remembering

01 June 2014
It was raining hard and the electricity went out the night of our departure.  We finished packing up and taking showers with the light from a flashlight.  Looking out the window I could see Chalau sitting in a covered area with our dog Sam beside her.  We were leaving Sam behind with Chalau...did he sense that something was amiss?  Did he feel left behind when we got into the truck with two sleepy boys and seven suitcases?  We loaded the boys in the darkness as rain continued to come down, soaking the clothes we would be wearing for the next 24 hours.  After a brief two hour nap we woke the boys up--"it's time to go!"  Instead of staying asleep as we carried them to the truck they became fully awake, and thus able to take in their last moments in Chiang Mai.  The four of us climbed into the loaded truck and quietly looked out as we pulled away from what had been our home, and drove down the street to say our good-byes to Chalau and her husband.  She and her husband stood on the side of the road under their umbrellas in the darkness and pouring down rain.  I got out of the car to give Chalau an awkward hug (hugging is not a Thai custom) and I could see that she was holding back emotions as she held onto my arm.  Her son who had been Noah's buddy was fast asleep in their truck.  He had come to say good-bye as well, but sleep came first.  After a few words of blessing and good wishes from Chalau and her husband, we climbed back into the truck and waved our last good-byes.  She stood under her umbrella in the rain, our dog Sam standing loyally next to her, as we drove away.  A moment etched in my memory forever.
And just like that our year in Chiang Mai was over.