Mundane Mondays...

One thing I just realized is the same here in Thailand as it is in the US is that the sun goes down way early. It's 5:30ish and I had to turn a light on to work on my computer.

Anyway, I'm just now going into week 3 of module 3 and it's amazing how much I've learned. In the Thai language there are 44 consonants of which I've learned 35 plus all the long vowels, mixed vowels, and exceptions to the rule if a word has a consonant on the end of it. I've learned the 5 tones for 2 of the 3 consonant classes, and the corresponding tone marks for each class all in these 3 weeks! I still have to memorize a list of 20 words that only have this one vowel, but I'm working on it. So far, I can read pretty well, but I'm still practicing being able to write sentences that are dictated to me as I don't always hear the tones.

I am really enjoying our coffee breaks during this module. Several of the students have been studying there the whole time I've been there, so we all know each other pretty well. During breaks, we usually share information on the best dentist to go to, suggested remedies for eye infections, suggestions for why someone may not be sleeping well, advice on how difficult the next module is, etc. Awhile ago the discussion was the World Series. then US politics. Someone usually brings food to share with everyone, so the kitchen is often busy. One student manages to find the strangest things and we all eat it; sometimes it's really good-other times- not so much. (Don't try the nutmeg candy, it's gross). I just feel like a lot of information is shared during these short few minutes, including even possible contacts for mission projects here.

After school we usually eat lunch with the teachers(Khruu's). Today we just went to the school cafeteria and I made a unique observation in regards to the whole issue of a person's physical appearance. When I first noticed how it's normal for the Asian people at school to make light of people who are larger than the average Thai-stick-person I was really upset, but today it actually seemed ok. I know that's weird, but here's what happened. One of the teachers is overweight, yet she has absolutely no problems or insecurities about that, and neither does any of her friends. We were all sitting, eating having a good time talking about swimming and she laughed and said that she didn't need a float because she had enough fat around her waist to keep her afloat. Everyone laughed and it was as if she had made a plain joke. See for the people here, even though they talk or joke about another person's physical appearance, they never discriminate against that person, or it's not meant to be mean. That person still has friends of all shapes and sizes and isn't looked down upon or excluded because of their appearance. This is unlike in our society where only super-model stereotypes are considered beautiful, cool or popular, and everyone else has to face ridicule of some sort. I don't know, it just made me wonder, if our society did talk about appearances out in the open then would it be such a big deal? If no one cared what you look like, but rather what your personality was like then would we have so many people suffering from depression and insecurity? It seems like it's usually when people avoid talking about things that people start to look at it as something wrong, otherwise why don't they talk about it?

How's that for a mundane Monday?

Psalm 149:13 I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;