It seems like just yesterday we were arriving in Chiang Mai wide eyed and anticipating all of the adventures to come. A band featuring Thai Elvis serenaded us as we indulged in our first dinner before heading to sing karaoke. We began to immerse ourselves in a new culture, a new language and we learned the fine art of the shuttlecock. And now it is hard to express what has unfolded these past three months with words. As we wake from our collective dream, and scatter into our little corners of the earth, fear not! You’re carrying every single experience and every one of us with you. We’ve each slipped neatly into a tiny pocket in your heart. When you set out on your next adventure, don’t be alarmed by the tiny voices you hear…That’s just us, tagging along!
Chris — Where you are now is just where you are right now
Elliot — You’re picking me up, you’re not dragging me down.
Ari — Your revolutionary “full torso” maneuver has forever changed the world of shuttlecock
Olivia — Give us your address in Denmark so we can send you peanut butter!
Caroline — No rabies shots!!!!!! Success!
Calhoun — You’re the proudest pop we’ve ever met
Alondra — We hope no one ever tries to feed you tofu ever again
Reilly — From this point forward, we’ll have the urge to tell you about every cat we see
George — All the world’s a club. Dance!
Julie — All that rage and screaming… it’s really impressive
Phong — YES, ok, ok! We get it. We’ll call you.
We all know now that we should hold our heads a little higher and take risks and chances with our new sense of adventure. We know we have the skills and resources to work through challenges. We know we have each other to lean on when we need support. Every once in a while don’t forget to hold your right foot up high and repeat three times slowly “intending to walk” and nobody will really understand why it makes you laugh and smile. Stop to watch people dance in the street and remember the time you were on stage getting your Thai palm bending groove on. Look up at the stars and think of floating on a bamboo raft in the Kampot river surrounded by bioluminescence.
Thank you all for embracing this adventure with open minds. It was your positivity, your sincere desire to learn and explore, your passion and enthusiasm for life that made every project so special. Build more cement walls. Take time to interact with people you meet in the street. Get lost every once in a while to find yourself. Watch more circus acts. Eat ice cream. Night swim under the stars. Learn more about history. Discover the truth for yourself. May all your coffee be eggy, and your biscuits be from Popeyes. We love you! Know that you have all touched our…Hearts. This is life.