Finding my tutu's school
Tutu is Hawaiian for grandma and my dads mom, is my tutu.
She's on the side of the family that my Hawaiian family is on so I suppose that's why we titled her with tutu.
She's an amazing women, full of spunk, a great outlook on life and still incredibly active at the young age of 90.
One chapter of her life was spent in the peace corps. teaching the deaf in Bangkok, Thailand. So when this trip of mine got started I was given a task. To go to her school and find it, that was key, to find it!
The morning we went out to find the school there was demenstrations happening nearby. We actually weren't sure we'd be able to get close to the campus. It turned out taking a lot of extra time to get there but we made it!
With a small list of teacher names put into my hand when I left Oregon, tutu wanted me to see if any of these people still worked at the school and remembered her. I had a very important task ahead of me. Of course they'd remember her! You can't forget this special lady.
Unfortunately when I was in the city, school was still on summer break so the campus was empty and pretty locked up. There were a few security guards around but they didn't speak a lick of English. It would have been great to have met some of these teachers if they wet still around but my timing was just a little off.
I had the company of Joe, his two step sons, Army and Egh as well as Golf (Army's girlfriend). Having some Thai speakers with me turned out to be very helpful as the security guards weren't so sure about me.
The sign says.
I got a lot of pictures of the campus and tried to determine which buildings she may have taught in. Trying to figure out which buildings were the older ones and which had been built recently was a bit of a challenge as well.
Just outside the library.
I accomplished my main Bangkok mission! If there were only one thing to do while I was in the city, finding that school was it!
Seeing where she used to teach and the city she lived in for a brief time in her life was a great experience. I wished she could have been with me to show me around herself but this was better then nothing. She wished she could have been with me as well but she was there in spirit. I called her the day before I headed out for the school and I called her again the day after I found it. She was (in the words of tutu) delighted!
Love you Tutu!
Can't wait to see you again, when I return home.
