Last week my family was in town. It was amazing to share my life at Mercy with them. Seeing the love in their eyes only reaffirmed my love for this place. Whether it was Dad entertaining the little boys and girls of Mercy 2 and 3 with elephant noises and singing Sinatra, or Aunt True’s sponsored kids traveling over a day from their homes in the countryside to come to Mercy and see her, or the little boys making googley eyes at Leanne – I knew this trip was as transformative for them as this experience has been for me. While it was sad to see them go, I was comforted by the fact that I have an entire family here, with two hundred little siblings and a handful of big brothers and sisters.
One of the projects Aunt True and Dad worked on while they were here was making a Mercy video for the US website. ((Tax free donations can be made in the US!!)) They decided to interview one of my roommates to give Mercy a face and a name. Pung told the story of how she made it to Mercy and even brought us to visit her Mom, who is still living in the neighborhood. At the age of seven, two years after Pung lost her father, her mother made the difficult decision to give Pung to Mercy. It was going to be the best thing she could do for her daughter; Mercy could provide food, education and a safe shelter.
Pung has been one of my closest friends here and even though I already knew she was amazing, seeing her with her mother was so incredibly special. Everything in the house, down to the house itself is from Pung. In college Pung received an allowance, but always made sure to send money home each month. She then wrote a proposal to Mercy to have them build her mother a new home when the place she was living in was no longer safe. The small space, just a little bit bigger than my bedroom at home, is now packed with Buddhist shrines and brightly colored knitted tops and filled with warmth, love and light. Her mom is a soft-spoken beauty, and when we all sat on the floor to eat fresh fruit, she pulled out an old photo album, proudly showing us the few pictures she has of the entire family together. It felt like home. We were taken in and trusted like family: this, to me, is the most wonderful attribute of Thai culture. I’m humbled by the hospitality and love I have been shown here.
One thing that Pung said, when she was being filmed, was how Mercy is a family. This really resonated with me, and now whenever I look around, all I see is family. From the kids piled on top of each other passed out during movie night, to Nancy teaching the Mercy 6 girls a new dance she learned at California WOW, to the way the older kids cook themselves dinner, all together – I see the ever important family. When life is hard these kids have each other. The bonds formed here will leave you breathless.
And in the midst of all this happiness, there is a looming sadness: it’s Ben’s last week at Mercy. He’s headed back to Australia on the 13th and I’m not sure what we’re going to do without him. He has been my closest friend and confidant for the past four months, as well as a “co-parent” to our RIST kids. Friday night we had his last movie night and as I sat there, in the happiest place on earth, I thought about how important he is to these kids. They LOVE him. Patient (when fed) and kind, he has been the ultimate big brother. The kids even call him Ben10 – a Thai superhero. The thought of not having him here makes my stomach turn. I see it in the kid’s eyes and it literally breaks my heart to think that I too am going to leave. I may not say it to your face, but I know you’re reading this, and Ben, words can’t describe how lucky I feel to have met you.
When Ben leaves I have a crazy busy schedule. On the 13th I’ll head to one of the islands off of Pattaya with the Mercy 6 kids for two days, returning Friday night, only to wake up Saturday morning and take off for meditation camp with my RIST kids. For one week we’ll be in all white, meditating with monks in the middle of the country. One meal a day, no make up and lots of time to think. I really do feel like I’m in Eat, Pray, Love the sequel. And to make life even better, I made a new friend and travel partner this week and plans are in the making for a trip.
I honestly believe that this is true happiness: To sit on the third floor of Mercy, in the open air, with Mercy 2’s rooftop just a stones throw away, watching the sun set in the cotton candy colored clouds, with the sounds of children laughing in the basketball courts below. I continue to come back to the same conclusion every time I write: how do you leave this place once it has taken such a strong hold on your heart?
Leanne with the Mercy kindergartners.
Movie night.
Pung and her mom.
Ben10 and pee saao and nong saao.
Why you just can't seem to leave.
All my love from BKK
ABA
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