Now THIS is Freedom !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YEP, that's right, Today I finally got to drive a car!! Oh my goodness, it was SO sweet and what a delightful sense of independence and "NORMALCY".
My roommates were blessed (by a couple from their agency who are going to the states until June) with a nice little car to drive until June!! Jeannie is out of town visiting friends until wednesday, and Eileen left town today..... So I get the car for TWO DAYS hurray!!!
I haven't driven a car since arriving here over 7 months ago..... so it was a real delight to go run errands ALL ON MY OWN today.
First, I drove up and down every street (Soi ) here in the neighborhood (Muuban). It is very odd to have to glance to the Left to look in the rear view mirror, and the turn signal is on the right. So at first I turned on the windshield wipers every time I wanted to make a turn! I am used to driving on the Left side of the road.... but I gotta admit, sitting on the right side of the front seat to drive is very unusual, and knowing where the "left-side: sense of the car is also interesting and different.
When I felt ready, I eased out onto the real road with all the traffic...especially MOYORCYCLES. And off I went. Motorcycles can pass you on either side and squeeze in to the smallest space.... but I was able to negotiate the roads and parking at the store.
Such a blessing..... so much FUN. And Pam drove a car in Thailand today !!!!

Songkran, Thai New Year

Songkran, Thai New Year... is coming this next week. It is NOT your typical USA one shot at New Years eve with fireworks and a toast at midnight. OH NO !!! this is a religious holiday... And a very commercialized holiday and it revolves around WATER WATER WATER. Which works out well, since this is the very HOT season. And it lasts 4-5 days or more. (after the photos, you will receive an explanation of Songkran.... but since I am still technologically challenged, you get what you get hahahahahaha.)

When I went to the grocery store today, I found that they had ALL my Songkran holiday needs to make a great celebration !! Here you see Hawaiian print shirts, for ONLY 79 baht... (30 baht to one US dollar... now you'll be able to figure out all the prices in the photos, if you are that kind of person, ha!) And behind this rack are racks of short-short levi shorts!! Very Festive!!

Down the main aisle of the store are displays of all the essential Songkran items:

Here you have yellow buckets filled with survival-items for the Monks at the temples.

It is filled with toothpaste, toothbrush, a bottle of water, inscence candles, laundry soap

and other things. People purchase these buckets and present them to a Monk when they

go to the temple. It is a one of the ways they can "earn merit" in the Buddhist religion.

Soaking People with water is "VERY important" during Songkran.... the best way to accomplish this is to fill huge garbage cans with water and put them on the back of your pickup truck and drive around town.... looking for ANYONE to SOAK!!! (and after the holiday, you'll have a new garbage can for your house!)

If you don't have room for a garbage can, then you can use a bucket and scoop. These are much easier to carry with you, so you can "chase- after -people" to throw water on them.... AND you can scoop water out of the river, stream, ditch or moat with your bucket.

And then of course , there are the various selections of shapes and sizes of water guns!!! You can't get someone as wet as with a garbage pail..... but these babies are so much more accurate! Do you want to shout someone who is in a car with the window down.... this will do the trick!!!


And Now.... the Story of Songkran.......... just like I promised.

This week during my first grade class's Thai language and culture class, the children learned about the upcoming Thai holiday, SONGKRAN, the Thai New Year.

This holiday is known for the HUGE city-wide water fights!! Yep, that's right. where ever you go, expect someone to squirt you with a water pistol, or soak you with a super-soaker water gun, or DRENCH you with a bucket of water from a garbage can on the back of their pickup truck. Now foreigners, or FORANG as we are referred to, are the favorite target... because we are often "unsuspecting" for the first dousing. After that, we wise-up and join in the fun, or avoid going anywhere for 4-5 days!!!

The children learned that there is a REAL reason for Songkran, AND for how the giant water fights began!

Songkran is a family holiday, where families gather together to eat and celebrate. Once the family is gathered, the elders sit in front of the room, and the rest of the family (especially the children) walk past each elder, pausing to pour water over their hands and giving them a blessing. Afterwards, the elders say blessings over the family. Water is used to show respect and also used as a symbol of washing away old ways and bad things and becoming renewed. Families go to the temples and pour ladles of water onto the buddha statues.

In fact, all the stores in the area have put up temporary buddha shrines and statues, so people can pour water and pray right at the store while shopping. (commercialism, it's NOT just a USA thing, ha!)

The children in class all got to line up and pour water over the teachers' hands and give us a blessing. But our blessings were... "God bless you, Ms. Thomas" and afterwards, we prayed over our children.

The children also got to learn a traditional songkran game to play. We all sat in a circle on the floor. A small cup with water and talcim powder mixed into a wet paste was passed around the circle while music was played. When the music stopped, whoever had the cup, got to draw a paper out of a different cup that had one of three things on it: 1. yourself, 2. person to the right, 3. person to the left. The person with the cup of paste gets to smear the paste on someone's face OR perhaps has to smear it on their own face. Everyone chants Yourself, Yourself.... while the cup person draws out the paper to see who gets smeared..... then on with the game. At first no one wants to be smeared, but as the game goes along, everyone wants it. There was lots of laughing and fun. In the end, we were all smeared.

We ended our celebration with Thai dancing. This is a circle dance, moving your hands from side to side (in a lovely graceful way, hahaha) as we walk around the circle . We had a FUN time learning about Songkran... AND how we can enjoy it without being Buddhist.

So.... If you come visit Thailand in mid-April..... be prepared to wear your hawaiian print shirt and short shorts, grab your bucket and join in the fun of SOAKING everyone.... it is soak or be soaked..... smile and enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!! a nation-wide water fight !!!

Language Learning

Or as I prefer to call it................. paying someone to laugh at me in another language !!!!
I have a really great tutor that comes to my school classroom from 3:30 to 5:30 on Monday and Thursday. I am learning to speak and understand AND read and write in my new language. Now last week, I was able to write and read all the letters of the Burmese alphabet. I wrote words in burmese, recited a memorized 10 line introduction of myself, answered questions orally, identified vocabulary and made lots of strange and interesting new "sounds". When I write it down it sounds so very "impressive" ha, I feel like, Wow, I am really doing great!!! And then I play back the recording of my tutor and then me speaking. and suddenly I wonder.... where did that baby come from making all those strange and silly noises??? opps... that's me!
When babies learn to speak.... we all coo and giggle and smile and encouage them along. We clap our hands and sing-song with them. they are just so cute and sweet. but I've got to say that there is NOTHING cute and sweet about hearing me "murder" another language as I try to force new and unusual sounds out of my old mouth. And NO ONE, I mean, NO ONE has laughed, or giggled or clapped when I have said anything.... yet. (well, to be truthful, I think my tutor is really enjoying the fun of listening to me.)
But in all honesty, I AM getting better, every day. It IS hard work. but that IS my work right now..... to learn the language and be ready to move to a new land.
And so.... each day I open my book, look at flashcards, write words, and thank God that He is "teaching an old dog, new tricks" ....or a new language. Hurray !!! :0)

Six Months in Thailand......thank you !!!!

February 27th is my 6 month anniversary of my arrival here. This evening, the Bridges took me out for a dinner to celebrate my special date. (thanks for an awesome meal and fun evening!)

Thank YOU, each and every one of you that helped get me, that are helping to keep me here, that are traveling with me on this journey as we do what our father has set out for us to accomplish for his glory. Thank you for your prayers, they sustain me and lift me up. Thank you for your support, it feeds me and keeps me daily. Thank you for your e-mails and snail mail, and for cards and letters and packages, and all your LOVE. I am indeed blessed.

Join me in celebration, thanks and praise.

blessings,

Pam

Just another day in Thailand !!!

My room mate, Eileen and I went to the grocery store this evening. We rode our motorbikes to the front gate of our neighborhood and parked them. We walked out to the street and waited for a songteow to drive by. The first two were "too full", so we waited.... because, eventually, another one will come along. An empty one came along, picked us up and dropped us off across the street from the Big C, all for 15 Baht each. (33 Baht = US $1). I got money from ATM and went into the bank to have it changed into smaller amounts. We went into a Thai bookstore and Eileen bought a children's beginner Thai book and letter tiles. We ate dinner. We bought a few groceries and stopped in and had ice cream. As we were walking toward the main doors, we noticed that it was POURING RAIN !!!! "Guess those were rain clouds and not smoke from buring fields that we saw on the way to the store" hahaha. Luckily, this brand new store has a covered walkway from the store to the road. We stood with others, waiting for the next songteow, and listening to the rain as it pounded on the metal roof of the walkway. After 10 or 15 minutes, the rain let up, we walked out to the road and flagged down a songteow. A red truck drove up, the driver asked..."where go?" we told him, he shook his head yes, we hopped in and off we went. We smiled and congratulated each other, "wow, we didn't even get soaked!" And then the songteow pulled over..(we hadn't even gone a block yet) the driver got out, came to the window and said "get out, me go shopping, get out now". So we climbed out and there we were, standing alongside of the road on a dark street. Laughing, because..... it's just another day in Thailand!!

(by the way, eventually another songteow did come along, he drove us right up to our motorbikes, and we got home safe and dry..... except my bike helmet was full of water from the rain, hahaha)
Pam

Swimming by to say Hi !!!

HELLO from my side of the WORLD !!

Yep, that's me, out there enjoying the sun

and the lovely pool, today.

While most of you are experiencing the cold temperatures of winter, here in Thailand it was 85 degrees today and we were SWIMMING !!!!!!!!!!!! Grace International School has a HUGE fantastic pool and though everyone said the first step into the water was a "little chilly" we all braved the first chill and took the plunge for a wonderfully relaxing afternoon.

Are you tired of that winter chill ????? Come on over to the warm-side..... the water's great!!!

blessings, from cool and happy Pam

The detour

So we head out to drive to the doctor's office this morning (on an empty stomach so we can have some bloodwork done). As we approach the road that will take us in front of the office, there is a barracade and a policeman directing traffic to go left. Beyond the barracade we can see what looks like people and vehicles gathering...... this must be an early Chinese New Year Parade.
Now we are in bumper to bumper traffic with motorcycles weaving in and out between all the bumpers. At times the only things moving or the motorcycles and those walking!!! We snake our way up and down streets, all part of our own parade of vehicles..... about 2 hours later, We make a new plan. Let's eat breakfast!!
With great difficulty, we make our way to a place we can park, and walk back up the street to the restaurant. we sit out on the deck and can see and hear the parade crossing over the bridge.
Back out in the truck once more, we start the trek to go home. We take a right turn..... and we find ourselves "doomed" to one way streets with NO ESCAPE, and must drive right through the heart of Chinatown with everyone else. About 2 hours later, I am dropped off at my frontdoor, and sydney calls out.... "We'll try going to the doctor's office tomorrow!" and they drive off. What can I say...just another day in Thailand!
(but I did get great photos, and my advise to you...when you think you see a parade forming, forget what you had planned to do, park the car and watch the parade! hahaha!)