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!