Picture a day August 6

Walking up to school today for the first day of school! It went really well. Basically, my job is to make sure that the students in my sixth grade homeroom don't get lost, get lunch, and can open their locker by the end of the day. Anything beyond that is just icing on the cake. 

The hardest word to learn

This year I am focusing on language learning in two ways. First, I want to study Thai regularly, in a one on one setting, like I did my first year. It's a priority in my schedule and I have a lead or two on teachers who might be willing and able to help me. But I am also going to work on practicing the hardest word to learn in any language: no. 

I'm crap at saying no, and am highly susceptible to guilt trips, which means I frequently end up with too much on my plate. I run around doing things that I don't want to do or feel called to do, not leaving any time for the things that I love to do or the things that feed my soul. So this year I am working on it, no, nein, ไม่ใช่. And even when pressured, I am working on not feeling guilty, and definitely not giving in! I hope to use this newfound freedom to exercise more, cook more, and feel less exhausted so I can spend more time with people, building the relationships that make living here doable. It remains to be seen how successful I am, but so far I'm doing great at saying no, quitting the commitments I need to, and listening for God's call to determine what I do. 

Picture a day August 5

The cereal aisle. The good news: they have cereal. The bad news: it's too expensive to eat very often. That raisin bran, for example, costs over $4. It's not unusual to find the really good cereals at the big import grocery store for closer to $8. Special treats :) 

Picture a day August 4

Commerce on the streets of Bangkok: under my BTS sky train stop you can find all kinds of things for sale, including food, clothes, bags, electronics, cosmetics, etc. It's a high traffic spot as people pour off the sky train and wait here for busses and taxis. 

Picture a day August 3

My Internet is down (am currently borrowing it from a friend who lives right below me) so here's yesterday's pic, a bit belated. I went to Escape Hunt Bangkok with a group, to celebrate a friend's birthday. Basically, they lock your team of four to five people in a room where you use clues to solve a mystery and find the key to get yourselves out of the room in the one hour time limit. It's a bit like a real life Sherlock Holmes themed video game. And, because This Is Thailand, at the end they serve You tea and give your Sherlock Holmes outfits to wear while you take pictures.  

Picture a day August 2

Real life in the rainy season- it's sprinkling and dark and everything is blurry- this is right outside my apartment complex, part of a row of food stalls with plastic tables and chairs in front. The menus in this area aren't in English or pictures, so I rarely eat here. When I passed by this evening it was fairly busy despite the rain. It stay quite dry underneath. 

Picture a day August 1

Weird with the flash and blurry without... Oh well. My friend and I are in the process of eating and drinking our way through high tea at the tea houses of Bangkok. Today was a new Moroccan inspired tea house that just opened in Bangkok after having a lot of success in Chiang Mai. Tea, scones, conversation, and prayer? Yes, please!