Joining THAIKEA

I started working with TVC yesterday. Anna, one of my housemates and I are at THAIKEA. I’m enjoying it so far. I’ve learned how to use all of the power tools and a Chinese saw. I helped assemble a TV stand and saw it through the entire process of cutting wood, sanding, measuring, drilling, assembling, sanding and staining. The villagers want to build TV stands even though they don’t yet own TVs. I don’t know, maybe they use them for something else, or maybe they just want the stands because they know we are leaving soon.

Our work schedule goes something like this:
~8:20a Picked up on the side of the road in front of our house
~8:45a Arrive, briefing, set up, begin to work
~11a Short break
~11:30-1:30p Work
~1:30-2:30p Lunch
~2:30-4:30/5p Work

Today we got to be really creative. Instead of just making the normal pieces of furniture. We were told that a nearby playground, which is being built by TVC, needed some benches, chairs, and tables. We are building these things from scrap wood from the boat yard project. The girls I’m working with decided to make a bench using coconuts for the legs.
Kattia (German) and I sanding the bench top

We were also invited to a vegetarian breakfast in Thap Tawan this morning. 3 monks were present to bring the villagers out and to teach vegetarianism, vegetarian ways of cooking, etc. I guess the monks are kind of used as celebrities to draw in a crowd.