"A Gecko Fell On My Head Last Night"

Sawat de Kah (Hello)!



Life has been rather hectic around here but lovely. The pace is really picking up, therefore I'm really being challenged. Our schedules are lined up all day and by evening we are exhausted but that is my time to practice Thai or go to a Thai class, practice guitar, read, prepare lessons, do a devotional, research, etc. I think it is important to have many little goals and achievements that accompanies one enriching goal. I'm still in the process of trying to find a cheap guitar to buy but until then have been using the other volunteers. My goal is to be able to sing with the children and teach them english songs in the Classroom. Everyone connects through music. My Thai is coming along, although very difficult and frustrating sometimes just like any other language. I try to practice everyday and can speak conversationally now. Just finished reading a book recommended to me by a friend back home, Nicole Gallego. It is Called "The Road of Lost Innocence" by Somaly Mam. It is fabulous! Although very difficult to read as it makes you very sad but it is reality for too many so it should hurt. I think it's important to be aware. It is about a cambodian woman affected by the Khmer Rouge being tossed around in the sex slave circle. Raped, beaten, deceived and sold for what seems like a million times. Eventually she manages to get out of the Brothels and creates a new spirit for herself. She eventually goes back and begins saving other girls as young as 5 years old (some sold at the age of 3). It's also very prevalent in Thailand and impossible to ignore. I would recommend this book to everyone although I suggest reading it rather quickly as it can be heavy on the heart.

VISITING WITH "AUNTIE", ONE OF OUR ELDERS HERE. WE VISIT WITH HER A FEW TIMES EVERY WEEK IN THE MORNINGS. SHE IS A CHARACTER! BLIND AND CAN ONLY HEAR OUT OF ONE HEAR SO YOU LITERALLY HAVE TO LEAN OVER HER AND SCREAM INTO HER HEAR! SHE DOESN'T LIKE MY NAME BECAUSE SHE CAN'T PRONOUNCE IT. SHE KEPT CALLING ME "CARTOON" THIS VISIT. SHE ASKS QUESTIONS ABOUT EVERYTHING IN MY LIFE! WHO ARE MY PARENTS. WHAT DO MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS DO. DO THEY LIKE SPICY FOOD. WHAT ARE YOU STUDYING. WHY AREN'T YOU MARRIED! THE WHOLE WORKS. SHE IS TRULY A DELIGHT AND ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF MY DAY AS I KNOW WE ARE TO HERS AS WELL.


Last Saturday was Loy Krathong and it is one of the biggest holidays in Thailand. It was so neat to spend a holiday in another country. Everyone was all dressed up and the children and disabled were out and competing in the beauty, dance & singing contests. We blessed our Krathongs and sent them off into the water to say thanks to the water goddess. Part of the Buddist belief. Very interesting actually because in my opinion there is irony. They say sorry to the Goddess of water for polluting yet the beaches are FULL of trash and the water is like a mine of trash. I can't even swim in it yet I'm so disguisted but they continue to trash their country and apologize about it on this day. I find it frustrating but it's culture for them. The Thai's have this "Out of sight, not my problem" attitude. So as long as the garbage is out of their house it is fine so they throw their garbage into the streets and ocean where they can't see it rather than just finding a garbage sometimes. Here is the update on the Father Ray website about the festival, a picture of me holding a Krathong was actually posted:

http://www.fr-ray.org/home/?menu=news&news_id=1000679&read=y

ONE OF MY OWN PICTURES. SENDING OFF THE KRATHONG INTO THE LAKE AFTER LIGHTING THE INCENSE AND CANDLES. THE FISH LIKE TO EAT THE BOTTOM.


I have been having a hard time sleeping and one of the volunteers from Australia, Natasha gave me some relaxing music and showed me some techniques to calm myself down at night. This seemed to help and right now, anything that helps is very much appreciated. Finally at 3 in the morning I was able to fall asleep BUT at 5 in the morning I was woken up by a Gecko!!! It fell on my head in the middle of the night and I reached back and felt it in my hair! I was terrified and startled and jumped out of bed and turned off the lights but he was gone! This kept me up for another hour just to wake up again at 7:30 again to begin my. I think he is the one who has been crawling into the shower with me sometimes. Perhaps there are many in my room! I don't know. I don't really like them in my room but I guess I'm just going to have to make peace with the Gecko's. I'll warm up to the other critters later. They like to surprise you and I'm not fond of surprises...like that!! Yesterday we were walking back from folding newsletters for supporters and stuffing envelopes (8,000 of them) and a snake fell right out of a tree in front of us! Scared us and especially my friend, Qiong. She was not pleased but oh well. Anyways, I also had my first day of teaching today at the Children's Village, which was lovely. I will have them every week for the next 5 months. We went over how to greet and introduce yourself and then figured out what day was today and went over months, seasons, days of the week. We then played hangman and they loved it! We used different countries around the world as an intro to us. Teaching is an amazing thing! Educating is a beautiful thing! The other teachers and I were so excited when we were done we kept talking about the kids and what we could work on next week and what we observed. They want to learn so bad! They are so excited when we come! It's fascinating watching them put sentences together and uplifting to help them, encourage them and pronounce words correctly. What is so second nature to us is so difficult to them, yet such a desire.

We also went to the "School for the Blind" Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesdays we sit down and do a conversational session with them which is so fun and amazing what they are capable of. On Wednesday we took the little ones to swim. We each had a blind child and went into the water with them teaching them how to swim. It was pure craziness but one of the most memorable things I have done yet! These children are so encouraging to us! They swim around bumping into each other but they always come out OK. we tried to protect them at first but then I think realized that they are not going to learn unless you let them hurt themselves a few times. Isn't that life? Instead of living in fear of this world and their next step in front of them, they are out taking risks every second of everyday and truly pursuing to live their lives to the fullest. They do everything we do, just a little differently. Watching them persist chaotically in the pool was a beautiful sight and made me realize how much we should learn from them.

Sometimes, we have to step aside and view life through a different pair of frames enable to grasp what the world truly has to offer and take nothing for granted.