I’m sitting here at a little coffee stand. I just bought 2 batik scarves (for Joanna, of course). And I’m sipping on a cappuccino (the coffee here is so good) in the less busy part of the night bazaar. Light rain. No need for the poncho. :)
JOY.
It was fun but oh so tiring doing errands in the rain. But the three girls are so much fun. I have a cute video of them singing “Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord” in English. During the chorus, they just sing some nonsensical nonsense, haha. I’ll post the video soon, don’t worry.
I’m alone now. It feels really good to just do my own thing. But when I got dropped off at the hotel and went to my room, all I wanted to do was talk to my mom. As I’ve been through so much this past week, there’s tons on my heart & mind, and I just needed to know that the people I love are still the same & affirming what I’m doing.
It’s good for my heart to change, but I also need to know that my family hasn’t changed. I need to know that they’re still here. So all of a sudden, there was this huge urgency to call Mom. I go across the street to the row of telephones, but my calling card doesn’t work. And so I finally decide to use my credit card—I don’t care how much it costs per minute!—in there, but that doesn’t even work! “Credit card incorrectly inserted”…all 4 ways?? Really?
Panic. I go & get some Thai officer standing nearby, and he just comes and pushes all these buttons. All of a sudden, I hear English through the phone. Such a lovely sound!! After messing up my billing zip code, I finally heard the rings & then…Mom.
What relief. I just babbled on & on & on as I pushed my tears back into hiding. Oh such joy.
It’s 8:10pm now. The fam’s gonna call me at my hotel room in 30 minutes, and I’m just going to sit here & be.
Monday, July 6, 2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!
Mom, I got you a birthday card last night. It was only 10 Baht, but there’s a flower on it. And it was hand-made. Not by me, though (which is probably a good thing).
It just occurred to me that I haven’t looked in a mirror in years, it seems. Until today. It was weird. I just use the kids as my mirror. If they’re clean, then I assume I’m clean. If they’re dirty, then I figure I should wash up a little.
Uncle Sam left this morning. Tete & her husband drove us to the airport & off he went. Sad. :(
We then went to pick up three little 8 yr old girls. You-pee, You-pah, and Lah-lee-dah. That’s not actually how you spell their names, but that’s how you pronounce them. You-pee & You-pah are twins. They were dropped off at the center when they were infants, and the staff here raised them. We don’t know where their parents are, but they’re definitely in a good place here. And just so you know, they’re girls. You’ll think their boys in my pictures, but they’re girls. And sweet ones. Lah-lee-dah is Tete’s niece. Her parents live down the road, and they’re also closely involved with the HRDC.
We went to the airport mall. I got some nail polish to take back to Musekee; I’m planning a girls night! :) The three girls were mesmerized by the escalators and elevators and…the automatic sink. They’d keep slapping their hand on the top of the faucet & were so confused when no water came out. Then the automatic hand dryer. What a hit! Hysterical.
Then off to the Chiang Mai Zoo…the kids kept saying “Pan-dahh!!”, & there were banners all over advertising it, but we never actually saw a pandahhh. But the zoo is not wheelchair friendly. It’s barely traction-less shoes friendly. Oye. But Lah-lee-dah kept turning back & holding out her hand for me to take as we walked on the slippery paths. And she’d point at patches of grass or a dry stone for me to step on. Precious.
We’re in the middle of doing errand upon errand. Gotta get those kids some sweet curry chicken!
It just occurred to me that I haven’t looked in a mirror in years, it seems. Until today. It was weird. I just use the kids as my mirror. If they’re clean, then I assume I’m clean. If they’re dirty, then I figure I should wash up a little.
Uncle Sam left this morning. Tete & her husband drove us to the airport & off he went. Sad. :(
We then went to pick up three little 8 yr old girls. You-pee, You-pah, and Lah-lee-dah. That’s not actually how you spell their names, but that’s how you pronounce them. You-pee & You-pah are twins. They were dropped off at the center when they were infants, and the staff here raised them. We don’t know where their parents are, but they’re definitely in a good place here. And just so you know, they’re girls. You’ll think their boys in my pictures, but they’re girls. And sweet ones. Lah-lee-dah is Tete’s niece. Her parents live down the road, and they’re also closely involved with the HRDC.
We went to the airport mall. I got some nail polish to take back to Musekee; I’m planning a girls night! :) The three girls were mesmerized by the escalators and elevators and…the automatic sink. They’d keep slapping their hand on the top of the faucet & were so confused when no water came out. Then the automatic hand dryer. What a hit! Hysterical.
Then off to the Chiang Mai Zoo…the kids kept saying “Pan-dahh!!”, & there were banners all over advertising it, but we never actually saw a pandahhh. But the zoo is not wheelchair friendly. It’s barely traction-less shoes friendly. Oye. But Lah-lee-dah kept turning back & holding out her hand for me to take as we walked on the slippery paths. And she’d point at patches of grass or a dry stone for me to step on. Precious.
We’re in the middle of doing errand upon errand. Gotta get those kids some sweet curry chicken!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Khawp Khun MAHK MAHK Kah
I’m waiting at a massage place for Uncle Sam. I just got my hair shampooed, conditioned, and styled. All I really care about is the shampoo, though. I could’ve walked out of there once the lather & rinse part was done. But it’s a big plus that my whole head is clean—like my ears. My ears feel so light and airy. And the blow dry & styling goop were just something special. I feel tons better.
I just waltzed right in, and the shampoo lady & I had a great conversation. Talking is therapeutic. I understand why people pay big $$$ to lay on a couch & talk. I haven’t actually had a for real conversation with more than 3 people in the last week, but I’ve been experiencing so much. So it was nice to talk a million words per minute with a stranger.
I also got a poncho. One of those long, thin plastic ones that cover you like a bed sheet. Yes. Great invention.
At dinner, we had the same vegetable that we had this afternoon at the village…I guess it’s called “morning star” in English. Yum. I also decided that I’m gonna start eating hot chili. To kill any brewing diseases. I’m not sure if it actually works (after all, I’m not a doctor!), but I’m definitely a victim of self-hypnosis. I learned about this at a conference I went to this past winter about alternative medicine. I totally can make myself feel better & healthier by saying things like, “Jessica, just put hot sauce on it. It kills bacteria & viruses.” I can also make myself feel symptoms. If someone complains of a sore throat, I always get a sore throat. Immediately. If someone’s head hurts, all of a sudden my head hurts. Self-hypnosis. It’s only good when used properly.
I just need to always think positively. I guess prayer’s probably better, but positive thinking’s good too.
I just waltzed right in, and the shampoo lady & I had a great conversation. Talking is therapeutic. I understand why people pay big $$$ to lay on a couch & talk. I haven’t actually had a for real conversation with more than 3 people in the last week, but I’ve been experiencing so much. So it was nice to talk a million words per minute with a stranger.
I also got a poncho. One of those long, thin plastic ones that cover you like a bed sheet. Yes. Great invention.
At dinner, we had the same vegetable that we had this afternoon at the village…I guess it’s called “morning star” in English. Yum. I also decided that I’m gonna start eating hot chili. To kill any brewing diseases. I’m not sure if it actually works (after all, I’m not a doctor!), but I’m definitely a victim of self-hypnosis. I learned about this at a conference I went to this past winter about alternative medicine. I totally can make myself feel better & healthier by saying things like, “Jessica, just put hot sauce on it. It kills bacteria & viruses.” I can also make myself feel symptoms. If someone complains of a sore throat, I always get a sore throat. Immediately. If someone’s head hurts, all of a sudden my head hurts. Self-hypnosis. It’s only good when used properly.
I just need to always think positively. I guess prayer’s probably better, but positive thinking’s good too.
I'm Down
We’re (We=Uncle Sam & I) sitting at a restaurant having cappuccinos. Highlight of my day. There are currently no bugs, there’s a breeze, and there’s shelter from the pounding rain. Goodness. Otherwise, I’m down. This rain is just horrible, and I barely made it here as the Chiang Mai ‘sidewalks’ are dangerously slippery and narrow. It’s dark & gloomy. And it’s dirty. I feel gross. I’m caked in nastiness from sliding around the village, and I haven’t actually cleansed my whole body since my first night in Hong Kong. Ugh.
On the outside, I’m fine. No negative words have left my mouth, and I really should have nothing negative to say. I just feel nasty.
We passed by a place, and these words caught my eye: Shampoo, head massage, blow dry…100 Baht. Okay. I REALLY want that. That’s all I can think about.
And it doesn’t help that Uncle Sam is recalling all his bad experiences around the world. We passed by a skewer stand, and he said he doesn’t eat those anymore because they once gave him so much diarrhea that he almost died. And then there’s the story about staying at a place in the mountains of some poor country with no electricity or running water and how they had to sleep on the floor in nastiness. Extra ugh. Ugh!
I’m just down. And I hate feeling this way. But it totally helps to keep praying. Each word uttered to Heaven takes some specks of dirt off of me.
On the outside, I’m fine. No negative words have left my mouth, and I really should have nothing negative to say. I just feel nasty.
We passed by a place, and these words caught my eye: Shampoo, head massage, blow dry…100 Baht. Okay. I REALLY want that. That’s all I can think about.
And it doesn’t help that Uncle Sam is recalling all his bad experiences around the world. We passed by a skewer stand, and he said he doesn’t eat those anymore because they once gave him so much diarrhea that he almost died. And then there’s the story about staying at a place in the mountains of some poor country with no electricity or running water and how they had to sleep on the floor in nastiness. Extra ugh. Ugh!
I’m just down. And I hate feeling this way. But it totally helps to keep praying. Each word uttered to Heaven takes some specks of dirt off of me.
ARE YOU DELICIOUS??
“Are you delicious?” <--Just popped into my head. The other day, Tanin told me how he used to ask the visitors, “Are you delicious?” (All in reference to the meal they just ate.) It wasn’t until several “Are you delicious?” utterings later that someone corrected him. Do you think the food is delicious?
We left this morning for Chiang-Mai. We made some unexpected (well, unexpected to me, planned for Tete & her husband) stops along the way. After driving a couple hours on a dirt road, we arrive at a village that’s part of the HRDC. Maedet Village. We walk up these dangerous wooden steps (all the wooden steps here are ‘dangerous’) into a room with pews and an altar.
We’re at church.
What an experience! Tete translated a bit, but it was as if we didn’t need it. I could feel the songs sung by the people (the Karen people LOVE music, so it’s been really musically satisfying here) and the words just fill my heart. And the people are beyond welcoming. I can’t get enough of it. During the service, we introduced ourselves. And at the very end, Uncle Sam gave the closing prayer. In Cantonese. I’ll just describe this experience as “cool”.
We just had lunch at the ‘house’ across the street. Some people who used to live at the children’s home in Musekee came here after they graduated. They’re developing this village and are supported by a church in the states—the church helps them with rent, etc. They cooked our food in this huge pot over a fire; it was surreal. Uncle Sam said, “I’ve never even experienced something like this before.” And he’s done a lot!
The people here have everything. They grow what they eat; they don’t need money to survive.
Oh, it’s pouring rain right now. And I’m wearing stupid Old Navy flip flops. I thought I’d be sitting in a car all day, not walking up muddy slip sliding hills. This aspect of village life is getting old!
We left this morning for Chiang-Mai. We made some unexpected (well, unexpected to me, planned for Tete & her husband) stops along the way. After driving a couple hours on a dirt road, we arrive at a village that’s part of the HRDC. Maedet Village. We walk up these dangerous wooden steps (all the wooden steps here are ‘dangerous’) into a room with pews and an altar.
We’re at church.
What an experience! Tete translated a bit, but it was as if we didn’t need it. I could feel the songs sung by the people (the Karen people LOVE music, so it’s been really musically satisfying here) and the words just fill my heart. And the people are beyond welcoming. I can’t get enough of it. During the service, we introduced ourselves. And at the very end, Uncle Sam gave the closing prayer. In Cantonese. I’ll just describe this experience as “cool”.
We just had lunch at the ‘house’ across the street. Some people who used to live at the children’s home in Musekee came here after they graduated. They’re developing this village and are supported by a church in the states—the church helps them with rent, etc. They cooked our food in this huge pot over a fire; it was surreal. Uncle Sam said, “I’ve never even experienced something like this before.” And he’s done a lot!
The people here have everything. They grow what they eat; they don’t need money to survive.
Oh, it’s pouring rain right now. And I’m wearing stupid Old Navy flip flops. I thought I’d be sitting in a car all day, not walking up muddy slip sliding hills. This aspect of village life is getting old!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Stupid Old Navy Flip Flops
I taught the primary kids a song today. Not as hard as I thought it'd be, seeing as they didn't understand what they were singing! But it had motions, and we had a blast. Uncle Sam & I then thought up games off the top of our heads. We had another hurdle to jump over in trying to explain directions, but oh such fun!! Some of the kids, like Saksiy, also wanted to do more origami. :) So we set up an origami station and made lions, tigers, and... elephants. Waraporn, the sweetheart, made a boat. Then she drew a girl, cut her out, put her in the boat. Made a paddle and a purse, and said, "Go to America!!" At first, the boat was on the table. Then she got a blue piece of paper and put the boat there. Then we all came up with the [brilliant] idea...what about real water? So the boat was floating in real water for awhile, heading to America, before it started to sink.
Tete, her husband, another woman, Uncle Sam, and I also went to a rice paddy today. We were scoping out the paddy that the HRDC owns & looking for its water source. The person who owns the paddy above ours doesn't take good care of it, so water isn't going down into our land. But in order to get to the water source, we went on quite a trek weaving through craziness. Old Navy flip flops just don't work. I was sliding all around & almost fell into the stream 3 times. (At two of the crossings, there was only one thin piece of wood for us to step on...whoa, right?)
What an experience.
Then we drove on the bumpyyy dirt road to another village to visit with Tete's friend. Saw coffee trees, jackfruit trees, PIGS!, everything it seems. As we went back up the path, we saw Tete's husband visiting with a random family. The Karen people are so laid back and hospitable. I mean, they spend their days growing what they need to eat and enjoying life. There were 3 or 4 generations under this little wooden apparatus, and one of them was a true authentic Karen grandma. I mean, if you Google "Karen tribe, Thailand", you'll see her. She's 100. And just the sweetest lady ever. We took pictures with her, and when we found out she's 100, we all did a thumbs up. :)
They also served us tea. Tasty. But the people here don't exactly use soap. So it was mostly just hot water & fingers cleaning out the cups. I took two sips. I really only should've taken one, but I took the second one to make sure the taste was a finger-induced saltiness & not the natural taste of the tea. Ha. It was tasty enough to take the chance.
Tete, her husband, another woman, Uncle Sam, and I also went to a rice paddy today. We were scoping out the paddy that the HRDC owns & looking for its water source. The person who owns the paddy above ours doesn't take good care of it, so water isn't going down into our land. But in order to get to the water source, we went on quite a trek weaving through craziness. Old Navy flip flops just don't work. I was sliding all around & almost fell into the stream 3 times. (At two of the crossings, there was only one thin piece of wood for us to step on...whoa, right?)
What an experience.
Then we drove on the bumpyyy dirt road to another village to visit with Tete's friend. Saw coffee trees, jackfruit trees, PIGS!, everything it seems. As we went back up the path, we saw Tete's husband visiting with a random family. The Karen people are so laid back and hospitable. I mean, they spend their days growing what they need to eat and enjoying life. There were 3 or 4 generations under this little wooden apparatus, and one of them was a true authentic Karen grandma. I mean, if you Google "Karen tribe, Thailand", you'll see her. She's 100. And just the sweetest lady ever. We took pictures with her, and when we found out she's 100, we all did a thumbs up. :)
They also served us tea. Tasty. But the people here don't exactly use soap. So it was mostly just hot water & fingers cleaning out the cups. I took two sips. I really only should've taken one, but I took the second one to make sure the taste was a finger-induced saltiness & not the natural taste of the tea. Ha. It was tasty enough to take the chance.
Tanin & Akhom
Last night, I shared my story. The kids have "Worship" after dinner every night, where they meet in this big room and spend time together. One kid leads worship each day, which is incredible. They do the Korean-style praying, and their hearts are totally in it. Completely.
There are two full-time staff workers for the kids--Tanin & Akhom. They're on 24/7. I don't know how they do it. The other day, Tanin asked if I would share something with the kids. He wants to practice translating & also wants the kids to get to know me better. It was fun. I'll probably be speaking to the kids about twice a week with my trusty translator. :)
But seriously. Tanin & Akhom. They're not much older than me, but they're essentially raising 45 kids. Ahkom really wants to go to college, and he's hoping that Tete will be able to find someone/people to support him. They wake up when the kids wake up (5:30am...I guess this is when I wake up too), help serve breakfast, work in the fields/just do work in general, play with the kids, love the kids. And Tanin's enrolled in college right now, doing a lot of computer homework and taking the occasional online test. WOW.
Uncle Sam & I helped out with the dinner preparations. He helped the girls prepare the big pot of food, and we both helped serve the rice & meat/veggies/whatever it was on their aluminum plates. It was fun. :)
"Tuh soy". My new favorite phrase. One of the girls, Waraporn, taught it to me today. We all speak different languages, but it's so cool how you don't necessarily need words to grow close to people. You don't need words to love someone. And you don't need words to be loved by someone. So we went around saying "tuh soy" as fast as we could & as many times as possible.
It means, "You are beautiful."
There are two full-time staff workers for the kids--Tanin & Akhom. They're on 24/7. I don't know how they do it. The other day, Tanin asked if I would share something with the kids. He wants to practice translating & also wants the kids to get to know me better. It was fun. I'll probably be speaking to the kids about twice a week with my trusty translator. :)
But seriously. Tanin & Akhom. They're not much older than me, but they're essentially raising 45 kids. Ahkom really wants to go to college, and he's hoping that Tete will be able to find someone/people to support him. They wake up when the kids wake up (5:30am...I guess this is when I wake up too), help serve breakfast, work in the fields/just do work in general, play with the kids, love the kids. And Tanin's enrolled in college right now, doing a lot of computer homework and taking the occasional online test. WOW.
Uncle Sam & I helped out with the dinner preparations. He helped the girls prepare the big pot of food, and we both helped serve the rice & meat/veggies/whatever it was on their aluminum plates. It was fun. :)
"Tuh soy". My new favorite phrase. One of the girls, Waraporn, taught it to me today. We all speak different languages, but it's so cool how you don't necessarily need words to grow close to people. You don't need words to love someone. And you don't need words to be loved by someone. So we went around saying "tuh soy" as fast as we could & as many times as possible.
It means, "You are beautiful."
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