The Most Amazing Kids Ever

This week began with food poisoning! Threw up all night, didn't sleep, forgot to pack my toothbrush, and went to work with messy hair and sunglasses. That morning, I really didn't think that leaving for Petchaburi for the Young Seedlings Network camp, a 5 day event bringing in young adults from over 20 different community forests, would be the most fun I've ever had, with the most amazing and brilliant kids I have ever met. I mean I don't think you could have called me human that day, but when I got most of my senses back I realized that this could easily be my favorite week out of the year.

To meet so many open hearted souls that are so acutely aware about their community, their lives, the kind of impact they have as individuals and as a community, it's just unbelievably inspiring. As Nueng, a new friend of mine, said to everyone there, "I've always thought there to be two kinds of people in the world- the first are just living on the planet, and the second kind are people who make the world turn. I always thought that as a writer I made the world spin, but after this week i couldn't be more wrong and jealous of all of you. you actually make the world spin. you actually make a difference." I'll never do justice in expressing the kind of community I was surrounded by. Despite the different situations or places these kids come from, you feel the intentions of all 40 people in the room because everyone cares so much about all of this and they share the same goal of learning from each other and learning about each other. They all want better lives for the people around them. Yes, it's a selflessness that is so rarely encountered in every day life.

If I left for America tomorrow, I would be happy. I feel like I've seen and have learned so much from the people here already and from the community forests. I have so much gratitude for my life right now that I just don't see anything changing that after this experience. Is it strange that I feel so grateful? I just feel like everything is different now. I was happy before I came here, but now I'm a different kind of happy. I'm a truer shade of blue than I was before.