First of all:
Now THIS is something that I'd never thought I'd see:
Now THIS is something that I'd never thought I'd see:a picture of me, standing next to a giant picture of me and my teammates from my first year, inside of a giant flower, on display at the city park. The picture was from the Hot Air Balloon festival we attended that year, and the flower is a part of their Spring Festival decorations this year. Ohhh, China- you make me smile!
Anyway, the Spring Festival celebrations are now officially over, which means a few things:
Anyway, the Spring Festival celebrations are now officially over, which means a few things:
1. I will not be woken up by firecrackers and cannon blast fireworks anymore!
2. Spring is on its way, and it looks like it will be on time this year!
3. Students are coming back to campus and classes start on Monday- eeek!
I'm actually excited about all of these things, even getting back into the classroom. Since I've returned from my travels, it's been a fairly quiet (figuratively, NOT literally) couple of weeks here in Langfang with no students around. I've realized that I really like being with them, in the classroom and out of it. And while my teaching schedule is extremely light due to some curriculum changes, I'm looking forward to the many lunch dates, game nights, training runs, cooking classes, movie nights, Book study times, and whatever other crazy activities we come up with. Bring it on, Spring 2011!
Now I know that I promised a more complete update on exactly what I did on my crazy 3-week trip around Thailand and South China. The thing is, I realized that there is no way I can ever type it all out- you'd be sitting here for quite a long time! But, I'd love to share some of the things that stand out the most.
Basically, as I think more and more about it, I just can't believe that I got to go to Thailand! Before the trip, it seems that I had gotten used to China and Chinese culture as my "default foreign culture", and since this is my third year, it's not really all that foreign anymore. But Thai culture woke me back up in a sense, and it was a really great adventure, being in a new land and discovering a different foreign culture. While it's also clearly Asian, the pace of life is different there (more relaxed and vibrant in a way), the architecture is different there (pointy edges and lots of gold), and even the rice is different there (longer grains and drier)! As tourists, we definitely did not get to immerse ourselves in the culture, but we did get to see a lot of it.
We spent the first two days in Bangkok, where the highlights were visiting the Grand Palace, the Flower Market, and eating some authentic Pad Thai. Then we ventured off in a double-decker VIP overnight bus down to the island of Phuket (pronounced poo-ket). It's very touristy, but for a good reason: it's beautiful!! If you know me, you know that I love the beach, love the water, and love the sunshine. Phuket had all of those things in abundance. We spent four very fast days there, going on two tours. The first was a boat/island/snorkeling adventure. Our boat took us about 20 miles off the coast to Phi Phi Island, where we swam and snorkeled. We got to see various parts of the island, including an area that was completely wiped out by the tsunami in 2004. Thankfully they have been able to rebuild and move on with life. All in all, it was so beautiful! The water was crystal clear, blue and green, warm and really salty. We saw rainbow fish, sea urchins, and even some tiny squids. We got to play on a tiny private island, collecting shells, jumping off of big rocks into the water, and soaking up the goodness of the creation around us. It's a day that I will probably never forget!
This is our group, all 12 of us, with our tour guide Alex. We are ready to snorkel!!
And our second tour was just as unforgettable, but for different reasons. It was basically a whirlwind land tour: we hiked up to a jungle waterfall, visited a gibbon rehabilitation center (they are commonly abused and mistreated at many clubs/restaurants/attractions in Phuket), got to take a short elephant ride, play with a baby elephant, and then take a boat ride to feed some candy bars to wild monkeys! This tour ended with a private, home-cooked Thai lunch served in the shade by the water. Chicken with cashews, shrimp and vegetables, and Thai curry- soooo good! I will definitely be eating more Thai food in the future!
Carly and I riding our elephant. We discovered the "captain's hats" at our conference in China, and decided that we needed them for our upcoming elephant ride. Turns out the guy in front was more like the captain- oh well!
On our last day there, we got an insider's look at life in Thailand when we visited an organization called S.H.E. It stands for Self-Help and Empowerment, and is run by believers who are dedicated to rescuing girls from the trap of prostitution, which is unfortunately very prominent in Phuket. They do this by building relationships with the girls, and as they get to know them, invite them to their place, where they can train them and pay them for other jobs. Currently they make jewelry and candy, but are also soon expanding into training the girls to work in hotels, instead of bars and nightclubs. We did get to see the dark side of this business when we would go out at night, so it's awesome to know that there are people fighting against it, who want these girls to know their worth, and to know the One who loves them perfectly. Check out their website if you're interested in knowing more: SheThailand.org
One last thing about Thailand: there are 7-Eleven's EVERYwhere! Seriously, you can find one about every 300 yards or so, on most major streets. Slurpees are a necessity in the Thai heat!!
So, there you have it- Thailand in a nutshell. And if any of you would ever like to go there, count me in! I'd go back in a heartbeat.
2. Spring is on its way, and it looks like it will be on time this year!
3. Students are coming back to campus and classes start on Monday- eeek!
I'm actually excited about all of these things, even getting back into the classroom. Since I've returned from my travels, it's been a fairly quiet (figuratively, NOT literally) couple of weeks here in Langfang with no students around. I've realized that I really like being with them, in the classroom and out of it. And while my teaching schedule is extremely light due to some curriculum changes, I'm looking forward to the many lunch dates, game nights, training runs, cooking classes, movie nights, Book study times, and whatever other crazy activities we come up with. Bring it on, Spring 2011!
Now I know that I promised a more complete update on exactly what I did on my crazy 3-week trip around Thailand and South China. The thing is, I realized that there is no way I can ever type it all out- you'd be sitting here for quite a long time! But, I'd love to share some of the things that stand out the most.
Basically, as I think more and more about it, I just can't believe that I got to go to Thailand! Before the trip, it seems that I had gotten used to China and Chinese culture as my "default foreign culture", and since this is my third year, it's not really all that foreign anymore. But Thai culture woke me back up in a sense, and it was a really great adventure, being in a new land and discovering a different foreign culture. While it's also clearly Asian, the pace of life is different there (more relaxed and vibrant in a way), the architecture is different there (pointy edges and lots of gold), and even the rice is different there (longer grains and drier)! As tourists, we definitely did not get to immerse ourselves in the culture, but we did get to see a lot of it.
We spent the first two days in Bangkok, where the highlights were visiting the Grand Palace, the Flower Market, and eating some authentic Pad Thai. Then we ventured off in a double-decker VIP overnight bus down to the island of Phuket (pronounced poo-ket). It's very touristy, but for a good reason: it's beautiful!! If you know me, you know that I love the beach, love the water, and love the sunshine. Phuket had all of those things in abundance. We spent four very fast days there, going on two tours. The first was a boat/island/snorkeling adventure. Our boat took us about 20 miles off the coast to Phi Phi Island, where we swam and snorkeled. We got to see various parts of the island, including an area that was completely wiped out by the tsunami in 2004. Thankfully they have been able to rebuild and move on with life. All in all, it was so beautiful! The water was crystal clear, blue and green, warm and really salty. We saw rainbow fish, sea urchins, and even some tiny squids. We got to play on a tiny private island, collecting shells, jumping off of big rocks into the water, and soaking up the goodness of the creation around us. It's a day that I will probably never forget!
This is our group, all 12 of us, with our tour guide Alex. We are ready to snorkel!!And our second tour was just as unforgettable, but for different reasons. It was basically a whirlwind land tour: we hiked up to a jungle waterfall, visited a gibbon rehabilitation center (they are commonly abused and mistreated at many clubs/restaurants/attractions in Phuket), got to take a short elephant ride, play with a baby elephant, and then take a boat ride to feed some candy bars to wild monkeys! This tour ended with a private, home-cooked Thai lunch served in the shade by the water. Chicken with cashews, shrimp and vegetables, and Thai curry- soooo good! I will definitely be eating more Thai food in the future!
Carly and I riding our elephant. We discovered the "captain's hats" at our conference in China, and decided that we needed them for our upcoming elephant ride. Turns out the guy in front was more like the captain- oh well!On our last day there, we got an insider's look at life in Thailand when we visited an organization called S.H.E. It stands for Self-Help and Empowerment, and is run by believers who are dedicated to rescuing girls from the trap of prostitution, which is unfortunately very prominent in Phuket. They do this by building relationships with the girls, and as they get to know them, invite them to their place, where they can train them and pay them for other jobs. Currently they make jewelry and candy, but are also soon expanding into training the girls to work in hotels, instead of bars and nightclubs. We did get to see the dark side of this business when we would go out at night, so it's awesome to know that there are people fighting against it, who want these girls to know their worth, and to know the One who loves them perfectly. Check out their website if you're interested in knowing more: SheThailand.org
One last thing about Thailand: there are 7-Eleven's EVERYwhere! Seriously, you can find one about every 300 yards or so, on most major streets. Slurpees are a necessity in the Thai heat!!So, there you have it- Thailand in a nutshell. And if any of you would ever like to go there, count me in! I'd go back in a heartbeat.
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