Sawatdii Pii May 2550 Kha!!! (Happy New Year 2007!!!)

I'd have to write a book to tell you about the last few days with my mom visiting. So, this is going to be more of a picture tribute to save you and I both a little time. I've done enough shopping and translating for a least a few months (unless someone else wants to visit me.... I could handle more!).

We visited the flower show.... it's a three month expo in honor of our King. There are gardens that represent countries all over the world. Supposedly it takes about 6 hours to walk around to see everything..... we lasted about 1 and a half hours.

Our waterfall experience from the beginning of the week didn't stop us from visiting more! Mom stayed a little further from the water this time, but we had a blast. This waterfall was on our way to Doi Inthanon (the tallest mountain in Thailand).

Here we are at "the" highest spot in Thailand----- there were three of these signs around this area. This was actually the lowest of the three signs. My roommate's mom has been in town too---- our moms together are a hoot!

While looking out over the fog---- the mountains were in there somewhere---- we met these fun Thai friends. They wanted a picture with us b/c we all had light color hair. I think we took about 25 pictures.... it was hilarious. Don't let the Thais with poofy coats, hats, and scarves fool you. It was about 70 degrees up there.... no joke... usually it's colder so we were prepared with our sweatshirts.... but they definitely weren't necessary this winter season.

A little bit further down the mountain we stopped for a picnic lunch near this wat (temple). There were two relic wats here.... my mom has counted every step this trip since I keep making her go up mountains. We were probably around step number 577 at this point.
Our view from Doi Inthanon where we had our fun picnic:
The next day we went to a traditional Northern Thai dinner.... yummy..... while eating with friends we enjoyed watching traditional Thai dancing and music. Supposedly, my mom had flashbacks from doing some stick dance in PE as a kid. She even demonstrated for us. She could so be a Thai dancer.
The next day we took a trip down south a ways to get out of the city. Along the way we went through small towns and villages and rice patties--- now turned to onion fields during the rice off-season.
Here is a something amazing---- my mother was coaxed into walking across this bamboo bridge with Sharon. She felt like Indiana Jones. Besides the fact that the river is far far below, the bridge sways when you walk. But, it was the only way to reach our elephant rides in the jungle!!! I was super proud of my hard core momma!

My second elephant ride in Thailand was soooo fun! MOSTLY, because I got to ride on the HEAD of the elephant. That's right.... after talking to our driver for a little while in Thai, he let me switch places with him. It was actually a lot more comfortable than the chairs.

My mom told me every day she was here.... "Brooke, I'm serious.... I'm not riding an elephant." Oh, she did. Then she would say, "Brooke, really.... I do NOT want to ride down the river on a bamboo raft." Oh, she did. I told you she is hard core.

(i'll have to put up bamboo raft rides pics later..... it was so fun, the river was beautiful and freeeeeezing cold...... we were wet from the waste down..... there are no sides to these 2 person rafts..... my boat-riding buddy and i only fell half way in the water one time. have i convinced you to visit Thailand yet?!?!)

We are such fun little tour group! I told my mom that it's fun being a tourist in a place where I normally just do things like work, buy groceries, sleep.... you know.... normal life.

Surprise.... this day we visited another waterfall. Thai people are extremely hospitable and kind... these guys offered for us to join their picnic and eat their food! That's not an everyday offer where I come from.

The next stop of the day was a visit to a Karen Village. The Karen people technically are not Thai citizens.... they are a displaced people living in a country they aren't allowed to call home. I LOVED this place. The kids were absolutely precious. They ran around trying to sell us necklaces they had made for 5 baht (about 10 cents).
We brought a some snacks, milk, pencils, and crayons for the kids that live in this village---- there are about 20 kids there. Here's a precious boy laughing all the way up the road as he drinks his milk. I have never seen a child more excited or guzzle down a drink so fast!
This is the oldest lady in the village---- smoking beatlenut.
Passing out dinsaw (pencils) to the kids...

In the midst of all these events pictured above, throughout the week we ate lots of different food and went shopping at every kind of market and factory/export store you can imagine.

The last evening of my mom's visit was New Year's Eve!!! We celebrated entering the new year of 2550... and you thought we were just 13 hours ahead of you.... ha! It's a new decade, baby! We celebrated skipping 543 years by floating off Thai lanterns with the thousands of other people in the middle of the city. It was joyous!

Noise filled the air as we shopped among the street venders, watched the performaces on the jumbo-tron, drank coffee in Starbucks with a ton of other tourists, and talked to friends. Our night on the town ended with a bomb threat..... nothing happened here, but it did in Bangkok.... the rest of the night's events were cancelled and we went home to watch fireworks and bring in the new year!

My mom and I met these sweet girls while we took a break from shopping.... I exhausted my Thai song skills with them and then we bought them each a doll for New Years from one of the venders.

Currently Bev is flying in the air..... on her way to Tokyo and then on home. It was great to have my mom visit!!!! (Anyone else is welcome... hint, hint. Save those pennies!) I hope yall enjoyed your New Year festivities!!! I love you guys and will be praying for you this year.

"[Your] help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps." Ps. 121:2-3

We are not protected by anything created, but by the Creator of everything. As the Creator of the universe pursues you this year, I pray your heart may be open to all He wants for you in 2007.

Suk San Wan Christmas!

Warning: I'm just slightly long-winded this time.... so be prepared.... or maybe just come back later when you have time to read it all! :)

This past weekend has been jam packed holiday fun!!! I went to a Christmas party at North Chiang Mai University where some of my Thai friends attend. A bunch of people from my company got together with Campus Crusade and a Christian group at the University to share Christmas with the Seniors of the University. The party lasted all morning long.... complete with games, caroling, food, skits, a tae kwon do performance (not really xmas related), some face mask dance (again, no idea), sharing traditional Christmas activities, and reading the Christmas story. Due to the fact that the majority of the students are Buddhist, they have never celebrated Christmas before. A lot of them thought Christmas was Santa's birthday. It was great to be able to openly share the true meaning of Christmas with the entire Senior class.... and have lots of fun in the process! Here are a few of my friends at the party:


Campus Crusade Staff made those Thais crack up with their funny skits:The next day my mom came to Chiang Mai to visit me for Christmas!!!!! YEA!!!! She brought two huge suitcases filled with wonderfully fun and yummy things I can't get over here. I think I have enough granola bars to last at least a semester. She is pretty wonderful to carry all that stuff all the way to Asia.... she's too good to me. Her first full day here we started off full speed. I drove her and 3 friends up Doi Suthep (a mountain here) to see the Buddhist temple, our King's vacation palace, and a waterfall. Here we are at the bottom of the nearly 300 step climb to the temple. Buddhists climb it for good merit.... we climbed it for good exercise. :)Here are my friends that went with us..... one of the MKs here and his two cousins who are visiting from the States. They're hilarious. We laughed until we cried. It was great. Here we're in the gardens of the King's palace.
Here's the front of the main part of the palace. We didn't get to go in..... but we had fun walking around the grounds.
Following the palace and temple we made our way back down the mountain to my favorite look-out point from the mountain. This is at a waterfall that overlooks my city. I've only been up there a few times---- and they were all during rainy season when the river was high and it was dangerous to go near the water. Well, being that we're now in cool, dry season the water is much lower. The mountain stream was only 2 feet across at some points. The friends with me wanted to go out and take pictures on the rocks... being that everything was dry, it sounded fine with me. So we walked out, took some pics and enjoyed the view. At this point we were about 20 feet from the drop off for the waterfall. Next they decided to cross the river b/c they wanted to take pictures from the other side. After crossing, one of them hit a slippery spot and fell into the rushing, cold mountain stream. When this happened, panic struck the rest of us. So the other one went in after the first one.... and fell into the water and was quickly pulled further downstream.... obviously this all happened in a split second. They were able to grap on to some brush to hold keep them from going over the edge. About a second after this happened I rushed over to them to help and slipped myself.... holding onto the rocks with my fingertips, I knew that if I moved any further, I'd slip into the water with them. I felt so helpless. Fear struck me as I yelled their names, praying they were alive and not hurt. In shock, neither responded immediately. Thankfully, a lady hiking near us saw everything that happened and rushed down to help. We all got out safely with only an elbow scratch and a few bruises. Praise the Lord!!! The picture of my friend spralled out on the rocks with ice cold water running over her and her fingertips holding on for dear life about 10 feet from the edge of an enormous cliff is forever imprinted in my memory. The Lord spared their lives that day.... I know He did. It was a great reminder of His power. I serve a mighty God who created beautiful, rushing waterfalls..... yet they are under His authority. While driving back into town with wet, muddy clothes and drenched cameras and after getting over the shock of it all---- I couldn't help but praise the Lord for being with us and protecting us. That night the Lord showed me how many people here are like my two friends... happily on their way in life.... thinking they're ok.... satisfied with life around them.... and in a moment they can be swept away. God is the one who is mighty to save. The Holy Spirit desires to work in the hearts of the unsaved here. I'm the one grasping the rock on the side---- I've fallen, yet the Lord has spared me from falling in the river..... sometimes I feel helpless and desire so much for these people to be spared from eternity in hell and yet, it's not up to me. I will continue to reach my arm out as far as the Lord allows. But, HE is mighty to save. He will rescue the perishing. I praise Him for the work here that He allows me to be a part of.

Christmas Eve we had a wonderful time with my house church. We met up with another house church for a candlelight service and singing. Next we ventured off to do some Christmas caroling around the neigborhood. It was so fun!!! Most of the Thais experienced caroling for the first time. I mean it is a bit odd----- you walk up do a random door, ring the doorbell and then people you don't know are singing songs you don't know in a language you don't know. But, then we added in our "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"--- in Thai. It was lovely. Next it was time for our Chinese gift exchange (which our token Chinese house church member had never heard of). I am now a proud owner of blue Thai fisherman pants (Sarah---- they're like the ones you wore to the airport to tell me good-bye).

Here's my friend Ekk---- I just added him b/c he's great and funny. He's a part of our church.
Christmas morning I opened presents with my mommy and Katie. We drew out our gift opening experience as long as possible. See our beautiful tree???

To make up for not putting my bad picture up on the last entry----- I'll have to put up the only pictures I took on Christmas Day----before we got ready for the day. We were so merry on our Thai Christmas morning. No snow---- but it was a bit chilly in the air!

After presents and then actually getting ourselves together, we went to our friend Mel's for an amazing Christmas breakfast. After breakfast I cooked Green Bean Casserole.... tasted like home. Then we had an aaaamazing Christmas meal with many friends at a family's home. It was great to be able to share this special time with friends here who aren't believers. Thanks to those who prayed for our time sharing with them!!! We played cards, talked about life, ate some more, and then watched last season's final Christmas episode of Grey's Anatomy.... good times. The night ended with a few of us going out for a Thai massage. It was a fantastic ending.

I think this might be the longest post in my blogging life. Goodness.... so much to tell!

I love you all and hope you are having a fabulous Christmas with family and friends. Suk San Wan Christmas to you!!!! May you end this year rejoicing in the birth of our Savior and praising our Almighty God for all He has done and has promised to do.

Emmanuel--- God with us.

Jesus--- our most precious gift.

Ho Ho Ho! It ain't gonna snow!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FRIENDS!!!

OK... so I know I look happy in this picture.... but really imagine me sad.

Sad and missing you... that is.

I tried doing one with a pouty lip and it just wasn't attractive. That was going to be the "I miss you" picture. But, I couldn't do it to myself.... it was pathetic and dumb looking.

I do miss ya'll and hope you're having a wonderful time with family and friends this lovely holiday season.

Supposedly we're in cool season now.

I even see Thais wearing sweaters.

I just don't get it.

I'm thinking maaaaybe it gets down in the upper 60s..... the highs have been in the 80s and 90s.
I miss the cold weather. I'm pretty sure I won't be seeing snow this year!

Gotta love the tropics.

Speaking of weather.... I encountered another "first" this past week. I've experienced many things for the first time in Thailand..... this time it was (drum roll please....)

An earthquake.

That's right... last week we had an earthquake. I was sleeping while it happened and apparently it didn't even phase me. It was a 5 on the Richter scale.... the only damage was some of the larger buildings like dorms and hotels. A few hotels were even evacuated. Oblivious to the rumblings, I was dreaming sweet dreams.



Happy news: My mom is coming to Thailand.... THIS FRIDAY!!! She'll be spending Christmas Thai style! I'm super excited. So, if you have any requests of things you want her to bring back, you just let me know. Since she's bringing over a boat load of things to me, she should have extra room in her suitcase going back.

Big ol' Bangkok

I spent the past 5 days of my life in a city of millions of people.... even though I probably didn't see millions of people, I saw enough. I went down there for a couple doctor appointments. I went a day early so I could spend more time with a friend from the States. It was so fun to hang out with her! Neither of us really knew our way around Bangkok... but she'd been there before and with my little bit of Thai, we made it just fine.

A couple that I know from training this summer took us around and we got to see some of this gigantic city. The skyscrapers are endless in all directions.... it's crazy! My absolute favorite part was the motorbike taxis. I'll explain... there are these guys with orange vests all over the city.... you tell them where you want to go..... they say ok.... you hop on the back of the motorbike.... and you're off! It's one of the fastest and cheapest ways to get places.... they would weave in and out of traffic quite nicely as I sat side-saddle, like a proper lady, holding my balance and whatever things I happened to have with me. My second favorite form of transportation there is the sky train.... like a subway in the air.... it's fast.... and you get to see the city!

Above you'll see a pic taken from our boat ride across the river to the beautiful Mariott hotel. We ate lunch at the hotel and checked out a wedding that was about to take place. It was gorgeous!

When I wasn't sitting in the waiting room at the hospital or lying in bed at the guesthouse, I got out a little... and this was enough to make me realize how much I love Chiang Mai. You'll just have to come and see for yourself. However, we did have fun... and Bangkok has many more fun things that we didn't get to do or see (that's my disclaimer for my friends who live in Bangkok and will read this).

Besides our trip down across the river, we did a little shopping at one of the markets who had this really fun outdoor food court.... complete with futbol on the big screens and live music.

We visited a new mall that has a ton of amazing stores with things I will never be able to afford. Along with all of the designer stores they had a few cars for sale. Since Goldie has trouble getting up the mountains around here, I thought I'd pick out a new one.... here she is:

Since Bangkok is even more humid and hotter than Chiang Mai, I tried to get my mind wrapped around the fact that it's now December. So.... I drove Santa's sleigh for a while. It was fun!
That about sums it up! Overall, it was a good time. I'm so grateful that my doctor appts went well..... since that was the point of going. (Hospital pics just aren't quite as fun blog material as the other random things.) Thank you so much to those who've prayed for me and encouraged me through all of it. I'm so grateful to the Lord for continuously providing for my needs. I praise Him for His faithfulness in my life over and over and over.