Thailand

Sawatdee Kaa (Hello) from Thailand,

Since some people don't have facebook, I am going to post stuff on here!

Today is our second full day of ministry! Already our time here has been amazing! I now know what jet lag feels like. As I am e-mailing you, it is 2 a.m. in Alabama and 2 p.m. in Khon Kaen. Yet, we have adjusted very well. There is so much, I can barely process it all. But for your sakes, I will try.

The travel process was very long... we basically traveled for well over 48 hours with very little sleep. But, it was great to get to know the team and bond over shared travel experiences. When we got to Khon Kaen, about 30 Campus Outreach people met us at the gate with a big sign welcoming us. We rode to MP Park (where we live) in these trucks with two benches and a cover in the bed of the truck. They are SO cool! We immediately fell into the bed and didn't move for the next 10 hours. Our rooms are so neat! We have two people to a room. Kelly Costello from Southeastern Louisiana is my roomie. We have a queen size bed that we share. The bed is really hard, but that has not detracted from my sleep yet. We also have a small fridge so we can keep stuff in the room. We have our own bathroom, which is really nice. We didn't have hot water until today, but after Honduras I can live with that. Most importantly, we have AIR CONDITIONING. It is very hot and humid here, but not that much worse than Florida in the summer.

Yesterday, we had some orientation time where we learned some Thai (It is super hard by the way), and had a little time to find out our schedule and some other logistics. Then we went to lunch on campus with our ministry team. I am under Pi Fone ( pronounced pee phone) and I am with Kelly and a girl named Porscha. We are in the Science section. We eat lunch at the complex, which is this HUGE food court. Right now, school is starting and it is Freshman week, so there are vendors all over the place. I am absolutely in love with Thai food, at least the non spicy kind. It is amazing!!!!

Yesterday after lunch we went to the Thai equilevant of Wal-Mart. It was so different, because we didn't know where anything is and we obviously can't read the signs. It was really cool. Then we went and ate dinner at the corner place called J Prongs. Once again, AMAZING food. And everything is really cheap here. The money is baht, and there are 39 baht to a dollar. A normal meal costs about 25 baht with 8 for water. So... you get a great meal for about one dollar.

On a side note, last night some of the guys bought roasted BUGS and ate them... ok so I tried one and it tasted like a cross between a peanut and something really starchy... They were kinda gross, not gonna lie.

Today, we has some more culture training and went and ate lunch again. As Americans, we are a great drawing tool for the Campus outreach staff. Our chief purpose is to create friendships with Thai students, preferably freshmen. And how do we know they are freshman, you may ask? Well all freshmen are required to wear white shoes... so we look at their feet. Anyway, Pi Fone and I just sat down with some students and initiated conversation. Most of them are very eager to practice their English with me. It is very challenging, especially when they don't speak a lot.

So, now we have walked down to a internet cafe. At 6, we will be going to eat dinner with a bunch of students we met today. Tomorrow is our free day/rest day. We are going to go SHOPPING!! There is so much cool stuff here.