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