Dear friend,

It was the best kind of party- one with great food, live music, friendly people, and perfect weather. It could have been improved only by the attendance of each of you.

The night was warm but breezy, the palms were swaying, the ocean was calm but gently whispering, and, when I arrived, the band was playing bossa nova and the fresh shrimp were already sizzling on the grill. It was really hard to believe that the happy, animated friends chatting around the plastic tables were the same desolate tsunami survivors that we've been interacting with since January, just as it was really hard to believe that the adorable stilted pink house where we gathered was on the same site as the blasted, vacant lot where we photographed Khun Namthip in February.

Here are some mental snapshots to help you imagine the party (you can also click here to see lots of photos of the party):

-Khun Namthip, beaming with pride, touring visitors around her new Shawnee House. The breezes and the views are really spectacular.

-The head of the local government promising that the people of Kamala would never forget the kindness of the Shawnee Institute community (that's you!), and hinting that the large aid organizations (and indeed his own government) had a lot to learn about efficiency, accountability, and effectiveness from the grassroots aid work that we've done here.

-Standing next to Namthip and her cousin, listening to the band playing a sad Thai folk song, when they both leaned towards each other and began to weep. On the morning of the tsunami, Namthip had been babysitting the daughter of this cousin. When the wave came, it stole away with Namthip's grandmother and her baby niece. I put my arms around them both and, when that song was over, I asked the band to pick up the tempo. Pretty soon, Namthip and her cousin were dancing again.

-Trying to make a speech to express how much I feel for and respect these people for the hardship they have been through and the grace they have shown despite that hardship, and finding that all the Thai-language circuits in my brain have frozen solid. So my speech came out, I am sure, as total nonsense. By all the cheering and clapping that followed, though, you'd never know it.

For photos of the party, please click here.

What we have done here in Kamala is something you should be proud of. Each of the houses, at the request of the inhabitants, will bear a brass plaque as a reminder of the generosity and compassion that you have shown them. I'm sorry that most of you couldn't make it to the party, but if you ever find yourself visiting Phuket, please let me know- I know at least fourteen families that would like to thank you in person.

Best Regards,

Pete and Liz Kirkwood and Rin Thamrongkiatikul

The Shawnee Institute (Thailand)