Sep 27 2006
Finals are coming up fast!
Hey guys! I just sent out an email update, but for those of you whose address I don’t have, here’s some of it:
The first semester is coming to an end, and finals are starting next week. It’s really hard to believe that I am half way through with my trip! We had the last Grapejam of the semester last night and will be starting up again with a big costume party after the October break. Everyone is busy studying for finals, but attendance is still going well at Grapejam and Café English. Music at Grapejam has been tons of fun. Last night our friend Yim played guitar and sang, and the American students sang “My Life is in You, Lord” in Thai and the Thai students sang it in English. We usually have atleast one song from our Thai friends in addition to the songs that Andy (a team member) sings. It was so much fun! We recently had a talent show full of singing, dancing, and some funny skits. It lasted so long, and even our first timers joined in on the fun. The Grapevine recently took a 1-day trip to Rayong, a nearby beach as well. It was gorgeous, and everyone had a great time.
With the month long break coming up, everyone has been making vacation plans. We are taking a 12-hour sleeper train to Ko Samui, an island in the Gulf of Thailand for a few nights and then Stephanie and I are going to Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia for 4 days. After that we all have separate plans. Some of us are heading to Roi Et in eastern Thailand with Muang Thai Church to teach English, and others are taking the train up north to Mae Hong Son or Chiang Mai for a volunteer construction trip with a club from school. I’ll be going to Chiang Mai for 11 days with my classmate, White, and maybe 50 other Thammasat University students. The trip sounds like it will be wonderful, with every other day being construction work on a multipurpose room for the village. When we aren’t doing construction, we will be doing other cultural activities. Last year’s group made baskets, picked rice, and helped make silk. It’s going to be an amazing experience and a great chance to make new friends and practice speaking Thai!
God recently taught us a very funny lesson about humility that I think you’ll enjoy. This whole semester we have had one group at the SIIT picnic tables and another group at the Student Center for Fun On Campus. Until yesterday, we have only had 1 Thai student join us at the SC building, and that was Beau, a regular at Grapevine. Even though we had card games and passed out brownies around the area, no one would be our friends. Greg decided to make a sign in Thai that said “Do not be afraid! We are kind hearted farang and we have had our vaccinations. Come play games with us!” Yes, it looked desperate, but after a semester of people just looking at us, what did we have to lose? At first we just got some laughs as people passed by, but then this one guy came over and asked if he could play a game too. His name was Sea, and as soon as he sat down, 6 of his friends came running over and sat down too! It was the coolest thing ever! They were all freshmen in Accounting and Commerce. At one point it was Greg, Michal Ruth and I with 11 Thai students, all playing Skip Bo and eating brownies. It was the greatest “God is so amazing” moment ever. It just goes to show what can happen when we get over our pride (we had this idea about a month ago but we thought it’d be embarrassing) and listen to God.
I have posted lots of new pictures on my Flickr page and you should definitely check them out! Here are a few I think you’ll enjoy.
jesse’s lookin slim!
hahaha. i was thinking the exact same thing as jill!
i made the mistake of looking at houses for rent on craigslist. oh my gosh. i can’t wait until we can actually look for a place to live!! yay!