Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday Night in the Emergency Room
Not sure if Nathan wanted to post these first. But here are a few pictures from our Emergency Room extravaganza tonight. Nathan had a wipeout on his motorcycle this evening and broke his collar bone. Hence the trip to Fresno to go to the emergency room. We did lots of waiting, had some Starbucks, watched parts of 2 Harrison Ford movies on the waiting room TV, and hung out with some other people in the waiting room. We didn't get to get back up the hill until 1:00 this morning. And the only thing the doctor did was say that Nathan has a "gnarly fracture", gave a prescription for some pain killers, and gave us a phone number of a specialist that he'll have to contact on Monday to try and get an appointment with. All that to say, it was an eventful evening and Nathan handled it like a champ :-) (and this is his first broken bone!)
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Pictures from Thailand
It's hard to pick out just a few pictures. But here are some fun highlights and fun pictures from the trip. The rest will be up on Facebook soon.
Getting ready to fly out of the Fresno Airport.
I was excited to see a Coffee Bean in the Singapore Airport after more than 20 hours of flying.
Just got off the plane in Chiang Mai, Thailand after 2 days of traveling. Those flowers are Jasmine.
At a street market on our first full day.
At one of the temples. That's just me and the dragon/snake.
I like the orange moth/butterfly. I couldn't tell which it was.
Little girl in the cultural Thai dress.
Some of the team, at a lookout over Chiang Mai.
Where I stayed during camp. This was the view from my deck.
My High Schoolers.
This was a lantern lighting ceremony that the people believed would take away their sins.
It was one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen.
Monks in a truck.
Elephants!
Our elephant ride.
Looking out over the Night Bazaar where we did a lot of shopping.
On our last night in Thailand, we went on a little dinner cruise in the river.
We stopped in Singapore, and spent the night. But got an evening in the city!
Approaching the International Date Line.
So we had a date of crackers and cheese on the back of the plane as we crossed the International Date Line.
Getting ready to fly out of the Fresno Airport.
I was excited to see a Coffee Bean in the Singapore Airport after more than 20 hours of flying.
Just got off the plane in Chiang Mai, Thailand after 2 days of traveling. Those flowers are Jasmine.
At a street market on our first full day.
At one of the temples. That's just me and the dragon/snake.
I like the orange moth/butterfly. I couldn't tell which it was.
Little girl in the cultural Thai dress.
Some of the team, at a lookout over Chiang Mai.
Where I stayed during camp. This was the view from my deck.
My High Schoolers.
This was a lantern lighting ceremony that the people believed would take away their sins.
It was one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen.
Monks in a truck.
Elephants!
Our elephant ride.
Looking out over the Night Bazaar where we did a lot of shopping.
On our last night in Thailand, we went on a little dinner cruise in the river.
We stopped in Singapore, and spent the night. But got an evening in the city!
Approaching the International Date Line.
So we had a date of crackers and cheese on the back of the plane as we crossed the International Date Line.Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Home
In the last 2 days we have had:
1. The 3 hour flight from Chaing Mai to Singapore
2. Dinner and exploring Singapore
3. A night in the beautiful Crowne Plaza Hotel at the Singapore Airport
4. The 6 hour flight to Tokyo/Narita Japan
5. The 8 hour 40 minute flight from Japan to LA (with crazy turbulence)
6. The 1 hour flight from LA to Fresno
7. The 1 1/2 hour drive from Fresno . . .
Now, we are finally home.
It feels really weird to be back in the States. After seeing another part of the world, I am reminded of our American culture and how it looks so different from other cultures. After living with Asian culture, I am now very turned off by the greedy, materialistic, big, loud, obnoxious and abrasive culture that we seem to have. Maybe I am just tired to traveling with a big group and the fact that we stuck out like a sore thumb. But American just seems ridiculous to me right now. It's weird to be back in it . . . and that I'll be around people that don't even realize their in it and part of it either.
The only good thing about being home now . . . is the fresh mountain air. But that's about it.
1. The 3 hour flight from Chaing Mai to Singapore
2. Dinner and exploring Singapore
3. A night in the beautiful Crowne Plaza Hotel at the Singapore Airport
4. The 6 hour flight to Tokyo/Narita Japan
5. The 8 hour 40 minute flight from Japan to LA (with crazy turbulence)
6. The 1 hour flight from LA to Fresno
7. The 1 1/2 hour drive from Fresno . . .
Now, we are finally home.
It feels really weird to be back in the States. After seeing another part of the world, I am reminded of our American culture and how it looks so different from other cultures. After living with Asian culture, I am now very turned off by the greedy, materialistic, big, loud, obnoxious and abrasive culture that we seem to have. Maybe I am just tired to traveling with a big group and the fact that we stuck out like a sore thumb. But American just seems ridiculous to me right now. It's weird to be back in it . . . and that I'll be around people that don't even realize their in it and part of it either.
The only good thing about being home now . . . is the fresh mountain air. But that's about it.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Jr. High
Not too much say.
High school camp ended and went very smoothly. My team (the Sally Vators) won which was great. After camp ended we went into the the city, got our Thai body massage, and shopped a little. Now we are on our first full day of jr. high. Definitely a whole different experience. I have very nice girls in my room that I like alot. But I definitely like high school age better.
But I must say, I was proud for my moment of glory last night, when I was the first person to get the flag and get a point in capture the flag. Today in rec we sent a girl to the hospital on a backboard after she was hit by the earth ball. But she should be fine.
Nothing else too newsy.
High school camp ended and went very smoothly. My team (the Sally Vators) won which was great. After camp ended we went into the the city, got our Thai body massage, and shopped a little. Now we are on our first full day of jr. high. Definitely a whole different experience. I have very nice girls in my room that I like alot. But I definitely like high school age better.
But I must say, I was proud for my moment of glory last night, when I was the first person to get the flag and get a point in capture the flag. Today in rec we sent a girl to the hospital on a backboard after she was hit by the earth ball. But she should be fine.
Nothing else too newsy.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Just Sitting Here in Thailand
Hey everyone . . . I finally have a few moments here to update!
We are all doing well here and are enjoying our time in Chiang Mai so far. We've spent the last several days doing things like Thai cultural training, some shopping and exploring of the malls, markets, and the night bazaar (a huge outdoor market where you barter for what you want), as well as visiting one of the Buddhist temples here.
The weather is quite hot and humid. I've never been in weather like this before. It's a funny feeling that when the weather drops down to 78 or I walk into air conditioning . . . that I feel a little chilly. But it is always a welcomed break. But I'm just getting used to the fact that I will always feel sticky and sweaty.
The food has been good. I'm always up for noodles, rice and vegetables. And every coffee and tea drink I've tried has been so delicious. I did have to eat a whole roll of tums yesterday though. But generally . . . it's easy to stomach it all.
I got a hair cut in the mall the other day. That was quite the adventure since I had absolutely no language capabilities. So my hair definitely looks different than I had hoped or planned . . . but that's ok. Cuz, when can you say you got your hair cut in Thailand? But I feel a little bit like Peter Pan meets the Mullett and the Beatles all in one. Haha.
Well now camp is going to be starting within a couple hours. Hopefully we are ready! We have all packed up all our belongings and are ready to move when we hear which house we will be staying in and which kids we will be counseling. Should be interesting!
We are all doing well here and are enjoying our time in Chiang Mai so far. We've spent the last several days doing things like Thai cultural training, some shopping and exploring of the malls, markets, and the night bazaar (a huge outdoor market where you barter for what you want), as well as visiting one of the Buddhist temples here.
The weather is quite hot and humid. I've never been in weather like this before. It's a funny feeling that when the weather drops down to 78 or I walk into air conditioning . . . that I feel a little chilly. But it is always a welcomed break. But I'm just getting used to the fact that I will always feel sticky and sweaty.
The food has been good. I'm always up for noodles, rice and vegetables. And every coffee and tea drink I've tried has been so delicious. I did have to eat a whole roll of tums yesterday though. But generally . . . it's easy to stomach it all.
I got a hair cut in the mall the other day. That was quite the adventure since I had absolutely no language capabilities. So my hair definitely looks different than I had hoped or planned . . . but that's ok. Cuz, when can you say you got your hair cut in Thailand? But I feel a little bit like Peter Pan meets the Mullett and the Beatles all in one. Haha.
Well now camp is going to be starting within a couple hours. Hopefully we are ready! We have all packed up all our belongings and are ready to move when we hear which house we will be staying in and which kids we will be counseling. Should be interesting!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Singapore - Sorry, I know no one likes long updates.
It is currently almost 3:30 am here in the Singapore airport. It should feel like 12:30 in the afternoon back home. But it doesn't. I feel quite awake, but still tired enough that I know I will be able to sleep on the next plane. I must be inbetween time zones, which is a-ok with me.
The majority of our team just ate at Burger King (which just seems silly when you're on the other side of the world and there are more interesting things to try), but I opted for the Cliff bar so that I don't start eating meals in the middle of the night. Better to get adjusted quickly to the 14 hour difference ya know? (To figure out the time for us, add 2 hours to your time, and then flip the am/pm and add a day). Example: 3:00 pm for you on the 13th = 5:00 am on the 14th for us.
All flights and travel have been good. Our day started on the 12th, with flying out of Fresno in the morning to LAX. Then we had our 19 hour flight to Singapore, with a brief stop in Narita, Japan (outside Tokyo) for gas. We got off the plane, looked around the airport, and I bought some bottled coffee drink that I had no idea what it was. It was delightful. I will post a picture of it later.
Now we are in Singapore, and are whittling the way the hours of the night before our plane to Chiang Mai, Thailand leaves in the morning.
This is a really cool airport. There are tons of computers around with free internet, free video games, massages chairs, a movie theater . . . and it's all beautiful too! Not what you'd normally think of for an airport.
Oh, and there's a Coffee Bean here! Hooray! I can't wait till it opens up. It's so fun to see one here . . . we don't have any in the central valley, so it's a luxury now :-)
So as I wait, I am drinking another random drink I bought. This is "MineShine" Finest Qaulity Milk Tea. It's also very yummy.
Till next time . . .
The majority of our team just ate at Burger King (which just seems silly when you're on the other side of the world and there are more interesting things to try), but I opted for the Cliff bar so that I don't start eating meals in the middle of the night. Better to get adjusted quickly to the 14 hour difference ya know? (To figure out the time for us, add 2 hours to your time, and then flip the am/pm and add a day). Example: 3:00 pm for you on the 13th = 5:00 am on the 14th for us.
All flights and travel have been good. Our day started on the 12th, with flying out of Fresno in the morning to LAX. Then we had our 19 hour flight to Singapore, with a brief stop in Narita, Japan (outside Tokyo) for gas. We got off the plane, looked around the airport, and I bought some bottled coffee drink that I had no idea what it was. It was delightful. I will post a picture of it later.
Now we are in Singapore, and are whittling the way the hours of the night before our plane to Chiang Mai, Thailand leaves in the morning.
This is a really cool airport. There are tons of computers around with free internet, free video games, massages chairs, a movie theater . . . and it's all beautiful too! Not what you'd normally think of for an airport.
Oh, and there's a Coffee Bean here! Hooray! I can't wait till it opens up. It's so fun to see one here . . . we don't have any in the central valley, so it's a luxury now :-)
So as I wait, I am drinking another random drink I bought. This is "MineShine" Finest Qaulity Milk Tea. It's also very yummy.
Till next time . . .
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Thailand Here We Come!
In less than an hour, our team is leaving for . . . . Fresno! Ha. And then Thailand tomorrow! We are spending the night in Fresno tonight, then flying to LAX in the morning to meet up with the rest of our team.
Then the 26 of us will be heading to Chiang Mai, Thailand . . . leaving around 2:45 in the afternoon on a 19 hour flight. I love flying. 19 hours won't bother me! When I flew to Africa, it was a 20 hour flight . . . and I never even got up out of my seat once the whole time! Since then, I have become more educated on the importance of walking around during long flights to prevent blood clots . . . so I'm much better about that now :-)
I will try to update whenever I can. But you'll probably have better luck following us on the Hume International blog.
Go to humeinternational.org then click "thailand" from the column on the right.
Pray for us!
Then the 26 of us will be heading to Chiang Mai, Thailand . . . leaving around 2:45 in the afternoon on a 19 hour flight. I love flying. 19 hours won't bother me! When I flew to Africa, it was a 20 hour flight . . . and I never even got up out of my seat once the whole time! Since then, I have become more educated on the importance of walking around during long flights to prevent blood clots . . . so I'm much better about that now :-)
I will try to update whenever I can. But you'll probably have better luck following us on the Hume International blog.
Go to humeinternational.org then click "thailand" from the column on the right.
Pray for us!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Snow!
It's snowing right now! I love it. I've been looking forward to snow since about July. It won't stay right now . . . but it's still fun.
And it's a weird thought, that right now it's snowing and in just over a week I'll be in the 90 degree, humid weather of Thailand.
Speaking of Thailand . . . I still need about $500 to cover the cost of the trip . . . that I will have to pay out of my pocket this week if I can't raise the support.
Trusting God to provide . . . and let me know if you'd like to help ;-)
And it's a weird thought, that right now it's snowing and in just over a week I'll be in the 90 degree, humid weather of Thailand.
Speaking of Thailand . . . I still need about $500 to cover the cost of the trip . . . that I will have to pay out of my pocket this week if I can't raise the support.
Trusting God to provide . . . and let me know if you'd like to help ;-)
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