- Destination
- Thailand
This alumni feature shares a friendship Rustic Pathways alumna Kristen Gadbois made with a teenage boy at Mae Ra Moe refugee camp in Thailand.
Kristen’s Friend at Mae Ra Moe Refugee Camp in Thailand
Friendships also often extend beyond the students traveling together with Rustic. Many alumni talk about villagers they met during their journeys who they befriended.
Kristen Gadbois, who is pursuing a career in international healthcare, was touched by a friendship she made with a teenage boy during a Rustic journey to the Mae Ra Moe refugee camp in Thailand.
Through conversations in broken English, she learned about how he fled Myanmar and walked for miles to get to the camp.
He talked about his siblings and school.
After days passed, she went to him to say goodbye and try to express how he had made a profound impact on her life. Then he interrupted her.
“He thanked me for my friendship, pulled a red string from his pocket, and proceeded to tie it on my wrist. He said he had found it and picked it up because of the nice color. He knew it wasn’t much, but he hoped it would always remind me of my friend in Mae Ra Moe,” Kristen said.
Kristen’s memories concern her Rustic Pathways program in Thailand. See Rustic Pathways programs in Thailand for current programs.
