Lovely Last Day

It's always a bonus when the last few days can be a bit more on the chill side.  It just puts me in the best space mentally and physically to be able to say the hard goodbye and then make the long journey home.

It's been like that mostly all weekend, and spilling into today.  Most of the children have gone back to their families for summer break right now.  A few are lingering because they are part of a tag on event at the high school, and a few just haven't had their folks come for them quite yet.  It makes for a smaller group with a school's-done-and-it's-getting-hotter-each-day kind of vibe.  

Because I have been able to do the major part of packing already, even with an initial weighing of my suitcase, today was open for some things I had really hoped to be able to do before I left.  Not urgent or important, but just icing on the cake sorts of things.

We started with a last mini meeting, more of a conversation really, tying up a few items from our Management Committee Meeting earlier, and making sure we all understood some next steps in moving forward with some important tasks.  

After that we were over at Hot Springs park where we all had a Thai massage.  If this sounds luxurious, you might consider how inexpensive this is, and how helpful it is to get limbered up and stretched out before sitting on an airplane for 5 hours then 14 hours.  Honest, it makes a difference, and - like I said, icing on the cake - I am grateful we were able to do this.  

But the real treat was getting a hair cut.

Like everyone, I'm trying to be frugal in these days of economic uncertainty.  So when I can get a good hair cut here for about $10, and I go quite short and a bit more of a blunt edge bob so it will last me a long while once I get home, that just makes sense.

I've been coming to the same salon for about three years now, a tiny shop out of the way that you'd never in a million years expect to be off the dirt road in this little village, let alone find it even if you knew about it.  I love it because I get a very good cut (right Karen Bowman?), and I can support an independent Thai businesswoman at the same time.

We all took a turn.  And then I asked for a picture, so here we are in all our new hair glory.  

I highly doubt this will be my last post before leaving.  I still have all tomorrow morning.  My flight doesn't leave until 3:20 p.m. and we will head out to the airport immediately following lunch.  I'm still downloading and sorting pictures, so who knows what might show up on my feed, Monday night Canadian time?

For now, I'm just grateful for an easy, fun, massage and hair cut day to round out what has unquestionably been a fabulous visit all around.  

Also, I'm curious about my 9 hour layover in Seoul.  Always an adventure.