Tuesday, September 21, 2010

HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE

I didn't know- why I entitled my blog today - Here, There and Everywhere. Maybe its because it's one of my fave songs popularized by the famous band of all time, the Beatles.

September 1-5 :
First week of September wasn't a good opening of the month for me. I was in the recuperating period. I got sick, had eaten an unwanted food that caused diarrhea. Being sick away from my family and my country was a tortured if I am going to imagine it. Thanks heaven it only lasted 5 days but the diarrhea lasted a week. I quickly lose weight & physically weak at that. Now, I am in full gear again.
September 11:
The second Saturday of the month was a blessing. I was invited by some common friends in Saraburi-northern part of Bangkok to join their Sabbath visitaion at the orphanage. We offered songs, Bible story, shirts to wear on and the church promised a mini soon library for the girls. After the service done, the entire group went to the park at the biggest water dam in Thailand. for nature communing till sundown.
September 18:
The English Club in our school headed by our department chair held a trip for the students who are English club members. We visited Siam museum in Bangkok to fill up the cultural knowings of the young studes. The museum preserves some of the artifacts of Thailand. In the museum itself you'll learn the origin of Thailand, their culture, religion and their ancestors strange worshiping to frogs during the old times.In there you'll see how the country evolves from such a poor country to Agricultural and embracing the fast chancing time technologically to the most top tourist destination in Asia. From Siam museum, we headed to JJ market or known to be Chatuchak market. We tried to huddle the crowd and bargaining. Chatuchak market is a famous weekend market in Thailand. Both locals & foreigners enjoying the not-so-cheap clothing to shoes, books and other souvenirs. The weather then didn't agreed to our fun trip, instead poured its strongest rain that made us wet & stopped our shopping. Part of the English trip was to acquaint the students about the things & what people do in the airport. We let the students to enjoy & feast their eyes watching the foreigners going here & forth. As the trip was a bit tiring because its more on route for walking, the Thai English teachers expressed their desire for food, our head teachers drove us to the hottest restos in Bangkok which the place was really good with English songs sang by local band(at last, I heard English songs). The food wasn't that sumptuous & palatable not mentioning the grandeur of the place. Our head teacher ordered the common ones and too bad for us SDA christians who don't eat pork which the food was more on porky served.














I've got two weeks more to stay in the school and most probably in Thailand. I am honestly enveloped with excitement readily venturing to another country. New challenges, environment, culture and everything to face. But what makes it more exciting is that I am gonna work as a missionary teacher. Can't proclaim it right now because it needs a lot of kneeling and hoping it'll materialized soon.
Sorry for the blog delayed..sometimes stress loses my appetite to write something down for my blog or think something what to write.

Sunday, September 05, 2010

A YEAR WORTH OF DISTANCE

I may be scribbling this entry in advance prior to my end of contract this October but the chance of writing it while it's still warm and freshly intact in mind might be too late or gone to forgetting. It's my 11 months now here in Thailand and as if a year already. Didn't expect that I could survive for that long, knowing that I didn't ask God to send me here in Siam country. I can still clearly remember how reluctant I was to leave the Philippines to teach in Thailand. Loneliness, frustrations visibly painted on my face on that day which you couldn't really see any excitement in me though working abroad is really a dream. When I finally arrived here in Thailand, the more homesickness and directed down I felt that day. Sighing and deep audible breath of weariness was the only gesture of expression I could possibly utter, to say the least. First, two months were filled with begging to the Lord if He could possibly send me back to the Philippines that He may perform unusual miracles that may cause any rejections and disapproval of my visa and everything. Because He planned everything according to His gracious will, things went well, and let me stay. For my 10 and almost 11 teachings in Thailand aren't easy. Some part of it is enjoying & challenging, some are roller coaster rides. Of course, gaining new friends is another tool to consider why I still survive the roller coaster ride of homesickness. Traveling to Thailand's tourist sightseers was among the enjoyable adventures I have had. You can safely travel anywhere else without worrying about your safety. No pickpockets, swindlers nor hold-upper. Seeing those amazing temples, historical places, pagodas, and buddhas up close were kind of a perfect experience-sense of fun. My imagination runs wild when I took a week trip to Hongkong so as a one day visit to Macau. It was unexpected travel filled with savoring and joy in my heart that it came to reality. Amidst the simplicity of Thailand, working here is well worth telling. I might have regretted it by now if I didn't accept the challenge of teaching here. I would say, I may never get the chance of seeing Hongkong & Macau. A one year of teaching here in Thailand is a year's worth of distance a sea away from home.

 

My Favorite Instrumental Music