...that's hello in Thia! i can't believe it but we have finally arrived in Khon Kaen, Thailand! because we traveled for over 40 hours, the past few days are honestly a blur. our first flight to Charlotte was delayed. i wasn't even surprised. our flight from Charlotte to New York went smoothly. once we got to New York however, we had a 6 hour layover at the JFK airport...which gave us some time to rest and look around the airport. our next flight, New York to Singapore was definitely a memorable one. it was 21 hours and by the time we got off the plane, i could barely walk because of my swollen ankles. i couldn't help but laugh. afterwards, our flight from Singapore to Bangkok, felt so short. we had an 8 hour layover at Bangkok so instead of sit around, jeff, a Thai friend of my team leader's, took us on a train to go to the a mall nearby. it was all very fascinating. i was so exhausted afterwards, but i boarded on our last flight to Khon Kaen, so anxious to finally be at the place where i would call home for the next two months. as soon as we landed in Khon Kaen, i had a plan to stand up and clap as loud as i could (those of you who know me know how i kinda like to clap occassionaly :)). i remember trying to get my body up as we landed but i could barely move i was so tired. that quickly changed however, when we arrived at the gates of Khon Kaen and were greeted by students and the Thai Campus Outreach staff. they embraced us with the biggest smiles on their faces. i instantly fell in love.
shortly afterwards we drove to our apartments and crashed. we woke up this morning and had breakfast (pork, sticky rice, and this fruit known as ngoh- all so delicious). then we had our orientation until noon, then went to the school caf where i had some fried rice and a mango smoothie, then went on a city tour. throughout the day, i tried to learn as much basic Thai as i could. Thai is so hard because it's all about the tone. but i've successfully mastered two phrases:
1) bong nam utnika?- where's the bathroom?
2) chan huey- i'm hungry.
my wonderful team!
we did a lot to entertain ourselves at the airport....like play ninja.
warm towels were always a favorite on the plane rides.
the way we were greeted...melted my heart.
fried rice and a mango smoothie- AROY aka delicious!
touring the city with my first friend, Aw!
everything's definitely different from back home but i'm exactly where i should be. i love these people already and i'm beyond excited about telling them about Jesus. thank you so much for your prayers. please continue to pray for our team and for our brothers and sisters here in Thailand. the Lord has so much in store, i can't wait to see it all gradually unfold.
-milc
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