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I am going to have to figure out how to do page breaks.
Renee is not going to be able to come with me to Thailand. She has a family emergency, and can't be gone for that long. I am sad, disappointed, but it isn't going to change what I am planning on doing, other than dates.
As it stands now, I will still be planning one week with United Planet in Ranong, only a week earlier than anticipated. It will work out perfectly. I fly into Bangkok on July 1. I will fly to Ranong on July 2, adjust to the climate for two nights, and go to the village on July 4 for one week. Once finished, I will head either to Ko Phi Phi or Khao Lak to volunteer at one of those sites. Who knows- things change so rapidly- maybe I will end up somewhere else. Whatever the need is- I'll go with open eyes, ready to work. At this point, I can't make that decision. There is so much research to do. Off to bed.

2 months and counting

well, the commitment has been made, I sent in the cash, and I have my ticket in hand. Now it is about raising money for the cause. I didn't think I would be going back to Thailand so soon, and never considered it in the summer. But no one thought that a single day would affect so many people in that region, so off I go. Renee and I are signed up with an organization called United Planet, where we will be doing, well, anything they need us to do in a village near Ranong, Thailand. It was the only organization I could find that was totally organized and directly dealing with survivors of the tsunami. The downfall, is that it is quite expensive. $870 will get us a week of volunteering, room and board with a local family, so that they can generate some income (and create a cultural exchange), and insurance. But I have a week in Thailand before Renee even gets there. SO I have been searching and searching for another oportunity, a little more grassroots. I found some awesome sites that didn;t exist even a month ago. One organization is called Hi Phi Phi (hiphiphi.com). They seem to be doing wonders on the island.