Curious about what daily life like is like for Nuan and her family, we asked if it would be ok if we stopped by one morning to experience their before school routine with them. Nuan readily agreed, and we found outselves on this rainy monsoon morning out in Nong NaSaeng village at the early hour of 6am.
Nuan and her family live, as the Thais would say, in the forest. Very rural, long dirt road to get there, surrounded by rice paddys, rubber tree farms, or natural wilderness. In the height of monsoon season, the road floods so much that oftentimes their home in inaccesable, no one can get in, and no once can get out.
By the time we got there just after 6am, the kids were already up and getting ready for school. As you do first thing in the morning, they got out of bed and brushed their teeth. Although instead of going into the bathroom to stare at themselves bleary eyed in the mirror over the sink like you and I might, they went outside next to the house and squatted down on the wet ground in the light rain. Water used to bath and brush their teeth is either collected rainwater or carried from the creek a couple hundred meters away.
After brushing their teeth, the boys go back into the house to change into their school uniforms while Nuan and Jong check over and help get their homework and school materials together.
Most mornings the boys get a mug of hot ovaltine before they leave for school. When asked if it was coffee, I just got giggles in response. 🙂
*That washing machine, by the way, isn’t hooked up to anything. There is no running water at Nuan’s house!
Once the boys finish their ovaltine and breakfast, they get ready to leave for school. If the weather is ok, the oldest boy likes to ride his bike. The younger boys will get a ride to school from Jong.
It’s clear from watching them get ready for the day at this is a well practiced and regular routine. You can see the love and care Nuan and Jong put into trying to raise these boys the best they can. Please help us build a new roof for this family, it will take one less worry out of their day to day troubles. We are so close to our goal and almost have enough to make this dream a reality!
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