Communication minus English....

I posted pictures on facebook...if you aren't a member you should become one for sure, if only for pictures, if you can't let me know and I will try and figure out how to post some on here.

A few more facts about Thailand:

1. Any display of affection isn't appropriate in public. Husbands and wives do not hold hands, or kiss, or even touch each other much. The only display of affection that is okay is for girls to hold hands. This is only a meaning of care and friendship, so is deemed appropriate. Everywhere you walk there are girls holding hands. It is different to get used to for sure!

2. Thais are totally okay with piracy, so okay that companies like Apple have refused to allow the purchase of their music, movies, and tv shows in Thailand. You can buy movies and music on the street for 50 cents to 1 dollar. Most are pirated.

Drug/Pharmaceutical companies are also upset with Thailand because it makes so many generic drugs. It is similar to piracy just a different form; they copy other drugs and prescriptions and sell them for much cheaper.

3.Crosswalks don't mean anything. Cars do not stop for people. Cars rule the road and they aren't about to even slow down for you! It's crazy!

4. Thais eat out way more than they ever cook. Of course, eating out to them is a meal that is cooked right in front of you. They eat breakfast on the way to work (there are street vendors everywhere). Then, because of traffic, they normally grab something for on the way home too. This week I had fried pork and sticky rice, pork liver, a kind of peanut mixture grilled in tapioca beads, and beef jerky with a pork and onion roll thing. haha it is hard to describe. The food is really good. Breakfast is definitely my favorite. Normally they will get some meat and sticky rice and then get a hot chili mixture to dip it into. They also have soups and porridge and other such things. You also share everything. We all sit down at work and lay out everything we bought and pick at everyone else's food until it is all gone. It is nice for me because I have been able to try a lot of things.

I actually made it through. I made it through a week being the only one who spoke fluent English. It was interesting for sure. Some communication was lost in translation, but I think we all did all right.

This week I was in charge. It's funny how any one can trust you to be in charge of an organization for a week after only being there for two days! There are two girls who pretty a little English and the others only know a few words. I am learning to speak very slowly and use words that everyone would know. They are constantly looking at me like I am crazy, but I eventually am able to get out a few sentences that they understand. It was so sweet though, they all tried so hard to speak English with me. They are wanted me to not feel "lonely" as they put in, and for that I would take any random phrase that they would say in English. I know that I said this before, but I am really learning a lot about how the English language doesn't make sense to other countries. We say so many words that mean many different things. Or we use words that don't really mean anything such as: am, the, a, etc. How do you describe "a?" Yeah not easy, huh? So, for them, they just choose to leave those out.

The girls made sure that I got to work and home everyday. They even held my arm as I crossed the street, which is rather scary here as you can probably tell by fact number 3 above.

I did quite a few girls' hair. That was fun. cutting hair with no fluent English is pretty interesting. It is a lot of point and waving your arms about and really just going for it. I have definitely been a little freaked out a couple times this week, because I want to make sure that they like it, but there is no way to communicated exactly what they want or how i will do it. It has been a challenge, but so far so good!

Being the only fluent English speaker for the week, I actually got to learn some Thai. I have learned some numbers, how to say what is your name, how old are you, and where are you from. They have also taught me how to say I love you, I like you, and you are my sister. I have gotten to share some pictures with them, and they have shown me theirs. Each one of these girls are so precious. Most of them are older than me, but I already care for them so much.

I went to a bible study on wednesday night with two of the girls from Rahab. We met up with three other ladies who were leading it at the Christian Hospital in Bangkok. It is only a few minutes walk from where we work.

At the bible study one girl, Wow(that is how you say it), confessed that she was talking with an old friend and her friend told her she should go back to work in the bars as a prostitute. The friend was raving about how much money she had and how a foreigner was now her boyfriend and was taking care of her. Now, Wow is in her 40s and wants to be taken care of. She has been providing for her family her whole life and just wants someone to care and provide for her. It is sad, I understand it, but hearing that just to be taken care of she would be willing to sell herself again broke my heart. She knew that it would be a more "honest" job, as she put it, to stay at Rahab, but she would be more comfortable in life, if she had more money. She is a new Christian, so I reminded her that God never said that following him would be easy. He doesn't say that once we become Christians we will have comfortable lives and never have to worry about anything, but He does say that he will be with us through ever high and low in our lives. I also reminded her that he says that we are to take up our cross daily and follow Him. He asks us to die to our desires, our own wants and follow Him. Yeah that is hard! We all want to do what we want, but how much better is life to have someone by your side that not only created you and gave you free will, but also took everything that you have ever done upon himself and died for you just so he could be in relationship with you. The other ladies also encouraged her and reminded her that we will never have any temptation that we cannot handle. At the end of the meeting, she was still undecided, but took home some readings the ladies gave her and we all prayed for strength for her. You should also know that she said that she was planning on getting her paycheck on Friday, today or yesterday for some of us, and leave Rahab.

So, I waited to see what would happen. She came on friday and paychecks were handed out, I looked at her and she smiled. I said "see you monday?" She said "yes." I am so hopeful that she will come back on Monday.

Last night I had my first ride in a Tuk Tuk, hopefully I can get a picture soon, but they are like motorbikes with a seat for the driver and a bigger seat in the back for passengers and a metal carriage has been built around it. Then, there is a small front window and the top is covered. The rest is open. It was a crazy ride. They drive with all the cars and buses and they are equally as crazy, if not more, because they are smaller so they squeeze between cars when they can't stop in time...ahhh!! I am learning to not have panic attacks and just trust that we will probably survive! haha

Well that was a taste of my week!

I miss you all!!

Hot Hot Hot...

It is a million degrees! Okay, so I may be exaggerating a bit, but it was 92 today and that isn't Colorado 92 that is like humidity worse than Florida 92. Whew...I have a constant line of sweat above my upper lip. It is super attractive! haha

So, since I have been here I have learned some interesting things about Thais. Here is a few:

1. Thais hate rain. It freaks them out. They spend most of their day worrying about when it will rain on them. It is rather ridiculous if you ask me since the average rainfall in this month alone is the same as a whole year in Colorado. And even though they live in this constant daily rain, they don't know how to drive in it and it makes an hour traffic jam turn into 2 or 3hrs.

2. Picking your nose is totally acceptable in public and everyone does it, but picking your teeth or using a toothpick is totally unacceptable and rude. In fact most people even cover their mouths when they talk on the phone. So, have a good dig, but don't touch those pearly whites.

3. Thais think that Fa-rangs (or foreigners) can't handle spicy and they deem you "good" if you try spicy things and don't freak out from the heat of them. It is funny. Today, I officially got the "good farang" title

4. Modesty is huge in Thai culture. So huge that prostitutes are more looked down upon because of their lack of clothing than the work they are doing. Also, when you go to the beach or swim you wear all your clothes. Swim suits are considered to have too much skin showing.

5. Thai women want to be white. haha that is a weird way to say it, but they think the whiter/paler you are the prettier you are. They use bleaching creams, bleaching deodorants-what?, and tons of makeup to make themselves look paler. I did a wedding on Saturday and after putting two layers of ivory foundation on the bride, they told me it was not enough and started helping me layer it on. We even coated her arms. Wow! They are so keen on this that the beaches are lined with umbrellas all the way to the water line, so that no sun touches them while they lie in the sand.

OK that's enough facts for today!

The wedding on saturday was very nice. Small and supposedly not like the normal Thai wedding, but it was quaint and sweet. The woman getting married was an ex-prostitute that is part of Rahab's program. She makes jewelry and met a Christian Taxi driver, who is now her husband. I don't know her whole story yet, but she has an amazing smile, and laughs and jokes so much! She makes you feel happy when you are around her. When I know the story...I will let you know.

Yesterday I went to an English speaking church, the pastor is from Texas. It was very refreshing to hear a familiar accent. It is just nice to not always have to be trying to figure out what people are trying to say. Then, we hung out with some ladies we met there. One other from New Zealand and one from Tennessee. We had them over for lunch and a cup of tea. Yes, we drink boiling hot tea while we are melting in the heat! Anywho, We all chatted about differences in cultures and the funny things that Thais do. Yesterday was also blazing hot. I was lying in my room, dreaming of a bath in a tub of ice!

Today I really got to be submerged in the culture. Nan, one of the girls was in charge of making sure I got to Rahab ok since all the staff are away and the city is huge, and I have no clue how to get many places yet. She can speak quite a bit of English and she took me through an amazing shopping area on our way to work. The markets they have here have the craziest variety of things and for incredibly cheap! She then treated me to a traditional thai breakfast of fried pork and sticky rice. Their rice is stickier than any rice I have ever had in the states. We headed to Rahab and I did a client. She is a wonderful lady here from Austrailia. Her family has been here 2.5 yrs and they help establish economy within communities. She told me that recently they went to check on the organization's in Bangladesh and the community has a group of small economies that are run by 1. children, 2. women, and 3. men. Within these economies they are able to establish government, banking systems and other programs that help communities grow and know how to help each other prosper. The kids can add money to a bank account daily and they will earn interest on it (interest provided by the organization). This will teach them that it is good and worth it to invest money and save. The women can go to the small government and ask for a loan to open say a hair salon for the community. They can all decide if the opportunity is worth it and will benefit the community and they can loan her money to open a business. It is really neat and teaches people the importance of managing your resources well!

After her appointment I went with Aum, another girl in the program, to an international school in the area. We went to teach 15-16yr old girls how to make earrings and a bracelet. Now, I just learned to make these earrings on Friday. So, these girls are fluent in English and most speak Thai as well, so teaching them was a lot easier than I thought it would be. They all did so well and it was neat that they were able to do this with one of the girls from the program. Aum, is incredibly talented at making jewelry and a really good teacher. These girls take this jewelry class as an extra-curricular activity and they are able to not only make jewelry for us and themselves, but they also are able to learn about the organization and how they are helping change a part of the city in a fun and creative way.

On the way home Aum told me her story...

Aum is 27 and she has been with Rahab for 2 yrs. She worked in the bars for 3 yrs before that. She is married to a Danish guy who speaks fluent Thai, English, and Danish. They met in the bars, but he became a Christian and once she was able to get out and start at Rahab, they got married. He unfortunately was a regular customer to the bars for years and years. He would come while he was traveling for work and eventually got another Thai girl pregnant. He has an 11yr old son, whom Aum loves and treats like her own. She said working in the bars was miserable and she was so happy that another one of the girls she worked with heard about Rahab and they both decided to leave.

The things that they make the girls do in the bars is horrendous. I have only heard stories thusfar, but I will be visiting this week and will get a real taste of where these girls are coming from.

More to come....pictures soon too!

Laura

Riding the Bus...

Riding the bus makes you a bit nauseous! Today it rained on the way to work, so the bus driver was pounding the brakes. Getting on the bus is a trick too! While you are getting on the bus is pulling away. And it is a leap to get off and of course, again, he is pulling away mid step! It was ridiculous. We almost hit so many cars, and the bus is constantly weaving in and out of traffic. I think the driver thought we were a mo-ped. In other words I think that he thought he was the smallest thing on the road and definitely drove like it. So, I spent the better half of my morning stuck on the bus as it almost rammed 20 different cars. It was an experience for sure, not to mention on the back of every seat is an advertisement of canned fish with this sauce on top that looked like thick blood. Yum Yum...they just wanted to add to the nausea! Yay! I will defintely get you a picture of that fish...it is super delicious looking!

I cut hair today...quite a few of the girls watch me from a close distance(there are 5 girls that are hairdressers and at least 11 that are making jewelry). It is a little nerve wracking, but I managed to show them how I do a long bob. It turned out great and it was nice because it was one of the girls in our sewing program and she was able to get a haircut. I took over 17inches off. It was intense.
After the haircut. Prai, the head of Rahab at the moment and the jewelry designer, taught me how to make some earrings, since I will be filling in as teacher for her class. That should be very interesting. She made me practice until I was confident though and that was so nice. I will get to teach 12 students at the International school on Monday.
Prai also has had me filling order of earrings and other jewelry for the organization. She tells me that right now the jewlery is their main form of income. They have to pay the girls' wages monthly, so the more they are able to sell in a month, the better.
The hairdressing part used to be a large part of their income, but recently a few bar/brothel owners have opened their own salons where their girls can get ready and won't hear about ways to escape. I get it, but that is sad for Rahab. Hopefully, that will change and girls from the bars will be able to come again. It was a huge outreach for rahab too! They were able to chat with girls as they helped them get ready for the night!

Definitely keep me in your prayers...A lot of the girls' speak very little english and the ones that do, I still have a hard time understanding. Pray that God will be gracious to me and help me to hear with clarity and be able to communicate with them well!
I will get to teach English classes twice a week, but I am not sure when that starts, so hopefully that will help brigde the gap!

Talk to you soon!...
Laura (or Lala as Thais say it)

1st Two Days...

I am so excited to finally be here! It is an incredible place. I met my house mum, as she says it (she's a Kiwi/New Zealander), at the airport and we chatted on the 45 min drive from the airport to home. Her name is Sarah and she and her husband, Alex, have been with Rahab for 2.5yrs. The city is huge...like most, but you forget when you have been in your small town for so long. We went directly to the house from the airport. It is similar to a group of dorm rooms. There are 18 rooms and I live on the top floor (3 floors high). We checked out the house then headed for lunch. I tried some Thai food, not too spicy to start and it was wonderful. We ate at the Mall. That is the prime place to get food! It is very good and is set up like a food court so you can order whatever you please.
After that Sarah and I talked more and got to know each other a little bit while we relaxed. We met her husband for dinner and chatted about what it was like in America and the differences in culture here. Afterwards I went back to the house and unpacked for the night. Then, to bed very early!! I was jet lagged! haha

Day2:
Get up and have museli, cereal, and then grab the bus to Rahab. Rahab is located in Patpong, which is three streets of prostitution district. During the morning you will rarely see people, but at about 2pm, they start setting up the local market. The market sells clothes, toys, and other trinkets. All touristy stuff. Sarah says they do it that way so that the market draws people in and then the prostitutes keep them coming back. It is rather sad! Sarah informed me that over 4,000 women work on these streets every night.
I met some of the girls and we had a prayer and song time. I love that the songs they sing are in their language, but I know them, so that I can sing along. I will hopefully be able to play guitar for them too!
Sarah then put me and one other lady to work training on the computers since all the English speakers will be out next week at a conference in Chaing Mai. Since Rahab also makes and sells jewelry, we have to know how to fill out order forms and keep track of catalouges. It is not very hard to learn, but will take some practice.
We had lunch here and that was amazing. Super spicy, but delicious.
I got to practice one of the girls' hair after that. She is getting married tomo and I will be doing her updo. It will be very exciting! I will post pictures once my own internet is connected! I have to write from work right now, so it will not be as often for the moment!
After that Sarah, Noi, and I went to the bars. We only went to one for the day, but it was enough for my first day! This bar was similar to an american bar. Mostly just drinking and talking, not much dancing and few girls. This is unlike most of the bars here. We talked with one girl, she knew a little english, so that was nice for me. Sarah can speak some of the language, I know 2 phrases so far! haha. Although, I have to say! I was amazed at how much i could understand just by body language. Of course, for the most part I have no idea, but as we conversed with this girl, I could get the general idea of what she was talking about.
Our job at the bars is just to build relationships. Some girls speak english, but really the Thai girls at Rahab are the ones who can build the real relationships. I am a ticket into the door though. Unless you are coming to work in the bars, Thai women aren't normally allowed in without a Fa-rang(as they say it), or westerner!
Hope I'm not wearing you out with all this, I just want to be thourough on my first post. Just so you all can get a better picture of what it is like.
After the bars we went home for the night. We ate more thai food, lots of bean sprouts...and went back to the house.
I took my first shower... funny it was cold...so nice though because it is so hot out! the shower and the toilet are in the same area, I will post a pitcure of it later, but it is a squatty potty. I haven't used one since Africa so it is taking some getting used to!
Then I turned in for the night at like 8:30...haha so early!

Love you all ...bear with me as I get used to everything here! I should be able to post often, so that will be nice~!

Laura

ON MY WAY....

Finally,

The day has arrived when I depart on my adventure to Thailand. I have 13 hours of flight time ahead of me to Taiwan. Then, 3.5 more hours to Thailand. Crazy! I am so excited. I can't believe this is finally happening. I am so excited to see what will happen while I am in Bangkok and all the wonders that God will do. I will miss you all, but I will be back soon, and well I will hopefully keep up on this blog, so everyone will know what is going on!

I will hopefully be able to post some pictures on here and of course let you know what life is like in Thailand. I can't wait to share everything with you!

Laura