Adventures in Thailand....

Well friends, I have officially started to learn Thai! I have a Thai tutor that is coming to my work 3 times a week. She's great - half Chinese, half Thai. She is funny and very gracious with me! She has even taken me to an AUA (where she teaches from) graduation to meet people!
I am learning vowels and tones - very confusing already - but I like to practice and that is half the battle, I guess. So pray for me as I figure out pronounciation and tones and the correct words to use. I feel better and more comfortable already! It's starting to feel a little more like home now....

*It has also been a very funny and interesting trek, venturing around the city lately! Sally and I went to a movie yesterday (yes, we saw a movie in a big theater, with big seats...and a popcorn/soda combo for under $5!!) amazing. Anyhoo- the movie got out and we couldn't! The mall was closed and there were only gargage exits...anyways, we made it out and had to walk back to the front so we could grab a taxi (we called in advance because we are highly skilled in the art of asking to be picked up and then bargaining for a fair rate...we are "farongs" ya know!) So we get there and the cabbie can't find us - or really, he's too lazy to notice the two of us in the middle of the road waving him down because he's like a 100 feet down the road...procedes to go down a different road and leave us! So the ballsy american i am - call back to yell at him and tell him to turn around, in all my fluent Thai glory...?! (I actually am making more sense, I think) With the help of a dispatcher on a 3 way call, he gets to us and we're on our way. In the meantime, we chat with the taxi driver, of course, after we "had words" with him, and He told us we were beautiful! And he is talking up a storm, who knows what he's saying, and I am trying in the best Thai I know to show him I'm not ignorant, and all he can say is "I can't understand your Thai"! :( I don't know what I did to deserve that, but we laughed and laughed and said "we can't understand your English!" :) We all had a chuckle and proceded to find our way home. Good times!

*Then today, I decided to venture out to my Thai tutor's church, because it was Chinese New Year and it's a Chinese Church - makes sense. So I called the taxi (this is always a challenge...) They seemed to know where I needed to go and I trusted. So he is obviously confused about where this church is, I had my tutor explain it even on the phone to him (this is so embarrassing too). Anyways, he told me it was around the corner - and she wanted me to wait at the restaurant for her. So there is a restaraunt and I get out. Stupid me - I was totally in the wrong place...totally lost. I called my coworker - who goes to the same church, although her english isn't fabulous, so we had difficulty. So I went into a little frozen food store and kindly asked the cashier to talk to my coworker on the phone to figure out where the heck I was supposed to be?! She was so sweet to help me out and talked to the cabbie too. I sat at the counter, talked with her little sister in the little Thai I could - good times were had by all, I think! Another funny sidebar (I'm full of them, apparently) - the next cabbie was very friendly and asked me my name, I said "J-e-n-n-i-FER" and he said, "oh like hollywood - Jennifer Lopez?" and I said "yes, exactly like that! except...Jenny Lo!" :) (that was a shout out for my soon to be brother-in-law, Kevey!)

So I eventually made it to church 30 minutes late. My tutor and I sat together, I did not have english translation, so needless to say, I was lost, again! After the service there was a lunch for the holiday that my tutor invited me to - and then she said she needed to leave me!? She said she couldn't stay because she had an appointment to go to! And my coworker left. My tutor grabbed the closest person she knew and told them to "take care of me"! They led me to the food and I went into "get to know you's" - I this point, all I can do is laugh! I find this all very funny - I guess the best way is to dive right in! :) I met an older guy that spoke some english and he said I needed a Thai name - so my new name is 'Jenjira'! I like it a lot!! :)

So I meet a Thai woman my age, named "G" who is so sweet and just wants to talk english (she studied in the states for a year)...so I made a new friend - and she says "i want to take care of you - what do you want to do?" I love the caretaking and generousity in the nature of Thai people! So we go shopping - because most Thai's think that that is all foreigners want to do...which is probably not far from the truth, I guess. But she was excited about this little journey, so we went to Ban Thawai Village - lots of handmade woodcarving, etc - it was fun! She drove me home and exchanged info - I felt very fortunate to have met her and God obviously wanted me to have an adventure in order to find it!

*enjoy the stories - they just keep coming! :)