First Time
I’ve heard there’s a first time for everything. Last night was the first time a girl I’d never seen before waited for me outside a restaurant and asked me for my phone number. I declined to give it. It was just a little too weird.
Apr
30
2008
30
2008
Apr
27
2008
27
2008
Church (the Isaan Way)
I had a great experience today. I went with friends to an Isaan church a little over an hour a way. It was inspiring. It was Isaan led, it was Isaan style.
The worship team used traditional Isaan instruments (many churches here use guitars, bass, etc). I was very much a fan. I want to learn to play Isaan instruments, particularly the khan and the phin.
The bread for communion was sticky rice. This to me was very good, very refreshing. Linguistically communion has grated on me in other churches in Thailand. Bread is called khanom pang. Khanom is a word that prefaces snacks and desserts. The bread of life is NOT khanom. When Thai people speak about eating they say “eat rice.” Rice is the staple food. The bread of life, to the Isaan, is rice.
We wrapped up the service with a shared meal. Great time.
Apr
24
2008
24
2008
To Laos for a Visa
So the last two days I made a run to Laos to change my Visa from the one that allowed me to study to the one that will allow me to teach. Everything went smoothly; God be thanked.
Linguistic notes: Spoken Thai and Lao are pretty related. Listening to kids count, and doing prices around town, the only number that I found that was different was the number twenty. Everyone could understand my Thai (I think partly thanks to the large amount of Thai radio and TV in the country). I could generally understand those who spoke to me, but that may have been because they were using Thai to answer my Thai.
Written Thai and Lao are pretty related. Some of the letters are shaped differently, and there were some letters I couldn’t identify. Being alert to the context of writing, I could often decipher it. For example, I was able to read “european breakfast” on the menu of an international restaurant.
I enjoyed my time there. Everything felt pretty relaxed. I also felt like I’d stepped back in time.
There was also a total lack of the store chains that are so prevalent in Thailand (i.e. KFC, 7 eleven). (They’re communists).
The weather was quite nice (as long as you could get out of the sun from 10-2:00)
Apr
18
2008
18
2008
Quick Tour of My Room
Apr
17
2008
17
2008
Random
So today as I was walking home from buying groceries, a lady I didn’t know stopped me and invited me into her yard. Figuring that a front yard is pretty safe, I accepted the invitation. The reason she gave me for inviting me in was she saw I was new and from out of this country and as a mother she felt the need to invite me in, adding that if her son where in another country she hopes someone would take care of him.
As the conversation progressed I began to wonder if she had a few alterior motives for inviting me in. She asked me several times if I could teach her daughter English in exchange for her daughter teaching me Thai. She also repeatedly commented on her daughters beauty.
I think maybe I need a culture lesson on ending conversations. I ended up sitting there in the front yard for three hours. During that time I met the father, the son (who is my age), and the daughter who just graduated from high school last year. I eventually said I needed to leave. At which point they asked if they could see me home. When I accepted, they drove me the block and a half to my room.
