Christmas Day

Even though my Christmas Eve started out not-so-great, I am thankful to have amazing friends like Leah, Erin, Stephanie, and newly acquired friend Amanda. 

Erin and Leah kindly invited us to spend the night with them in the Marriott so we could all be together on Christmas! So Christmas morning Stephanie, Leah, and I woke up to the sound of the hotel door being opened. It was 7am, and we didn't know what to think of that. All alarm was set aside, however, when we recognized Erin's voice coming from the door

way. There was another voice, though....one that was laced with an Australian accent. "Ahhhh...", I thought - "this must be Amanda". I knew that Amanda, a friend of Erin and Leah's from Ubon, would be joining us today. I just didn't realize how early...haha. They quickly realized they had awoken us, apologized, and tiptoed out of the room headed toward the lobby for internet access. A few minutes passed and I flipped the covers off and said, "Well, I'm headed to the lobby to call my Momma." haha - I couldn't sleep anymore and apparently neither could Stephanie or Leah. They followed my lead. We all got gussied up in our Christmas best :o) and headed downstairs to join Amanda and Erin who were already talking to loved ones online. After we all got to talk to family, Stephanie and I headed over to Starbucks while Erin and Leah ate their buffet breakfast. We all met up after this, put our computers back upstairs, and headed out for a day 

of SHOPPING!

Goodness! We should have been stopped! Leah, Stephanie, and I shopped till we dropped. Erin was with us, but she displayed amazing restraint. Go Erin! We lost Amanda to the tantalizing purchases and decided to meet up with her later. After the 3 of us shopped so much our feet were killing, we decided we'd begin looking for a massage place. We had already discussed getting a massage on Christmas, so all we had to find was the place. You know that saying, "You see them everywhere till you want one?", well we were experiencing it. We have seen countless massage parlors all over Bang

kok, but when we actually wanted one, we couldn't find it. We finally gave up, went in the mall and ate ice cream! It was delicious by the way - I had Ferrero Rocher(who knew, right?). After downing some burgers(yes, after the ice cream), we met up with Amanda and headed up to the movie theater in the Mall. After searching through the showtimes, we were excited to find a showing of Australia just 5 minutes from then! We quickly bought our tickets, popcorn, and found our theater. OH MY WORD - please, if you haven't already, GO SEE AUSTRALIA!!!! It is an amazing movie. Long, but oh so amazing. After the movie, we were quite famished(to be expected after a day of shopping and an emotional roller coaster). 

I must say, I was the one to have the brilliant idea of........HARD ROCK CAFE. We thought of Hard Rock earlier in the week, but never did go. "Why not Christmas?", I thought. So, we headed back to the Marriott to set our things down and so Stephanie and I could grab our things from our sleepover. While we were still in the hotel, we called the restaurant to ask about their wait. Surprisingly, it was only 15 mintues. Nonetheless, we set up a reservation. We hurried out and made our way through the city. We thankfully got there just in time to make our reservation(it took us a little longer than anticipated). It was so awesome! All the waitors and waitresses were wearing santa hats and they had Christmas decorations everywhere. I ordered the Grilled Chicken Mac & Cheese and it was SO GOOD. Leah had the same and I don't remember what everyone else got. I'm sure it was just as delicious though. After our meals, we ordered desserts! Erin and I shared a Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae - yeah, it was just as delectable as it sounds. We were so glad that we decided to share because it was much too big for one person to finish off. 

After we finished up at the restaurant, we headed outside to the Christmas festivities! They had a huge picture taking area set up. There were tons of people there snapping away. There were Christmas trees, huge presents, Snow White and the Dwarves statues, huge pop cans, and a ginormous Christmas tree. We had a blast taking goofy pics. It was a lovely way to end the Christmas holiday - with amazing friends. We soon parted ways, and Stephanie and I made our way back to Soi 37. I decided to sleep over at Steph's cause I didn't want to spend the rest of my Christmas alone(that and I was much too lazy to walk home ;) ). 

I hope that you had as good a Christmas as I did. I also hope that you were surrounded by those that you love. That is the most important thing. We didn't exchange gifts here in Bangkok and I didn't even miss it. I was just so thankful that I had Erin, Leah, Stephanie, and Amanda there for me to be my family. That was all that I needed to have an amazing day :o)

Rebecca's coming on New Year's Night at 12:30am!!!! Stephanie and I are super stoked about her arrival. I will post pictures of her arrival and such and I'm sure I'll be posting numerous blogs concerning the certain mischeif we'll get into while she's here - ;oP

Christmas Eve ?!

It's Christmas Eve. It doesn't feel that way, though, I must say. Currently you find me ending a not-so-good day :-( I do not feel the need to go into what all made this day bad, but in short it includes: a 3 hour bus ride, headaches in taxis, guards holding my Christmas package hostage, and reading a not-so-welcome e-mail. I guess I am just having one of those days where I miss America so much. Not America for the burritos or the clean air, no, I miss America because my family lives there. I miss my family so much right now. I miss my baby boy, Cujo, so much. I have always appreciated and loved the Holiday Season, but that feeling that I'm missing out is amplified so much when I think of my family. Sure it's hard not to have the Christmas decorations surrounding me and the Christmas music in every store. But what I miss the most is what so many people seem to overlook throughout their Holiday Season. So please, if you're reading this, don't take the people that mean the most for granted. Hug your grandmother, take time to talk with your siblings this Christmas. Take the time - because there are those of us that would give anything for what you have - time with your loved ones. 

Don't think that I am not loving Thailand. I am. I am just having one of those "hmmm.....I kinda miss home" days. Everyone has those, right? 

I love you Mom. I love you Daddy. I love you Granny, Grandpa, Memaw, Papa, Aunt Cherie & Uncle Ivan, Uncle Chris & Aunt Dena, Grant, Garrett, and Devon. I love you Aunt Terri & Uncle Tim, Baron & Emily. I miss you guys so much. You can not possibly know how much I would love to hug each of you tight around the neck this Christmas. Know that I will be praying for each one of you this Christmas Day. Big Hug and Kiss. 

~Me :o)~

Nakikipasapalarun & Goosebumps

Friday, the 12th, was our technical last day of school. That following Sunday we had our Christmas program for the kids, and Monday we had a day off. On Tuesday we set out on a great adventure - a Scouting trip with my school! With my packed backpack, I made my way to the school on Tuesday morning at 7am. I quickly found the other teachers, had myself some yummy fried rice with veggies for b'fast, and before long, we were loaded on the bus with all the kids. Honestly, all I knew was that we were going camping! I was told that it would "be cold", but I thought that that was simply from an Asian perspective. My oh my was I wrong....

The trip to the camp was 3 hours from Bangkok. When we finally emerged from the bus, we set our things in our chalets and made our way to the meeting hall. We broke into our groups for the next 3 days, got our color-coordinated bandanas( I was light pink), and made our way out into the field for our first activity. This was rather rushed and unplanned, so we just made up an activity. The kids were to count the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and steps in the house....??? After this, we rested a bit, and got situated in our rooms a bit better. After the kids washed up, they all broke into their groups and set up preparations for dinner. They made Tom Yum, omelettes, and stir fried vegetables. I was so lucky to be paired with Mrs. Un because I'm pretty sure that she's about the best Thai food cook EVER. She was quite considerate to leave out the huge amount of chiles that she usually uses when she makes those dishes.....thoughtful, huh? Although, I would like to add that my tastebuds are really starting to appreciate spicy foods :) After dinner, we had a meeting with the kids, and then they all headed to bed. I was told that Kanyarat(the EP 1 teacher) and I had watch duty. We were to stay in between the boys' and girls' cabins and make sure that no one crossed the line. Fortunately for us, we were assigned 9:30-10:30, which was before they even went to bed. I was so happy! This meant that I could get some sleep! I was exhausted from the trip in the bus and because I got maybe 3 hours of sleep the night before(couldn't sleep). But before bed, guess what I got??? A HOT SHOWER. While here in Thailand, I haven't had a hot shower. Not until I went to Laos was I able to finally get a hot shower. Let's just say that I may or may not have been in the shower for 30 minutes. I enjoyed every second. This would be because it was 40 DEGREES OUTSIDE! That's right - we were in the country and it gets really cold at night in the country. Unfortunately, I only brought capris with me on the trip because I didn't think it was possible to go below 60 degrees in Thailand. Boy was I wrong. By the time I headed back to my cabin, I was looking forward to that hot shower to thaw me out!

The next day was full of learning new things - mostly things dealing with Scouting. One of those things was learning new knots. To be honest, I never did get the english name for the knot group I was assigned to, but I can do it in my sleep now....I had to learn it so I could help the kids with it. I enjoyed the time I was with 2 other Thai teachers. At school I don't get to talk with them - mostly because A. They don't know English and B. We're always rushing to our classes. While we were teaching the knot, I got to use my little knowledge of Thai, but they were the ones who exercised their second language knowledge more....Anywho, it was a joy to get to know them on a more personal level - well, one more than just a collegue level. We spent most of the time giggling at my lack of Thai language skills....but hey, I can honestly say that I learned more in those 3 days than most of my time here. When you submerse yourself with the language and really have no choice but to speak it, you learn quickly. I was so happy! 

While I was learning Thai throughout my 3 days on this trip, the Filipino teachers thought it would be fun to try and teach me some Tagalog words. Unfortunately the only 2 I remember are tu big(water) and nakikipasapalarun(trying his luck). Please don't hate me if you're Filipino and those are spelled wrong :( I cracked Jennifer up trying to say those words. But at least Tagalog isn't a language that depends on tones...makes life a bit easier. 

The second and last night I was at the camp was quite fun. First of all, I downed who knows how many cups of coffee to keep warm. This may be the reason Jenn and I were quite giddy. All of the kids gathered around a "campfire"(which was 3 long sticks tied together into a tent shape with a light bulb hanging down the center of it) and sang Thai songs and danced around the "fire". While this was going on Jenn & I received Thai dance lessons from one of the other Thai teachers. Let me tell you - it is difficult! Your hands start to hurt because while you're dancing, you hold your hands out in a fashion where you bend your fingers back as far as they'll allow. It is a beautiful art and I'm pretty sure I was slaughtering it for her, but she was SO nice to take the time to show us the proper way to dance in a traditional Thai way. After a little bit of lesson time with her, we went out with the kids and used our newly acquired dancing skills to wow the rest of the teachers. It was a blast. 

We headed back to Bangkok the next day, on Thursday. I was definitely glad to be home, but I was so thankful for that opportunity to get to know my colleagues so much better! They're amazing men and women and I feel so privileged to know them. And my Thai skills are getting better and better. I wish that a light bulb would just go off in my head and I would suddenly understand everything they're saying! Alas, that shall not happen.....unfortunately. I'll struggle through the few sentences I know and hopefully pick up some new words frequently so that I will know gist of a conversation. We'll see how it goes. I'll keep ya posted!

I bet I had a better Thanksgiving than you did

As much as I hate to admit that I was feeling a bit homesick before our Thanksgiving here, I will. I really wanted to spend some much needed time with my mom and I REALLY wanted to bake numerous pies. Mom, don't feel as though you are not needed, you are! But my Thanksgiving here really was wonderful. Pastor & Kim Williams invited a large group of us over. In this group there was me(of course), Stephanie, Mike, Tatiana, Maria, Kelly, Jorge, and about 6 other people I can't exactly remember the names of(no offense if you're one of those people). First of all, I understand that Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday, but us folks here in Thailand like to mix things up a bit. This could be because the majority of those in attendance were off work on Friday, but I'll continue with the "we're so original" train of thought. 

I was thankfully able to head out of school early on Friday. It was Sports Day(which I may or may not write about at a later date), therefore no classes were going on. I got home at 12:45, laid down for 45 minutes or so, got all dazzled up(hey, it's Thanksgiving), and headed over to Kim's. The night before I had stayed there rather late(sorry Kim) baking my pumpkin swirl cheesecake, so today I was all for helping Kim. Turns out, I spent a large majority of my time whisking. They didn't have any whipped cream for the pumpkin pies, so I whisked heavy whipping cream and sugar together to make some the old fashion way. See, this usually works in the States because we have A/C and a colder atmosphere. If I haven't mentioned it before, it's just a smidgen warm here in the Thai Land, so it proved to be a challenge. I love challenges, and was rather creative if I may say so. I went to the neighbor's house and asked for some ice cubes, put them in a large bowl, and set the smaller bowl with the whipping cream in that. How clever am I? While I won't say it was as thick as say Cool Whip, it was pretty darn tasty! Way to go me, Arielle, and her 2 friends! 

Once the food was set out, we dug in! There was turkey, some sort of veggie meat, mashed potatoes, Kim's macaroni & cheese(scrumptious), a delectable chilled corn salad(also by Kim), a carrot souffle, and salad. My oh my the party that was going on in my mouth! It was so nice to have homey food. I do enjoy the Thai food here, but it was a welcome change. I will not hesitate to let you know that I went back for seconds. After the dinner, we had an apple pie(thanks Kelly), 2 pumpkin pies, a pumpkin swirl cheesecake(by your one & only), and ice cream! You know that feeling your tummy has after what only a Thanksgiving meal can give you? Yeah, we had that - multiplied by a gagillion. We were quite content. After helping clean up, us ladies went for a power walk - hahahaha in some hope of walking off what we'd just consumed. Honestly, we more or less waddled most of the way, but it was the thought that counts. Once we waddled ourselves back to the middle of the compound, we enjoyed tossing a football around(a favorite American past time on Thanksgiving, why abandon it in Thailand?). Once twilight hit and the mosquitos found a Thanksgiving buffet themselves, we headed inside for a worship. What a wonderful way to end a wonderful day :) My family here in Thailand was so kind to have all of us college folk over to consume a ghastly amount of food. Thank you Pastor & Kim! You are truly a gift from God being the family that He knew that I needed here. 

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yourselves. I'm sure that it was pretty great, but I bet mine was better! Just kidding, of course. I hope God blessed each one of you and helped you realize the things that you are truly thankful for. I know I did. Now that it's already December 5 the Holiday Season has officially begun! If you haven't already, you better get on the decorating bandwagon! Mother, I am talking to YOU! haha - love you Momma. Happy Holidays to everyone. I'm praying for all of you each day. Please pray for my former boss. Her name is Amanda Moore & she is suffering from cardiomyopathy. She has a baby girl that is just now 2 months old. She is slowly making progress and the doctor did say that she is no longer "in the woods". She will make it, and so we are praying for a full and swift recovery so she can return to being the mother and wife she needs to be. Thank you for your prayers - they are powerful. 

I have recently received news that Valerie Elliott, my friend with advanced Stage 4 melanoma, passed away last night. She leaves behind a family and a husband who I'll be praying for almost constantly. If you could lift up a prayer for Valerie's Mom, Dad, and relatives, as well as her husband, Brad, I'm sure they'd appreciate it. 

This ache I have in my heart for her family is all too familiar. Why must we know the feeling of sorrow and heartache all too well? I know, because this world is sinful. This feeling I have is the same I had the morning I found out that a fellow student in high-school died the previous night in a car crash. This feeling is similar to, but milder, than the one I had when my mom called me to tell me my Nana passed away. These are memories I will never forget. I hate that we all have these horrible times etched onto our brains. Thankfully, we have the hope and the great promise that one day all pain, sorrow, and sin will be wiped away. What a great promise this is! I thank God that there is something better than death, sickness, and pain. 

"He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever." Revelation 21:4

Loy Kratong

Loy Kratong is a traditional Thai holiday held on the full moon of the 12th month in the Thai calender. It does not fall on the same date every year(full moon), but it usually falls in November. Loy means "float(ing)" and Kratong is a "raft". Kratongs are beautiful floats made from banana tree and leaves, flowers, candles, and incense. Each float is different, but a lot of the ones I saw used orchids(mi favorito flora). The purpose of releasing the rafts is apparently so they can apologize to the river for polluting it. I've also heard another theory that suggests that it is a time and way to worship their ancestors. I've also heard that it is to wish away bad luck. I'm not sure if it's one, none, or all of these things combined, but it was fun to see a Thai tradition and take part in it too. 

It all started yesterday morning at school. At 8:00am, the program started. They had set up a

stage and a sound system. Parents were ushering in, and I began noticing little girls that were elaborately dressed in traditional Thai garb. Then I remembered that on Loy Kratong, there are usually beauty contests held. I just didn't know our school would have one! Before that could start though, they had a couple of groups of students do performances. One was a groups of 4 girls that danced to the "Loy Kratong" song and did Thai dance(if you've seen ANTM in Thailand, you'll know what it looks like, haha). After this, the beauty contest began. Apparently, these things last FOREVER. It went on for over an hour. The little girls were precious though! They were dressed to the hilt. They had make-up on, their hair was done in up-do's, etc. In the end, my EP5 girl got 3rd, my EP3 girl got 3rd, and my EP2 girl got 2nd! I was so proud of them! 

After Wednesday night prayer meeting with the Pastor at the Language School, Mike, me, Maria, Merika, Lucas, and 3 Thais(that I can't remember the names of) headed out to the river for Loy Kratong. We took a 71 bus to the BTS, then took a long BTS ride to the river(which I can't remember the name of). Once we got down there, I realized just how popular of a holiday this was. There were people everywhere! People of all ethnicities were there as well. We walked around a bit, watched the fireworks(which reminded me of home and my b-day), then lit our candles. We made our way down to the river, and set our rafts free. It was pretty cool. Of course, I wasn't praying to my ancestors, but it was a neat idea to think of setting the raft go for "good luck". I simply sent up a little prayer. With muddied knees, I joined the rest of the group and we made our way back home. 

It was definitely an interesting and fun day full of Thai traditions and culture. I enjoyed learning more about the culture I have been immersed in for 4 months now. I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving! I'm making a pumpkin swirl cheesecake for the group here. Miss you all SO much. Please don't forget to pray for the Elliott and Miller families. It's hard to lose a loved one, even when you know you WILL see them again. 

Chiang Mai Tuesday - Last Day

Tuesday we woke up early again, but not quite as early as 6:45am, like on Monday. We were picked up by the company we had booked the trip with, and the driver told us it would be an hour trip. We all yawned and tipped our heads back and tried to doze over the next hour. 

Once we arrived, we hopped out of the van and followed our guide, a really nice Thai woman. She was fairly young, but knew so much about wildlife and nature! We arrived at a primitive Thai village, and she guided us around telling us about the people. The village was practically deserted, and she told us that the men and boys went away early in the morning to work during the day. Only the younger girls and women were left making hammocks and scarves. They were all smiles for the short time we were there. After this, we made our way up a surprisingly steep hill. Halfway up the hill, I noticed she was pointing to a plant on the ground. We all stepped closer and heard what she was saying. She said that if you touch the plant, it would "close". I honestly didn't understand completely. The stems and leaves looked like a baby fern. So I glided my fingers down the leaves, and they all folded in towards each other. It was amazing. I've never seen anything like it before(other than a venus fly trap), and Stephanie got a video of it. How amazing is God's nature?

We continued our hike through the outskirts of the village. We noticed that each hut had a HUGE pot bellied pig tied under it. Apparently, it's a custom to keep a pig, and then on a very special occasion, they slaughter it and celebrate. Everyone in the 

village keeps one. Interesting, eh? 

Throughout the hike, the guide told us some interesting

things about the local flora and fauna. She showed us one tree in particular that amazed us! The tree is Teak(you may have heard of teak wood), but its leaves are what we discussed. She pulled a leaf off the tree and rubbed it between her 

fingers - she held her hand up and it looked like she had dipped her fingers in red paint or blood! I mean, they were BRIGHT RED! We all gasped and immediately went over the the tree to get a hand on this amazingness. She also told us that they used to use the teak leaves for war paint. Makes sense, doesn't it?

We were treated by beautiful scenery! We also tromped through rice fields and over bridges(some a little "iffy"). Honestly, I was just enjoying the fresh air! It could have been the ugliest views around me, and I wouldn't have cared because I was breathing fresh air! Living in Bangkok definitely has its perks, but it comes with pollution! But, the beautiful views were a definite +plus! 

After an hour of hiking, we began descending down some rather precarious steps. We all slowly gathered our footing as we traveled down hill, and stayed that way for a few minutes. Our next view was a spectacular waterfall! It was so refreshing. It was sending out plenty of mist and they also had a snack/drink area where bottles of water were available for purchase(way to ruin a good nature story, right?). We spent 20 minutes at the waterfall before we headed back and it was marvelous to spend some time sitting down enjoying nature. 

Lunch was SO GOOD. It was rice, coconut/potato soup, and something else I can't recall that was yummy. The end of the meal signaled dessert time! This was delicious pineapple and watermelon. I had my fair share(probably more) of pineapple and was SO content! After lunch, we....guess what? Climbed back into the van! This wasn't for too long either. It's a good thing too, cause it was getting a little warm outside! We were told ahead of time that we were headed to the elephant riding extravaganza! We were pretty stoked, to say the least. 

Before we hopped out, the guide stuck her head into the van and

asked if anyone wanted to ride on the neck of an elephant. She said that this would allow her to use one less elephant. I waited a moment trying to allow anyone else that wanted a chance, to take it, and finally enthusiastically raised my hand! Once there, we applied sunscreen(apparently not enough) and readied ourselves for the journey. We needed to get into groups of 2, with one group of 3(my group). Stephanie and I assumed we'd be together(because we love each other SO much and can't be separated), so that left us with having to find an addition to our group. One of the other girls that we didn't know from the group agreed to join our group, and once everyone else was 

paired up, they began bringing the elephants up. Everyone else "mounted" their elephants, and we were last. After Stephan

ie and the other girl sat down, I hopped onto my awesome ride. They positioned me right where the neck and head meet. To me, it felt like I was sitting right on top of his brain! My feet were right behind his ears, and they continually flopped against my legs. I

 WAS IN HEAVEN. This riding experience will have to suffice for my lack of equestrian riding this year. Our elephant was attached to the one in front of it, which the other two girls(friends of the girl with us) were on. We had one guide with us(on the other elephant) and he was pretty comical. Every couple of minutes he would say, "Oh my Buddha!" Don't know if that SHOULD be funny or not, but I admit that I chuckled more than a few times. If you don't already know(which most of you DON'T), elephants are crazy BUMPY. Seriously, when they're climbing hills or walking fast, you are jostled around a ton. I had the time of my life in those 40 or so minutes. Once our time was up, I reluctantly hopped off of my new friend, Mango, and proceeded back to the van. 

Our last adventure of the day was a bamboo rafting trip. Unfortunately, water is involved with rafting, therefore, there are no pictures at all to prove that this was actually done. I only have amazing memories! Steph, Mike, and I were all on a raft together and Leah, Tatiana, and Erin were on one together. The rafts are basically just a bunch of bamboo poles tied together. You can either sit or stand on your way down the river. We chose to stand of course! Each raft had a guide that held a long bamboo pole, whose purpose was to change direction. You see, I say its purpose was to change directions because our wonderfully kind raft guide found another use for this long pole. It was used to SOAK us. He would slap the pole on the top of the water, and apparently he had practiced this and could splash water on whichever person he intended. Stephanie and I were soaked to the bone. When we heard Mike chuckling behind us, it was all efforts turned towards him to soak him as well. All Steph and I had were our hands. So, we bent down and used our cupped hands to throw as much water as we could on him. Eventually, our efforts paid off because Mike fell off into the river not once, but twice(in a row)!!! It was so funny. Stephanie nor I could muffle our laughter and were laughing so hard that we couldn't hold ourselves steady and fell over! 

This day was perhaps the most exciting one I've had not only while here in Thailand, but EVER. I enjoyed it so much and the only thing that could have made it more perfect would be if I could have shared it with my mom as well! I know she would have loved every aspect of today! Love you Mom! 

Monday in Chiang Mai - ZIP-LINING!!!

Monday started off early. The zip-lining company confirmed that they were, in fact, coming to pick us up. This was done a week or so in advance. Anywho, they came and picked us up at 6:45am. Yes, indeed an early start, but we were so stoked to have this opportunity! After they picked us up, we stopped at 2 other places to pick up 3 more people: a couple from Canada and a girl from Denmark. We introduced ourselves and made ourselves comfy for the hour or so ride to the jungle. Once there, I once again felt a bit queasy(I get carsick REALLY easily). After a few minutes of the fresh air, I felt better. We filled out a few forms, all used the restroom, and were finally on our way! We followed our leader to a place where we could put all of our backpacks and purses and such while we were gone. All we needed were our cameras to document this stupendous occasion! Next, they fitted all of us with harnesses. Let's just say that I was excited, thus my face in these pictures......And for all who don't already know, harnesses are the new fad.

After getting harnessed and helmeted up, we

 hopped into another van for a quick ride. We

 hopped out and surprisingly, our destination was not far off from the road. We walked down a pathway a short distance, and we could hear the whoops and hollers of people! It only took a few moments to reach the first platform. There was a group in front of us, and we got to see the last of them step off the first platform and experience their first zip-lining!!! Once the first group was done, our guide(one of two) decided to wait for a little bit so we wouldn't have to wait at every platform. After 10 minutes or so, it was our turn! Mike was first out of our group to experience it, and I can't be sure, but I think I was second. Can't remember.....haha. Once he turned to me, it took me a second to realize what I was doing! I was about to step off of the steady and reliable platform to "fly" through the

 jungle! I giggled, took a moment, and 

hopped off. I let out an excited "hahahahooooooooaaaahahhhhhhahaha!" and when I got to the next platform our other guide asked me, "Are you OK?" You see, Thais don't really let their emotions out. They don't show when they're excited or mad. So I guess I surprised him. Let's just say that by the end, he was more than used to outburts of excitement. The

 third line was the longest of all 17. I really enjoyed this one. It gave you the chance to look down and all around at the beauty surrounding you. The air was clean and I hadn't seen that much green since I left the States. This line was also the first one we used our 'brakes' on. Our 'brakes' were bamboo pieces in the shape of a wishbone. You simply place the cable you're sliding down right in between the two pieces that make up the wishbone shape. Amazingly, this slows you down immensely. So, when the guide yells,"BRAKE!", you brake. They told us if we didn't brake, then our faces would then come face to face with the tree. Haha - this was incentive 

enough. It wasn't hard at all really once you get the hang of it. 

After the first few cables, we got to be pros at it! The only surprise after this were the drop-offs. There were some platforms that you had to be lowered down off of to get to the next one. This was by far the most exciting for me. You simply step of the platform, hang in mid-air for a moment, and they then lower you down. Except our guides were rather humorous, so they teased us. They'd let you down slowly, then drop you really fast, then let you down slow again, then drop you fast, then you'd stop really close to the ground, but not close enough to touch. They were serious pranksters! But that's what made it so fun! Stephanie, unfortunately, didn't like this on

e too much. This obviously fueled Sam's teasing and pranking. Sam was quite young(around our age) and had too much fun teasing the girls. He'd walk up behind them on the platform, grab their leg, and yell. Erin, Leah, and Stephanie would scream EVERY time. 

Once we reached the last few cables, we caught up with the group that was in front of us. They seemed to be moving at a much slower rate. We had to wait for a time, but it was okay. We realized that our time in this beautiful jungle was ending, and therefore, were patient. Near the end though, we realized that we were quite high up. You see, on the previous cables, there was so much vegetation below us, that it didn't really hit us HOW high 

we were. At the very last one, I got a picture of the last platform 

and the tree it was in. You can see just how high up we were. It was so fun! I'm so glad we got to experience this AWESOME

 adventure. I'm thankful to Stephanie who found this place on the internet, e-mailed them, and got confirmation. Without you, Stephanie, that adventure wouldn't have been possible. Well, now that I sound like I've accepted an Oscar, I'll end this little note.....

Sunday in Chiang Mai - Temple (2)

None of us were really too keen on waking up early on Sunday, so we unanimously decided to sleep in. This would have been a brilliant plan, except that I woke up bright and early Sunday mornin' at 7....UGH. So much for sleeping in. Leah, the night before, had said that if she woke up and no one else was awake, that she would pounce on us to wake us up. So, that's exactly what I did. I admit, it was not the kindest thing for me to do, and certainly not the brightest, but it sounded good to my groggy mind. Hee hee. So, off my little self went to leap onto Leah. Excitement isn't the word for the emotion conveyed there. Neither was happiness the emotion that Stephanie and Mike evoked when I woke them too.....I decided to leave everyone alone. Luckily, I had an accomplice to my aloneness. Erin had stirred as well, and we decided to run to 7-11 to buy everyone breakfast. It was limited options, so we opted for scrambled eggs and yoghurt. Let's just say I was forgiven for waking everyone up.... :)

It was just an hour or so before everyone else stirred, and we all got cleaned up and ready to face the day. We walked down and got iced mocha(a new favorite treat) from a nice man who we then nicknamed "The Mocha Man". It goes without saying that every day after this that we were in Chiang Mai, "The Mocha Man" got a visit from 5 farangs(foreigners). It was around 

the table at the Mocha Man's that we decided we needed something to do....Nothing had been decided on, and then someone mentioned the Temple.  Doi Suithep Temple was something that interested all of us, and it didn't take long to reach a conclusion that included going to the temple. We soon went out to the street to hail a tuk tuk to take us. Didn't take too long to get one who would take us. It was a steep uphill climb up the windy mountain road to get there, and my face was practically green when we got there, but we got there nonetheless. 

But in all honesty, I needed a minute to get my composure. 

We saw a set of steps to our left, and followed the crowd ascending them. Once up that small flight of stairs, we saw so many people! This was a

popular place. It is known for the large set of stairs you have to go up to reach the actual wat/temple. We soon spotted the stairs, and decided to take a few pictures at the bottom. The railing at the bottom of the stairs is made to look like the head of a dragon, and the railing all the way up is

its body. It's quite long. Once we finally reached the top, we were breathing a little harder.....I mean, achem....I was fine. Everyone else was struggling.... ;p

We started up the small set of stairs that was the

"entrance" to the wat. Everyone else(the Thais) were just walking on up and through. They stopped us, though, and told us we had to 

have a ticket. Pretty much, we gathered

 they stop all foreigners and make them pay. We weren't too thrilled about this, but we were eager to see it, so we shoveled out the 20 baht(I know, we're stingy). Once up there though, we forgot all about the money. It was beautiful! It's so inspiring to see the dedication of the buddhists. They are so diligent with their worship. There were monks everywhere, and one was even blessing anyone and everyone. Stephanie and I considered it, mostly because: how cool would it be to be blessed in Thailand by a Buddhist monk? That was also the reason we didn't do it. I didn't want to offend anyone because I know it wouldn't mean the same thing to me as it does to them. 

The view was beautiful from the top of

the temple, unfortunately, it was a bit smoggy, so the camera had a hard time picking up the images. Sorry if they're not too clear. It was beautiful though. We had such a good time looking at the view. Before we headed down, a couple people got fruit for the road. 

Mike decided on some mango. It looked pretty refreshing, except when he bit into it, it was NOT mango. I was seriously curious as to what it could possibly be or what was wrong with it, so I tasted it. Why must I insist on being curious? Turns out, it was picked mango. It tasted just like a pickle. Too weird. Anywho, on the way down, Mike and I had fun throwing them at road signs :p

Train Ride to Chiang Mai (1)

As most of you know, I've technically been off of school the whole month of October. The kids didn't come into school the entire month, but I had to show up for work, report cards, and seminars the first 2 weeks of the month. I helped the other teachers finish up their grading and filling out their report cards for the EP grades. Finally, my break started! I was SO excited! Stephanie, Mike, Tatiana, and I had been planning a trip to Chiang Mai for a while. Luckily, Erin and Leah had the same term break as us, so we planned on meeting up with them in Chiang Mai and we all planned on staying together. We were lucky to receive news that we could stay with the pastor of the SDA church there in Chiang Mai for a small fee. This was great because we were already going to be struggling on our small salary after the train tickets there and back. Mike, Tatiana, Stephanie, and I bought our train tickets about 1 week in advance. 

Friday, the 17th, couldn't have come soon enough for us! We were ecstatic and didn't really know what to expect from the train ride. Our train was scheduled to leave at 10pm, and it was 

suggested to us to get there about 1 hour early. Instead of pushing it, we ended up arriving 2 hours early. Most of the seats in the station were

 taken, so we found a nice spot on the ground and made ourselves comfy for an hour and a half. After playing Go Fish for a while, and finding some snacks, we made small talk. Michael made the comment, "Man,

 wouldn't that be awful if we got placed RIGHT NEXT to the bathrooms?" Laughter followed, because, what were the chances this humorous disaster could happen to us? Once it was 9:40, we headed out to our train to board. Luckily, the train was already there and ready for us. We found our car number, and hopped up the steps and looked for our bed numbers. Our beds happened to be the first we ran into. How lucky, right? WRONG. You see, our beds were positioned RIGHT NEXT TO THE BATHROOMS. Yeah, Mike, we're all still a little miffed at you cursing us.....Anywho, we got our bags and things situated. Stephanie and I bought the bottom bunks because they were cheaper, so Mike and Tatiana sat down with us on our bunks for a while chatting and such before they were banished to their caves. 

Fairly soon, the train was in motion. We were fairly excited, but that was not to last long. When I was younger, my grandmother had the belief that everyone needed to experience a train ride, so she took me one day for a train ride. It didn't last too long, and the whole ride was enjoyable. This was in no comparison to the train ride we experienced here in Thailand. First of all, the ride lasted 15 hours too long. Next, our placement, thanks to MIKE,

 was next to the bathrooms. Needless to say, our noses were not too thrilled about that....the aroma of urine and ammonia was all too abundant 90% of the time. YUCK! Also, you'd think that a train ride would be much faster than a bus or car ride, right? Wrong. In Thailand, the train is actually the slower route because of the number of stops they make. I don't know if it was because we were all drifting in and out of sleep, but it seemed like we stopped every 30 minutes to an hour. Another unpleasant thing was the noise. At times it was so loud that my Ipod was on the loudest setting possible, and I could still hear the racket. Argh. But really, I suppose that

's just a train....so I can't complain that much. 

In case you're beginning to worry, let me assure you that we did, indeed, make it to Chiang Mai. We arrived at 1:30 pm on Saturday. We called Leah and Erin, who were already there, and asked them for directions to give our driver. Soon enough, we were on our way. It only took about 15 minutes to get there, and we hopped off and were greeted by our long lost friends!!! It was SO nice to see Erin and Leah. It had been 2 months too long since we had seen them last. 

Upon Request Momma: Update

I've had a recent request to write of my thoughts, concerns, and reactions to living here in Thailand. I have been here now for 2 months and 1 week. Time has flown by so far, and I'm not expecting it to slow down any time soon. To explain how my days and time pass here, I'll just say that each day drags on and on, but each week flies by. It also feels as though time at home is holding still. It doesn't feel like they should be living and doing anything! It's so odd that my mom, family, and friends are all going to experience things without me that I always do with them. This will be the first Thanksgiving and Christmas that I won't see my mom or at least one set of grandparents at all....it's going to take some getting used to.

Now that I've been here a while, I've had a chance to form some opinions or at least convey my reactions to certain traditions or ways of life here. As far as 'Thai Time' that people refer to - I haven't really experienced it. My school always starts at the same time. Granted, some students are always late, but that's not really different from the US. As far as the traffic goes - I'm still getting used to it. I recently wrote my father an e-mail and was telling him about it. They drive crazily, but rarely get into accidents. It's still is a bit nerve racking to be in a taxi while they are backing up into oncoming traffic. They just expect cars to move over for them(which they do), but it's still hard to get used to. 

To explain a bit more of what I do - I am the "homeroom" teacher for English Program 5(5th grade). That means that my desk is in the EP 5 room. Here, the teachers change rooms for each subject, instead of the students doing so. I teach Health, Science, and English for EP 1-5(1st through 5th grade). I was also given 4 high-school English Conversation classes. Apparently I'm only allowed to teach 16 hours per week, so I only have a few classes per day. The other times throughout the day that I have NOTHING to do, I try to make myself useful. I've recently redone all my bulletin boards in my classroom. I'll have to take pictures of the final product - I'm rather proud of them! It took quite a while. My students love them! They said they are super colorful and fun to look at, which was my goal. The other times, I get on my computer and talk to people on Skype and AIM. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I go over to the Language School and have lunch with Stephanie and the other teachers over there. 

As far as shopping goes - I'm often so overwhelmed by the chaos around me that I don't remember to stop and look at things that pique my interest(thanks Steve). If you know me, you know that I really DON'T like crowds. All of the markets here are swarmed with people 24-7. I'll just have to get used to it. People here in Thailand have no sense of 'personal space'. I like mine. I like my bubble. People tend to 'burst my bubble' a lot here. I've just had to take a breath, and realize that this is their culture. They are used to cramming into buses, tuk tuks, and pushing through crowds in market places. They don't do it on purpose obviously, and that 

is what has gotten me through some tough situations. 

KARAOKE!!!! This has become quite a fun past time here. In the States, I was always too afraid of going up front to sing in front of a bunch of people. Here, it's just the group of people you came with. We have so much fun when we go out! A couple of times, I've thought to myself, "Oh, I'm just not in the mood to sing. I won't sing tonight. I'll just let other people sing...." That doesn't usually last long! It's a fun way to relax after a day's work and it's so HILARIOUS sometimes. It's just an enjoyable thing that I think we'll enjoy more when we get back in the States. 

As far as the recent political crises here, we haven't really noticed. I know that my mom and grandparents have read about the turmoil going on in Parliament here, but really, we aren't affected. Thailand is a peaceful country, and they try their hardest to keep it that way. They don't want to worry their people, and therefore, do not splatter the latest news all over the TV. So, that leaves us not really knowing what's going on. That, and we don't even have TVs. But really, we don't experience anything having to do with the rough political times here. 

I have immensely enjoyed my time here so far. My kids in EP 5 are truly a joy to be around and I've grown to love each and every one of them. They can be tiring at times, but overall, they are fun and I've learned so much from each of them. Right now, you find me coming up on a 2 week break. I'm not sure what I'll do with myself until Stephanie, Mike, Tatiana, and Maria get out of school, but I'm going to try and enjoy my time off. I feel as though I need to be doing something and sometimes go stir crazy. But I will enjoy being lazy I suppose. 

Throughout my time here I have learned to rely on God more and more. Each day that I wake up, I realize that I cannot make it through the day unless I rely on God. He is my everything here, and I needn't forget it. He is the sole reason I came to Thailand to do work for Him, and He is the reason my eyes flutter open each morning. There is no one else I'd rather bring my problems to, which I have done often here. One thing I've heard over and over again from Student Missionaries after they return home is, "It was the best and worst experience of my life." I understand what they mean. It is physically and emotionally taxing, but without those hard times I wouldn't get to experience those amazing, life-altering ones. Thank you God, my Father, for allowing me to have this awesome and life-changing experience and thank you for leading me to Bangkok, Thailand to do service for You.

I hope this blog finds you all doing well in this sweater weather! By the way, I'm so jealous that you get to have bonfires and wear scarves! Valerie Elliot is always in my prayers, and she should be in yours too. Please don't forget to pray for her daily. If you don't know, she's a friend of mine that was recently diagnosed with cancer and was not given much time left to live. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she is such a vivacious and fun-loving person on fire for God. God Bless you all and I love you all so much that I decided in my boredom to make something for you: (those are Ritz Bitz crackers just so you know)

I Love "Hello Sweety"

So I love their smoothies....that's quite obvious. But now I love them because they returned my awesome PURPLE sunglasses to me!!! I'm kind of excited. Can you tell? I went to eat at Jay New today with Steph and I decided to go check the smoothie shop to make sure that I didn't leave them there. As soon as I walked in the lady(the ONLY one there that can't speak english) motioned to her face and did a sweeping motion to look like 'glasses' on her face. I knew it! I nodded vigorously and she went over to her purse and pulled out my AMAZING PURPLE SUNGLASSES!!!!!! The Saga of the Purple Sunglasses Continues......

The Saga of the Purple Sunglasses comes to an end... :( Sad Day

I had my sunglasses on top of my head today because I'm always noticing I squint here. And I have(had) these amazing electric purple sunglasses to rock, so today I decided to put them on my head in case I needed them. 

Stephanie and I headed out for smoothies, lunch, and back to her place. Somewhere between here, the smoothie place, and our lunch stop, my amazing accessory was lost. I'm quite bummed, seeing as how Stephanie and I had a matching pair of sunglasses, and now she will only be half as awesome when she wears hers......I'm quite sad - especially since I went back to the lunch stop and asked them is they had them, and they had no clue what I was talking about. Boo on leaving my amazing sunglasses somewhere. Just Boo. 

Apparently I'm dying soon, so........

Well, the word on the street(Mom & Steve) is that I have Malaria, and that I'll be dying soon. So, I decided to write one last blog. You know, that way you all have something to read over and over again after I pass.....isn't that kind of me? I'm so thoughtful. 

Actually, I have been sick this past week. And no, not with Malaria - with the flu. It's weird. I never got a sore throat or anything. I just felt really achy and my head hurt horribly. And my temp shot up to 101.5(Fahrenheit).....which I really don't recommend. It's really not much fun. So after 2 days of suffering on Sunday and Monday, I headed to the doctor on Tuesday at a nearby clinic. It was just down the road. In less than 10 minutes in the clinic I gave them my name, was seen, had meds, paid, and was on my way. Wow, do I wish we had such speedy service in the states when it came to doctor's appointments. 

It is now Friday and I've been on the antibiotics and fever reducers for 4 days now. I feel SO much better, but if I forget to wake up in the middle of the night and take my fever reducer, I still wake up with a fever. Hmmmm......interesting......anywho, I'll finish my meds then worry if they're still not working. 

So most of this week was spent being lazy and laying in bed. I feel as though nothing important has been accomplished. Blah....blah....I feel so unproductive. Being here is hard for me. I am usually out on some farm doing some form of manual labor. Whether it be carrying hay bales or buckets of water, I'm just used to doing SOMETHING, ANYTHING. My nails are getting so long here...and they're not breaking off. This is weird. I miss my ponies. I miss riding. I miss having Mysti run up to the fence when she heard my car pull up in the drive. I miss breathing in fresh air.....ok, well farm air(which some would consider 'fresh' with the manure smell). Frankly, I'm just missing a couple things, and I thought I'd share that tidbit of information. 

Other than missing a few things, I'm doing dandy here. Hope you're doing dandy too. Go pick out a pumpkin and carve it for me. It's almost that season for my pumpkin cheesecake, isn't it? 

A Morsel of Optimism :o)

So I thought that I would provide those that actually keep up with my blog a tid-bit of of optimism seeing as how my last entry leaves one with a bad taste in the mouth....

I have realized that I need to suck it up, deal with it, and realize that there are going to be tough times :p Sorry for those of you that read that last entry....I suppose that I just needed to get that off my chest. 

I have had an OK last couple of weeks. My classes are seeming to be doing a bit better. This could be because this is the last week before they are all let out for a month break for the end of the semester. Haha! Anywho, my classes ARE doing much better. I sat down, and thought about what I needed to do. I got some encouraging notes - thanks to those of you responsible ;) Encouraging notes really do mean the world to me here.....I find myself drawn to looking at pictures because it is my only way of "interacting" with you all. Thanks for having such beautiful faces! 

God has reminded me that I am here for a reason, and so has my mom! Thanks Mom! I am at AES for a reason, and I need to start acting like it! You know? 

Insert Funny Story HERE: So, I recently wrote Health tests for English Program Grades 2-5. I obviously saved them to my computer, which happens to be a MacBook laptop....Teacher Sharon asked me if I could save them on a thumb drive for her so she could print them off. Of course I told her. Why would that be a problem? I got them onto her thumb drive(miracle in and of itself) and gave it to her confident in my abilities as a computer savvy 21-year-old. HA! 

Well...Sharon then came and found me telling me that she couldn't print them off. Her reason was this: "All I see is squares...." Great. I was just certain that it was because of the transfer from my Mac to their older model PC. Once again my computer savvyness was lacking....So, on Friday I spent the better part of my afternoon with my laptop propped up next to me while I typed away on the school's PC copying all of what I had already typed.....

Well, a couple days went by. I had a fairly relaxing and uneventful Sabbath. Come Sunday though I got to talk to Steven Oxley. If you don't know who Steven is, he is Mike's(another SM) friend that dropped in to lovely Bangkok on his way to India for his year-long SM trip. He stayed for a week? or so.....we got to talk a bit and I rather enjoy our banter back and forth, this being the reason I was talking to him. In our conversation I mentioned my recent computer pains. Well, just call him "Super Steve". That's right Steve- I've renamed you. He quickly told me that it was not because I had a Mac. It was simply because I had saved it as a .docx document instead of a .doc.....yeah, i still don't get it other than I have the Word 2007 and they don't. All I need to know is how to fix it. So Steve kindly and accurately walked me through the appropriate steps needed. I am still honestly amazed. After "I LOVE YOU!" and "You're amazing!" Steve simply said, "Well, it's what I do." No really people, he's amazing. Just call 1-800-steve's amazing at computers-.com(that's right dot com). 

I am happy to finally have another break coming up in school though. My kids(however much I LOVE them) do tire me out. We're thinking of heading up to Chiang Mai and can't wait to be reunited with Leah and Erin-our long lost sisters! I hope this blog finds you all doing well in the land of India, Ubon, Nashville, Murray, Gallatin, and wherever you may be :) I love you all and I am really starting to feel it. I am indeed homesick but it's starting to get more and more bearable. I am learning more and more Thai every day. Hopefully I'll be able to get through a small  conversation soon enough. God Bless you - you're all in my prayers and I'd appreciate if you'd remember little 'ole me in Bangkok when you kneel down. Thanks and God Bless again....

Frustration

I'm so bewildered. I'm so tired. Why are they treating me like I have gone to school for what I am doing? I don't understand. They are expecting me to know things that I don't. I don't feel prepared every day I walk into each classroom. In fact, I dread it. I dread walking into each classroom totally unaware of what I'll be teaching that day. When I started teaching by myself it was, "OK. This class is yours now. You teach it." There was no preparation. There were no lesson plans to get an idea from. I don't even have a teacher's book for some of the classes. How am I supposed to prepare a class if I don't even have a book to look over the subject? I'm just frustrated and tired. I want to feel prepared when I come to school - and I don't. This is the challenging part of this decision that I made. I will take it and try to make the best of it. I will enjoy my time and my students here. Now, I just have to figure out how I will stimulate their minds while teaching them a language they don't know....

Thoughts & Musings

Thus far, God has been SO there for me and all of my concerns...whether they be about trials here or at home. Recently, as in today, I found out that the house I was living at in Murray, KY has just become unavailable to live in. The landlord has gone bankrupt apparently and he will need to live in that house to stay afloat financially. Amazing isn't it? I haven't been gone 2 months, and the house I was supposed to be living in this year is gone. Poof. Just like that. I would have been desperately looking for somewhere to live, and God knew that. God knew that I would be safe in my new home in Bangkok, Thailand when this mishap would take place. Wow God. Just Wow. He amazes me. Also, all of my things are still at the house. At first, I was starting to hyperventilate knowing the stress this would cause my mother to try and retrieve all my things in less than a week. In no less than 10 minutes, I got a hold of Casey Clark. Apparently he was already planning on going to Nashville to help Ruby Stover move out of her current house and into a new one. Casey said that he could very easily take my things with him to Nashville and drop them off with my mother. Not that that is going to be a simple task, but still.....how much of an ordeal would it have been for my mom to try and scramble people together to pack up my things? Thank you to Casey for being there and saving the day! (and me of worry) 

It's like God, at every moment of concern, is saying, "Ashley, I got this. You can stop worrying. I WILL take care of you." How many times throughout 1 week do we worry about something, when all along, God has a plan already set in motion?How many times have you been proved that it WILL, in fact, be okay? And still, every time, we worry, "freak out", or stress. Think about it. I know that I am one to not always stay calm about everything. And through many tribulations and thinking, I have found that this is not exactly a bad attribute, but just one that requires patience and focus. But every time I begin to go spastic, God is there with His soothing voice inside my heart, or even through someone else, showing me that the most amazing Father in the world is taking care of me. 

It's such a wonderful feeling to have such an amazing Father. I know that fathers and mothers on earth are amazing(I would DIE without my mom) but even they are in no comparison to the Almighty Father. He is One that I can always go to. I can cry or sob in front of Him. I can tell him ANYTHING, and know that I will always be forgiven. Isn't that amazing? This is amazing to me because there are still people in this world that I have to really try to forgive. I mean, REALLY TRY. I am still working on this, but God in an instant forgives us of our downfalls. I may seem like I'm repeating myself, but it's just because my feeble mind has a hard time wrapping itself around some of God's most simple concepts. 

"God, let me rely on You. Help me to focus on the only important thing at hand - loving and believing in You. I love you Lord, and you are the best Daddy in the world."

This Just In: Bangkok Flood Season In Full Swing

So You Know: If you look up "my first bangkok flood" on youtube.com the first video that comes up is mine from today :) It should be posted by 'crocodilian77'  Enjoy!

My day ended amazingly today. My kids in my high-school conversation class were wonderful. They listened and actually worked hard on their assignment! I was so proud. I heard the pitter patter of the raindrops on the metal awning outside while I was teaching. I even thanked God for the refreshing rain during prayer before class. I checked my EP 5 room on my way out after school to see if the maid had locked it. If she hadn't I was going to work on my bulletin boards. She had - oh well. I have the rest of the week. Off I went down the wet steps to the first floor. 

As my trendy crocs hit the concrete ground and my eyes scanned the basketball/soccer area, something just didn't seem right. Like any other day that it rained, everything was

 wet. But today things were

a bit wetter than usual.

 It wasn't until I got closer that I reali

zed we had a lake over our white top! I laughed rather loudly and immediately pul

led out my camera. This drew a bit of attention: 6 ft. tall white girl pulling our her Canon to capture this rather

mundane event. I giggled in excitement. Never had I seen this much water from just 2 hours of raining. Kids were trudging through the water like it was nothing. Others took advantage by splashing and kicking the water on their friends. 

It still hadn't hit me. 

I put my camera away, and pulled my umbrella out for my short trip home. I stepped down the stairs and turned right to go out the gate of the school. Hmmmmm......"That's a lot of water", I thought. It was covering the 

entire parking lot. "There must be a way around it", I thought. HA! I 

looked around for a familiar face(one that knows english) and found my student, Now(that's his name). I asked him how I was supposed to get home. He said, "Teacher, you walk." With that I understood that I would indeed be trudging through this Amazon water most definitely full of creatures only the mind can fathom. I stepped hesitantly out the gate, and my new friend Ice(that's her name too) 

came to my rescue. I had seen her earlier waiting for a cab to whisk her away from this madness. Guess she got tired of waiting. She was with a student and they started walking away. I called out "Wait for me!" It was now or never. I would have to conquer this black, murky water at some point. Although may I add that she did remember to tell me to watch out for Cobras before I stepped in. "WhAt!!!???", I cried. "I didn't know they were in this area." She said that no, they usually weren't in this area, but that the flood waters sometimes washed them out of their hiding places and homes. Oh, this was just great. 

Splash. My right foot disappeared into the black abyss. Splash. There went my left. Ha! "This is an adventure", I thought. I was having fun! I laughed out loud. They turned around to see what was so funny. I giggled and said, "This is awesome!" Ice and the student found it amusing that I was so easily entertained. Off we went. We made it out to the street only to find that it was the same conditions out there too. We trudged on, like warriors. Okay, that's a little much, but it was exciting, okay? I remembered to pull out my camera! Thank goodness! My Mom would kill me if I didn't capture this moment! Ice and our student waited for me to get situated again. I began snapping more shots of the motorcycles' wheels covered halfway up by water! All of these people just seemed so nonchalant about it! Craziness....Anyway, I thought of filming a video to get the full effect. So I got one, and I will look and see after I'm done writing if there's a way to upload it on my Blog Page. We'll see.....SOOOO, after a few more steps she then told me about how scorpions, too, can be washed into the flood waters. OK, so mental note, watch for COBRAS and SCORPIONS the next time it floods. Mkay. Well then. We finally made it to the front door of my apartment building by jumping over a dip in the street that was really deep. I thanked Ice and our student so much for letting me brave this natural disaster with them. They laughed. Wow, so thanks, God, for providing me an 

amazing walk home today.