Welcome Back!

This weekend we had a welcome back party for the beginning of the new semester at Payap. We invited all of the students we have been studying with and the church members and we were so excited to have around 20 people there. We had snacks and played English games and carved pumpkins. Most of them had never carved a pumpkin before and it was amazing to see the creative ways that they went about it. We had "Halloween in Love" and the old city skyline of Chiang Mai, just to show the diversity. We also announced our new way that we want to teach classes. It was becoming too difficult to keep up with 4 or 5 individual lessons a day all on different levels, so we are going to each offer a class twice a week and teach in a group setting. We are pumped about having more time to hang out with people and to have a more structured lesson each time.

Halloween in Love Team

amazing pumpkins!

Friday was the last day of Thai 1 for me and Amanda. We have learned A LOT and can understand more of what is going on around us now. Definitely not everything still. We're working on it. On the last day we had to give a presentation using everything we have learned so far including : introduction, family, time, daily activities, food, hobbies, and all using proper grammar. We both were amazed at how much we could actually say. Amanda wrote a skit that was hilarious and I helped her perform it in front of the class. It was a hit! Lately Mark and I have been learning to read and write with the help of some of our friends. We don't actually learn that until Thai 3 so I will just be ahead!

Our classmate Meri giving her presentation

Friday was also my birthday! In class one of the men brought me a bouquet of roses and the class sang to me. It was so sweet. I had one student that day, Wan, and she surprised me with a cake during our lesson! She has been coming faithfully 3 times a week and is improving in her English and now likes to hang out afterwards and meet new people. She is bringing her cousin to the new English class next week too! Amanda, Aun Aun, and I went to get massages after that and we got to practice our Thai with the massage ladies. It is really hard to think in Thai when you are being massaged to sleep. It was Aun Aun's first time and she loved it! That night we went to eat Mexican food at The Salsa Kitchen and it was so so amazing, the best I've had in Chiang Mai so far. It was good to celebrate with my friends and I was able to skype with my family in the morning to open presents they sent so it was an all around great birthday. Thanks to everyone!

Mexican food for my birthday

On Sunday all of the five churches in the area met again and we had a wonderful experience. The man who preached was from Alabama originally and talked very very fast so it was fun to watch P Glome from Bangkok try to translate while he was still talking. And it was fun to see my southern American life and my Thai life in such contrast and working together. After the church service we ate and then went to the Walking Water. It is so cool because you can walk on it because it has some mineral that makes it kind of like sandpaper so you don't slip at all. It was a great time of fellowship and we were excited that my student Aon came with us to church and the waterfall. It was her first time at church and I think she found it very interesting. She also helped decorate for the party and we played badminton this weekend. We are really enjoying getting to spend time we her and to connect her with our Thai friends here.

At the waterfall with Aon and Berm