Hi, friends!
Life certainly moves quickly here and I wish I had time to really tell you all about what my life has been in the last three days, but I will just give you a brief description of some highlights. Here's my top ten:
1. Riding elephants yesterday! Although I have had this experience before, we rode them early in the morning when everything was dewey and the air was still cool...I was reminded again of the raw beauty I love here.
2. Bamboo rafting yesterday! We had a great guide who used a very long piece of bamboo to guide our raft and push off the rocks/sides so we wouldn't get stuck. It was such a peaceful ride...and we got to wear really sweet farmer hats!
3. Queens botanical gardens. We saw some of the most beautiful plants and flowers I have ever seen. My camera-happy side really got a fix yesterday and I'm really pleased with some of my pictures (soon to be uploaded).
4. Orchid/butterfly farm. The most gorgeous orchids I have EVER seen - each was perfect. The butterflies, too, were beautiful and each set of wings was so unique.
5. Thai iced coffee!!! The coffee here is AMAZING and I have been enjoying the best every morning. Last night, we went to a little restaurant down the street and had some iced coffee after dinner for dessert (made with lots of sugar and creamy milk) and I almost died and went to heaven. Right there. Seriously. Amazing. And you can't beat Thai prices: 14 baht, which is approximately 45 American cents.
6. Worship night! Pi Katie and Pi Keith (our leaders) planned a bible study/worship night for the 30+ students who are doing this program. We had such a great time talking/processing together and we sang some worship songs together...rich harmony ensued! We have a very musical bunch - a really wonderful group of people. Already I have been so blessed by each person here and I'm so excited to continue to get to know everyone.
7. Jesuit mass. This morning, some of us went to the closest church, which is a Catholic Jesuit church. It's very beautiful and the grounds and gardens around the church are so peaceful and majestic. It was not like the kind of church that I'm used to, but I appreciated having some more reflective moments. I'm looking forward to checking out some more churches in the area.
8. Some ridiculously good buffet at some classy hotel. For whatever reason, Ajarn Mike took us to a beautiful hotel where we had the most amazing lunch!
9. Silver place. Thailand is known for its silver and we went to a silver factory (the most prestigious one in Thailand) and I seriously felt like I was in Tiffanys. Everything was so fancy and I was so intimidated. There was a worker assigned to each person and mine religiously followed me around, suggesting I try on all these beautiful pieces of jewelry I couldn't afford (even in Thailand). They specialize in their precious stones - ruby, sapphire, and jade. Everything was so beautiful and artistic and we walked through the actual factory which allowed us to see what work went into each piece. It was such a neat place!
10. Silk factory. We went to a silk factory and watched them make silk on looms! It is such a fascinating process and the silk was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! It was a little more pricey than I was willing to spend, but I got some great pictures of the fabrics, so I could remember the textures.
My days are filled and I'm experiencing "overload", trying to process things and make sense of everything I'm seeing. As of now, I am so happy to be in this beautiful place with such a great group of people, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what God has waiting for me in the next several months. Right now, I'm living in UNISERV (which is like the hostel on Chiang Mai University's campus), and I will be starting my Thai classes tomorrow. In about a week, I will be moving in with my Thai family and I'm really excited about that. It'll feel good to settle in a little somewhere and start to have a schedule.
Sending you lots of love - to those at home and the rest who are in other corners of our world!
des :)
