Dear Editor,
I spent some time yesterday in the ghetto of Thailand, talking with the locals. They invited me into their homes, and of course, I had to take a picture of the toilet.
The toilet and shower here reminded me so much of Albouystown. You have to use a bucket to bathe and flush the toilet. The neighbourhood feels just like Albouystown — the same close-knit community, the same struggles. The people are very poor. Life seems hard, yet normal for them, because it’s all they’ve ever known.
I can truly say that I feel more at home here than in the big fancy airports and hotels of Thailand. These people live in wooden houses with no TV, no internet, no fridge, no stove — just a pot sitting on top of a gas bottle. There’s no joy or luxury, just survival. No indoor plumbing, no proper waste disposal. And like Albouystown, every time it rains, it floods.
Being here feels like reliving my childhood in Albouystown.