End of Semester Party

Before finals started, my team & I wanted to throw a party for all of friends. The goal of the party was to de-stress and to just hang out with friends as well as to encourage our students to stay firm in their walk with God while home for October break.


June & Beer playing Wii Tennis


May & Rain doing a little boxing


Hall, Me, & Eve


Vinnie & Bask

My Birthday

My B'day was way back in September, but I just wanted to post a few pics from the event.


My team!! We had a little party with chocolate cake--it was amazing.


Tricia got me my favorite gum from America. I was really excited!


Bow & Rain singing some Avril. We went to Wiang Inn Hotel for some karaoke fun. It was a great time full of Thai and English songs.


I had a great Birthday and am so blessed to have such a great team to share my special day with.

Sidenote: the very day after my B'day Tricia and few of the girls got really sick with fever and cough, and then I got sick and then 3 more. The total count of sick friends from my celebration = 7 !! Probably due to sharing mics--gross!

Myanmar aka Burma

Well last week my visa expired, so I had to leave the country of Thailand and re-enter to get a 30 day tourist visa. The nearest boarder is Myanmar. Myanmar is not considered the safest country by any means. In fact according to the 2007 International Transparency Perceptions Index Myanmar is tied with Somalia as the most corrupt nations in the world. http://www.infoplease.com/world/statistics/2007-transparency-international-corruption-perceptions.html

But we were fine. We drove 30 minutes north to Mae Sai, parked the truck, hit up 7-eleven, and then walked through all the security to the other side of the border. We had to pay the Myanmar government 500 baht($15) to enter their country. Then we had to go into this special room where they stamped our passports, then took our pictures with a webcam, and then kept our passports until we were ready to cross back into Thailand. We went to the market where one can find a smorgasbord of pirated goods. Gucci and Prada bags, cell phones, Lacoste polos, and of course DVDs for 40 baht each($1.16). The Friends 10 season set was available for only 1000 baht! While there, I was asked about a 25 times if I wanted to buy cigarettes. Interesting, because I never saw anyone there actually smoking.


About to enter the Union of Myanmar. We're a little nervous at this point.


A tiny section of the HUGE market


The Golden Triangle is where Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet.


The usual transportation.


Tricia and I being tourists.

Midterm Return

Last week all of the students had midterm tests, projects, presentations, etc. The stress level was high to say the least. My team and I are taking a Thai Conversation for Daily Life. As one would assume we practice conversation. However, our midterm test was a written exam, not in Thai letters, but in phonetics which includes tone marks. I thought it was quite a challenging test. Had I not taken Thai last year, I think I would have failed!

Today after the lesson our Ajaan said, "Ok, now you will get marks for the middle exam." How do you think this is supposed to go? She passes back the tests, we look at them, compare with our neighbor, ask questions, and then give them back to the teacher. FALSE!! Our teacher straight up said our name and then our grade! In front of the whole class! That's illegal in America right? We could not believe that the whole class could hear our grades. We even heard the grades of the students who were absent. Weird right? Since we heard all of the grades, I would like to say that about half the class failed. Not like they made a 58%, but closer to a 30%. Crazy!

Another interesting thing I learned on Monday: When families have a baby they don't name them at the hospital. They take their child to the temple to have a Buddhist monk give them a "special name." A girl named Kung shared this information with me and also told me that many, if not most, Thai people are named like this. Apparently, that's why their names are 15 letters long.

Please pray for our friend Kung and that she may come to know the one true God of the Bible. Also, pray for our classmates that will have to take the retest.

PS if you're wondering, the highest grade on the test was an 89%, and it wasn't me!

Rainy Season in Sii Chomphuu

So the rainy season. It began at the end of May and will continue through September and lighten up in October. July has been amazingly rainy! But what's crazy is we still see the sun almost everyday. These huge rain clouds come out of nowhere and then torrential rain pours down from the sky. Now, Thailand is not like Florida with predictable afternoon showers. No, the rain comes anytime of day or night. And sometimes it rains for hours, sometimes with wind, and sometimes with heat. The only thing certain is that the carrying of an umbrella is essential.



Sii Chomphuu means the color pink in Thai. We call our mubaan or neighborhood pink because not only are the outsides of our homes pink, but also ALL of the tile inside. Monochromatic color schemes are always acceptable in Thailand.

MFLU

Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand

MFLU is named after the King's Mother to show the Thai people's love and respect for the Princess Mother.

-About 5,000 students are enrolled.
-25 bachelor programs, 18 master's programs, 7 doctorate programs.
-English is the main teaching language, except for the Law program, and of course Chinese and Thai language programs.
-University colors are Red for the Princess Mother, and Gold representing unlimited prosperity
-It is located about 40 minutes north of downtown Chiang Rai
-MFU is celebrating it's 10th year this year.


Main Quad on Campus. Gotta love the landscaping!


The Princess Mother. Everytime a student or staff walk by, they wai (praying hands while bowing the head) the statue out of respect.


View from the library window.

MFU campus has a very American feel, yet uniquely Thai. For example, most of the walkways are covered, awning style, to shield from the powerful UV rays as well as rain. Also, since running AC is extremely expensive, many of the cafeterias and other large meeting places are pavilion style with fans. MFU also has excellent athletic facilities such as lighted outdoor basketball courts, indoor arena, and soccer stadium.

I really enjoy this campus and am so thankful that so many of the students speak excellent English. When praying for this campus pray for the students, staff, and the administration. Let me know if you have any more questions about the campus.

Chiang Rai, Thailand

Located in the Northernmost part of Thailand, Chiang Rai is traditionally called the "Top of Siam."

The population is approx 62,000 with about 13% being ethnic hill tribes. The hill tribes bring many different colors, languages, and cultures to the Chiang Rai province. The largest hill tribes are the Akha, Mien, Karen, Lisu, Meo, and Muser.









Lisu Hilltribe




Karen Hilltribe. They are famous for their longneck women, but in actuality only a small number of the women currently participate. Main motivation is tourist money.



Meo Hilltribe



Mien Hilltribe



Akha Hilltribe

The scenery in Chiang Rai is beautiful. In fact we often joke that we live in the jungle. My back yard is essentially a rice field surrounded by mountains. And as always, the sunsets are amazing. Chiang Rai is also famous for their pineapple. I can get a package of pre-cut pineapple for 10 baht ( 30cents).

Since Chiang Rai is a smaller town the is a lot less foreign food, but good news we have Pizza Co., Swenson's Ice Cream, Da Vinci's Italian, and Barry's Burgers. There is also a Diary Queen at the Aiport and Big C (like a Wal-Mart).