Winding Down

Although I don't actually leave Thailand until April 10, I will actually be done with my teaching at the end of this week. It's Monday right now, and by Friday at 11:00 am I will be done with teaching! Next week is exam week. The kids will come both Tuesday and Thursday for testing. We have to be here all week to work on grading and such. The next week(mar 9-13) will be full of grading and calculating final grades. OOO-what fun.....ick! That is by far my least favorite part of teaching - the grades! 

Anywho, after that week(Mar 15-20), I will be volunteering/observing at a local vet clinic for 40 hours. This is a requirement for entrance into the Vet Tech program at Chatt State. Hours, testing, and the application all have to be completed and sent in BEFORE May 1st. This is why I sought out a vet clinic here. I could have jammed 40 hours of observation, taking the test I have to take, filling out and sending the application, and...oh yeah.....resting, eating, and sleeping, for when I got back to the States, but I figured if they'd accept me, I might as well get it out of the way here. I prayed for a while hoping that they would allow me to shadow and observe at the vet clinic here. God answered my prayers and last week the head Veterinarian sent me an e-mail that said that she would see me March 15 at 9:00 am! I'm quite excited, both because I  am getting this done before I get to the States, but also because this will allow me to see how a vet clinic functions somewhere other than in America. 

I find myself both looking forward to and dreading going back to America. I have missed it SO much, but in all that time that I've missed it and thought about it, I've developed friends and family here. My little Soi sam-sip-jet(street 37) is home :o) I love my life here. I have grown accustomed to it. For 7 months I have known nothing but Pad Thai, Cow-Pad-Gai, Tao Rai?, and Sawatdee Kha. I have to say, I'm a little nervous about my entrance back into the States. Will I yearn for my Soi? Will I crave Thai food? Will I be willing to pay full price for things without haggling? Is America really better than any other place on earth? Is living in America really all it's cracked up to be? I'm not so sure anymore....

I am looking forward to going back because I will be reunited with my CUJO(cuyo!). My baby boy - Oh, how I've missed him. Apparently, he's 75 lbs. now! He was topping 45-50 when I left....so he's pretty much a monster now. I am just going to hug and squeeze him for an hour when I see him. I hope and pray that he still knows who I am(he was only 7 mos. when I left). 

I cannot wait until I can smell hay, horse manure, and grain again. I cannot tell you how many nights I've dreamt of laying on a horse's back while it was grazing, how many dreams I've soared over fences and trees on a horse's back. This is perhaps the one thing that truly makes me happy. Everyone needs that one thing that they can rely on - that one thing they know they can do - the one thing that takes them to a place that nothing else can. That is horses for me. A horse resting its chin on my shoulder, a horse whinnying for me, and galloping through an open field are things that brings tears to my eyes remembering how peaceful and content and purely joyful I felt. Thank goodness I'm the Equestrian Director at Camp Wawona this summer! I can be in my "Happy Place" at camp and I'm also working every day with the creatures that understand my soul better than anything else. How lucky am I? Mucho lucky - I'll tell you that!

The countdown is down to 33 days until I see my beautiful Momma. There will be many tears of joy when we see each other. I have missed her more than Cujo, more than horses(which is a WHOLE LOT). My mom is my best friend and we understand each other so well. For example, the other day my mom wrote to me on Skype, "Why do we even talk?" This may not seem very kind or make any sense, but it is because on a daily basis we type the exact same sentence, word for word, at the same time. It doesn't matter the topic, we always say the same thing. It's weird....haha My mom has been there for me in every tough situation and she has been the one in the stands cheering me on in every major life event. She is the one person that I can count on and I am so ecstatic that I am going to be able to share this amazingness with her! I LOVE YOU!

Please pray that all of us can stay strong throughout our time left here. Both because we are yearning for home more than ever, and because we are saddened beyond belief to leave our new home. I know that Mike, Tatiana, Stephanie, Erin, Leah, and Maria are all feeling similar emotions. So please pray for each one of us as we begin the final leg of this amazing race we've been on. I pray that God is blessing your life and that you are loving the winter weather! Temperatures are supposed to be hitting all time highs in March and April. I'll let you know whether or not we make it out alive! 

Peace

Zombie Cockroaches

Story time with Auntie Ashley :o)

It all started when a student asked me about my ID from America. She wanted to see what this so-called "license" looked like. I told her that it was at home and forgot about the conversation until I made it home after kick-boxing class. Of course I hopped in the shower after class to clean up and cool down. Afterward, I randomly thought of my license again. I hadn't seen it in so long, I guess I just wanted to check it to see what it looked like(or rather, what I looked like pre-Thai) :o) I thought it was in my purse(the one from America), so I opened up my wardrobe and reached to the back corner on the bottom shelf. I grabbed my desired object, but apparently had a hitch-hiker. I saw something dark out of the corner of my eye hit the floor and scurry under my desk. "hahaha!", I thought, "your imagination is out of control, Ashley", I thought to myself again. You see, if you know me, you know that I can get a bit carried away with the truth. In my defense, at the time of the situation it really does seem more intense. Immediately sensing my fairytale mind taking over once more(because huge, monstrous, teeth-baring insectogiants were coming to mind) I tried to calm down and tell myself that it was just another small roach. You know, the kind easily removed from the planet by means of "Sole Attack". In other words, a trusty shoe :) After nabbing my broom with my left hand and my shoe with my right, I went in. 

My dirty laundry piles are assembled in the corner near my wardrobe and in front of my desk, so I had to have something long to move the piles out of the way. This is where the broom came in handy. I leaned over and pushed the clothes out of the way - nothing. I bent down and looked at the floor under the desk - still nothing. I was beginning to laugh at myself again for imagining the whole thing when I thought to bend over further. Aha! The little trespasser was on the bottom side of of the last drawer in the desk. And it proved that I wasn't insane - this sucker was HUGE. At least 2 inches long - and you can't convince me that that isn't big....

From there it was a cat and mouse game. He kept crawling around to the back side of the desk and back. So I'd push the desk against the wall in hopes of crushing him, but there he'd be safely under the drawer again. It took so long. I'd shove the end of the broom stick also in hopes of crushing him, but then he'd crawl to the back of the desk again. Finally, I let him go to the back side of the desk. I decided to try and flick him onto the floor beside the desk, in the open. Luckily, this worked! I flicked him and he landed on his back! He was struggling to get right side up, and I realized that I'd have to do something - STAT. He was about to attack! ahhh! I dropped the shoe and, holding the broom handle with both hands, I began hitting him over and over and over. I kept hitting him until I was convinced that he could not twitch again while yelling, "You messed with the wrong apartment, buddy!"(and I'm not kidding). For necessary reasons, I'll tell you that half of his abdomen was not attached to his body and there were body fluids(also referred to as 'guts') spewing onto the floor. I went to get some tissue and wiped him off the floor and threw him in the trash. I was planning on taking him out and throwing him in the outside trash can when I went to get dinner. Of course I forgot.

DUM DUM DUM

When I got home I opened the door to a horrific sight. There was that awful creature perched on the outside of the trash can. Antennas twitching back and forth and all! I was SHOCKED!!!!! I let out a little horrified scream, grabbed the trusty shoe, and lunged at him! Trust me when I say that I can promise that thing isn't coming back! That little devil will not plague the world with his presence ever again.

 Worry not, citizens of Bangkok. I am here. 

No Comprende

It is so stressful sometimes being the only person whose mother tongue is English. You just want people to understand you, and the more you try, the more frustrated you get. Sometimes my students get so frustrated with me because they don’t understand new concepts that I’m teaching them. I can totally understand what they are going through. You try and try, but nothing seems to help. Words are so precious. You can wave your arms about as much as you want, but an idea or a concept is best understood when you speak the same language. You cannot understand how amazing it is to get a napkin when you ask for a napkin.  How easily I know that I will take words for granted when I return to the Land of the Free. I cannot imagine being here alone. I cannot imagine never having an outlet to release to in my own language. Maria, who is from Finland, commented on how frustrated she gets sometimes. Although she knows English as well as we do(and perhaps better in some cases), she still wishes to express herself in Finnish. Of course! That’s to be expected! That’s what she is comfortable with. I feel the same way. There are times when I just want to spout off in English and have just ONE person understand what I’m grasping for. Before you realize it, you’ve become so much more frustrated and angry than you ever anticipated. How silly this is! Something most people don’t ever even encounter, and I struggle with it on hourly basis. Interesting, eh? But something Maria said has stuck with me. She said that no matter how much she wishes she could talk to someone in Finnish and have them comprehend and reply, she can always rely on God. God knows all tongues and is the best listener you could ask for. So, whenever I am frustrated or just feeling misunderstood, I get out my journal. I write to my Father or simply talk out loud to Him. How much better I feel! Even though I doubt that you are struggling with people understanding the literal words that are exiting your mouth, I think it’s safe to assume that there are times when people do not understand your way of thinking. Take it to God. He is the one person who will not only completely understand, but will have the best response you could ask for :o)

Time Flies

As I told you, Stephanie, Rebecca, and myself have undoubtedly been up to no good :o) Sadly, Rebecca has to go home this coming Monday :0( That only gives us 5 more days together. It's hard to believe that she's already been here 2 weeks! Time really has flown by. It has been so nice to have a little bit of America with us :o) Not to mention, she brought 2 cans of Big Franks for us...haha

Speaking of time, do any of you realize that I'll be home in exactly 3 months? This is just pure insanity! I seriously can't believe that my time here will end so soon. In some ways I am elated to think about going home, but in others I am saddened beyond belief to realize that my precious home here will have to be abandoned. Enough of the Debbie Downer act, I've still got 3 months, and I will enjoy it to the fullest! 

Here's a few pics of us girls up to no good! : Yeah, these top pictures are of us standing by the bug cart....they eat fried bugs....yummy? NOT! Not that we tried them or anything....

Rebecca(a.k.a. "Binga") IS HERE!!!!!!!

Here are a couple pics of our time with Reb so far :o) :

This is us on the ferry back to the mainland...we be silly

So it wouldn't let me add another pic to this post. The pic of us at the airport should be to your left....with my other gadgets on the left of the page. Sorry bout that.

OK.....I'll add more later - the internet is being SUPER testy....like a crazy, angry monkey......only I would compare internet access to a monkey......

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)~