Hello you guys,
In a few hours I'm on my plane to Sydney!!!
Keep your thumbs crossed that everythings goes fine....
Love you all, kisses Stephanie

Hello, just a very very short "sawadika" (hello in thai)!!!
I'm fine, having a great time here in Ko Phangan (another beautiful island)... Met great people from all over the world, some very very nice people from Israel, Norway, England,....
It's so great to meet all this people and having a lot of fun - beach and partying basically ( =
Nightlife here is great, there are bars at the beach where you can sit on cushions and have cocktails watching thai men performing great fire shows...
Anyway, I'm on a long trip back to Bangkok tomorrow (Taxi, Boat, Bus, Train,...) and then I've only 1 more day until I leave for

AUSTRALIA!!! *wuhu*

Ok you guys, I miss u so much (really, it's getting really bad now with all those nice emails I get from home) but I'm also looking forward to Australia!!!
I am so much looking forward to see you all soon (3 months is not such a long time...)
Keep thinking of u all - lots of kisses Stephanie

Halli hallo to everybody out there in this beautiful world!
I am at the island Ko Tao (south of Thailand) and it is so great!!! I decided to do a dive course - so now I do a 4 days PADI course as Open Water Diver (which certifies me to dive alone with a buddy in open water)... Its great so far, we do theorie (there is a lot to learn as well!!) in the mornings and diving in the afternoons. Tomorrow I do my first real open water dive - so far we just had training in shallow water and it is so amazing! I was always worried about diving, its dangerous or something but its just great and not dangerous at all when you carefully stick to all the rules and safety matters.
Well, and in Ko Tao is at the moment also whale shark season (huge huge sharks) and if I am very very lucky I might see one. ( =

I had a lot of fun the last days, I met an american girl from Colorado and we shared a bungalow and did a lot of stuff together, so it was really nice. But today she left for Krabi (where my mum and I were before). Still in my diving group are people from all over the world... ( =

A HUGE SORRY to all who I wanted to write emails - but internet here in Ko Tao is just sooooo expensive... I will answer them back in Bangkok, and in 9 days I am already on my way to Australia!!!! *buhu*
Miss u all so much, diving greetings from Ko Tao Stephanie *bubble bubble*

Hello hello from Bangkok, I just have some serious troubles with the Computer, it always changes to thai - signs... Anyway, here in Thailand is Songkran (New Year) and it's just crazy! They celebrate around 4-5 days and everybody is out on the streets splashing water around, with waterpistols, bugs full of icy water (brrr..), and also white powder is everywhere. It means good luck to smear that wet powder into the face of others (a little bit like Berchtln)... I walked through Kao Sahn Road and I couldn't move anymore there where so many people, I was soaking wet of the icy water, and everywhere the powder. (　；
Ｉｔ　ｗａｓ　ｒｅａｌｌｙ　ｇｏｏｄ　ｆｕｎ．．．

Ｓｏ，　ｎｏｗ　Ｉ’ｍ　ｓｉｔｔｉｎｇ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　Ｈｏｓｔｅｌ　ａｆｔｅｒ　ａ　ｌｏｎｇ　ｄａｙ．．．　Ｔｏｄａｙ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｍｏｒｎｉｎｇ　Ｉ　ｂｒｏｕｇｈｔ　ｍｙ　ｍｕｍ　ｔｏ　ｔｈｅ　ａｉｒｐｏｒｔ　＂ｓｃｈｎｕｅｆｆ＂　Ｗｅ　ｊｕｓｔ　ｈａｄ　ｓｕｃｈ　ａ　ｇｒｅａｔ　ｔｉｍｅ　ｔｏｇｅｔｈｅｒ！！　（ =
Still thinking what I will do for the next 2 weeks, I don't have any plans yet, but comes time comes clue (kommt Zeit kommt Rat perfekt uebersetzt (　；　　
Ｈｏｆｆｅ　ｉｃｈ　ｈａｂ　ｊｅｔｚｔ　ａｕｃｈ　ｗｉｅｄｅｒ　ｍｅｈｒ　Ｚｅｉｔ　ｆｕｅｒ　ｅｍａｉｌｓ，　ｉｃｈ　ｈａｂ　ｅｕｃｈ　ｊａ　ａｌｌｅ　ｓｅｈｒ　ｖｅｒｎａｃｈｌａｅｓｓｉｇｔ　ｉｎ　ｌｅｔｚｔｅｒ　Ｚｅｉｔ　＊ｓｏｒｒｙ＊

Ｔｉｍｅ　ｆｌｙｓ　ｌｉｋｅ　＊ｗｈａｔ　ｋｎｏｗ　Ｉ＊　（ｗｏｓ　ｗｏａｓ　ｉ）　Ｏｎｌｙ　３　１／２　ｍｏｎｔｈｓ　ｌｅｆｔ．　＊ｈｅｌｐ＊　Ｓｏ　ｆａｓｔ．．．
Ｔａｋｅ　ｃａｒｅ　ａｌｌ　ｏｆ　ｙｏｕ，　Ｉ　ｍｉｓｓ　ｙｏｕ　ａｎｄ　ｋｅｅｐ　ｔｈｉｎｋｉｎｇ　ｏｆ　ｙｏｕ　（ｎｅａｒｌｙ）　ａｌｌ　ｔｈｅ　ｔｉｍｅ　（ =
See you soon Steph

hello again, ich sag immer wieder, hello again (lalaalalala)
es ist morgens, heiss, puh. haben gerade massenweise obst gefruehstueckt. sodala, und jetzt woll ma gleich zum reley beach und felskletterer beobachten und a bissal plantschen. jaja. vorgestern bootstrip zu den phi phi island (haben uns strand von "the beach" leonardo di caprio angeschaut - live!!! koennt ihrs glauben?!?!) traumhaft schoen!!!!!!! krabi ist uebrigens auch der schauplatz von einer james bond verfilmung mit dem "james bond felsen" und bridget jones gondelt auch mit hugh grant per boot um die schoenen felsen um krabi.... jaja, wow wow. nur die 100.000 touris haben genervt. tja. mama ist geschnorchelt (wuhu) hat ja zuerst starke zweifel gehabt ob sie das schon ausprobieren soll (typisch) und war dann voll begeistert !!! (auch typisch) ja so schoen und so traumhaft und die fischchen sind um uns herumgeschwommen und wunderschoene korallen und nemo fische und und und ... sind sogar in einer tigerhai gegend geschnorchelt aber es ist keiner aufgekreuzt. *nervenkitzel*
gestern waren wir wieder mal mit dem moperl unterwegs, zum tiger cave tempel.der ist in einer hoehle mit vielen vielen buddah statuen usw. und dann sind wir ca. 1200 stufen auf einen fels gekraxelt (schnauf), mama ist von affen behuepft worden, und oben war super aussicht ueber ganze region und eine pagode. haben 2 innsbrucker getroffen, war sehr lustig... sind dann zum schneider geflitzt zur 2. anprobe. ( = (mama laesst sich was huebsches schneidern von feschen indern)
tja , dann noch sonnenuntergansstimmung am strand genossen, mama ist heimgelaufen, ich mit dem moperl nebenher, und dann noch letzte mitbringseleinkauefe... (wuhu) mitternacht plums bett. nach ausgiebig maedlsgequatsche und selbstausloeser photos ( =
oki doki, wir muessen los, um 5 gehts per VIP bus los nach bangkok - um 4 uhr frueh sind wir dort *stoehn*
also machts es gut, sonnige gruesse aus krabi (thailand ist SUPER!!!!! nur empfehlenswert...)
stephanie

Hello hello from the north of Thailand, just to let you all know we're fine, having a lot of fun, tripping around to the Golden Triangle (Myanmar, Laos, Thailand), to an Elephant Camp, lots and lots of buddhist temples *beautiful*!!!
Take care all of you, hope to write you soon again, greetings from amazing Thailand Stephanie

Hello I arrived in Bangkok a few hours ago!! Wow, I really cannot believe that I left behind my beloved Philippines ) : *schnueff*
The last days (weeks) were soooooooooo busy... Sorry I had nearly no time to answer your emails.
In the last week we had quite a busy schedule, we visited the Mother Teresa (of Kalkutta) Sisters in Tondo and it was really an touching experience, which I never experienced before! It was a home for abandoned children, most of them "special childs" which means they are very sick - disabled (their parents just left them there or also in the hospitals). Can you imagine, big rooms with beds and beds and in each bed lying disabled children which cannot talk or walk, just lying there... some are really ill, have for example "waterheads" (Wasserkopf).
The smallest was 8 months old and such a cute baby!!! I can never understand how parents can leave their child alone, they have no family, no hope... The sisters try to do their best for the children, but its also difficult for a few sisters be a mum for 80 children. Luckily some students come always to volunteer and spend some hours with the kids.

So what else did we do? We visited La Salle University, had a lot of fun in Casetta (5 girls from the Philippines, Inge from Austria, Susanna from Korea and Kung from Thailand), I prepared my goodbye cards and presents, spent a lot of time with the people and so on.... This week also the school ends so we had goodbye parties for the children, graduation, childrens mass where they sang. So we were very very busy! ( ;
Just great.

Yesterday we had the goodbye parties in Bukas Palad and in Casetta in the evening. It was sooooo nice, I received so many cards and presents, we cooked too much yummi food (Piko, Chicken, Sinigang, Pansit Canton, Mango, Rice Cakes....)
The Gen (the girls in Casetta) made for me a "TRIP", they made all the flags of the different countries I'm going to out of paper and Kung made a thailand dance, for australia we sang "hopp like a cangouroo", for mexico I got an indian hat ( = , and for coming back to Austria we sang all together "Edelweiss" from Sound of Music (the funny thing> Inge and I were the only ones who didn't know the song!!!! haha)...

I will miss them all sooooooooooooooooooooo much, my Bukas Palad family and the Gen of course, I found so many friends, and they shared so much love with me and the 5 months on the Philippines were just amazing, sometimes a little difficult, but amazing. I cannot describe the many things I've seen and done here and all the great people I've met...
So I give you some impressions in pictures, enjoy ( =



Greise vom Ureinwohnerstamm der Ifugao und ich in Banaue bei den Reisterrassen!



This is Zandy, my "Adoptive Child". Me and my family adopted her "at a distance" to support her with her education so she can go to school. Its about Euro 250 a year, and you support one child and also keep in contact with letters and photos... Zandy is now in Nursery I of Bukas Palad (she is 4 years old) and a very very sweet and nice girl. I also visited her family at home and she has 3 brothers and 3 sisters living in a small room.
I really think it"s a great chance to really "do something" about the problems in our world and you can also really see how your money can support the education and change the life of a child which normally has no chance to get a good education, because the schools are too expensive. If your interested in "Adoption at a Distance" just write me a mail> (stephaniehoefle@hotmail.com)



Zandies Mum and 2 sisters of her in her house in Pasay City.



That's a picture of the slums of Tambo, houses over the dirty river...



Manila - my way to work!



Nursery I Class - that are my cute cute kids I worked with every day...



Classroom...



Brushing the teeth after merienda (lunch)...

More tomorrow, love Stephanie

For many years the garbage ot the mega-city of Manila was heaped up here in Bayatas. Up to 40 meter the Smokey Mountains had piled up... Often after a heavy monsoom rain the mountain begins to slip off and will burry hundreds of children and adults, who were just collecting garbage.



Like crows, people rush in need upon the arriving rubbish, which is dumped by bulldozers. Perhaps some still usable pieces of rubbish, corks, bottles, metal pieces or other reusable materials can be found.

Inge, Flor and me visited the Bayatas Area and the so called "garbage people" on thursday and it was really a shocking picture seeing even small children and mothers and fathers working barefooted in the huge mountains of garbage, because for them it's all they have, their source of income. There are also many accidents happening when the garbage turns to landslides or many many people just get very sick of all the illnesses spread through the dirt and garbage.

We were not allowed to take any pictures, for it's forbidden by the government, they say because people migth use the pictures to get donations which then they use for themselves, in my opinion the main reason is to hide this pictures from the world, because it's a great "shame" for them. But still the government is not doing anything about this huge problem and people keep asking: "Where do all our taxes go?" For sure not to the poor people of the Philippines... That's the sad truth.

Hope I can give you some inspiration with the pictures (I took them out of google, but this were really the impressions we saw), for there are people in the world who are really in need of our help and solidarity.... For me this topic is very touching because I can still remember when we watched a documentation in school about the "Smokey Mountain" of Manila many years ago and I was really upset and shocked by then. Still, at this time I never expected that I ever would go to the Philippines to see it myself. But here I am meeting this people on my very own...
Thanks for reading, sending my love to you all Stephanie