Playing Peekaboo

Peekaboo, it's a phenomial game. Babies any where in the world like it, Adults use it--even if they look like dorks, but did you ever know rats like it as well. Okay so maybe not all rats, but rats in my house--their a special breed.
Picture this....
My roomate and I are sleeping peacefully under our mosquito net when all of a sudden half of the mosquito net falls on us. I wake up only to hear rats laughing at us. shreech shreech, scratch scratch. I shine my flash light on wall and yet more sounds. Sara wakes up--also surprised to find the mosquito net drapped on our feet. We get up, turn on the light to investigate. What do we find you ask. the rats have chewed through two out of the four strings holding our net up. This means that either two rats where chewing the string at the same time or one rat chewed through one string just enough and then chewed the other string to make them both fall at the same time. We also find that the rats have covered up our glue trap with plastic bags...oh and stolen my roomates washcloth only to drop it in a corner. (sidenote they stole my washcloth the next day and it has yet to be found--not that I want it back now) Well at this point in the middle of the night it is funny, but then... the rat pops it's head out of the wall--looks at us and runs outside. A few seconds later it pops in runs along the wall, looks at us and goes back into the wall. This scene is repeated 4-6 more times. Meanwhile we are hitting the wall and laughing hysterically. Yes! Peekaboo has once again proven it's self to be a hilarious matter. Grown adults playing peekaboo is a funny sight, rats playing peekaboo ridiculous. Sara and I thankfully manged to get back to sleep that night....not with out a few more laughs though.

One month Update

I've officially been in Thailand for One Month. Yes, it's hard to believe it's gone by so fast.

Here's some of the "only in Thailand" I've experienced:

* Being smelled by 3 kids (apparently parents smell their kids like Americans kiss their babies for affection)

* Accidently peeing on my sock (hey those squatty potties can be tricky)

* Missing cinnamon sugar toast and accidently making red pepper equal toast--the best part was the brown spice didn't smell like cinnamon or taste like cinnamon, but somehow I convinced my self it WAS cinnamon and throughly enjoyed my red pepper equal toast.

* Making lunch one day at home when kids came in and devoured my lunch before I could say anything (It was actually a good time with the kids and I really couldn't be upset --given thier guardians has most likely gambled away their food money. )

* Buying a rat trap on the year of the rat on Chinesse New Year

*Meeting my neighbors and practicing my language with them---Thankfully Thai's laugh a lot

*Eating fish stomach soup, encountering a huge spider with an even larger egg sack, and making friends with rats :)

* Praying every day for my life on the Green 71 busses as they drive like thier motorcycle drivers and yet they are busses. ( I thought I got whip lash one day)

* Being in the presense of Jesus--one encouaragement God gave me after one day of being homesickness was the image of a superhero cape. It was like a banner of God's love covering me and covering my community. There is power when I pray, There is supernatural power when I am under God's love and being an example of God's love to others. There is power in the Cape of God's love.

Here's to many more great months!!!!--Love ya family and friends

Happpy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day!!!

First lets start with a report For those of you read my last blog entry: 2 down and 5 solid nights of sleep. Oh the joys of glue. Though for the record I did go on a major cleaning spree after the dead rats and 1 sighting of a huge spider with an even larger eggsack attached to it's body. ( I believe I scared it out of the house though, so it's gone (sorry kids I couldn't get a picture).

After this whole week of the creepy crawly (did I mention the massive mosquito bites/ ant bites on my feet-- I took a picture, but.... let's just say it gives a new image to "beautiful are the feet who serve the Lord.") I have been prompted to write many of the things I'm grateful for, because God is truely good in the midst of the creep crawly.

Grateful list

1) Mosquitos nets to sleep under at night

2) A dry wick cocoon sheet to sleep with (thanks Chrissie)

3)Noise blocking earphones so I can study my Thai Language on the bus each day w/o going

deaf (thanks brian and Jenn) .

4) My MP3 player that has a recording feature so that I can record my language lesson and

review the tones each day.

5) My teammates who have been welcoming and helpful--they also do a great job at keeping me

laughing.

6) The Thai's who work in our office and My Thai Language teacher-They are so patient, joyful,

encouraging and helpful as I learn Thai.

7) The Cinnamon Pia and Pappa sent me. (My teamates appreciate that as well)

8) The kids in my neighbor hood who love to entertain me and love me despite my limited

language

9) Pi Yut--one neighbor in practicular who has been so welcoming, she often comes to help me

practice my language

10) Each time I say something new in Thai and it comes out correctly. ( Yes, I did a little dance

when I got back home after ordering mangos by myself and bargined them down in price a little bit. )

11) The book of Joshua--it's been very helpful during my time here.

12) And Valentines day..... Because it reminds me of the simple joy of loving others. I love how Thai's can be so cute and thoughtful and genuinely cheesy all at the same time. ( see picture below)

13) Really there is so much to be grateful for that I can't list it all here.

Happy give each other cheesy tokens of love day--that really do make people smile.

Happy Chinese New Year

Today is official Chinese New year. 2008--The year of the Rat. What did I do today? Other than language lessons and my normal routine, I bought a rat trap and recieved my first dirty look in Thailand. I know I should feel bad about that, but last night (as well as many other nights) My roomate and I have been woken up by rats running inches from our head at night. Yes! Inches. Stealing papers from my purse only to run to Sara's side in attempts of building a nest. Chinese new year or not, I'm standing by my moral view: DEATH TO RATS. Thankfully I'm a Christian so I don't have to fear the rats ghost coming back and haunting me. Meaning; tonight I get to sleep soundly knowing that a rat is going to leave my house. (On my behalf I at least bought the trap away from my community).

So here's the Year of the rat!!!!!

What happens when you don't know Thai yet?

You learn the word Satlong.

I believe it translates to tinsel or garland or just maybe human Christmas tree I'm not quite sure, but I do know that my time here has been good so far. Thai people are so generous and helpful. When you're riding on the bus and you're standing holding a bag you almost always get someone who is sitting down offering to hold the bag for you. Thoughtful.

What else do you do when you don't know Thai? You blunder through a few phrases you've learned and hope you don't get a completly puzzeled look from your nieghbors. You also point at random food stands and hope you get something to eat that tastes good. Which may I say, Thai food is for the most part delicious-spicy, flavorful, and filling. I say for the most part because I already have eaten Fish stomach soup with liver (or coagulated blood, i'm not sure). It has the consistancy of pork fat and looks like intestines. Not my favorite thing I've eaten thus far, but we ate it a Thai Funeral for one of the neighbors in Photong and and I didn't get sick :).

Thai funeral's are quite an interesting cultural experience. The are held at a Thai temple with monks who are invited to chant to help the "spirit" ascend to "heaven". Thai's are greatly afraid of ghosts and being haunted by their ancestors. There is no hope and a lot of fear. So what do you do when you don't know Thai? You pray. You pray for God's hope to shine through and for the neighbors you're meeting ,who are lost, to know peace. You pray Jesus' way will be evident and that people will be free. You pray.

P.S Thankfully, I start language learning officially today, so more interesting stories still to come.

Here in Thailand

Well I arrived. I'm officially in Thailand. After a turbulant plane ride and 21 hours I have come to a foriegn place that I now call home. When I got to the community I'm living in, I was welcomed by 10 running children who quickly took my bags and wheeled them to Sara's front door. I officially felt welcomed. Thankfully I slept really well last night, so hopefully I'll adjust quickly to the time change. It's strange being at home at yet not knowing anything, but Thankfully I've got great teamates who are helping me fiqure it out.
Where do I live? With Sara , A team member whose been in Thailand for a few years now. We live in Photong which is a small Thai slum in Bangkok. There are two bedrooms and 1 community space where Children's church and other community events are often held. Currently Nim, a Thai women, lives in the other bedroom, but she is moving out in a couple of months. Untill she moves out Sara is graciously sharing her bedroom with me.
More to come...

I have a plane ticket

Last night I offically purchased my one-way plane ticket to Thailand. I'm picking up my visa tommorow and leaving in 13 days. Wow time flies. It seems just a week ago I keep saying, "I have plenty of time." Now I have a count down. I'm excited about going overseas, I have wanted to go since I was eight. It truely is a strange feeling seeing your childhood dreams of adulthood become a reality, but it's also strange to know you are really grown up.
In some ways, I don't ever want to be grown up. I still want to have idealistic dreams and hopes for the future, I want to laugh and believe I can do anything, I want to dance around carefree in empty fields with no one watching. Yes I am an adult, yes I am grown up, but really I'm just a wide eyed child entering a new world.