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.
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!!
Sounds fun and like you are adjusting well!
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