kamlang phone ja toke (that means- it's raining)

Now I know that the climate here is called classified as tropical monsoon which would make most people assume it rains all the time, BUT I also read somewhere that that just refers to the different wind patterns here, making three seasons: rainy, dry, and hot. Supposedly the rainy season should have ended last month, but instead it's decided to just stay here. In Ohio, church is cancelled for snow or ice. Last Sunday, it was cancelled here because the road by our church flooded. Today, I'm sure it probably flooded again, and here's why:
I also checked the street next to our building and it too is flooded. Maybe, school will be cancelled tomorrow...

I Love My Grandparents!

Yaaaay! After several attempts at video Skyping( is that even a verb?) with my Grandma and Grandpa Karkan, we have had success! It was so great! My Dad would be proud. Grandpa's all over this technology stuff. It's simple he says, "just keep pushing buttons until something happens." LOL, we'll see how it works next time. This whole technology thing is really amazing. While I was talking to them, Grandpa showed me around their apartment, and I got to see all of Grandma's fall decorations. When I talk to my mom or Grandma Karuzas they too are able to show off all their latest arts and crafts creations which the Karkan women really pride themself on doing. Which they should of course, because they are really good at it. Even though I can't see them in 3D or sit at the table with them, it's nice because I can still see them and talk to them over a cup of coffee, just like I do when I visit their house. Another thing I discovered while talking to them is that I can take video snapshots of them. Here are a couple examples. Grandpa and his coffee, and Grandma maybe laughing at something Grandpa said :) See? How can you not love these two?
Needless, to say it made my day. Times like this remind me that the world is not that big of a place, and even though oceans may separate us, they are only oceans and as such they are not unsurpassable.

Public Speaking follow up :)

Ok, so when I got to school Thursday morning, I was so nervous I had already started to get a migraine. That was short lived, because our teacher came in and had a sheet for all of us, complete with the exact questions she wanted us to ask, and blanks for us to fill in the answers. What she meant by be witnessing to people was just that, she wanted us to witness by our example. Also it is much more significant here for people to wear necklaces witnessing to their belief. More than once I've had someone say something to me about my cross or I have seen someone point it out to their travel companion.

Anyway, by the time we got to the park, I wasn't as nervous. Here is a picture of all the people in my class before we split up. Our teacher is the one in the skirt and heels. As a side note: I can not figure out how Thai women can possibly walk in the shoes that they walk in! None of the sidewalks are even or smooth and yet they wear the most brutal heels ever! Why do women do that to themselves?!?!

Sorry about that rant...where was I? Oh, so after scoping the place out, I zoomed in on a lady that was sitting on a park bench. She has some family near by and she was kind enough to talk with me. She was very friendly and said her name was Naang. When I finished with the questions, my assignment was complete. From there Sarah and I enjoyed the flora and fauna. Here are some examples. Yes, that is a monitor Lizard. One of our classmates from Scotland tells us that these are just the baby ones. The big ones are in the storm drains. I don't know if I believe him, but I like listening to him talk about their girth! It's quite humourous!

I think what I learned from this experience is that I'm more confident to talk with people even though I make mistakes. In Thai culture the people are very friendly and open. They have no problems usually talking to foreigners, and in some cases they love it when you try to speak to them, because it shows them that you care about their culture and are trying to learn about them.

The culture is very much centered around relationships here, which is a good thing for us and in some instances a bad thing. It's a good because we can introduce people to the Gospel through relationships, but it's also difficult because they view the buddhist religion as a relational thing as well. If they were to turn from that religion, they would be compromising their relationship with their families and friends. For most people that isn't an option, so we continue to pray that the Holy Spirit would work in their hearts and show them their need for a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Urban Outreach Camp

Wow! I don't even know where to start! Following a very long day of going on a field trip to talk with strangers, and then taking a test to complete module 2, I was wiped out. I was ready for at least a weekend break to recuperate and collect myself, and that surprisingly came in the form of an Urban outreach camp (aka jr. high retreat). I know, I know, for any parent or person who has ever had (the opportunity) to chaperon a jr. high retreat the words break, retreat, or recuperate do not register. It was an absolute blast though and it didn't include crowed streets, air pollution, or homework. For me this was perfect! Here's what happened...

With the combined forces of CWEFT, Concordia Lutheran Church-Phongphet, and LCMS-WM, we helped run a weekend camp entitled "Joy In Christ" for 25-30 children from the Bang Na area of Bangkok. This is considered one of the poorer slum areas of Bangkok. Many of the children are former students of the daycare there which is funded by CWEFT. Many of the daycare workers came also, and took primary responsibility for supervising the kids aged 8-15.

On Friday we several activities ranging from playing icebreaker games, singing songs, rotating through learning stations and listening to devotions. Here is a picture of Pastor Bob teaching the children about trust. This little boy was supposed to fall straight back and trust that Pastor Bob would catch him before he reached the ground. This led into a Bible study discussion about Jesus and Peter walking on the water and teaching the children to know that they can always trust Jesus. Afterwards they tried to act like they were walking on water in the swimming pool, only they were walking on a dividing wall that was submerged underwater and separated the deep end from the shallow end. That evening after supper, the different groups put on performances of different Bible stories. My group was the purple group and we acted out the story of the good samaritan. They really seemed to enjoy that. Saturday, we got up early for devotions with Diana who illustrated how just because we can't see everything, that it doesn't mean it's not there. She used a blank piece of paper and painted over it with water color, but all that showed was a cross. She explained that this is the same with Jesus. He is still with us even when we don't see him. Devotions were followed with yet another interesting breakfast of rice soup. It kind of tasted like chicken and rice, only mine had a little more pepper in it. The morning continued with bible study led by Pastor Taweep, and arts and crafts time where we all painter fans to keep. After lunch the retreat was over. The kids had a good time and even asked if it could go longer the next time we do another one. By 1pm we were headed back to Bangkok, and very excited about all that took place this weekend! For all the pictures from this weekend click here.

Public Speaking :(

I think one of the most terrifying things for Christians to do is talk to complete strangers about their faith. If you have ever canvased a neighborhood, passed out tracts, or volunteered with your church evangelism committee, maybe you can relate to this fear. Perhaps you may have also had the experience of being roped into doing one of the above mentioned activities, and you were not just terrified, but you grumbled about the fact that you had to do this even though you didn't want to.
I can say that I have fit both of those descriptions before and may even a little right now. Tomorrow, our Thai language class is going on a field trip for the end of Module 2. Our teacher decided that we are going to go to Lumpini Park to practice speaking with Thai people about our faith since everyone in our class is Christian. I am very nervous. I have a hard enough time putting together basic sentences in class, and now I have to find a stranger, explain that I am studying Thai, and would like to talk to them about Jesus in Thai. My first reaction to this was I felt ill, that was followed by dread, and then I grumbled.
I know...I know... I'm a missionary, so I'm not supposed to feel this way, right? Well, unfortunately, I still suffer the effects of sin just as much as the next person, including-I realize- the people I am going to meet tomorrow at the park. The difference between us is that I have the forgiveness that comes only through faith in Christ and since 98% of Thai people are Buddhist, chances are that they don't.
I have a feeling that this will turn out to be a really positive experience like these things usually do. It never fails that when I grumble about doing something Christian, God always opens my eyes to the fact that He can do anything, and usually in ways beyond my understanding.

Full-moon?

As nearly all my friends and family are either still asleep or just waking up, I am starting to get ready for bed. It's still hard for me to get used to things like these. Several times I have almost called my parents on the phone before remembering that it was like 3am their time.
Tonight I stood out on my balcony looking at the city and realized that I can't see any stars at all. The smog here is so thick that even the full-moon is hazy. At night the city looks like any normal city, with the lights, tall buildings, and traffic. Of course it's bigger than any city I've ever been to, but still with the darkness I can't see all the things that make it different from all the other cities I've been to. I don't see abandoned construction projects, porches laden with drying clothes, and every spare inch of ground crammed with the most random collection of buildings. There is no such thing as zoning here, so literally there are slums and high rises only divided by a wall or fence.
Another thing that is hard for me to grasp is that there is only one season here-hot. Well, I guess technically there are three, but I only know them as: comfortably hot in the shade, very hot with monsoon rains, and Lord please don't let me die of heat stroke it's hot! So far, I've only experienced the very hot with rain one, and I am still under the apparent delusion that because it's October it should start to cool down eventually. According to my map of Thailand/Bangkok I got from the Steiners, the average high in December goes down to 31 degrees-that's in Celsius (88 in Farenheit). I can't wait! I keep telling Sarah that one day I will arrive at school and not be sweating. LOL
Well, I better get some rest! Thursday's the last day of module 2, and this weekend we are helping the CWEFT staff with a youth retreat!

My Abode

I've been trying to think of things to share with everyone who reads this, so I asked a friend for suggestions. Right away she pointed out the fact that I haven't shown anyone my apartment. So I have decided (if it works) to take you on a video tour. It won't be long, as I only have 4 rooms, but this will give you an idea of where I have been living the last two months. Enjoy!

Meh-nah-meh-nah!

Hehe....as many of you have read, every morning I pass by at least one monk on my way to school. At first, I was just plain curious at this. It's not everyday you walk down the street in the US and see some guy walking around in an orange robe, with people kneeling on the ground giving him food. A little while after the curiosity wore off, I was sad because I knew that these men were modern day indulgence sellers, and that the people were making their offerings in vain to nothing. They are just living a life without hope and without Christ. So, in order to make themselves right with whatever they have to earn merit, and do good works.

So now, instead of looking at that every day and just feeling depressed, I have been trying to find humour in foolishness. If you ever watched the Ed Sullivan show or have heard Jim Henson's muppet charachters hum this tune, you'll know just what my favorite monk sounds like. He's this big guy who stands next to this food area giving out blessings and getting loads upon loads of food, but when he gives people his blessing, it sounds like he's saying meh-nah-meh-na..meh-na-meh na na in this really deep mellowtone voice. I chuckle now every time I pass him. Also, there is a monk helper who every time I see him, he is texting on his cell phone, and this is 7:30 in the morning! I always look him in the eye and smile big at him, thinking maybe he will be thrown off by that. One time that actually worked and he looked at me a bit bewildered. Sarah and I are also contemplating whether or not these different monks are territorial, because one day a monk gave another monk a glare, and we figured he had taken his spot. I think it may have been the same guy we saw take a tuk-tuk back to his Wat because he had so many buckets of food!

Oh my, who would have ever thought in my entire life, I would have these experiences!

Mail call!

I think I have corresponded more by mail in the past 3 months than I ever have in my entire life. In the age of email, Skype, texting, and instant messaging, I feel that it makes receiving letters in the mail all the more important and special. At Concordia, the student that showed up to lunch with a hand-written letter or a care package was usually the envy of everyone else and would not hesitate to share their good fortune with their friends around them.

Today I get to be the one boast. Despite a slight miscommunication to some people that my apartment number was 284 :( instead of the correct 824, I received my first letter from The Sister's in Faith at RCLC filled with several notes of encouragement from the ladies there. (P.S. Deb I love the frogs). It pretty much made my day. Just when I was getting to the point of fatigue from 6 weeks of language study, I now have a bit of encouragement to keep me going! Thanks ladies!

Hopefully tomorrow, Dang or La can help me write a note to mailbox 284, just in case they have any other mail of mine :(

Not Polite

Today in class we learned how to say that something is not polite, and I so badly wanted to use it right away in class I started shaking. (Deep breath) Since starting module 2 I have very quickly been exposed to the fact that some things which are extremely impolite and or rude to say in our American culture are completely normal and acceptable in some Eastern/Asian cultures; specifically in relation to personal appearance. This has been very difficult for me to grasp and I find myself putting up my defenses and feeling angry rather than accepting the fact that some things are just going to be different, and as someone told me, I can't come to a new place and expect everyone else to conform to my ways.

We have a new student in our class from America who is much bigger than the average Asian, and I feel like this must seem incredible to the Asian students in my class. Because of this, one of the students from the Philippines always always always makes some impolite comment about this poor guy and ridicules him in front of the whole class. Today we learned about clothes, and he told the student that he would have to charge the student triple to iron it because he is so large. Later on the same man said that this student would have no problem eating 400 baht worth of food at this all you can eat buffet, and it would be cheap for him because he is so large. (Just so you have a point of reference, most of my full meals I eat cost about 40-70 baht per meal which is like $1-$2.) There was nothing anyone could do to get my jaw off the floor after he said that. I was in shock. If he would have said that to me, I feel like my knee-jerk reaction would have been not pretty (to put it nicely). I don't know, it just really upset me- I wanted to cry.

Here is what makes this situation difficult.

1) We're not in Kansas anymore so I can't expect people to have the same understanding about what is polite as I do. Another "western" student explained that there are no such things as filters here when it comes to physical appearance. They will point out your physical flaws yet at the same time tell you you are pretty or handsome. So when we worry that making fun of people might cause them to be depressed, they think it's as normal as asking how your day is, and saying they like your shoes.

2) How I react to things here as a Christian is very significant and closely observed by others, so I can't act out in anger (not that I should anyway).

3) Age and respect for elders is much more significant here than at home. So correcting my elders ever is not well received here.

4) Here when you have a disagreement with someone, the matter has to be handled delicately or not at all. If I was the one to cause offense to another person, they would likely not even tell me, but keep on going or end the relationship without any reason.

I feel though that there has to be a way in which I can communicate that this is very upsetting to me without offending the other person. Enough on this subject for now. For now I'll just pray about it, and ask Dang if there is a way to approach this situation respectfully.

Traffic Report

Side-seat and backseat drivers beware, this post may make you a little nervous and cause you to grab your seat!

Now, I thought when I moved from Ohio to Chicago it was shocking to see what traffic was like. No longer was I briefly delayed on my way to work as I waited for a chance to pass a tractor, but then I had to time green lights on Harlem and yell at the occasional pedestrian or the car that tried to make a left-turn during rush hour. However, since my first hour in Bangkok, I've got to say that Chicago has nothing even close to the awful traffic that Bangkok does. Not even the Dan Ryan/Eisenhower split can compare. Perhaps a picture can help illustrate this better. First of all they drive on the left-hand side, and our vehicle is in the farthest legal right lane. During rush-hour here all traffic laws are thrown out the window, precisely when they should be used to make things less chaotic. That pink taxi and bus in front of us are in the oncoming lanes that people pulled into thinking they could get out of this jam, only the oncoming traffic had no where to go and as they were making left hand turns our lanes couldn't move forward because they were blocking our road. Road markings such as lanes are merely directional aids for most cars because they don't actually use them. 4 lane freeways are usually 6 or 7 leaving no lane for emergency vehicles. I hope I never have to go to the hospital, I'd probably die by the time I got there. The only vehicles that occasionally follow traffic signals are busses and some cars. Tuk-tuks and motorcycles just weave in and out of traffic and often go in any direction they want or they drive on the sidewalk. I've had more than one motorcyclist look at me like I was the one in the way walking on the sidewalk. Children and even babies ride on motorcycles all the time without any type of protection or safety strap. In the country most people ride in the back of a truck. Pedestrians in the city rarely ever cross the road at street level unless it's somewhere where there is a crossing guard. Everyone else uses elevated pedestrian walkways. Everyone including dogs. No kidding! I actually saw one two days ago and had to do a double-take.