26.08.2015- Long Overdue Updates

To those who have been trying to check for updates, thank you and many apologies for a long hiatus.

It's been about six months, which means it's been quite a while since my last post, and many things have changed.
Also, I've made a bit of a bad habit of writing drafts, but not successfully posting them. Let's just say, I haven't been making complete thoughts, or following through.

The basic updates since my last post:

• I witnessed two weddings, both small and quiet enough. Both of couples who had been together for at least five years.
• I chopped off a good amount of hair to donate to Locks of Love, for the second time in my life.
• I went to Europe

The one-week detour taken through Europe was fantastic. Most of the trip was quite amazing, to be honest. Unfortunately, I have not so many pictures from the trip because I misplaced my phone one magical night in Cologne, Germany. If I were asked if I would make a return trip, I would say; 'HELL YES" as calmly as my body could contain it.
These were the cities I visited, chronologically:

1) Berlin, Germany 3 nights
2) Cologne, Germany 1 night
3) Paris, France, 3 nights
4) Amsterdam, Netherlands 1 night

In each city.... except Paris, I would say I had an adventure. Adding on to the thrill was managing to stay warm, because in Thailand, there is no need for cold-weather clothes, so I wasn't going to bring many winter clothes for one week.
Nonetheless, I traveled by myself and managed to survive. For someone who still doesn't know how taxes work, and has quite a lot of dependence on her mother for adulthood questions, it was a major feat.... a milestone, one would say.

Many of the activities I did were last minute. Things like... Finding some historic museums, going to an underground funk-hiphop show after trying to fix my lights, getting lost in a city to find my way back, celebrating "Man's Day" with complete strangers. Finding transportation to different cities and booking a room the day before I would arrive. I was living on the edge, maybe.

I even had a chance encounter that made me think of a certain shirt saying.:

"Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?"

Why did I think this? Easy, I was at a café in Amsterdam, eating an apple pancake, when I saw a beautiful young man walk by the window. I watched him curiously. five minutes later, he returned to the café and came inside to eat.
After I finished my breakfast, I left, and started walked across a bridge. On the other side of the bridge, this same boy(pardon me, I'm so used to saying boy, because I'm not used to saying man, unless they look much older than me) was on the other side, walking towards the bridge. We made eye contact, but it wasn't only that. We made solid eye contact that made it obvious that we were looking at each other, turning heads, uncertain of who would make the first move to talk to the other. Sadly, we passed by each other and went our opposite directions. I couldn't help but be reminded of a poem which I heard, but long ago forgotten the title, about how a man was in love with a girl, but he never once spoke to her, for the fear of ruining is idea of her. Then again, it posed the question of: "What if one of us had spoken to the other? Would our perception change, or would we be just as enamored?" Many what ifs were thought, but if one believes in the way the world is and acts, chance encounters will always happen, and if this one random stranger and I were to meet again, it will happen.


Ah, I encountered quite a few people, and what a mix it was: pleasant, wild people, pesky hoverers, and the infamous multi-faceted ones who give one impression of themselves, and turn into something else completely unexpected. That's the way the world can be and as an acting piece in it, one must handle it and move on.

Now, back in Thailand, and after being back at work for a few months already, I've been getting into the grind of things. I moved into a slightly larger home that offered more comforts, figured out a transportation method to and from work, and picked up a few extra side jobs to make the extra income. In addition to that, I've been making more travel plans and developing more of a social life outside of my work friends or, rather, outside the bubble of a town I've been living in.

In doing that, it did open my perspective of how I had been living my life here so far: I had been limiting myself in making friends and enjoying myself because I didn't think I could survive outside of this comfort zone. I made excuses to why I couldn't go out... because of lack of transportation, but I also couldn't leave town because of the appointments I had every weekend, I was depending on them, even though quite a few were less than dependable, canceling last minute, more often than not.
And they payment wasn't so regular. So, lesson learned: payment must be received at the end of every appointment, or paid in advance so that any time wasted wouldn't be a monetary loss.
Of course, someone told me that contracts like that scare Thai people, and frankly, those are the people you don't want to do business with. Wa-HOO.

Not that it is already past the half-year mark, another things must be taken in to consider: the looming of the decision to be made of renewing my contract or not. On one hand, I could stay, and maybe my contract will be renewed. On the other, it may not.
This is one big decision I have yet to concrete. The decision to move. Lately, this thing has been growing heavier and heavier on my plate of things to do because the pros and cons must be weighed out. The problem I have? I'm not finding so many cons, besides leaving the people I know here, and maybe not finding a job. That being said, job opportunities happen to be quite plentiful in general for foreigners, so is that really a problem? It seems that I have more motivation to move, but the weight of guilt to stay and I think that, if my only reason of staying in the town is because I would feel guilty if I left, I probably shouldn't be staying anyways.


Ah, the decisions of being an adult abroad. Thanks for reading.

Until next time,
K.

2.1.2015: Beach Adventures, Don't Get Board (pun intended)

Hello, all,
Whoa! It's officially not February (and hasn't been for a good 10 or 11 days, depending on where you are located).
Let's get to it: the last weekend of January, even if things didn't go exactly as planned (when would they anyways?) This is a much delayed post. Oh, well

At first, I was a little worried that things were going to run downhill, the way the pre-travel adventures went. Thankfully, time was not so much of the essence as it was relative.
In a gist, and it did indeed occur in threes:

• In addition to my 10:30AM appointment being 30 minutes early, my 15-minute drive back  from the appointment took triple the time due to the most granny-esque driver I've dealt with. (this counts as one because it was the same person) quite funny, actually.
• I just barely missed a songtauw(truck version of a bus) after rushing in and out of my apartment to catch it.
• I almost was unable to buy my fun juice for the weekend.

Now, all that being said, the windows happened to crack open for each door closed:

• I arrived to my apartment in a safe manner
• a second song taew came up about 2 minutes after the first one drove off
• I managed to explain how there must've been too much confusion, thus getting the merchandised purchased.

Plus, my friend and I arrived just in time for the last group of Paddleboarding. I must say, paddleboarding is one tricky thing. There were many aspects to consider with this activity. For one, you have to be able to balanced on an unstable surface, in addition to the instability, there is the added challenge of the constant in-out flow of the ocean. There was lots of slipping and falling, but in the end, everyone was able to stand on the board at least once. Of course, what's the fun of trying to paddleboard sans the wipouts? Those were the best. Everyone had their own style of wipeout, too.

Let's just say, some of us have stories to bring back with us from that weekend. The school we used  also provides surfing lessons, and gave us our troupe a heads up about the typical surf-year. The main point was: if we want to experience good surf weather, come out just before monsoon season, when the ocean is active.

I'm going to guess that some of us will be out and about trying to catch some "gnarly" waves!




A for the rest of the evening, calmed down pretty quickly, with music and food. And a "surprise" pouring rain for thirty minutes or so.

The next day, most people had already dispersed, but our crew met some more people, making friends and eating lunch together at an Indian restaurant, (YUM).


Interesting, or not, it was a great weekend, where I learned more about the friends I've been making.

Until next time,
K.

15.9.2014- I've Got Your Back

Well,
It has been quite a while, hasn't it? I must apologize, my state of absence could be excusable, but let's just say it is only partially excusable.

The key topic of today focuses around relationships.
Right now, I must admit that I am absolutely grateful for the people I have in my life now, whether they are ten minutes away or halfway around the world. I am grateful for my friends, my family, the people who have shaped me to be who I am, and the people who will help me along the way in the adventure we know as life.

Let's go with some updates. It is September, over a week after my sister's birthday, almost two weeks since I last saw my mom, and over a year since I landed on the soil of Thailand. Woah. It has already been a year?!
One (not so kind and revered) person once said, "The people who say that time flies don't do anything. I've done a lot, and time takes forever."
I honestly couldn't agree less with this concept, and debate that it should be the opposite. Time flies when we're doing a lot, and when we are really enjoying ourselves, whereas when we're doing nothing, or loathing what we do, it creeps like the snail up your wall after a heavy rain. I just realized that it has been almost half a year since I started a second job, and saving money to send back home. I've tried to take on new jobs, and ended business agreements. I've worked on projects and programs for my different locations of work. In less than a month, I may be doing something way too awesome, more than I (and maybe others) expected. Yeah, a lot's been going on, and it feels like time is a blurring, bustling by loud and noisily.

As for the weather, rainy season began in May, but it hasn't been too noticeable until recently. The rain is becoming heavier, but it is not bad. There is an occasional flooding of some roads, but life goes on. Thankfully, the rainy season will end in two months, and that will be when high season begins again, woohoo! Time, both the past and future, really does fly when I take a moment to sit and think about it. Of course, that means I cannot sit and wait too long or I will lose some important moments.

Now that updates have been made: I'm alive, not sick, nothing is broken, not pregnant, not married, I think it's safe to say we should return to the topic at hand: relationships and depending on people.
As I mentioned before, I am so grateful for everyone in my life. Okay, I'm grateful for people in my life now, and was grateful for people in my life in the past when things were okay between us (even if, now, they are not). Often, we are not aware of these people who provide positive influences or energy to our lives because we are so self-absorbed. I'm not using 'self-absorbed' in a negative way but, rather, as a way to be honest; we sometimes forget the world around us because we let ourselves be consumed by our problems, work, or other stresses in our lives.
These other people are great in helping us remember that we aren't the only ones with problems and there is often a solution to the problems we have, and even go to the extent of helping us find the solution(s) to ameliorate them.
I am thankful for my mother, who is determined to Skype with me every week, reminding me why I decided to take on Thailand, for settling my nerves when I become frazzled, for cautioning me when I should be aware of potential problems, for insisting that have as much fun as I can, and if things run out, I have a flight home at any time.
I am thankful for the friends that have tried to Skype with me at least once since I've been out of the country, updating me on their lives and asking me about mine, for giving me support and being (or feigning, either way, it's appreciated) amazement for what I am doing.
I am thankful for all of the people, really, back in the United States(and abroad), that have kept in touch.
I am thankful for my aunt for when I first arrived, naively. I am thankful for her pushing me into preparation of things, for informing me of the "Thai way," and for helping me get a job.
I am thankful for the friends I have made here, that have helped me socialize and not be a total recluse, teaching me their language and to enjoy life, even if money is tight.
I am thankful for all of the people who have helped me at my work, in scheduling, in motivating, in participating, asking questions and learning.
Lastly, I am thankful for all of the people I have met in Thailand who have given without expecting to receive, who have opened themselves to help others do the same, and who have taught me some pretty valuable lessons about life, whether that are aware of it or not.
Now, the key connection between all of these groups is that I have been able to depend on them. The dependability of a person strongly affects the relationship you may have with them. More dependable people often tend to have a closer bond with you; less dependable people tend to be more of just a person passing by.
Why is this?
If the reason isn't obvious, it's because we look for people that we can depend on when we are in states of vulnerability and insecurity. When someone who says they will be there when you need them happens to disappear when you feel you need them most, it could crush a person. I think, in a way, dependability is correlated with trust and honesty, and trust is often broken with the latter group.
Of course, sometimes we do not always rely on dependability to be friends or be connected to someone, and this can lead to often feeling left out or ignored, depending on how much of yourself you invest in that relationship.
For example, there is that one person you know is 'flaky,' and you make plans with them; if you're not too invested, you already have one, or a few back-up plans, and do not feel too affected. If you are, you have no extra plans, have declined invitations, etc, and only learn at the last minute that you friend "cannot go out tonight," (which either may or may not be true), so now you're stuck at home, in the outfit you were planning to wear, you are smelling nice, and your hair looks presentable, after having taken the effort to actually shower, only to put it all away, and take another shower to go cry yourself to sleep because you are too embarrassed to be caught out by the people whose invitations you declined because you would have to explain being stood up.
That is quite the bruise to your ego, and if you do continue this to yourself, your outlook on people and you changes. You may question your own value as a person, which really shouldn't be the case.
Luckily, you may also have some dependable associate-kind of friends, who you know are flexible to changes without asking too many questions. They may not be you presumed "friend," but they do serve as quite the band-aid at this time. Take a look again, and evaluate your standards of that person, because they might be the better friend.
Back to the topic again, dependability is extremely important; Dependability to stick to a plan, dependability to cancel them with time to spare, dependability to be present or listening when a friend needs to talk, even dependability to depend on others. Dependability helps create a stable relationship of trust, and knowing that you can trust someone makes your life that much better.

Sorry if I got too deep, let me make it up to you with this playlist. Feel free to comment, I love hearing from people, even if they are my family... well, most of them. Some people I just need time away to change. Until next time,
K.

02.06.2014-The Promoting of Others

Hello, all,

So, in my (not so) random spare time, I try to spend it meeting new people and making friends and connections. So far, I have been fortunate enough to find people who have given as much as they have received.

One of these people is the owner of a quaint coffee shop, Zamoza. After coming in, we ended up talking for a while, having a bite to eat, and enjoying ourselves, making plans for future baking. It is wonderful having a friend with an oven!

** RETURN OF THE PUMPKIN COOKIES!*

How can you not want those? And, I even tried my hand at maing lofthouse cookies. I wouldn't necessarily say they were a success, but they weren't half-bad either, look! Wit hthe help of my friend, they looked pwetty! (the circle cut) The chocolate chips were an improvised added touch, because the cookies just needed something, and when the cookies were stored in the refrigerator, they tasted much better, and held their shape nicely. There will be a Round Two go at this!

Last, I was able to make a return of the ginger spice cake, and I made Cake bites, paired with maple or lime glaze, and topped with candied ginger. Om NOM NOM.

L: Ginger Spice Cake Squares with Lime 

R: Ginger Spice Cake Squares with Maple

On the subject of online affairs, I just subscribed to a Youtube channel, called HughandJohan. Quite frankly, the two, and their relationship, possible bromance, is quite adorable in the youth and excitement each has in learning and sharing their culture with the other and the internet public. I apologize if they find me labeling them as adorable is offensive, I just can't think of another word that embodies how innocent their interaction is, as well as relaxed and overall positively feel-good.

I mean, c'mon, look at this! How can you not smile watching it and learning?

Plus, it's a package deal: you get to learn something about culture, language, and these two, while being entertained at the same time. Score.

Another greatt Youtube channel to follow is that of TheSwedishLad. This guy is hilarious. Part of his channel consists of "10 Swedish Words" videos, in which he give ten words which follow a them of some sort, such as fruit, or clothes, or bad words. One of the videos I enjoy most is the video of ten Swedish words that look like English words, and have the exact same meaning, but sound different. Enjoy

I always love watching that.

If you haven't picked up on it yet, I might have a slight inkling towards Sweden. Honestly, it's true. My mind has been stuck on the place and everything about it since January. If I have the opportunity, I would love to visit during the summer, when many people are out. I have heard many positive things about the land and cities. I think the only negative comment that has been brought up about Sweden is the "coldness" of the people, meaning that they aren't really open to outsiders. In reality, I think this might be based on the personal experiences of the travelers. Where were these non-Swedes at the time of this uncomfortable situation (city, establishment, etc.) What did they say? How did they act? Personally, I am one of those social people, who loves to talk and get other people talking. Some people might label it as an annoying trait, but without communication, we become isolated, and later, somewhat obsolete. I cannot accept that. I think, in order to try to avoid this from happening, I must learn how to appeal to the mannerisms of the culture, while also displaying a warm front that is inviting to the fellow native Swede. The problem is, I'm not sure if I should try speaking any of the Swedish I know, or speak English first to someone that I would like to create a friendship with, then try my hand at speaking terribly. I think the latter might be the better option, and I could try speaking Swedish whenever I would like to conduct business of some sort, so that I can practice my skills.

Now, onward to other adventures! As I have mentioned before, I have been working since the 21st of April. That being said, I have managed a little bit of free time. By free time, I mean that I stay up into the wee hours and wake up after a measly few hours of sleep. It's the downside of maintaining a social life and trying to be productive. Even if I want to "relax" and watch a tv show, I would need to stay up later than I should in order to accomplish this. The question at hand, though, is would I change it? My answer at the moment is: NO. I love being busy, and sure, I may slightly complain about it (by complain, I mean that I am using my business as an excuse to not go out, or as an explanation to why I can't do something/ why I'm tired/why I don't have time to go somewhere). Actually, I wouldn't change my schedule, but, if I had the ability, and capital, I would purchase a travel vehicle so that I could go to places in my own time. This especially applies to going to the parks or a fitness center so that I can exercise after 8:00PM. (Bummer!) My building doesn't have a workout facility, and I do not have access to the staff exercise facility near the hospital (I think I will need to change that soon, if possible) and traveling at night isn't the best option because it is quite dangerous to be running on the roads at night; not only is it dangerous because there is no sidewalk, but after 7:00PM, the crazier people come out. These include robbers and junkies. These people are not really my cup of tea, sorry.

The other adventures I have, are teaching lessons that pertain to cooking, and nutrition. That means I need to catch up on my outside learning. (Oh, right, don't forget that I am not only working, I'm trying to learn languages and take classes online. With that, add me trying to finish some creative projects, and then we can discuss the free time I have.) 

One thing I am using is an online study resource, called Open 2 Study. Registered, enrolled, obtaining notebooks. Challenge accepted. Wish me luck!

Until next time,

K.

4.4.2014- The Unfinished Coffee

I would like to express a pet peeve. It is not something serious and it will not be a complete rant.
One thing that gets under my skin is drink that is left out unfinished, especially if it is a hot drink, like coffee or tea.
While I do believe in the concept of the glass being half full, I also follow the practice of finishing something I have started when it comes to food specifically. I was raised to eat all of the food on my plate. For those who are concerned about my dieting habits as a child, this "finish all your food" concept also taught me not to put too much food on my plate. A good example is when a child goes to the magical funland of a buffet restaurant (my childhood buffet dream world was Ryan's, in Virginia)

I couldn't help but load my plate with all sorts of food: broccoli, corn, cherry tomatoes, cheese, ranch, fried chicken, macaroni, green beans, anything. Of course I wouldn't be able to eat it all, but I still expected to eat ice cream afterwards. Thus, being given this requirement to finish all of my food, I learned to prioritize the foods that I wanted to eat, and how much of those foods I should add to my plate before sitting and beginning my meal. It was a tough, but extremely valuable lesson.
Now, the way I see it, how you drink your coffee can say a lot about you. You may drink that caramel mocha frappacino. Maybe you just want a coffee milkshake?
What about that caramel macchiato? Something sweet and creamy, and fun! A cup of black strong coffee; maybe you are a little bit on the serious side, but also don't take what you think may be extra nonsense.
For me, I love my coffee cold, even in the winter. I always like to change it up: hazelnut, caramel, white chocolate, no flavor shot, cream, milk, soymilk, whipped cream, plain, cortadito, latte, and so on. The point about my coffee, I don't keep to the same because I get bored of the same thing every time. While, of course I know I will like something, I know that there are too many options available for me to ignore.
Sometimes I take my coffee on the go, sometimes I have it and drink it at the coffee shop, reading a book, looking at tumblr posts, reading Buzzfeed or HuffingtonPost. Either way, I am drinking it. I intend to get my full money's worth of the coffee; at my university, I typically shelled out a good $2.39 for (if we're talking about Starbucks iced coffee) or $2.75 for the delectable Pascal's Shakerado (which pairs magnificently with their chocolate chip cookies or Brazilian cheese bread. If you were wandering around, I would also suggest bringing something from Burrito Brothers there, and drink up on the balcony)


A Shakerado with a Chocolate Chip Cookie at Pascal's. (OM NOM NOM)
The way I view coffee is like this: it is meant to perk you up, so enjoy it. What you shouldn't do is completely negate it's value that is has in your life. As a non-routine coffee drinker (I limit myself to 1-2 coffees a week), I try to savor each taste I have. I go to different coffee shops to try their versions of something, attempt more flavors and styles of coffee. It is something that I make sure I enjoy. In fact, coffee time is considered "me time," meaning that I do not focus on anybody but myself and what I need to do for the next hour or so, depending on my schedule. I enjoy that time and that coffee.

(SIDENOTE: My coffee frequency isn't that I have limited access to the cup of energy, I just decided that I didn't need it on a regular basis.)
Others, I have noticed, have a different approach to coffee. One particular subject, my uncle, brought my attention to coffee drinking habits because of the habits he has with his coffee. He regularly drinks about four cups a day, of instant coffee with an Equal sweetener tablet and no milk. It doesn't change. His drinking habit with the coffee, though, is that he doesn't finish it often. In fact, he will drink about half of it, decide to go to the store, and leave out the mug on the counter. Because it is such a foreign idea to not finish a cup of coffee, it sticks into my memory of how my uncle doesn't finish his coffee. This made me think about how he lives his life as well. Honestly, it is not anything I would want to take notes on for the future. The way he runs his life with people is by rushing them at all times; he talks at people, not conversing with them; he shoves his ideas at you, expecting you to completely agree with him and thank him for his genius, even if he didn't ask you your opinion or plans; when it comes to traveling, when he wants to go somewhere, he wants to go NOW, or as soon as possible; if he wants to go to a shopping center, he wants to get there as soon as the place opens so that he can avoid all the people. To me, the way he is living is not for the joy of it, but bustling forward. That is like being served a five star meal ,and not even taking the time to chew the food, tasting it, before gulping it down and cutting the next chunk of meat. While, yes, it does get the job done, there is no enjoyment and critical thinking, or just pondering, involved, and that takes so much of the pleasure out of it.
While it is a minor event in which not much may happen, the way you accept your coffee really does say a lot about not just the person you are, but how you perceive things, and probably what you consider important: time, your personal time, business, socialization, food, energy, etc.

So, the next time you realize that you have a coffee in your hand, please look at your mug and let it know "Hey, I appreciate you." It might just brighten you perspective of your day.

Until next time,
K.

12.1.2014(2557) Learning as I Go

Hello, journal, and the rest of the audience who reads into what I write,
I have come to the immediate understanding that I can not stick to writing two posts a week, but I also understand that I most definitely need to try.
My last post was about having difficulty thinking, and it was unfortunately true. I think another part to my troubles in productivity involved my lack of enthusiasm for activating my mind and I will have to admit, without college, I sometimes feel completely lost. Graduating is like a breakup from a long relationship. Many people who are newly single after a period of two, maybe five years, of being one half of a couple tend to lose a sense of who they are now. Who they were was "So-and-so's boy/girlfriend|lover|partner|beau|Boo|babe|sweetheart|fiancee|...." Basically they were someone's someone. And now they're not.
I was the student of my school, for four (mostly) unforgettable years. I made triumphs, lost friends, made mistakes, went on adventures, laughed and cried, and bumbled messily through my classes. I envied others, and I learned to accept people for who they were....mostly. Now? Now I am a scared post-grad who feels clueless in what she's doing, stumbling through, making friends, going on adventures, laughing and crying, and making tri--wait! This sounds just like my time in college! Except... except I am in another country, surrounded by different people, and I am having to learn more responsibility. To be honest, this time is not all that different from when I went to university, I just have less people nearby me that are in the same situation. That is what brings me the most fear.
Anyways, now that I have had my slight mope-dump, here is some insight I would like to share: now that I am no longer someone's somebody, this opens opportunity for me to become who I am, and who I would like to be. Sure, I will make mistakes, and this won't be clean-cut, but life isn't meant to be that way. Also, it isn't meant to be easy, or else we wouldn't actually learn, or better yet, make progress.
Here's what I have learned so far from this past week:

• More people are keen to talk to me, and ask for classes
• Not only is there need for assistance in speaking and listening, but also in reading and writing.
• ^^I need to regress to when I learned reading and writing.
• January 20th marks my "Make-or-Break" day.
• If I fail at this, I am not a failure.
• The best friends I have may not always be available, but will be available when I most need them
• Who I know will get me further in this work than everything I do
• ^^^Everything I do can affect how who I know will work with me
• Exercise is my friend, but I need to learn how to schedule it
• Being afraid is normal, and having courage involves me do things I am afraid of doing, there is more reward in the outcome.
• The fear of failing is one of the biggest inhibitors to how I work. key words I need to learn: GET OVER IT
• aaaaaaand lastly: I am here not only to work, but to have a life experience that is meant to be enjoyable, therefore, I need to enjoy it. If I am not, then I need to change my approach.

For those who survived through my few epiphanies about struggling, and sludging about, you rock. In fact, you are part of my inspiration, as my "fan club." Those people are the best! Really, though, they are. These "fan club" people provide you with so much support even when you can not provide it for yourself. They also are really helpful when you are stuck with coming up with ideas. They do this by asking questions, some of which you may have not considered before, and then BOOM, now you can't stop doing what you do. So, thank you!
Pictures for you! Of my temple adventures, and New Year celebration at work. It's awesome.

First, a picture of the sunrise I saw arriving to the temple. Definitely worth waking up at five in the morning for.

People providing offerings to the monks before prayer.

 


A panoramic of the meditation room of the temple I stayed.....

There's a dress code, respect it.

There's even a women's temple for prayer, like for the female monks

In the mountains.....you get to see this.

Also, in Thailand, floating markets are a common tourist commodity. It's free for Thai people and residents who currently hold work permits. This one, was a little bit of a bust, only because I had seen the more interesting attractions before. Still, there were a few neat things!

There was a fun swinging bridge as well!

It was fun. And then the week began, a new department for observation. And celebrations. with pad thai, som tam (aka spicy papaya salad), and nam nueang (a finger food where you take a rice paper, and put ground pork, garlic, mango, pineapple, green banana, cucumber, chili, and a spicy sweet sauce, and wrap it up, and eat it)

As for more fearful things, I will need to something that has given me much stress to contemplate about, but needs to be done: to ask to start teaching a class with students soon: soon, as in in the next two weeks. I think the thing I fear most is failure. Though, with failure comes learning experience, and that I at least tried. And trying is more courageous than the act of not doing because of fear.

I will try to discuss more about my methods, and resource in the next few posts that I want to chug out, for those who are not only interested in what is going on, but want to know how to move forward. 

Until next time,

K.

22-12-2013. Holiday preparations...?

Hello again!
So, it's been a bit since I last posts, and that's okay, I've actually been more busy than forgetful, unlike the last few months! Plus, I'm actually working on this whole consistency thing, meaning, instead of giving a repetitive and mostly boring play-by-play of my days(which surprisingly makes it more difficult for me to be motivated to writing), I am giving bulk updates, but aiming for at least twice a week, maybe more.

The way these posts have been reading, as well as having been written, the said author has been up and down in emotions and speeds of life events. As of recent, we (I) are at a happy medium, not too low, and not too overwhelmed. So, slightly overwhelmed, but not heartbreakingly so.

This week, at the hospital, three big events happened that were publicized and for peers and employees. The first, on Thursday, was "Green Day". Sorry, not the band! It was an event to promote environmental awareness and the push towards helping keep the environment clean.
I give credit of these images to my friend, Nai, who took them.





 With that, there was also a market that was very active, where I found a deliciously playful snack!

Pastel pink, green, and purple sticky dough, with a soft peanut filling, rolled in coconut, with a salt-sugar-black sesame seasoning to dust them. They were whimsical, and indulgent. The part I remember most clearly is the confection, which made this otherwise plain snack a delight. It almost was buttery, and I could not get enough of it after the first bite even though I was hesitant at first. It looked like sand someone gathered and decided would be a funny practical joke to give to someone else to eat. Thank goodness it wasn't!

Thursday, I worked with the Director of the hospital, who is very clear on how to speak, and, like me, is very capable to talk about any topic. We really are working on his speech improvement, to enunciate the more difficult sounds of the English language, and to work on preparing speeches. 

After the conversation session, I was invited to a dinner party that celebrated two retiring employees, which was more fun than I expected. It was also much cooler than I expected, where I felt the need for a light jacket.(Good thing I have that creative project in progress!) There was karaoke, gift-giving, speeches, and food. 

I'm not in the picture because I''m one of the petal throwers.

Friday marked the end of the week with another event, which focused on that of the ambulance drivers and transportation. Because of the holidays, the traffic becomes more dangerous, and there is an increase of injuries and deaths due to holiday traffic. I thought it very wise to promote this event, because not only do the drivers for emergency services need to be prepared for the increase in accidents, the community also needs to consider their safety, and how to lower their risk of being one of those in a major vehicle accident.

Friday also marked the last night I would spend sleeping in the same room as my cousin. I had a makeshift bed, consisting of a padded mat, two sleeping bags, a comforter and some sheet, set next to his bed, so that he knew someone else was in the room with him. 

Saturday was the third big event at the hospital, the influenza seminar. As a promotion, flu vaccinations were costing about 190 THB, which is an estimate 6.25 USD. Not bad! My aunt, uncle, and cousin went to Pattaya instead of attending, what I would consider, a very important seminar. Even though I also missed it (it ended early), I still met with friends and had social plans: lunch!

We went to Ban Khai, which is known better for it's farming culture, and it was beautiful! We went to a restaurant that translated into "Grandma's Garden." It was very cozy! Each eating area was a canopied and elevated floor with bamboo mats. I would go so far as to describe them as cabana-esque. Each 'cabana' as a dry bamboo pipe, wit ha stick roped next to it, so that if a server were needed, we could call them. The staff people were friendly and the food was delicious!

Tom Yum

Fried mini-prawn

fish cutlets

Fished cooked in a banana leaf

The eating arrangement!

Creepin'

 After lunch, we all went home and I remembered that today was the first day to get my cousin, Kevin, to sleep in his room by himself. In fact, I read two stories to him: King Donkey Ears and Stone Soup. King Donkey Ears is the story that we read every night. By now, he is narrating half of the story on his own, interacting and (hopefully) learning! As for him falling asleep, I had to reassure him of his safety. He said he was afraid  his toys would get him, and "of the monsters in his mind." As a way to make him feel more comfortable, I told him to think of happy things, and mommy spanking the monsters. He woke me up about four times in the night for soothing comfort, which I willingly and quietly gave to him. Even though he woke me up those four times, he has taken big steps in growing up and independence of his parents' bed. Little steps forward are more memorable and last longer. For this week, I do not expect to sleep much with the evening independency activity going on, so wish me luck!

And as for today (Sunday), it was very quiet. I did a few chores, got some work done, went to lunch and a fair which turned out to be a market (but I spent less than 30 USD on activewear, so I'm not complaining!....much). This week will be very busy with holiday adventures, getting observation and work done, and preparing someone for a standardized test. EEK!

I am looking forward to it all!
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Until next time,
K.