1/5/09
CHRISTMAS VACATION
During the last 3 1/2 weeks Rob, Holly, Phoebe, Alison & I have traveled to Cambodia and Vietnam. Throughout the whole trip we were able to visit places like Angkor Wat, the killing fields at Phnom Phen, and the war tunnels in Saigon, Vietnam. It was all a lot of fun. On our way back to the center we stopped and spent a few days in Bangkok (since this was the only time we'd really have a chance to see the city) for New Year's Eve, etc. They put on quite the show with all the fire works, etc. From Bangkok we took a sleeper train back up north to Chiang Mai and now we're back at the center awaiting the news to see where we'll be sent next. We never know around here...
On our trip back to the center we (Kelly, Holly, Phoebe & I) spent a few days in Bangkok. While there we decided to take a day trip down to Pattaya Beach. It wasn't as pretty as the pictures I've seen of Phuket, but it was still really fun. I'd say this day at the beach was one of the highlights of our Christmas vacation. This is definitely the first time I've been on a beach in the middle of "winter". We had a great time swimming, eating coconuts, and just hanging out.
Temple of the Emerald Buddha
In Bangkok we went on a tour of the "Temple of the Emerald Buddha". There's a large Buddha inside that is actually made out of jade, not emerald. This is the special temple for the king only. The king's palace was right next door but we were unable to go in. Left to right: Jeptha, Michelle (2 missionaries from Laos), Holly, Phoebe, myself and Kelly
12/14/08
Catching Up
I've been dreading updating this blog for so long. So much time has passed since my last post that I can't think of where to start. I ended up helping out with teaching for about 3 weeks and at the end we had a graduation for the 60 or so students. It was quite the affair! I think a little more organization could've gone into it, but I guess it's over and they're all happy to receive their certificates. The graduation ended up being a prime witnessing opportunity, especially with the parents there. At times I felt the information thrown at them was a little too deep theologically (Michael preached), but hopefully they at least got a small picture of the gospel.
While down in Supan Buri Alison and I also had a chance to take a Sunday off and travel to the Bridge over River Kwai. It was nice to take a break and be a "tourist"- although generally I hate that feeling. Upon arriving in Kenchanburi we rented a little bike thing that Alison and I could barely fit in (yes, I'm gaining weight) and went to a couple museums, a large cemetery, and the bridge. There was a lot of interesting history to learn about. After wandering around a bit we decided to visit a tiger temple. We snagged a taxi and took off. It ended up being more like a haven for half dead/doped-up tigers. Not as exciting as I expected, nevertheless I got a picture with one. Following the thrilling tiger experience we went to a 7-tiered waterfall of which we only got to see two tiers (the other 5 were closed off). We still had a blast and the falls were pretty.
On the night of the 7th, Alison and I caught a bus from Bangkok back to Chiang Mai and met up with the rest of the group to make plans for Christmas break. When we arrived at the center Melissa was frantically trying to assemble some brochures and posters for the Jesus for Asia booth at GYC. We all helped her with that and got them done at the last minute before she had to fly out for the States (those of you attending GYC, be sure to stop by the Jesus for Asia booth). The next day we had a meeting about our travel plans for Christmas break. Rob, Phoebe, Alison and I are now in Cambodia after a super long couple days of traveling. Thankfully no major mishaps occured at the border when getting our visas, etc. We arrived at the Adventist School late Thursday night (after our tuk-tuk drivers got us slightly lost). On Sunday morning we left for Phnom Penh (about a 7 hr. ride from the school) at 3 in the morning. Quite frankly I'm a little tired of traveling, but since it's the only time I'm sure I'll ever be here, I guess it's worth it. Right now we're just waiting on our visas for Vietnam to go through. They are supposed to be done tomorrow- so we'll hopefully take a bus tomorrow afternoon to the border, spend a few days there and come back to Phnom Penh. I'd really like to visit places around Phnom Penh (killing fields, etc.). When I was younger I read a book about the mass genocides that took place in Cambodia during the 70's. It's interesting to actually be here and see it first hand. I'm thankful I have the opportunity to visit all these countries. The other day towards the end of worship we were talking about traveling and dealing with cultural differences, etc. We were expressing the difficulty of merging into a totally different lifestyle. When we were talking I realized Christ experienced the same thing, yet on a slightly grander scale. He, after living in heaven and being exalted and worshipped by all, stooped down to earth just so we could have an opportunity to experience eternal life. Sometimes I feel like I've been in Thailand for eternity and I find myself reminiscing about home, but I guess there is no place on this earth that can truly be called our home. I can't forget that Christ came to this world and went through a drastic culture shock, so we could go to our true home one of these days. I don't know if this makes sense, but it gave me a little something to think about. Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying the Christmas season back home! It's a little tough to get in the spirit when we're in 90 degree weather and surrounded by coconut trees. Oh well- have a great Christmas everyone and I'll see you in 5 months!
While down in Supan Buri Alison and I also had a chance to take a Sunday off and travel to the Bridge over River Kwai. It was nice to take a break and be a "tourist"- although generally I hate that feeling. Upon arriving in Kenchanburi we rented a little bike thing that Alison and I could barely fit in (yes, I'm gaining weight) and went to a couple museums, a large cemetery, and the bridge. There was a lot of interesting history to learn about. After wandering around a bit we decided to visit a tiger temple. We snagged a taxi and took off. It ended up being more like a haven for half dead/doped-up tigers. Not as exciting as I expected, nevertheless I got a picture with one. Following the thrilling tiger experience we went to a 7-tiered waterfall of which we only got to see two tiers (the other 5 were closed off). We still had a blast and the falls were pretty.
On the night of the 7th, Alison and I caught a bus from Bangkok back to Chiang Mai and met up with the rest of the group to make plans for Christmas break. When we arrived at the center Melissa was frantically trying to assemble some brochures and posters for the Jesus for Asia booth at GYC. We all helped her with that and got them done at the last minute before she had to fly out for the States (those of you attending GYC, be sure to stop by the Jesus for Asia booth). The next day we had a meeting about our travel plans for Christmas break. Rob, Phoebe, Alison and I are now in Cambodia after a super long couple days of traveling. Thankfully no major mishaps occured at the border when getting our visas, etc. We arrived at the Adventist School late Thursday night (after our tuk-tuk drivers got us slightly lost). On Sunday morning we left for Phnom Penh (about a 7 hr. ride from the school) at 3 in the morning. Quite frankly I'm a little tired of traveling, but since it's the only time I'm sure I'll ever be here, I guess it's worth it. Right now we're just waiting on our visas for Vietnam to go through. They are supposed to be done tomorrow- so we'll hopefully take a bus tomorrow afternoon to the border, spend a few days there and come back to Phnom Penh. I'd really like to visit places around Phnom Penh (killing fields, etc.). When I was younger I read a book about the mass genocides that took place in Cambodia during the 70's. It's interesting to actually be here and see it first hand. I'm thankful I have the opportunity to visit all these countries. The other day towards the end of worship we were talking about traveling and dealing with cultural differences, etc. We were expressing the difficulty of merging into a totally different lifestyle. When we were talking I realized Christ experienced the same thing, yet on a slightly grander scale. He, after living in heaven and being exalted and worshipped by all, stooped down to earth just so we could have an opportunity to experience eternal life. Sometimes I feel like I've been in Thailand for eternity and I find myself reminiscing about home, but I guess there is no place on this earth that can truly be called our home. I can't forget that Christ came to this world and went through a drastic culture shock, so we could go to our true home one of these days. I don't know if this makes sense, but it gave me a little something to think about. Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying the Christmas season back home! It's a little tough to get in the spirit when we're in 90 degree weather and surrounded by coconut trees. Oh well- have a great Christmas everyone and I'll see you in 5 months!
11/24/08
Slight Change
After being in the Karen village for about 2 1/2 weeks I received a phone call from Melissa, our leader, informing me that I would be going down to a town called Supan Buri in Southern Thailand to help teach English. Another girl in our group, Alison, had been teaching there for a couple weeks already and the students were steadily growing in number, so apparently some help was needed. Right before I came down, our group (Ricky, Brian, Phoebe, P Ying & I) decided to take a couple days off and go on a 3 day elephant trek in the jungle. We were all pretty excited. They took us on a boat (on the river dividing Thailand and Burma) for about 1/2 hr., then dropped us off where we were informed by our tour guide that we'd be hiking for 5-6 hrs. That was something we weren't expecting! The hike was pretty strenuous, but a lot of fun. One of the first things we saw was a poisonous snake dangling over the path. Later on we were able to cool off in a large waterfall. From there we hiked about 45 more minutes and came to the village we'd be staying in for the night. The next morning we took off on the elephants. I was slightly scared at first. Phoebe and I sat in a basket on top and Ricky rode on the neck. I never realized how cumbersome they are. Every time it stepped we rocked back and forth. It was a lot of fun though. After a couple more days in the jungle we went back to town where I was to take a bus to Chiang Mai, stay at the center for a day, then head down to Supan Buri. After the farewell, I hopped on the rickety bus to experience my first travel alone in a foreign country. It was a tad bit strange being the only white person, but thankfully the lady sitting next to me spoke some English. After some interesting events I finally made it safely back to the center that evening. The next morning P Jen took me to the bus station again for my ride down to Supan Buri. So, I'm finally here. It's quite a switch from the village. The normal bed is nice that's for sure. Anyway, I guess the real reason I'm here is not to enjoy the "luxurious" living, but to teach English. Each afternoon around four P Aor, Alison and I walk to the school which is about 10-15 minutes away. Usually a loud chorus of "Hellos" ring out from a ways away. Soon after Alison and I are bombarded with many hugs. The kids have seemed to really warm up to us farangs (foreigners). The class starts around 4:30. Usually we begin with prayer and a few songs we've been teaching them, then Alison reads a short Bible story that they repeat back to her. Towards the end of class we work on vocabulary and conversational phrases. The kids are very enthusiastic and their eagerness to learn is very evident. Since it's a Buddhist school I find it amazing that the principal of the school allows us to teach the things we do. There seems to be a smaller group (of the 80 or so) that appear very interested in spiritual things. I believe God is really working on their hearts. After teaching, sometimes we go over to a young man's house (about 20 yrs. old) where we've been having Bible studies. He is very open to the Bible and it's exciting to see him ask such honest questions. Hopefully God will be able to use him in this community to arouse other people's interest in spiritual matters. He still has issues to deal with like smoking, but it seems that he really wants to serve God. Please pray for the work our group is doing here in Thailand. Thanks so much and I hope all is going great for you at home! God bless.
11/4/08
No Longer a Vegetarian?
I'm at an internet cafe in a town called Mae Serang right now. A couple guys in our group had to come in to renew their visas, so we all decided to tag along.
Last week we made it safely to our destination- a small village in the mountains of which I still don't know the name. After one of our evening meetings a couple from the church invited us over to their house for supper. We arrived and one of the first things I noticed through the hazy, smoke-filled room (from cooking over an open fire) was that the main dish they were offering us was whole, fried fish. It looked quite disgusting. We felt bad because none of us touched them. After they found out we were vegetarians they whipped up some super hot chili sauce for our rice. Later on we found out that the fish was something they served only for special occasions and that it was really expensive. It was pretty neat though- they had offered us their best. Another interesting aspect of eating here in the Karen village is that they eat with their hands. It felt so weird the first time I did it! I almost felt barbaric, but that's what the people do, therefore we follow suit. After supper they passed out some desserts and other snacks. There was one particular snack that Phoebe and I tried. It was kind of crunchy and salty. We didn't know what it was, but we had asked one of the Thai girls and they said it was safe. Later on that evening I noticed a girl with a package of the same snacks we'd been eating. On the outside label was a huge lobster. I became a little concerned. I've never had meat in my life. I asked the Thai girls about it though and they claimed the lobster is just a brand name and that the snack didn't contain lobster of any form. Anyway, it was all kind of funny. I'm much more leery of everything I eat now.
Yesterday was full of different experiences as well. We had the chance to help some church members harvest in the rice paddies. It was a lot of fun, except for the leeches. Because we didn't have tall boots like the locals, they told us to just go bare foot because it was very muddy and our flip flops would've been swallowed in the goop. We cut the rice with a tool similar to a scythe. Sometimes it was hard to maneuver though because it was so muddy. One of the Thai girls (P Mem) got stuck for a minute or so. It was quite entertaining. After harvesting for a while I was hosing my legs off and I noticed my leg was bleeding. Apparently a huge leech had been sucking on my leg all morning- it was so disgusting! Anyway, after that we went "jungle shopping" which meant we were going to be picking mushrooms. I've never liked mushrooms, but now they're even more repulsive to me after seeing where we picked them. We pretty much dug around in compost piles looking for them. The piles had other substances (cow manure) in them as well. Yum. It just doesn't seem healthy to eat things that grow on stuff like that.
Well, I'm being told that it's time to go. Who knows what exciting things will happen tomorrow! I hear we may be teaching some English in the small school at the village. Should be fun!
Last week we made it safely to our destination- a small village in the mountains of which I still don't know the name. After one of our evening meetings a couple from the church invited us over to their house for supper. We arrived and one of the first things I noticed through the hazy, smoke-filled room (from cooking over an open fire) was that the main dish they were offering us was whole, fried fish. It looked quite disgusting. We felt bad because none of us touched them. After they found out we were vegetarians they whipped up some super hot chili sauce for our rice. Later on we found out that the fish was something they served only for special occasions and that it was really expensive. It was pretty neat though- they had offered us their best. Another interesting aspect of eating here in the Karen village is that they eat with their hands. It felt so weird the first time I did it! I almost felt barbaric, but that's what the people do, therefore we follow suit. After supper they passed out some desserts and other snacks. There was one particular snack that Phoebe and I tried. It was kind of crunchy and salty. We didn't know what it was, but we had asked one of the Thai girls and they said it was safe. Later on that evening I noticed a girl with a package of the same snacks we'd been eating. On the outside label was a huge lobster. I became a little concerned. I've never had meat in my life. I asked the Thai girls about it though and they claimed the lobster is just a brand name and that the snack didn't contain lobster of any form. Anyway, it was all kind of funny. I'm much more leery of everything I eat now.
Yesterday was full of different experiences as well. We had the chance to help some church members harvest in the rice paddies. It was a lot of fun, except for the leeches. Because we didn't have tall boots like the locals, they told us to just go bare foot because it was very muddy and our flip flops would've been swallowed in the goop. We cut the rice with a tool similar to a scythe. Sometimes it was hard to maneuver though because it was so muddy. One of the Thai girls (P Mem) got stuck for a minute or so. It was quite entertaining. After harvesting for a while I was hosing my legs off and I noticed my leg was bleeding. Apparently a huge leech had been sucking on my leg all morning- it was so disgusting! Anyway, after that we went "jungle shopping" which meant we were going to be picking mushrooms. I've never liked mushrooms, but now they're even more repulsive to me after seeing where we picked them. We pretty much dug around in compost piles looking for them. The piles had other substances (cow manure) in them as well. Yum. It just doesn't seem healthy to eat things that grow on stuff like that.
Well, I'm being told that it's time to go. Who knows what exciting things will happen tomorrow! I hear we may be teaching some English in the small school at the village. Should be fun!
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