Vietnam!!

Well, I just got back from 9 days in Vietnam, and it was Ah-mazing! We met some great people, saw some beautiful sights, and simply had a whole lot of fun. We spent 3 days in Ho Chi Min (Saigon), 3 days in De Lat, 2 days in Neu Trang (great beach!), and then sort of 1 day back in Ho Chi Min before flying back home. All in all, it was a great trip, and I'll be uploading photos and more details later. Promise! In the mean time, I'm heading off to bed, because I haven't slept well in 4 days, and not at all in the last 36 hours. Peace!

Lots of love!

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve blogged, but I have a valid reason for that. Well, perhaps not so much a reason as an excuse. Okay, there are no reasons other than the fact that I’ve been moping. I lost my camera after a trip to Koh Chang, and I’ve been too sad to update without pictures. The reason for the loss is sadly due to my own stupidity. It had rained during our trip (a downside of traveling during monsoon season), and I was trying to let my camera air out a bit. Unfortunately, I forgot to grab the camera upon exiting the bus. We called the bus and the travel company but it was gone. On the plus side, some family probably ate well for a few nights. On the downside, I’m a frickin’ moron.

Moving on…

Teaching my second graders continues to be wonderful. I love seeing them grow and learn new things. I started after school tutoring on the beginning of August, and in addition to providing supplemental income, it has allowed me to get to know some of my students on a one to one basis. I still can’t believe I’m getting paid to hang out and teach these cool little kids. I swear, I truly have the best class in the school.

For example, this week I was sick with a flu bug and missed two days of school. When I came back on Wednesday, one of my boys, Ice, came up to me and said, “Miss Julie, I missed you.” I told him that I had missed him too and that I was happy to be back. Then, at the end of the day, I was saying goodbye to my kids, and he said again that he had missed me. I again told him that I had missed him as well, and that I would see him tomorrow. He thought about it for awhile, and then came back after everyone had said goodbye, and asked me if I promised I’d be back in the morning. I told him that I’d try my very best to be there. I think my heart is still melted from that little guy.

Other new developments in my life include my now being a member of a local gym. My roommate and I joined together, and have been going there very frequently. In Cali, I never felt like a gym was really necessary. Nice, but not necessary, seeing as how I could simply step outside and go for a walk, and I wouldn’t have to pay anything in addition. Here, however, it’s a whole other ball of wax. There are people who go for walks or jogs here, but it is far from a soothing ritual where the stress of the day fades with each step. Instead, you are on uneven pavement littered with dog feces and dodging traffic and other people while you vainly attempt some semblance of a rhythm. No thank you. I joined a gym and got on that treadmill. Currently, my two favorite gym activities are jogging on the treadmill and using the rowing machine. I dream of one day having nicely toned arms that don’t jiggle when I wave.

The gym itself is very nice. It is located within one of the malls nearby and has 3 floors of equipment. On the first floor, there is a mixture of cardio and weight training equipment, but most of the floor space is designated to a lounge and a boxing ring. I had a personal trainer who taught me a few things about boxing. She kicked my butt, and I loved it! I just wish it wasn’t so expensive, otherwise I’d totally sign up for a few sessions.

Anyway, the second floor has treadmills and ellipticals. It also has stationary bikes as well as a whole cycling class area. There are machines for arms, abs, hips, thighs, etc. This is the floor where I spend most of my time. There are also 2 rooms for exercise classes, but I have yet to attempt any classes so far. I like being in charge of my own workout routine at the moment.

On the third floor, they have the women’s locker room, stretching machines, and free weights. This is also where my beloved rowing machine is. Ah, how I adore its simplicity, effectiveness, and the fact that it’s hidden by a huge mirrored pillar.

An interesting thing to note is that there are escalators to the different levels inside the gym. Hmm. Also, the women who work there tend to wear heels, unless they are a personal trainer. It is interesting to see sporty attire paired with black spike heels. If there is one thing that I have learned so far about Thailand, it is that appearances definitely matter. After taking a shower, it would be frowned upon to leave with wet hair. Seriously. Leaving the gym, women are still expected to look well put-together.

Eunice and I were able to introduce our newest roommate, Sarah, to the wonder that is a Thai gym. We were able to get her a 2 week trial pass so she can check it out for awhile. It was a lot of fun, and the first time I was able to return after being down with the flu. I probably (definitely) pushed myself a bit hard, but I don’t regret it. I blame my new workout playlist. Some of those songs made it simply impossible to only walk. I had to run, there was really no choice in the matter.

Anyway, after working out, we got in a taxi to go home. I sat up front this time, as Eunice doesn’t like the front seat and Sarah doesn’t know how to get home yet. I talked to the driver a bit, and he seemed pretty friendly. Then, when we were getting out, he suddenly leaned over and said “I like you. What’s your number?” I didn’t really know what to say, so I just mumbled “Khab khon kaa” (thank you) and shut the door. Of course the girls gave me grief about it, and it was only made worse by the fact that he loitered for a bit before leaving. I was really embarrassed. I have had taxi drivers check me out, but this was just so blatant. In fact, Eunice and I began a game where whenever one of us gets checked out by a driver, she owes the other one 1 bhat. Yes, I paid her.

As you can see, a lot of love is going on over here in Thailand. Some are just more welcome than others.

Until next time!

Overnight Camp and Flight Attempts

This weekend, we had something very cool called overnight camp. Just like it sounds, the students in grades 1-4 stayed at school on Friday and left on Saturday morning. We decided on a pirate theme, which was very fun. The students seemed to enjoy all of our costumes!

The afternoon started off with splitting the grades into four house teams and rotating them through various activities. I was able to stay with one group, and thus was able to experience tent making attempts, rope tying, pirate scarves and eye patches, and dramatizations. We broke halfway through for dinner, which was fried chicken and really, really yummy! Of course, I ate it like a pirate. Arrgh!

After the activities, we grouped all of the kids in front of a big bonfire. I have to tell you, bonfires are not nearly as much fun when it is hot and humid. We gave the flames a pretty wide berth. The students were then treated to a performance by a visiting high school group from Virginia, complete with singing, dramatization, and testimonies. It felt a little weird that I wasn’t in Mexico while I was watching it, to be honest.

The bonfire was then split into four smaller fires over which the students cooked hotdogs and marshmallows. It was very sticky. Once we had them all hyped up on sugar, we had a dance party. Around fires. In the heat and humidity. Needless to say, we all got pretty sweaty, but it was so much fun that I don’t think anyone really cared.

When we figured the kids were as exhausted as we could get them, we herded them off to bed. I stayed with the first and second grade girls. We put on a movie that turned out to be Cinderella and then the Wizard of Oz, which was dubbed over into Thai, of course. I also learned that the Thai name for the Wizard of Oz is a word that means “wish.” Interesting.

After getting about 4 hours of broken sleep, we herded the kids into the cafeteria for breakfast, which was rice and chicken soup. It actually wasn’t too bad. At least the apples were delicious! We played a few more games, this time I led an activity with hula hoops, and then sent the kids home. The only disappointing thing was that there was supposed to be ice cream, but there was a miscommunication, so we didn’t have any. Fortunately, I had some stashed in my apartment. Yes!

Unsurprisingly, I slept for the rest of the day.

Sunday, I got ready to go to church in Bangkok. My roomie, Eunice, and I were planning to stay downtown as it was her birthday. We were just getting ready to leave when I slipped and fell down the stairs. Fortunately, I was close to the bottom, so I wasn’t too hurt, but I did need a few minutes to recover before I got up. I may have let out a few colorful words as well. We called it my flying attempt, though it was more reminiscent of the Wright Brother’s early years than their later ones. Hey, with a little practice, I just might make it one day.

After church, Eunice, Liz, and I went to get lunch and a massage. I got my first Thai massage, and it was amazing. I was pushed, pulled, contorted, walked on, and slapped. I kept wavering between confessing my love for the woman and crying out why she was torturing me. Usually, the two urges were within moments of each other. Although it was a bit painful at times, the end result was utter relaxation. Of course, now I’m a bit sore, but rest and water will clear that up. I’m just really glad she tried to avoid where I had hurt my leg during my flight attempt. The best thing about the massage, though, was that it cost the equivalent of about $10 for an hour. I love Thailand.

After lunch, we decided to go exploring. We really wanted ice cream, so we took a taxi to the Siam Paragon, which is a huge mall. There is even a bottom level aquarium that we’ll have to explore a different day. While we were driving, we passed by a red shirt demonstration. Police were everywhere and traffic was stalled. Not being able to speak Thai or have much time to browse the news has left me severely out of the loop. I had been under the impression that it was dying down, but it looks like it may still be going on. Passing the crowd shortly after seeing one of the buildings that had been bombed really brought home the reality of the situation. I guess I’ll have to keep red and yellow colored clothing tucked away for a bit longer.

The Siam center was amazing. I would never shop there, as it is really expensive, but it was fun to walk around. There was a watch expo going on, so we heard live music and saw lots of corner entertainers, like mimes and jugglers. It was pretty cool.

When we went downstairs to check out the aquarium and see how much it cost to go in, two Thai students snagged us, saying they needed to interview a farang (foreigner). They interviewed Liz, and I filmed them using their Blackberry. It was pretty fun!

By this point, we were exhausted, so we went home. After queuing up, there was a guy with a microphone who announced our destination to the line of taxis as they pulled up. It was interesting. We also learned that coming home from Bangkok is way faster and cheaper than other times when we’ve returned right after church. We may need to repeat the adventure. I know I’m definitely going back for another massage!

Beach Bonding and Stupid Sickness

WARNING: CONTENT OF THIS ENTRY MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR THE SQUEEMISH. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. ;)
Sawat di kaa! Yes, I know that it has been an awfully long time since I have updated, but I have a legitimate excuse. I have been sick pretty much nonstop for the last week and a half. It has not been fun. Last Wednesday, I woke up with the stomach flu. I’ll spare you the details, but trust me when I say that it was quite unpleasant.

I unfortunately did not have a lot of time to recover, however, as we were all leaving on Thursday afternoon to go to Pattaya, which is a coastal town. I rested up as much as I could, and I’m glad I was able to make it as it turned out to be a lot of fun!

Once we arrived and got settled in, a group of us decided to go out and walk along the beach. The water was nice and warm, but not very clear. One nice thing, though, was that the beach is raked daily, as I learned, so there is very little trash and debris. That makes it very pleasant to walk along.

Anyway, so we were walking along the beach, and a few of us decided to jump in for a swim. I decided to join them, and we had some fun splashing around…until a jellyfish got me. Yes, that’s right. I’d been in the water for maybe 15 minutes when I got stung by the horrible little creature. Understandably, that was it for my time in the water.

By the time I got out, my ankle was starting to throb quite a bit. I had a few offers from people to pee on me (thanks guys!), but I figured I’d just go take a shower instead. Unfortunately, the shower didn’t help very much. My roommate, Jill, checked in on me, and we decided to give the urine thing a try, mostly just to see if it would work. By the way, it didn’t. I ended up using some toothpaste instead, and the menthol soothed the burn quite well, however.

The next day, the farang, the Filipino, and the Thai teachers were all grouped up and sent out into the poor city of Pattaya for a scavenger hunt. We did ridiculous things, like pretend that a stranger on the street was someone famous and ask for their autograph, put a leash on a soi dog (stray) and take him for a walk, have a 7-11 employee do a cartwheel in the middle of the store, etc. We took pictures of everything we did, and it was awesome!

After the scavenger hunt, we hung out on the beach for the rest of the day. I did end up going in, but left once the jellyfish made themselves known. It was very nice getting to know the other staff in a relaxed environment away from the school.
Sunday, I went to what will likely become my new church in Thailand, Evangelical Church of Bangkok (ECB), and heard an amazing sermon, as per usual. He was discussing how Christians often have a tendency to become too focused on their circumstances that they forget their God who is above all things. The illustration that he used was the story of Paul and Silas being thrown in prison. Instead of focusing on the fact that they were beaten and locked up, they praised God. When the prison doors were opened, they stayed where they were instead of seeking their own freedom. Rather than seeking to preserve their own lives, they protected the life of their jailer. In short, when the obstacles in their lives were turned over to God, what seemed insurmountable became laughably easy to overcome. Referring back to the previous weeks’ sermon on Jericho, the walls that were so intimidating literally crumbled before them. They did not have to do anything except listen and obey.
After being rejuvenated spiritually, we left to find some physical nourishment, thus beginning the weekly debate of ‘where to eat.’ In this case, it was not too difficult as Patrick, a volunteer who had been with us for a few weeks, was to leave soon, so we left it up to him. He chose Lebanese, and it was unbelievably delicious!
The next few days were typical, until Wednesday, when I felt sick again. I KNOW!! This was definitely different from the stomach flu, however, so I went to the hospital after school to see a doctor. Another staff member had gotten very sick, and I apparently looked as dead as he did, which heightened my concern and encouraged me to seek immediate help.

And so began my introduction to the Thai medical system. First off, the doctors here dress impeccably. Instead of scrubs, they are all dressed in linen suits. They look very sharp. As I was clearly a foreigner, they took good care of me in making sure that I knew where I was supposed to go. Most of the people there spoke English very well, and many doctors go to medical school in the States. That made the communication process much easier.

The doctor was pretty concerned about my fever, as I had a temperature of 38.1, which translates into just over 100 degrees fereinheit. He gave me an antibiotic, an anti-parasitic, extra-strength Tylenol, throat lozenges, and an order to come back on Friday if I still had a fever. One thing about visiting the doctor here in Thailand is that you will never leave empty handed!

Fortunately, my fever did scale off for the most part, so I did not have to return on Friday. Instead, I’ve been resting, drinking lots of water, and attempting to eat something solid at least once a day. On the plus side, I’ve lost about 3 kilos since my first stomach flu. I just hope I don’t gain it all back once I can eat again!
I am still not feeling well enough to return to work on Monday, but I am hoping that I will be able to go back on Tuesday or Wednesday. I really miss my kids! They are truly adorable and have worked their way deep into my heart. I miss playing with them and seeing the lights of understanding go on above their heads. If ever I was in doubt about whether or not I should be a teacher, I now know for sure that I am exactly where I belong. And praise God for that!

Halleluiah! God is Good!

Why who? Wai Kru!

So here in Thailand, there is a tradition of giving homage to teachers at the start of every year. The students and some of their parents come to honor their teachers in a ceremony. Today, I was a part of this tradition. Let me walk you through it.

So, one of the benefits of working in a i-lingual school is that we have Thai teachers who teach 2 blocks of our day (which provides for awesome prep time!). Our Thai teachers were the ones to prepare the students with instructions for what they need to do. The only thing I had to do was show up to the ceremony. Sweet!

In an effort to be merciful, the grades were broken up into chunks, so no one would have to sit through the honoring of the entire teaching staff (except for the ladies leading it, of course). My class went in with the rest of the elementary grades (1-6) and all of the students were seated into rows by grade. After the welcoming speeches, the teachers went up on the stage to sit in a semi-circle with 3 chairs in the front center. After some more commentary (in Thai), two teachers went up at a time to sit on either side of Ajan Seurat, the school's founder. A boy and a girl from each class would come up and present flowers to the teachers, literally placing flowers at their feet and bowing their heads. It was a bit awkward, but only because it was unfamiliar. In context, it wasn't nearly as ridiculous as it would have been if it had happened in the States. After the class representatives paid their respects, they stepped down and then the rest of the class approached with their flowers. This cycled through for all of the grade levels. It actually only took about an hour, and most of it was in the beginning speeches.

At the end of the ceremony, the teachers bring all of their flowers back to their classrooms. I was told to take a few to freshen up my apartment, but to leave the rest of them in the room. One of my girls, Plai, was completely enraptured with a particular flower in her bouquet, so I gave her one of the flowers. It was adorable. So my room now has a table filled with flowers. I'm not sure how long I'm supposed to keep the flowers, but I guess they'll stay until they start to wilt. I'll say this for them, though: they are beautiful and they smell wonderful. I could really get used to being a teacher here. ;)

Today was the first Saturday that I did absolutely nothing, since arriving in Thailand. Well, maybe not 'nothing' but it was certainly the first time I didn't go off on some adventure that ended in me spending more money than I should.

Last Saturday, I went with a group to JJ's Market. It is essentially a huge bazaar where you can find pretty much anything you want. It's divided into sections, each of which would take about half a day to go through. I was on a mission to get some seating cushions for my class, so I wandered through the home decor section with my friends, Steve and Andrea. They were hunting for things to decorate their apartment, and ended up with some pretty cool things. My favorite was a flower display that had fiber optics and could light up. It was very elegant and cool looking, and stands about 3-4 feet high. As for me, I got some really cool hair clips, a bedspread, and 10 cushions for my classroom. I also got to test out my rusty bartering skills. I was able to get the ten cushions for 1350 bhat, making them around $40 total, or $4 each. Incredible. I also learned that it is much more enjoyable to barter with someone when you can communicate verbally. Bartering with a calculator just stops any sense of give and take and makes the process cold and mechanical.

Another item that i purchased at JJs was a Thai skirt. This was very important, because my school has a dress code, and every Thursday is 'Thai day' which means dress in Thai clothing or a white button-up shirt. I was a bit nervous about finding something that would fit me, but I was able to find an adjustable skirt that was very pretty.

After the shopping spree on Sunday, I spent the next several days finishing my room and working on curricula. Unfortunately, there was only so much work that I could do before seeing where my students were in terms of ability. One cool thing about the school, though, is that they keep the lesson plans from previous years to build upon for the next teacher. Some plans were more helpful than others, but they were great at giving me a starting point. This was especially appreciated as the school is small enough that I am the only 2nd grade teacher.

Thursday was my first day of school. It started off a bit rocky, but it all turned out alright in the end. For starters, I began my day 30 min early on accident. The schedule is set up so that I do CAS (Content Area Support) for the half hour before school with students identified as having difficulty during the previous year. This was not to start until Monday, but me being me, I became slightly scatterbrained when the bell rang and students began entering the classroom. By the time I looked at the clock and realized how early we were, I already had a handful of students, so I just went with it. We played a lot of icebreaker games and got to know each other. I am so grateful that I had a ball ready to pass around!

If you were not aware, Thai people do not use their first names as a form of public identification. Everyone has a nickname that they use. This is helpful, as many of their names would be incredibly difficult for me to pronounce, much less remember! Some of the names are western, such as Naomi, and William, whereas others are quite eastern, such as Ton Gla and Toey. Then there are the fanciful names, like Music, Bam, and Ice. One girl is named Fafa, which of course makes me think of the Flight of the Conchords song (feux de fafa!) Seriously, every time I think of her name, the song goes through my head.

So, that leads us to today. I was exhausted last night and ended up declining to go out in favor of curling up to watch The Office with a pizza. It felt like a piece of home. Then this morning, I really wanted to get some work done on my lesson plans, so I stayed behind instead of going out to visit the local orphanage. One of the girls goes there every week, so I know that there will be other times.

All in all, today turned out to be a pretty good day. It's been pretty restful, and I managed to get some things done, such as updating this blog after a much longer time than I anticipated. I'm sorry that I can't add any pictures. I took some really cool ones of my class, but they won't upload to my computer. Very frustrating. Anyway, until next time!

Teachers in Thailand

Today, we received some more instruction about living and working in Thai culture. The man who was speaking to us has been living here for a long time, and has been a long term friend with the Ektrakul family, who started the school. One thing that he was saying that really stuck out to me was the placement of teachers in Thai culture. In their hierarchy, dead ancestors are at the top, followed by former monks and then present-day monks. Just below monks are teachers. They actually place teachers above other professionals, such as doctors, lawyers, etc. While this is difficult to grasp, I am being held to a higher standard here than I am used to. This means the way I dress and the way I conduct myself must be as impeccable as I am capable of, not just because of my profession but also because of my status as a Christian. I have been hearing that most students and parents who come to know Christ through this school do so because they are watching the love of Christ playing out in the lives of their teachers. The responsibility is huge. I honestly am not sure how I will measure up to their expectations, but I'm praying and trusting God to see me through.

In addition to my teaching duties, I am also responsible for leading devotions daily. I decided to do a year long study on the Fruits of the Spirit. Each month, we will look at a different fruit and how it is seen in God's word and what He says He wants us to do in order to grow that fruit within ourselves. I'm a bit worried that I may have bitten off more than I can chew with everything I hope to accomplish this year, but I'll do the best I can and pray that some of what I'm teaching sinks into the minds and hearts of my students. I ask for your prayers that His will will be done in me and in the lives of those I witness to through my actions. May they see Him and His Spirit, because there's no way they'd be led to salvation by watching me with all of my flaws!

Picture updates!

Hey all! So, I tried adding pictures to my last post, but I had some trouble. So, here they are! (there is one picture on the other post that shows the view from my room!) So, without further adeu, Here are the pictures from my trip to Bangkok.

Saturday in Bangkok!

Sawat de kaa!

Yesterday turned out to be a fabulously exhausting day. My roommate, Eunice, had an idea to go to downtown Bangkok to see Thailand's largest reclining Buddha. Because it was a religious place, i had to dress a bit different, which means that I had my first experience wearing jeans in the humid weather. It actually wasn't too bad, though, as there comes a point when it doesn't really matter what you wear; you are simply hot. Anyway, Eunice along with Steve and Andrea (a couple from Canada) took the ferry down to Bangkok.

Travelling on the ferry was interesting. We saw children jumping in and swimming. We saw fish poking out and making ripples. We also saw trash littering the banks. Ferry travel is pretty popular, and it is almost like a version of the BART, as the destinations are limited, but the ferries go on regular schedules. We did need to make sure that we boarded the one with the orange flag, because there were a few different lines that made different stops along the banks.

One incident that happened on the boat was when Eunice was trying to show me her shoes. She propped her foot up on the seat next to her, with her leg straight out. This essentially flipped off the entire other side of the boat, and I quickly told her to put her foot down, but not before we received quite a few stern glares. Fortunately, we are clearly farang (foreigners) so they knew (I hope) that it was unintentional.

When we reached our stop, took took drivers (small motorized carriages) descended and tried to get us to hire them. We could see the temple we were headed towards, but a driver tried to convince us that it was a 20 minute walk. Yeah right. We walked there in about 5-10 minutes.

The Buddha was incredibly large and plated with gold. I will upload pictures when I can, but I am still without a camera until my paycheck comes at the end of the month. :( Seriously, though, it was about the same size, if not bigger, than the huge stature of Ramses III that I saw in Egypt. Truly, there are no words to convey how massive it was.

After seeing the statue, we wandered around the temple, looking at various shrines and taking pictures (them not me). We got a bit turned around and ended up getting taken in to be blessed by a monk. At that point, we couldn't refuse without being rude. So, we were sprinkled with holy water, gave him a small donation, and continued on.

By this point, we were hot, tired, and hungry. I put in my two bhat and requested that we find an air conditioned restaurant to eat in. Eunice struck up a conversation with a representative from the tourist police by the pier about where we should go. When he found out I was American, he immediately said, 'What's up!' He then pointed to himself and said that he was called 'PoPo.' I have no idea what crazy tourist corrupted him, but I'm guessing it was some wannabe ghetto guy, possibly from California. ;)

It was actually quite a good thing that she talked to him, because he seriously gave us the hook-up! He had a took took driver agree to take us to a restaurant and then to a few shops before ending up in the market strip that we wanted to get to. About 3-4 hrs of service for 50 bhat, which translates to about $1.50. Yeah, pretty incredible.

The restaurant was nice, and had great food. I'm finding that to be a common theme, because I haven't had a bad meal yet! The lady was nice and helped us practice our Thai a bit. Thak koon kaa! (Thank you!) It was funny that they didn't turn on the fans until we came in. Then again, the door wasn't even unlocked until we got there!

After dinner, we went to see a jewelry shop. They had stations where you could see the stones being shaped and fitted into jewelry, as well as displays of uncut stones next to their polished counterparts. It was very interesting, but the best part was in the back, because that was where the finished jewelry pieces were. They were stunning, and really cheap for gemstones. I may or may not need to buy a few things there before I come home. Presents anyone? ;)

Later on, the driver took us to a few 'high fashion' shops. If we stopped by and browsed for about 5 minutes, he received a commission. He was nice, so we allowed the salesmen to hound us about making tailored clothes and suits for us, but we told them that we weren't tourists and that we needed to get a paycheck first before we could buy anything. Interestingly enough, it seems that all of the clothing shops (at least the ones we went to) were owned by Indians, not Thais.

After the shops, we went to the huge touristy market place, where we were again assaulted by street vendors. My personal favorite was when one guy was pestering Steve, who told him that we weren't tourists but here to work. His reply was 'so are we!' Food, clothing, accessories, massages, and even tattoos were everywhere. My favorite was a little shop that did fish foot massages. These tiny fish that are about the length of a finger swim up and eat the dead skin cells from your feet. I put my hand in to try it, and it felt very interesting. I'm pretty sure I felt their little tongues! Sometime before I leave, I am definitely doing that at least once!

Steve and Andrea wanted to look at a lot of art shops to get a wedding gift for his sister, so we ended up seeing a lot of art. There was one shop where everyone there was deaf. It actually made things easier, as most of our communication needs to be nonverbal anyway! Plus, I speak more sign language than Thai at the moment. I was at least able to say thank you to them in ASL.

As their art search was still unsuccessful, they continued going into shops, while Eunice and I decided to take a break. A street cafe had a singer who was playing popular songs on his guitar. He was pretty good, so we sat down to have a drink while we waited for our Canadians to finish their purchases. Interesting (and helpful!) thing about ordering here is that every item on the menu has a number next to it, so I was able to order and practice my numbers in Thai at the same time! At first I thought I'd done it wrong, however, because I ordered a daiquiri and I got a margarita. Turns out, though, that that's what they considered to be a daiquiri. Oh well, it was still pretty good.

Now, the real adventure of the evening was getting home! We piled into a taxi, as the ferry service had already closed, and did our best to get home. Eunice had done this one other time before, so she was our official/unofficial spokesperson. There were a few false starts and moments of confusion, but we ended up in the right place and without getting lost. This, of course, I feel was largely due to the fact that I was not responsible for getting us home. If I had a super talent, it would be the ability to get lost and disoriented beyond all hope.

We pulled up in front of the school, and got out. Eunice and I were pretty hungry at that time, so we said goodnight to Steve and Andrea and headed down to see if one of our favorite cafes was still open. Sadly, it was not, but we found another street vendor and ordered from her. There was a bit of confusion with the language barrier, but with pointing and limited Thai, we were able to order squid and crab Pad Thai. Then, of course, we had to stop by the 7-11 (which are everywhere by the way!) to get a fanta. We ended up eating and watching Emma with our other roommate, Naomi, in my room. The movie was great, but we were exhausted, and ended up turning it off halfway through.

Whew! What an exhausting day!

And don’t even get me started on Sunday… ;)

Made it!

Hello! Well, I made it safely to Thailand. It is absolutely beautiful here, and I already love the people I'm working with. Chances are that all of my next posts will describe and detail life here, so for this post, I'm going to focus on my adventure traveling here. Here are a few lessons that I have learned so far:

1. Make sure you know the policies of your airline very well. I'm not talking about baggage weight limits and meals etc, those things are commonly thought of. No, I'm talking about the fact that you might want to check and see if the airport you have a layover in CLOSES DOWN AT MIDNIGHT! Yes, you heard me correctly. Apparently, the entire Taipei airport shuts down at midnight, meaning that I had to find somewhere to be during my 10 hour layover. This wasn't too bad, as I was planning on getting a hotel room, either in the airport or in the city so I could shower and sleep. Unfortunately, me being me, I got a bit lost and ended up out on the sidewalk without finding the airport hotel. (I wasn't sure how far I needed to go, and where I could turn around without violating some sort of immigration rules. Give me a break! I'd just been on a plane for 1 hours!)

This leads me to...

2. check out the surrounding area of the airport you have a layover in, especially if the layover is long and you may need to leave to get a room for the night. If I had done my research, I might have known that, much like most airports, the airport is not really in the city that is its namesake. So, when the taxi service asked me where I wanted to go and I answered that I just needed a hotel in Taipei, I should have told him to find me one closer, rather than driving for about 45 minutes. The taxi driver was very ice, and carried my bag to the front desk. The people there were also very helpful as the assisted me with converting US dollars into New Taiwanian Dollars. The hotel was very nice, and i had a great night's sleep and shower. I set up a wake-up call and had a shuttle ready to take me back to the airport in the morning. I arrived in plenty of time, and was able to see a bit of the city as we drove. Which brings me to...

3. The driving experience here is INTENSE! I'm actually happy that I was able to experience the driving in Taipei, because it helped prep me for the driving here in Thailand. Taipei actually wasn't that bad, just a bit faster and more aggressive than I am accustomed to. The drivers here, however, are a whole different breed. Let's just say that the lines here are merely suggestive. Now, I know I claimed this to be true in Egypt, but it is so much more so here! Think of motorcyclists who go wherever they can fit as they weave in and out of traffic. Now replace the motorcycle with a car. Now picture everyone on the road driving the same way. They have no problem straddling the lane divider line to squeeze in between a couple of cars. What is pretty cool, though, is that there is a decided lack of road rage. So even though the cars are weaving in and out of each other, there really isn't any sense of anger towards the cars around you. If someone cuts you off, you don't retaliate, you just move on. Chances are, you'll end up cutting them off down the road anyway!

Well, that's it for now. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support as I'm adjusting to life half the world away. Until next time!

Day at the Spa! (well, kinda...)

Allow me to start by describing my day on Tuesday. I woke up on a beautiful vineyard on a gorgeous day after sleeping in and went for a little jog where my path was lined by fresh vines just beginning to bud. Three little dogs happily trotted alongside me as I rocked out to my iPod tunes. Afterwards, I took a nice long shower where the tiles remind me of the tunnel-ways and hidden passages of Jerusalem. I then lounged around, indulging in watching television--which I have not done in months. I also discovered that after a few hours, Tyra doesn't seem so odd looking anymore! I then went out to a baseball game, where my team won. Dinner was served to me, and was followed by a deep-tissue massage, after which I fell asleep in a huge, comfortable bed that is way nicer than my own.

I know, not a bad way to spend the day, eh? Best of all, it was free because it all happened at my brother's house. And he wonders why I love visiting! Oh, and did I mention the amazing pastries my sister-in-law makes? Yeah. Seriously, though, it was really nice visiting family before I took off for Thailand (4 days left!). And the baseball game? My nephew was playing, and his team creamed the other guys 3-10. They played 5 innings before it was called due to rain. Rain! In May! Not just that, but it's the END of May! I guess the weather is unable to read calendars, because it clearly is unaware of the fact that we need to have summer before it can skip into fall.

I still can't believe how close I am to leaving. It doesn't seem real that in less than one week's time, I will be in another country, surrounded by people I don't know and hearing a language I do not understand. I don't think it will sink in until I have been there for a few weeks or so.

Last week in the States

One week from today, I will be heading off for Thailand. It's nerve-wracking and exciting...and I still need to pack. Yesterday, I started going through all of my paperwork to decide what I want to bring with me when I leave. It's still a bit hard to believe that I will have my own class in just a few weeks. And even harder to wrap my head around the fact that I won't be able to speak the native language of my students. I am about to become a minority foreigner for the first time in my life. Every other time I traveled overseas, I was able to blend in with everyone else. This time, I will stick out as a foreigner by my looks alone...and the fact that I can so far only say "hello" in Thai! Well, off to my last church service at Valley Springs. I'll miss my church home, but I'm excited to discover what God has in store for me!