#makerealconnections

Welcome to my blog. I started this when my mom and I went to Thailand in 2017. I've changed the title and will continue to post on different experiences, connections, and cultures visited. Feel free to go back and read about Thailand. It was an adventure~ So toward the end of June, my boss called me and said that our company was going to for-go our Recreation Therapy department. We had one week to wrap things up and say our goodbyes. This was a shock and I went into focus and finish hard mode. I wanted to practice what I had been preaching to these clients for almost four years; be flexible, life doesn't always work out as planned, be open to new doors that open, etc... I had been feeling like a change was going to occur in my life, but I didn't think that meant losing my job. So we finished within the week and said bye to our co-workers, clients, and team that we had worked so hard to make. It was difficult and hard to process because it happened so quickly. When I got t...

day 22- We arose early this morning so we could get our bags packed. Then we took one last walk along the beach. We had a black dog join us for our walk. There were seven ropes running out to the sea, we think they were catching crabs but not sure what they were for. A couple of cages were attached to them in the water. The beach was so quiet and peaceful. We saw some sand on the beach that looked as though star fish had been there, but it was actually from little sand crabs. We ate some breakfast and took some photos with the cute host family. Oily, the host mom had called and arranged a taxi for us. He arrived and we set off to the airport. He pulled off about 2 minutes later and told us "one minute" we were thinking it was a drug deal or something sketchy because he was paying money to someone at a small market. He was actually paying them to go get gas because he had run out. We then pulled off again on the road and again he said "one minute" and he went in to ...

Last full day in Krabi and Thailand. We had some yummy breakfast. Toast, yogurt, cereal, bananas, and mom had some sticky rice and custard.  Then we were picked up by our tour van and headed to the dock. They had complimentary snacks while we waited to get on our speed boat. We chose the Phi Phi Island tour. There were around 20 of us on the boat. The day was cloudy and our tour team said they would need to check weather a few times. We took off, our first stop was to view chicken island so we could same some photos and so they could check the weather. They suggested we put our bags under the cabin. Thank goodness!! They said it would be about a 45 minute ride to Phi Phi Islands. We were cleared to keep going, as we proceeded, the water got rougher and rougher and spray everyone in the boat. We were really grateful that we had our swim suits on. It was so funny to watch the reactions of everyone, especially the two guys in the back who got drenched first. Our driver was 23 years o...

We stayed in Reset hostel last night and that'll be where we stay until we leave Friday. It's so fun to meet roommates from all different places and what's brought them here and their stories. We ate some breakfast to start off the day, Petch and his mother came and picked us up for the day to show us around. We drove for about an hour, they were so kind! We sang English songs :) and talked. We started off at Emerald Pool. The walk to te pool was about a mile along a beautiful pathway and it was so green, so many different kinds of plants, and such clear water. Before we swam in the Emerald Pool, we tried to go to the Blue pool, which was just a bit further. The gate was locked and closed, but we attempted to go anyway. After about 20 steps a Thai man saw us and said "come back November." So... I guess we have to come back in November to see the Blue Pool ;) we went swimming in the pool. It was so clear and green. There were little fishes in it that would eat dead...