That’s the long name for the racing weekend I had in Nong Khai last Friday through Sunday. Nong Khai is in eastern Thailand, along the border of Laos, and I went with a few friends to join in the race events. Friday = aquathon = 1.5k swim (down the river), 5k run Saturday = duathlon = 10k run, 40k bike, 5k run Sunday = triathlon […]
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the … country?
It is definitely summer here. Summer means dry heat heat heat, which you can definitely feel. Summer also means pollution. A few days of rain here and there definitely help though! In case you missed my list on Facebook, here are a few things for how you can know it’s almost summer: 1. I have to use fans in my house again, and my hair […]
Beer and Buddha
Buddhism is based on 5 Precepts: Avoid 1) killing, 2) stealing, 3) sexual misconduct, 4) lying, and 5) intoxication (both drugs and alcohol). This final precept is practiced in many ways throughout Thailand. Stores are not allowed to sell alcohol on Buddhist holidays, but the most prominent expression is at temples — it is prohibited (even illegal, with prison time or fines) to sell or drink alcohol on […]
Elevator Music and a Magic Water Cup
The first thing I noticed was the lack of soft jazz elevator music. As I looked at the bare walls and windows, I almost missed the familiar teal and mauve textured wallpaper. The lights seemed whiter, sharper, more painful. The buzzing and squealing from the equipment seemed to have a higher pitch and a deeper resonation in my jaw. Then I remembered, I’m in Thailand: […]
I PASSED!
On Friday I found out that I passed my language proficiency exam! I was (and still am) absolutely shocked, because I was not confident about the exam at all – for the full story, read here. Of course I still have a long way to go in my language skills, and I’d like to stay in language school for further study. Still, this is a huge […]
Buddies and Baseball
I haven’t posted in awhile, because I had a surprise visitor!!! My great friend from college, Charity, came to visit for two weeks. One week she stayed with me and we hung out, saw the city, and painted a few walls in my house! The next week she was working for a missions conference, but we still got to spend time together in the evenings. […]
Strawberry Fields Everywhere and a little Bunny Luv
I admit it, I like the movie Sahara. Amidst the cheesy-ness, there are some great humorous moments and lines. One of my favorite lines is when Al says, “Hey, you know my dad collected ancient coins, from Rome, China, Siam, Persia… somehow they all ended up in a shoe box in New Jersey.” He’s trying to convince his friend Dirk that things travel. You never […]
Graduations all around!
Several of my Thai friends graduated from college this year – Apple, Yui, Mai, and Leemer. Besides practicing for the graduation ceremony for three days (!!!), the biggest thing about graduation is taking pictures. One of my pastors said that when she graduated from college, her family took twelve rolls of film, and that was just average – her friends had upwards of twenty rolls! […]
QUEST ที่แรก (the first)
This Sunday we had an afternoon event for students who were interested in learning more about Christianity. We called it “Quest” – for people who are on a quest searching for God. It was a great afternoon! First we played some fun games that had a searching theme… (did you know that hygenic face masks make great blindfolds?!) We sang some songs together, and then […]
A Hymn for the day
I would like to share this hymn with you, written by George Croly, an Irish preacher born in 1780. *** Spirit of God, descend upon my heart; Wean it from earth, through all its pulses move. Stoop to my weakness, mighty as you are, And make me love you as I ought to love. . I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies, No sudden rending […]