Day 31: Changed.

Last night at Sala Daeng changed me. Honestly, there are no words. I was well aware of the fact that Thailand was big into sex trafficking and all of that, but I saw it first hand last night. To preface this, I will say that I have not once felt threatened in Thailand, and last night was no different. I just witnessed the absolute monstrosity of the sex trafficking industry. Allison and I went to Sala Daeng early, about 5pm, to have dinner. We ate at a Mexican restaurant and forked out a whopping $10 each for chicken nachos, chicken burritos, and our virgin strawberry margaritas, but it was so worth it. Mmm. It was really similar to Las Mas or Amigos (see picture), and it was so weird being served by Asian lady boys saying "Hola!" Haha.

So after dinner, we walked around the markets and just explored the area. We met a few people from New York while we were passing another restaurant playing Lady Gaga. Music makes people come together every time. So we heard people singing and instantly made friends. After we went our separate ways, we continued to explore the markets in area. Allison is turning me into a shop-o-holic. Haha. Nah...I just look at stuff, but I never really buy much. But anyway...it was just getting dark, probably around 6:30 or 7:00, and we passed a road with tons of bright lights and people everywhere. We were trying to karaoke or something so we started walking down the road. There were people hollering for Thai massages and stuff, but that's normal. That's everywhere you go in Bangkok. But then people started saying "Boy Show." Now, we'd heard about and been invited to "Ping Pong Shows" and that's a definite no go. We're not even tryin' to mess with all that crap. But "Boy Show"? I figured it was something stupid like a lady boy drag show or something, so we walked up and asked what was going on, but when the door opened, we saw what was inside. There was a stage full of boys (looked like teenagers) in their whitey tighties with numbers on them. They just stood there and rotated around the stage. We also saw several old white men oogling over them. About this time, something in my spirit/heart got a bad feeling. We were trying to ask the people what exactly it was, but the language barrier wasn't helping at all. I guess the owner of the place (pimp?) heard us asking questions, so he came over to talk to us in his broken English. He made everything crystal clear. What we assumed was a stupid drag show was in fact prostitution. People didn't pay for those boys to dance all over them or something stupid like that...they paid for sex. RIGHT THERE NEXT TO MASSAGE PLACES AND MARKETS WHERE FAMILIES GO!!!! Maybe I'm just a little too naive, but I actually thought that there were red lights at a red light district. False. Absolutely needless to say...but Allison and I gave each other a disgusted look and left immediately. We went back to where the Mexican restaurant was, rudely declining ever offer of massage, food, drink, hello, everything on the way there. I was utterly disgusted. Revolted. Completely beside myself with anger and rage. I can't even put it into words how upset Allison and I were. I'm still not okay with what I saw. I don't get it. I don't understand how somebody can live with themselves. I'm not one to classify sins, but I believe there's a special place in hell for somebody who abducts another human being and sells them for sex. Last night completely changed the way I look at things. Thank God for this amazing opportunity to experience the world...both the good and the bad. All of you who read my blog, please pray specifically for all the people who are affected by sex trafficking. Even pray for the pimps and customers! It's all just so Sodom & Gomorrah. Ironically, that passage in Genesis was on my schedule to read today.

I can't even talk about anything else right now because I don't want to distract anyone from the severity and realness of the sex trafficking industry in Thailand. The rest of last night was alright...we sang karaoke with the New York group and a gay man from Nashville who's father was a Southern Baptist preacher. Interesting. (I rocked out to "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" by CCR...made me miss Waffle House dates with my Daddy.)

Today was uneventful anyway. I slept most of the day, and we just went to the food court to eat dinner and then came home. I tried to buy the movie Slumdog Millionaire to watch. Allison said it would be perfect for now, especially after everything we've seen here. And I'm ready to start my last week of teaching. That's about it.

Love you all. And I promise I'm being safe. Don't worry Madre & Daddy-O! Good talking to you and Chloe and Kellie on Skype tonight! :)

I'm out.
Cwalk.

Day 30: Lazy Day.

It feels good just to do nothing on a Saturday, but lots of free time means lots of thinking. And you KNOW that's never good. I'm missing home a little bit today...Though I'm sad about leaving Thailand soon, I can't help but look forward to snuggling with my dog, Vampire Diaries, bonfires, and 2am front porch talks when I get home. I Skyped all my Church St. people earlier today, and that made me so happy and sad. Sierra, Erica, Taylor, Betsy, Courtney, and the visiting Emily Fox. (sigh) I just love and miss you girls so much. Oh, and it was good to talk to Cortney today too! (Even if she was sick and sounded like a man. Haha!) And I talked to my Madre...but the internet connection here sucks, so that was pretty frustrating. I don't know why her Skype was the only one messing up.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to home I think. I can already tell that it's going to be so hard catching up with people and American culture. So much can change in 2 months (3 months if you include Christmas break). I can't believe that I thought 2 months was forever, though. It has flown by! I just want to take advantage of every moment here. I know I've changed a lot since I left home. Maybe I'm just growing up. Who knows. It's starting to hit me that I'm graduating in 3 months. That's crazy! I'm so excited about it now! I was dreading it when I thought I was going to be moving away, but now that I know I'm staying in Cleveland, I can enjoy every minute of it without worrying about saying goodbye. Maybe I like my Cleveland security blanket. Judge me. Haha.

Allison and I went to lunch at the Paragon food court again today. I really could eat there for every meal...always. It was packed! There really were no empty tables in the entire place! I'm sure we looked like the new geeky kids at school trying to navigate the lunchroom or something as we awkwardly wandered around with our trays, failing to find a table. We found a girl sitting at a table by herself and asked her to sit down, but she was sooooo rude and said no. The man sitting behind her said something to her in Thai that we couldn't understand (I think he was mad that she was rude.) and then he asked us to sit at his table with him, his wife, and his father. It was so cute because his father was way old, and they were having to feed him and they were treating him like a king. They got this huge plate of chicken and rice and he at like 3 bites, and then they got him a big piece of chocolate cake for dessert. Gosh, it was great just sitting there with them and struggling to have a Thai-English conversation. We mostly just sat in silence and smiled a lot. Haha. But we wai'd to them and said "Cop Coon Caa" (Thank you) when we left. I love meeting local people! It so great.

Well, Allison and I are going to Sala Daeng tonight, hopefully to hang out with some people from work. We're going to explore and shop around at the markets and stuff too I'm sure. I'll let you know how that goes...

Stay classy America.

I'm out.
Cwalk.

Day 29: We Are Farmers.

TGIF people! I had another crazy day at work/school...I taught and observed non-stop, but the day goes by so much faster when there's no down time. I'm trying to just soak up every minute I have with my Thai students, because I know that I'm going to miss them so much when I have to leave. I helped out the sexy British PE teacher today with a few of his classes and that was super fun! He's such a goofball...I don't know why but I'm always a sucker for the goofy guys. Haha. Plus, seeing a guy play around with kids and laugh and be all cute like that is probably one of the most attractive things ever. That and hearing guys talk to dogs in ridiculous baby-voices. Haha. That's too cute. Ok...I digress. Anyway, today was a lot of fun at school. I've found a new favorite Thai food--fried chicken wrapped up in sticky rice. Now that mess is good! I could eat that for every meal! Allison and I also ate this random tortilla type thing with a hotdog and ham and sauces and such wrapped up in it....and then we had a banana fritter and egg thing from a street vendor. So, I think I was losing weight more when I hated the food because now I just eat the junk out of everything. You only live once right? When we were leaving school, we saw a random truck full of soldiers. I love it how everyone just blatantly stares at us. Yay for ego boosts! Those boys got super excited when I whipped out the camera to take a picture of them. Haha...It was cute. I say "cute" a lot don't I?

After school we had to meet up with Prateep (again) to go to some Thai dancing thing. Woo. See ya Friday night. We met him at 5:30 to go get dinner and the dance started at 7:30. We didn't get home until 10:30. UGH! The dance thing was incredibly boring, and it was some kind of ancient Thai dancing that's supposedly passed down from the gods. I'm sorry...I love Thai culture, but I wasn't impressed. Haha. The costumes were the coolest thing about it, but looking at the same costumes for an hour and half got old. Ok ok...I'm going to stop complaining now. Enough about that.

After we got back home, we were hungry again (we don't really eat anything Prateep orders because he always gets the gross Thai food). So, Allison and I walked across the street to Co Co Walk. We're pretty outgoing people, so we saw some white people and asked to sit with them and hang out. They were two guys from South Africa--Donivan and Graham. They are teachers at BCC's rival school Assumption College, and they've been in Thailand for like 5 years. Graham just got married to a Japanese woman and has a baby on the way. I thought that was pretty cool. Anyway, I feel like every person we meet it's the same old story. We talk about Thailand and our experiences...then move on to American entertainment ("What's your favorite band?"...then American politics ("How do you like Obama?")...and then it evolves into a discussion about religion. I love it how God continues to open doors for us to talk about Him, but I just feel like such a failure most of the time. These guys were intellects, and at times they were rather rude about Christianity. Allison and I proudly said that we were Christians and did our best to explain why and answer their jabbing questions. While we were talking, a random person walked up to our table and asked where we were from...he was a Jewish man from Israel so I got too excited about that and I showed him my Hebrew tattoo that I got in Jerusalem. He read it and said, "You gotta have faith right?" HE UNDERSTOOD IT!!! Haha...I was just so happy about that! It was so cool! We then talked about where all I'd been in Israel and stuff like that. Gosh, that was a good break from the torture of the South African Christianity conversation. So after that guy walked away, we kept talking to Donovan and Graham. They weren't budging at all, and Donovan just straight up asked me, "So are you saying you believe that I'm going straight to hell if I don't believe in your God or Jesus." That's honestly the first time someone has been so point-blank with me about it. Part of me wanted to be like, "Ohhh I'm not judging you...blah blah blah." But NO. I said, "I'm sorry but yeah...I do believe that if you don't believe in God and Jesus that you're going to hell." It broke my heart to say that, but I had no choice. I'm not about to tip toe around the truth, especially when God's called me to stand up for Him. We were ready to go home anyway, but after that comment, the conversation was pretty much done-zo. We said bye to the guys, and one of them jokingly (or probably mockingly) said, "Well, we'll see ya in hell!"

When we got back to our room, I laid down to go to sleep and silent tears just fell onto my pillow. It hurts being rejected. It hurts not knowing how to approach people. It hurts feeling like I'm letting God down. It's frustrating, and I hate it. Allison and I talked about it, and the only consolation we have is that any way you look at it, God's using us. Even if we don't see results, we're planting seeds. We're all farmers, everywhere we go. Now, I just gotta pray that God lets it rain on those seeds.

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." -1 Corinthians 15:58

I'm out.
Cwalk.

Day 28: Bright Lights. Big City.

I had my first formal observation at school today! I taught David's English class, 6/9 (they're my favorite), and they were angelic! I taught them how to sing the song "Do, Re, Mi" from "The Sound of Music" and it felt like I was a chorus teacher! I kinda liked it! I could totally picture myself being Woopie Goldberg in Sister Act 2 directing a choir. That would be my jam! But anyway, I split the class up into rows and divided up the parts so we could just practice going up and down the scale. When we were almost finished with that exercise, I asked the class if they wanted to see how high they could go so we just kept going up the scale by rows...and who do you think hit that last high note? Yep...me. I belted that sucker out as loud as I could and nailed it! Needless to say, my entire class erupted in applause. Haha! It was too funny. I love cutting up with my students in class and joking around with them. Especially, the 6/9 class because they know better than to get out of hand and take advantage of the joking atmosphere (unlike the 6/10 class haha). So anyway, I'm pretty sure I did well for my first formal observation. Teaching is getting so much more natural, and I know I say this everyday, but I'm so sad that I only have one more week with these amazing kids. Ok...I'm not going to think about that.

So tonight, Allison and I ventured out past Paragon and explored another block of Bangkok. Aaaaand it was awesome! I am so disappointed that we got in such a routine that we just went to the food court and back for the past month! There's just so much in this city to see and explore, and I know I'll never be able to do it all, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating. So there was a bike show next to the new mall we discovered. Let me tell you how funny it was to see Thai bikers. It was like Daytona Bike Week in Bangkok! Haha! We even saw some Harley Davidson bikes, and to top it all off, there was a huuuuge Jack Daniel's display at the eating area outside next to the bike show. Hahahaha! Yeah...represent Tennessee in Thailand! Obviously, I had to take a picture of that. So we kept walking down the street/market/open area next to the huge mall (it's hard to describe it) and found another eating area with a live band on a huge stage and a noodle buffet! We were way too excited about those noodles, so we loaded up for only 20 baht (less than $1!) and sat down to enjoy. Oh, by the way...I don't know when this happened, but somehow Allison and I ended up loving Thai food! Maybe we just got used to it and ended up finding out which stuff we like and which stuff we hate, but bottom line...It's great and I love it! And this is where I should probably give Aunt Judy some props and also apologize for calling Caleb a liar in a previous blog...(rolling my eyes) Ok you were right, the food is amazing! :) I might have indulged in a Dairy Queen oreo Blizzard today, too. It was less than a dollar, so I don't regret it. That clearly falls in a different category than the awful McDonald's that I experienced yesterday. Ice cream is in a category of its own. Haha.

So the Chinese New Year's decorations are coming out in Bangkok now. I'm kind of disappointed that we won't be here to celebrate it, but we'll be in Chiang Mai for it, so that should still be a lot of fun. It will for sure be a more cultural experience. I am so glad that we have Chinese New Year's to celebrate instead of Valentine's Day. BONK! Forget that mess! Allison can be my Valentine this year while we go to a dragon parade or something here! Haha.

I'm getting really excited about traveling around in a week. I think we've decided to hit up a beach in the south for a few days after we're done teaching. That will be a lot of fun for sure...can't wait to come home tan in the middle of winter! I love it! And words can't even describe how stoked I am about visiting Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. (sigh) It's going to be unbelievable. I can't wait to ride an elephant and pet a tiger and FINALLY get some legit souvenirs for all you fine folks back home. I'm trying to save my money now because I know things are way more expensive here in the big city as opposed to up north, but I can't help but be a little worried that I'm just banking on Chiang Mai being like, souvenir heaven. But, that's what Heidi said and she used to live there, so I'll just choose to believe her. Let's just hope she's right...for your sakes. ;)

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law...Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus." --Galatians 5:22-23; 6:17

I'm out.
Cwalk.

Day 27: "I see you..."

I FINALLY SAW AVATAR!!!!! Ok...so the trailers made it look like the most retarded movie ever, but I trusted Allison when she said that it was unbelievable. And yes, like most times, the girl was right. It was absolutely amazing, especially in 3-D! I can't believe the director thought it up 10 years ago, and we didn't have the technology to film it. Oh, and how much did they spend on filming it? Like $6 billion? I mean daaaaang! It better be a good movie! But seriously...every part of that movie was great--the filmography, plot line, acting, special effects, infusion of science, etc. (sigh) So good. I can totally see why Native Americans would think it's about them though...it's kind of the exact same thing. Haha. But clearly, the movie is on their side. And I'm like 1/135 Cherokee so I can say what I want. Haha. But yeah, any movie that can combine the manliness of war and fighting with the girly-ness of a love story is perfect. That way everybody's happy! :)

So watching a movie in Thailand is unique because before the movie starts, after 30 minutes of previews, everyone in the theater stands up to "pay homage to His Majesty the King." Then, they play the national anthem or royal song and show a short, 2 minute video about the King. It shows him helping people and how much people love him. There's seriously posters of the King at every business, home, shop, mall, building, etc. throughout Thailand. It blows my mind how an entire country can love a man so much. Ha. I guess coming from America that's odd because I for sure can't even imagine seeing Obama's ugly face on a poster on ever corner in America...much less everyone standing up to respect. I'm sure that's an issue of our right of free speech or something that somebody would complain about. It's refreshing to see the Thai people respect their King because there's just no question about it...they just do it. They don't complain that standing before a movie violates the "Constitution" or bull crap like that. Ok ok...off my soap box.

So anyway, tonight was an American kind of night, watching a movie and all. So of course when we passed McDonald's there was just no saying "no." I got that 97 baht #1 combo and ate the junk out of it! Everything was all well and good until I got home. AKA: No more American fast food for me thanks. That's going to be a transition for sure when I get back to the States...No matter how bad I'm craving a #3 from Checkers (@foxygenius & @taylormobley haha), I'm not going to be able to eat it for every meal every day like I used to. Hmm...what a concept. Maybe I'll continue to lose weight! Oh, and about that...I think I've already gained my 10 pounds back after that McDonald's. I feel like such a food sinner...but it was so freaking good!

Allison and I are just livin' the dream here. We're still not sick of each other, and I'm pretty sure we feed off of each other's goofyness. We've started saying the quote "For freeeeeee!!!" from the Adam Sandler movie Bedtime Stories. We even took a picture of us saying it while we were waiting to go in the movie tonight. Haha. Goofballs. So I wasn't feeling good (again) today...I coughed all last night (again) and woke up hacking my lungs out this morning (again) so I stayed home from school/work to rest it off (again). I'm done with my meds, so there's really no other option at this point. I'm feeling better now (minus the Mickey D's bad choice), so I'll be going to work tomorrow no doubt. But anyway, today was the longest I've been away from Allison, and I missed her! Haha...You guys just don't understand. We spend every waking moment with each other, even at our office at school. Once again, I am so thankful that I'm not alone on this trip and that we're getting to experience Thailand together. Ok, sentimental moment over. I'm going to bed now.

I'm out.
Cwalk.

Day 26: Happy Australia Day!

So seriously, today is Australia Day! It's like our 4th of July in America, I guess, and it's my new favorite holiday! We left work at 4 and went straight over to the Aussie boys' hotel/apartment and celebrated with an amazing dinner and swimming! Ok...I just have to talk about the dinner for a minute. IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE! We had corn on the cob, potato salad, and the most amazing ribs off the "Baaaabie." Oh my word it was unreal. The ironic thing was, it was basically all American food, and they even admitted it! Haha! Either way, it was by far the best meal I've had this whole trip, and I would eat the junk out of it again right now if I could! It was cute how into Australia Day Sean and Phil were...they even had matching Australia shirts on! I'm so mad I forgot to take a picture of that because it was too funny! It was fun hanging out with the other Aussies as well--Brock, Sean's brother, and Mike, their dad. And their Thai aunt came, so it was cool to hang out with her, too. It was like a big family BBQ gathering!
I absolutely love getting to know other cultures. We talked for hours about cultural differences between Australia and America. We talked about everything from economics (all for of the Aussies work in the Australian stock market) and sports, to geography and religion. In some ways, our countries exactly alike, but in other ways, completely different.

Before we went over to Bang Na (where the Aussies live), the sky train was having "technical difficulties," so we did the only thing we knew to do...take tons of pictures and rock out to our iPod. I love watching and listening to people on the sky train. It's amazing how many small children ride it independently, especially in a huge city like Bangkok. After school, there's just a massive influx of kids in uniform in and around the BTS station. They're all so adorable. I saw one of my students today while we were waiting for the "technical difficulties" to be sorted out. He "waied" to me, and my heart smiled. ("Wai"= putting your hands together in a prayer-like way and bowing your head slowly. It's a form of respect for elders and those in authority.) It's a great way to put ya on a power trip...having people bow to you and all. Haha. People wai to say "hello" or "goodbye" or to just show respect. The proper greeting to say while wai'ing is "Suawdee caa." I wish we had stuff like that in America. Respect is such a huge thing here in the Thai culture. I love it. I tend to forget who to wai to and who to not. So, I always find myself in this awkward half-wai position, or just ducking my head or something weird as I pass by an older person. I know this will come as no surprise, but I for sure slipped up and said, "Wassup" instead of "Suawdee caa" as I wai'd to someone the other day. Haha! I would.

Anyway, I'm just having a blast here still and I don't even want to think about coming home. I'm so thankful that I'm blogging about this whole experience though so everyone at home can keep up with me while I'm here! That's going to cut down on all the stories I gotta tell when I get home, because yall are already gonna know most everything! But I'm sure I'll still spend hours talking about this amazing experience. I wouldn't trade this for the world. I still think it's crap that I'm only here for a short 7 weeks. It's amazing how much my perspective has changed since I've been here...and to think I was dreading being away from Cleveland, TN for 2 months. Haha. Nah.

I'm out.
Cwalk.

Day 25: Monday...Ugh.

Monday. Probably my least favorite day of the week...because it's the farthest day from the weekend! But, on a happy note: I love teaching, and I love my kids. Therefore, Monday's don't suck as bad as they potentially could.

Allison and I decided to go back to Khosan Road tonight to hit up the street food and outdoor markets. We ended up eating this sub-like thing with chicken and slaw stuff...I think it was called a Turkish-kabob? I don't know, but any way you look at it, it was good! It was weird seeing all the foreigners ("Fahlongs" in Thai) there again. Everyone seemed to look like hippies...haha. We ended up meeting a guy from New York (American #2) and talking to him for a while, but he was a total jerk. He was all about arguing with me about universal healthcare, and he constantly boasted of all his worldwide travels to Italy, England, Australia, blah blah blah. It's one thing to talk about where all you've been...but this guy was just UGH! Leave it to the American to be "that guy." But, we also met some people from Switzerland and England as well as Portugal and Holland. Khosan Road is for sure the place to go to meet people from all over the world!

The shopping sucked. It was way over-priced because it's a tourist area. I'm sorry, but $10 for a dress is just ridiculous! Haha...now that I know I can get the same dress for $5 down the road. Oh paying normal prices in the States is going to suck when I get home. $7 for my favorite Checkers meal sounds insane now that I eat for $1 over here! Oh well...I don't want to think about home. I'm still sad that I only have this week and next week to teach my crazy Thai kids.

Once again, my heart broke a little bit tonight...only this time, I was talking to a man from England. I love it how I'm not technically on a "mission trip" to Thailand, but the Lord is constantly opening up doors for me to talk about Him. It's difficult because I really have no idea how to approach different situations and different people, especially from various countries, so I find myself constantly praying during conversations for the Holy Spirit to just speak through me because I'm so clueless and I'm so scared of screwing something up and saying the wrong thing. The English man was an atheist, but he was willing to talk about Christianity, but I wouldn't go as far to say he was open-minded. I mainly just asked questions about his "beliefs" or lack thereof, and made short statements about mine. I asked him what he thought about Jesus, and he said he didn't even believe he ever existed. Ouch. He seemed to think religion and faith were crutches to comfort those who'd lost loved ones. The entire conversation is way too much to replicate on a blog, but the bottom line is...it's sad. I've always thought that I could do a good job witnessing to people, but it hurts me to feel so powerless and so inadequately prepared and incapable of getting through to somebody like that. I find myself assuaging some people by saying, "I'm not going to force my beliefs on you or convert you...I just want to talk about what you and I both think." Is that a wrong thing to say??? I guess I'm just so afraid of being "That Christian" who bombards someone and just turns them off completely to anything having to do with God and Jesus. I know it's God's job to draw people to Him, and I'm just a tool...I just don't want to miss opportunities and say something wrong or NOT say something I should. I don't know...I'm glad God chooses to use me, but I guess I'd feel a whole lot better if I could see the final results.

1 Corinthians 15:58 - "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

I'm out.
Cwalk.

Day 24: Beach Again? Sure...Why Not.

Well, today was another beachy day! We went to Hua Hin again to hang out and work on our tans! And yes...we look like lobsters even though we put on sunscreen. Oh well...red's better than white right? And my hair stayed stick straight at the beach?! I'm still lovin' this straight hair thing! It's awesome not having to use a hair dryer and straightener everyday of my life! So Alyse and Heidi came with us to the beach this time, so that was a lot of fun. We seriously just laid around and slept all day. And the water was much clearer today than it was last weekend, so we actually went into the ocean! I stepped on something and it hurt, so I thought it was a sea shell, but later on I noticed small white crabs running on the sand under the water. That was interesting. And we could see fish swimming all around us too. I'm not really an ocean kinda girl...I'd much prefer to swim in a pool on the beach. That would be perfect. But, heck...I'll take what I can get. We met a cute old couple from Holland today; they were in the beach chairs next to us. AND WE MET OUR FIRST AMERICAN TODAY TOO!!! I was wondering why some ol' girl kept staring at us, and I was kind of annoyed. Then when we got smoothies, she said something about how good they looked and got all friendly...first thing I noticed: AMERICAN ACCENT! It's crazy how we've been here a month and haven't met a single American until now. But it was cool talking to her for a while...just a small piece of home to enjoy.

On the way home, we stopped by an ATM to get some money, and we saw one of those "check your weight" machines. So, of course we forked out a whole 1 baht to do that! I'm proud to say that I've almost lost 10 pounds! Hallelujah!!! I knew I felt skinner in my swim suit today! :) So, here's to another 10 pounds before I come home!

So, here's an interesting thing about Thailand. Everywhere you go, especially the beach or outdoor restaurant areas (Co-Co Walk or Khosan Road)...there are tons and tons of vendors hounding you to buy stuff. It's absolutely the most annoying thing ever, but I have to respect them because they're just trying to make a living. We actually had a woman get on her knees at the beach and beg us to buy a rug from her for like 2000 baht ($60)...um no. It's it's way funny when people get mad when you say "no thank you." I'm pretty sure one man cussed Allison out in Thai when she rejected his peanuts! Haha! But I will say that I'm for sure a fan of the beach dress vendors. I've bought 3 super cute dresses for about $4 each, and I'm ok with that. I've come to the sad realization that I suck at bartering. If the price is 500 baht, I'm like, "Ehh...I'll give you 200." And the person laughs in my face. Haha. I guess I can't be good at everything! It's also interesting how the money exchange is affecting us while we're here. Like, I'll see a dress and the price will be 300 baht ($9) and I'm like, "Heck no!" But in America I'd for sure pay like $20 for the same dress. It's ridiculous really.

Ok...well, I'm tired. And work/school is going to come early tomorrow. Goodnight everyone.

I'm out.
Cwalk.

Day 23: "What goes up, must come down."

Tourist Day...fail. Ugh it was not even fun at all really, but of course we made the best of it. I had a good time hanging out with the other girls on our trip...Alyse, Heidi, and Alicia. (Oh, by the way...it's not just Allison and me over here in Thailand! Haha.) We had to wake up at 8am to meet Prateep, the Thai guy who works at BCC who feels the need to take us everywhere...gotta love that Thai hospitality.

So anyway, we went to this mansion thing first. It was like the biggest wooden mansion ever or something...awesome. To be honest, I'm not a fan of museums and stuff, so I was bored. And there were so many freaking stairs! I swear, I'm losing weight on this trip even just because of how many stairs I've climbed in the last month! So, while complaining about the never ending stairs...Allison got Quote of the Day. In all of her wisdom, she decided to be philosophical and say, "Well, what goes up, must come down." And that's it. I mean, obviously she was talking about the stairs...but the randomness was ridiculous, and we just giggled the rest of the day about it. (I'm sure you're not laughing so I'll just say it...I guess you just had to be there. Haha.)

So, then Prateep treated us to smoothies and we made our way to China Town. Ok ok...that wasn't so bad. We rocked some chicken and rice (totally my jam!) in a tiny restaurant right in the middle of China Town, and Allison threw up there in the ghetto bathroom squatty potty. I should have been more sympathetic, but I had to laugh because she got it all over her shoes because the bathroom was so small. (TMI...I know.) So, I bought a LUCKY CAT, too! That one goes out to my "girl for life" Caitlin...I always remember her lucky cat waving at me in her old apartment. (Miss you dear!) Other than that, the markets there were crap. I'm sure my parents would have loved it because they're all about some flea markets and yard sales...I, however, think it's all a bunch of crap. Haha. But the experience was still fun--being crammed between people in the tiny streets with people yelling at you to buy stuff from their shop and trying your best not to get run over by a motorcycle or car that shouldn't even have been allowed on the dang street in the first place! Haha!

After China Town, we went to the Grand Palace. Now, this place was hyped up for real. Everyone told us that we just haaaaad to go the Grand Palace because noooooobody comes to Bangkok without seeing the Grand Palace! BONK. I mean...it was cool and stuff buuuut, over-rated (clap clap clap clap clap). And I would just like to point out that I just died laughing at myself...I seriously crack myself up. (P.S. Miss you Emily Fox. Haha.) So the best part about the palace was the guards. They have to stand there with perfectly straight faces, and let thousands of stupid tourists take their picture...all day everyday. Dang that job must suck. And these guards were so cute and young! I can just imagine them getting together after work and being like, "Oh my gosh this hot girl walked up to take a picture with me today, and I couldn't even smile much less ask for her number!" Haha! So, our little group of American girls couldn't pass up the opportunity to try to make the guards smile. :) We all took pictures of us kissing them on the cheeks and doing goofy faces, and every other person around took pictures of us too. It was seriously like a photoshoot! I still don't get why people here always want to take our pictures! Haha! But anyway, we had a good time with the guards...and when we walked away, one of them winked at us while trying his best to hold back a smile. It was cute.

We were also obsessed with jumping pictures today. At every location, we took a jumping picture. My camera died, so I'll have to get those from some of the other girls. Of course my camera died on the biggest tourist day of our trip. Haha. To sum all that up, Prateep took us to dinner and ordered something gross (as usual), so I just smiled and said that I was allergic to sea food. Haha. We didn't get home until like 6:30pm. So yes...our entire day was fun-filled with tourist spots and yummy Thai food. (Note: sarcasm.)

But, the happy thing to cancel out all the bad things for today--we got to hang out with our Australian friends again! They actually asked us to go out to dinner with them, so they met us at our sky train exit, and we went to Khosan Road. It's a really big backpackers' spot...it was so weird seeing all the white people there! There are so many nationalities represented there it was ridiculous. I ate a grilled cheese at the restaurant, and that made me a little nostalgic and reminded me of home. (Gosh I miss my 2am grilled cheeses.) But anyway, we had a good time with the boys and stuff. I absolutely love getting to know about other cultures and talking about the differences in ours and others. Plus, those Aussies are hilarious. Phil is a goofy guy who keeps everyone entertained, and Sean is quieter but still a lot of fun. They invited us to celebrate Australian Day with them on Tuesday, so that's definitely something to look forward to!

I was also excited that we got to Skype our new Epsilon girls tonight before dinner! Gosh, it is so hard to be away from Tap Night and Induction. I miss all of it so much! I loved seeing my perfect little sister rocking my jersey for Induction! I may be on the other side of the world, but I'm for sure there in spirit! We made the girls greet us and say "Suawdee Caa" (Hello in Thai). It was so cute. I can't wait to get home and meet all of the newbies. :)

I cried today. It was the first time I've cried since I've been over here. It wasn't because I'm homesick, and it wasn't because I miss people at home, though I do miss you all. It was because my heart completely broke for the people of Thailand. We visited a Buddhist temple where the largest gold Buddha is located. I was disheartened immediately when we had to pay to get in the temple. I can't imagine exploiting my Christianity for monetary gain (though I experienced that in Israel for sure). There were so many people there, and after walking up what seemed like hundreds of stairs, we entered the "chapel" area where the Buddha was located. As I was walking around, stepping over kneeling and worshiping Buddhists, I could feel the flood gates open. As my tears were welling up in my eyes, it was as if I didn't see just people anymore, but instead a huge room, and an entire country full of lost souls. It hurt. And it was like, in that moment, the immature happiness of being on some sort of pseudo-vacation in Thailand completely changed into a sadness that I can't even describe with mere words. It was definitely a defining moment for me on this trip.

I'm out.
Cwalk.

Day 22: Non-Stop.

So today was ridiculous. Guess how many breaks I got at school today? ZERO! But I mean, I did it to myself, so that's about all the complaining I can do. I picked up every class I could to make up for being sick this week. I'm an OCD schedule person, so I'm all about trying to stay on schedule so I'll be completely finished with my 100 teaching hours by February 5th. I'm tryin' to go to a nice beach for a few days before we peace outta Bangkok! It's crazy how my teaching time here is already half-over. That's so depressing! Time is flying by and I don't want it to! Sorry guys, but I don't really want to come home in a month. I wish this were a semester-long trip, so I could stay until May. That would be unreal. But anyway, I know that's not at all what you all want to hear. Haha.

So I taught ASTRONOMY today!!!!!!! Go on and say it...I'm a geek. But I don't even care! It. Was. Awesome. Anyone who knows me, knows that I can talk about astronomy for hours and hours, but let me tell you how fun it was to try to keep the attention of 30 sixth graders for 2 hours. TUH! That's gotta be a joke. But it was still a blast! It's so hard "dumbing it down" though. Because the material makes sense in my 22-year-old mind, but to a 11-year-old it's difficult to understand. But, on the bright side...surely if I can teach to 6th graders, teaching college students will be a breeze. (AKA: In May! Ahh...can't wait.) Oh...I also ATTEMPTED to teach my Thai kids how to play basketball today in PE. HAHAHA. That really was a joke. Stick to football (soccer) boys...there's no hope in basketball in Thailand. However, I will give props to the Thai kid from Atlanta...he knew what's up and helped me try to explain how to dribble and shoot to the others. Oh, and just for a mental picture...I was in a pencil skirt (again) teaching and playing. Ha. It was ridiculous really.

So anyway, tonight Allison and I went out to dinner and ended up meeting some Russian guys. Awful accents to understand, but they were cool. We also met a lot of local Thai people, so that was a lot of fun. I still feel like Bangkok isn't really the cultural experience I was expecting because a big city is just a big city. I'm looking forward to our trips to Chaing Rai and Chaing Mai to really get a feel for the Thai culture on the real. So, hilarious experience: we caught two lady boys in the women's bathroom! It was too funny! So, clearly we took a picture with them. I'm not gonna lie, I don't think I'll ever get used to that mess. Oh...and sorry Daddy-O, but I keep gettin' my butt whipped in pool. First by the Aussies, and now by the Russians. I'm 0 for 2. So, we're going to have to practice more when I get home, so next time I meet random people from random countries, I can hustle them. :)

I know this picture on the left is random, but I think it's funny. I really want to make it my profile picture on Facebook, but I don't wanna be "that girl" who changes her profile picture like, everyday. Haha. Allison took the picture when I clearly wasn't ready, but I love it! I would also like to point out how straight my hair is. P.S. It AIR dried this way! Love my new hair! Yay! And also, of course I'm wearing my sunglasses for a picture...inside...at night. At the beginning of our trip, Allison said she was going to get me to break my "white trash" habit of wearing my sunglasses on my head 24/7 (even at night lol)...so yeah. Take that Allison! Not only do I still wear them on my head...I even put them on for pictures at night! Haha. Ok...that was the most random tangent I've ever done in a blog. Sorry...I just wasted like a minute of your life with that. Haha!

In other news, Allison and I are feeling much better today. The medicine must have kicked in...along with the 27454103.2 hours of sleep we've gotten in the past few days. Hopefully all that mess is over. I heard the swine flu is going around at BCC, and I am NOT even tryin' to get that again! Heck no! "Not me no way." Well, I'm gonna cut this one short because we have to get up early to go to the Grand Palace and twenty billion other touristy places tomorrow. Gosh I hate tourist spots, I really do. I'm not really looking forward to it, but hey...I'll be optimistic and hope it doesn't suck too bad. I've heard that the Grand Palace is a "must see" when you're in Bangkok, so it better be legit.

I'm out.
Cwalk.

Day 21: Sick & Tired of Being Sick & Tired

Today was the most uneventful day ever. Allison and I slept til 11am and then went in to work for the second half of the day. It still felt like a full day at work/school. We're still sick and look like drugged up zombies, but we're starting to feel a little better. Don't worry Mom, I'm taking my medicine religiously...you don't have to nag. Haha.

It was hard to go to sleep last night because we took a 5-hour nap in the middle of the day. So, Allison and I just laid in bed and read our Bibles for hours. We would find verses and talk about them for a minute, and then continue reading until we found more verses to discuss. It was so refreshing to just dive in to The Word and focus on the Lord for longer than just a token ten minutes before bed.

I can't believe I haven't blogged about this...so, there's this bird that lives outside of our apartment. And it constantly, like, I'm talkin' night...day...doesn't matter, chirps/whos/screeches/etc. It makes the exact same "who-hoooo" sound, and I want to kill it!!!! I feel like that girl in Failure To Launch that is so annoyed with the dang mockingbird outside of her window that she shoots it with a BB-gun. Oh, if I only had a gun I would blow that bird to kingdom come. Stupid bird!

So, my editor from the Lee Clarion contacted me and asked me to do an article about Thai sports. How cool is that? I'm pretty excited about it. As soon as I get back I can't wait to jump right back into writing for the sports section...especially since it will be right around tournament time for basketball. I looked at the schedule today, and I'll still be able to go to about 2 or 3 home games. It sucks I'm missing most of the season, but I'm just thankful I can be there for the end of it. I'm also stoked about getting back into intramurals...once again right at the end of basketball season. Can't wait to win another championship with Epsilon, and ref the rest of the games.

I don't know why but I'm super annoyed today. The chick at the front desk at our apartment complex has got a serious attitude problem, and I would love to help her out with it. Allison lost her phone because she left it in the lobby yesterday...and let's just say ol' girl is absolutely unwilling to help. Shady jerk. Don't even act like you can't speak English now, when we've communicated with you before...arguing about laundry or other stupid stuff. Ugh. Sorry, I just had to get all that out. (The picture to the right: The Church of Christ in Thailand Student Center, where our apartment is located.)

I can't believe I only have 2 more weeks left at BCC. That's so incredibly sad. I love all my precious heathen boys! I need to start taking lots of pictures for sure. I've been slacking lately. And I really need to take a picture of the hot British guy and post it on here. Gosh he's beautiful with those perfect blue eyes and that sexy accent. Mmm hmm. Allison and I helped him out with PE today...aaaaany time he needs help we're the first to volunteer.

There really isn't anything good to talk about today. And honestly, I'd be perfectly okay going to bed right now, but it's only 7:15pm. There's no way I can go to bed now or I'll be up at 3am! So, here I sit...in the lobby, listening to the same Thai boys play the same song that they play every night for 3 hours on the loudest drums, guitar, and bass you've ever heard. And I can't forget the non-stop piano playing by some random kid who only knows how to play one song, too, as loud as she possibly can. And when did I think that Thai culture was quiet and serene? Bonk. Well, while I'm whining...I made the mistake of wearing scented lotion today and the mosquitoes had a feast on my legs while I was walking home. Ugh...awesome.

OK OK OK...I have to have some positive thoughts to cancel out my past 5 minutes of complaining. Hmm....we're going to the beach this weekend! And...we're hanging out with the Aussies on Saturday! Aaaand...I can't wait to be Skyped during Epsilon induction! Aaaand...I'm still super happy that I got to talk to people yesterday. Ok...those are my happy thoughts.

Oh...one more thing. We ended up in a bookstore today at the mall after dinner. I don't know how I do it, but I seriously just walked around and shopped for an hour or more and didn't buy a thing! I found several books I'd like to get, but I just didn't feel like spending money today. I found a biography of Galileo that I will probably end up getting...and yes, I know I'm a total science geek. As I was walking around the bookstore looking at love stories, biographies, how-to and self-help books, I found it impossible to find a book that really just screamed, "Read me!" I found myself searching for a book that described my life, but I found none. I feel like my life would make a perfect novel...or movie. If only I knew the end of my story, or even just the plot line. If only I knew the exact way my meet-cute would happen (reference to "The Holiday" if you didn't catch that). If only I could identify my AOL pen pal ("You've Got Mail"). If only I knew who thought, "To me, you are perfect" ("Love Actually"). If only my best friend would fight for me now as opposed waiting until someone else sees how great I am ("Made of Honor"). If only I could stop fantasizing about Mr. Perfect and see Mr. Right-in-front-of-me ("The Ugly Truth"). If only love stories happened in real life...the way they happen in the movies.

I'm out.
Cwalk.

Day 20: Perfect Day.

(sigh) Today was such a great day. Allison and are are super sick, but at least we got to come home early from school/work. We're all drugged up, so hopefully we'll be all better by the weekend. I'm not EVEN tryin' to waste a weekend while I'm here! We're going to see the Grand Palace and several Buddhist temples on Saturday, and then we're heading back to Hua Hin Beach on Sunday! I think we're supposed to hang out with the Aussies sometime this weekend, too. So being sick is NOT an option!

I missed Epsilon a LOT today. Hearing about all our new big brothers just made my heart smile. I can't believe ROB is in Epsilon now! And even more so, I can't believe I didn't get to be there to see him get tapped!!!! (coughROCKSTARcough) I am so freaking excited about all of it though. He's gonna love it. And our other new big brothers - Chris King, Matt Murr, and Mitch Gibson - are going to be great, too! All those guys are just perfect, and they deserve to wear my letters. :) Soon enough, I'll be home so I can hug all over them with the rest of my sisters! And I freaking miss my cuz, Nate Walker...and I'm so glad Ben Hamilton is back...and and and...(sigh) I just love Epsilon. It's so weird being Miss Alumni Walker now. I don't like growing up.

So, from what I hear...politics are going GREAT in America. Yeah Obama! You're doing such a great job as president! Wait. You suck, and you're full of crap. Maybe after you get all of our troops home, save our economy instead of tripling our debt, and do something productive with your life and office by, oh I don't know...LIVING UP TO YOUR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE...you and Lane Kiffin can form a club--"Most loathed men in America." Oh, speaking of Lane Kiffin...here's a link to some woman's blog. She's an Alabama fan from Cleveland, and she reminds me of me. She articulates the entire Kiffin situation perfectly. It's by far the best thing I've read about the whole ordeal.

http://cleveland.patchworknation.org/2010/01/kiffin-double-cross.html

So, believe it or not, I'm still not really homesick (minus that one day last week). Today was a PERFECT day because I talked to so many of my closest friends via phone, email, Facebook, Skype, Twitter, etc. (That's the good thing about leaving work early...it's morning over here, but night time at home, so everyone can talk. Haha.) I'm so glad I got to talk to Jessica on Skype...I really needed some Partner in Crime time. She's so amazing it's ridiculous, and she always knows how to make me smile. I got to talk to my parents again, too, so that was great. I called Rob (DUH) and got to freak out over the phone about him getting tapped, and I got to talk to Sierra too right before she went to tap BBs! Heck yeah Madam Prez! I'm also so glad I got to see Taylor (yay roommate!) and Baker for a minute on Skype! I got an email from Caleb and talked to him on the phone for a while while I was walking home from work. It felt good talking about Thailand to someone who has actually been here and experienced what I'm experiencing. (But, evidently I'm "spoiled" because I have air conditioning. Haha.) And I've been overwhelmed with all of the Facebook comments and IM's from everyone back home. Gosh all of you guys are amazing...I really appreciate all the thoughts and prayers.

I would like to take a moment and just say how good God is. As I've said before, I'm really praying for clarity and direction while I'm over here in Thailand, away from everything back home. Last night I was praying a little more adamantly than normal, just begging God to do something...anything. And today I really feel like he's starting to work. I'm feeling his peace, and I can also feel myself changing. "Patience" is one thing that I'm really focusing on, and I can feel myself getting better at it. I believe peace and patience go hand in hand, and both are becoming more real to me as each day passes. It's great when God answers the daily, little prayers, but I absolutely love it when I can see how he's gradually answering my big prayers, little by little each day, one day at a time. It's like I'm watching the stars in my sky align themselves perfectly into the constellation of my life. It's simply beautiful.

Well, I'm dead...so I'm gonna check out early.

I'm out.
Cwalk.

Day 19: Flat Hair & Tummies...HoYeah!

First of all...I would just like to say this. I miss ONE TREE HILL, VAMPIRE DIARIES, and JEOPARDY! My wireless is so unreliable that I can't watch anything online. Oh, and I'm in freakin BANGKOK with so much to do and places to explore that I have zero time to watch anything anyway! Haha. But I just had to throw that out there...

Well, the bad news? Our hair is flat and has absolutely zero body, and we can't wash or wear it up it until tomorrow (that's the rule with this chemical straightening treatment we got). So, today we were stuck with disgusting hair at work. But.....the good news? Our stomachs are also jumping on the "flat" bandwagon. We've worked out every day this week (and yes, I know it's only Tuesday but let me have my moment) and I can totally see a difference in the tummy pudge! Haha. Yay for abs! I know my 6 pack is down there somewhere underneath my keg...Haha...I crack myself up.

Hokay so anyway, I know Allison already blogged about this, but honestly, it's just to monumental for me to not talk about, too. Can I please just say that Allison and I have probably spent less than an hour apart (not counting teaching hours in different classes) during this trip? We're together constantly, even between classes at our desks, and the amazing thing is...we're not sick of each other! Haha! I feel like we're both people who get annoyed easily by others, but for some reason, it just works with us here. "We're both just like, really chill people..." (Said that in a Taylor Mobley voice. Haha.) But seriously, it takes a lot for me to spend the weekend with most people, and we've been here about 2 and a half weeks and not once have I had to walk away to avoid punching Allison in the face! :) It's cool because we both need our alone time, and that normally comes in the form of iPods on the sky train or walking down the street. I guess God knew what He was doing last semester when Allison's fall Thailand trip fell through. I really don't know what I would do without that girl here. I'm I would be so lonely and bored, and I know that I wouldn't be having the same amazing Thailand experience that I'm having right now. It really is a perfect trip so far.

So tonight was great! After dinner we came back to the apartment to chill, and on the way in, I noticed some Thai guys playing basketball. What?? A dream come true?? YES!!! So I peer pressured Allison into throwing on workout clothes and running outside to pick up a game. By the time we got out there, they had switched to football (aka: soccer). BONK. But they were nice enough to ask us to join them, so we played a little football...tried to at least. But I will say, we weren't that awful. One of the guys even said, "Um...I thought you said you don't play football...you're good!" Oh, why thank you Thai boy...I try to stay humble most of the time. So after that, we con'd them into playing basketball again. And who dominated on the court? The Dream Team...Cwalk & AllyWebb baby! We went easy on them, but it was still a lot of fun finally getting to throw down on the court. Gosh I miss basketball. After that, I got my but kicked in ping pong. Ok ok...it's been awhile since I've played and ol' boy was freaking Forrest Gump! So anyway...we had a great night hanging out with the people at our apartment complex finally. The guys' names were Bank, Duo, Peyong (or something like that), and some other name I'm not even gonna try to pronounce.

So...I miss Epsilon. I'm so sad that I have to miss tapping Big Brothers today (Tuesday). I'm so excited about the guys we got! I can't wait to share my club with such amazing guys! Well, I guess I'm an alumni now, but I won't be gone forever so I'm just not gonna think about that. Wow I feel old. OMG I GRADUATE IN MAY!?!? That's insane. I mean, it's taken me 5 years...it's about time. But still. That's so weird. It really does seem like yesterday that I moved to Cleveland and hated Lee. Now, I just can't stay away...getting my Masters there and everything now. :) Whatever...God knows what he's doing. I just wish he'd clue me in sometime soon. That would be great.

In other, less important news, my cough just won't go away. I seriously stayed up all night coughing last night. And you know what I did today? ...coughed. It's getting ridiculous. Stupid pollution and asthma. And it sucks because I'm ready for bed now and it's only 8:00pm. I mean...am I a grandma or what??? But really...after no sleep, coughing/being sick all day, playing sports, and working out with Mr. Exercise Ball....I'm straight dead. On that note...

I'm out.
Cwalk.

Day 18: I'm a big person in a little world!

I talked to the parents last night on Skype...and yes, I can also admit that I talked to my dog over Skype, too. She didn't get it; she just heard me and looked at the door. Sorry Chloe, I'm not coming home for another month. But it was good to talk to Madre & Daddy-O and get updates from home. My mom asked about boys, and my dad wanted to talk college football. And that's why I'm the perfect combination of the two. :) Oh, and Daddy got Quote of the Day: "Have you got a tattoo yet?" (no) "Alright, my prayers have been answered so far." Haha...love 'em.

Allison and I also worked out pretty good last night. And dang it felt good. I seriously woke up this morning looking forward to working out. And after a day like today, I need to get out all my frustration and energy in a positive way. My 5th graders today were absolutely RELENTLESS. Imagine every ADHD quality and multiply that by 314829 and factor in a different language. Yeah, those were my kids today. But to be fair, I'll say that, in contrast, my 6th graders were angels. They listened to me teach and understood perfectly today. And they all made English name tags to sit on their desks so I could attempt to learn their names. As I was walking around the class trying to even pronounce their names (I all but butchered every one of them with my awful southern accent), I ended up giving them all nicknames anyway...Dan, which is short for Danitotawat (something like that), Little Guy (because the other teachers already call him that), Big D (because he's huge and Chinese...evidently being a fat Chinese boy is awesome because it means you're family is wealthy enough to feed you...a lot. Too bad that cultural aspect hasn't hit America yet or we'd have a lot of "wealthy" people. Tuh!) And I can always just call on my American-Thai kid from Atlanta because his name is simple--Shaun. Haha. Got that on lockdown.

Oh...today was our first day looking good with straight hair and tans at the office. We got lots of compliments since everyone was used to us rollin' in with frizzy hair thrown up in a pathetic pony tail and our pale skin glowing in contrast to all the tan kids around us. Oh, and we ate Mexican for dinner, and in all honesty, it put Las Mas to shame. (Ahhh....sorry @cebaxter, @taylormobley, @shaunzaw, @eshane87, @foxygenius, etc... HAHA)

So anyway...as promised, I'm going to address some interesting cultural aspects of my trip so far. I'm honestly just going to write as things pop into my head so I'll go ahead and say it's going to be random.

1. Everything is smaller in Thailand. And yes, the title to this blog is mocking the show about midgets on TLC "I'm a little person in a big world." Because in Thailand, it's exactly the opposite for me...I'm a BIG person in a little world! I feel like a freaking giant over here! People are (obviously) smaller, doorways are smaller, napkins and toilet paper squares are smaller and thinner, food portions are smaller (thank God), seats are smaller (and yall know that ain't good for this big booty), clothes are smaller. OMG...I don't know if I already blogged about this...but when Allison and I went shopping for black Adidas pants at the market, we were looking at this on shop for our size and asked the owner if he had pants to fit us. In his limited English, all he said was, "Oh...yes. We sell to black people," as he stared at our thunder-thigh/ghetto booty areas. Thanks, Thai man. Thanks for the reminder that we're large Americans.

2. Eating meals is more convenient. Thai people consider it rude to eat with only a fork, so at every meal it's customary to use both a spoon and a fork. But, you're only supposed to put the spoon in your mouth. The fork's sole purpose in life is to push food up onto the spoon. But you're guaranteed a perfect bite every time! I absolutely love it! I'm so used to it now that it feels weird eating w/o both. This is one of those things I'll probably take back to the States with me.

3. ***Disclaimer: I'm not racist by any means.*** I don't know where I got this idea, but I was under the impression that all white people had some sort of unspoken bond when you're in a country full of um...not white people. I mean, I'm not Asian...you're not Asian...that makes us friends right? WRONG! I guess I could blame my sweet southern manners on this, but every time I pass white folk, I smile. But they never smile back! How rude! Haha...I mean, I know more than just Americans are white but really? Oh, in fact, I'm pretty sure we've only seen like 3 Americans this entire trip. Everyone is either from England or Australia (once again...no complaints about those sexy Aussies). But anyway...please don't think I'm racist or anything...I'm just sayin.

4. So...while I'm being a little risque, I'll just go ahead and address Asian stereotypes. And I use the term "stereotype" loosely. I actually mean, my preconceived notions of Asian culture before I actually lived here in Thailand.

• Stereotype: Asians love math and are good at it..............TRUE. At least from my experience teaching math to 5th and 6th graders. And judging by the fact that I've for sure seen graffiti math problems on concrete walls here. Ha! (see photo to the left)
  
• Stereotype: Asians have a good, but at times insane, sense of fashion..............TRUEish. Living by a major mall area, I've witnessed a lot of fashion. I'm fashionly-challenged to begin with, but I can tell good fashion when I see it. Most of the people I've seen around here look good. But the combinations of prints (aka: plaid with stripes) and ridiculous colors is for sure "in" here. I don't understand it, but I don't question it. I'll just stick with my jeans and t-shirts thanks.
• Stereotype: Asians can't dance................TRUE. And neither can Australians from my experience. I don't care how hot Aussies are, they look straight goofy trying to dance. And Asians are just funny dancers.
• Stereotype: Manicures and pedicures are cheap in Asian countries because, I mean, that's their thing right?...................FALSE! I for sure paid $30/each for a mani and a pedi...and both were crap. Nope. Lesson learned. Not gonna do that again.
• Stereotype: Thai massages are amazing..................TRUE. Nuff said.
• Stereotype: Thai food is awesome....................TRUE & FALSE. I mean, it's alright. I'm finding things I like, but I wouldn't say it's amazing or anything. Caleb just raved about how great the food was here, and I'm kinda thinking he lied a little. Haha.
  

5. So I've already talked a little bit about this, but Lady Boys. It just blows my mind every time I think about it. According to those I've talked to about Thai culture, Thai parents encourage their sons to dress up like women in hopes that they will be the proud parents of a lady boy someday. (insert gagging sound) I mean what the crap? As an explanation, my sources attributed this to the matriarchal emphasis of Thai culture. (Aka: It's a woman's world over here, so everybody wants to be a woman I guess.) I actually had an OLD lady boy give me a foot massage today...and it was rough! I wanted to be like, "Um, excuse me...I know you dress like a woman, but your man hands are strong as ((beep)) so easy up sir...ma'am." (Brian Reagan joke...hope you got it.) Ok enough about lady boys...ugh.

6. Everything is cheaper in Thailand. One of our US Dollars = 33 Baht (Thailand Dollar). I can eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner for under $5 (total). How crazy is that? So food is cheap, transportation is cheap, life is cheap. Love it. I'm going to be super spoiled when I get back to the States.

7. The main religion in Thailand is Buddhism. There are temples (called "wats") all over Bangkok, and almost every building has a "prayer house" (mini-temple) where their gods live. Everyday they put food out and light incense, and the god comes and eats the sacrificial food and then regurgitates it back out (exactly the same way it was before it ate it...hmmm...interesting). So clearly, that explains why it never disappears. But I will say that Buddhist people are so sweet. Everyone seems to have the most pleasant demeanor here, which is in such contrast to what I experienced in Israel. There, the Muslims seemed to glare at us in hatred, while the Jews just shook their heads and seemed to think, "Oh stupid Americans," as they walked by. So yeah, I'm a fan of the Buddhist people here. I would have loved to take a full class on the religion before I came here so I could have been more prepared to talk to them about Christ, though.

8. There's always something going on in Bangkok. I feel like every time we pass a plaza or square, there are tons of people gathered watching something. Whether it's a Muay Thai boxing match on Wednesday, or a fashion show on Saturday night...it's always something. Even today we passed the Paragon, and there were tons of people and paparazzi gathered doing something with some modeling reality show (I think). It was crazy. We walked by and took some pictures and just gawked like tourists. Haha. We saw a Michael Jackson look alike, and one super cute model in a purple mini skirt waved at Allison and me. Yeah, I see ya purple. The purple skirt girl would wave at us.

9. Which brings me to number 9...PURPLE is the color of Thailand. Everything from mini skirts to trash bags...school uniforms to graffiti...purple is everywhere and I love it.

10. Ok last one for now...Thailand is really the land of smiles. Everyone smiles and is just so nice. Everyone is always willing to help with directions and anything else that we may need. Hospitality is huge over here, and everyone always wants to make sure that we're taken care of.

Ok...I'm shutting up now. This is the longest blog ever. I'm going to work out now.

I'm out.
Cwalk.

Day 17: Got our hair did...

We're bringin' sexy back.......to ourselves. We went to the hair salon with Kosum this morning, and 4 hours later, we felt like new women! Tan? Check. Sexy hair? Check. So...we've completed the first two steps in our amazing transformation from "fat, pasty white, nappy haired Americans" to "tan, smooth-haired, 'thick' Americans with good intentions." And now that we're on a strict "Thai food only" diet...and walking everywhere still, perhaps that losing weight thing will start happening. But I will say that I've been doing crunches about every other day...that's more than I was doing. So things are only looking up from here people.

The salon was fun today, but it took for-EVER! It's hard work gettin' sexy. We had some straightening treatment done to our hair so we don't have to worry about the frizz and lack of hairdryer/straightener problem. Supposedly, now all we have to do is let our hair dry and it will look perfectly frizz-free and straight. I'll believe that when I see it. Kosum brought us breakfast while we were gettin' our hair did...our second street food experience--pork on a stick and sticky rice with Thai tea. And it was yummy. It was so funny when Kosum wasn't sitting there with us because Allison and I could for sure tell when the Thai girls were talking about us. I mean, we may not understand a dang word that comes out of your mouth, but when you cut your eyes at us and laugh...it's kind of obvious. Haha. Whatever. It was funny. We needed some entertainment anyway because we really did just sit there for 4 hours.

So, other than the trip to the salon, today was rather uneventful. We pretty much just chilled out in the apartment lobby and caught up on blogging and lesson plans. We did walk down to Paragon for dinner at our favorite food court. Allison and I have dinner down to an art now. She gets the water, the silverware and the table, and I order the food, get the chili sauce, and find the soup spoons. It's cute, really, how we already have our routine and just do our thang. People are starting to recognize us at the food court now since we're seriously there everyday. Our cook dude knows our regular order, and the ladies we pay just smile and talk about us in Thai every time we walk up.

Honestly, I really do think Allison and I could take over Bangkok. When we walked out the mall, we popped our iPods in and danced the whole way home. The "Times Square" area next to the mall is a perfect place for a music video...there's water fountains, tons of stairs, plenty of people. Hmm mmm. Too perfect. In fact, we actually did make our own music video. And the funny part is, it's exactly the way people see us walking down the street....when you watch the video, you can't hear any music because it's just us and our iPods. The music is all in our heads! So WE hear it...but nobody else can! Haha. I love it. It feels like we're in a movie. I stole Allison's camera and posted the video, but you might have to cock your head to the side to see it. We didn't hold the camera right, and I couldn't figure out how to edit it on my computer. Haha!

Well, I'm going to go make lesson plans now. I have to teach math tomorrow, and I want to make sure those smart Asian kids don't make me looks stupid. Stay tuned for tomorrow's blog...I think I'm going to do a "cultural spotlight"...noting all of the things I always observe and then think to myself, "Hmm...I should blog about this," but then I always forget. So get excited blog stalkers...it's gonna be a good 'un.


I'm out.
Cwalk.