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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!