Chicken and Oat. My "plus two"

"And what happened, then? Well, in Whoville they say - that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day. And then - the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of ten Grinches, plus two!"   - Dr. Seuss

I have never considered my heart to be a small heart.  I have always felt it's a fair size if nothing else. Maybe a little more worried and wounded than average.  But never small.  However, there are times when I find myself having "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" moments where I can feel my heart growing three sizes in one day.  In one moment. 

If you knew me in America, you knew that I never wanted children, and quite honestly, didn't particularly care for them all that much.  But today, I want to introduce two little people who have changed my mind, and made my heart grow three sizes. 

My two best friends.  


Oat



Gai

 

I met Gai (whose name means chicken hence the title of this blog) and Oat (whose name means exactly what you think) one sunny afternoon as school let out.  Children were pouring around the corner of the building on their bikes heading home, to the snack shop across the street, or lingering in the school yard.  As I was putting on my helmet and prepping my own bicycle to ride home, I heard someone yell "Teacher Salah!" and I looked up to see one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen, accompanied by the biggest and cutest ears I've ever seen here as well. 

"Will you ride home with us?" Gai asked me.  I had a Grinch moment and I felt my heart grow. 

After learning their names and playing many, many games of UNO and Duck Duck Goose the following Saturday, I finally told them I was tired and it was time to go home.  I pulled a package of instant oatmeal from my backpack that I had been carrying around, gave it to Oat and said,  "This is your name in English."

We laughed about how funny it was that their names were both foods, and Gai asked if he could have some oats, too.  So I gave him some, which he promptly opened and ate.  Dry.  At the same moment, his grandmother came looking for him and saw him eating the oats.  She thanked me for giving him food as they didn't always have enough at the house.  I second guessed my Thai comprehension all the way home.

Now, I could talk about the extreme poverty that exists in my village, or about the widespread problems with alcohol abuse, absent parents who are working in Bangkok, children being raised by grandparents too old to properly care for them, neglect, hunger, and a hundred other problems that Thai - as well as American children - face every day, yet aren't always noticed.  But I won't because I'm not here to fix that.   And I realize that now.

All of these things happen all over the world, and a lot of them happen to Gai and Oat.  In fact, the comments that Gai's grandmother made are a big part of why I decided to get to know both of these children better, and maybe stick my nose a little bit where everyone told me it didn't belong.  And while I'm so glad I did, that isn't what any of this is about anymore.

After spending a significant amount of time with Gai and Oat, I can assure you that none of these problems define either of these two boys.  As I've gotten to know them over the past several months, I've found that both of them are:

• Smart  - If I take the time to work with them individually, they comprehend everything in that day's lesson.  And their smiles of realization when they "get it" are the best.

• Funny - I once watched Gai hide Oat's shoes for no good reason.  And I once saw Oat use a ruler to try to "saw" off Gai's big ears. 

• Strong and loyal - Just the other day I had biked about a mile and a half outside of my village when I heard someone shrieking my name.  It was Gai, Oat, and Oat's little brother.  They saw me bike past and had spent the last 15 minutes trying to catch up with me because they just wanted to make sure I was safe.

• Sweet and kind - It's heartwarming when a 9-year-old with basically nothing shares his only piece of gum with you simply because he wants to. 

• Adventurous, and sometimes a little bit sneaky - riding their bikes to my house across the "big road" alone even when they were told they weren't allowed without an adult. 

They have taught me so much about my community: where everyone lives and their names, where to get the best som tam (papaya salad), who gives out free dragon fruit, what to buy at the night market, where the best jungle biking is and how to use those paths when trying to avoid certain people's houses.   And best of all, they've dragged me out of my shell and gotten me out of the house and into the community at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning.   

I can credit both Gai and Oat with having given my service purpose, unbelievable joy, anger, laughter, frustration, confidence, second-guessing, and unconditional friendship.  They are two of the greatest loves I've ever known. 

As I reflect back upon my blog and my PC service, it seems I have a recurring theme:  My heart and how much it has grown, opened, and softened because of the relationships I've been brave enough to pursue here.  Thank you Gai and Oat.  Thank you so much for changing my heart, my entire life, and giving me so much more than I could ever give you. 

So, now, I hope Dr. Seuss won't mind if I make a few changes to one of my very favorite quotes, because while it may seem silly, I feel a little bit like the Grinch must have felt the day when Cindy Lou Who decided to be his friend.

"And what happened, then? Well, in Thailand they say - that Sarah's fair heart grew three sizes that day. And then - the true meaning of Peace Corps came through, and Sarah found the strength of ten Sarahs, plus two!"