Dinner Entertainment

So teaching summer school has been really good so far. My kids have been really cute. Some of them know no English whatsoever, but some are really good. Basically I'm just teaching conversation and phonics. Today we learned the polite way to respond in English if somebody sneezes. I had a class full of first and second graders sneezing their little hearts out. They were so funny. We had a lot of fun with it.

This evening my friends and I went to the mall and to Khao San Road. Khao San is such a backpackers haven. All the European tourists who are doing the southeast Asia loop stay there while they are in Bangkok. It's a cheap place to stay and a good shopping area. The markets there have all kinds of random things that foreign tourists want. It's definitley a different atmosphere from the markets here where I live though. It's nice to go there and eat western food, and mingle with so many random people, but the atmosphere there is much more jaded and harsh than it is here in my neighborhood.

Tonight my friends and I ate at a really good Italian restaurant on Khao San. The table that we sat at was out on the sidewalk. An adorable ten-year-old boy came to our table trying to sell us roses, and ended up spending the evening there. I practiced all of my Thai on him and he entertained us with coin tricks. My friend bought him ice cream and he made himself at home at our table. He was SOOO cute! We had a really good time playing with him until he finally got shewed away by a local cop. Of course we each bought a rose from him before he left. I gave mine to another vender's daughter who was also very adorable. Fun times. It's moments like those I'll miss when I leave Thailand. Evening like that make this place special.

Monday, Monday

Yesterday was Easter Sunday, and all of the farong staff got together for a big dinner to celebrate. It was a lot of fun, but bittersweet. It was our Last Supper. This week everyone is cleaning out their classrooms, homes, and dispersing for random places on the globe. Bittersweet. We are all a little sad to see this year end, but I think most of us are pretty excited for whatever is next. I'll be sad to see everyone go. I'll miss everyone. This month is going to be so quiet! I think it'll be good though.

I started teaching summer school today. It was good. I am teaching first and second grades. I only have fifteen students in my class though, and they are really good. I am kind of happy to be back in the classroom. I enjoyed my break immensely, but it's good to be back to work, and the work environment here, though sometimes chaotic, is much easier to deal with than the last one. My students seem to be pretty cute too. I am sure this month will be a good one.

Happy Easter!!!

Love that I am loved by a living God.

Happy Good Friday

A perfect day to reflect on how much we have to be thankful for, how blessed we really are...

Thoughts

So many things have been good lately. I am enjoying life so much right now. It's almost frightening to me, but I know I should just enjoy the good times and not worry about the bad. I went back and read my journals from the past six months today. I was really depressed for a while. I was truly miserable. Now I am having a great time and really enjoying things here. It's crazy how things change. Monday I have to start teaching summer school here at GES. Hopefully teaching here will be different from teaching at the other school. Hopefully it will go well. I think that it will be good, but I always get a little nervous when I am about to start something new. Only one more month left here in Thailand! I can't believe it. Time is going by so quickly. Oh I hope the rest of my time here is good.

Lists

I have been thinking a little about Jeremy's Death Clock blog, and about the idea of making a list of things that I want to accomplish before I die. Right now I am looking at the future with no clue as to what I am going to do next, or ever for that matter. The thing is I always come to this point where I am looking ahead at a blank future, and I never have a list to refer to to figure out what to do next, but God always lets me know what He wants me to do. I decided that I don't want to make a serious list. I always make little lists of random thing that would be cool to do in life, but none of them too serious. I think though, that that's a good thing, because I want to be open to whatever God wants me to do, and not get too focussed on things that I had set out to accomplish. It's worked out alright for me so far. I've gotten to live in random places and do random things that I would have never put on a list of my own.

Tsunami Stuff

This past week was amazing. It was a trip that combined Campus Crusaders from universities all over the U.S. with Crusaders from universities from all over Thailand. The combination was incredible. This was why I came to Thailand. This week represents what I love about being in places like this. It was truly amazing.

There were more than 300 of us, American, Thai, and a smattering of other nationalities. We broke into three major teams and various subteams. The three teams went to three different locations. One team went to an island that had been completely destroyed by the tsunami. They spent the week clearing debris and doing whatever they could to help the villagers who were displaced from the island by the waves. Another team worked within a fishing village on the mainland, clearing debris, repairing houses, and doing whatever the villagers needed. The team that I was on worked alongside a tribe of sea gypsies to building a village from the ground up. They had nothing left to even salvage after the waves, so the village that we worked at was being built from scratch. My meanial job was to run the skill saw. I spent most of my time measuring and cutting siding boards. I really enjoyed it though.

We didn't get as much done as I would have liked to. When we first got there things were pretty unorganized and communication was a little difficult, but soon we got a system going and communication improved. Even at the beginning when the foreigners and the Thai were learning to work together and struggling a lttle with communication, everyone was incredibly patient and kind. Watching everyone work together was great.

One day, work was cut short because of another tsunami scare. Apparently there was another earthquake in Indonesia. Somebody phoned the info down to us on the site and everyone headed for the busses and headed out. When one of my team members told me about it, I laughed, rolled my eyes at her and kept working. I totally thought that she was just being stupid. Then I saw everyone running, and I figured that I should follow so that I at least had a ride back to where we were staying. The scare was nothing more than a scare, and I know it happens down there all the time now. Most of us weren't bothered about it, but a few people were a little shaken.

The tribe itself was living in tents and temporary housing constructed from various peices of debris in an area a little ways from our worksite. We were able to spend time with them after work on several of the days. The people there were so gracious in recieving us into whatever form of home they had. I felt like I really made friends with one family in the village. I definately had an opportunity to work on my Thai language skills. I loved using as much of the language as I could. We really wanted to let them know that we care, and that God cares. I hope we were able to show them the kind of love and hope that they need right now.

It was so good to be back in the same area where I was right after the waves hit. It was good to see improvement. It was good to see rebuilding, to see new life spring up where in December I had seen the worst death and destruction of my life.

Honestly, this is what I came to Thailand for. This is why I will be sad to leave. Doing things like what we did in the south is where my heart is. I just wish that I had been able to hook up with an organization like Campus Crusade for Christ earlier in my time here. Who knows what the future holds though. Who knows where else I will go and what else I will be able to be part of. God knows.

Missin People

I don't know why, but I am really missing everybody from home today. Yesterday I was in an "I'm going to explore the world" mood, and today I just want to be home with my friends and family. I don't know what my problem is. I'll be home soon enough though. I just seem to have this nagging anxiety. I don't know where it's coming from. I'm sure it will pass. I haven't been this homesick in a while though. It's not like I am miserable here. Usually when I am hating my job or something I am homesick, but right now I'm not. I'm just really missing everyone right now.

Tonight I am supposed to leave for the trip south. That should keep me busy and keep my mind from being homesick. I really hope the week goes well. I'm excited about it. It will be good to get back down there and see some improvement fromthe devastation that I saw the last time I was down there. Lord help me to make a difference.

Beautiful Feet? Probably Not.

So today was a fun day. I taugh English at the English Camp this morning. We had a good time. We just did ESL games.

After that three of the girls and I went out for pedicures. I had never experienced the wonders of the pedicure before. It is quite the magical experience. I rather enjoyed it, and now my feet are passable if not somewhat attractive. Ok, I don't want to go too far. They may not be beautiful, but now they have five little spots of mauve at the end of them.

When our pedicures were over we dicided that the fun shouldn't end there, so we grabbed a cab and headed for Khao San Raod to do some shopping. Of course we had fun with that. I grabbed some fisherman's pants, and a few other Thailand specials. I really enjoyed bartering today. Somedays I just don't have it in me, but today I had a great time using as much of my Thai vocabulary as possible, and when my Thai didn't convince them, I pulled out my lower lip. We finished the day off with dinner at this amazing Italian restaurant. Arroy mak mak. So very very delicious!!!

Island to Urban

I stayed on the island a little longer than I had planed, which was really nice. I took the extra time to get started on my advanced certification and to hang out with the adorable boys that I was diving with. There's nothing like spending the whole day diving, and then hanging out with everyone on the beach in the evenings, chatting, listening to live music from one of the local beach bars, etc. Soooo nice. I think I'm hooked.

Ahh I could have stayed there for so much longer, but alas, I must teach at an English camp this weekend, so I had to return to Bangkok. One my way back I got to meet and hang out with some really cool travellers. I also had the joy of eating from the wrong vender and feeling it for the next two days. I'm still a little sick today, but getting over it.

Today I teach at English camp. It should be fun. I'll be pulling out a bunch of ESL games and having a good time with the students.

Monday I am planning on leaving for the south with a bunch of Thai university students. I am going with Campus Crusade on a relief trip to an island villge in the south. We'll be doing tsunami recovery work. I am not completely certain what all that encompasses, but we shall see.

Island Life

I only have two dives left and I have yet to see a shark. Pout. I have been having a really great time though. I love diving. I wish I could stay down here for my advanced course, but I guess I should be practical with my time and money (even if its not really fun to be practical). Tomorrow is my last day of diving, and Erin is coming which should be fun. I will be sad to head back into Bangkok though. I could do another week of island life.

Lovin' the Tropics

My first day of dive classes went really well. I had a lot of fun. My class consists of me and three British boy who are fresh out of high school and traveling together before starting university. I am glad about that. It's a comfortable class. The boys and the instructors are goofy and fun. My classroom instructor so far has been this tall, barrel-chested Dane with unruly blond hair and a deep red sunburn. He's from Copenhagen and he dove in the waters of Denmark until he could afford to complete his instructor's course and move to this remote little island. My in-water instructor is a very nice Scot names Craig. He has the best accent and eternal patience. He makes the in-water sessions a lot of fun. So far we have only worked in the pool, but tomorrow we head out into shallow water. The next day we hit deeper stuff. They tell me that this past week a team got to see a whale shark where we will be diving the last two days. That would be sooo sweet. A whale shark or a manta ray would be amazing, but not incredibly likely. We shall see what we shall see! Should be exciting.

The island that I'm on is really small and mellow. Not too many people here. It has government regualted power, since it's just a tiny little island out here in the middle of the Bay of Siam, so our little bungalow that we're renting for about $3 each per night only has power from 6pm to 8am. It's all good though, we don't really need power for anything here. Just sunshine, sand, and water.

I made it!

Today was the last day of school. Our little graduation ceremony went really well. It was so much fun to see the little ones with their parents. My students performed and they did a great job. I am so proud of them.

Tonight my roomate and I are off to Koh Tao to do some scuba diving. Mmmm. Five days of white sands, turquoise waters, coral reefs, relaxation. Wonderful. What more can I ask? I can't wait.

Methaphoric Mumbling

I chatted with Jeremy this morning. He and Tom are at home and I'm missing the reunion. I wish I could be there with them, but of course I wouldn't give up my last couple of months here. I just wish that they'd still be there when I get home. It's interesting to hear Jeremy's impressions of home. It makes me wonder what my impressions will be when I go back. It will be so wonderful to see everyone, and to be back in familiar places with familiar people,eating familiar food, hearing that familiar southwestern Pennsylvania accent (which I didn't realize existed until I moved away). When the excitement of all the reunions wears off though, how will I react? Will I be able to settle back into life at home easily? How difficult is it going to be? I know that many things will be different, but many things will also be the same. Will I begin itching to go again, or will I be ready to settle. So many questions that only time can answer I suppose.

Sometimes questions like these bother me, but mostly they just amuse me. I love being young. I love having options. I love that the future spreads out ahead of me like a buffet, the options are endless and if something is really good I can go for seconds. (Can you tell I've been thinking about food?) Having questions like those means that there are possibilities. Life is still a great wilderness waiting to be explored. I have only just begun.

Two More Days

Two days left of this school year. Two days left of running around trying to be invisible, trying to aviod the women who seems to be bent on driving me insane. Two more days of being yelled at and blamed for things that are completely her fault. Two more days of thinking of good come-backs after she's already stalked triumphantly away. Two more days of the sound of my own name causing the hair to rise on the back of my neck. Soon I will be free of her. Out from under her "motherly" gaze. Away from her constant criticism and lies. She will no longer be able to send me to the alter to repent whenever I don't take the blame for her own lack of responsibility. She will no longer be able to tell me just what God "really" thinks of me. I will be far away from her. Two more days and I am finished. Bitterness? Me? No way!

I Love Norah Jones

Just in case you were wondering...

Relapse

The plague has caught up to me again. Yesterday I found myself outside shivering in 95 degree heat. I had goosebumps! I was sore all over, my back, head, and stomach hurt. No fun. This morning, I am not feeling much better, but I am armed with drugs, so hopefully I can do what I need to today.

Tonight is the Norah Jones concert. I am really excited! I love her. I am going to be really upset if I am sick for that.