Read the previous blog first!!

Ok, so, the fact that I am on my blog again says a lot about Thailand. My supervisor is not working. I'm not really sure what she's doing. BUT! You should know that our absence of work is not due to a lack of committment or care, in fact she is very dedicated to her work. This is just the Thai culture. Things move slowly, and if you aren't ready to sit down and talk about a 6 month plan, then you just don't. I came back from lunch and some of the supervisors in the office were reclining in their chairs taking a snooze. I should explain a little more about where i am. First of all, the Peace Corps asks me not to write my location on my blog for security purposes so if you really want to know where I am, let me know in an email. BUT, I work in a larger city and both of my schools are situated on the highway. I was extremely frustrated about all of this originally, and still am not entirely happy about it, but have come to terms with the fact that I am still a part of my community - even if my community is just a small section of this town. There are several villages situated around the main strip of road - most of which feel very dirty - (I have stayed with three different hosts while on my visit here and one the houses had a bathroom more disgusting than any I have seen in Thailand. I was litterally taking a bucket shower with swarms of gnats and had to watch my head so that my hair didn't swipe the spider webs above. Thai people are very concerned with cleanliness so this bathroom experience was a little surprising to me. So, I was frustrated at first because I wanted to live in a house with neighbors nearby but also with a little bit of space. In most of the villages in this area, you scream for help, and 20 other people will hear you. It's crowded. BUT, as I was looking for a house to rent yesterday (with 10 other people!!! They all want the best for me!) I found a house that I love love love. It has open space all around me but with neighbors still very close and a small dirt path that leads directly to one of my schools. The landlords were not sure if they wanted to put the house up for rent so I am not sure if I can live there yet but I have my hopes on it. After I saw this house and spent 3 nights and 4 days here I have really come to not only like this place, but feel excited for the next part of my life in Thailand. I am having a hard time though because this next step means saying goodbye to all the people that I have spent the last couple months with. I have made a home there and will miss is so much! The good part is I am only a 30 minute ride away and I can ask any person with a car to take me and they will more than happily do so. Oh! That reminds me! There are several national parks near here which is exciting but one of the teachers I work with is the Vice President of a biking club. It is usually 50 baht a month but he said that I will be a special member and won't have to pay (neat!). They bike around the area and up into the parks every Saturday. I look forward to my time biking with them. OH!! Before I forget! 80% of the people that live here do not speak Thai. They speak Lao. It is, thankfully, not very different from Thai, but needless to say, there has been quite a lot of confusion and "put eek ti see" s (say that again). But hey, when I get back, I will be trilingual! Too bad neither one of those languages are really transferable to the states.

So I want to explain to you all one of the turning points in my trip to visit my site. I got here and wanted to cry. I was, not regretably, pretty sad about my first impression. As I was sitting outsite at my first host site thinking about the whole situation, my host mom came up to me and told me we were going to the temple to pay respects to Buddha. I pictured a small gathering of people in a temple but oh boy was I wrong. There was kareoke (who's ubiquitous presence I have not only grown to love but grown to crave), and lights, and a whole talat. This was all so common to Thai culture so the lights, kareoke, and talat didn't surprise me as much as it did the fact that this was all set up at temple and on a day to pay respect. Buddhism is very important here but so is having fun. The temple is a sanctuary (just listening to the chanting in the morning is enough to make you cry) but also a place for parties and fun. So, we bypass all this and go to one of the most awesome things I have participated in. You first buy a package and contained in this package is a flower, pieces of gold leaf, a piece of paper with Thai script, a pencil, a canlde, 3 sticks of incense, and string. You first walk up to the temple and take off your shoes.....oh my gosh, i just can't even begin - I already feel so incredibly inadequate. The ambience was incredible. People were laughing, talking, singing, playing, just 100 feet away. You walk up the first step to the temple and people are thoughtful, respectul, and so incredibly real. There were tables of monks and some of them were talking on the microphone (occassionally I would hear the word farang and questions directed towards me but I ignored them at first). I had gone to pray with my host family before so I understood the ritual of lighting the candles and incense so when I knelt down on the ground before the statue of buddha I took it seriously. Because I'm not Buddhist or have anything in specific to pray to, I prayed to myself. I lit the candles and incense, placed each in their repective posistions, and then waied three times. On the third wai I stayed with my hands splayed on the ground, my head down and between my arms. Everything just hit me so hard that my life is good even if I am in a city that I consider ugly, even if I am really in a place so opposite from where I want to be. These Thai people, after one day of meeting them, are my friends. They are my family and I really could not be happier. I am in love with this place. But don't worry mom and dad! I am coming home in two years. This culture, there are some things that frustrate me, but my god! This culture is beautiful. Even something as simple as a greeting. We shake hands or hug each other. The Thai greeting, the wai, is so complicated, comlex, and wonderful. The people are so incredibly deliberate with their hello. I was at a party last night and sat back for a little bit to watch the people. The table in front of me had 7 people seated. One man wanted to speak to someone at the table so he walks up, closes his hands in prayer posistion, places his thumb on his chin, his fingers gracing his nose. He holds this position and holds a bow as he makes eye contact with every single person at the table. Everysingle person at the table waied him back - but more importantly, not just waied him back because they had to but carefully, slowly, and deliberately placed their hands together, moved them to their face, and then slowly bowed their heads. I hope you can come visit me and we can sit back and watch the Thai people together. It is quite amazing. I love the wai, I love it's intricate complexity, and I am going to hate the fact that people in the states don't do it. Maybe I'll start this as a new trend at home.

Oh oh oh!! I wanted to let you know that I ate gop (frog) and can honestly say that it is good. I only had one bite despite this fact simply because it still is frog and it just seems wrong to eat it. Ok, I think I need to be done for now. Love to all.