Adventures in Thailand

You know its time to leave when.....

2008-07-05T01:54:00.000-07:00

You know its time to leave when.....the chocolate promotion is over at Swensons. Swensons, is the mecca of all ice cream shops. It has been our saviour in our time of need here in Bangkok. For the last couple of months they have had a great chocolate promotion running which included brownies, fudge and great ice cream. Unfortuatly it is over and we are left with the new nutty promotion. I tried it and and I must say I left swensons satisfied. However, I do dearly miss those great big brownies that added so much to my swensons ice cream experience.

In other news. Jodie is still sick. She has been sick for the last 5 days and I've been left to discover and say goodbye to some of our fav sites in Bangkok by myself. Thankfully I had my Ipod in hand, so it didn't seem quite so lonely.

Last night I watched a thai movie with the boys. It was actually really entertaining. It was comedy about a clumsy foreigner and it was based in Pattaya City. The man got special powers when he ate the thai food dish called som tom. It is a spicy dish and he would turn into a powerful fighting machine when he ate it. Other highlights of the movie included 2 thai girls kicking butt using pappay along with their attempt to teach the clumsy farang how to thai box. After the movie I helped the house parents tuck in the boys. Half of them were already knocked out and I knew that in a matter of minutes the rest of them would be fast asleep.

On Saturday morning, I went to mass and saw all the children together for the last time. Father Joe informed that one of the little boys from Mercy 6 was very ill in the hospital. During the teacher apprecation ceremony he fell and hurt his leg. He was already really weak because of AIDS and this injury has taken a real toll on him. Please pray for his healing.

Also keep Jodie in your prayers. We have already been to the hospital but another trip happen tomorrow if she doesn't feel better. She felt better in the afternoon so we decided to headed to the book store and the tailor shop but after an hour or so she was feeling sick to her stomach again.

Anyways, that's all for now. I have letters to write, pictures to take and boys to hang out with.

Sending love from Thailand.
Misty

The fam has come and gone

2008-07-01T04:19:00.000-07:00

Mom and Tiffany have arrived safely back in Canada and Jodie and I are left here in Bangkok wrapping our time up and saying our goodbyes for the next week. I apologize for not posting but Tiffany and Mom didn't want me to spoil their stories, and plus I was so busy entertaining them that I didn't have much time to post or blog.

I'm feeling very anxious to go home but at the same time very sad that the adventure it over. I've been so spoiled for the last two weeks with hot showers, western meals and cozy warm beds that coming back to soi 40 was a bit of adjustment again. Jodie has been quite sick the past couple of days so we have been hanging out in the room trying to find ways to pass the time. Tomorrow we head back to Mercy to visit the children and staff. A rollercoaster of emotions I'm sure the next week will be.

A funny story from today. Jodie went into the pharmacy to ask about gravel pics. She mentioned that she was sick and vomiting and the lady replied confident that she knew the answer proceeded to hand her a pregancy test. hahhaha. I wasn't there to witness it first hand but I had a good laugh when Jodie told me minutes later.

That's all for now. As I post this blog, it is raining heavily and I'm randomly getting splashed by water.

HAPPY CANADA DAY EVERYONE!!!!!

Sending love from Thailand
Misty

2008-06-23T00:52:00.000-07:00

Hello

I'm not dead! I promise. If anyone is in contact with STEVEN WAYNE ATWELL, tell him we say hi!

Love misty, tiffany and mom

P.S. Send money dad....the shopping is good...lolz. Just joking.

2008-06-12T06:16:00.000-07:00

2nd and last Cambodia Visa Run Complete!!!

2008-06-12T05:25:00.000-07:00

On Thursday Jodie and I took the day off from Mercy to complete our last and final visa run. The drive was much more manageable in the company of normal less talkative and annoying passengers. At the border we were of course bombarded by little children repeating “madam, madam” over and over in search of money. This time I came a little bit more prepared. I brought a long some of the little notebooks and pencils that I brought a long with me from Canada. Of course when I reached into my bag, a group of them swarmed me and as they snatched up the little notebook and pencils in seconds and ran off with them to avoid it being snatched up by another kid. One of the American passengers translated what the children were saying as they stood at the door of the van. They were saying “I will use the money for food, for real” and they said that over and over again.

This same passenger told us that he had been living in Thailand for 6 years and that he spent 3 days in a Thai detention centre because he was a victim of visa renewal scam at Khao San Road. At the time he was working as a teacher and he didn’t have time to do a visa run so he was advised to go to this place on Khao San Road that would give you a renewal stamp. He went believing it to be legit but later learned that it was not a proper stamp and so he was detained. At the time, an American President was visiting in regards to an OPEC summit and extra security measures were being taken at the borders. He was not the only victim, 8,000 other travelers were detained in the country during this period. Another traveler who he met while being detained ended up spending a 6 months in the Thai prison because of the same situation. He along 25 other farangs (non-thai) people sat and awaited their fate squashed together is a small room. It was a messy situation because he was being accused of fraud in what they claimed to be an attempt of replicating the border stamp. Of course this company was to blame but it took a couple of days along with a court hearing to prove his innocence. This happened in 2003 and he said that whole ordeal including court proceedings spanned a two year period. I know that if that was me, the moment I was released I would be on the next flight home. I was shocked hearing his testimony of the event along with the fact that he has continued to live here after the fact.

Anyways, off I go. Mom and Tiffany will be here in 36 hrssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!Sorry for spelling and grammar. I didn't get a chance to edit it.

Sending love from Thailand

Misty

Time for a recap

2008-06-12T05:24:00.000-07:00

Heather our friend and fellow education student came arrived in Bangkok on Thursday evening. We didn’t meet up on Thursday because technical difficulties but made plans meet up with her on Friday. In the afternoon, we met up her and accompanied her via the sawgtaow (sp?) to Mercy for our final evening class. Both Jodie and I were testing our students for assessment on Friday but even so the class was eventful because we made plans to cook with them early next week. The girls are going to show us how to prepare some of our favorite Thai dishes and in return we are going to bake a cake along with some cookies for dessert. After class we took Heather around Mercy and introduced her to some of the children that she didn’t get a chance to meet during her first visit. When we arrived at Mercy 6, some of the little ones were participating in musical exercises. Of course we had to join them. Who wouldn’t want to shake you bum and do Macarena type dance moves with 4 and 5 year old children? A few minutes into Heather, Jodie and I had broken out in a sweat but we kept moving. Song after song, we kept dancing until we couldn’t do it anymore. The children seemed to enjoy our participation and it was a fun moment to share with the cuties in Mercy 6.

Next we grabbed a taxi and headed to Emporium and decided to stop and get a massage. I’m not a big fan of Thai massages, so I went for the more expensive oil massage. Probably paid to much for it but I got two free hot showers out of it so I can’t complain too much. I had the option of showering before and after the massage. Of course, I took full advantage.

After the massage we headed to Dubliners to meet Si Jie and her mom for her farewell dinner. We expected to see Lee Shamrock there but were sadly informed that he is on holiday in California for the next month. That meant that we would not be rocking out with him and his one man band. Cedric, the fellow Mercy volunteer joined us and we all hung out at our favourite pub together with Si Jie for the last time.

On Saturday, the three of us travelled to the Grand Palace and the Reclining Buddha. Jodie and I had been to the Reclining Buddha previously but the Grand Palace was an all new experience. Amongst the large crowds of tourist, we toured the grounds and sites.

Heather got a massage on the Reclining Buddha grounds. They have a massage therapy school there and it is quite a popular massage destination. Heather walked away as a very happy customer. Jodie and I waited and watched people come in and their reactions an hour later. We overheard two girls say that their massage was better than sex….haha. On our way to the Grand Palace a man attempted to scam us out of going to the palace. He tried to tell us that we weren’t dressed appropriately and that we woudn’t be able to go in because it Thai people were in there praying. He then tried to talk us into getting in a tuk tuk and touring other sites around the palace. We didn’t fall for it and ignored his request. We ventured over to the Grand Palace and successfully toured the grounds and sites.

In the evening, we headed over to Siam to watch Sex and the City. It was a perfect end to our girl’s day and we thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I laughed out loud a lot and was completely taken to another world while watching it.

Our goal was to take Heather on every means of transportation in Bangkok. During her time here we successfully got her on a sawgthoaw, bus, skytrain, boat and subway. The only two forms of transportation that we didn’t conquer were a tuk tuk and a motorcycle taxi.

On Sunday we woke up bright and early and went to the weekend market. After hours of shopping we stopped for lunch for an hour or so while it rained outside. In the afternoon we continued our shopping and then headed back to soi 40 to sent Si Jie off. We traveled in a Mercy van to the airport with Ning, a Kindergarten teacher, Si Jie and her mom. It was really sad to watch her say goodbye to the boys and the taff at soi 40. I sat in the van and my eyes welled up a little bit thinking that we would never see her at soi 40 again.

Last week I went to 7/11 alone in search of some chocolate for Jodie and I. This 7/11 had just recently opened and that day was the first day they had the hot dog grill was up and running. I walked and there were literally like 34 school aged children excitedly shopping for treats that I’m sure they had been saving for. I thought to myself “I have never seen so many people in a 7/11 ever”. I proceeded to find a mars bar for Jodie and a banana muffin for myself. There was a crowd by the cash so the cashier ushered me to the front. As I was paying, I felt a little hand grab my waist from the back. I turned around to find a little 4 year old boy with a big grin on his face. At first I didn’t recognize him but I responded by smiling back at him and laughing in my head. As I was leaving I remembered that he was a Mercy 6 child and that earlier in the week the boys were teasing and poking me while I had supper with them. The whole 7/11 experience made me laugh including the little poking me while I was inline. All the kids were so excited about this 7/11. They were so excited about buying ham slices and m&m’s, all of which they couldn’t find at their nearby street vendor.

On Monday we went took Heather to MBK and the Temple of Dawn. We ended the evening off with a special Swensons extravaganza. We ordered the fondue which includes 9 scoops of ice cream along with fruit and waffles. It was delicious but we were all filled to the brim and feeling a little sick after we finished it.

On Tuesday we were back to Mercy, teaching along with showing a new volunteer named EJ around. He is actually staying at soi 40 with us and has take over Si Jie’s room. He is a high school student originally from the Philippines. He has been living with his parents her in Thailand for the last 8 years and he attends Father Joe’s church at AIT.

Anyways, that’s all I can think to tell you right now. Our time here is quickly passing us by and in just a few days Mom and Tiffany will be here. I am so excited to show them around and spend time with them. I feel like it has been forever since I’ve seen them.

Off I go. We have laundry to do.

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

One of many future trips to the airport

2008-06-05T19:58:00.000-07:00

Driving back into Bangkok from the airport last night flooded me with memories of when Jodie and I first arrived in Thailand. This was Si Jie’s moms first time in Bangkok and she was seeing everything for the first time and she was staring out her window making comments on the smallest things. I was flooded with memories and feelings about how our time here is almost done and what a beautiful experience that it has been so far. Sometimes I get so use to being here that I forget to appreciate the unique culture that surrounds me. Being at the airport reminded me the Thailand adventure is finishing and that this chapter is on its final pages. The saddest part of saying goodbye is knowing that I will probably never see these people again and all I will have is treasured pictures and memories. There is a much more permanent conclusion to this chapter because of the distance and language challenges which makes it harder.

I have this feeling that returning to Canada will be emotionally straining. I can picture myself calling Jodie hours after I returned to chat and maybe cry with her. I can picture myself trying to replicate simple daily things that I experience here just to help me readjust. Of course I am excited to return home and reunite with loved ones but I am also dreading the loss of purpose that I foresee feeling when I return home. Everyday here is like a mystery waiting to be discovered. At home, everything is comfortable and predictable which is going to take time to get use to again.

I am incredibly grateful to have been given this opportunity. My experience is unique to me and my eyes and my heart have been opened up in a very meaningful way. I have come to share laughs, shed tears, celebrate and mourn with a group of amazing people here in Thailand.

All this emotion is spilling out and I still have a month left. Anyways, make sure you read Jodie’s blog today she had a really interesting conversation about slum life with her students in class and I only caught the last bit of it so I trust that you will read her blog to get the full account.

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

Where are those girls?

2008-06-04T03:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I haven’t blogged for while, so much and yet so little has been going on in our lives. We’ve been hanging out with friends who we will soon be saying goodbye which has distracted us from blogging. I do have some stories worth blogging about though. So here it goes….

One of our students who we haven’t seen in awhile returned to Mercy yesterday. Day stopped coming to our class because she wanted to get a job during the summer holiday to help her mom with the bills at home. I asked her about the job she had and she told me that she worked in a nearby mall making crepes at a food stand. I asked her how long she worked every day and she said that her day started at 8:00 and it ended at 9:00. Her daily income was 180 baht a day which is approximately 6 dollars Canadian. This job would be the equivalent to a mall or food court job at home but the her salary blew me away. The minimum wage per hour at home is higher than the daily wage for this young girl. Mind you I am not factoring the cost of living and food but you can imagine how impossible it would be to get ahead and save.

Another interesting fact that I was recently informed about was Thai yearly calendar. When our students date their work I noticed that they didn’t reference the current year as 2008. The Thai year is 543 years more than our yearly schedule. According to the Thai calendar, we are currently in the year of 2551 and we students date their paper they write. 06/04/51. I am still not sure the exact reason but I think it has something to do with the beginning of the Thai empire. I’m not sure though, so please don’t quote me. I will try to find the complete answer later.

Heather who is a fellow education student is returning to Bangkok this weekend. Last time she was here we spent the weekend in Ko Chang so we are excited to be given another opportunity to show her more of Thailand. Massages, temples and shopping are on the itinerary.

A few of the children in Mercy 6 have been sick lately. Whether it is a head ache or something more serious, seeing their little tired eyes always saddens me. Sometimes you forget that their little bodies are so weak and susceptible to illness because of AIDS effect on their body. For most of these children, their life expectancy will only reach late adolescents and early adulthood. There were moments this week when this reality really hit me and it saddened me.

Spicey also known as Si Chon is having an eye surgery early next week. Spicey has deteriorating eye sight and the doctors expect him to go completely blind. The surgery includes replacing some part of his eye. The details I’m not that sure of. This is all the information we received through the translation but all of you at home can be praying that the surgery will go successfully. I’m not sure if they are expected full visibility in the eye or if this will slow the blinding process. Either way, prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

“Only when we understand can we care. Only when we care will we help. Only if we help shall they be saved”

She knows how to pronouce "Chocolate"

2008-05-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

We woke up bright and early and met Chis at Bangkok Univerisity. We arrived at the milk run a few minutes late and there wasn’t much for us to do because there were plenty of volunteers today. After spending some time there we decided to grab some breakfast at le bon pain. Next, Jodie and I gave Chris a grande tour of Mercy. None of the children were around but we able to give him a chance to see the children in the kindergarten who extremely cute and playful with us.

A few funny moments of the last couple of days included Galong walking into our room unannounced. He sat down beside me while Jodie was getting a shower. To her surprise, she walked out in a towel and burst out in laughter to see Galong hanging out on the bed. He proceeded to cut and file his nails while telling stories in the “language of Galong.” A language not understood by anyone else. Galong is like the Mr. Bean of Mercy. He points, uses gestures and makes funny faces a lot.

Another recent visitor included Folk who also came into our room while Jodie was in the washroom. I hid him under the blanket and surprised her when she stepped out of the bathroom. Folk then borrowed my headphones and attempted to sing along to “Under my umbrella” At one point the three of us were jumping on our beds dancing and singing along to the song. About 10 minutes later he left and snuck by the house parents and headed back into bed. Earlier in the evening he was showing Jodie his chocolate treat by pointing to it and saying chocolate. Jodie responded by repeating the word chocolate. Then he said in Thai, “she knows how to pronounce chocolate” haha. He considered chocolate to be a Thai word and was surprised that she knew how to pronounce it.

A visit to Mercy 6 today also allowed for some good laughs. Si Jie bought a pair of shoes at Tesco today. She put them on in and did a little fashion show in front of 6 little girls from Mercy 6. I accompanied the fashion show with some made up music. All of the little girls irrupted in laughter so then we each gave them a chance to put on the heels and do a little dance. It was pretty adorable. Mom you would have particularly enjoyed this show. I’m positive that we have some future high heel lovers on our hands.

Aunt Betty sponsors one of the older Mercy 4 girls and she wanted to take her shopping at Tesco. Si Jie, Jodie and I were invited along and we helped the girl pick out a new wardrobe on a budget of 1000 baht (30 dollars cdn). We left Tesco with 2 pairs of pants, a new shirt and two pairs of shoes. Aunt Betty, along with her sponsored child seemed to really enjoy it.

That’s all for now. Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

Is May over yet?

2008-05-30T07:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I woke up not feeling well at all. I had lost my appetite the last couple of days which is ideal for trying to lose weight but it also means your body has no energy. When I did eat something, my stomach would go crazy, the result being quite painful. I had been feeling off and on for the last couple of days and on Wednesday I rested and took the morning off. In the afternoon we decided to tackle our laundry. We washed our clothes for hours and finally are content with a new clean wardrobe. In the evening we made plans to go to Dubliner’s with the Si Jie and Cedric. Si Jie is leaving in a little over a week so the farewell events have begun. We arrived at Dubliners and Si Jie and I spit a half roast with mashed potatoes. It was divine and I was my body completely agreed with it and since then I’ve been feeling much better. In a strange case of déjà vous, the Aussie named Chris that we met on a previous trip to Dubliner’s randomly showed up and joined us for the rest of the evening. The last time we talked to him it was his last day in Bangkok and yesterday was his first day back in Bangkok after spending some time in Australian. After hanging out at the pub and listening to a cool little 2 person band we piled into a taxi and headed to RCA for some dancing. Jodie and I were the only ones that had school the next day. The night was well worth the 4 hrs of sleep though, and we managed to successfully wake up at 6 in the morning and teach out 8:00 class. However the minute we were done teaching, we jumped on a motorcycle taxi and headed home and then crawled right back in toasty warm bed.

In the afternoon we returned to Mercy to teach class. During my class with Cherie and Rose, we somehow got completely off topic and began discussing the Jatujek Market. Cherie mentioned that she has bought 3 rabbits from there and that how she enjoys buying clothes for them and dressing them up. She also mentioned that all three of them have since died..haha. It ended up being a fun class full of random conversations with little work accomplished, but those are always the best classes. After Cherie and Rose, I had class with Boong. Today was her last day of classes at RIS but we will continue English class for the next month or so.

We joined Mercy 6 for supper in the evening. This was our first time joining them and it was fun to see all the boys and girls together enjoying the meal and each other’s company. The girls were wearing pink pj’s and the boys were wearing blue. It is not often that you see them all together because they are a variety of different ages and during the day they are all off to different schools or running around Mercy.

We said our second serious goodbye today. Mama is leaving the AIDS hospice tomorrow and because we are helping Sister Joan with the milk run tomorrow we decided to say our good nights Thursday evening. Jodie and Mama became really close during our time here so this was particularly sad for her. Goodbyes are always hard and this one was no different. Mama was unbelievably kind to everyone she came in contact with including us. She always had a warm smile on her face and loving touch to encourage those around her. She demonstrated great patience, strength and gentleness. We were so lucky to have met her and spent so much time with her during our time here. She is a wonderful woman and I am so grateful to have met her.

Two of the houseparent’s celebrated their birthday Thursday and so upon our arrival to soi 40 we were greeted by a table full of food and house parents. Cake was presented to the kids and of course they graciously accepted in the most polite way. I laughed to myself because they presented themselves to the visitors as such little polite angels.

Tomorrow, Aussie Chris will be joining us for Sister Joan’s milk run. We have plans to show him around Mercy and possibly Lumphini Park as well.

Thinking of how all of you are enjoying the Apple Blossom Festival. at home.

Sending love from Thailand.

Misty

There are sixty muscles in your face; you use twenty of them to smile and forty to frown

2008-05-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

This morning Pi Tip and I read the above statement in an article. I had heard this fact before but I’m going to focus on what made me smile today and hope that in at least one of the stories make you smile too.

Picture a little boy, probably 4 or 5 years standing in a phone booth. He is so short that he has to prop himself up on a shelf inside the booth to reach the phone. Walking by, I could here him having a pretend conversation with a colleague of his. That made me smile.

Mama from the AIDS ward telling me I had big boobs and then proceeding to grab my hand to cop a feel of hers. I quickly pulled away and she said in Thai of course “my are small and firm because I never breastfed my children” That made me smile and awkwardly laugh as I prayed that no staff member witnessed me coping a feel of mama’s boobs.

Hearing Galang singing from the bathroom. Completely off tune, and sounding more like a Muslim call to worship than any conceivable song. That made me smile.

An afternoon tea break with Aunt Betty. Now that definitely made me smile. A cup of tea, a slice of cake, great company and a possibly future game of Phaze 10. What else could this girl ask for?

Hearing and seeing a group of Mercy Kindergarteners racing down the three story ramp, laughing and screaming on their way back to school.

Chilling with Frank and seeing his face light up.

Reading a folk tale about a snow angel with Cherie and Rose while sitting at the table were a few of my favorite people, Galong, Jodie and Si Jie.

There were moments of sadness too like hearing that Pi Ning was back in the hospital along with being told the heartbreaking story of how Frank became paralyzed at the age of 17 as a result of sniffing glue. Unconceivable to many, his addiction to glue isn’t unusual here in the streets of Klong Toey. I have many thoughts on the matter, all of which are tucked away in my personal journal.

All of these events shaped my day.

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

An Afternoon with Aunt Betty

2008-05-27T06:27:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to Father Joe’s for one of his infamous parties and we meet his sister, brother in law along with his Aunt Betty. For supper they cooked us spaghetti which was well received by both Jodie and I. Earlier that day we were in the grocery store and Jodie mentioned how she wished we could make spaghetti at soi 40. We brainstormed the possibilities for a few minutes but realized that cooking it over hot coals was really an option for us. Conveniently, our wish came true that evening when Father Joe’s family cooked us a lovely meal of spaghetti. We got on the topic of Indiana Jones and Si Jie mentioned that she really wanted to see it but we wouldn’t go with her. Aunt Betty then replied by saying that she also wanted to go and was planning on going the next day. Later in the evening we made plans to meet up with for a movie date on Monday afternoon. Now let me tell you about Aunt Betty. She is 85 years old, she is very close to Father Joe and this is her second trip to Thailand. During our afternoon date, she told us that Father Joe was a very serious little boy and that he was very insightful about his faith at very young age. A book has actually been written about Father Joe’s life called “The Gospel according to Father Joe” I can’t remember the author’s name but it has just recently been published.

Oh I forgot to mention that we drove to Emporium in Father Joe’s Audi but some decided it was time to switch things up and we were driven home in his Mercedes. Its tough being me sometimes I know. The Mercedes is kind of old and is smells like gasoline, but I’m sure 30 years ago is was a car of luxury.

Indiana Jones was good. In all honesty I’ve never seen the first two so I didn’t know what to expect. I liked it. It was definitely a fun afternoon.

In the evening Jodie and I went to the night market for a little bit of shopping.

Anyways, I need to go to bed

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

Our weekend

2008-05-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

Friday bright and early we got up and went to help sister joan with the milk run. We were responsible for handing out bags of children’s clothing to the mothers after they were given milk. In between the two milk runs’ we grabbed a bit to eat at sister Joan’s house in the slums.

Sister Joan is a remarkable lady. Just recently she provided 600 children with school uniforms and helped pay for their school fees. Her “education fund” is funded by the Australian Embassy along with Australian and New Zealand women’s groups but it is her efforts and determination alone that gets to me is the most amazing. She lives among the poor, she truly knows the people she works for and evidently has there full respect because of it. Her kindness and generosity towards those less fortunate than her is truly remarkable. Simply put, she is my idol. She is so genuine and selfless in her actions and for those reasons among many, she is truly an inspiration to me.

The rest of our weekend has been pretty lo key. We got a large donation of English movies so that has kept us pretty occupied in the evenings. We also discovered soi 38 which is a street filled with street vendor restaurants. I got noodles and I loved them. Everything is so cheap so we will definitely be hitting up this spot on a regular basis.

On Saturday, we hung out in our room until late in the afternoon. We had no food left in our house so at about 1:30 we realized that we needed to go and get some food. We had no breakfast or anything, so we were pretty hungry. As we attempted to open the big door to release us from soi 40, we realized that we were locked in and there was no one in the building to rescue us. At this point we were so desperate for food that we ate the only thing we had in our room, a can of cream corn! It wasn’t the best tasting cream of corn but it did the trick. About an hour later Si Jie took a motorcycle back from Mercy and rescued us. Of course the first thing on our minds was food and so we took a taxi to Subway and stuffed our faces with a delicious chicken and ham sub. We spent the rest of the day at the park and later we picked up some groceries. In the evening I wasn’t feeling too good. I think I must have eaten something and so I spent the evening in bed and in the bathroom. This morning, I woke up feeling better so hopefully the sick feeling has passed. Plus I just got a big hug from Galong this morning so that of course that made me feel better too.

Anyways, that’s all for now.

Sending love from Thailand

Misty

No beach for us

2008-05-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

In hopes that we would be spending our weekend at Hua Hin we waited around for a few hours in the morning to hear confirmation. During the waiting period we assisted the Graphic Art Room staff in preparing the children’s Batik paintings. Our tasks included ironing, removing safety pins and trimming threads in preparation for them to be made into pillows.

On our motorcycle ride back to Soi 40, Jodie answered a call informing us that our plans were changed by Father Joe and guests and our hopes of spending a VIP weekend at the beach quickly fizzled. Once we got passed the disappointment we decided to make something of the rest of the day. We decided to go to the Villa for the afternoon, hoping to relax in the sun. It took us about two hours to finally get to the villa because of the bus transportation and heavy traffic. It was so hot at the villa that we spent most of the time trying to cool our bodies down rather than purposely sit in the sun and working on the tan.

After a few hours at the villa, Jodie and I decided to head back to Mercy for our evening class. Unfortuatnaley we hit the second heavy traffic period of the day and it took us about 2 hours to get home. I am beginning to think that every time of the day is heavy traffic period here in Bangkok. Different vehicles are on the move at different periods of the day. Big transport trucks are only allowed to move through the city in the evening so that creates traffic jams at night. During the day everyone else is moving about trying to get to their destinations. There really isn’t anytime of the day in which you will avoid sitting in traffic. Motorcycles are the fastest means of transportation on wheels. Motorcyclists even have the liberty of driving of the side walks to avoid staled traffic and swerving by walking pedestrians. That’s why the BTS Skytrain is the ultimate form of transportation here in Bangkok if you are looking to get somewhere fast. Anyways, enough with this boring traffic talk. I am going to go and hunt down some internet.

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

Can we go to the bathroom and then come back for more?

2008-05-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

A computer, a washing machine, dirty laundy and an expected Internet connection. This post is coming to you via, the laundry den. I am getting a nice, steady connection but mind you, I am getting eaten alive by bugs. The boys are fast asleep just a few feet away. This is going to be a quick one because the laundry is done and the bugs are eating me alive. Highlights of the today included having a family photo shoot with the Aids patients. Sears would be proud. In the evening we went to the Seafood Buffet. We went with 3 of our students, Lek, Boong and Dew. Dew just recently got a scholorship to Pearson in BC. Our evening was filled with a lot of food and a lot of laughs. Father Joe also has invited us to go to the beach with him and a few of his family members from the US. I would fill you in on more details but I don't know anything else. He mentioned it to us today and we are hoping it will happen tomorrow. I will of course keep you posted. So we maybe spending the next couple of days lounging on the beach, soaking up the sun. I'm sorry this post is so brief but I can handle the bugs anymore. I can feel the newly formed bug bites already.

Sending love from Thailand.

Misty

Pics from Sports Day

2008-05-19T05:56:00.000-07:00

Jodie stuffing her face during the eating contest!
Grandpa shakin' it!
Yellow team shakin' it
Red team fighting for their life during tug of war
Red Mascot, also known as Cowboy!

The Thai girls at the front of the parade procession. As you can see, all the colours are well represented.

Pink Mascot
One of my fav pics from the day. Jodie and I walking in the parade.

SPORTS DAY

2008-05-19T05:54:00.000-07:00

SPORTS DAY “Imagine if a stupid team like yellow won” –Misty (the night before the big day)

The days leading up to sports day were full of big talk and competitive spirit. Jodie was assigned to the blue team and Si Jie and I were assigned to the red team. Jodie and I feared that this sports day might be some intense that it might tear our friendship apart. We knew no one on the yellow team and the night before sports day, I uttered the words “imagine if a stupid team like yellow won.” This fear turned into a premonition when yellow won the next day.

Today was the long awaited sports day. It was a fantastic day and my body and muscles have been worked to the bone. Days like today make me so happy that I’m here. It was a day when I felt a member of a big family and I felt like I could yell and dance my heart out.

The day started at 7:30. We arrived at Mercy and headed to our respective team headquarters. I headed to the Red headquarters which was in the Graphic Art Room. When I arrived I found dozens of people dressed head to toe in red, most of which I didn’t know. A few of the ladies were dressed in traditional Thai attire. I would like you for a moment to imagine me in my red outfit. I was wearing a red shirt and because I don’t own red pants, I had to improvise and wear red PJ pants. I also had my face painted red. This is not an outfit you would ever see me wearing in Canada, but all the fashion rules are thrown out for Sports Day and while I’m here in Thailand for that matter.

Sports day kicked off with a Parade through Klong Toei. Parading 300 + people through the streets of Klong Toei is not an easy task. We literally stopped traffic a few times on our way to the park. At the front of the procession was a Thai percussion band dressed in matching purple silk clothes. The music was very lively, upbeat and so a few of the staff headed to front and danced down the street ahead of the band. Jodie, Si Jie and I joined them sporadically. At the point I was already sweating and it was only 8:00 in the morning. The colorful 350 + procession marched and danced down the street and eventually made it to the park. Once we arrived Father Joe did an opening speech and then the games begun. The games included a tug of war, a cucumber race, a superman relay race, musical chairs, an eating contest, balloon relay race, a potato sack race and a tire rolling relay. I participated in the balloon relay race and the tire rolling relay along with the tug of war. Jodie participated in the superman relay race, the eating contest and the tug of war. After each activity there would be a medal ceremony, the medals in this case were bows on a string. After all the activities were finished, each team was given 5 minutes to dance, which of course was a highlight for me. My two favorite red team mates were Grandpa and Cowboy. The definitely had the most energy and they were always dancing. If you know me, you know that I love any older man who loves to break it down. These men definitely were breaking it down and they made me laugh on numerous occasions during the day. Gramdpa is one of the security guards and Cowboy is the nickname given to Ning’s dad because he was dressed as a cowboy and I don’t know his name.

There were so many funny moments that made up the day and I know that they were entertaining in the moment but not worthy of writing in a post. I laughed a lot and danced a lot and I think the pictures will speak for the craziness and chaos of the day.

At around lunch time the activities ended and we were all given a free lunch. We headed home to rest and get showered up for the rest of the days activities. In the afternoon Jodie, Si Jie and Moe gave a presentation on Autism. Jodie prepared the information and Si Jie and Moe translated. In attendance were the house parents from soi 40 and some Mercy Kindergarten teachers. After the presentation we headed home and took a long await rest.

In the evening there was a supper for all of the Mercy Staff. I would describe the meal as the supper that never ended. There were over 10 different plates of food served throughout the night. The dishes include fish, noodles, rice, stirfry, salad, dessert and others that I don’t know how to describe. The highlight of the evening was watching Mercy Staff and Mercy Staff’s children singing and dancing to Thai Karaoke. When the children performed, members of audience would give them money during the performance. Its like the children were at the Buskers but yet the people didn’t wait to the end of the performance to pay. They did it during the performance. It was strange and distracting and I’m not sure the point of it but I’m hoping the money they received will go into their college education fund. The night was the equivalent to a staff Christmas Party. There were draws for free goodies along with people dancing and making a fool of themselves for the enjoyment of others. Overall, an enjoyable evening and a great conclusion to the day.

On Sunday Jodie and went for our first visa run. We had contacted an agency that was recommended by Emma, a fellow volunteer at Mercy. There was a mix up in the meeting place and as a result we started the day running an hour or so behind schedule. The other passengers included a older Australian man who we will refer to as a Pattaya man who talked and talked about nothing. He annoyed me all the way to the border and I forced Jodie to switch places with me on the way home and he annoyed her all the way back too. Not only did he talk his face off about pointless uninteresting things, but his body managed to spill over onto my seat making me feel squished and annoyed for 5 hrs straight. The back of the bus was filled a group of 5 Philippians

Once we arrived at the Border, the rest of the proceedings went smoothly. It was a little nerve racking and I felt like we were being starred at a lot more than normal. There was quite a bit of activity going on, there were a lot of pheasants walking through the border gate pulling supplies across the border. As we began to cross the border, young children run over to us saying “hey madam” and then gesturing for money. I was drawn to these children and so even though I know that they would continue to follow me, I tried to communicate with them. I couldn’t help but picture one of boys here in the orphanage doing the same thing. My heart wanted to give them money, but my head was filled with all the negative thoughts about where the money would go. There was one little boy that followed us right up to our van. He continued to stand with his hand stretched out for the next 15 minutes or so. There was something about the desperation in his eyes that haunted me and still does. My head in all its judging and negative thoughts won and I didn’t give him money. I regret my decision now and thing to myself. That kid was just trying to survive. He will never have what I have and so what if he took the money back to his parents. I would hope that it would go to something useful like food.

So often we let ourselves make up excuses and reasons for why we shouldn’t give our time and money. We often judge homeless people and those asking for money. I realized yesterday that I’m tired of those excuses. Yes, you never now where the money goes but it’s the attitude of giving that really make a difference. Our hardened judging hearts so often get in the way of these sad and despairing situations in which we could help. Anyways, I regret not giving money to that little boy and hopefully next time, I will let my heart do more of the decision making.

Anyways, that’s all for now.

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

Birthday Bash

2008-05-16T06:16:00.000-07:00

Today was full of laughs and enjoyment. Jodie and I walked to Kindergarten feeling confident and prepared to teach the children about shapes. As soon as we passed through the gate and stepped inside we realized we were dealing with a whole new set of students. A fresh new crop of kindergarteners that is, little ones that hardly know their ABC’s and definitely don’t know what a shape is. What could we do? We had a group of eighteen four and five years staring at us anticipating our every more. Our resources included a poster about shapes, a work sheet about shapes and a CD full of English songs. After assessing the situation we decided to start with the English songs. They never fail. After about 15 minutes we did all the songs and had broken into a sweat. We pulled out the worksheets and got the kids color these foreign objects called shapes. Every time we attempted to say an English word, the children responded in laughter. To them we were funny people that said funny things. Their giggles made us giggle and it turned out to be extremely entertaining.

Right after kindergarten, I had my final class with one of my favorite students Ford. He is starting school next week so our class together will end. This little boy came faithfully to everyone of my classes. This is huge at Mercy, because most of our students don’t even come close to having a perfect attendance. Everyday he would bring both Jodie and I a treat. He came into my class knowing some English vocabulary but I am really proud to say that he walked away knowing a lot more. I definitely saw growth and improvement in both his vocabulary and his pronunciation. Everyday he would come to work with his mother and hang around the office with her and before lunch he would have class with me. At the beginning of the class, I gave him the cupcake treat that I had bought for him and his mother. He then exchanged the gifts he had for Jodie and I. They were pencils with his name on them in addition to lollipops. We spent the class playing BINGO and XO, both of which were his favorite activities. At one point during BINGO, he decided that Jodie and I should play against each other and he would be the announcer. He allowed us both to win one game each. Of course it had to be fair. At the end of class he wrote in his notebook, “SPOON OPEN” I knew that what he was trying to say was “SCHOOL OPEN” meaning that school was starting. I had to laugh though because it was a simple innocent mistake.

In the afternoon we spent some time with our friends in the AIDS word and were reminded that some of them are returning home next week. It is very exciting news but we will miss them very much. After our visit we headed to Carrefour in search of enough cake and munchies for 20+ kids. John a staff member at Mercy had given us 1500 baht which is like 50 dollars. After quite a long search we ended up buying four ice cream cakes at Dairy Queen, 4 boxes of juice, 5 bags of chips and a large bag of Mangostein. We still teaching commitments at Mercy so we taxied it back and stored the ice cream cake and goodies in the freezer there. The party was to celebrate Sie Chon’s(sp?) birthday along with him attending a new school for the blind. It has been over a year in the making but he is finally attending this school that specializes in teaching the visually impaired. Everyone is excited for him, but he will be greatly missed here at soi 40.

When we arrived at soi 40 the boys quickly noticed us carrying large bags of food and so congregated around us like bees and a honey tree. The ice cream cake was quickly melting so the house parents told us we could serve the cake first. We filled there bowels with ice cream and cake and allowed the little monkeys to dig in. Moments later it was time for them to eat their supper. Rice, meat and soup followed and they ate every bit. The boys were of course very excited and hyper. I had never seen them quite so happy. The mood in the room was fun. There was more than enough for everyone and all of their bellies were full. Most of it was junk food, but everyone deserves a belly full of junk food every once and while. It was a very special supper, one I won’t forget for awhile.

Before the boys went to bed, Jodie promised to brush her teeth with one of her favorite little boys. Two of the boys came into our room and Jodie and I brushed our teeth with them. We guessed that they have never really been shown how to properly brush their teeth because some of their little teeth are rotting. We are planning to make this an evening tradition. For every successful tooth brushing session will be rewarded with a sticker.

Anyways, that’s all for now. This weekend we have a Mercy Staff sports day and Sunday we have plans to head to Cambodia for a visa run. So lots of posting to come.

Sending love from Thailand

Misty

Get Informed! Aids fact sheet

2008-05-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

THAILAND

-The first case of AIDS in Thailand occurred in 1984

-In 2000, combinations of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) started to be used to treat people living with HIV in Thailand. This therapy, known as HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy), can prolong the lives of people living with HIV and prevent the virus from progressing to AIDS. In subsequent years the number of people accessing ARVs increased dramatically, significantly reducing the number of people dying from AIDS.

-Estimated total population, July 2005 - 64 millions

-Estimated total number of people living with HIV, end 2005 - 580,000

CANADA (facts from Health Canada)

-Over a period of years, HIV weakens the body's immune system to the point where it can no longer fight infection. On average, it takes 10 years to progress from an initial HIV infection to AIDS. People with HIV can live for a number of years with no external sign or symptom of the disease, and may unknowingly infect others. The only way to know if you have the virus is to have an HIV blood test.

-When the body can no longer fight infection, the disease is known as AIDS. The infections associated with AIDS are called "opportunistic" because they take advantage of the body's weakened immune system. It is the opportunistic infection, and not AIDS, that causes death.

-At the end of 2002, Health Canada estimated there were approximately 56,000 people in Canada living with HIV (including those living with AIDS), and that approximately 17,000 or 30% were not aware that they were infected. Estimated population at this time was around 31 million.

-It can be difficult for those who are infected with HIV to find a drug regimen that works for them. There are often drug-related side effects that greatly reduce their quality of life. Long term use of drug therapies can also cause organ damage, heart disease, diabetes and other health problems. Moreover, some treatments are beginning to fail because of drug resistance by new strains of the virus.

Since yesterday I have been doing a lot of research on the topic of AIDS because I felt I had very little knowledge about this global issue. It really is a crisis. In sub-sahara Africa, where the epidemic has reached is height, millions of people are dying. Every country in the world including Canada have many citizens dealing and living with AIDS yet most of us know very little about it. I have had the opportunity to put a face to the disease and understand to some degree the effects. during my time. These experiences have left me with optimism and at the same time great sadness. I have seen the positive effects of medications and how they can prolong the lives of the patients here. I have also seen the sadness at the inevitability of death due to their weakening bodies. I have a lot more to say but I must leave to teach. This post will have to be concluded another time. I ask that those who read this will pray for the patients here at Mercy and the AIDS sufferers around the world. They are people just like you and me. They have family's and at one time worked a job, read the newspaper and complained about the weather.

Sending love from Thailand,
Misty

2008-05-13T03:56:00.000-07:00

The boys here wash and dry their own laundry.

Locked out of soi 40 and worried that the milk was going to go to waste.
This is what laundry looks like
Glamorous washer and spin dryer

Back to school clothes at Carrefor. Check out the variety!!

Spicey and Bird. Check out the david beckham shirt....so awesome!
Jodie, where did you find those??

Another day, a few more stories

2008-05-13T03:54:00.001-07:00

On Sunday night we were invited to another one of Father Joe’s famous dinner parties. Although, Jodie and I weren’t really in the mood to go and mingle, we knew there would be a feast there for us to enjoy so of course we accepted. Outside it was pouring rain so we trekked through river and streams and finally made it to Father Joe’s looking a bit like wet dogs. Just like we have come to expect, there was a grand feast for us to enjoy. Lobster, fish, green beans, and other yummy Thai dishes were in full supply. After filling our tummy’s we did the usual mingling. We had an interesting conversation with a friend of Father Joe’s named Lee. He works for development organization in Laos and his focus is the development of technology in rural and poverty-stricken areas. We discussed the issue of technology vs. basic necessities. For example the lap-top per child program and the idea that every child should have access to a computer. This whole campaign is problematic because it doesn’t address the real issues related to poverty. Does it really seem that useful to hand over a piece of technology to a child who doesn’t even have access to clean water or food? It’s a valid argument to be considered that’s for sure.

This afternoon we arrived home and were locked out of soi 40. We spent about 15 minutes sitting on the step snacking on our food while contemplating our options of getting inside. Our main concern was the milk and the yogurt. We called Si Jie, she got in touch with the house parents and they informed her that there were boys in the house. We continued to ring the bell but after still no answer. Jodie walked around the back of the building and found the boys hanging out on the back deck where we do our laundry.
A few minutes later we joined Spicy and Bird and snacked on Doritos that we just bought at Carrefore. In exchange they helped us with our laundry.

While we were finishing up a load of laundry, Bird strutted by completely naked. Jodie and I a bit shocked left the deck and waited inside as a result of the awkward position we were suddenly in. A few minutes later Spicy strutted out wearing a tan pair of underwear. We were in the last stages of washing the laundry where we had to manually spin dry the clothing. The boys seemed not a bit concerned that these two girls were in very close proximity to them while they bathed. At one point, Spicy went behind a curtain and peed into the drain off the side of the deck. Bird is around 12 or 13 years old and chose to bathe himself sitting on a little stool. He lathered himself with soap, and sang like no was around. The funniest part was how they went about all of this, showing no concern that we were around.

Another classic moment here at soi 40 involved Galang ironing his kindergarten uniform. He was sitting cross leg on the floor hovering over the iron board which stands only a few inches of the ground. I watched him for a few minutes as he ironed with such precision. He worked slowly and seemed in no rush as though he had nothing better to be doing.

Soi 40 is bustling with excitement and energy as they return to school. The place is completely empty during the day and in the evening the boys are full of energy as they play and discuss the events of the day. While we are getting ready in the morning, their loud voices can be heard reciting their morning prayers. It reminds me of our first month here when we would be woken up daily by the voices of boys running around. Back to school means new haircuts, so all the boys are sporting new closely shaved crew cuts.

This next story may disgust some of you, specifically my mother. Today I saw lice in one of the girl’s hair. I was only one that noticed but I couldn’t take my eyes off her head as Si Jie and Jodie talked to her. I was thinking “I hope that lice doesn’t try to job over here” Later when I told Jodie about the lice spotting, her first reaction was shock and then she informed me that she came fully prepared with Lice shampoo.

When we first arrived we would often see a mother and child picking out each other’s lice with tweezers. It has became quite normal for us to see this here in the slums of Klong Toey but nevertheless today I was shocked and am now a bit paranoid.

I would like to take the time to thank Tiffany and Angela for sending me those lovely pictures of via email. My eyes welled up and I probably would have cried except that I was surrounded by crazy gamers. The atmosphere at our local internet café is similar to a busy arcade. While we attempt to catch up on emails and surf the web, sounds of gamers fill the air. Whether it is the sound of someone being kicked in the face, a machine gun or the annoying hip hop soundtrack that accompanies the game, the sounds at times are unbearable. Imagine a room filled with 25+ computers and 23 of them are playing video games with their volume cranked up to the loudest possible level. It is dirt cheap to surf the internet there so a will keep my complaints to a minimum.

Anyways, those are the stories I can think to tell you right now.

Sending love from Thailand,
Misty

2008-05-11T04:12:00.000-07:00

HAPPPY MOTHER'S DAY MOM!!!!!!!!!

Do you know the price of rice?

2008-05-11T03:56:00.000-07:00

In a strange way I feel like the goodbyes have already begun and that my time in Thailand is already winding down. It is strange because I have only just passed the halfway mark. On Friday I said goodbye to a student and good friend of mine. She has left for the US. She is taking a course in Washington and will be staying there until August. It is a wonderful opportunity for her and I am so proud of her. I will miss her very much though. Si Jie has decided to leave at the beginning at June and I have this feeling that it will come quickly. In a little over a month, my mom and sister will be arriving and the time after they leave will be spent travelling. I have this sense that it is time to take full advantage of every experience and look for opportunities to have meaningful experience with the children and staff at Mercy.

A few of the highlights of the last couple of days include cooking Saheo Cake with our friends in the Hospice, treating ourselves to Pizza, Beer, ice cream and a movie and experiencing the anticipated visit of American Ambassador and his wife.

The pizza, beer and ice cream was the best thing to happen to us this week. We left Mercy exhausted from a long week. On the way home, we decided to pick up some pizza. After being wooed by the very attractive Thai pizza man, we left the pizza store with a two large pizza, a pint of ice cream and a 6 month membership to the Pizza Company. We have plans to return next Friday. It could be dangerous if pizza man is there.

The American Ambassador’s visit lasted a whole hour but the anticipation started a day early. I’m still not sure why such a big deal was made but all of Mercy was transformed for his visit. All of the security guards were in attendance wearing all black. The black BMW displaying an American flag arrived accompanied by 2 Thai police officers in the in front of the car and behind and the show began. For the next 60 minutes Eric and his wife were shown around Mercy accompanied by a big following of Mercy PR and embassy staff. I’m sure you are all wondering “what does the ambassador do?” I asked myself the same question and found out that he works at the American Embassy and is in contact with Washington. His focus is Thailand and US relations. He visit to Mercy doesn’t really mean that much except for the press that his visit brings. When I left I was thinking…..that was a lot of hype for nothing. Anyways, it was interesting experience. The best part of it was seeing all the staff dressed up.

Today while we were doing our laundry, Si Jie saw two of the boys in an interesting exchange. Si Jie was sitting and talking to one of the boys in the sleeping room. Two of the boys entered the room, walked over to their bed. One of them reached under his pillow and grabbed his favourite toy. The other boy reached into his pocket, pulled out 50 baht and they exchanged the money and toy. Funny to think that at this age they already know about the importance of trade and the value of money and goods. Questions like, where did the one little boy get the money or what will the other boy do with the money, probably will never be answered but it is funny to contemplate.

Other story that made me laugh when I heard it was a story about some kindergartens and their discussion of rice. Everyone here in Asian is aware and is concerned about the increasing price of rice and that does exclude young children. Si Jie overheard two children discussing the increasing price of rice the other day at the kindergarten.
“Do you know that the price has gone up?”
“Yeah I head it was 80 baht per kilo”
“No, its 90 baht per kilo”
Then one of them said to Si Jie, “Your plate is not clean, you have to eat all of it because the price has gone up”

Imagine it, a few 4 and 5 years old discussing inflation and the increase of goods. Why wouldn’t they? It affects them everyday. Rice is a critical element to the Thai and Asian diet. The increasing price of rice and oil is an ongoing problem for this developing country. During our time, we have seen numerous price increases such as our daily transportation and local street vendor food prices. We have seen and experienced the effects of the global market on the poor of Thailand.

On Saturday evening we went to the World Music Festival to see some of the Mercy girls perform a Thai dance. Five of the eight girls were students of ours. Lek, Boong, Dew, Cherie and Rose performed a traditional Thai dance for the festival. They looked beautiful and I was so proud of them. During their performance it began raining and they kept smiling though it all. Although, it was only a bit of rain, their smiling faces reminded me of how resilient these girls are. I know that each one of those girls has a story where they have faced unimaginable challenges and yet they have pressed on. Their strength and beauty filled that smile. They are so young and so full of life. They have dreams for the future and although I don’t know the exact details of their past I can say without a doubt that these girls are strong and resilient and that can achieve great things if they put their mind to it.

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

2008-05-07T23:35:00.000-07:00

I have a couple of days to catch you all up on. On Monday we took three of the boys from Soi 40 with us on the river-cruise. We had accompanied half of the Mercy 6 kids last Tuesday and Vanessa invited us to chaperone the other half on Monday. Instead of going to the memorable snake farm like last time, we instead took them to Temple of Dawn. Jodie and I had been there already but surprisingly the children choose the Temple over the snake farm when given the choice. The day was great fun and the best expressions were found in the faces of our three boys from Soi 40. They were full of smiles and they genuinely enjoyed every minute of it. One little boy named Folk who is Jodie’s favorite was definitely loving every minute. At one point he went to the front of the boat and was starting talking to the driver. Mind you, he is only 6 and when ever we hit a bump his face would light up. Bird’s expressions throughout the day were classic. During the picnic lunch, the hotel had prepared a variety of sandwiches. Bird REALLY liked them and he carried leftovers with him for the rest of the day. Every time I looked at him, he was stuffing his face with a sandwich. The funniest was when I looked over at him during our paddle boat ride in the park and he was stuffing his face while paddling.

After our boat cruise with Mercy 6, we got one of the drivers to drop us off at Lumphini Park. We decided to take full advantage of this time with the boys. We took them to the park, played with them on the playground and took them for a paddle boat ride in the big swan boats. After the park we took them to McDonald and treated them to ice cream. It was a grand day, one of the bests here in Thailand. The boys were so well behaved and so gracious.

Highlights of Tuesday and Wednesday include sharing lunch with our friends in the AIDS ward. On Wednesday we actually spent the afternoon painting nails with them. Momma painted Jodie, Si Jie’s and my nails. She took the task very seriously. She filed and painted each nail with three coats. They looked spectacular. I jokingly painted some of the male patient’s nails. A few of the patients painted Uma’s nails. Each nail a different color and a different pattern. He was pretty thrilled about it. I glanced over at him a few times and each time I saw him starting at his nails.

Today’s meal topped my list of favorite meals at Mercy. We had rice, friend chicken, papaya salad and oranges for desert. It was delicious, AROY in Thai. Speaking of meals, tonight we ate at street vendor with Boong and Dew. I ordered noodles which were really delicious. I’ve also come to the conclusion that Thai people over use the world delicious and beautiful in their language. I would estimate that we say those words around 30-40 times a day. Tomorrow I will keep a tally to find out for sure. On Tuesday night we ate supper with the boys. Eating with them is always fun. After their food was served they had to meditate for a few minutes before they could return to the table. All the boys were sitting crossed legged on the floor facing us and the house mom told us that we could start eating. So jokingly Jodie and I started to eat, flashing them funny looks while the boys attempted to meditate. A few minutes they returned the teasing by making fun of us in Thai and using their best English and saying “Misty, no beautiful, me, beautiful.”

On that note I will end this post.

Sending love from Thailand,
Misty

Comic Strip written for The Coast

2008-05-06T06:58:00.000-07:00

My friend Nicole read about my monkey story and she passed it along to her friend Mike Holmes who writes for The Coast. The Coast is a free paper that is circulated around the city of Halifax. Its focus is the local arts and entertainment scene.

Pics

2008-05-05T06:43:00.001-07:00

Mangrove Forest. A really unique ecosystem only found near coastlines. They are often destroyed by people's desire to own coastline property.

Wicked spider pic taken by Jodie

A wonderful moment. Just a glimpse into what it truly means to live off the land
Local fisherman. What you can't see is that is raining really hard and he is still out on the water.

Little Eden. Our accomodations in Ko Chang the first night. Only 200 baht a night which is like 7 dollars canadian
A game of chess. Completley staged!

Monkey from the wild that appeared at near the Bungalows looking for his daily banana.

Funny Typo! Suppose to be 2 baht (thai money) per minute. Its up there with French Fried on menus.

Little Eden

Here are just a few of my favourite pics from the last couple of days. Enjoy. I will hopefully post more later. You can check more out on facebook

Amazing Race: Ko Chang Leg

2008-05-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

We had been anticipating Heather’s arrival for quite some time now and she finally arrived on Thursday evening. We took her for a late night tour of the Mercy Centre so she could see where we spent all of our time. It was late in the evening so all the kids were dressed in their PJ’s watching movies. We were able to give her a tour and she was able to meet some of our special friends and a few of our students. Later in the evening, we went to our favorite restaurant at the night bazaar. It ended talking into the wee hours which wasn’t the best idea since we had to get up at 5:00

Heather flew and Jodie and caught the 7:30 bus and headed to Ko Chang. We caught the ferry and arrived in Ko Chang around 2:00. We spent the next hour and half looking for our hotel. We were on a bit of wild goose chase because Heather had written down the wrong address and so we travelled to the wrong end of the island trying to find it. We eventually found it and then began our search to find Heather on the beach. After a long hot frustrating search with no luck we went back to our guest house. There we found Heather who had been waiting for the last couple of hours. After venting our frustration we decided the only way to brighten our mood would be to eat. We ended up eating at the guest house and the food was seriously some of the best Thai food I’ve eaten on my travels through Thailand.

Our accommodations however were an experience in themselves. The best way to describe the bungalows and our experience would be like sleeping in a tree house. The bungalow was very cute from the outside and only 200 baht per night which is only 7 dollars Canadian. Inside there was one large bed which was covered with a mosquito net that hung from the ceiling. The bathroom however did not have the one thing we desired most, a shower. There was a hose but it only delivered cold, cold water. We spent the first evening there, all three of us in the same bed protected by the mosquito net. The tree house was also infested by ants. Later we discovered a large nest of ants that lived in a nearby tree. In the middle of the night I awoke to thunder and lightening showers and throughout the night water sprinkled on my face. It was not enough to keep me awake but at one point I woke up and grabbed the blankets and covered my face. Praying that I wouldn’t wake up soaked.

On Friday morning we decided to move onto another accommodation, the cold shower in itself was a reason to move on. We began on our search to find another hotel in the pouring rain. After about an hour and a lot of rain, we finally found a place. This hotel had a hot shower, a pool and two double beds. We took it and decided to make something of our day. In the afternoon, the sun came out for a short period and we took full advantage. We hung out by the pool and soaked up the sun for an hour or so. It wasn’t quite enough to help the tan but we enjoyed it anyways. In the evening Heather and I got massages on the beach and then the three of us followed it up with romantic dinner on the beach.

On Saturday, we refused to let the rain get us down. We weren’t going to spend our weekend sulking and staying in the hotel room. Our original plan was to rent motorcycles and drive around the island but because of the rain we decided to rent a car. Jodie and Heather drove but when it came time for me to drive I was not prepared. I began driving in the middle of the busiest street on the island and my perception of the road and the car was way off. Remember, the car is on the opposite side of the road and the driver is driving on the passenger side. Anyways, I was quite nervous and after a minute of driving in which I almost hit a car and a person, I decided to pull over and let Jodie drive again. I was quite disappointed in myself and I felt like a failure but I knew that if I had a chance to practice and get my bearings then I would have been fine. Lesson learned I guess. Don’t start Misty off driving in a foreign country in the middle of a busy street.

We drove to the opposite side of the island and went on a boat ride in rain. We originally wanted to go kayaking but chose the alternative boat ride because we had the option of sitting under an umbrella and staying relatively dry. The boat toured around the mangrove forest. This boat trip along with our drive around the island was one of the most breath taking experiences of my life. We took a lot of pictures but they really didn’t do the sites justice.

The mangrove forest was fascinating and Heather shared with us that this type of forest is usually destroyed because of coastline property. It is similar to a rain forest because of its unique ecosystem and its importance to local organisms and animals. Usually when the forests are destroyed it damages the local ecosystems and it often is impossible to replace. During the boat ride we passed a small fishing village and for a moment got insight to the lifestyle of a Thai fisherman, when we saw an older man fishing in his boat.

On our way back to the other side of the island we stopped for Indian food. On the other side of the island we shopped at a local market and Heather bought some local art and a few souvenirs. Later in the evening we all went for Thai massages. Heather and Jodie preferred the Thai but I felt like I was being beat up the whole time.

It is hard to describe the roads to you and I can only compare it to the Cabot Trail. The roads were so steep and so narrow. Some of roads were on the verge of being washed away and there were times where it felt like we were climbing Mount Everest. It was unbelievable adventure that I will treasure for a long time.

On Sunday we had one of the worst bus experiences of my life. Unknowingly we bought a ticket from a private bus company. We ended sitting on a bus that smelled like an outhouse for 5 hours. About an hour into the trip I realized I need to pee but refused to use the bathroom which smelled horrific. The bus was also leaking and it leaked on the Jodie the whole way home. She used the curtain and created a contraption that solved the problem momentarily. Everyone on the bus looked and smelled like they hadn’t showered for days. I imagined that they all stayed in the 200 baht guesthouse with no showers. The fact that it rained all weekend didn’t help the cause or the smell of wet dogs and sewer that filled the bus. We didn’t make any kind of stop until the 4th hour of the bus ride on the way home, and to say that my bladder was on the verge of exploding would be understatement. We made an unusual stop and everyone was forced to buy something because we were all starving. The Thai food was disgusting and expensive which made me the whole bus experience worse. We eventually arrived at home around 6.

We made plans to meet Carole, another fellow ed student on Sunday night. We met her at the hostel she was staying at. The hostel was really fancy and had a really great vibe to it. We had a great evening sharing stories with her and by the end of the night we realized it was time to go on a SERIOUS SERIOUS budget. Anyways, I am writing this post in an internet café and I don’t have time to fill you in on the events of today. We had a great day with the boys from soi 40 and I will end this post now and save the details for my next post.

Sending love from Thailand.

Misty

2008-04-29T06:22:00.000-07:00

(imagine a camera in that monkey's hand)

Hello blog readers

The last couple of days have been really busy so although I’ve been keeping up with my blogging, I haven’t had time to post them. Last night we went out for Japanese food at the Four Seasons Hotel here in Bangkok. Vanessa, the photographer who I discussed in more detail in last post referred to it as "the best Japanese food in the world and the most expensive in Thailand" With that lead up we had pretty high expectations about the food. Vanessa ordered for us and since I can’t really remember the names I will try to describe the basics of what we had. We had a wrap type thing that tasted like a California sushi which was my favorite of the evening. We also had sushi with eel in it and sushi which was made up off the fat belly of a tuna. The final part of our main course was fried crispy vegetables that were cooked in some kind of batter to make them really crispy. I know not all of this sounds that appealing but it was actually quite good. We also tried Japanese beer along with warm rice wine and ended our meal with chocolate hazelnut cake.
The build up for our evening with Vanessa and Katisa was huge. It was like the prom where the fun of it is the preparation and the build up in your mind but it becomes impossible for the night to live up to those expectations. We just realized that all though we had made them out to be bigger than life, they were really just regular people, boring in moments and all thought they lived what appeared to be glamorous lives in Monoco and Paris, they really are the same as the rest of us. Disappointingly they never asked us about our work at Mercy.
All and all, spending an evening and afternoon with them makes for a great story and I fun day getting ready for the evening.

Today we forced ourselves out of bed and arrived at Mercy half asleep. I spent the morning going through the motions with little to no energy. I taught my adult class, Ford and visited with our friends in the AIDS hospice all before 11. At 11:00 we met up with the kids from Mercy and 6 along with Vanessa and Katisa and piled ourselves into the Mercy vans and headed to the Oriental hotel for our river cruise.

We had heard that the Oriental hotel was the most luxurious in Bangkok. I believe it lived up to those accolades. There were hi soi (high society) boutiques in the hotel including a large Louis Vuitton shop at the entrance of the hotel. We walked through a few social rooms on our way to the river cruise. We passed beautiful architecture and art work along with some overtly rich men and women. We boarded the boot and spent the next hour or so travelling down the river on our way to the snake farm. The view was pretty incredible and we got to see yet another way of life in Bangkok.

After arriving at the snake farm we were quickly escorted to the snake show which included trainers or Thai men teasing and prodding an assortment of large scary snakes included cobras, razor snakes etc. After the show we walked around the facility which was pretty sketchy and not well maintained at all. The children seemed to really enjoy running around and seeing all the animals.

At one point I lent my camera to one of the older boys so he could take a picture of this monkey. This monkey was already trouble because there was a hole in the screen where he could reach his arm out and he would grab at the children. He was a monkey so he was pretty harmless, I thought at first anyways. At one point the boy had my camera hanging from his wrist and it was swinging in front of the monkey. The monkey reached through the whole in the fence, grabbed my camera and began swinging it around. At this point I started screaming because I knew this monkey met business with my camera…..BANG, CRASH, BOOM went my camera. The monkey started to swing it around the whole time I was squelling and trying to get the staffs attention. At this point all the kids were gathered around the fence along with every foreigner at the park. Within the first few seconds the monkey had clicked the lever and the battery was hanging out. It was obvious that this monkey probably like all monkeys could easily manipulate small objects and was extremely playful and with any object. After what seemed like in an eternity, one of the staff members came over to rescue my camera. At first he tried to reach through the fence to grab the camera, but was to slow and the monkey grabbed it again and swung it around for the crowd. A few seconds later the staff member climbed in the cage with the monkey, grabbed the camera and handed it to me.

After that the whole ordeal was over, the moment of truth was upon me. Would my Sony Cybershot still be in one piece and would it still work after the monkey mangled with it? First I had to put the battery back in and then I tested it and sure enough it still worked. My camera has a few more scratches and one little dent but I’m thankful it still works and not many people can say that a monkey stole their camera. It makes for a good story and I only wish now that the whole ordeal with videotaped lived so that I could sell it to Sony. because it sure would make a good commercial.

Sending love from Thailand

Misty

This post is dedicated to all the monkey lovers in the world, especially Tiffany and Amy

2008-04-29T05:41:00.000-07:00

Diaper wearing monkey's KILLL ME!!!!!!!

Even monkey's wear diapers and suck their thunbs!! It is not staged for tourists at all....:)

COBRA'S. Would you mess with them??? I don't think so
Monkey with new born! Miraculous isn't it.

Two parties....one day

2008-04-29T05:26:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we held our party for the sea gypsies from the south of Thailand. Si Jie put together a picture slide show of their time here. We ate some munchies, played their favorite game Fruit Basket and had a fun photo shoot. Each student wanted an individual picture with Jodie, Si Jie and I. Two cameras documented the 17+ photo shoot. In the beginning I felt like a model and by the end of it I felt like a plastic wax statue.

As we left the party we ran into Father Joe and two other ladies who were surrounded by a group of kids from Mercy 6. During our chat with them, Father Joe invited us to his house for a party. We accepted of course because party’s at Father Joe always promise to be a good time. We had a couple of hours till kill before our second party so we went to Carrefour and treated ourselves to ice cream.

At 6:30 we arrived at Father Joe’s and learned about the two girls that we meet earlier. One girl named Vanessa is a world famous photographer and for the last 4 years has been taking pictures of Mercy and the slums. The book is called Slaughter House Angels and has just been released a month ago and it retails for 100 Canadian and you can find it on Amazon.com. A perfect birthday gift…hint hint. Anyways, during our time together we learned that she was a famous photographer who is currently taking pictures of horses and palaces for the filthy rich in Dubai. In the past she has taken pictures of luxury goods, such as jewelry, and designers such as Christian Dior. She was accompanied by a girlfriend named Kristi who is a Polish horse racer who was incredibly skinny and beautiful and made us all conscious about how much pizza we were eating.

Okay back to Vanessa, she has released another book that features portraits of RINGO (from the Beatles), Andrea Pauveriti (famous tenor), Claudia Schiffer (model), Jacque Veninue (famous race car driver). They are all friends of hers and she photographed them for a book benefiting the Red Cross.

The best part of the evening was when she offered to treat us to the best Japanese food in the world TOMORROW night. Let’s just say all three of us are ecstatic about spending a evening with these hi soi (high society) girls. I would compare it to hanging out with Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City. These girls are jet-setters and live quite privileged lives but at the same time are really down to earth. Mom, I’m warning you. If Vanessa offers to hire me for the summer to travel the world with her and carry her camera bag, I just might have to accept.

The three of us left Father Joe’s walking and talking a million a minute. "What am I going to wear?" "Should I get my hair washed professionally for this?" and I can’t believe I wore my only good outfit today" were just a few of the things that came out of our months on our long walk home. Usually we would have taken a taxi home, but we were so full of energy and excitement that we walked home and discussed our preparations for tomorrow all the way back to Soi 40.

All and all, the events of tonight have made my life. I forgot to tell you that Vanessa also is planning a boat trip for the children of Mercy 6 on April 29th and has invited us to come along. Of course, we accepted but for a moment we hesitated so that we didn’t look too desperate.
I’m sure tomorrow nights post will be even more juicy and eventful. We have a day to get ready and prepare ourselves. Until then….

Sending love from Thailand

Misty

Dear Abby

2008-04-29T05:23:00.000-07:00

Right now I am sitting here in soi 40 with exciting news. We have an internet modem with a supply of weak internet connection. What does that mean? Well we can go on msn and I can check my hotmail account. Its kind of like the little engine that could, it is trying really hard but it shuts down before it gets to facebook or the blog. Either way, I’m not going to udder a word of complaint. I am grateful for any steady internet. Now all of you can look forward to msn dates and long emails from me.

To clarify, 2 days after I started this post and the internet connection is not steady and is instead random and always a hit or miss. My initial excitement is gone and I will now live for the random connectivity that comes from the comfort of our room.

On Friday, it was drizzling a bit so it was time to pull out the rain jacket. Jodie bought a poncho style rain coat the night before in Carrefour. I couldn’t help but giggle when she first sported it on Friday morning. She loves it though and it certainly does the trick. Her only other alternative was a Hello Kitty umbrella, which we both would not be caught dead using.
We taught Kindergarden in the morning. The class included discussion of opposites (big, small, left right), some singing and of course some duck duck goose. You can never go wrong with that game, it never gets old.

In the afternoon we taught our students from the south of Thailand along with Moss and two new students who hope to be attending RSS, a private international school in September. It was our last day with the students from the South so we spent the class playing wink murder and fruit basket. On Sunday we are planning a party for them. We have really enjoyed their class and we are going to really miss their enthusiasm and energy.
We also had a wonderful visit with our friends from the AIDS hospice. Nancy invited us for lunch and we accepted. Our time with our friends there is always so special. I feel like they are old friends who we visit regularly at the local coffee shop. We chat, make fun of each other, dance and sing a little and always enjoy each other’s presence.

On Saturday, we went to the weekend market. We walked through the pet section which was quite interesting. If you are like me and you feel guilty when you walk in a pet store then seeing the pet section would have killed you. The puppies were only a few weeks old, obviously too young to be sold and some of the smaller animals like hamsters and chicks were in such small corridors that they were literally piled on top of each other. There were also fully clothed bunnies in really small cages. It was definitely a sight and moments after we entered, we were on our way out.

I hope everyone is doing well, congrats to those who are done practicum.

Sending love from Thailand.

Misty

2008-04-24T23:19:00.000-07:00

Where are misty's pics?

2008-04-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

Most of my post readers are probably wondering, where are all the pics of you at Siam Ocean World, well don't worry. I to had a photo shoot which only consisted of 5 photos because it was Jodie's day to shine. Anyways, the pics will be coming soon but I have to run

Snakes on a Plane.

2008-04-24T02:14:00.000-07:00

And the rain continues

2008-04-24T01:12:00.000-07:00

Around suppertime the rain began and soon after came the thunder and lightening. I’ve never seen Mother Nature quite so terrifying. At home I am not usually that scared of lightening, for example I don’t hide under my bed and feel the need to cuddle with the dog. My fondest memories of thunder storms are at camp frightened and hysteric campers. In those cases, I always remained calm and collected but not today.

Here in Thailand, the lightening literally felt like it was striking over my head and seconds after the lightening struck the sky would flash pink. It reminded me of thunder and lightening bolts you would see in a documentary about Mother Nature’s force. I fully admit, I screamed and ran to find shelter a few times while Jodie and I waited outside for a songtow. In those moments, all I could think about was the likelihood of me getting struck and dying on the spot. Jodie reminded me that my chances were pretty slim which only comforted me a bit.

The rest of my day went well. I had a good morning with my adult class, all accounted for and in full attendance. Emma (a fellow volunteer), Jodie and I had a fun visit in the Aids hospice, at one point I was singing “How do I live” with one of the patients named Nancy who couldn’t carry a tune and Jodie was dancing with one of the patients in a wheelchair. One of the other patients was spending his last day at Mercy, he was heading home later in the day and he was very happy about it.

We also chatted with another volunteer who told us all about Krabi which is a province in the south of Thailand. She is a member of the British Women’s Group and Jodie suggested to me that we should either search for a Canadian Women’s Group or start one ourselves. I agreed and noted that we are already 2 members strong.

The Mercy Centre has an up coming fundraiser at the Four Season Hotel and in preparation for the auction the children have been painting pictures and today Jodie and I found a canvas picture that we both have fallen in love with. We are hoping to either attend the auction and purchase it or have the boy paint 2 more that we can buy and have the proceeds go to Mercy Centre.

Well folks, that’s all for now. I have a book to finish and some sleep to be had. I don’t know if it’s the rain or the cold temperatures but I’m craving a cup of tea but I will have to go with out tonight.

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

2008-04-22T23:18:00.001-07:00

Good morning Canada

Quick update while you guys are sleeping like babies. Yesterday Jodie and I went to Siam Ocean world. It was pretty awesome. Kind of pricey but we made it well worth our time and money......believe me. The evidence of this will be posted later. In the evening we watched P.S. I love you. I loved the movie but I didn 't cry and felt like a heartless human being because Jodie was on the verge of the ugly cry. We also had a refreshing downpour and lightening storm. Anyways, I have to go and teach. More updates and amazing photos coming to a blog near you.

Love Misty

ELEPHANTS, my one true love

2008-04-21T02:38:00.000-07:00

2008-04-21T02:27:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone

Sorry that I’ve been leaving you hanging. Jodie has been able to post from our room but I don’t have the same patience as she does to sit and wait for the connection. So we have returned from Chaing Mai and have been lazing around for the last couple of days. We rented some movies and went out to see a movie. We also visited the boys at the Father Joe’s villa on the outskirts of the city. It is house he owes about half an hour out of the city. Half of the boys have been staying during school holiday. The other half of the boys went to visit the villa tonight so we caught a bus to join them for the celebration. The villa was so awesome. It reminded me of a mini camp for the boys. They have room to play soccer and they can go fishing and they have planted a garden. I think the most beautiful thing about the villa, is that these kids have room to explore and have room to play. The kids and staff do face a lot of challenges at the villa though. The kids don’t have mattresses and they sleep on the cement floor and they don’t have running water so they have to buy their water and food from the nearby town. We were there in the evening and I was really hoping to catch a glimpse of the stars but the sky was cloudy and no stars were found so hopefully next time. There is a large Muslim community in this area and as we were sitting by the river, a group of Muslim men and women passed us on a long motorized wooden boat. Pi Thong, one of the house parents told us that a man had died earlier in the day and they were going to funeral procession of some kind and the men and women were travelling by boat to the gathering. It was really neat to see and definitely one of those moments unique to Thailand moments.

The rest of the weekend hasn’t been that eventful. I got my hair cut on Thursday and the hair dresser who was a man pretty much shredded my hair into an Asian style hair cut with a bit of a mullet. Haha. I actually like it and my hair really needed the trim. I was really terrified though and there were moments when I questioned why I decided to get my hair cut. Mom, I definitely wish you were cutting my hair instead of Mr. Shredder. Anyways, it needed to be done and hair always grows back so I won’t complain about it anymore. Besides that we have been hanging in our room, catching up on emails and getting into a really bad sleeping habit of going to bed late and waking up really late. Yesterday, we had a picnic in the park and there was a music festival going on and we got a special shout out and an English song dedicated to us. I actually was really embarrassed, and I didn’t think the singer was talking to us but then I look behind us and noticed that we were the only white people in the crowd. I guess we just stand out in a crowd and sometimes the attention is fun but other times I just want to hide under my sit. I guess I was naïve to think that my new Asian hair cut would take some of some of the attention off me…haha. Having someone dedicate the Carole King Song, “You’ve got a friend” was one of the moments when I wanted to hide under my seat. That song is really cheesy and old and I’m not a senior citizen….haha. I’m joking.

This post is really scattered, so I apologize but ideas keep popping into my head and I don’t feel like editing my post.

In other news, as of today it has been two months since we left Canada and we are quickly approaching the half way marker. The Atwell girls will be landing in Thailand in less than 2 months and in less than a week we will have some fellow ed students visiting.

Long Neck Karen Pics

2008-04-20T02:07:00.000-07:00

Finally, some pics

2008-04-20T01:31:00.000-07:00

Recap

2008-04-16T07:29:00.000-07:00

First I would like to apologize for the rough state of the blog. The computer here wasn’t working and so the posts got put up like 5 times by mistake. It is all fixed now and if you are looking for pics go to Jodie’s blog http://jodieinthailand.blogspot.com. She has been able to upload pics but I won’t be able to until we get back to Bangkok.

On Monday and Tuesday here in Chaing Mai we again spent most of our days playing Songkran. Monday we set out not really in the Songkran mood and at this point we were beginning to realize that Laos wasn’t going to be possible because of time constraints and transportation challenges. This news really dampened our mood because it meant that we would have to stay here in Chaing Mai for another week and at this point we were seriously ready to move on. We spent the day trying to figure out our options for the next week. We were considering taking the bus home, visiting neighboring provinces but we ended deciding that financially and mentally head back to Bangkok as soon as possible was our best option. The thought of spending money to stay here when we didn’t want to be here just wasn’t appealing but as of Monday we still weren’t sure how we were going to get back to Bangkok. That night we returned to the night market, bought a couple of things and on the way home meet two young Israeli guys who were walking back as well. We struck up conversation and learned that had just finished a 3 year term with the Israeli army. I told the guy that I was walking next to that I have been to Israel and he replied “Wow, I’m flattered” I kind of let out a laugh because I thought that was an unusual response. He then went on to ask me if I liked his country and I replied “Yes, very much” and he replied by saying “Thanks” The way he said it made me let a loud laugh because it wasn’t like I didn’t really see it as a personal compliment. . He responded by saying that not very many people like his country, so it meant a lot to him that someone had visited Israel and liked it. Talking to them brought back very fond memories of my trip there and it made my evening.

Earlier that evening we also struck up conversation with an Indian man and his family in McDonalds. We talked about Bangkok and the numerous amount of holidays that the Thai people celebrate. He mentioned that he had been living in Bangkok for 3 years and that he considered it a very peaceful city and that although he didn’t think there was a lot of money to be made here, he considered Thailand a happier more interesting place for his family compared to Hong Kong which is where he was lived previously.

We’ve talked to a lot of interesting people here in Chaing Mai and there’s no doubt that meeting other travelers is one of the best parts about traveling. We’ve had the chance to meet some many types of people from all walks of life and with different life experiences and in a small way, you get to take something away from every person you met.

On Tuesday we decided to stop mopping around about Laos. We needed a new game plan fast because Chaing Mai was getting us down. We decided to take a tuk tuk to the airport to see about changing our flight. Mind you, we were still in the middle of Songkran and our only option was a tuk tuk, which is like a little buggy car that has no windows or doors. I can’t post a pic right to show you, so google it if you are curious about what they look like. We got in the tuk tuk dry and arrived 20 minutes later soaked and dripping wet at the airport. Of course, everyone was looking at us like we were crazy. Everyone knows you are going to get wet in a tuk tuk, because they are prime targets because you can’t escape the water, but like I said earlier we didn’t really have any other options. Driving and being drilled with cold water was the worst combination, we were freezing and we thrilled when we finally arrived at the airport. By the time we arrived, my sandels were squeaking and my denium shorts were dripping blue dye. Needless to say, we made quite a scene and we left little puddles behind.

We successfully switched our flights and we are flying home on Thursday evening. In that moment our suddenly change and loved Chaing Mai and loved life knowing that we would be leaving for Bangkok soon.

In the afternoon we had lunch and then decided to go exploring and being fully aware that we would get soaked in the process. After walking for about 20 minutes we came across a family who were selling ice and they invited us to play Songkrah with them. So of course we agreed because at this point we were already soaked and we new that cold water was the ultimate revenge. For about an hour we joined them in soaking the passing traffic. During this time we noticed that not many people were stopping for ice and the ice appeared to be melting at quite a rapid rate. At this point Jodie and I decided to help sell ice instead of throw water. Jodie wore a huge cardboard sign that had some Thai words written on it and picture of an ice cube, so we assumed it said Ice Cubes for sale but we can’t argue that for sure. I held a huge piece of ice and showed it off as if I was on selling jewelry on the shopping network. Our little ice selling business picked up pace quite quickly. We sold 8/10 cubes in less than an hour. We were pretty amazed. Our skin color, age and gender might have had something to do with the spike in sales. In appreciation, the family gave us a coke.

In the evening, Jodie and I went for supper on a riverboat cruise. It was pretty romantic let me tell you. Sitting at a candle lit table, floating down a river listening to my heart will go on. Could there be anything more romantic? I’m not sure there could be. Anyways, we had a lovely evening and we struck conversation with an older American man and his Thai wife. He works in Iraq so of course had a few questions for him about his thoughts on the political situation there. Jodie and I joked that it was another romantic evening wasted on each other. The boat ride was about an hour long and we got to enjoy passing by other waterfront restaurants. It would be a perfect atmosphere for a proposal but to our disappointment there were no Australian doctors around to do the job.

Anyways, that’s latest recap. I miss home and Bangkok and am thrilled to be returning tomorrow. That’s all the news for now

Sending love from Thailand

Misty

Happy Songran!!!!!!

2008-04-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, we went to a local women’s correctional centre for a massage. We had read about it our lonely planet book and decided to give it a try. The women have committed minor crimes and while they serve their sentence they are given opportunities to learn specialized skills such as massaging and crafting. All the money they make from the work is given to them when they are released. Jodie and I both got foot massages and enjoyed the pampering. In the afternoon and early evening we played Songhran which included watching the parade and joining in the massive water fight! We managed to find some buckets that became much more useful than our wimpy water guns. So we spent hours being soaked and soaking others. We also met up with some fellow Canadian along the way. Anyways, thats all for now, my hands are tired from all this typing. We are not sure about Laos yet, so the next couple of days are a bit up in the air.

Sending love from Thailand,
Misty

A day full of adventure

2008-04-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we headed out on a trekking adventure here in Chaing Mai. Our adventure included a visit to a long neck Karen tribal village, a visit to a butterfly, an ELEPHANT TREK, white water rafting, a bamboo raft ride and a swim at nearby waterfall.

We were picked up at 8:30 by our tour guide and we traveled about 45 minutes outside of Chaing Mai city. Our 10 passenger van reminded me a lot of the Matatus in Kenya along with our drive on the rocky roads that surrounded the mountainous terrain. The visit to the long-neck Karen tribal community was extremely disappointing. You could tell that it was set up for tourist an there seemed to be very little authenticity to the whole experience considering we came away knowing no more about the history or culture of the tribe. Every experience I’ve had at this type of this has always been the same and I am beginning to wonder if it is possible to have an authentic experience unless you spend more time in the actual village which is impossible for most day long trekking excursions. All I could do was take a few pictures as though they were animals in a zoo and I felt uncomfortable but knew that I would never see this type of thing again in my life, so you sort of just go a long with it even though you hate mostly every minute.

We quickly moved on to elephant trekking. Oh I forgot to mention the butterfly farm thingy. We saw some butterfly’s and took some pics and moved on. So the elephant trekking was like a dream come true. We got on our elephant and started down a steep hill where I literally felt as though as I as going to topple off that elephant. It didn’t help that I was trying to take pictures with one hand and hold on for dear life with the other. I couldn’t help, I love elephants and a girl can never have too many pictures of elephants. In case your wondering what the elephant felt like, well he was very wrinkly and quite hairy. He had spots on the back of his ear and most importantly the most loveable creature ever. Well not really, but lets just pretend. While riding on the back of elephant we climbed a little mountain and traveled through a shallow river. So in other words my elephant moved mountains and crossed a river just to be with me…haha. Oh my goodness and the best thing about this trek was that fact that a baby elephant came along for the ride. The baby’s mom was carrying 2 of our groups members and so the baby followed which made my life. Everything that baby elephant did was adorable and I mean everything. Every few minutes I would say to Jodie “did you get a picture of the baby elephant doing this and doing that” Everything that baby elephant did was fascinating to me hence why half of our photos are of that precious thing. Towards the end of the trek the baby elephant just fell over into the water and starting playing. We couldn’t take any pics because we were so far away but I watched in awe and although it is not documented for you to see, you can trust me that it too cute for words. I think that I’m going to adopt an elephant to go along with my Kenyan baby and Thai baby.

We had lunch at the elephant site and then drove for a bit to get to our white water rafting destination. Here I came across another elephant, but it wasn’t such a happy site consider the elephant was chained to the tree. That made me really sad but as I went over to it to introduce myself, a man came over and started feeding the elephant some watermelon. I asked him if I could try and he handed me some watermelon and I got to feed him. Lets just say we had a moment. I whispered sweet nothings in his ear and feed him watermelon. I also tried to come up with an escape plan but I wasn’t sure if he understood my Thai, it’s a bit rusty.

Next it was time for white water rafting. Our biggest obstacles were the rocks. The water was quite low which is understandable because it is the summer season and so there were rocks everywhere. Jodie and I were in the front of the boat so we were the first to come in contact with everyone of those rocks. We never really got that much speed but we had an awesome time maneuvering our bodies from side to side in our attempts to avoid the rocks. Throughout our travels down the river we came across lots of Thai people swimming and having a blast in the river. They would splash us, we would splash them. All it all, it made our trip down the river, that much more enjoyable.

After our white water rafting adventure we shifted our fun towards a nice relaxing ride on a bamboo raft. I pretended I was a princess waded slowly down the river on a raft. I had two captains, one at the front and one at the back that used a large pole to direct the way and it keep the boat on course. It was so relaxing that I don’t think anyone wanted it to end.

After our rafting trip we headed to a nearby waterfall. It wasn’t really a waterfall though, it was more like a swimming hole but I had a fun time climbing the rocks and swimming in the clean water.

Chaing Mai

2008-04-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

(Quick note, Jodie and I are frantically posting these posts because we are being charged my the minute so ignore all grammar and spelling mistakes. Sorry for no pics, they will come later, probably when we return to Bangkok.

Jodie are I are having a great time here in Chaing Mai so far. Songhran festival is in full swing and it even started a couple of days ahead of the official holiday. Children and teens are particularly involved in the water throwing in the days leading up to the holiday. Everyone has a bucket, a water gun or access to a hose to soak their victims. On the sides of the streets both in the downtown city and the surrounding highways you see groups of people scattered around a big bin of water or hose to keep them supplied for hours. Another familiar sight is seeing a group of people on the back of a pick up truck simply driving around searching for their next victim. To describe this holiday as a MASSIVE water fight is not even sufficient. Here in the downtown core between two of the main streets is a large river stream which comes in handy for water enthusiasts to find a bountiful supply of water. This stream keeps the water fight in play for hours and hours. As a passenger in a vehicle, you still get splattered even though it would appear to be a waste since no one is getting wet. The festival thus far has been like nothing I have ever experienced before. There have been endless moments of pure joy throughout the last couple of days. Some of these moments include children attacking us with water, older women chasing us with a cup or water or a friendly elderly woman dumping a cup of water down one’s back. Other moments of joy include finding innocent unsuspecting victims of which WE catch off guard. The best is when you take someone’s own bucket and shove it towards them and in the end, they soak themselves.

Along with those pure moments of joy comes long annoying aftermath as you walk around cold and soaked to the bone trying desperately to dry. This is quite impossible considering that every person is armed with a bucket, gun or house. We quickly realized that the only safe haven was our room.

Speaking our room, it’s not the most luxurious space I’ve stayed in but at the moment it will do because the hose we use for our shower has hot water and that is at least one thing to be grateful for. The bed however is probably one of the worst things I’ve slept on aside from a hard cement floor. It feels like a really uncomfortable futon and the pillow feels more like a piece of plywood but we do have a TV, so the complaints will end now.

Misty

2008-04-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Quick note to tell you that Jodie and I have one more day before we head out on our adventure to Chaing Mai and Laos. We are really excited but there are a few things that are still up in the air, we are trusting that things will work out as we go along. They have thus far in our adventure. Yesterday, we came across my new favourite place in Bangkok. It is a hip little second hand book store off of Sukumvit. They have a great selection along with the option to buy back books, so I'm looking forward to trading some of my books in for some new one's while I'm here. Yesterday I picked up "The Constant Gardener" and I was really tempted to pick up a book about Che Guevera, but I held back because I still have a few books at home to read. Anyways, no other news to share with you as of now. Its early in the morning and we have a day full of rec and teaching ahead of us. I will try to post again before we leave.

Misty

Movie Night

2008-04-08T02:36:00.000-07:00

Mr. Bean is pretty universal and Jodie and I had a feeling that the boys would enjoy the movie so we decided to treat the boys to a movie night tonight. Only half of the boys are at soi 40 right now and the other boys are staying at the villa for the next couple of weeks. Our evening was a blast, and above are some pics from the night. Believe me, I know they aren't the most flattering pics, but just imagine what you would look like if you've been sweating all day and night....haha.

Today, Jodie and I got our Laos visa and added another page to our passports. I also taught some girls piano today which was actually quite fun. I am teaching three at one time! I am picturing them speeding ahead of me in a few weeks. Let's just say, I am a little rusty. We went on the subway for the first time today and right now I'm sitting in a sleazy bar taking advantage of their free wireless. We are trying to figure out more details about our upcoming trip to Chaing Mai and Laos. Oh yeah and Jodie and I are pretending we are on the amazing race and we have made up a pretend couple that we are racing against and we are always refering to how we can get ahead. It sounds a little odd but it is keeping us preoccupied...haha.

Sending love from Thailand.
Misty

Canadian Eh

2008-04-07T01:38:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone

Our weekend has shaped up to be quite an eventful one. On Friday we spent the day teaching and around supper time treated ourselves to some crepes and Swenson’s. The crepes here are dirt cheap and they sell them just a few meters from Mercy Centre. Swenson’s is a big ice cream chain here. After treating ourselves we bused home, rested and miraculously happened upon an Internet connection in our room here in Soi 40. With that low but available I sent some very important emails that had been stressing me out for the last couple of days. By this point it was around 10 but Jodie and I were both in high spirits so we decided to go test out a new restaurant since we were both starving and had reason to celebrate. We came across a really nice Italian restaurant, and enjoyed a delicious pizza.

Saturday could be summed up in a few words. Those being “Laundry” and “Canadians” We spent all morning and part of the afternoon, slowly tackling our laundry. We spent over 4 hours washing, draining, washing; spin drying and hanging our clothes outside in the backbreaking heat. The boys and the house staff were away and we had very little food in our fridge, so after a day of laundry and a few apples we set out to find some food. We hopped on a bus, not having any idea where it would leave us but we were confident at some point it would pass the A&W we remembered seeing. After taking a loop around the bus route we finally reached our destination.

In the evening we attended a party with fellow Canadian friend named Nick. He works at the Canadian Embassy and a fellow colleague was having a birthday party and he invited us to attend. Jodie, SiJie and I frantically rushed back to soi 40 to meet him at 5:30. I’ve never got ready so fast in my life, except for the time that my alarm didn’t go off on my graduation day.

We had a really interesting evening chatting and meeting fellow Canadians. Most of who worked at Canadian Embassy’s throughout the world. Interesting to note, most individuals who work for the embassy only stay at a posting for 4 years and then they either go back to Ottawa or move onto a different posting, and a different country. Everyone we met had travelled to and worked in some really exceptional places such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Israel and United Emirates. I learned a lot about Canada’s foreign policy, how to apply for the embassy and even how the tsunami impacted the Canadian embassy here in Canada. Needless to say it was a really informative and fun evening and the best part was the fact that we got to be really patriotic and boast about Nova Scotia and have people actually understand what were talking about.

On Sunday we cleaned our room and headed off to the weekend market. This market was GIGANTIC and really overwhelming. I would estimate that the whole market covers over a kilometer and from the sky train you can hundred’s of people walking in and out of the shops. We spent ALL afternoon there and we only covered one part of the market. It is extremely crowded but thankfully today was a relatively cool day and so we didn’t have to push and shove in the blistering heat. We both found a few good finds and navigating through the market was an adventure in itself.
Oh yeah, 2 quick stories. Last night we were furiously barked at by two stray dogs outside of soi 40. I was a wee bit terrified and I really hope that it never happens again. Pigeons and stray dogs are my least favorite animals here in Thailand. Elephant and monetary lizards on the other hand top my list.

If you are Canadian and into Canadian pop bands you might remember “The Moffats” well Frank Moffat who is the father of the moffats volunteers at Mercy Centre on Saturdays. Jodie and I haven’t met him yet, but let me tell you, I’m quite excited about our meeting. I owned a Moffats album when I was 13 and I loved “I miss you like crazy” SiJie told us that one of the brothers is living here in Thailand too. My heart flipped just a little when I heard this. The moffats were my Canadian heart throbs in my pre-teens and the thought of meeting them 10 yrs later is still quite exciting. Lame I know, but whatever. Everyone has embarrassing crushes from their childhood. It is like if Mom was going to meet Donny Osmond, she would be QUITE excited. Hahah.

Anyways, that’s all for me.

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

No name

2008-04-04T02:42:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, this is a post from the other day. Sorry for not posting lately. We’ve been quite busy.

Important News Headlines of the day

Chiang Mai is booked. We are headed to the north of Thailand from April 11-21 for Songkrah!!! Chaing Mai is Thailand’s second largest city, Bangkok being the first. John warned us that there will be thick haze over the city while we are there. The cause of this is a combination of dust and smoke from the burning off of the rice fields near the city. We have been also told that it is nearly impossible to stay dry during the five days festival of Songkrah. We are stoked and we can’t wait to purchase water guns and join in the activity.
We started teaching the children from south of Thailand today. The children affected by the tsunami. They were a blast, so energetic and genuinely interested in learning. It was really refreshing.
Laos and Burma are hopefully going to be visited during our holiday! We would really like to visit the UNESCO heritage site in Laos. It is a village of temples dating as far back as the 1300’s. I’m not sure of the name right now. Jodie found some books about Burma and Thailand upstairs in the library. Mind you, most of them are from the 80’s but still worth skimming through to do some research.
We got caught in the rain today. I think it’s the second time we’ve seen rain since we’ve been here.
Jodie and I washed some of our laundry by hand tonight. We had a trust bucked and scrub brush. Sitting on a little stool scrubbing at each piece. One thing this experience did offer up was a chance for one just moment to appreciate the time and effort that women in the developing world put into the routine chore.
Men eating grasshoppers. Not my idea of a good time, but I got to watch as two adult men chilling out by a nearby window munching on covered grasshoppers.
Duck Duck Goose has no age limit. While children in Canada would refer to this as a baby game, the children here at Mercy are intrigued and obsessed with it. The older girls at mercy 3 ages 11-16 were requesting the game at recreation today. I guess it is just classic, much like the Chicken Dance.

Are you hungry? Probably won't be after you see this

2008-04-01T22:39:00.001-07:00

SQUIDDDDDDDDD!!!! Yuck.

A Day at Mercy

2008-04-01T18:25:00.000-07:00

Ford and I
Napping peaceful children. Moments earlier they were picking at each other and really wound up. If you look closely, you will notice they are all wearing spongebob square pants shorts. So cute.

Ford, one of my students. He is the son of one of the staff members here at Mercy

A little boy named Kent. He is an HIV/AIDS patient here at Mercy 6. He is 14 years, and as you can see the disease has stunted his growth and made his body very small and fragile. He is in the last stages of treatment but is a very content happy boy.

Yesterday Jodie and I joined Si Jie and Pi Tip for an art lesson. I was designated photographer and Jodie got to stretch her skills as an artist. The kids are so special that even their simple paintings say a lot.

Friday Pics

2008-03-31T20:14:00.000-07:00

No dancing...what the heck. We found a small space and danced anyways.

That is one awesome band. I wonder if they do wedding gigs.

MASHED POTATOES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shakin' it as a band member. I think we are going to be the next Rankin family

Dubliner's menu, what a hottie!

Back from Pattaya!

2008-03-31T06:48:00.000-07:00

Jodie and I have safely returned from Pattaya and the beach. We are currently hanging out a nearby mcdonalds that has wireless but we only have 30 minutes. Also, a christmas song just played while we were here.....random eh? Anyways I'm not really done my post about Pattaya but I will post the first part of it. Sorry for all the grammar errors on this post, and all other posts on this blog. I usually just post and I don't edit it to much.

Hmm. So we arrived in Pattaya around lunch time on Saturday and found our way to our hotel shortly after. Our room is the size of a dorm room, but we do have a really hot shower that has made this whole trip worthwhile. We spent Saturday at the beach across from our hotel. This beach stretches over a km I would estimate. It is extremely busy and has a lot of and a sea full of umbrellas and lawn chairs. I was quite disappointed when we arrived on the beach, the sand was quite rocky and the water seemed to be quite dirty and the whole atmosphere wasn’t very appealing. In addition, vendors interrupted momentarily trying to sell products that ranged from ice cream to jewelry. It got to the point that we would pretend to be asleep so that we didn’t have to respond. The surrounding city around the beach is also not that appealing. It is designed completely for the sex trade and none of it is appealing for 2 girls looking for a relaxing get away.

I only need a few words to describe Pataya. 90% of the people you will see are young Thai women escorting old ugly white men around town. Every few steps you will either find a skuzzy bar or hotel, all of which comes alive at night. Every bit of it makes me angry. First, men looking at every woman as a piece of meat and secondly, a woman degrading herself all for the sake of money and lastly the fact that it is all confined to a little microcosm which glamorizes it as though it is acceptable. It was eye opening that’s for sure. There were moments when I wanted to pack up and head home. Our only option was to head to the nearby island called Koh Larn that we heard about. So we decided to get away from the main strip of Pattaya and hope that we would find something worthwhile there. So on Sunday we headed to the island and were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful sand and clear blue water just miles away from the skuzzy beaches of Pattaya. We spent the day, reading, swimming and relaxing in the sun. The beach was really crowded and there were oodles of sea-doos, motorboats whizzing by the swimming area but we somehow found away to lay back and relax. The island’s sole attraction was the beach and it didn’t look like anyone actually inhabited the island. There was no other type of industry other than beach related activities, stores and restaurants. Anyways, we took the ferry over and willingly said goodbye to Pattaya city for the day and plan on spending our final day on that same beach.

Friday Night

2008-03-31T06:43:00.000-07:00

This one goes down in the history books

The day played out like normal, we had class, and we welcomed Si Jie back from mediation. The evening is when all the excitement began. Early evening we attended and viewed some of the International Dance Festival at our favourite park. We watched a man dance in an una-tard, a couple dance an Argentinean Tango, and Italian trio dance to an Italian opera, just to name a few. It was quite enjoyable but extremely hot at the outdoor venue. We felt very much like high soi’s (city girls).

At this point we were all a bit hungry so Jodie suggested we go to Dubliners which is a pub that Father Joe mentions quite regularly. He told it was his favourite pub and that if we ever stopped by that we should ask for Wayne who is the manager and to tell him that Father Joe has sent you. So proceed to do exactly what he instructed. We walked to Dubliners, had a quick chat with GED who is one of our students and works at the pub, and then on a search for Wayne. We were told he was wearing a orange shirt so it didn’t take long to find him. We introduced ourselves and mentioned that we worked for Father Joe. He informed us that Father Joe and Retenna (his assistant) had actually been in the pub earlier in the day and then shared stories with us about his friendship with Father Joe. He had extremely high praises for Father Joe. A few minutes later, John, the owner of the Pub came over to us and introduced himself and again shared stories of praise about Father Joe. He then proceeded to tell us that our meal was on the house and they were welcome to anything on the menu including food and drinks. The girls and I were thrilled to accept his offer. Jodie and I ordered a grand meal that included roast chicken, stuffing and mashed potatoes. To describe my reaction to this meal as ecstatic would be an understatement. Those mashed potatoes made my mouth melt and my heart happy. The roast chicken was the size of three rolls of toilet paper and every bite was suburb.

The atmosphere at the pub was really fun and for a time, I felt like I was sitting in a pub at home. The people were very friendly and we actually met up with 2 fellow Canadians. John repeatedly made toasts to us and brought over a variety of drinks. We definitely felt like royalty.

The entertainment in the pub also made this night worthy of the record books. A man sporting a head to toe green Irish inspired get up played a variety of classic pop songs on his guitar and harmonic. Some of our favs include, Beautiful Girl. (Sean Kingston), Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash), Wonderwall (Oasis), Summer of 69 (Bryan Adams), Brown Eyed Girl, Twist and Shout, American Pie and Green Day classics, just to name a few. At one point, the girls and I got up to dance to one of the songs and the guitarist asked us if we wanted to join his band and offered us some shakers, tambourines and other music makers. The rest of our time at Dubliners was spent rocking out, dancing freely and singing our hearts out to beloved American classics with our Irish friend. He commented that this was the best band he had ever formed and I believe it to be no word of a lie…haha.

Although, we had no desire to leave, we had promised Cedric a fellow volunteer that we would met him at RCA and so we pulled ourselves away and jumped into a taxi. RCA is a street of dance clubs and pubs, where “college aged kids” as Tom would describe, hang out. We met up with Cedric and a couple of his friends there and hit up the dance floor for the next hour. I was shocked by the lack of dancing. The place was packed but no one was dancing, but that didn’t stop us. We found our own little corner and danced our hearts out for the next hour. We met a couple of friendly Thai’s that also joined us.

To sum it all up…. Our evening was EPIC!!! And that’s why it will go down in the Misty and Jodie Thailand history books. We were treated like royalty and we danced and sang the night away at the cost of 3 dollars Canadian. And that folks is what makes Thailand, a beautiful, beautiful place.

2008-03-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

Look closely and you will see the a man on back of an elephant walking down the street! This pic was taken on our walk to Tesco.

Kindergarden pics. They were taken on thursday with the kids while they coloured and did a work sheet with us.
This little boy has a really long blonde rat tail. Not visible in the picture but an important piece of information.

I forgot to turn this picture around, so I apologize. This is a common sight in public washroom. You suppse to squat over the toilet, do your thing and then splash water on yourself. Needless to say, it is quite the experience and makes quite the mess and one shouldn't be alarmed if you get splashed by the person in the stall next to yours too. This pic was taken at a bus stop on our way to Ko Chang. Our first experience with this type of toilet.

Bonjour Amigos

2008-03-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my lack of posting lately. I will try to make it up to all of you right now. I am quite confident that Jodie and I have conquered the bus system, the bus system from soi 40 to Tesco that is. No seriously, we have become more confident with taking the bus which is nice because it is so much cheaper than taking a taxi. The bus only costs 8.50 baht, which is like 25 cents compared to the taxi which is like 1 dollar Canadian.

Other exciting news includes the anticipated visit of Tiffany and Mom. Their flights are booked and they are coming June 13-29. I checked the calendar and it is only 76 days away, so the countdown is on.

The weather is getting noticeably hotter, and if you walk outside in the afternoon, it is guaranteed that you will probably break out in a sweat. I find that I’ve been napping a lot lately too which is unusual for me. The heat just drains you though, so the last couple of days we have taken a nap in the afternoon but as a result I sometimes find it hard to fall asleep at a decent hour in the evening. The last two nights in a row, Jodie and I have watched Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. We are so grateful to have the downloaded movies to pass the time at night. I’ve finished my 4th book today, so I’ll be hitting up the book store soon, probably a second hand book store, because I’m going through the books quite fast.

Jodie has a connection to a fellow Nova Scotia who now works at the Canadian Embassy herein Thailand. We just got in contact with him and are hoping meeting up sometime in the future for lunch.

Anyways, Pattaya, the beach and a hot shower are only a day away. The other luxuries that we are looking forward to enjoying include a dvd player, air-conditioning, king sized bed, 3 SWIMMING POOLS and cable TV!!!! The most important of all is the hot shower! Isn’t it sad when a shower has become a luxury? Some mornings the bowl of water just doesn’t cut it, especially when it’s a cold bowl of water. I have promised myself that I will wear more sunscreen this time around and take at least a 30 minute shower everyday. I probably won’t be emailing or posting for the next couple of days but I will be thinking of you all while I bake on the beach and swim in the ocean.

P.S. I saw another elephant walking down a busy street. Tiff, I will post a pic soon.

Sending Love from Thailand,

Misty

Wednesday Updates

2008-03-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hey All

I'm here at Mercy Centre all by myself. Jodie isn't feel well today and took the day off to rest. I'm hopinng that she's feeling better because I feel lost without here at Mercy. She's had a headache the last couple of days and woke up feeling really tired with no energy. So I'm hoping she is feeling better and that she got a lot of rest this afternoon.

Today I got to chat with a new volunteer from England. She is living in Bangkok with her husband and is volunteering here on tues, weds and thursday. Its always exciting to meet a fellow english speaker. Um, what else. We booked our hotel to Pattaya, so it is confirmed. We are going to the beach this weekend!!!!!!!! We are also trying to figure out our plans for the upcoming Shongrah(sp?) holiday. Prices for hotels and flights go up but we are still hoping to visit Chaing Mai for a couple of days.

Besides that, nothing more to add. I just wanted to give a quick update before I head home.

Misty

2008-03-24T18:57:00.000-07:00

Some of the boys at soi 40. This is their meal hall
Khoa San Road
Ronald doing the traditional Thai wai

PICS!!!!!!!!!

2008-03-24T00:08:00.001-07:00

Faye painting a picture

Hotel near the park
Jodie and her accounting students preparing food for AIDS patients

Me facing my fears and trying to be friendly to the park pigeons
View from the park

Easter Weekend

2008-03-24T00:04:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night we accompanied Father Joe to mass at AIT. AIT (Asian Institutes of Technology) is a university campus on the outskirts of Bangkok. Father Joe has been conducted mass there for over 20 years. The church population is made up of Philippians, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Indonesians and Thai’s. I’m not that familiar with the traditional Catholic Easter service so my description may lack proper terminology. The first part of the ceremony included the lighting of a large fire in a fielded area on campus. A large candle was lit from that fire and then each person proceeded to light their own candle using the flame from the large candle. Together as a group, we then proceeded in a processional to the building where the service was held. There was quite a breeze so it was a challenge to keep my candle lit. Eventually I just gave up. The service was about an hour and a half long, and it included communion, and at the end of the service some pretty decent music. The service was held in the student union building on the campus and during one part of the service, church members decorated the room with flowers and banners. After the service, there was a children’s pageant, a large feast and fireworks. The service wasn’t over until 10:30, and Father Joe was pretty exhausted so we didn’t get to stay for the later celebrations. We had a chance to meet up with some of our Philippians friends that we met the first night we arrived at a get together at Father Joe’s house. Oh, an important event of the evening included our mode of transportation. We drove in an old Mercedes Benz. It was pretty classy, I must admit. Father Joe mentioned that the car was given to him last year by an older man who moved back to the US. He also pointed out that we should feel special because we were driving in a car much older than us. So now I can say I’ve driven Mercedes Benz, an experience I never expected to have…haha.
We arrived home from mass at around 11:00 starving because we didn’t have supper and we missed out on the feast after the service. So we tried our luck with some food from a nearby street vendor. I had some noodles and Jodie had some rice and pork. I’m a wee bit sick of the rice, so noodles are welcomed alternative for me.
Easter Sunday in Bangkok turned out to be quite the day. Father Joe took Jodie, Si Jie and I out for lunch to an Italian restaurant. Tom and John also arrived and joined us. Father Joe insisted that we order anything we desired on the menu. The restaurant was probably one of the fanciest that I’ve ever been to EVER in addition to having unlimited supply of food, it was quite a remarkable experience. So we ordered our meal, Jodie and I both ordered ravioli, Si Jie had spagettie and when we had finished Father Joe asked us if we liked our meal enough to have it for supper. We replied “Yes”, and he ordered the meal again to take home with us. Then it was time for dessert. My mouth has never eaten anything quite as delicious as the Tiramisu that I ordered at this restaurant. It changed my life…haha. In other words, we were treated like King and Queens for an afternoon. Oh and I forget to mention that we had unlimited bread and red wine. We also were each served a large chocolate Egg so all it all our Easter celebration was complete.
We asked Father Joe about what happens when an AIDS patient dies at Mercy. He went on to explain that the individual’s family is usually contacted and then the death certificate has to be processed for them to be cremated. He went on to explain that our friend from the AIDS ward that died on Thursday her situation was actually very complicated. Father Joe explained that her name is Bhoha, which is the equivalent of John Doe or Jane Doe, it’s a name given little to no meaning. Like when she was born, she had very little importance and she was given the name just to get a name. So when it came time to cremate her, her name served as a deterrent because it is very common and signifies little to no identity. When it came time to cremate Bhoha, she didn’t have any proper identification and the doctor was worried and felt rushed to bury her because she also had TB, along with HIV/AIDS in her body. Mercy Centre with the help of lawyers and Thai government staff were able to get the necessary signature to put her in rest. Her body was laid to rest at a nearby Temple on Saturday.
Father Joe went on to share a heart felt story that happened a few days before her death on Thursday. He mentioned that a couple of days ago he had taken her along with some other patients to a near by temple. She had asked to go to the washroom and he had told her that she had to wait. She ended up wetting herself and was really embarrassed. Father Joe went over to her to apologize and she said it was okay. The next day, some of the staff took her to Tesco to pick out some new clothes. She mentioned that she had never been to a department store, and had a wonderful day where staff treated her to new clothes. A few days later she went to the hospital and died of lung congestion. Father Joe said that it was as if that strange pant wetting experience was in itself a blessing, because the result was a wonderful day of pampering at Tesco just before she left us to go to heaven. Father Joe was obviously moved by emotion when he told the story and he shared it with us with a lot of compassion and mercy.
In other Mercy news, one of the girls from Mercy 6 ran away from the centre on Saturday. She must have got by the guards and walked out of the centre. Her mind is not all there, so it is not believed that she would have schemed to leave. She probably got bored and somehow walked right by the guards. She is 17 years old and an AIDS patient who has been at the centre for 6 months. Jodie and I actually saw her on Saturday evening around 6 at the Mercy Centre watching people playing basketball at the court from the balcony. Father Joe mentioned that some of the children were upset, especially Note, who is the master of the house. He always knows what’s going on at the house and was upset that he wasn’t able to stop her from leaving. There are people who have looking for her in some familiar places but we are hoping that she will be found and brought back safely to Mercy instead of being persuaded by someone on the streets and taken advantage of.
On Sunday afternoon, we rested and hung out in our room and in the evening we decided to hit up Khoa Shan Road. It’s a backpacker hangout and a foreigner hotspot. We attempted to take the bus there but during the process of switching from one bus to another, Si Jie lost an earring. Jodie and I had loaded the bus and Si Jie took a few steps back to retrieve her earring. Suddenly the bus started to pull away, and we watched in shock as the Si Jie started running after the bus. To make this story short, we never re-connected with Si Jie. Our cell phone was dead and we had no way to call her. We waited and waited and decided to keep trekking because we were well on our way already. On the final leg of our trip we took a taxi that dropped us off on a street with no shopping or lively activity. In that moment, Jodie and I looked at each other with scared looks because it was already so late and we still hadn’t found our destination and we had no idea where we were. So we decided to walk down the abandoned street for a few minutes and thankfully as we looked to our right we saw a bustling street, we had finally made it to Khoa Shan Road. We spent about an hour there shopping and feeling normal surrounded by tall, regular sized foreigners. The place was also bumping with football fever as football lovers gathered on the street to watch the Manchester United and Liverpool game on big screens.
So in conclusion, we had quite an eventful Easter weekend. We went to church, and drove there in a Mercedes Benz. We ate a chocolate egg and an Italian meal instead of turkey. I hope you are all enjoying your Easter weekend as much as we did here in Thailand.
Sending love from Thailand,
Misty

A Sad Day

2008-03-21T23:05:00.000-07:00

A quick recap of day. In the morning and in the afternoon we shared our love of the Monkey Dance and the Chicken Dance to both kindergardeners, the PR staff at Mercy and our university prep students. All of which are hooked on the dances and love them almost as much as we do. We danced a lot today, went to the park, had some supper and shared a happy moment with the boys as we snuck into their sleeping corridors to welcome them back from mediation.

The rest of the afternoon ended up being quite heartbreaking. We found out that one of our friends in the AIDS ward passed away yesterday. She was one of the first people that we talked to when we arrived. She was probably one of the youngest patients and she looked the healthiest. She was not bed-redden at all and was often seen walking around, interacting with her friends in the hospice. She was close friends with the girl that made us our name bracelets. I have a few fond memories of her; the first was when she welcomed us and talked to us on our first day visiting the hospice. The second memory I have of her is when she told us that another patient, a good friend of hers was in the hospital. She communicated that to us without a word of English. Another memory I have of her was of her watching the children play in the bouncy castle. She sat on the bench just outside the doors of the hospice, watching the children playing for hours. I sat beside her for a few moments and we watched together in silence. The last and final memory I have of her was when I walked into the hospice about a week ago and she was sound asleep on her bed.

One of patients that we visit often informed Jodie of her death during our visit today. After hearing the news, I am left with so many questions. How did she die so suddenly? Why did it seem like no one knew about it and what does Mercy do when one of the patients dies? Does she have any family members? How did she contract AIDS? What kind of ceremony will take place to remember her life? The only answer that we were given was that she died because her body no longer accepted the drugs. Her body which seemed strong and youthful was really fragile and vulnerable. Even though I hardly knew her, she was one of the patients that we did connect with during our short time here. She was so young and had a lifetime ahead of her, but this disease tragically took her life.

Anyways, I’m sorry to leave this post on such a sad note but its time for bed. Happy Easter everyone! I am thinking of you and celebrating along with you on the other side of the world.

Sending love from Thailand,
Misty

A busy yet fulfilling day

2008-03-20T21:39:00.000-07:00

Today was one of the busiest days we’ve had here in Thailand thus far. We have hit the ¼ mark of this adventure. We have been here actually a full month. When I consider my experience here thus far, I am left remembering a lot amazing moments that have changed how I see the world and my role place within it. Moments where I’ve never felt more alive, and moments that I would like to never relive again. A month into it and a normalcy to my life has finally emerged. That brings a sense of relief but also a sense of sadness because the vacation has finally ended and the daily schedule has set in. It is also at points like this where I think of home and long for the continual contact with friends and family. I have come to appreciate home and the opportunities I’ve been given so much more. I’m sure that as my mother reads this she is thinking “Misty in homesick” and I want you to be convinced that all though I miss home very much, I feel that I have a lot more to experience here in Thailand. I have just come to be more appreciative and grateful for the experiences and people that have shaped who I am today. I’ve been really blessed with an awesome temporary family. Jodie, my partner is crime, my constant companion and supporter. The girl who has a huge heart for the children at mercy and is always willing to fight for things she believes in. A few other things I’ve learned about Jodie, she is hardly ever serious, she is always hungry, always ready for an adventure and has a mean sense of direction. Si Jie, has filled the role of big sister and third gang member. She is smart, talented, full of life and a veteran Mercy Centre volunteer who shares her wisdom with us everyday.

In the morning I taught my adult class and at 10:00 Jodie and I went to the Kindergarden. It was of the best experiences we’ve had here so far. The kids were so full of joy and we had their full attention every second that we were there. I brought my children’s cd and did a variety of English actions songs with the children. Like the chicken dance and the hokey pokey. They absolutely loved it, as did we. It was a really joyful moment and made me remember why I loved teaching. This type of teaching environment was the one that I envisioned in the first place and I am thrilled to finally get the chance to play and sing with the kindergarteners.

Read Jodie’s blog for more description about the school and our teaching workout.
http://www.jodieinthailand.blogspot.com
She is much more descriptive than I am.

After teaching the kindergarden class we walked back to Mercy where we had another new class of students. I am working with a little boy named Ford. He is 8 years old and the son of a staff member. I spent the hour reviewing the English words and concepts that he knew so I could figure where to go with him. I don’t think that he understood that I didn’t understand Thai. My puzzled looks did not give him the hint, he just kept talking. It was quite humorous to me.

Jodie just mentioned to me that today is the first day of spring. So I hope you are having a day full of sunshine. I highly doubt the flowers are full bloom, but I hope that the snow is melting rapidly.

I hope you all have a lovely and meaningful Easter weekend. It is not a holiday celebrated here in Thailand unfortunately but Jodie and I have plans to celebrate in our way. The plan is to attend mass here at Mercy Centre, maybe buy an ice cream cake to celebrate our one month Thailand anniversary/ Jesus death and resurrection. Other plans may include a trip to our beloved park, and a dress up, fancy dinner.

Happy Easter! Remember the reason for the holiday and have a relaxing long weekend.

Sending love from Thailand,
Misty

Pics from Friday

2008-03-18T21:49:00.000-07:00

Boong and I and our reaction to the mini dinasour pictured below

Peace sign next to the face. The new cool pose in Thailand. Try it out!

March 18

2008-03-18T19:59:00.000-07:00

Today wasn’t that eventful. We taught in the morning, changed our schedule around and went to the park. We were able to more our evening class to earlier in the day which means that we won’t be at Mercy so late in the evening. A few other exciting changes to the schedule include teaching kindergarten twice a week, along with some other young students. Finally we get to teach some kids. Our schedule has been so jammed backed with young adults and staff at Mercy that we haven’t had much time to teach the children. So both Jodie and I are looking forward to teaching the kids.

I was feeling really drowsy and cranking all day and forgot that I had take a Tylenol cold and flu tablet in the morning. I don’t know if I’m coming down with a bit of a cold or if my body is just reacting to the pollution but I have been coughing quite a bit lately. So I took the pill and then spent the rest of the day with no energy. I literally fell asleep on the taxi ride to the park, and then again at the park two times. Those that know me, know that I never nap so having three naps in one day is quite unusual. I was really out of it and cranky. I feel bad that Jodie had to put up with it all day. We stayed at the park until supper time and then realized that we couldn’t go home because Si Jie had the key and since the boys aren’t home, we can never be sure if there will be other staff around to let us in. So we hung out at the park until dusk and then headed home. To walk from the park to soi 40 is about 35 minutes. It’s not too bad in the evening when the temperature has gone down but we try to avoid the trek during the day.

Anyways, i have to run to rec. Talk soon

Misty

How much thai have you picked up?

2008-03-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

The boys here at the orphanage have left for the weekend. They have left for a week of meditation. I would tell you more about it, but I’m not sure of the details. I just know that our home is eerily quiet and we miss the boys very much.

The last two days of our weekend has been spent at our new favorite hang out spot. It is a park near Emporium. Our days at the park have been spent reading and lesson planning. A few reasons why I love this park so much: it is really close to the mall so whenever you need a break from the heat or you need to pick out a new book, then you can escape to the air-conditioned mall to rejuvenate yourself. Also within the park perimeters is a swimming pool, tennis and basketball court and a juice stand. So the last couple of days have been spent under a shaded, breezy palm tree. Not a bad way to spend a day. Jodie and I also realized today that we need to spice up our inner circle. We spent every waking moment together and experience everything together and we’ve talked each other’s ears off. So its time to seek out other English speakers, and our search began today. We had the pleasure of meeting and talking to a young Norwegian man who was visiting Thailand on vacation. He was a good first attempt, but really quite meaningless because he is leaving on Friday. So the search continues…. In other news, I took my camera to the SONY store here and originally they told me that it would only cost like 20 dollars to fix the lens but they called me yesterday and it is going to be more like 120 dollars. So I was like heck no. My camera still works but the zoom doesn’t work as well as it should but I’m not paying half the price of my camera to get it fixed. I guess I was just hoping that it would be cheaper to fix it here but I was wrong.

Anyways, that’s all for now. Today’s plans include, more teaching, a meeting to change our schedule and then a trip to Emporium to pick up my camera, maybe a little grocery shopping and who knows what else. I’m sorry for the lack of pics.

Psalm 18(1-2)

Misty

Dreaming of Snakes and Poop

2008-03-15T21:48:00.000-07:00

March 15th

(Sorry no pictures this time. Posting here at an Internet cafe in Bangkok)

Jodie and I slept in for the first time in a long time. We finally got around to cleaning our room. It was quite disgusting! We then travelled to Siam square which is another massive shopping are. We are beginning to understand why Bangkok is a shopping mecca. There is both the Siam Discovery Centre which consists of hi so (high class) shopping. The kind of shopping that Jodie and I can’t afford and I would describe as museum shopping. The other was the MBK shopping centre which consisted of branded knock off’s. For lunch I ate some great Indian food and dreamed of eating pâté (sp?) everyday of my life instead of rice. As evening rolled around, Jodie and I went to a movie. We saw Step Up and it was actually pretty good. I mean I thought it was going to suck, so it definitely exceeded my expectations. I left just wanting to go dancing. RCA is definitely in our future plans.

Interesting fact, when buying movie tickets you have the choice of cheaper or more expensive tickets in relation to where you want to sit in the theatre. Also, after the commercials and previews run, just before the movie starts, everyone in the theatre must stand while a movie montage of the King plays. We’ve heard about this, but tonight was our first experience and I must say I loved the King too after I watched it.

It is hard to really understand the idolization of the King, and I can only try and describe to you his stature here in Thailand. There is a picture of the King in every building you enter. There are large billboards and pictures on large skyscrapers of the King. Similar to live strong bracelets, many people were “Long Live the King” bracelets. The anthem plays twice a day over speakers in the streets and you are expected to stop whatever you are doing and pay your respect. There are sections of the city where the architecture related to the King is designed in gold. All I have to say is that Queen Elizabeth has nothing on this guy!

EVEN BETTER THAILAND FACTS
Jodie just reminded about Thai dreams interpretations. Boong and Dew informed us yesterday that if you dream about poop then it means you are going to win the lottery. Boong backed it up by saying that she has personally experienced this. Dew also told us that if you dream about snakes than you will find your soul mate. Needless to say, Jodie and I went to bed dreaming of snakes and poop……..hahahah. And I think I’m going to end this post on that note.

Misty

Kow Pat (Fried Rice)

2008-03-14T04:48:00.000-07:00

Quick Hello

Yesterday we spent the morning and early afternoon teaching and then we set off on a search to find post cards. We went to Emporium which is a massive five story shopping mall here in Bangkok. We indulged in a few luxuries during our time there. Jodie got her hair cut at a Salon. We also treated oursleves to ice cream and chocolate chip cookies. Later we met Si Jie at the mall and we headed over to Tokoyo Bar. There is a blues festival going on there this weekend and this bar is one of Mercy Centre's sponsers so Si Jie asked us to go along with her. Oh I forgot to mention that Si Jie and I went for a quick bike ride to visit one of Mercy's kindergraden classes in the afternoon. When we arrived when all the kids were napping, so we didn't stay long. What made this bike ride a wee bit interesting was the fact that temperature was like 36 degrees and i had a semi-flat tire. So i broke out in a sweat the moment i started peddling. I decided that my original idea of someday doing a bike tour through Bangkok didn't seem so appealling to me after this hot and exhausting experience. A motorcycle trip though Bangkok still has potential!

Today we dragged ourselves out of bed and to Mercy Centre. In the morning I taught my adult class and in the afternoon we decided to take Dew and Boong on a class trip to Limpini Park (sp?) We went out on paddle boats and then headed over to Central World to continue our seach for post cards. The girls seemed to really enjoy their first paddle boat ride and their reactions were priceless.Our plans for the weekend are still up in the air but we are hoping to check out the markets and go to the movies. The only girly western movie playing here is Step Up 2. So I imagine that's what we will seeing. Anyways, that's all the news for now.

Sending love from Thailand,
Misty

Thoughts

2008-03-11T22:24:00.001-07:00

Hi all,

Here's the link to our video which we made for our Equity class. It will probably only be up for a few more days due to privacy issues.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gxuV13ka2Q

Quote from my journal

"Perseverance defines the children here at Mercy Centre. They live life with the kind of exuberance that inspires one to re-evaluate what is really important in life. To be humbled is an understatement. Visiting with the AIDS patients is nothing less than heartbreaking, but amongst their suffering, there is a special light that radiates from each one of them in the form of a smile, a touch, a laugh or a hug. So I walk away from this moment changed, renewed and inspired."

Pics of Ko Chang

2008-03-11T18:44:00.001-07:00

Back at work, but dreaming of the beach
A proud graduate!
This picture was taken yesterday at the kindergarden graduation! Me, Boong and Dew

BEACH!!!!

Ray Ban knock offs!!!! Love them

Romantic supper on the beach! "Another romantic moment wasted on Misty" -Jodie
Little Thai girl selling these puengmalais

Jodie and I....sunburn and ALL!!!

A little boy Jodie played with in the water. Quite the little trouble maker

Good Place, Nice People! Enough Said
View from further down the beach

One of restaurants on the beach

Pic taken by Jodie on our long bus ride to Ko Chang
View from our hotel, the evening we arrived
View of the island of Ko Chang from the Ferry!

Pictures are more interesting than words. So a short recap of the weekend starts now. We took a bus to Ko Chang, we attempted to catch the 7:45 bus, but missed it by minutes, so we had to wait at the BTS until the 9:45 bus. The bus trip was 5 hrs long. We were actually about an hour away from Cambodia. Pretty cool eh?Ko Chang is an island, so after our long bus trip, we had to take a ferry across to our final destination. At this point in the trip, it is not really that warm and I am scared that the weather isn't going to cooperate. I am also tired of travelling and all I want is the beach, but the sun is setting and we still have to find our hotel. So the trek continues... Jodie and I get on the back of truck with other tourists and we begin the steep climb up and over the mountains that cover the island. My first reaction was, this island is beautiful!!! So my mood begins to change and I realize that I'm thrilled to be away from the hussle and bussle of Bangkok. The taxi driver drops us off and continues on with the rest of the tourist. We assume that we are near our hotel, so we proceed to ask for directions and of course, find a way to get lost. We eventually find our room and we ask the hotel manager if he wants a deposit and he replys "No, you can pay when you leave" We were a little shocked but were surprised

On to more important details about our room. In our luxurious room, there was a SHOWER....including a shower nozzle! We also had cable TV! What more could two girls ask for?? We went swimming immediatley and went on a search for yummy western meals. That seach continued for the rest of the weekend. Rice wasn't on OUR menu for the weekend.

We spent all of Sunday on the beach. Yes, we wore sunscreen but no, not enough! So the result my friend was a nice lobster sunburn. Jodie got especially burnt because that fair skin of her's hadn't seen the sun in months.

A few shockers of the trip

-Saw WAY to MANY old old men with young young Thai girls(60 year old man, 20 year old girl)

-Saw a few too many topless old ladies

Both of these just come with the territory, but still a shock for these two young canadian girls.

We shopped a bit, I bought 2 pairs of knock off Ray Bans which was exciting. One for Tiffany, one for me. Then on the way home, one pair broke. So now, I am left with one pair, in hopes that Tiffany will fly here and buy a pair herself.

The rest of the trip is just mundane details that will probably bore you. We laid out more, we ate more and travelled home. All and all, a great weekend. We saw a whole new side of Thailand and got to sit back and relax for a short time.

Anyways, if you are looking for more, check out Jodie's blog

http://jodieinthailand.blogspot.com

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

Recap!

2008-03-11T18:24:00.000-07:00

The Fire we went chasing but never found!
Boong(top), Dew (bottom) Resting after a long fay of walking

Galong watching Mr. Bean. Check out the look of fascination on his face!
Dew and Boong (Our University Prep Girls)

Last Friday we spent the afternoon with our university prep girls. The plan was to let them go and explore Klong Toi, taking pictures and then we would create a imovie to document their experience. While we were walking we saw smoke and heard fire trucks, so we decided to hunt down the slum fire. In the end, we did a lot of walking, but the fire was out by the time we got there. Here's some pics from the afternoon. During our lunch break we watched Mr Bean's Holiday with Galong and a few of the kids. Galong was in awe of Mr. Bean and it was hilarious to watch him mimic everything that Mr. Bean did.

Back from beach, 90% tanned, 10% burnt!

2008-03-10T19:39:00.001-07:00

Okay I will write a more detailed photo filled post later but I just wanted to inform you all that Jodie and I have returned safely from our weekend trip to Ko Chung (the beach).

My near death experience

2008-03-06T18:35:00.000-08:00

Last night Jodie and I stayed late at the office teaching and chatting. So at about 9 we decided to take a taxi home. We were both already nervous because we had never been out so late here in Bangkok and all of the other Mercy staff had left. Eventually the security guard at Mercy helped us flag down a taxi. It was evident that the taxi driver didn't now where he was going, so the security spent more than 5 minutes explaining in Thai the directions to Soi 40. We proceeded to get in the car and shut the door. The moment I stepped into the car, a strong smell of alcohol sweeped over me. My heart started racing because I knew that he was quite intoxicated and the drivers here are already CRAZY! He began to speed through the streets and then proceeded to pull out in front of ongoing traffic, where we almost got hit by a large truck and 2 motorcycles. The large truck flashed his lights at us as he slammed his breaks on. It was at this point that my body froze and I started saying a little prayer in my head. I looked at Jodie and in the moment we looked at each other and shared a terrified glace. At one point we came to a stop light and the taxi drived proceeded to shift the emergency break on and took a drink of what appeared to be a water bottle, filled with water or alchol of which we are not sure. Throughout the drive he talked on his cell phone while swerving in and out of traffic recklessly. All I wanted to do was jump out of the car, but I couldn't. We finally arrived home, anxious and stunned. Once out of the car, I looked at Jodi and said, "I've never been so scared in my life" Jodie replied "I think I am going to throw up." A few minutes later she did.

The End

Chan Tong Karn pak-pon ( I want to relax)

2008-03-05T21:54:00.000-08:00

Last night we moved a mini fridge and microwave into our room from upstairs. We are living in quite the luxury now. The only luxuries missing are internet access and warm showers, but you take some and you leave some. We bought our supper from a street vendor, and it was okay. Buying from a street vendors is typical for most Thai's, but it is a struggle for me and Jodie. My mind is racing the whole time, wondering..."is this meat cooked?" "are these dishes clean?"
"am i going to get sick?" My mind is flooded with negative thoughts and letting go of those inhibitions is really difficult. Anyways, we returned home later in the evening and watched a movie and ate popcorn and drank pop. It was glorious.

Today, i spent the morning and early afternoon teaching and Jodie and I hope to visit an area affected by a fire yesterday. Its is very common for fires to occur here in the slum of Klong Toi. It may be a simple candle that starts the blaze, and many times spreads like wild fire in the compact housing units.

After we are done teaching tomorrow we are planning to head to the south of Thailand and go to a beach for a couple of days. I'm super stoked and am thrilled to get away from the busy city. Bangkok is conjested to the max and I would love to breath in non-polluted air for just a moment. Anyways, enough complaining. I hope you are all doing well and that you are surviving the latest snow storm.

Sending love from Thailand
Misty

2008-03-04T22:18:00.000-08:00

Leow Sai (turn left)

2008-03-04T21:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I started teaching my adult class. I have 5 students that are all staff here at the Mercy Centre. They have strong foundation in English and are looking to practice and learn more converstational skills. In the afternoon I worked with the university prep girls. After our classes were finished we went to our haven also known as Tesco. We had a list of 5 things to pick up but left stocked up for days. We purchased milk, bread, coke, apples, pinapple, popcorn, blank, huge gallons of water, cups, a spoon and a fork and a little treat for ourselves. For Jodie, it was peanuts, for me it was chocolate of course. The total of these luxury goods was 26 dollars Canadian. We grabbed a taxi on our way home, and enjoyed a humerous loud ride home in a cab blarring Techno music through the slums of Klong Toi. At one point we just looked at each other and broke out our best dance moves. Speaking of dance moves, on our walk out of Tesco, we again walked out to see aerobics in the parking lot. It seems to be a daily event there and Jodie and I hopefully will one day gain the courage to show up and show off our own dance moves. I can picture it now, 2 huge, tall white girls wearing hot pink spandex, maybe a matching head band in a sea of short, tiny Thai women. It would be funny, that's for sure.

Today I had my usual morning class with the adults and then Jodie and I led 32 Thai childen in recreation. Now that was a challange. Not only were we not expecting that many children, but we were not prepared enough at all!!! Oh yeah, and there is the challenge of explaining a game in English, when everyone around you speaks Thai. I think Jodie summed it all up when she said "that was the longest hour of my life" haha. We held rec in the cafeteria which is quite large, but its no soccer field or baseball field. So it will be interesting to see how creative we can be with the little to now equipment. Thankfully, we only have rec once a week and some of the kids will be off to camp next week.

Later today, I will be teaching the university prep girls in research skills and technology. The plan is to teach them powerpoint here in the computer lab. So although I complained earlier that we have no equipment for rec, I am grateful for the bounty of other resources that I have access to, like this computer lab that has approximately 25 Mac Computers.

So off to lesson planning I go. I am really starting to settle in here now, it is truly beginning to feel like home. Jodie and I are hoping to leave the city this weekend to travel to a nearby beach which should be fun. I don't really have any pics from the last couple of days, so I will just post a some older ones.

The Night Bazaar

2008-03-03T19:45:00.000-08:00

Last night Jodie and I travelled to the night Bazaar. This place has hundreds of little shops full of Thai treasures. Jodie went for lunch there and shopped for hours. One of my favourite stories of the evening involved Jodie trying to show off her Thai to a store owner. She said, tail ry ka (sp?)
which means "How much does this cost". A look of bewilderment swept over his face, so we both just assumed that we had pronouced it incorrectly. He replied by saying "I don't speak Thai", the look of shock on our faces I'm sure would have been priceless. This type of thing has never happened to us, it was quite the role reversal.

Jodie and I living in such close living and working corridors has finally taken its toll. Jodie is feeling the effects of a cold, which I had a week ago. She attempted to buy some cold medicine at a local drug store in the market but we changed our mind when the pharmasist attempted to negotiate the price on us. We just didn't like the idea of bartering for drugs in the market, can you blame us?

Since I don't have much else to say, I will share some interesting facts about Thailand with you

Here are some Facts of the day about Thailand

-All children wear uniforms to school, even university students.
-The military and the gov’t here are run separately. In Thailand’s history, military coups often occur. In the last few years, the military staged a coup against the previous president because the Free Press here in Thailand exposed the Presidents corruption and as a result the President was sent into exile. He has recently returned from Britian which has been big news here in Thailand.
-There was an election here yesterday, and on Election Day, no alcohol is served! It is believed that people could use bribe votes with alcohol.
-The King of Thailand is EXTREMLY important and Thailand is currently morning the death of his sister. They have morning for three months and as a result everyone is supposed to wear dark colors. It is not overtly visible to the naked eye, but if you look closely, you will notice most people wearing a lot of dark colors and quite a bit of white. Not a lot of bright colors are worn.

2008-03-02T20:41:00.000-08:00

Group Pic

2008-03-02T20:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we spent the day relaxing, hanging out at Mercy Centre and catching up on our blogging. Later in the afternoon, we went shopping and embarked on an infamous Thailand adventure. We had planned to met the girls we were shopping with at 5:30 at the entrance and Jodie and I didn't know that there were two entrances......so to make a long story short. We waited at the wrong entrance for over an hour. In frustration, we decided to make our way home and grab some supper. We ate at a Japanese restaurant and took the skytrain home. We eventually met up with Si Jie later in the evening. The moral of the story, make sure you cell phone is fully charged when travelling away from well-known territory. Today is lesson planning and movie editing day. Above are some more pics from the weekend. Enjoy.

More Pics from Safari World

2008-03-01T22:44:00.000-08:00

Safari World Pics

2008-03-01T22:00:00.000-08:00

MONKEYS!! Tiffany, you would have loved this!!!

Elephant! Much smaller than African elephants.

RINO!!!!!!

Pics

2008-03-01T21:30:00.001-08:00

Thai children sometimes wear this powder to keep them cool

Mother and baby came on a trailor pulled by the father on a motorcycle

June, a volunteer from Australia holding one of the babies at the milk run
Mother and Baby
Gangsta' Baby
Lovely Sister Joan holding one of the babies at the milk run

The last couple of days

2008-03-01T21:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have been falling behind on my blogging. I do write it up each night, but I haven't had access to the computer to post it so here's what we have been up to for the last couple of days. I also apologize for grammar errors, its too hot to profeed!!! haah

Wednesday was spent working with Dew, Boong and Lek. From now I will refer to them us our scholarship prep girls. Dew and Boong have up coming exams, so we did not work with them on Thursday and Friday. Our other teaching sessions will start on Monday.

Nitaya’s mother died on Wednesday so we attended a wake service for her on Wednesday night. Nitaya is the volunteer coordinator here at the Mercy Centre. We have been working quite closely with her during our time here. Her mother passed away on Wednesday. In Thailand with a death occurs, family and friends experience three days of mourning. You are supposed to wear dark colors as a sign of respect during those three days of mourning. We attended the wake late Wednesday night. The ceremony was much longer than a wake in Canada. We attended Mass for an hour and then there was a prayer and singing time which was also an hour long. The service took place completely in Thai, and a lot of the Mercy Centre staff attended. Nitaya’s mother was only 58 and her death came quite suddenly.

On a lighter note, during a walk to a 7-11, we just happened to meet up with an elephant walking down the road. It was surrounded by an entourage of men, who were selling food to feed the elephant.

We didn’t have any teaching on Thursday because the Dew and Boong took the day off to study for their exams. So Si Jae, Jodie and I decided to spend the day exploring Bangkok. In Thailand, massages are really cheap and are available everywhere. So we decided to start the morning with a massage. The masseuses offered to teach how to give Thai massages in exchange for English lessons. Jodie and I plan to take them up on their offer. We visited the Temple of Dawn and infamous Reclining Buddha. Later in the afternoon we traveled by boat and Skytrain to the Night market. The Night market was fabulous. The clothing here is sooo cheap and soooo fashionable.

On Friday, Jodie and I helped Sister Joan with her Milk Run. Sister Joan delivers powdered milk to mothers in need here in Klong Toi. She supports mother with babies up until 12 months. We met her committed team of volunteers, who were all women from Australia and New Zealand. We had wonderful morning with them and joined them for lunch at Sister Joan’s house, where we the most delicious ham sandwich that I had ever eaten. It has been a couple of days since we have eaten bread, so when I saw that ham sandwich, my mouth watered just a bit. I think the biggest adjustment so far has been the food. Everything begins to taste the same. Fishy and spicy! Anyways, back to the milk run. Working with Sister Joan was definitely a highlight. She is very kind and humble. I admire a lot of things about her but I will only share a few with you. She is a kind, loving, generous Godly woman. She has worked really hard to keep the Milk run up and running. They serve over 150 mothers and babies here in Klong Toi. Sister Joan drives up to a park or the street outside of her house and serves the mothers and children of Klong Toi and has been doing it for years. The milk run works at such a practical level and in a place where needs are endless, it gives you hope that one person can make a difference.

The rest of our afternoon was spent at Mercy Centre. A large company by the name of Crown was holding a party for the children at Mercy. A large bouncy castle and a large teddy bear mascot were in attendance. The children had a blast, and their fun lighthearted attitudes were contagious.

In the evening, we attended a dinner party at Father Joe’s.

On Saturday, Jodie and I went to the Zoo with the Kids. The Zoo was called Safari Land, and it was Thailand’s equivalent to Sea World or a Disney Theme Park. We watched a monkey show, a dolphin show, a stunt show, and we also went on a safari. Some of the highlights of the Safari included seeing Zebras, Rinos, and Giraffes. Two bus loads of kids went which included the younger girls, a few children in kindergarten and Mercy 4 which are the younger boys that live here with us. The kids were magnetized and in awe of everything and it was a thrill to experience it with them. Throughout the day, the children showed there true caring nature both towards each other and to Jodie and I. Whether is was by holding a hand, sharing their food, or trying to translate what was going on to us. By the end of the day, we had some sleepy children and adults, who easily fell asleep on the bus ride home.

Sending love from Thailand,

Misty

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

2008-02-28T21:31:00.001-08:00

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

2008-02-26T18:37:00.001-08:00

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

2008-02-26T18:35:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-02-25T17:29:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-25T17:13:00.001-08:00

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)

2008-02-25T16:49:00.000-08:00

(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

2008-02-24T23:04:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-24T22:46:00.001-08:00

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.

2008-02-23T02:02:00.000-08:00

Kob kun ka ( Thank You)

2008-02-23T01:43:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-22T20:12:00.001-08:00

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

2008-02-21T03:44:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-20T12:05:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-18T13:58:00.000-08:00

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.