious food we retired for the night.

April 14
In the morning we went on a walk with our host families around the community. It was very sweaty but very beautiful. We saw a big bloated dead water monitor (look it up) in the river. We then helped create a masterpiece (#17) in the form of food that was these coconut ball desserts that left our taste buds questioning their existence. They were so so good. Then we had some much needed free time to work on our Capstones and hang out, then dinner rounded out the evening. At Evening Circle Johnny did what he normally did during our stint as LOW’s and carried the Evening Circle with a great question that sparked discussion while I sat there and asked silly questions to make people laugh.

April 15
Day 3 of our homestay visit was an eventful day to communicate (#18 tried to change the saying but didn’t really work) the least. We started off the morning with an exercise class hosted by two of the host moms. We lifted some water bottles and worked on our flexibility (#19) which showed just how incapable some of us were at extending our muscles past normal functionality (#20). We then played a little game of makeshift Newcomb which resulted in almost all of us enduring (#21) turf burn on multiple parts of our body. After lunch, we went to another celebration of Songkran at a temple. It was a very different experience to the first one. Here we engaged in local customs like pouring water with incense over the hands of monks and elders in the community. We then of course did get into a huge water fight with the local children where we definitely came away more misfortunate (#22) than them. It was so much fun though. And we danced really hard. Through all of our Songkran excursions (#23) and their differences one thing remained constant. Laughter. Genuinely laughter almost never stopped during those times. Seeing friends get pelted by small children from all over the local village brought a lot of joy. After being sprayed with water from a firehose over 10 times, we decided to call it a day or so we thought. We were then brought to a ditch and told to go catch fish. The ditch was filled with viscous (#24 its got a v in it so it counts) mud that was up to our knees. In this ditch were fish who had found their way in from the river. Our task was to feel around the mud for movement and signs of life and then to catch the fish with our hands. With a little help from the locals we were able to be successful. We caught a variety of fish. Some big, some small, some smooth, and some spiny.  It was a lot of fun. The excitement of feeling something and then frantically searching the mud provided a good time for all. After some pictures where we made the fish seem bigger than they were we hopped in a lake that was surprisingly (#25) warm to clean off. It was a really great way to end the day. It all kind of came full circle from starting off getting soaking wet to ending getting soaking wet in two completely different areas and scenarios. Dinner was of course delicious and was of course followed by a good question by Johnny and a less favorable (I’m counting it, I need all the help I can get #26) one from me. We then played a few super fun rounds of Scattergories to top off the night.

April 16
Our last full day with our host families was filled with a little activity on the farm where we picked mangos with a big stick. Haha. It was pretty cool. We also shoveled fresh dirt on the base of a few palm trees. Of course the day wouldn’t be complete without our daily dose of Songkran!!!! Ya!!! By now we all knew the drill – immediately fill up water guns and immediately get after spraying everyone in sight. This one was also at a temple which was cool. It also had a soap bubble machine where everyone got coated in bubbles which added another opportunity for laughs. People were buried, covered, and given facial hair they definitely didn’t have. Through the crowds we gathered and danced a little questionably (#27) to the live music that was being played. We then headed back where we got to drive a little tractor type thing that went in the water and was really fun. It’s used for moving the soil around in the rice fields. It was quite cool to see everyone’s faces filled with joy as they drove it around. With some more time to make any last changes to our Capstones we finished out the day with a big family dinner and a time to exchange the gifts for our host family we had all brought and receive some from them. It was a special night. That was the incredible couple days that were homestays. Our days were filled with incredible experiences and awesome memories that I’m sure we won’t soon forget. We owe a big thank you to the families and everyone who helped make those couple days what they were. It wouldn’t have been remarkably close to what it was if it wasn’t for them.

Mom and Dad. Did you see that!!! I can make big words!!! Aren’t you proud??? For everyone else I ask you humor me and just pretend that my word choice was good and that what you just read was very intellectually stimulating.

Alright everyone. Hope you are all doing well. Adios Amigos.