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Do they have Mountain Dew in Thailand?
When my friends Becky and Mike first invited me to take part in a Habitat for Humanity trip to Chiang Mai, my first reaction was to mumble incoherently. The truth is, I don’t particularly like to...
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Day 2: Chiang Mai
Around sunrise the team meets up in the lobby of the Unico Premier Metrolink for a quick breakfast before catching the plane to Chiang Mai. My sleep schedule has been thrown completely out of whack....
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Building. And Eating.
I’ve stopped trying to decipher U-thit’s truth from U-thit’s fiction. After he denies his identity, he confesses that the work site is approximately one hour from our hotel. I dismiss this as...
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Swimming
I have decided to do a triathlon when I return to Los Angeles. It’s a sprint, which means half the biking and running distances and a quarter of the swimming distance of a regular tri – not too much of...
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The Build: Week One
Wednesday morning we all line up in the lobby of the Royal Lanna Hotel to take the 45 minute trip to the worksite. We’ve been tasked with building a home for a woman named Sililak, a 32 year old single...
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Same, Same?
Matt Gordon met a cat last night. I’m not talking about a saxophonist or fedora-wearing jazz drummer. I’m not talking about a “cool” or “hip” cat. I’m talking about an actual cat. Perhaps we should...
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Elephants, bamboo titanics and the like.
SATURDAY As we enter the open field where elephants roam casually, the team is greeted by a loud thump. The ground shakes as though a bowling ball has been dropped from a height of about six feet. This...
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A Brief History
It’s Sunday. The tour guide sits in the passenger seat of our van explaining the history of his city. His arms gesticulate towards the river and the surrounding mountains. He wears a short-sleeved...
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Good Mornings
They offer olives at Hotel Lanna’s breakfast buffet. They also have an array of Thai dishes that change daily. I alternate between toast and cereal, with a side of fruit. Carla always starts with fruit...
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Dedication.
The end of our time together nears and, as usual, I begin to feel pangs of anxiety. The thought of returning to a life filled with computers and technology and street lights unnerves me. What will days...
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