Bethany's Adventures in Thailand

2007-08-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

Quick View of how Martin Luther saw the Universe:
Double click the image for full size.

I'm Back!

2006-04-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

In the wonderful words of Sam Gamgee at the end of his great adventure "Well, I'm back".
It was a long flight, with many layover (10 hours in the Korean airport) but I made it! I'm now home for coffee appointments! So, let me know if you want to meet, just e-mail me at the address above.

I also want to say "Thank you!" to all of you who have travelled with me through this blog. I loved your comments and your e-mails, so thank you for the support you gave. It absolutely made my day on more than one occasion.
Thank you also for the prayers poured out for me. I know they had something to do with the amazing and wonderful experience I had.
So, give me a call or send me an e-mail, let's get together!
Always,
Bethany

A busy sort of day

2006-04-15T02:24:00.000-07:00

I've been busy lately. I've played Songkran twice, which is absolutely exhausting, and this morning I went Bungy Jumping.
Which actually, was a little bit of a let down.
Chiang Mai's Jungle Bungy jump is 50 meters high over a small but deep pond. I stood at the top for a bit, and then thought "Ok, let's do this" and dove off. The falling bit was quite nice, and just as it got fun I suddenly felt this incredible constriction around my legs, which pulled me back up. You go up and down a couple times, but your legs really start hurting and you can feel your feet losing all circulation. Then you hang for a while while they lower you, and "ta da!" its done. They give you the certificate and the t-shirt and you get back into your car again. Your life is not really forever changed.
I'll have to try skydiving....

Anyways, my time here is wrapping up. Tomorrow I head home. I'm packed and ready. I'll really miss my mango and sticky rice though. And of course the people here.
Songkran is fun, but gets a little tiring as a foreigner. While they let some Thai's by without dumping several buckets of water on them, there is some unspoken code that says "Never ever let a foreigner by without completely drenching then". It's great fun when you are dressed and ready. When you just went out to grab a slurpee from 7-11, it's kinda frustrating. Especially if you just showered and changed into dry clothes. All part of the deal I suppose. It is fun, after all.
I'm sure I had something else to tell you fine folks, but its slipped my mind. Oh, right!
My wonderful little bike had a terrible flat tire this morning, so I had to run around until I found someone who could pump it back up again. I also fixed the tire with my little patch kit I bought. I knew that would come in handy! And just in time for me to use it too. So that's the word from Chiang Mai. I'm heading home tomorrow, can't wait to see you all!

Songkran has started!

2006-04-12T00:09:00.000-07:00

Songkran has started and the world has gone crazy.
I've known that to venture out was to get wet, but I had to get here to write to you people. I tried to take back roads, but even there people wait with buckets to soak anyone coming by. And a foreigner on a bicycle is a very popular target.
I was soaked several times on the way here just to be able to update you folks. I hope you appreciate the sacrifice. :)
So you may ask what I've been doing with this week off? Mostly relaxing, eating and seeing friends.
Yesterday I had nothing to do in the morning, so I went to some waterfalls that I'd seen on the way up to Temple on the mount, but never actually went to. They were fantastic! It was actually not just one waterfall, but a whole series of them one after another. This one here was kind of off to the side of the big ones. A very smart man had set up a hammock just off to the left of the falls and was relaxing there. I tried to take a picture with my timer of me in the falls, but I ended up slipping on the rocks and out of the picture, but later when I got to another fall, I had some Thai people take a picture of me in the fall.
These other falls were really fun because you would climb up them, and then slide down like a water slide with the water over the smooth rocks and then it dumped you about 10 feet into the water. It puts West Ed.'s water park to shame I tell you! But it was similar in some ways... if you took up the "slide" for too long, people got mad, and would sometimes even push you down.

As I said Songkran has started. Right outside the internet cafe I'm in they are dunking people in huge coolers. And there are people soaking anyone in sight with waterguns, buckets, and anything else they can find. I don't think you'll get anymore pictures because I'm not bringing my camera out in this. It would be destroyed.
Also, beer companies have set up booths EVERYWHERE and are playing loud music. Music so very loud that I can feel it vibrating inside my lungs even from inside the building. Not to mention, the building shakes with the bass. So with the nice sun, the water fight and the commercial push, it really feels like a summer fair back home.
There is a dark side to this festival though. Many people get hurt. Many people die. In Thailand somewhere between 800-1000 people die every year, and there are more than 10,000 injuries. Why? Mostly motorcycle accidents. My friend Rodney, a guy who helped us in the rebuilding the wall project at the Centre, is one of those injuries. He'd gone up the mountain yesterday (higher than I was) and on the way down hit water on the road and skidded and fell. He broke his shoulder and has some really bad road rash all down one side of his body. He'll be going for an operation to put his shoulder back in place soon. His will be one of the few accidents that has only one person involved and no alcohol. In his ambulance ride down the mountain, the ambulance stopped to pick two more people up, both worse than Rodney.
So remember, stay off the motorcycles during Songkran! As far as I know, I'm better off on my bicycle, because I go a lot slower, have better control and can fit in smaller spaces. So don't worry about me! I usually walk in the Songkran infested places anyways!
Tomorrow and Friday I'm going to go "play" for real, around the moat where all the hard-cores are. It's also the first day of the official fesitval, so I'm quite excited!
Only 5 days left. Incredible. See you all soon! Don't be surprised if I'm soaking wet when I get off the plane, as the festival will not be over when I leave. I really hope not to get soaked on my way to the airport!
I'll try to get in to update this once more, but I won't endanger my electronic equipment again, so no more pictures!

The weekend

2006-04-09T02:45:00.000-07:00

Friday night was a gong show.
As I said in my last post, we had a YWAM team in, adding an extra 18 foreigners to the group. So with the Centre staff, the students and the team, there was something like 50-60 people for Friday Night Party.
They did a good job for the games, and then one girl (Meredith) did this incredible dance while another member (John) played "24" by Switchfoot. It was awsome. The she shared her testimony and asked people to respond if they wanted to be a Christian. Three of our students did. Their people and our people went and prayed with them. It was exciting.
The rest of the night was just a celebration. We had a dance party, which culminated in the "Canadian dance club". This was where the 3 Canadian team members and I danced to the techno music while everyone else was strewn about, exhausted. Yup, Canadians certainly had the most stamina.
Once even we were exhausted, the YWAM team went home and the Centre staff sat down to watch a movie.
After that we went to Midnight chicken, where they serve great chicken. At midnight. It was great fun.
I finally arrived home exhausted at a really late hour.
Saturday I saw a movie with Tiffany, one of our new members at the Centre, and ran into some members of the YWAM team. I introduced them to Black Canyon Coffee, the cheaper and better Thai version of Starbucks.
This morning I went to church and when I got home I was planning to go to my waterfall again, but fell asleep instead. Which was good, because when I woke up it was pouring rain. It's been raining a lot lately, and I keep getting stuck in it. Storms move in here in half an hour, it rains like crazy for an hour and 10 minutes later it's sunny with not a cloud in the sky. It feels like being back home in Alberta.
So 2 hours ago it was raining cats and dogs. Now there is hardly a puddle anywhere and it's back up to the sweltering heat.
Songkran will start in the next few days I think. Already people are pouring into the city and traffic is crazier than ever. Luckily on my little orange terror, I have more mobility than even the motor bikes, and can often go faster in heavy traffic than anyone else.

Songkran is coming!

2006-04-06T00:38:00.000-07:00

Hey peoples!

So, it's my last two days at the Centre. I'm having my FINAL evaluation today with my supervisor. They are having a goodbye lunch for me tomorrow. Pizza, Kow Soy, Moo Satay and Pat Thai. I can't wait. It'll be delicious.

There is a YWAM team here right now. 18 extra foreigners. As a result, the Centre has turned into a bit of a zoo. They are a really fun team though, and we love having them around.

Songkran festival is next week so the Centre will be closed. Songkran is a national Thai holiday. Some say it is the Thai new years, others disagree and say that it is a festival to cool off in summer. At any rate, it is a 10 day waterfight that consumes this city. Because of the moat around the old city providing a lot of water, Chiang Mai is the craziest place for Songkran. I can't wait. It's so amazing to be here. And it will be nice to cool off. I already had a taste of it when a guy named Jeff soaked me today. It took all of 5 minutes to be dry again.

That's all I've got for right now! Another update soon!

Mormon Missionaries and Elephants

2006-04-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

So, I ended up feeling better on Saturday, so I loaded up on the Tylenol and took off for the bamboo rafting. It was amazing. We were just given the raft this time, no guide, so I took her down for a bit, and then one of the guys took over. It's actually quite tiring.
Just as we were getting to the end, I saw up ahead some elephants playing in the water, so I polled like crazy to hurry the raft up, and then eventually just jumped off completely and ran over to them just as their riders were directing them out. So I had a short, but fun encounter.
This time I also found the cliff jumping spot at the end of the run. You climb up this 25 foot cliff and jump into the river just below the rapids where the water is deepest. It's crazy fun...
I also had a new food experience: ant eggs. They don't taste like much, they mostly just imitate whatever sauce they are in. But I'm sure texture people would not like them. Smooth and slimey, with a slight popping when you bite. I thought they were kinda fun.
Sunday morning I biked to Thai church. It turns out, I'm a little bit of an oddity here, on my bike. See, only really poor people bike here. The very bottom of society. Everyone else can afford at least an old scooter. But I'm white, and so they assume I'm not poor. Yet I still ride a bike, which is confusing to them.
But it turns out there is a part of the society (other than myself) who bikes by choice. Yup, you guessed it, the Mormon missionaries.
So when I parked outside the church in my black pants and collared shirt, one of the ladies inside the church could not understand why I would be coming to an evangelical church. So she asked the local missionary if I was a Mormon missionary.
Nope. But I mean, I know I was riding a bike, but my shirt was pink, not white, and I was alone. So we all had a laugh.
So that was my weekend - swimming, rafting, playing with elephants, etc. I bought a couple too.
Then this morning I went to the doctor... again... and I'll be going back on Thursday...again... seems nobody is sure why I keep having a fever, but we're gonna find out!
Other than that, I'm feeling much better and much more like myself!
See you all very, very soon!

The week is over

2006-03-31T06:34:00.000-08:00

It's been a long week. Tim and Clair left, leaving a lot of the staff emotionally exhausted. I've been sick again, with a fever and stomache cramps (the fever is certifiable, because my mom sent me a thermometer in the care package that came with the team!). I can't seem to get back to 100% since I've been sick the first time. I'm better for a day or two and than off again for a couple of days. Then I recover and regress again. It's frustrating.

We had James Bond night tonight. We really struggled with games... I mean the movie is based on murder, deception, drinking martini's and loose relationships with gorgeous women. Well, there is more than that, but that's basically the marketable stuff. But in the end we figured it out. I also was the one to share my testimony. It was tough, because I wasn't feeling well, but it worked out in the end.

I'm supposed to go bamboo rafting tomorrow. I really hope I feel well enough. I still have this fever. Maybe a good sleep tonight will help.

Only 2 weeks left! I'll be back with you all before you know it!

The Wedding

2006-03-28T05:55:00.000-08:00

Ok, here are the pictures I promised.
This first one is of the bride and groom in their traditional attire. They look great don't they? At the beginning of the wedding they offer incense to the household altar, and then the monks start chanting. How many there are depends on how much money you have. This one had 4, which is average. The monks chat for a good hour, but I missed most of that because Pi'Kee and I came late. In fact we came an hour late, and the ceremony was still going on. Basically, they make a halo of string for the bride and for the groom that are attached together by one string. Then one string coming off of each of these goes and touches the head of all their relatives who sit around them. This signifies the exchange of families. Each one is given to the family of the other. Then there is more and more chanting. They also exchange rings at some point here.
Then they have a break and go for pictures. During the first whole hour of chanting, everyone else in the house (they get married at the house they are going to move into) is kneeling with their hands in a prayer position. And there I was, the only foreigner, running around with my camera trying not to be too obvious but still trying to record stuff and not offend anyone. There were nice.
Anyways, after that, the bride and groom come back in and are blessed by a person who has had a long and successful marriage, who then ties their hands together. Then, each person that is older than them at the marriage comes and ties a string around each of their wrists and gives a blessing - have babies, have money, have happiness, have health etc.
When that has been accomplished, they do the "most interesting" thing. Everyone that's around grabes a string the trails behind the bride and groom who are tied to each other and to the bouquet you see in this picture, and they all parade up to the marital bedroom.
Then, the same person who had such a long marriage that he tied them together also gets on the bed first. He lies down briefly to "bless" it. Then the couple lies down and gets back up. And then the elder rips apart the string binding everyone together while saying something I could not understand.
The ceremonies are over and the party begins. The ceremonies started at 7am, and it was about 11:30 by the time they finished. We ate on table set out in the street in front of their house, covered by tents. It was great food. Northern Thai, and not too spicy, except for one soup. The alcohol also flowed freely, but I think that's true of weddings everywhere.
Then we hung out until about 3. I was exhausted because of little sleep the night before, a really long two weeks and the heat from sitting outside for so long. So Pi'Kee asked if I wanted to go to her house to watch a "video". I said sure, after all, a movie is not so bad. She put in her wedding video. Which actually did two things. It helped me understand what I'd missed or only partially seen in the first hour and a half. It also made me glad the wedding I'd attended on such an exhausted day was so uncomplicated. Pi'Kee's wedding went from 7am until midnight, included a parade, a traditional "opening of the doors" bartering between the bride and groom's family, an evening reception, karaoke, a dance and probably some other things I forgetting. That would kill me in Canada, let alone in a place where I have no clue what is going on and almost no one to talk to. Yup, the 2 hour video was more than enough.

On Sunday, I biked to the railway station and saw the Vanguard team off. Now they are in Hong Kong, and doing well. Remember to pray for them too!
Tiffany came in today. She's a YWAMer from Mississippi (yup, I can spell it) who has now hit 13 different countries in two years, but this was her first time teaching English. So I had the pleasure of doing an orientation with her since all the other foreigners went to Burma for a Visa run.
We also had a wee bit of an adventure getting her from the airport. Her plane was arriving from Singapore, and so Opal and I went to domestic flights to wait for her. We were sitting in the lobby chatting and waiting, and waiting and waiting. We kept asking ourselves "where is Tiffanie?" Then it occured to me that Singapore would be an international flight, and not a domestic flight. I don't know, I just followed Opal! It wasn't my fault! Anyways, so we run to the international flight lobby and it's deserted. We actually went all the way back into the back end of customs, but still nothing. All is deserted. Then we started running around the airport, but since I didn't know what she looked like and Opal had only seen a small picture, it was kind of in vain. Especially since her description was absolutely wrong. (After Opal said "I really thought she was a blond" while we looked at her really dark brown hair) Finally, I saw a girl who looked worried, had a big suitcase and was carrying a guitar. Opal said "that's her!" so I ran up and asked if she was Tiffany. And she was! All was well.

The craziness is overwhelming!!

2006-03-27T09:41:00.000-08:00

Hi Peoples!
I have really been bad at updating lately. I apologize. Things are getting wildly crazy around here and I never seem to be able to get what I want to do.
The wedding was great. I brought my camera, but since it's late I had to go to the cheap internet cafe where my USB doesn't work. So pictures tomorrow. It was very different from a North American wedding, but more about that later.
Sunday was fun too. At church we had a guy named Jim Thurber do a session on Cat and Dog Theology, which was actually quite a bit of fun. Then Jen and Andre, a couple from the church, took me out for lunch. It was lots of fun.
Then I biked out to the railway station and saw the team off. They returned to Bankok and took Kalen, another Vanguard intern here in Thailand back with them. I was quite jealous and almost didn't get off the train when it was time to go. (Things are a little different here, I actually got on the train and hung out there without question until the final bells. Even then, I wan't kicked off, I just didn't have time for a trip to Bangkok)
It was sad to see them go, but I can't wait to hear about all the exciting things they are going to do in China. I might be a little jealous though.
Anywyas, time for me to get to bed! Good night you all! Tifany, our new team member is arriving tomorrow, so I need to be awake and ready to go early tomorrow morning to get her from the airport.
Oh, and Jenny, our Irish teammate is sick, so please pray for her! Thanks!

Two sad goodbyes

2006-03-24T08:47:00.000-08:00

I've had to say goodbye twice in the last two days. How much does that suck?
The first was to Yam, who is not one of my students, but is one of my friends at the Centre. She is going to Philadelphia to work as a nanny for a couple of years. That's one lucky family.
The other one is Nok, my wonderful friend. It is her birthday tomorrow. But she is going down to Bangkok for an interview at a design production company.
I took her out for Japanese food tonight, which is her favorite. We said our goodbyes which was hard. Then she drove me up the nearby mountain (where my waterfall is) and offered incense and a rose to a large golden statue of a man. On the way back she said that she has "wished" for me. That I would be "strong and happy and beautiful everyday". When she dropped me off at the Centre I had the opportunity to pray for her. Along with praying for safety for her 9 hour drive tomorrow morning, I also prayed that she would be strong, healthy, happy and beautiful everyday. Man, am I ever gonna miss her.

And so now, with two weeks left at the Centre (my last week the centre is closed for Songkran, the Thai new years/huge massive 4 day waterfight) I am left without either of the students that I had chosen to target in order to build a more significant relationship with. So, let's see what we can do!

We also have a new staff member coming in! Tifany (from either the States or Canada, no one seems to remember which) will be here on Monday. She's a fresh Bible college grad, so I'm sure we'll have lots to talk about.

What else? I don't know if I mentioned it before, but Pi'Kee, one of my students, is taking me to a Thai wedding tomorrow. It is traditional Thai wedding and will involve eating. And I hear some people will speak English too, which is great. That's about all I know. And I'm being picked up ridiculously early for a Saturday morning. Which means I should get home, because it's midnight, I'm exhausted and need some sleep for a long day tomorrow of mostly being in the dark as to what's happening.

Three weeks left! Can't wait to get back and see you all! Sorry no photos today, I forgot my camera at home, again. I'm sorry, I'll really try to be better at that in the future.

The wild weekend

2006-03-22T07:05:00.000-08:00

Ok, so here is a quick rundown of what happened:

Friday night:

The Canadians all came out to the Centre, saw who I work with, saw what I do and helped to make the Canadian Friday night party a huge success. We returned to Baan Mai rather exhausted.

Saturday:

In the morning we had three hours to teach a group of about 100 children (7-12ish) some English. So we sang songs, played games and taught. In the afternoon, we had one more hour of teaching to students who were between 13 and 18. It was a lot of fun. We also did the drama puppetmaster a whole lot. The picture on the right is of us at the Centre. In the evening, we went to a bigger nearby village and did some internet checking, some shopping and even some relaxing at the spa. Unfortunately, there was not time for me to have a facial. I guess that means I'll have to find one here in the city to go to!

Sunday:

The big day! We got up early and the first order of business was for the team to teach me the "Jesus" part to a new drama called Eternal. Why I was Jesus the whole weekend in our dramas, I don't know. I think it must be because it was an all girls team and everyone else had their parts already. Anyways, I practiced the drama a couple of times and then it was time for church to start. Worship was led by the Thai's and it was wonderful. I've even gotten to the point where I can sing along to the simpler songs. Then we did our drama, which I got through with only one minor screw up (I dropped a prop), and the Tiffanie preached! It was a wonderful sermon, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Also, Janelle spoke about laying down your life and paying the price of being a disciple. A big congrats goes to them both.

After church, we had a quick lunch and then headed off to a youth meeting where we were just participants. We played some great games and then Ajan TomYun (ie. Pastor TomYun) shared in Thai. He was quite dynamic, but it was all in Thai so concentrating was tough. After that, we headed into Chiang Mai to go to Walking Street. It was tons of fun. In case you don't remember, Walking Street is the local handicraft market down in the old city. It's only on Sunday nights though. The girls were really excited and bought tons of stuff. Kalen and I snuck off for a quick coffee and chat, but we did a good amount of shopping too.

On the way back, our truck of people had a little adventure. As we went along one of the country roads, an off duty police officer pulled us over and started yelling at Ajan Poom who was driving us. All we heard was "passport!" and lots of Thai. Then he took Ajan into the police station. We waited and prayed. I wasn't really all that nervous, after all we are in Thailand, not in communist China, but some of the girls were a little nervous. Then the off duty officer came out and yelled at us in Thai and at two Thai girls who were with us. He yelled and yelled, getting redder and redder, while Ajan stood by giving soft answers. Then a guy in full uniform came out. He seemed pleasant and was even smiling a bit so I immediately started chatting with him, since I was sitting in the back of the truck where he walked to. I even used the local dialect as much as I could. He laughed and we chatted a bit and then he asked me some questions in English "are you a Christian?" (yes), "Are you teaching out in Baan Mai" (yes) "Do you like Thailand?" (I love it). He talked to Ajan for a bit. He then started talking to the off duty guy who mostly just yelled at him too. Then he and another officer started pulling the off duty guy across the road back to the police station while calling out to us to enjoy Thailand and have fun. The off duty guy was still struggling against them and yelling, but they just smiled and waved at us. We smiled and waved back and shouted our thanks. Ajan got in and we went home.

Turned out, the off duty guy was drunk and wanted a bribe to let these "tourists" past his station. Monday: We ran an English camp for some local high school students. We also wanted to eat breakfast with the Bible College students, who we were told ate at 6. So I was up at 5:30. We get to the breakfast hall at 6 and stare at each other for an hour waiting for the students. We were told wrong, breakfast started at 7. We mourned the loss of sleep, but had some valuable prep. time.
In the evening, we relaxed and prepared. It was fun. The camp was fun too. I'd put up pictures, but this computer is being silly and will only let me put up the one. I'll try to put more up later.
They also served the most amazing lunch, a sweet and sour pinneapple stirfry. We ate until we could eat no more and even then were sad that we had no more room. It was amazing.
Tuesday:
Same as Monday as the camp continued. I left around 11 o'clock in order to get back to the Centre for our 1:00 meeting. It was sad to leave. I hope to see the team again at the train station on their way out. I also left my towel out there, so I really hope someone sees it and brings it.
And now it's back to the regular routine. There are some things I'm really thankful for, being back: showers with heated water. Western toilets. Toilet paper in the stall. Coffee.
At the same time, it was awesome to see how much the team has grown, and to be able to encourage and come alongside them and give them advice on living in Thailand (see the last post about naming animals). I was also impressed with the language many of them had learned in only a week. If they stayed for long, they'd be beating me in no time.
I was also blown away by the hospitality of the people out there. They literally bent over backwards to make sure we were comfortable, had lots of bottled water, were entertained and had a couple of Western extravagencies, such as a mountain of bread and condiments for breakfast and snacks. Also, Ajan TomYun gave me a wooden puzzle when I left. He said that I need to take it apart, and if I cannot figure out how to put it back together again by the time I leave Thailand, I'm not allowed to leave. I think I might accidently lose a piece or two.

oops. the computer crashed, and I can't get the picture back on. We'll try again another day.

Those crazy Vanguardians!

2006-03-22T01:15:00.000-08:00

What a great weekend I had! Hanging out with the team was FANTASTIC! As was the care package they brought from my mom!
I don't have much time to write at this moment, because I have to teach in just a few minutes, but here's one anecdote from the weekend:
Rachelle, one of the girls from the team is really afraid of bugs and insects of all sorts. So, when the first night I was there a cockroach was discovered in the room, she wasn't doing too well with it. But then I told her my secret about dealing with unwanted room companions, which is to name them and make them a pet, in which the personification of the said creature then makes them less scary. So I told her about Rod. And we named the cockroach Bernie. I also picked it up and threw it outside. But for the next few days, she was naming everything in sight. My favorite was walking into the church for rehearsal and seeing a wasp fly around while Rachelle yelled "What's its name? What's its name?" and then calmed down completely when I replied "Jerry".
Ok, more later! And pictures are to come!

CANADIANS!

2006-03-16T23:03:00.000-08:00

Yeay! I will get to see the team tonight! It's been a little bit long because I haven't been able to get a hold of Tiffanie on the phone yet. Oh well, I'll see her tonight!
We are having a Canadian themed Friday Night Party tonight. The decorations are up, including a large flag, hockey sticks and the names of great Canadians (or at least, famous Canadians). It gives me great pleasure as people walk around and read the names and accomplishments of my fellow Canadians and comment "He/She is a Canadian?" or "A Canadian invented Basketball? Really?". It's great, and gives me great pleasure.
I'm also super excited to see the team tonight. I'll be spending the weekend with them, and Monday as well, so don't expect any updates for a little bit, as I won't be around.
Well, that's all for now! Remember to keep e-mailing and leaving comments! I love hearing from home!

I'm not superwoman

2006-03-15T01:28:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I need to be reminded that I am not actually superwoman. The day after building the wall, I could hardly move because my back and shoulders were sooo sore. It's terrible really. I'm still sore today, but it's getting better. I got sick again yesterday, but it's getting better again too.
The team came into town today, but I haven't talked to them yet. I was going to go to the station to greet them on their way in, but because of my sickness yesterday, I thought that would be unwise.
Classes are going really well. I'm planning to have an open discussion on Christianity with my 6 o'clock class today, so please pray for that. It's the class with Nok, Kea, Oil (who is a Christian), Pi' Kee, Pi'Na, Pi'Keng and Pi'Pat. In case you are wondering, adding Pi' at the beggining of someone's name is a sign of respect for those who are older than you. Even though everyone is older than me, some don't want me to call them Pi because it makes them feel older.
I only have 4 1/2 weeks left, which is wild! Where has all the time gone? I thought I just started! At the same time, 4 1/2 weeks is like almost all of my last two trips. It's weird how perspective changes.
I'm starting to get Tim Hortons cravings. I'm pretty sure, however, that it's not as much for the coffee as it is for the fellowship I have at Tim Hortons. That's my hang out place. In short, I miss all you guys! But I'll be back before I know it. The last two months certainly have flown by.
Rod's gone again. Left me for another lady. You know, I'm not sure I like this come and leave and come and leave pattern that's developing. Are you with me or not Rod? I'm a girl. I need committment in my relationships!
Sorry I still haven't gotten up the pictures I promised. I'll do that soon. I just need to get organized, and bring my camera with me to these places.
Cooking night is tonight. We are making Caserole!
I'll be spending this weekend with the HMSers out in the tiny village of Bon Mai Sawaan, so I'll certainly have more pictures for you guys then! I'm really excited to see them all, and be able to come and work beside them for this time.

Rebuilding the wall, playing Nehemiah.

2006-03-13T20:20:00.000-08:00

So, we rebuilt the wall behind the Centre. Actually, we we didn't really. We poured out concrete in the gaps underneath the wall to restabilize it because it was falling over due to the removal of a dirt pile on the other side.
I spent a good 5 or 6 hours yesterday mixing cement, carrying 60 pound bags of gravel and sand and also tending to my biggest job: that of turning on and off the water for the cement mixture. It took my a good 3 hours this morning to figure out why in the world I was soooo sore. After all, what's moving a couple hundred pounds of rock and sand? Seemingly, it's enough to make me unable to move well the next day.
So, with an aching back and hurting shoulders, I'm going back to the Centre in a couple of hours to finish what we started. And I think in a couple of days I might go for that Thai massage I keep hearing about.

Also, there is the exciting news that the team flies into my city tomorrow! Woohoo! I can't wait for that!
I'll put up a picture or two of the building process either later today or tomorrow.

Blogging is weird...

2006-03-12T05:13:00.000-08:00

Blogging is a really strange thing. It starts kinda fun, and then it takes over your life. Everyday, as things happen, I keep thinking "Ohhhh, that'll blog well" or "I better remember to put that up, I bet people back home will find that funny". So, just so you all know, you are in my thoughts constantly. And yes, I usually forget half the things I'm planning to do.
Like today, I'm sure I had at least three things to put up, yet here I am sitting at the dimly glowing screen with nothing at all coming to mind. Soooo frustrating.
So instead, here is a picture of Rod for you. I know he's hiding, and it's a bad picture, but it's all I can get of the little guy. He doesn't like his picture taken very much.
The "making the lizards your pet" thing has really caught on. Jennifer was terrified of the wild geckos in her room and was losing sleep. Then she named hers "Lizzy" and the world has been a happy place ever since. It's no longer frightening that her pet is running around her room. Perspective is everything. I love it!
I got a new book today. I've read about 9 books since being here and am exhausting the appealing options in the Centre's library so I went to a used bookstore and grabbed Pride and Prejudice. It's one I've wanted to read for a while, mostly just to say I've read it, but that's ok too.
You know what else? I only have 5 weeks left! This is insane! Where did all the time go? It was "I've only been here two weeks" yesterday! And now it's I've been here almost 2 months! I don't know. It's so weird. But I'm getting really good at bartering! And ordering food. I really love it if I can get a chicken fried rice with pineapple. So delicious! Or even just the fresh pineapple is delicious! Hmmm... I think I'll go get some... now. Bye!

The battle is ended.

2006-03-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

So, I think I'm better.
It's been 7 days now of struggle and pain but I think I'm finally better. I think the medications the doctor gave me at the biggining of day 5 may have something to do with that. Either way, I'm glad to have my energy back and to be eating again. Everyone else seems to be happy I'm smiling and talking again too.
My roommate came back! Yep, he came to keep me company during the last couple days of sickness. He's quite quiet, and usually keeps to himself while I'm in the room, but occasionaly I find him out on a stoll when I get into the room.
I think it might be a "Rod the second" though, since A)All these Thai geckos look the same to me (so sue me!) and B) because this Rod seems to like to hide behind the wardrobe instead of under the fridge. Either way, I'm glad to have him back.
5 more days and the Vanguard team will be in Chiang Mai. I'm more than just a little excited about that.
There are only 5 weeks left in my trip! I can hardly believe it! Only 5 weeks? That's no time at all! What happened to the "I'm here for 3 months" thing? Where did all the time go! And I feel more than a little angry at the fact that one whole week just slipped by in sickness! That's just not fair! I didn't get a chance at it!
Sigh... what can you do?
I don't know if I said before that I was asked to share on Wednesday to about teamwork in the team meeting. So I prepared out of Nehemiah chapters 3,4 and 6 about how the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall required great teamwork. Then, after the talk, they kinda started giggling and told me that the day before at the meeting I'd missed because of sickness, they announced that they were ripping down and rebuilding the 14 foot brick wall behind the Centre this next Monday. I felt more than a little corny. But I didn't know about it! Really!
Oh well, I hear there are some foreign guys coming to help out for the building! Who knows who you might meet! ;)
Talk to you soon!

The battle continues...

2006-03-07T04:56:00.000-08:00

I'd like to tell you about all the wonderful, exciting things I've done in the last 3 days since I last posted. I'd love to tell you about places discovered, new experiences had and wonderful new people met. But I can't. Why? Because I've spent the majority of the last 3 days laying in bed, either sleeping or moaning occasionally. I could tell you all about the drugstore across the street, but that's not so interesting.
I have made it to the Centre both yesterday and today, and yesterday I even taught both my lessons. Today, I didn't teach my first one due to an overwhelming feeling of sickness that came over me around starting time. Jenny and Beth were kind enough to teach it for me.
Yeah, I'm still sick. Yes, I'm taking medication. Yes, I'm even planning to see a doctor tomorrow (something I haven't done since I was about 9).
I have been making slight progess day by day, but Montezuma's revenge hits hard and recovers slowly. So, please keep me in your prayers! Love you and miss you all!

Ewww sickness!

2006-03-04T05:41:00.000-08:00

Well, today was my first official day of being sick.

Yup, my body finally gave in after my long day yesterday. No, this is no mission horror story of projectiling liquids from both ends. Just that feeling of hyper-sensitivity from every nerve ending, a splitting headache and absolutely no energy.
So what am I doing posting you all ask? I'm really wondering who won my school's student council election. Nobody has yet e-mailed me with the results. So, if you read this, and know what is going on, please e-mail me, or post a comment and let me know. This suspense is killing me!

So, please pray for me to get better. I'm feeling a lot better after spending nearly the whole day in bed, alternately watching movies, reading and sleeping. But, still not at 100%. And this is my day off. I need to be functioning decently by tomorrow morning to go to church, and really need to be full strength for Monday when classes come back on.
Pray for Opal too, as she is sick too.

I still can't wait for the Vanguard team to get here. It'll be great to see them.
Sorry this is so disjointed, my head is not really making sense, and transmitting my thoughts to my fingers is even harder.

Love you all!

Wow am I ever tired!

2006-03-03T07:14:00.000-08:00

It's only 10, but it feels like 1 am.
I went running this morning rather reluctantly. I find that while I'm sticking very closely to my Thai workout regime, it's not helping a whole lot in terms of physique. Must be the incredible amounts of food that I eat during the day offsetting that... nope, not worth changing!
Then I made "moo ping" or bbq pork with Namwaan and Opal for lunch. It was easy and tasty. And, when combined with sticky rice, quite filling too.
The day went on and on and on! Classes were slow, and then we had Friday Night Party, where I was MC and expended the last of my energy. I was about to drag myself onto my bike for the ride home (downhill slightly, bless the Lord) when some students asked me to come out to eat. Yup, I'll come. Then they asked me to go for Karaoke, but I decided my poor wasted head would not make it through that. So I came here instead to write to all you fine folks!
I've had some really great conversations tonight. I talked to a girl named PoBow about what she thought about God. She, like so many others, said "I really like Jesus. He's great. I want to be a Christian. But my parents are Buddhist, and they would be very mad". What do you say to that? I usually just talk about following Jesus as a personal choice, and let them know that I respect any choice they make. But in the end, it's up to them.

Rod is not dead under my fridge. I checked, and he's gone. If anyone missed that post, Rod is the gecko that was living in my room. He left me. Which I suppose is good, because he would have died if he had stayed. There was however a rat seen in the basement in the Centre. I didn't suggest we name it and leave food out for it though. Beth and Jenny were so scared they refused to go down there and kept the door religiously closed for a week, and would scream warnings to anyone else going down. They would have killed me if I suggested we did anything but kill it, trap it, or otherwise dispose of its presence. Poor little guy. He didn't do anything to deserve that kind of treatment.

The Vanguard team is coming!

2006-03-01T20:56:00.000-08:00

It's now March, and I'm getting quite excited that the Vanguard team is coming to town! I hope to join them for a weekend (especially if I can have some more of that wonderful "gung den" or jumping shrimp...), and hopefully they will be able to come out and see me too! See where I work, what I do, etc.

I've now reached the half way point in my internship. It seems wild to think that I'm half done. I still feel like I've only just got here.
I've been trying to think of how to answer the people who get back who will (undoubtedly) ask "How was it?" The first answer is that "It's just like life here (in Canada), except it's over there". It's funny how life just... goes on... I mean, I surrounded by beautiful mountains, I eat different food, my only friends are my coworkers, and I miss my parents, but other than everything being different... it's the same. I'm still the same me that I am everywhere else. God is still the same God he is everywhere else. And the books available to me here are many of the same available in Canada. (I think I'm working on book #9, most of them being on leadership or spiritual development)
Sometimes, my Canadian life, driving around in my big red truck and rushing from place to place in the snow seems life the surreal life, where as biking around this tropical country, speaking Thai and buying grilled pork and sticky rice seems absolutely normal. Then I usually just mentally pat myself on the head and say "there, there... it hasn't really sunk in that you are in Thailand, the Siam of old, has it?"
I'm really not sure.

Other than that, I seem to have lost Rod. I think he's either found his way out, left me for another girl, or he's dead under the fridge. I'm planning to check out that third option tonight. That would be sad, I left water out for him and everything. It was like having a friend.

Prayer requests: Please pray for clarity in my communication with the students. Some times it is difficult for us to communicate effectively.
Pray for the students as they are all taking their final exams right now and are stressed out of their minds.
Please also pray for health. Nearly everyone has gotten sick in one way or another in the past week, and Opal is really sick too.
Pray for the last preparations of the Vanguard team and their safety as they travel here.

In other news...

2006-02-27T21:35:00.000-08:00

I have a roomate!

I've named him "Rob". He's small, and green, and like long walks across the ceiling. His favorite food is flies, live and wriggling. In short, a gecko found it's way into my room, and I can't catch the thing, to put it at liberty where it might survive. It really like hiding under the fridge when I'm in the room. I'm hoping he'll find his way out or I'll be able to catch him and set him free at some point. Until then, I have a companion. I set out a dish of water, but he doesn't seem too interested in it. Maybe time will change that.

Some of you may wonder what there is to do for fun around here... so I've decided to do a little Chiang Mai review for you all.
When bored:
-go for a walk! There are tons of little roadside markets and vendors to keep you busy all the time.
-go for a run! There are many picturesque parks around the city with jogging paths and exercise stations. I rather enjoy them, and use them every morning.
-go to Mike's burgers. This is a small place with big taste! It's also the home of sarcasm. The sign proclaims that is has been converting vegetarians since 1979. It's also filled with hillarious pictures, bumper stickers and more. And everyone takes advantage of the two hour guarantee. If your food is not made within two hours, IT"S FREE! My favorite bumper sticker is "Save a cow, eat a vegetarian".
-go to Walking street. On Sunday nights, two major streets in the old city are blocked off and becomes a huge market for handicrafts. It's great. It even makes a non-shopper like myself excited.
-Go to Night Bazaar. Sure, it's the tourist market, and more expensive than walking street, but it's open every night!
-Eat. And eat some more. There are WAY too many good restaurants around here.
-Walk to the nearest waterfall. I've only done this once, but it was great.
Well, that's all for now! Talk to you all soon!

Tim and Clair's Farewell party

2006-02-26T23:50:00.000-08:00

This last Thursday, we had an amazing farewell for Tim and Clair. It was from the students, to their beloved teachers. I was touched to see just how much the students were influenced by Tim and Clair, the tears shed bearing witness to this.
We had a video presentation, food and a time where the students could say a short goodbye to Tim and Clair. It was incredibly touching. I hope that someday I will be able to be such a leader as these two are.
The evening was awesome. I was in charge of decorations. You can see my little tribute to the pair. Yes, that is plasticine. Yes, that does represent about 2 hours of my work. Yes, I know that neither one is blond, or has green eyes, but my colours were very limited. And I did get Clair's t-shirt colour right! It was definitely a hit throughout the evening!

About 50 students showed up in all, many of them are no longer students here, but came to say good bye.

I'm not even sure I can communicate all that the evening meant to me. It was awesome. I hope to one day be as influencial as this couple, to leave a legacy of love like they did. These things always make me re-evaluate what is REALLY important anyways?

Keep in touch y'all!

I saw Kalen!!!!

2006-02-25T17:43:00.000-08:00

Hello peoples!
Sorry it's been a while with no updates, I've been trying to get photos for everything to put up as well. I'll be posting about Tim and Clair's farewell party tomorrow hopefully.

Anyways, I saw Kalen! I met her and Michelle Williams (her supervisor) at the Central Airport Plaza, and of course went to Starbucks. I however, much to all your surprise I'm sure, did not have a coffee because, as part of our health lesson in class, I decided to go off the stuff for a week. That was tough. Really tough. Oh well, tomorrow is a week, and I've survived!
Anyways, after that, we went to a camp where the children from the children's home in Bon My Swan were having a day retreat. It was really cute. The next picture here is of P'Hom, who is the pastor's wife of the Bon My Swan church. She really liked me because of my language ability, and was not too happy that I had to come back into the city and couldn't stay overnight out at the dormitories. (And Cindie, who is that over my left shoulder? For those of you who want to know, that's Tara, a Canadian from the same small town as our Cindie!)
We had lunch at the place you can see, then we went to a couple of different places to buy handicrafts at wholesale prices, and then headed out to the tiny village of Bon My Swan.
The children's home out there is actually one of the Compassion sites. They go into the hill tribes and find children who have no school to go to, and allow them to apply for the program. If they are sponsored, they come and live with the other 96-97 students in Bon My Swan. This is a picture of all the kids, gathered for the evening worship and devotion time. Worshipping with them was awesome! They were all yelling out the words and doing the actions as the bright stars above shone down on us. There were even a couple that were translated English songs, so I could sing along.

Oh, and did I mention where we had supper? This was the beautiful spot where we ate, suspended over the water during sunset. It was absolutely amazing. And we had some amazing food too! My favorite was the "dancing shrimp". And no, that's not a figure of speech. They really are dancing. The live shrimp come in a little covered bowl that you shake. The shrimp then jump like crazy until they exhaust themselves and you can eat them. Every once in a while though, they will jump off your spoon. My favorite was Kalen, who screamed probably 3 times in trying to get the shrimp to her mouth, had to restart many times, and really struggled with it, and the moment she put it in her mouth, her face changes completely and she says "oh, it's good!". And we have it on video!
How much fun was that?
You can see the little white shrimp in this picture. We couldn't take the lid off for very long, or they would jump out, and once they hit the table, they aren't clean, so we'd throw them into the water.
It was a perfect day, in every respect. So thank you Kalen and Michelle!

Ok, all is well again!

2006-02-21T00:56:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wonder...

I was just in a kind of a slump Sunday and Monday, as you could see from my last post, and then I got some news! Kalen is coming up this weekend! For those of you who don't know who Kalen is, she's another student from Vanguard who is doing her internship here in Thailand. She's been in Bangkok, and hosted me during my layover there. Now I get to host her! It will be awesome to see her. So I apologized to Jesus for my whinging (the Irish girl is rubbin' off on me a wee litl' bit!), and thanked him for the good timing, and everything has been great again!

I was reading the Bible yesterday and came across a rather interesting verse... I'm not sure if it's a "word from the Lord" or not, but a good warning anyways. It's from Deuteronomy 14:21:
"Do not eat anything you find already dead. You may give it to an alien living in any of your towns, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner"
Anyways, I'm going to be careful who I buy my meat from. If they are Christians or Jewish, I'm gonna be just a little more wary! ;)

Today I led worship for our little meeting. I'm really not a worship leader at all. I've only done it once before, and the one person who remembers that kinda smiles shyly when she thinks about it and says "it was.... cute...". Yup, I'm a "cute" worship leader... i.e. I try hard but am not very good. The one good thing about being here though is that no one can even play one chord except me, so they have little to compare my poor talent to.
So I stumbled through two songs, but I had practiced for so long before we started that blisters were starting to develop on my fingers, so I was working so hard to push down the strings through the pain that I didn't have much time to be nervous. Or to really think about God and worship.... hmm... well, you win some and you lose some! We'll have to see if Opal ever asks me to lead again!

For those of you who keep asking, my bike IS holding up. I've managed to fix the handle bar problem almost completely, so that's not a problem anymore. But something else is starting to make a weird sound, kinda like my bike back home did before it changed gears unannounced. But this bike only has one gear. So, you may or may not soon be seeing post #3 of the "Cheap Thai bikes are REALLY cheap" series! But I hope not.

Also, I've heard about a lake that is about a half an hour bike ride north of the city... so we may have another adventure on our hands, folks! I probably won't do it this weekend, maybe the weekend after that, so keep reading!

A hard day....

2006-02-19T02:26:00.000-08:00

Today was kind of a longer day. Mostly because I spent most of it alone. I went to church in the morning, but the pastor and his wife are in India working with a team there on a short term mission. The speaker that was invited left something to be desired. Oh well, you win some and you lose some right?
So after eating lunch, I had a nap and started to feel a little lonely. So I got on my bike, rode for about 10 minutes, parked, walked for about the same and then there I was... arrived at the Haey Keaw waterfall. So I lounged in and about the waterfall for the afternoon, read a book and ate some fruit I'd bought on the way. It turned out to be a perfect afternoon.
I feel like I'm learning a lot about living alone, in a place where my only friends are my coworkers. It's strange. But you learn to cope. And really, it's not that bad. I think I may be more of an introvert than I imagined. And it's ok to be alone.

Anyways, enough sentimentality! I'm planning to go check out a place called Mike's Burgers. I've hear nothing but good things about it, but I refused to go to such a "farang" place. But now I've been here for a month, I think it's ok.

Super Hero night!

2006-02-18T05:05:00.000-08:00

Super hero night was certainly a super success! The Dental hygiene hero was a great hit once people found out what I was (they only have colgate here, not Crest, so realizing I was a toothpaste tube took a bit of work). And as those who know me could verify, I just love wearing capes, so even if the night hadn't gone well, I would have had fun. Everything's more fun with a cape. Also, if you were admiring Opal's Mr. Incredible outfit, I made it too.
All the staff dressed up, and even some of the students did as well. Playing some of the games was hazardous though, because of the many capes and costume bits flying around.
Jim, our local australian, shared his testimony, and it was really great.

In terms of what's been happening with my students, I'll give a quick update. My second class still has 7 people. I've been spending a lot of time with Nok lately, and it's sad because she is graduating right now, and is heading out to Bangkok in a month for work. She's super open to talking about Christianity, but as there would be no time for discipleship before she left, we are still praying about what to do.
Another student, named Run (I don't have a photo, sorry, I'll try to get one up), I've also had some great opportunities to talk with. She's said to me "You know, this God is a really good god, I can see that by being here at the Centre. And it is such a great place to be here, it's like my home." She's wants to be a Christian, but she's afraid of her parents response if she did, especially her father. She's worried that they will be very angry with her. Please pray for her and her family, that she could have the freedom to make a decision.
In my first class, I still have my 3 girls. T.O, Gift and Waan. They are great. They invited me to a concert/show that their school put on today. I was expecting something kinda like the shows we put on in jr. high back home. I was dead wrong. It was in the city's convention centre, with professional lighting and sound. It was a 3 hour program. It was the story of Thailand's history in dance, highlighting the different types of dances that are traditional around the country. They had amazing costumes. Some of the head pieces were incredibly elaborate. My two favorite were 1) a golden "helmet" of sorts with two 3 foot long crimson feathers sticking out the top, and 2) an elaborate hair style where a huge bundle of (in this case, fake) hair stuck straight up about 2 feet above their heads and then curved backwards in a loop. It looked like a monkey's tail. And most of the costumes were shimmery and shiny, so it sometimes felt like you were getting lost in a shining golden sea of coordinated movements. Also, there was one dance of about 150 children all around 5 years old, which was incredibly cute as they were all dressed up in traditional costumes.
After the program was a concert by the famous Thai band Armchair. I was nearly deafened by the appreciative shreiks of the 15 year old girls sitting around me. People also looked at me weird when I pretended to sing along.
I'm sorry, have you never heard of Armchair? Where have you been? In North America or something? They are famous around here! It's a 5 person boys band, but only the lead singer and the pianist sing. The music was pretty good (not my style, but good), but it was hard to hear due to everyone in the crowd singing along at the top of their lungs along with shreiks and laughter whenever the lead singer looked their way. And since I was in the 3rd row, that was always. Anyways, I think it's kinda like a Justin Timberlake imitation band, except that the lead singer had a hardcore mullet. Yup, mullet power all the way baby. All I know is that the girls loved it.

Valentine's Day and other news

2006-02-15T23:57:00.000-08:00

Hey Peoples!

Well, the Valentine's day class went really well, I had 5 of my 7 students show up and they really seemed to enjoy it. My first class of 3 girls (T.O., Gift and Waan) went really well too. We went through the story of the prodigal son with them. They are such sweet girls. They bought me some Ferrero Roche's to say "thanks for being our teacher".

In other news, I taught the "Tim Tam Slam" to the team here. If you don't know what that is, ask me about it when I get back and I'll be glad to teach you!
Tomorrow night's Friday Night Party is going to be Superhero night, and I'm going to be the M.C. So please pray for that. And of course, no superhero night is complete without a visit from the Dental Hygeine Hero, who will without a doubt be making an appearance (I've been working on my costume all day!). More about that later!

School for the University students is just ending now, as they are all in their final exams and major projects, so getting time to go out with them is kind of hard right now. They end school now, and then start classes again in June, when the rainy season starts.
For grade school, they have the month of April off, but go to school year round the rest of the year with a week or two off every couple of months.

Adventure on the mountain top!

2006-02-12T03:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, as will not surprise many of you, I climbed a mountain. Or rather, I walked up a mountain.
At the top of one of the mountains bordering the city there is a temple called Doi Su Thep. All day, you can see it's golden roofs gleaming in the sunshine. Almost since the day I got here, I've been trying to get someone to go with me, but alas, none would agree. So, after grabbing some supplies and my MP3 player, I headed up the long road. Because the road is made for cars, it is obviously not too steep, meaning it winds back and forth along the mountain and one adjoining mountain too. So to go up about and in about 1-2 km takes an 11 km hike.
Every fall, the freshman at Chiang Mai university hike up, and it take about 3 hours. I got up in 2 hours and 13 minutes. :)
It was quite a lot of fun. Motorists going by would usually look at me like I was crazy, but many others would honk and yell encouragements.
I finally got to the top and looked around for a while. You'll never guess who I found there! There is a jade factory showroom as well as a clifface where you can look out over the city. Then as I was walking past the songtau (public trans. red trucks) stand, one of the drivers recognized me. So we started talking, and he gave me a discount price for the way down. 20 Baht, which is half what even the local Thais pay to go down. Then, some students recognized me. They were a group of University students who were some of the people who had yelled encouragements as they passed. And they wanted to interview me. So, out came three videocameras, and they asked me all sorts of questions, until my songtau was leaving and I had to go.
And that's not all. Inside the songtau were 4 nurses and a sales man on holiday from Bangkok. After we talked for a little while, they asked if I wanted to visit the zoo with them. (It's right at the bottom of the path up the mountain). So I went with them, and the paid my admission too! It was loads of fun. And good excercise.
Today, I went to a wonderful church called Chiang Mai Christian Fellowship. I've been to a couple of churches since I came, and none of them seemed to "fit". But this one was great. Not only did they have coffee upon arrival, and the first people I met were Canadians, but also there was great worship, a good sermon, and the church hires a songtau to drive people who don't have cars. It's an awesome place. I recommend it if you ever find yourself in Chiang Mai.

Some prayer requests:
This Tuesday is Valentine's day, and for my second class, I'm going to have Opal come in and speak in Thai about the greatest love story, that of Jesus and his life, death and resurrection. So please pray for that.
Also, please pray for the continuing transition of leadership, as Opal takes over and Tim and Claire wrap up their work.

Cheap Thai bikes are REALLY cheap. Lesson #2.

2006-02-09T19:23:00.000-08:00

Ok, I figure it's about time to give a quick update about the orange fury that gets me around. I told you last time about the seat coming off on the street. But I've encountered another slightly difficuly problem. Every time I put weight on the handlebars, I end up loosening the nut keeping them on. So then they start wobbling. I can usually still have good control if I rotate them so that the brake levers are pushed against my basket on the front, but it's still kinda hard when you are getting going. All this means is that every 2-3 days I have to go retrieve the monkey wrench from the tool shed at the Centre and tighten it up, but I thought some of you might laugh at the thought of me pedaling down the street on a seat that is too low with wobbly handle bars throwing me off. Surprisingly, I still make really good time, and am never much slower than the flow of traffic.

Girls night was an awesome success last night. We had a lot of fun, and 20 people showed up in all. We played some games, and ate together, and then Claire basically shared the gospel straight up with the girls, and then ended it with giving each girl a rose that had 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 attached.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres"

After that we watched "Guess Who?". The four students of mine who came were Nok, Waan, T.O., and Gift. The last three are my 15 year-old Jr. High kids, and Nok is the one that has some previous pictures up, from the second class.

In this second picture you can see Opal translating to Claire's left. To her right is Bo, a newly baptized Christian, and then my 3 students, T.O., Gift and Waan's shoulder. On the left, kind of covering Opal, is Nok.

Thank you to all of you for your prayers. I don't think you can even know how thankful I am for them. Everything has gone really well, and continues to do so.

Miss you all!

Some more pictures!

2006-02-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

Ok, as promised, here are some more pictures for y'all!
On this first one, you can see our very serious morning staff metings. And by morning, I actually mean early afternoon. Mondays we meet at noon, every other day we meet at 1pm. From right to left you have Tim, Max (or P'Max), Jim, Wor and you can just see Jennifer's arm. Also, please notice the title to the back. SUPERBOWL!
Yeay!

These next two picture are from Friday Night party, which was a big success.
All the wonderful decorations you see on the back wall, I either created or adapted from other's work. It was lots of fun.

Basically Friday nights are the fun, evangelistic night, where we are a little more forward about why we have all come to the Centre. It's a lot of work, but it's definitely worth it.

Tonight it cooking night! We will be making BBQ sandwiches for the Thai's. And tomorrow will by girl's night, where all the girls who want to come, come across the street to the house the Centre owns, and play games, cook & eat together, paint nails, watch chick flicks, all that kinda stuff and then there is a short sharing period and then we have a sleepover!

If there's anything else you guys want to know about Thailand or my time here, just post your requests as comments, and I'll be sure to talk about it!

Sorry

2006-02-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

It seems that my last post, on the 4th, was not posted. I'm sorry if you've been waiting for news and none has come!

Things are going really well here. My classes are settling down, and I am having a lot of fun with my students. The other night we went to "walking street", where on Sunday nights they close down two huge streets, and people sell handicrafts and others busk etc. It's quite a lot of fun to look around, but it also gets quite busy.
The other things we went to see was the annual orchid festival. It was quite amazing. They have a big parade of sorts with these huge floats decorated with nothing but flowers. All the colouring, all the designs, everything, was made with nothing but flowers. They had one that showed the royal throne with the king on it, and some others had huge dragons or white elephants. One even was a depiction of the "common Thai", with about 8 different people made of flowers on it. It was amazing, because all the flowers were fresh. You could go up and touch them. How they managed to create these works of art and display them before the flowers wilted was beyond me.

Every Friday night we have a "Friday Night Party" for the students. This last week's theme was Superbowl. We played a lot of games, had snacks, and then I shared briefly about who Jesus is to me. 4 of my 11 students were there, as well as many of the other students. I think it was quite a success. This next week our theme is Valentine's day.

I went to a foreigner church this last Sunday. It was quite a lot bigger than the Thai church I'd been to. They had just moved buildings, so it was their first Sunday in a new location. The sermon, based on 2 Cor 4:17-18 was... interesting. I think I'll go back to the Thai church this Sunday.

Apart from that, the weather has been partially cloudy for the last couple days, and I've been quite busy keeping up with students, planning Friday night party and reading. I'm still working on "Toward an O.T. theology" by Walter Kaiser Jr., and I just finished "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden.

Well, that's about all for now. I'll talk to you all later!

Passing on the baton

2006-02-01T19:42:00.000-08:00

I was a witness to an incredible sight yesterday.

On February first, 2006, Tim and Claire passed the leadership of the Centre to native leadership. The head of the Centre is now Opal. It was incredible. It's the goal of all (good) missionaries to work themselves out of a job, to train up local leaders who can take over and run ministries themselves. This is exactly what Tim and Claire have done, in Opal, in Max and in Wor. They are now leading the Centre with a group of foreigners around them.

We prayed both for Opal and for the new team. Tim and Claire said some amazing things. They also literally passed a baton that they had received on to Opal, and we had communion. It was incredible. In the 13 year history of the Centre, this is the first time it has been run by a Thai. Please pray for Opal and for the new lead team: Opal, Max, Wor, Rachel, Jim and Jennifer.

Ok, more later!

Pictures!

2006-01-31T19:40:00.000-08:00

Ok, so some people have requested pictures, so here we go!

This first one is a picture of Opal and I last night when we were out with students for Japanese food. Mmmmm.... sushi..... I always find that once I have it, I crave it for sometime afterwards. Maybe it will pass.

Ok, this second one is the three girls who show up regularly to my first class. That's Waan on the left, Gift in the middle and T.O. on the right. The other two who never show up are Fern and Jeab.

Ok, and this is a picture of 5 of the 7 students in my last class. On the left is Pi Kee, then there is Jin, who is very nice, but rather quite. Kay is next, she's quite good in English, and one of the class leaders. Then in the white is Ding, who just started. And last, but not least, is Nok, my good friend, who often drives me home in her car or on her motorcycle if it is getting late and she thinks I should not drive!

Monday Nights

2006-01-30T20:49:00.000-08:00

So, every Monday night we have a Bible study at the Centre for the Thai students, led by one of the Thai workes, Max. (Or Pi Max, you add "Pi" to show respect to someone older than you)
Last night, four of my students from my second class came! It was really exciting! With my students, there were 9 people there, plus Tim and myself. So it was really cool! Then afterwards we went to The Milk Zone, for sundaes. I was so happy when so many came. I really didn't expect it at all.
Tonight is "informal night" where we just ask our students to go out for supper or shopping or other things. I've asked one of my students, Nok, to go out for Chinese food. Opal will also be coming. Please pray for us! Who knows what opportunities might come up!

In other news.... my bike is still up and working, and I've found out that it is slightly downhill from the Centre to my room, which makes me happy because the ride home at night is really easy. Unfortunately, it also means that the middle of the day ride is hot and hard work.
I'm still sticking to my Thai exercise program with Opal. We run every weekday morning, and then do a variety of other exercises as well. I've also been refusing to use the elevator, prefering to walk up the 4 floors.
The food here is great, but can be really spicy. So it's important to ask for "pet nitnoy" or little spice, so that you can actually eat what they give you. I've found this place near the Centre that makes a killer chicken fried rice, and the guy that makes it is kind of bigger, has long hair and wears flip flops. I've started calling him my Hawaiian guy, because he looks like the cook off of "50 first dates".

If you guys have any questions, be sure to post them! I usually just post answers to the comments, so remember to look back and read over any extra comments!
Miss you all!

Adventure Trek!

2006-01-28T23:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday (Saturday for me), I went on one of the local adventure treks. Tim and Claire organized it for me, so it turned out to be really cheap, about $21 for a day of hiking, waterfall viewing, elephant riding, village visiting and bamboo rafting. It was awesome!
When we hiked up to the first village (hill tribe) I found some boys building a structure, but instead of using a hammer, they were using this humongous knife. And everyone had their fingers all around the work area. I was sure something was going to be severed, but nothing was, thankfully.
The highlights for me were the elephant riding and the bamboo rafting for sure! My friend Jennifer, from the Centre, and I had this big ol' elephany that we were riding. And then that got sorta boring, so I asked if I could move down onto the neck. The driver said I could, so I jumped down, but it turned out to be rather uncomfortable because of all the shifting muscles. So then I got back up. Then, in a move inspired by PA, I motioned to the driver that we should switch places, which he did! So now I was sitting on the head, driving the elephant! I yelled "gu-ay!" (go) rather impressively, and rocked back and forth, and pulled on the ears, just as I saw the driver do before. And in no time, that little elephant was... well... following the elephant in front, just as it had before. Anyways, it was fun and everyone else in the group thought I was crazy. Not that that is anything new.

Then the bamboo rafting. They had these bamboo poles, probably about 25 feet long, lashed together. And then in the middle there was another log, lashed across for us to sit on. Everyone else went aboard and sat down. My guide stopped me, giggled in her own little way, handed me a bamboo pole and motioned me to step onto the back of the raft. Then as it moved away she yelled "Don't worry, you'll find your balance in about 5 minutes. Have fun!". I looked down river and saw some rapids coming all too rapidly my way...
Basically, it's not that hard to balance on the raft, considering you have about 10 independently moving logs, each about 10 cm in diameter. You just need to be careful, watch your footing, and try not to slip. I was just getting the hang of it when the driver from the raft behind me rammed into me with glee. Then he would use his pole to slap the water and soak me completely. I did my best to get back at him, but I think he got me a little more wet than I got him. Then he would jump onto our raft, causing it to dip, dunking the people who were sitting down further up. It was great fun!
I jumped onto his raft once, and then my raft driver started poling his way downriver really quickly, so that I wouldn't be able to get back on. So I had to do a running leap back onto my raft. It was awesome.

So, you might be wondering, is it all fun and games over there? Well, mostly. But I am still teaching at the Centre, and working on language aquisition, and biking everywhere. One of my classes is going really well. I'll try to get a picture up of them.
My other class is not going so well. Attendance is random, and I'm having trouble planning because I never know who will show up, and they are all at different levels. Please pray for all the classes that are going on at the Centre!

Thank you!

Cheap Thai Bikes are REALLY Cheap. Lesson #1

2006-01-28T23:07:00.000-08:00

I bought a bike. It was about $60 at Tesco's, the local walmart equivalent. And not to worry (mom) I also bought a helmet that cost about half the price of the bike, a good American make.
I also bought a small repair kit so that I could elongate seat. Little did I know, that when I slid it out to fit me, I slid it out to it's last half a centimeter of length. (People here are short, it seems they make their bikes short also. Honestly, it was just the right length). Anyways, I was biking home and I could feel the seat moving around a little, but I didn't worry about it, I just thought I'd fix it when I got home.
No sooner had I turned onto my own street (Nemanhemin) than the entire seat fell off onto the road behind me! I slammed on the brakes, parked my bike, ran back and recovered the seat. As I said before, I had attached it at the very end of the shaft, and the little bit holding on actually bent, causing the seat to fall off. So I re-attached it a little lower and kept going. There has not been a problem since.
So, here's me hoping that there is no lesson #2!

My Master plan is going to work! Buahahha!

2006-01-25T19:26:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it seems that my plan to download images into my gmail accounts is going to work. This means two things: 1) you guys will all get regular image updates, and 2) I don't have to buy a million camera cards.
Ohhh... there is a gecko running down the wall in front of me. First time I've seen one of those here!
And I forgot to post this, but last time I was in here the song playing was "take me to your heart" - for all you China trip people.

Well, things are going well. I ran for my third time today with Opal. It's good. I walk for about 20 minutes to get there, then we go jogging, and I walk home, usually picking up breakfast on the way. I'm thinking about buying a bike, because it would be cheaper taking the "song-tau"'s, or the red trucks. Also, sometimes you can wait 15 minutes for them, by which time you would be almost home if you walked. Also, for the fare you pay, I can buy a meal. So, yup, food over a free ride, anyday. That pretty much cinched it for me. Also, in the long run, I'll save a lot of money, and stay in shape.

We have a new girl who came in last night, Jennifer. I haven't met her yet, but I am no longer the new kid on the block! Woohoo!

Speaking of being new, most people can't believe I've only been here 4 days because of my speech. I'm guessing I've learned about 300 words in the past couple of days. My head is spinning and hurts almost constantly from the effort, but I'm learning! I'm also forgetting my Chinese, especially when the words are close, my brain seems to block out the Chinese entirely. Someone asked me how to say "no problem" in Chinese, and for the life of me, only the Thai came to mind. Or the French. It was painful. About 7 hours later, the Chinese came back, but it took some effort! "Mei wen tee!"

I've put some pictures up. The first is the view from my balcony. The second are the people who saw me off at the airport. The third is my room from my balcony, and the last my room from the door. Yup. It's pink. I know. What can be done?

My classes are going really well. I have a lot of fun with my second class. There is a lady named Kee (Pi Kee, add the prefix for respect) who is absolutely hilarious. At cooking night last night, she was the master chef. It was awesome food, and 4 of the 5 students who came were mine. :):)

I have some prayer requests:
Tim and Claire got food poisoning and are in recovery right now. Pray for their health, and for other people who eat at that restaurant.
There's a cold going around the centre right now, so please pray for that too.
And Friday Night Party is coming up soon, and it is the main time that we use to speak about who Jesus is and what he means to us. So please pray that that would go well. I think Jim is sharing his testimony.

Woohoo!

2006-01-23T19:49:00.000-08:00

Just to let you all know, I love it here!

The people are great, the food is good and I just started my Thai training program.

Let me explain. Opal, who has a little bio on the Centre's site, has been showing me around. She was really surprised when the first night I wanted to have local Thai food instead of foreigner or "farang" food. I explained that I'd just had farang food, and so wanted to try the local food. It was great. Later that night, we went to a karaoke party for one of the graduating students. It was a lot of fun. We sang some english songs, but even for the Thai they showed the phonetics, so I followed along as best as I could. What I lacked in pronunciation, I made up for in volume. :):)
Anyways, Opal found out two ways to make me her new best friend. 1. she drives me around on her motorscooter. Lots of fun. 2. She finds me good Thai food, and doesn't let it get too spicy. Oh, and one more thing. 3. She's my new jogging partner. We went this morning and then had breakfast together. (For those of you from ECAC, she is a 25 year old version of Angelica Lee, Amelia's sister. Exactly the same. Makes me giggle) We had grilled pork on a stick with sticky rice, all of which you eat with your hands. Delicious! She pointed out a bridge over canal this morning. It's a flat bridge, maybe 15 meters long. She told me that when she saw that bridge, she knew she wanted to study here in Chiang Mai, because it must be a good place to have a such a bridge. Then she told me she came from a very small home town. I was still trying to figure out what bridge she meant.

I started teaching yesterday. I have two classes. My first is a level 2 class (the centre goes up to 4). There are 5 students, but only 1 showed up, because it is graduation ceremonies at the University, so most students are very busy for the next 2 days or so. The other class is level 1 1/2. They don't speak very well at all, but they are very enthusiastic. They are taking me out for supper today and Thursday. That will be fun I'm sure.

I almost cried this morning. I found a place near the Centre that makes bubble tea. Such transports of joy flowed through my veins I wasn't sure what to do. So I bought one and quickly consumed it. It was delicious. I think I'll be back. A lot.

I left my camera at the Centre this morning when I went running, but I hope to download pictures tomorrow.

They keep asking me if I'm cold at night. I look at them incredulously. I think it goes all the way down to 17. No, I'm really not cold. And then they look at me like I'm weird. I should pull out my pictures soon. They only have three seasons here, winter, rainy and summer. Right now it's winter. I laugh. I tell them we have the same in Canada, except that they are almost winter, winter and still winter. I'd add construction in as one too, but I don't know if they'd find that as funny.

Well, my brother is harassing me to phone home, so I'll post more in a couple of days! Miss you all!

Arrived!!!

2006-01-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

Hello from Chiang Mai!

I just got here, and Tim and Claire got me installed in my room. It turns out it is a hotel of sorts, but I'm still uncertain as to how 'hotelish' it is... I don't know if they clean or anything. I'll find that out tonight. It's not a huge room, but is very clean, has a large bathroom and a small balcony.
It's beautiful out there, probably about +26-27. Relatively humid here too, although we are far from the ocean.
Tim told me that the local attractions include elephant riding, bamboo rafting and hiking. And it costs about $20 to do those things for a day, including transportation, food and the activities. I'm quite excited.
I seem to be situated on a whyte ave. type of street. I think in my 15 minute exploration I found about 10 coffee shops. The Lord is good. :)
Right now I'm in a little internet cafe that is about a dollar an hour. So I'll be talking to you all a lot I'm sure.
Well I'll get back to you all soon! Remember to e-mail and post comments!

Craziness!

2006-01-21T16:29:00.000-08:00

Hello from Bangkok! I can't believe I'm actually here.... well except for the humidity, and it must be at least 25C now at 7 in the morning.
Kalen met me at the airport, with her supervisor, Michelle Williams of the PAOC. Awesome place she has! When I get my camera hooked up in Chiang Mai, I'll send pictures!

I wanted to say a big thankyou to all those who saw me off. And to Sylvia who made this INCREDIBLE scrapbook for me with messages for me from people all over the place, as far as Slovakia even! It's beautiful, and I do not doubt it will encourage me on the hard days.

The flights were pretty uneventful. All were on time, and I didn't have any difficulty with boarding passes or anything. The most memorable part was probably flying in Incheon airport in South Korea.

Have you seen it? There is nothing like that sunset descent into the airport. You descend amongst the clouds, radiant with golden light. The sun sinks slowly into the sea, blood red and beautiful. The islands along the coast loom up black and mysterious, fortresses rising from the shining silver sea. From my window seat, I was in a perfect place to witness the spectacle of God's glorious creation. It was beautiful, majestic, glorious. It would have been perfect... had it not been for the blood pouring from my nose.
So imagine me. The seatbelt sign is on, we are just about to land. The stewardesses are running for their seats. And I am trying to staunch the prodigious red flow, my nose deciding to imitate the first plague of Moses. My seat mate, Richard, looks over. His eyes widen. He starts pushing the flight attendant button wildly. One comes, takes a look and runs for the nearest bathroom. She hands me a couple of kleenex, then dissapears. Another one shoves a box of kleenex at me and runs to her seat, trying to get her seatbelt on before we land. Richard starts ripping off wads of tissue, motioning for me to insert them up my nostril. And there I am, giggling amongst the kleenex and the chaos. Which makes me sneeze. You get the picture.
Richard was lots of fun to sit with. He manages a campgroud in one of Korea's national parks. And he's been studying English for a month. So, with the limited vocabulary that we had in each other's languages I understood this:
-He wants me to marry his son who lives in Prince George, B.C. His name is Steven and he's 25. I think that's gotta be a record, not even off the plane and I got a marriage proposal.
-He wants me to postpone my flight home in Korea so that he and his wife can take me travelling along the east coast of Korean beaches.
-He wants me to come and teach in the "Korean Academy" school.
-He doesn't like blood.

Well, that's all for now folks. Kalen says a big hello. (Rick and Judy, I said Hi to Michelle. She says Hi back.)

Next post: From Chiang Mai!!

A last wave goodbye...

2006-01-19T22:47:00.000-08:00

Well peoples, here we are. At the very eve of the departure. Tomorrow I'm gonna go to the other side of the world for a while... weird. Mind you, with all this snow and the weather getting colder and colder, I can't exactly say that I'm too too sad. A little poem came into my mind this afternoon, but as I am really not a poet... I probably shouldn't share it... it goes something like this:

As I leave this land of ice and snow,
and go whither I do not know...
There's something after that I don't remember... and then it end with a big bang:
But when the ice away doth blow,
and April flowers do once more grow,
I'll be not far from returning home
To see your smiling faces.

So, like I said... I'm not a poet. :) I'm thinking of reciting it tomorrow at my departure, but I think I'll just let them read it here instead.

At any rate, I just want to thank all the groups that have committed to praying for me as I go. I know that there are many individuals too, but I can't get everyone!
First, the wonderful folks at Vanguard. Thank you. Your support has overwhelmed me.
City Centre Church. You're my home.
The good folks at Sol Cafe.
Church of Christ & Maureen. Thank you for your warm welcome. I enjoy celebrating Christ with you!
Sherwood Park Pentecostal.
Cochrane Alliance.
The folks at ECAC.
And last but not least, "T-dog's" life group.

Next time I post, it'll be from Thailand!

"Are You Excited?"

2006-01-18T11:11:00.000-08:00

Yes.

A little cultural info...

2006-01-12T18:40:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I haven't given much information about where I'll be or what I'll be doing. So I'm going to do that now. I am heading to the city of Chiang Mai, which is in North-West Thailand. I will be working in a place called "The Centre" which works in with Thai students from the nearby University Campus. Mostly I'll be teaching conversational English.
If you want to check out where I am working, their website is:
http://www.thecentrethailand.org/
In terms of what they do, their mission etc. it's probably better for you just to read what they've put up. After all, I'd hate to be redundant.
Here's what I know about Chiang Mai:
" Popularly known as the Rose of the North, Chiang Mai is blessed with stunning natural beauty and unique indigenous cultural identity. Founded by King Mengrai the Great as the capital of the Lanna Thai kingdom by merging the various city-states in the region in 1296. Today Chiang Mai is the economic, communications, cultural and tourism centre of Northern Thailand.

About 700 kilometres from Bangkok, Chiang Mai is situated on the Mae Ping River basin some 310 metres above sea level. Surrounded by high mountain ranges, it covers an area of approximately 20,107 square kilometres. The terrain is mainly jungles and mountains, parts of which are within national parks which are still fertile and verdant with plentiful flora and fauna. There are many sites and locations where tourists prefer to visit to study the lifestyle of the tribal people who live on high"
To be more honest, that is what I stole from another travel website about Chiang Mai.
Population ideas seem to vary. Some say about 250,000 while others say more than a million. I guess we'll see!
Other than that, it is a cultural and religious centre, with over 300 Buddhist Temples in the area. Should be interesting.

A big thanks going out...

2006-01-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

I'm leaving in 11 days now, and I just want to make sure I say a big thanks to all the people who deserve it!
Roger, thank you for helping me through the whole application process, finding my ticket and pushing me along!
Mom, thank you for your help and support and for making sure I have everything I need in terms of safety and health! You're great!
Tim and Claire (who will be my supervisors) thanks for having me!
To all those who are praying for me (and who will no doubt be sending me large and lavish care packages) thank you. It couldn't have been done without you.

And so... tomorrow the count down begins.

Looking Ahead

2006-01-06T14:28:00.000-08:00

I've always had a strange obsession with the old sea stories. There is something about setting out into the vast open ocean on a small wooden vessel that has always captured me. The smell of sea salt, the creak of timber, being powered by the winds of the earth, the stars as your guides. I can't get over it.
And then there are the battles! You come face to face with your enemy and at point blank range fire bowling ball sized projectiles at them. I can't even imagine the courage, or stupidity, that would take. And all in order to protect King and country.
And the discovery of new lands! A whole new world of opportunity opening up, appearing on the horizon alongside the rising sun. Danger. Adventure. Exploration. It intrigues me.
All this to say, I think I've watched Master and Commander far too often.
I sometimes wish I could live back in those days, heading out into the wild unkown. And now I realize that that is exactly what I am doing. I will board a giant metal bird, be whisked at amazing speeds to the other side of the world into a place where I know no one and where I know nothing. I will be like a child, stripped of all language, cultural knowledge and familiarity. Frankly, I'm kind of scared.
Maybe that's how they all felt, scared. Scared, yet exhilerated by the boundless opportunities that being willing to losing sight of land opened up for them. Maybe not.
Either way, I think I'm in for a wild ride.

We are actually going!

2006-01-03T19:03:00.000-08:00

By "we" in the title... I mean "I".
I got my acceptance letter two days ago, and my Thai educational visa today! Woohoo! I can't believe this is actually happening!
Next on the agenda: Flight tickets and traveller's insurance.

Just a note: I think this job is absolutely made for me. We don't start until 1pm each day! Sure, it goes late into the night, but that is not a problem! Not until 1! I love it!

Check out where I am going:
www.thecentrethailand.org

Welcome!

2005-12-21T23:22:00.000-08:00

Hi!

This will be my official blog for my internship in Thailand! I hope you enjoy it!