running fool

I am planning an English Workshop for 5th and 6th graders in my town. About 100 in all. My co-teacher asked what we should call it. I said we can just call it English Camp- that's what these workshops are called, and the Thais are obsesed w them. They happen all the time. My co-teacher wasn't excited about this name, so I suggested a few others, like 'We speak English' 'I love English.' Then I thought of one and was able to convince my co-teacher how fabulous this name is:"I'm an English Speaking Fool." I told her it's all the rage in America. It's my own little joke to myself.

So today was great!! Got up early and was out of the house by 6 AM to beat that Thailand heat. And I went and went and went. Just like old Forrest. But unlike Mr. Gump I stopped after 23 miles. I know... I was slacking....

Then Jordan came over. Jordan is the closest volunteer to me, she lives 30 miles away. She was my pig out partner. We had lots and lots of Essan food (food from the NorthEast part of Thailand)- green papaya salad, grilled chicken, and warm sticky rice. We sat on a mat by the river and chatted for hours. All about life in Thailand as a PC Volunteer.

After Jordan left I treated myself to a pedicure and hair wash/head massage.

Then I made a great fried veggie Thai dish.

Then I met up w a friend who is working at the training for the group that comes in 5 days, making it 1 year since I arrived.

Now I am watching a Sex and the City DVD and writing to you!!!! It's the one where Aden and Carrie get back together. Aden is the greatest, how could she end up with Big?

Wedding in Uthai

Went to a Thai wedding this morning. The older sister of Jeeda married a man she'd been seeing for 2 years. They met at the temple. It was a really small wedding just family and a few others, all in all about 20 people. It was held in the shop where Jeeda's family works- the front of the house where they live. Everything was pushed aside in the store. But there still wasn't a lot of room so the doors were left open and we all hung out on the sidewalk and ate our curry there.

It is tradition in Thailand for the groom to give the Bride's family gold and cash at the wedding. And the cash is left out on a beautiful platter for all the see at the wedding. It probably isn't the most kosher of things to ask how much money was exchanged, but I did. It was 100,000 baht, which is about $2,500. Everyone there seemed to know that this is not a practice in the states, that the man "just" give a ring to the woman. I explained that the woman's family usually pays for the wedding, and when I told them how much that can cost they were appropriately surprised.

This is a picture from the wedding. The bride and groom are there in the middle in traditional silk Thai outfits. Happens to be baby blue at this wedding. Everything in front is food as offerings. Can you see the fan in the center. That's the 1000 baht bills displayed.

After the wedding this morning I hung out at home all day. Cleaned up, read, emailed, wrote some letters, ate some yummy thai fried bananas and thai fruit. My friend came over this afternoon to chat briefly about the budget for our HIV prevention workshop. She brought her 4 year old son and we played w a cat a little. Basically I rested today because I have a big run tomorrow. 23 MILES!! OH MAN. I am a little intimidated!!! 10 weeks countdown till my marathon.

photos?

Rachel N just posted some fabulous pictures from our trip. I wonder if you can see them. Try the link http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=2hl4cna1.604ugln5&x=1&y=-pwwii1
You may need to sign up and get a username/password.

Tomorrow is the first day of the AIDS workshop. I'll keep you posted.

New Years 2006

I'm back home. Last night was 16 hours of van and bus rides. For a country only the size of Texas it takes a long time to get around. Carolyn and Brooke took the overnight bus from Krabi to Bangkok with me and then we went our seperate ways home.

Rachel, Adnan, and I flew down to Phuket on the 28th. Phuket is one of the tourist hot spots in Thailand. And there were LOTS of tourists where we were. It was a gorgeous beach. Nice places to sit on lounge chairs under big umbrellas. Sipping juice out of a coconut. Reading John Irving. As with most Thai beaches there was never a durth of Thais coming up to us selling fruit or drinks or spring rolls or sarongs or jewelery. At Padong beach there were also people selling 2 foot wooden motorcyles. As Rachel N said, "What would you do w that?"

The highlights in Padong were the run on the beach in the rain w Rach and the seafood dinner. The morning of the 30th we got up early and took a boat over to Krabi. There we met up w 8 other PC volunteers (two with guests) for a total of 13. Day one R, A, my friend Carolyn, and I rented a long tail boat (think big wooden row boat w an engine) and took a 20 min ride to a cute tiny beach tucked away on the back side of an island. All around the beach and jutting out into the water were limestone clifts hundreds of feet high.

Day 2 (New Years Eve DAY) the whole of us took a 10 minute boat ride to the next beach over- Railey Beach. Again huge limestone clifts. This time we walked into the middle of the peninsula and climbed up and over one of these huge clifts in the woods to get to a hidden lagoon. This hike was not for the faint of heart. There were 3 places where we went directly down for 15 feet-ish. It was serious rock climbing manuvering, with people below telling us where to place our feet or hands. There were ropes permanently in place to help. My back was sore for 2 days from holding myself up w the ropes. The lagoon was gorgeous. Again there were plant covered clifts all around going 100s of feet up. Sunlight coming in from above. Great echoes in there. The pool was probably 50 yards in diameter, but it was never more than 4 feet deep. We had a great game of frisbee in the middle and then discovered the soft clay mud under the water. Instant mud bath!!

After climbing out and checking out some of the ocean side beaches where they have famous rock climbing sites we went home and rested up for New Years. Yummy Mexican Dinner, than to a really big party in the woods. There was a huge stage and great DJ playing. We danced well into the New Year.

The 1st was a chill day of rest on the beach. Rachel and Adnan left in order to get to bangkok for their flight early on the 2nd. it was so so sad to see them leave. Before they left we had one last meal of one of Rachel's favorite dishes "Som Tom" (spicey papaya salad with sticky rice).

On the 2nd Brooke, Lindsey, Jessica, and I went on a tour of some of the islands in the area on a speed boat. It was nice to get away from some of the crowds and see more remote gorgeous white sand and blue water beaches. We also got to do lots of snorkeling in the clear water. One stop had a nice coral reef. We spent most of the time joking w our tour guide who was excited he had some thai speakers. It was too hot to really lie out, and I have no desire to get sun. We spent most of the time up to our waste in the water chatting away, or sitting in the water at the edge of the ocean.

Then back to the hotel to shower and get to the bus stop for that 12 hour ride....