Karaoke in Thailand

(Not able to add pics at present, will do when I can)

Who would have thought it, but that's what we did. More on that in a bit.

Tuesday evening we did the English lesson again. It was nice to see the same children again, there were a couple less, but most were there. We were able to be a bit helpful again, so that was good. There are a couple of vowel sounds that aren't in Thai, so they really struggle with 'v', 'z' and 'th'. Of course that makes three and seven interesting numbers to try to say. They really can't get their tongue around thirteen. Of course the reverse is also true, we've found a few of the words we've tried out pretty challanging. And on top of that even if we get the word right, if we have the wrong tone then it's all wrong. I've found thinking of it like a song rather than speech helps.

After that we went back to the fair and I got to try a bunch more interesting foods (no more bugs!) and finished off with a lovely cool frosty drink. Again, lots of fun.

Wednesday, first we went to a place that's hard to describe. It's run by a guy who for a business sells rice seedlings tomfarmers, and also promotes high value high yield farming, as in plant each seedling individaully rather than scatter sowing, as then each plant will produce much more crop. So there were examples of different varieties of rice and some of the bugs and things.  However, he is also a collector, and so there were lots of farm equipment from different eras, and an example of a traditional Thai house with different buildings off a main veranda, and other things as well. There were a couple of water buffalo which were clearly very happy when they were let into their wee pool and hosed down (pic included). There was also a tower, probably about four stories high which Gayle and I climbed. It was well worth it, for the view, but particularly for the breeze! I was struck by how Japanese both the buildings and the garderns seemed to me, I vividly remember the ultra sculpted gardens from my trip there in '07. I've included a picture.

After that we were off to what I thought was going to be lunch with the couple we met on Sunday night. One of the church members belongs to a karaoke group, and he had brought a few of them with him to church, one lady in particular spoke pretty good English and seemed very keen to have us for lunch. So, we turn up, and instead of a quiet meal with a few people there's a room with about 15 people already singing and dancing and keen as for us to join in. Gayle was much more of a joiner than me when it came to the dancing (I just had to include a photo), but I did manage to sing a tune or two. They had a few Bon Jovi songs, though not my favorite, and they were also keen to sing some songs they knew, like Country Road, and All I Have to Do is Dream. We also ate, more yummy food with fruit to finish, and then still more singing. They were clearly making an occasion of our visit, and a few spoke English including another guy who is a Christian. So Kim and Mary were able to have some good conversations, and hopefully the relationships can be maintained and more witnessing can be done.

We went back to Suphanburi City after that; we three ladies went up the tower in the centre of the city for the view and some history while Kim did some practical stuff. Then for dinner it was back to the market, this time for a sit down meal, and this time I mixed it up and had some duck. Usually the options are chicken, pork or seafood. I couldn't resist buying a quail, though I ate it for lunch the next day.

Thursday, yesterday was our last day with the Robertsons. In the morning Kim had a visitor, so we made ourselves scarce and went to check out the museum inside the chedi in the centre of town. We walked the 500 metres or so, and it was fine. I really haven't minded the heat for the most part, I just accept I'm going to sweat, and then get on with it. Kim and Mary said they've been impressed at how we've handled it, apparently days on end of 40 degrees is hot, even for Thailand.

Then after lunch we went to visit a lady who with her husband built a church next to there house.  Since his death she has continued to lead the church, but she is getting on, and there is a big question about what will happen when she isn't around. As well as the church she runs a sewing business, and as well as visiting her we were there to buy some souvineers.  There was also a cute six month old I got to play with, and then we prayed for and with her. Pretty much every visit we've done we've prayed before and during the visit.

Then we went out for a nice final meal (more great food) and then home to pack. Today is a travel day for Gayle, she's home about midday Saturday NZ time. I'm now in Bangkok, and checked in to my hostel not far from the river. It's still pretty toasty here, but there was a nice breeze by the river when I found a spot to sit for a few minutes. I've found the bike tour place for tomorrow, and have my train ticket to Chiang Mai, so feel I'm pretty sorted. I'm not far from Chinatown here, so after some time in the air con I might venture out to check it out.

I'll write soon
Sarah

Pics for the last post

Here are the pictures I couldn't add on the last post.

I'll write soon
Sarah

Let's talk about food

So, the food here is quite something.

Fruit

Martin has talked about the fruit in Thailand, but I was probably a bit of a sceptic. I'm happy to say that I'm a complete convert. I've eaten so much mango (even if for some reason I keep calling it melon) and the pineapple is just the most amazing pineapple I've had. And I already loved pineapple even before I got here. We have mangos and bananas with our muesli for breakfast, and most other meals are finished off with pineapple, watermelon and/or papaya. They have a sugar/chilli mix you can eat with the fruit, and that's quite nice. If we are going visiting for a we normally take something, and it's often fruit and drink.

Other meals

The rest of the food has been pretty awesome too. Well mostly. Note the photo of me about to eat a bug. More on that later.

Most of the rest of the meals have been rice with a variety of topping type things that have been bought from the market, some pretty spicy and some not. All the liquid is pretty runny, it's not a sauce like I'd potentially expect, but to eat you use a fork and spoon, and only the spoon goes in your mouth so it's easy to eat (drink?) the liquid. There have been a couple of dishes not to my taste, I'm not really big on strong seafood flavours. But mostly it's been so good, curry and ginger are very common flavours. Yesterday we were invited to lunch by a guy from church, Santi (pronounced Sun-tee) and we were treated to a sticky rice meal. I'm pretty familiar with the concept as Heather and Martin sometimes do it for special occasions. I've included a photo.

Food at camp

I think I mentioned the food was served really quickly as everyone got the same. Every meal was savoury including breakfast which was a rice porridge with a bit of mince and optional spring onions, and for every meal there was chilli, sugar, fish sauce and pepper you could add to taste. I'm enjoying adding chilli to just about everything.

Eating out

When we are at Kim and Mary’s in Don Chedi (pronounced Jed-ee) we are buying every meal except breakfast. In the middle of the day we are going to places with air con, and in the evening either buying from the market if we are eating after church (which we have done at every service we've been at), or eating at a restaurant. At most places there are very good options for 40 baht, or 50 if the place is slightly nicer. 40 baht is less than NZ$2 and it's quite interesting how much time we don't have to spend on shopping, cooking and cleaning up. It's very easy to get lots of variety. Of course at each place we get a glass of ice each, and use the bottled water at the restaurant for our drink. As an aside I have discovered that everything that can be recycled is, because that is how some poor people make their living, so that's something.

Convenience stores

There are heaps of these, and I've had a bit of fun sourcing interesting snack foods. I have had chips that are chocolate flavoured, and also honey butter flavour (I prefer the former), and there's seaweed flavour, green pea flavour and others. They don't seem to have as much sweet options, but I'm getting by.

Street market

There is a market going on in the area around the chedi (monument) in the middle of town about 300 metres from here. We wandered down after church on Sunday night and spent an hour or two looking and buying a bit. We were convinced to try a bug of some sort (photo attached), but I was really happy to just have the one! I also bought a few other things to try, but as we had already eaten I didn't want to go to hard out. I asked if we could go down again and eat dinner there, and I think we'll do that tonight after the English lesson at the village, so I plan to try quail amongst other things.

Drink

Mostly the drink is water with ice, I'm having a few cups of tea but not nearly as many as usual. At the market there are milk shake type drinks and frappe type things as well. All reasonably familiar. There are ice boxes everywhere, and I discovered today when we were visiting with one of the stall holders that Kim and Mary witness to, running a piece of ice down your shin is surprisingly effective at cooling you down.

Other topics

After arriving home from camp about 8pm Sat night we were pretty tired and not long out of bed. Sunday was two church services, Supanburi in the morning, and Don Chedi in the evening, and socialising, so not much time for much else apart from the trip to the market. I managed to find a T-shirt to buy there as well, and I also saw some interesting bike lights, but didn't buy them yet. Monday (yesterday) was a day off apart from lunch out. We bought some gifts from NZ (tea towels and keyrings and magnets etc.) to give on those sorts of occasions, and they have worked well. I spent some time online in the afternoon and have booked accomodation in Bangkok for Friday night, and an all day bike/train/boat tour from 9-6 on Sat before I get on the train at 7:30 to Chiang mai, so I'm very pleased about that. We also had fun playing a card game last night. After learning the game the first time around, I won the second game :-).

Today is Tuesday, and we have been visiting today, praying with the people Kim and Mary are witnessing to, and are now having some down time in the aircon before the English lesson tonight. Thai Christians need a lot of discipling to help them grow in their faith, particularly because Thai culture and the Buddhist religion are so closely entwined. Most Christians have come through family members as it's a really big deal to convert, and very hard to do in isolation. When they hear the gospel it is so completely different from anything they know that it takes a lot for them to understand. And It's a shame culture rather than a guilt culture like ours, so that's different as well.

I've had a bit of a look at NZ news while I've been away, but I can't see that I'm missing much by not watching the 6 o'clock news every day. Maybe this trip will cure me of that habit as well :-)

Do keep the emails coming, I'll try and reply individually when I can.

I'll write soon.

Sarah

Away from camp

Well, camp is done, and we're on the bus on the way home. Once we had done the first 24 hours we had the hang of the place for the most part, and the rest went reasonably smoothly. Last night they had a bit of a party to wrap up, and everyone seemed to have fun. I really enjoyed the constant seabreeze, and at times even chose to sit under a tree rather than retreating to the air con in the room. I have decided that I *really* don't like not understanding what is going on, especially if someone is expecting something of me, and I dont know what they want. There were a few people who spoke English apart from Kim and Mary. In particular there was a couple, Chris and Sarah with a toddler Rebecca who have been missionaries for about five years. They were really nice, and helpful too and I was able to help them a few times in return.

We also managed to get some shopping in, I got a (much needed) fan and some jandles, and Gayle picked up some souvenirs as well. We did go for a bit of a wander one morning before it got too hot, we saw a Double Dutch cafe and a Kangeroo something or other, clearly plenty of catering to the foreigners. Also lots of places to get a massage or a tattoo, I should reassure you we got neither.

A few practical updates. Some of you will know I have been having some pretty significant leg pain from a back issue over the last few months. I'm very pleased to say it hasn't been an issue on this trip. The pills prescribed by the doc are doing the trick, and hopefully it is also on the mend, either way that's quite a relief.

Another topic dear to my heart is drinking water. Dad commented after my last post about being careful what I ate if it had potentially been washed in non-safe water. At home I have for a long time been conscious of and grateful for the fact that in New Zealand we have hot and cold running water and such luxery they we can afford to flush our toilets with water that is safe to drink. And yet I see people buying bottled water all the time. Not only does it seem like a waste of money to me, but the plastic bottles take about three times as much water as the bottle holds to make, and then of course the plastic has to go somewhere. Even if it's recycled that's still more resource use, and for no benefit that I can see. Here, the tap water isn't safe to drink, and so of course buying bottled water is a lot harder to avoid. Fortunately there are some filtered options which I've mostly been able to use, and so with a bit of planning (something at which I'm quite good :-) ) I've mostly been able to avoid buying any.  If that means carrying four litres in my backpack for a day I'm ok with that.

I've also been struck with just how much rubbish there is around, in the street, on the beach, in the water and in empty lots and building sites. It's a lot more than we see at home, but I do wonder if there is actually more here, or if we generate the same amount in New Zealand per capita, and we're just a) much less densely populated, and b) much better at tidying it away out of sight out of mind. At the camp there was a brief conversation about having the kids do a beach cleanup, but nothing came of that, and I'm not surprised as that sort of thing takes a bit of prep and planning. I am going to send an email to Kim and Mary to send to the organisers to consider incorporating into the program for next year's camp.

I'll write again soon.
Sarah

Exciting news

I found out my phone turns into a WiFi hotspot so you don't have to wait three days to hear from me. I thought it didn't but found out it did. I was pretty excited, so I thought I should share :-)

Tuesday evening we went to a village out of town to do an English lesson for about 12 children age range from 3 to 13. It was good to see Kim and Mary in action, and we were able to provide some assistance with actions for some songs. They had a clip on the computer with the Creation story told in Thai, and then they reinforced it with a simple English version. It was really interesting to see the village atmosphere, lots of adults were around and interested, there was even a Buddhist monk who came and went.

Wednesday (yesterday) we had an early start to get to camp, with Gayle and me coming by public transport (we had to transfer in Bangkok) as the vehicle was full with kids coming to the camp. It was actually good to do that as I am keen to catch a van down to Bangkok when we leave, and now we've done it once we have lots more confidence about doing it. Of course Kim helped by printing out our destinations in Thai so we could just show people where we wanted to go. And of course we both have cellphones with his number if we get stuck. The van driver certainly made his own traffic rules when we were in the thick of traffic in the city.

The camp itself is right on the beach just out of Pattaya which is apparently the Las Vegas of Thailand. There's certainly a lot more English on signs around here, and Gayle even managed to buy some shoes today. Another sign it's tourist central is the bottles of wine for sale in the 7 eleven convenience store!! While we have ready access to the water, unfortunately it is a) as warm as a bath, and b) dirty and full of rubbish and dead fish, so my swim yesterday will be the only one I have here. Nevermind, just another thing to chalk up that is better at home. It's a good camp complex though, there are about 150 teenagers here, and it is well set up for us. Gayle and I have our own room, and again, yay for air con. I am very impressed with the food, and also the speed with which it is served. Dinner has been rice with a couple of toppings, and then you can add chilli and a few other things to taste. Of course the food doesn't really get cold here, and you don't want it that hot anyway.

We were able to provide practical help today for a couple of hours during an activity, and will be able to do so again tomorrow, so it is nice to be useful. We have been there for the worship times in the meetings, but after last night decided there wasn't much point being there during the sermons, so we are back in our room tonight while that is on. We may have the opportunity to play and sing a song during one of the meetings, so we have prepared for that. This I Believe (The Creed) will hopefully be appropriate, it's been in my head since we got here so I'm taking that as a prompt from God and going with it.

I started writing a journal yesterday. I've never really done one before, but was encouraged to do it during this trip at least so I'm trying it. So far so good, it's not 'we did this, we did that' it's 'I thought this, I felt that', so I'm pleased about that. Heather and Martin gave me a bookmark for the trip with 'two questions to ponder' on it, What is God doing? and What does that mean for me?. They are good questions to ponder.

In response to Heather's comment on my last post I tried walking a little slower when we went out yesterday. I'm not sure if it helped, but I'm going to try to stick with it. I did unfortunately go a bit hard when I was helping out today and hit a bit of a wall in the afternoon. I know, I know, those of you who know me well will shake their heads and not be surprised at all, it's a familiar pattern, but I'll keep working on trying to remember to pace myself. Part of the problem was I found the main hall empty immediately after I'd finished helping, so the opportunity to play the keyboard for a bit (ok, maybe an hour) was too good to pass up. But then I really was tired! Oh well.

I have been doing some good reading while here, I finished a book of Martin's which I'm pleased about, there may be a book report in your future dear reader. I also am nearly caught up on the blog of a lady I am planning to meet when I'm in Chiang Mai, so I'm pleased about that too! Lots of things about which to be pleased :-)

I'll write again soon, love to you all
Sarah

Away for a few days

I should have said in yesterdays post, we're going to camp for four days, and I doubt there'll be internet, so brace yourself for a big one when we get back!

We made it to Thailand!

Goodness me, where to start. It feels like an age since I left New Zealand and yet it's barely three days. I suppose at the beginning makes the most sense.  Please forgive me if I get a bit verbose, I struggle to do succinct.

The travel all went smoothly with no dramas at all. I managed a total of three movies on the two flights, and there was definitely a 'based on a true story' theme with 'Joy', 'The Big Short' and 'The Theory of Everything' being my picks. I enjoyed them all, and would recommend them.  During the stopover in Melbourne I worked through the Serve In Thailand handbook we'd been given in preparation for this trip. It was really interesting with stuff on history, culture and expectations. I'm glad I read it.

Gayle and I successfully met up at the airport. I'd got there earlier so was able to check out some practical stuff like Thai sim cards, and how to get to the other airport from where we were being collected. So we got away in good time, and then met up with Kim and Mary, our hosts for the first two weeks. The drive north to Suphanburi was pretty interesting. I've heard Thai driving described as polite chaos and that seems pretty accurate from what I've seen.  It's really dry and dusty here, they're having a bad drought at present, which is pretty obvious. There's still colourful flowers in the cities at least. I've also been really aware of just how flat this area is. We're staying in a small town which is called Don Chedi, about 30 mins out of the city of Suphanburi, and Don means rise. Well, Don Chedi is all of 8 meters higher than the city, at a whopping 15 meters above sea level. All the open roads are dead straight, which for a Kiwi is pretty odd!

Oh, one other thing I almost forgot to mention about first impressions? The heat! We were warned, but still it's certainly quite something. 40 degrees every day, but today has been the worst with humidity about 88%. Air conditioning is a blessing, we are fortunate to have it in our bedroom so able to sleep well, and we've been able to survive with fans and other air conditioned locations during the days. My resource conscious wee soul feels quite uncomfortable driving 100 metres to the next shop, but it really feels necessary here, as of course the vehicle has air conditioning.

So far we've done a number of things. Sunday evening church with about 12 of us altogether was good. We recognised most of the songs so could sing along in English, and Mary and Kim kindly provided some translation of the sermon for Gayle and me respectively.  I must say though we were both struggling to stay awake what with the travel and the time difference. We went to a house in another villiage last night for a cell group meeting where we shared our testimony, and prayed for a number of things after sharing a meal. We were able to give some of the gifts we'd brought and they seemed to be appreciated.

Gayle and I have had a couple of good talks, and I think we compliment each other well as travel companions. It's quite different from normal travel, and we both feel the responsibility of needing to get things right so as not to offend people with whom Kim and Mary have built deep relationships. We've been taught how to greet people correctly, and have to remember when to take off our shoes, and how to sit and stand correctly. We're geeting good at reminding each other :-)

I have got net access, so emails are great, and I've also been able to Skype my parents, and Martin as well, so that's been good.

That's enough for today,  I'll try and write more often so they can (maybe!) be shorter.

Love to all
Sarah

Five months is a long time to be away - why am I going?

I wrote this to talk to in church last week, and thought it would be a good first post for this part of the blog.  It focuses on my time in Canada as that was the reason I planned this.  Thailand has come later, and while it has become more important to me as the planning has progressed, it's not the main reason I'm going.

I've put my itinerary at the end as well.

Psalm 24:1 says ‘The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it’.

The main thing I’m doing while I’m away is to volunteer at a Christian environmental centre in Vancouver, Canada.  I’m going on this trip for two reasons.

The first is for me, to have a change from my current life and responsibilities.  I put a lot of time, effort and energy into things I care about, but in the last couple of years I find my resilience is a bit low, so I decided to take a chunk of time to re-focus and get a fresh perspective.  In the next five months I expect to spend time with God, and to deepen my relationship with him.  I was also reminded the other day of Zephaniah 3:17 which says ‘The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.  He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.’  I need to remember to celebrate his delight in me.  I don’t tend to do that much!

The second reason is to focus for a period on one of my key passions, conservation, in the context of an intentional community.  In Canada I’ll be living and working with a number of Christians who also care about God’s creation as much as I do, and are working practically to improve it.  A Rocha’s core commitments speak strongly to me.  They are Christian, conservation, community, cross-cultural and co-operation.  I hope that working with like-minded people will help me to learn, grow and contribute.

As most of you probably know I care deeply about caring for God’s creation.  Jesus said a key commandment is ‘to love your neighbour as yourself’.  My neighbour lives across the street, on the other side of town, in Fiji, and in Bangladesh.  I want to love my neighbour in every way I can, and that means being a good steward of God’s creation on which we all depend.

My God created this universe we inhabit in all its wonder, mystery and beauty.  He made the whole world, and has committed it’s resources into our care.  I want being a Christian to transform every part of my life, not just the ‘spiritual’ parts.

I’d like to finish with a quote from John Stott when writing about A Rocha.  He said ‘the living God of the Bible is the God of creation as well as redemption, and is concerned for the totality of our wellbeing’.  If you’re able to pray for me I’d appreciate prayer for refreshment, safe travels, success in my work and a deepened relationship with Christ.  Thanks.

Itinerary

Date	Travel Details
16 Apr	Fly at 6:35pm to Bangkok (via Melbourne). Arrive 6:00am on the 17th
30 Apr	Train at 7:35pm to Chiang Mai. Arrive 8:30am on the 1st
13 May	Bus at approx. 7:30am to Bangkok. Arrive approx. 5:30pm
14 May	Fly at 1:55pm to Vancouver (via Hong Kong). Arrive 4:20pm
17 May	Public transport to A Rocha, Surrey
22 Aug	Train at 5:35pm to Bellingham, WA. Arrive approx. 7:30pm
22 Aug – 7 Sep	Travel by train down the coast to San Francisco.
10 Sep	Fly at 11:25am to Honolulu. Arrive 1:45pm
13 Sep	Fly at 9:40am to Auckland. Arrive 4:35pm on the 14th