I'm too lazy to post right now so here are some pics

View from the River Taxi
Temple of Dawn
Climbing the terrifyingly steep Temple of Dawn
Monk

Jodie and I before our massages. We each had one for 200 baht, which is 7 dollars Canadian. The ladies told us they would teach how to give massages if we teach them English. Nice swap..eh?
Lunch
Elephants!!!!!!
One of the sights of Bangkok! Look behind us and you will see the World Famous, Reclining Buddha!
More Reclining Buddha

Where we live pics

Our lovely toilet, it takes a really long time to fill up! So sometimes when you flush you have to wait like 10 minutes to flush againThe hose beside is used by the Thai to clean themselves instead of using toilet paper. I'm not sure how it works but Jodie and I are sticking to toilet paper!
Our "shower hose", as you can see not much pressure, so it is kind of useless!
So instead of the using the shower nozzle, we use our beloved bucket of water! We stand in the tub and throw water on ourselves. We usually take two showers a day because it is so hot here.

This blog has no title

Most of the day was spent teaching and finalizing our schedule. Jodie and I plan to have Sunday and Monday’s off. We won’t be teaching on Saturday and Sunday but there are a lot of activities going on here at Mercy Centre that we will help out with. So it was important for us to create a day for ourselves, which we can step away from our work and relax or spend time discovering Thailand. There is a lot of demand for English here at the Centre, so it was important for us to create a schedule that was manageable and that won’t leave us burnt out. So the plan is to teach Tuesday through Friday 8-8 and then have Saturday, Sunday and Monday off. That’s enough about scheduling details, on to more important things such as stories about children here at Mercy Centre.

In one of the pictures below you will see a taller Thai boy who Jodie and I walked home with yesterday. His story was shared with us today and now I would like to share it with you. He was found in a dumpster here in the slums of Klong Toi. His parents died when he was 1 years old and both he and his sister were found a short time after that stranded and alone. Because of the unsanitary living conditions, his eye sight has been severely affected and will worsen as he gets older. My understanding is that the diminishing eyesight is irreversible. As a result of the rubbish and garbage in the area, his skin also shows numerous blemishes and scarring. As you imagine, this child has overcome a tremendous amount of adversary. What I know about him in my short time here is that he is always lending a helping hand whether assisting the house moms with supper, grabbing the hand of a younger boy while crossing the road, or confidently attempting to speak English with us. His story is just one of many here at the Mercy Centre but one that saddens me but at the same time hopeful.

On a lighter note, Jodie and I treated ourselves to McDonalds today as a little reminder of home. Just in case you wanted to know, yes it did tasted the same and it only cost 95 baht, which is roughly 3 dollars Canadian. Upon leaving Texaco we stumbled upon 100 Thai women doing Aerobics in the parking lot. The instructor was an equivalent to a Thai Hulk Hogan. Oh my goodness, it just seemed so outrageous and awesome at the same time. Aerobics in a parking lot during the middle of rush hour with buses, motorcyclists and drivers passing by. One thing I know for sure, you would not see that in Canada.

Today I also learned that there are three different beliefs in the Buddhist faith. It is separated by region. I don’t have time to fill you in on all of it but the Chinese perceive Buddha in different ways then the Thai’s and the Tibetans. Also, a woman can be a monk, she is not referred to as a monk but I’m not sure of her title. She wears a white cloth while men wear orange and yellow.

That’s all for now, off to bed.

Sending love from Bangkok!

EWWWW Rats on the street corner, not really that commonly seen but still needed to be documented.
Artwork in the Graphic Art room at Mercy centre. This one is my fav.
Monetary Lizard, also referred to Jodie and I as "mini dinosaur"
A little bit of home.

More Pics

Me eating at some delicious Thai food at a restaurant in Bangkok
Jodie took this picture at a park we visited in downtown Bangkok
Performance near a Buddist temple
Hello Traffic!!!!!

Suai (Beautiful)

(Sorry, the pics are so scattered. The first three were taken on our walk home, and the last 2 are of Galong working on his drawing)

Today was one of those days when my heart was opened just a wee bit more than it was the day before.

Jodie and I spent the morning teaching and working with Dew. I can’t remember if I mentioned her before, but we are working with her in preparation for university. So this teaching is predominately ESL. We also hashed out the schedule, trying to fit a lot of ESL into the mix. Originally we thought we would be teaching some kindergarten, but the students have their summer break in March and April. So we will be spending a couple of weeks teaching Kindergarden but the rest of our teaching will be one on tutoring and group ESL classes with children and adults. When the children are on break we will be running activities similar to summer camp. They will be activities that the kids wouldn’t regularly get access to. I think I’m going to teach a little piano, maybe a little bracelet making and Jodie and I plan on running some sports and rec activities. Anyways, enough with the boring stuff.

In the afternoon, we spent time with Galong, he is a special individual who in the first moments that we met him, came up to us and gave us the biggest hug. He hangs out here at Mercy 4 (the boy’s orphanage) and also in the graphic arts room at the Mercy Centre. He spends time in there everyday and draws the same picture over and over again. He has been drawing the same picture for a few years now. As I watched him sketch his beloved picture, I was captivated. In a drawer not far away, holds a collection of the exact same picture. Imagine that.

Later in the afternoon we visited the adult AIDS patients. We attempted to communicate with our little amount of Thai. To be humbled is an understatement. In those moments, you are reminded that life is short and a gift that should never be taken lightly. A woman that we talked with during our visit offered to make us each bracelets. We promised her that we would visit tomorrow and everyday that followed. A promise we intend to keep.

Jodie and I walked with two little boys back to Mercy Centre. We had a great time with the boys. These boys are so street smart and have been exposed to so much at such a young age but yet they are just like little boys in Canada. They hold hands when they cross the street, they love to race and giggle at funny faces. In this moment, the language difference disappeared and we were able to love on the boys without saying a word.

Fun in the Sun

Yesterday was spent venturing through Bangkok, beyond the Mercy Centre and the orphanage. One of the most comical events of the day was when the beatles song, all we need is love came on and Jodie jumped up off the bed and said "Misty, the anthem, GET UP! She literally jumped out of her bed and stood there, until I responded in laughter and saying "Jodie this is the beatles not the the Thai anthem.

Some of the highlights of the day included taking our first trip on the Skytrain, visiting a huge park in downtown Bangkok, a lovely trip to a seven story air-conditioned mall and a delicious meal at a downtown Thai restaurant.

To make a long story short, we went exploring and got lost. It is beginning to become a pattern with Jodie and I. This time we asked for directions 12 times, saw a car accident and continually circled an area 20 minutes from our actual destination

The stark contrast between the slums of Klong Toi and Downtown Bangkok is astonishing, similar to most big cities. The life that is lived in the slums of Klong Toi is day to day, that I can say with all assurance but my experience here has been so limited that I know I can't begin to explain the situation here. There is no way that I can unpack or begin to understand what it means to be poor here in all honesty. In my short time here at the Mercy Centre I have sensed a great deal of optimism about the future and the importance of education for the children here at Mercy.

Random facts about thailand

Food is eaten with a spoon
Shoes are taken off whenever entering a room
Rice is eaten three meals a day, even breakfest. Rice is the main course in every meal. Bread and potatoes are no where's to be found, except for at a 7-11
Drinks are hardly ever served with meals. We could be eating the spiciest meal of alll time, and there would no drink in sight.
The weather is soooooo hot and people and most people are wearing pants and long sleave shirts. For example, yesterday was 36 C
Te means cool in Thai
The population of Bangkok is 10 million.
There are stray dogs everywhere's.
All the kids wear uniforms to school
When the anthem is played every morning, you must stop what you are doing and stand while the anthem plays over the speaker.
The main religion practiced here is Buddism, and monks are seen often
7-11's and payphones can be found on every street corner.
1 canadian dollar is 35 baht
Riding on the back of a truck is not illegal, so often you will see the back end of truck filled with people, sometimes even on the roof.
Hello Kitty, Playboy and Powerpuff Girls are all the rage.

Kob kun ka ( Thank You)

So today Jodie and I attended Mass directed by Father Joe. The entire service was in Thai and Father Joe introduced us to all the children. This was our first opportunity to see all the kids from the centre. Before mass we had a chance to play with the boys from our floor at the orphanage. They loved it as we recorded them Kung Fu fighting and posing for the camera. Angela and Bobby who are fellow Acadia students visited the centre today. We spent the afternoon with them and travelled to the nearest mall, where we ate a beautiful western food and shopped at Texaco. Texaco is a large department store comparable to Wal-mart. Jodie and I went on an excursion, trying clothes on and stocking up on toilet paper.

Anyways, that is all for now. I hope you are all having a restful sleep.

First Full Day

We arrived in Bangkok late last night and we were greeted by Nitaya and CJ. Nitaya is the volunteer coordinator at Mercy and CJ is a fellow volunteer. CJ has been volunteering at Mercy Centre for the past 4 months and we will be working along side for the next 4 months. The residence that we are staying, houses the boys of the orphanage. When we arrived late last night they were sound asleep, and we were guided to our room, past their sleeping corridors and passed their little lockers where there small uniforms hung. Minutes before our alarm was supposed to go off I could hear the sounds of the boys. Breakfast for them is at 5:30 and then they are off to schools in the neighborhood. Unfortunately we didn’t get to meet the boys yet but hopefully we will get a chance later on tonight. There are approximately 70 boys, along with 6 house parents that reside here at the orphanage. The orphanage is about a 5 minute car drive from the Mercy Centre so our morning started with a interesting ride on the back of truck. The Thai name escapes right now but a quick and affordable means of transportation here in Bangkok, we literally sit on the back of a truck with other passengers. There are railings that line the sides and a cover over the top, which kind of reminds me of modern wagon ride. The cost of this trip is 5 baht (35 baht = 1 Canadian dollar).

When we arrived at Mercy centre, CJ and Nitaya gave us a tour of the building, and we ate our first Thai breakfast, which includes rice soup which they refer to as porridge, salty eggs, and some green slimy leaves, Interesting and not that appetizing in all honesty. Lunch turned out to be much better, which included fried rice, cucumbers and (non-salty) eggs. (side note to tiffany, they eat limes with a lot of their meals, you add to rice for flavor)

CJ also introduced us to the two young girls that we are going to be working with for the next four months. Their names are Dew and Bong, and they have both applied for a Mercy Centre scholarships and our job will be to prepare them for them for higher education. Jodie and I will be working with the 2 hrs a day and if today is any indicator, we are going to have a blast working with them. They are fun loving, eager to learn Thai girls who have already made our trip here worthwhile.

So as the afternoon progressed, Jodie and I decided to venture home since we had a few hours of free time before the party tonight. I’m not sure that we used our brains at this point because we decided to head home, with vague memories of directions from our morning truck ride. We assumed this walk to be about 20 minutes, and so we confidently decided to start our trek back to the orphanage. About 10 minutes into the walk, we decided that we should stop and ask for instructions. We proceed to ask for help in English, and looks of confusion are accompanied with a Thai reply which we cannot understand. This scenario is continued to be replayed approximately four times throughout our adventure and our destination failed to be reached. So, exhausted and bewildered we decided to take the long trek back to the centre. CJ then assisted us in flagging two motorcycles for which we rode back to the orphanage. The motorcycle ride was accelerating and fun. The drivers here are crazy and sitting on the back, as one swerve’s in and around stalled traffic is a wee bit scary.

Oh, I forgot to mention the living situation. In our bathroom, you will find a large garbage can filled with water, and a small hose that has little to no pressure. No shower nozzle is present so the process of showering includes dumping cold water over oneself with a bucket. Oh my goodness, my shock this morning as I experienced it for the first time. What a humbling experience, and one that I’m sure I will get use to, but friends, be grateful for your luxurious warm shower the next time you take one. The rumor is true, Thai people don’t use toilet paper, and instead expect you to hose yourself off. Thank goodness, we have good supply of toilet paper. Our room is really big though and we have a massive king sized bed with air conditioning, so this girl really doesn’t have that much to complain about.

In the evening we were invited to a party hosted by Father Joe. It was a night filled with music and laughter. A musical group named The Burns, an Irish folk group from the US, along with a Philippians choir performed for the guests, and then the night turned into a sing-along. Songs included Hey Jude, Dancing Queen, and other classic 60’s pop. Seeing Father Joe along with some fellow guests “shakin’ it” pretty much made my life.

Jodie also has a website if you want to check that out.
http://axe.acadiau/~067097w
There are a couple of pics posted there from today

Misty

Another airport, another post

Currently in the Hong Kong Airport, waiting for our last and final flight to Bangkok. Just saw my first Monk! I'm feeling really exhausted and the jet leg is definitley setting in. The last flight was 14 hrs and I got a little over an hour of shut eye. Looking forward to sleeping in a bed of any kind at this point, specifically in a horizontal position with a blanket and a pillow, rather than a vertical one. Jodie and I meet some fellow Canadians travelling to Thailand on the flight which was cool. I'm pretty sure Thailand is the place to be so of you reading should book your flights now. Okay i'm off. Talk soon.

A day full of flights

Hey Everyone

Currently in the Vancouver Airport. Flights boarding in about 10 minutes, so this will be a quicky. Flew over the rockies, loved it. A bit tired, but started 1 of 5 books. I'm safe and sound. Note to family, the time difference is 12 hrs. So I will arrive thursday at 10 in the pm, but it will 10 in the am on the east coast. That's my understanding anyways. Ok, I'm off. Flight is boarding. Sending love from Vancouver. Sorry for the choppy sentences.

Misty

First Blog Post

Just testing the blog, currently at home, spending time with family and friends. Feeling quite apprehensive but at the same time confident that this is what I'm suppose to be doing at this stage in my life. 4 months.....that seems like a long time but an appropriate amount of time to immerse myself in something foreign and adventurous! Anyways, its sinking in...and I've got the butterflies, so I'm going to remove myself from the reality of leaving and go hang out with the fam.