Well, I’m pretty sure I’ve officially reached slacker status when it comes to blogging. I sincerely apologize, but my life is absolutely insane this month. I’m doing the whole mid-term thing at work, so I’m having to write 120 progress reports about my students (AKA: Worst paperwork ever.). I’ve been sick a lot this month too for some reason…rumor has it that my “party lifestyle” is catching up with me. Hmm…if you call getting home at 8pm every night to just hang out and talk to my boy on Skype til 1am, then woo…..I’m a party animal. Haha. So ridiculous. (P.S. Yes, I took a screenshot of me Skyping Chloe…and it’s cute.)

So anyway, what else has been going on this month?

I went on a weekend retreat with all of the Christian teachers from school, and it was most certainly the best of times and the worst of times. It was total immersion into the Thai language because Emily, Alyse, and I were the only “farangs” (foreigners) there. Allow me to elaborate upon this feeling of being on the outside of the world’s biggest inside joke…

Once upon a time, I found myself in a salon chair in Tegucigalpa, Honduras getting my beautiful blonde hair dyed brown for the first time. I had decided to change my hair while the rest of my missions team got their nails done in another part of the building, so I was left with a bunch of non-English speaking women with rubber gloves and chemical dye. It was the most frustrating thing, knowing they were discussing me and not being able to fully understand what they were saying…and I was decent at Spanish back then! So…fast forward to today. Thai is a whole different ballgame folks. It would be a cold day in hell before I could understand ANYTHING in Thai, and being fully immersed in a Thai workshop/retreat/etc. made that day in Honduras seem like a piece of cake. When you’re the only one who doesn’t speak a language, it’s like everyone is talking and laughing about the world’s biggest inside joke, and you’re on the outside. It’s one of the loneliest feelings I’ve ever experienced…and definitely one of the most frustrating.

BUT (oh yes, there is most certainly a “but”)…there’s just something about worshiping with people from different cultures that amazes me. I had the chance to help lead worship, and of course my theme song would be what I was asked to sing – “Who Am I” (Casting Crowns). I love how that song follows me everywhere I go. I also had the chance to sign “How Great Is Our God” while Alyse sang it in English and Wum sang it in Thai. Oh yes…worshiping in 3 different languages is what’s up. I loved it! So anyway, I made some new Thai friends on the retreat, and it feels good to walk into work every morning now and have people wave and say hey to me around campus…even if “Hey Christin” is the extent of their English. Also, it feels pretty good to know that I’m not alone in my office when it comes to being a Christian. Two of my cooperating Thai homeroom teachers, Priya and Wimporn, went on the retreat, and it just feels like we have this bond now…like we have each others’ backs or something. I love it. Also, on that note…I’ve had a new student this month from America, Nolan. His dad is Thai and a BCC alumni, and his mom is American. He’s just going to BCC for a month over his summer holiday (yeah, that must suck) so he can be immersed in the Thai culture. So anyway, his mother is amazing. She came up to me a few weeks ago and said, “Teacher Christin, I heard you’ve been sick. Do you mind if I pray for you?” I pretty much cried instantly and said yes because it felt so good to hear those words from somebody in my office. And let me tell you, that woman can PRAY! Talk about anointed. So yeah, we talked about church and stuff for a while, and I added her to the list of people who have my back (spiritually) in the office. She pretty much just hangs out on a computer in the corner everyday and keeps track of Nolan’s progress, and on several occasions taken me aside and prayed with me about certain situations. (I’ll probably set aside another blog post to address those situations, but please be praying for me and those I work with. Thanks.) I am almost convinced that she’s my guardian angel…or at least God sent her to me specifically because it’s insane how she’s always there for me at the most perfect of times in the office. It’s just amazing.

So anyway, the next big thing I did this month was SCUBA DIVE!!! Joey, Honey, and I went down to Koh Tao (Turtle Island) in the South over the Buddhist Lint holiday. I really like Honey, and I was extremely glad she decided to get her open water certification with me. She was such a trooper, too, because the whole course was in English and it was so hard for her! So props to ma girl. :) So anyway, about this whole scuba diving thing…it was unbelievable! The first time I tried to breathe through the SCUBA gear underwater, I flipped out. I surfaced and all but cussed my instructor out in my hysterical panic attack. Haha! After calming down and actually breathing, I tried it again and soon enough it felt like second nature. (I don’t think it will ever NOT feel weird, though!) Being able to stay underwater for 45min and swimming alongside fish and coral and all that amazing stuff was insanely awesome. There are no words. You’re weightless underwater…it’s the closest thing I’ll probably ever experience to being in space, so of course I loved it because I’m a geek. Haha. I’m for sure going to post some of my Nikon pictures soon, no worries.

Ok so anyway, in other travel news. I’m considering a legit English Christmas this year. One of my BFFs here, David, has officially invited me home with him for Christmas…IN ENGLAND! Ahhh!!!! So, I’m really hoping that works out. I’m not trying to be alone on Christmas because that’s just pathetic. And even if it’s only for a week, I am SO down to hit up London and finally get my White Christmas!

So anyway, thank you for all the prayers and constant Facebook/Twitter/Skype love. I miss you guys so much, but I’m still proud to say I love my life here in the great city of Bangkok. Oh, P.S. Travel & Leisure Magazine named Bangkok the #1 CITY IN THE WORLD this week…no big deal. I love my city! And P.S.S. Another random fact…The Hangover 2 is being filmed in Bangkok. Perhaps I can find my way into that movie…mark of the “be a movie extra” thing on the bucket list you know. Ha! :)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100728/ap_on_re_as/as_thailand_top_city_award

I’m out. //Cwalk.