Going out

This is my last weekend at the training center, then we're off in groups to the villages for a month or two. I'm not sure exactly what to expect. All that I know is not to expect luxury. I was put in charge of producing a few episodes for a show we're working on, the official name is still being worked on. We'll be shooting for that over the next month or two. Should be lots of fun. I might be repeating myself a lot because not much has gone on this week. Oh except Brian, Rob, and I got to go do an interview at some guys house and stay overnight. He's 98 years old with a 23? year old wife. He's in great shape, full of life, and speaks really good english. I just realized I don't really have any pictures with me in them so I'll work on that and post one for proof that I'm actually here haha. alright I'm out but I'll write some more once we get going with the mission.

Everyone is finally here!  We have a great group of people here in Thailand. We've just finished our fast! It only ended up being a 3 day fast but it was sooooo hard. Today we were allowed to eat fruit and it tasted so good. I definitely appreciate food more now. For some reason throughout the fast I was craving a cheesy bean and rice burrito grilled from taco bell. yeah i had a lot of time to think about food. It was torture walking through the store's food aisles. haha but now I can eat again. The fasting was one part of our detox/cleansing. We also had to do a saltwater cleansing. That was really hard and made me feel sick that day. We had to drink a liter of warm salt water in 20 min. I did it and my stomach didn't agree with it. But I definitely got a lot out that way lol. Tonight we went to a funeral for a 12 year old boy. It was in Thai but funerals are never fun. The boy was struck by lightning last night and killed. Another boy his age is in the hospital with a 50/50 chance of waking up again. These kind of things really bring you down to earth and make you appreciate your life. I've had a lot of those experiences this past year so I've thought about it a lot. But anyway on Tuesday Me, Brian, and Rob are heading somewhere to get some footage for a new documentary project. I'm really excited for this one. Hopefully we eventually get enough footage to make a Karen tribe documentary. It will be a lot of fun to work on. Oh yeah we were just driving here to get internet and we got to see something really cool. It's dark out and we saw something in the road and we got closer and realized it was a big python! It was about 10 feet long and we immediately jumped out of the truck with the video camera. We got a few moments of the snake on tape and I got to touch it twice before it slithered back into the jungle! I love this place, it's awesome!

Lampang

So it was my first weekend in Thailand.  Melissa (our supervisor) sent some of us to Lampang.  It’s a few hours from Chiang Mai so we were driven to the bus station and we took the bus.  My assignment is to document what’s being done in Lampang.  Phoebe has spent some time there already and has been working at a radio station. 

 

We kept busy throughout the weekend by going to church, visiting people’s homes, going to a Buddhist school, baking Thai bread and cookies, and other things.  Oh yeah I got an hour long full body massage for only $3!!! I have gotten to film a lot and hopefully by next week we will have better equipment.  We have one more day here then we go back to Chiang Mai for health training.  There’s so much to be done and more to come!!!  I’m still missing everyone so it would be great to hear from you!

Lampang

first impressions

I miss you everyone! I’ve been in Thailand for less than a week. It’s a lot different than I expected it to be. It’s cool but we haven’t done anything yet. I can’t wait for Brian to get here! Life is not as I thought it would be.  We are kinda out in a jungle village.  There are tons of papaya and banana trees, passion fruits, and lots of other fruits growing everywhere.  Our property is surrounded by rice fields and farms.  There are cows and dogs roaming around and great views of the surrounding mountains.  The toilets are Asian style, you have to squat down, no sitting, and then pour water down to flush.  The showers are a big bucket of water that you pour over yourself.

 

We do have a lot here though.  There is clean running water, electricity, a kitchen, and a really awesome washing machine.  I have to walk or ride about a mile to the Pastor’s house for wireless internet. 

 

Next week we are doing health training and guess what they are going to make us do….…7 day fasting/detox/cleansing.  It doesn’t sound like fun at all but it’s supposed to be good for us and make us feel better when we’re done.  Pray for me!  I have to give up the food for a week (I love the food here!!!!).  This won’t be easy.  I’ve met a lot of cool people.  The Thai people are so friendly.  There’s so much to tell but writing a lot would be boring for you so I will leave it at that for now.  Miss you!  Don’t be afraid to email contact me.

Thailand: first impressions

I'm here!

Ok so I finally made it to Thailand! Me and Kelly spent about 20 hours on a plane (flying time), not including layovers. We went from Rochester, NY to Chicago to Tokyo to Bankok. Last night me and Kelly stayed in Bankok, and today we flew into Chiang Mai. It's so beautiful where I'm staying so hopefully I'll put up some pictures for you. I'm totally exhausted right now. 11 hour time difference will take some time to adjust to. There's a lot to see here so I will definitely be posting when I can to let you know what it's like. I miss you all!!! Keep me in your thoughts and prayers please, and write to me!