Health...

Ok...so I have had one of the most interesting/difficult weeks thus far. Basically, I had some serious stomach problems that just weren't getting fixed and after a series of different and horrible experiences (if you want more detail just email me and ask) the doctor discovered that I have some hyper acid something...kind of like an ulcer, or maybe it is an ulcer. I'm not sure. Anyway, I'm currently on medication for it and have been feeling better but I feel that I still have a long way to go. It's crazy how open I've had to be with people about this...they talk quite freely about things that we so often try to hide. In fact, sometimes the first questions people ask me now is how my stomach is and I have to give them the full update. Kind of funny and kind of humbling for a westerner...we love to keep up our image don't we...? Anyway, if you guys could please pray for me in that I would really appreciate it. I would love to be at full health, and fully functioning once again. Thanks...

Glai...the Bane of my Existence

Imagine with me, if you will, knowing a word whose counterpart happens to be the exact same word only said with a different tone. This is "glai". This word said in a mid tone means "far"...this same word said with a falling tone means "near". "Glai" rhymes with "sly" or "die" which is what you feel about the word when misunderstanding happens (which it does).

Allow me to relay to you my Sunday evening...currently in Bangkok there are the University Games taking place. This is an international competition with the best athletes from each nation coming to represent their countries in a variety of sports. It's basically the olypics of the university world. A friend and I decided to check out the volleyball and went to watch the Canada vs. France match (seriously awesome!!! Canada won!) but this venue happened to be quite far outside of the city and our taxi there was costly. After the match was over we spent about an hour wandering around asking people where we could catch a mini van back into Bangkok, each of them telling us to go somewhere else. Eventually, we got stuck in a taxi and were heading off in the direction of Bangkok...the very thing we didn't want to do. (This is where "the word" comes in)...the taxi driver mentions where he is taking us, and this happens to be a place that I am familiar with. In my mind, it was much farther than we wanted to go in a cab, so I asked the driver, "Which is closer? Future Park (where we were going), or Mochit (where we could go to catch a sky train)?" (future glai gwaa mochit may kha?), to which he answered "mochit". So, I tell the driver that that is now where we want to go. Without any explanation, he stops the car, waves down another taxi and begins the process of transferring us. At this point, I am so confused that I am not going anywhere until I gain some level of understanding! Again, I use that confusing little word and eventually resort to hand gestures only to discover that Future Park is directly in front of us. We were literally almost in the parking lot. Even though I was really conscious of the tone that I was using it didn't seem to matter. Glai was glai and so was I.

The Joys of Travel

Thank you all for your patience and faithfulness to the blog, as I have been tardy in my updates. I could make excuses, but instead I will not. Again, thank you for continually checking.

Anyway, this last weekend was a long one as I had to make a journey out to the western part of Thailand (for those of you who received my newsletter, you will notice my mistake when I said I would be going east to Burma...haha. Way to go Jessica!) for a visa run. It took me 7 hours to get there with every connection happening quickly and smoothly. I had the great priviledge of being able to connect with a few friends out there, enjoy an amazing hamburger (which are a rarity out here), and have hot showers (no hot water heater in my house). It was a great time of getting away, meeting people and experiencing life on the border. It's a different world over there! Plus it's cold (I suppose that's relative, but I got lots of use out of my hoodie and jeans).

My journey back proved to be somewhat different than my one going out...I took a van from Mae Sot to Tak which took about 2 hours, and from there I caught a bus to Nakhon Sawon. I finally arrived around 6pm and was hoping to catch a bus to Lop Buri from there, but to my dismay there were no more buses running that evening. I caught a motorcycle taxi to the train station only to find that the last and only train going to Lop Buri was at 10pm. So, being as I had no choice, I bought a ticket and waited my alloted 4 hours only to find out that the train was delayed by an hour. Now you have to understand that here in Thailand, a woman travelling alone is somewhat unheard of. It always surprises/worries them when they see it and so they make a special effort to care for and protect the lone ranger, which happened to be me. As I sat there (making crossword puzzles to stave off the boredom), at least 3 different women approached me and told me that it's dangerous for me to travel alone...a little late now if I may say so, but sweet nonetheless. My train finally left a little after 11pm and my lady friends made sure I was on it and had a seat. I arrived in Lop Buri just after 2am. Literally 14 hours of travel, and double the time it took me to get to Mae Sot! One girl that I met on the train offered me a ride home in her car and took me to straight to my door. I was really grateful for that after all the talk of danger...

I am home now and don't plan on travelling for at least a little while...my faith in Thailand's transit system needs some time.