So, I got up early this morning because I was supposed to give my first piano lesson with Ning at 10. I got to TS early so I could change some money. I figured there is no reason to hold back American cash, I may as well just have it all in Thai money. I also needed to put some money on my cell phone.
However, just as I was getting to TS, Ning called to tell me we were having the day off because of a national holiday. Great, info that would have been nice to know before I spent 20 baht to get there. Oh, well. Day off, right? So, after a Song Thaew back home, I was able to finally post some blogs with pictures (yay!) and catch up on some email.
Jaz called me and asked me to take our little portable internet usb thing to Inna’s house so she could upload some videos for YWAM (where Jaz works). Well, without a vehicle, I had to walk. It didn’t look that far, but Jaz suggested I cut through Chiang Mai University because it was a safer walk.
Well, Jaz, Ruth and I had gone running the other day at CM University, so I thought I could find my way. Well, I didn’t so much get lost, as I just didn’t really know where I was because the streets end up curving and stuff. Plus, since it was a holiday, there were no students on campus to ask directions of, and Inna doesn’t really know the campus well enough to give me directions. Oh, did I mention it was broiling hot that day? Well, it was. About 90 degrees out. So of course, as soon as I got good and lost, it started to thunder. And lightening. Jaz gave me further directions as to how to get thru campus, and I thought I could make it before the rain began. Just as I turned the final corner and saw the track we had gone running at, the sky opened up and a tram just happened to pull up. He drove me to the main road and I ran for shelter through the downpour. Inna came to get me because I didn’t have an umbrella. I mean, it was 90 degrees! Who would have thought it would suddenly start thunderstorming? Poor Inna. She has been sick all week and had to come meet me to get the internet stick.
Jaz came to pick me up and we stopped for dinner at the market. She was supposed to head up to Mae Sai to take a truckload of disaster supplies to the victims of the Burma earthquake, but with the rain, she decided to put off the trip til tomorrow. At the market, she told me the names of all the things we were ordering and had me order stuff. The people at the market would tell me the price in English, but she told them to only speak to me in Thai or I’ll never learn. Of course, she said this in Thai, but some things you can just infer. Hahaha However, she’s right. I do need to learn so I don’t have to rely on other people to translate all the time. It gets frustrating. But, the problem is that I only know a few things so far: numbers, colors, school supplies and a few choice phrases like “I only know a little Thai.” It’s a slow process, but I hope I’m learning fast. I can never learn fast enough though. I want to know everything RIGHT NOW.
Jaz has season two of Lie to Me on dvd, so we watched a couple eps and then she went to pick up Ruth and her brother Ben at the airport. They just flew in from Bangkok and Ben is staying for a week to visit. He works for World Vision in Toronto. We all hung out at Ruth and Sasha’s (she’s a Kiwi who works for another NGO, Partners) place next door for a while, then I headed home.
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