Well hello, so nice to be back on this blog of mine. I have been procrastinating writing this blog for a while now.
A very Merry Christmas
My Christmas and New years away from Canada was very relaxing. I have to admit I did the miss the delicious food, the time with family, but I was happy to feel no stress about gift buying, gift receiving, christmas plans... ect. I think I learnt that the most important thing about christmas is not about the gifts, food or snow. Its about family, and good food! haha I was thinking how neat it is to travel around christmas time. I wonder where next year will take me. New Years was great because I climbed up to the top floor in my new house and watched the fireworks from the roof. I did the countdown alone and had a really awesome time! I love knowing that no matter where you are you have a friend.. yourself! :)
A village visit
A friendly teacher at school gave me a call a few days after new years and invited me to meet her family at her village. I took the chance and got to go travelling! It was great to get out of the city again. We arrived on the 1st and in Thailand this is a special day to donate money. This village in particular were donating money to the local school but you could choose to donate it to the temple as well. It was amazing because it seeemed everyone in the village was digging in their pockets to find money. Whether it was 20, 50, 100 or even 1000. All the money was pinned to a triangle shaped obejct which was carried in a parade to the school. The parade was already fairly large when I arrived and most of they had already had their new years celebration drinks so the crowd was a little rowdier than usual. They were dancing, laughing and having a great time! After the excitement died down a bit we walked over the school where I was introduced to what seemed like the whole village and then invited to eat lunch. After eating we headed to a temple which was very small. There was only one monk! I was so interested to see that because I have only seen a minimum of 30 or 50 in Udon! We got a tour afterwards of the surrounding area by a very cute thai boy who is studying engineering in bangkok. He was teaching us how to cut open the rubber trees, and cut down sugar cane. I enjoyed a nice nature walk as well. We spent the night at the village and went back to Udon the next day because my teacher had to teach. It was short but a nice trip!
Well I am now with my third host family. They are a family of 4. Their two daughter are away at school. One on exchange in USAand one is now in Bangkok working. The home I am in now is a tall building and is currently right in front of a cafe. I have probablygotten my fair share of "cappucino ron". A 1$ a cup its hard to resist. My last 2 months here have gone so quick its almost unreal.At times it feels I am not even foreign anymore. I understand the Thai culture and its so exciting.
In about 3 weeks we will be out of scI went to a restaurant withb ny host dad when I got back. I had said how much I loved sushi and he suggested we go. When we got there my host dad ordered and when the order came my mouth began to water. It looked as if the sashimi was alive it was so fresh. I drank a delicious green tea to "clear my tastebuds". All I could say the whole meal was mmmmmm, mmmmmmm ,mmmmmm!! Too bad it wasn't so expensive or I would be there every other day!
School's almost out for the summer.
Although they will be the scorching hot months I will be sure to stay busy and do my best to travel around. I have been involved with a group of people who volunteer building mud houses ~ban deen~ for the poor. I have now been to 2 seminars and am amazed at how easy it is. This type of building could be of use to anyone because it is sturdy, warm in the winter (Thai winter), and cool in the hot months. At the seminar we learnt how to make homes out of mud, cement, and water. Also we were introduced to a new technique this past weekend which uses regular hay, dirt, animal poop, and sand. It was such a greatidea to create such a natural home. I have been speaking with my host dad and their is a school nearby Udon that does not have enough classrooms for their students. He sent me a picture of their cafeteria and it consists of 4 wooden poles and a blue tarp to protect the students from rain. I felt that with this new skill I could build the proper room or rooms they would need to have a better time at school. Its been great so far because I have realized how easy it can be to help others. You do not need to be an expert to at something to help.
A Good friend
While I have been here in Udon I feel very lucky because I have met alot of great people. Thai, and foreign. There is one girl in particularwho I have become close friends with. She lives nearby the central park so I often drop in for a cup of tea and a good talk. She has been my thai tudor ever since I came, a friend suggested I call her. She speaks english very well so usually we speak a mixed language of english and thai "tinglish". She is a huge fan of tennis but because of a hip problem she is no longer able to play. We both like to watch Nedal play on TV. She usually has some sort of delicious baked pastry ready from the oven to taste too! Aroi dee.
Haiti
The horrible events in Haiti have shaken not only their country but the world. It was incredible to me how many countries have come together to help with the events of the earthquake. I remember a few days after it happened I looked at a clip on CBC and I had never seen anything like that. I began to cry, and realized how lucky I am. I feel sad that so many people's lives have been taken from these events and my prayersgo their families, and friends that are still managing to survive. I feel as if I want to go there and help but know right now is not my time. While the world shines light on Haiti.
