The New Experiences!

(Part of this I was writing my 2nd night in Thailand on July 2, 2008.) As I sit here, with my hair still wet from my shower and my forehead sweating, I think back over the last couple days. I happen to look up to see a baby cockroach flying around above my head, and then looking down I see a little cricket on the floor. . . . When I arrived at Chiang Mai airport, I got through customs without too many problems. The only problem was that I had many books to send to a pastor in Bangkok and they thought that I was going to sell them. Praise the Lord they finally let me have them. I got out of the airport in time to see. . . . no one waiting for me. At least no one that I recognized. I decided to just sit and wait (seeing as I had no other choice:). Probably 10-15 minutes later, Jorge and pastor Phamor came walking in. Boy, was I relieved! The smells that met my nostrils as we traveled through the city were very foreign to me. We made it out of the city and on to the country about an hour out of town where the school is located. The school is located on very beautiful property.I sure have had some exciting new experiences since I have been here! (I'm sure that they are not as crazy as I will have in the future, though). The day I arrived, they showed me two scorpions that some guys had killed (each about 2 inches long) and a little snake. Just today some boys caught one that was alive. All of the little creatures are very cute. I think you all might agree. :DThe showers are quite an adventure! They have little squat pots (oh yes, no toilet paper, just water) in the bathrooms and then, if you look closely, you might be able to see the whole in the wall that lets the water out from the shower. There is a bucket that is filled with water and then a little one to pour the water over my head, and if I want to, it is quite convenient to wash the laundry at that time, too. Just fill up another little bucket with water and wash all the clothes by hand. One night before taking my shower, I was getting all the buckets ready and walked into the bathroom. There was this very beautiful 2-inch spider awaiting me. :D I decided to step quietly and respectfully into the next room to take my shower.
I have also had my first taste of many foods. One of them is called Rambutan. It is quite a unique little fruit. Pretty good, actually. The outside looks a little scary, though. :)I have also had fresh Durian for the first time. It is not as bad as people say that it is! Lol. It might take some getting used to, though. The smell is unique, but the flavor is very sweet. It is kind of like a custard/type consistency. There are some others that I can't remember the name of right now. They eat lots of cooked greens, some more interesting than others. There is a plant that they call Morning Glory that they eat raw. I told them that we have flowers called that which they thought was quite funny.

Well, this is kind of a lengthy blog so I will sign off for now. I need to prepare for a class or two that I will be teaching. I realize you all are probably sleeping as I write this, (I am 13 hours different from mountain time zone) so I hope you have a good nights' sleep and a great day (mine is almost over;). Signing off for now! (P.S. sorry this blog doesn't have pictures of people in it. When I tell other stories, I'll put pictures of people.)