Twelve New Experiences

1) Seeing Ruins! I got to visit Sukhothai which was of the ancient capital of Siam. It was incredible to cycle and walk among the ruins, to learn about the history of Thailand, of Buddhism in this nation.  

2) Thai Nicknames. English translations of Thai names are complicated. For example, Supatchareporn, Watcharaphong, and Thaowatthanarungroj are a few popular student names. Rather than going by these names though, all students, and all Thai people for that matter, have nick names. Some examples include: Moss, Milk, Cream, Dodo, Golf, Stamp, Tang, Cake, Noname. Although I am now very familiar with the nick name system, I still had to bite my cheeks this morning to keep from laughing when a lady at a coffee shop told me in all seriousness that her name was Pancake.

3) Driving a motorbike! Yes indeed folks, I have ridden a motorbike and my pink helmet is dandy.

4) Going to the JUNGLE! Lan Sang National Park is only 20kms from Tak and Connor and I had a fabulous time hiking in the mountains and swimming in the waterfall.

5) Being called a hippy. On our way back from Lan Sang, we were walking on the road when a man stopped us and, in a confused tone asked “You two walk?… You two are Thailand hippies!” 

6) Saying hi to monks! Or, as my new Chinese friends here call them, “the men with no hair”.

7) Going a month without eating a potato. This was not my favorite of experiences.

8) Counting in Thai. The #5 is pronounced “Ha”. For shorthand, instead of writing LOL (laugh out loud) like students do in Canada, Thai students write “555”  meaning “hahaha” when laughing at a comment.   

9) Buying toasted bread with sweetened condensed milk and sprinkles. A student from my school and her family set up a little stand just outside my apartment where they sell these concoctions nightly. Thais love condensed milk and seem to find a way to put it on or in everything.  

10) Drinking hot soy milk from a plastic bag. This is a typical Thai treat and there are many vendours at the downtown market to satisfy your hot milk cravings.

11) Going to bed and waking up to temple music. I live across the street from a large Buddhist temple and this past week there was a father’s day (or 3 day) celebration in honour of the king’s birthday. The king is held in very high regard and worshiped here.  There must have been a number of musicians as the traditional music began late one afternoon and did not seem to stop until 3 days later.   

12) Christmas in Thailand. This will be my first Christmas away from home and celebrating in a country where Jesus is unknown. It is truly hard to not be with family at this time of year. It is also heartbreaking to be among a people with so little awareness of a God who loves them so deeply.   

Here are some pictures from our trip to the historical site in Sukhothai:

My Island craving finally satisfied. 

We returned to see the sites at night:

Village life in Sukhothai.

Fish farming 

And now some shots from Lan Sang National Park:

Eighteen monks came to school the other day to receive merit offerings from the students and staff. Here are some photos from their visit:

Monks at the market.