Thursday, June 05, 2003
Just a little explanation: since the internet is so stinkin slow here and we're paying by the hour, I am going to just copy some of my journal entries from the day before online. Hope everyone is doing all right.. I sort of wish I could talk to my friends back home, but the newness of Thailand is still pretty strong. Please keep praying for us the people here that we are meeting. God be with you all!
Entry from 6/4/03 (paper journal):
Today we arrived in Chaing Mai. The flight from Bangkok to Chaing Mai wasn't bad at all- 50 minutes, and beautiful scenery the entire way. We met Quintin and his family, as well as a couple of other American workers/career M's. It hasn't been a terribly stressful day at all- we got moved into our temporary housing for orientation (a hostel on CMU). After that we walked to a restaurant "The Blue Corner." The Thai food was excellent, thought I must be honest to say that I haven't eaten much since we've arrived. I don't know if it's the heat or the excitement.. oh well. I started practicing my Thai in the market today; I'm not as self-conscious as I was. One person I talked to was a man that sold fresh fruit, pre-sliced (this is typical here, and Quintin said that it was all right to eat). He had mangoes (ma-muang), pineapple (sa-pah-roh), watermelon (thaang-mo), and some hairy-looking strawberry things (I think he said they were naahm, but I can't remember). He was quick to correct my pronounciation, but he was very friendly, and that is typical for the Thai to do that.. it's their way of helping. I bought some mango; it was so good that he can bet that he'll be seeing more of me. We also went to an internet cafe (there are several in the market),and made a stop at the 7-11 (there are apparently more in Thailand than the United States). For dinner, we were taken out by a bunch of Thai students here at CMU (Chaing Mai University, or Maw-Chaw as they call it in slang). We ate at a place where a cone-shaped collinder type thing with a small rim that hold water is set over hot coals. Raw meat and vegetables are brought out and you yourself set them on the hot metal collinder part and in the hot water to cook. After it's done you take it off, put it in your bowl and add sauce, mix it up, and eat it. The Thai use chopsticks or forks to scoop all of their food into a big metal spoon and use the spoon to put in their mouths. It's taking a little big to get accustomed to it, but it 's fun.
Anyway, the dinner was really delicious, and the students were incredibly friendly and eager to speak English (this is typical for most people in Northern Thailand). I talked to several students (about 20 took us out), but I mainly talked to three girls. They were all very sweet, but one was particularly talkative. She loves American culture and speaking English. She was cracking jokes and we were all having a great time. I showed the girls pictures of back home (friends and family). There were some pictures of churches and friends and I at Christian organizations, and I briefly talked to her about it. We have to be sure not to push our faith on them; we just have to follow the Holy Spirit's guidance. I taught one girl two expressions tonight: "tip of my tongue" (like you can't think of a word) and "I'll scratch your back, and you scratch mine," referring to helping each other learn the other's language.
Well, I'm about to drop. Thank You Father, for all that Thailand is that all that the Thai people are. Father, make me a bold witness in Your time, and a true friend to them as You would have been. Give us all patience, Father. We love You, and we want that to be as obvious as possible in our lives. Good night.
Entry from 6/4/03 (paper journal):
Today we arrived in Chaing Mai. The flight from Bangkok to Chaing Mai wasn't bad at all- 50 minutes, and beautiful scenery the entire way. We met Quintin and his family, as well as a couple of other American workers/career M's. It hasn't been a terribly stressful day at all- we got moved into our temporary housing for orientation (a hostel on CMU). After that we walked to a restaurant "The Blue Corner." The Thai food was excellent, thought I must be honest to say that I haven't eaten much since we've arrived. I don't know if it's the heat or the excitement.. oh well. I started practicing my Thai in the market today; I'm not as self-conscious as I was. One person I talked to was a man that sold fresh fruit, pre-sliced (this is typical here, and Quintin said that it was all right to eat). He had mangoes (ma-muang), pineapple (sa-pah-roh), watermelon (thaang-mo), and some hairy-looking strawberry things (I think he said they were naahm, but I can't remember). He was quick to correct my pronounciation, but he was very friendly, and that is typical for the Thai to do that.. it's their way of helping. I bought some mango; it was so good that he can bet that he'll be seeing more of me. We also went to an internet cafe (there are several in the market),and made a stop at the 7-11 (there are apparently more in Thailand than the United States). For dinner, we were taken out by a bunch of Thai students here at CMU (Chaing Mai University, or Maw-Chaw as they call it in slang). We ate at a place where a cone-shaped collinder type thing with a small rim that hold water is set over hot coals. Raw meat and vegetables are brought out and you yourself set them on the hot metal collinder part and in the hot water to cook. After it's done you take it off, put it in your bowl and add sauce, mix it up, and eat it. The Thai use chopsticks or forks to scoop all of their food into a big metal spoon and use the spoon to put in their mouths. It's taking a little big to get accustomed to it, but it 's fun.
Anyway, the dinner was really delicious, and the students were incredibly friendly and eager to speak English (this is typical for most people in Northern Thailand). I talked to several students (about 20 took us out), but I mainly talked to three girls. They were all very sweet, but one was particularly talkative. She loves American culture and speaking English. She was cracking jokes and we were all having a great time. I showed the girls pictures of back home (friends and family). There were some pictures of churches and friends and I at Christian organizations, and I briefly talked to her about it. We have to be sure not to push our faith on them; we just have to follow the Holy Spirit's guidance. I taught one girl two expressions tonight: "tip of my tongue" (like you can't think of a word) and "I'll scratch your back, and you scratch mine," referring to helping each other learn the other's language.
Well, I'm about to drop. Thank You Father, for all that Thailand is that all that the Thai people are. Father, make me a bold witness in Your time, and a true friend to them as You would have been. Give us all patience, Father. We love You, and we want that to be as obvious as possible in our lives. Good night.
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