Friday Pics

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!

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

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.

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

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

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

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

PICS!!!!!!!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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)

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

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

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