Wednesday, August 12, 2015

This week

My brother got home from his mission!

This picture was stolen from FaceBook.  Thanks Annie.

I was sad that I wasn't able to be there.  I've been feeling a bit homesick lately and this made me fell that even more strongly.  I've been telling myself to enjoy my time while I'm here in Thailand, but I'm feeling ready to be back in Arizona.

My family has been writing to my brother on his mission and we started to copy the emails to everyone in the family.  It's been so fun to hear from everyone and since I am still out of the country we have decided to continue with it.  Here's what I wrote to my family this past week:

I've been looking forward to August because then it would mean that I could say that some of you were coming to visit NEXT MONTH! I like having things to look forward to. (My mom, dad, oldest and youngest brothers and my only sister are coming for a week at the end of September).

I really love the letters and hope that people will continue to send them even though Wesley is home!
I felt like this past week wasn't very eventful, so I looked through my pictures to see what happened. I'll write a picture email :)

I got new glasses this week. Put front there was a guy with a little stand to repair watches. I liked his eye piece so I took a picture.


In second grade we talked about using plant material to build shelter.  Then they went out and built ant sized shelters. They were really creative and had a lot of fun with that.


Saturday we had a going away celebration for the volunteers. Crazy that another group is leaving! Only two more groups and then I go home with that group! Crazy and exciting. Well the new volunteers will get here Friday and the current volunteers will leave Monday. So they overlap a few days. Next weekend we'll have a combined group game night. But last weekend was their last weekend here alone. We had spaghetti and hung out at the garden home. Tang offered to come pick me up to go shopping for the food before the girls went over. Ton ended up picking me up at 2:00 and I went to the hospital for a little over two hours to visit their mom. She's has lung/breathing trouble for the past year and been in and out of the hospital. IA bunch of wheelchairs were out front and it looked like they had just been washed. I took a pic.  The spaghetti we ate with the girls after was good. We took a couple pictures and I got to be in the front for one! That never happens! Ha-ha.








My new glasses. The plastic frames are super durable and bendy.


The lizards that are EVERYWHERE (I seriously counted 26 standing on one spot at the train station one day) that make a clicking noise.


I made pinwheels with first grade for science.


First had his birthday this week. I snapped a picture with the second grade boys while they were waiting for cake.


Tanner was in Bangkok Wednesday to Sunday. He brought back Cinnabon and the cutest teapot!



I bought a cup/mug from Tesco and it has made morning oatmeal so much more enjoyable!

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

On the Train

On the train last week:

A little girl peeking at me and a man sleeping.  Two normal occurrences.

So cute!


This isn't a great picture, but this guy had bad, bad hair.  Shaved on one side, but grown out slightly.  Dyed orangish.  So many Thai people want light/blonde hair, but since their hair is so dark it just looks orange any time they lighten it.  They have such gorgeous dark hair--I wish they would just embrace it!

Lone train car

Cute little cart on display by the train tracks at one of the stops.

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Buddhist Lent 2015

This week the Monks came to the school.  Wednesday was Asalha Puja Day (sometimes called Buddhist lent).  Here you can read about it from last year.  The secretary bought me some food so I could give it to the monks this year.  Nine monks came.  They chanted, prayed and collected food.  The students and parents always bring SO MUCH FOOD!  THe monks don't leave the temple for 4 days, so they will eat some of it then (usually they go out every morning around 4am to collect food donations for the day).  What ever they have left they will donate to the poor.

Families starting to gather

Some of the food donations

More food

Kids praying with the monks







And a picture from Facebook of me with Lin and Ioon