Hello all,
I'm pretty sick - had to go to the doctor yesterday for antibiotics for tonsillitis - couldn't swallow or turn my head and my left throat gland and tonsil are huge - LOTS of fun, let me tell you! I have to rest for 3-5 days which means no teaching. :-( Sad. Sigh. A number of the kiddos are sick too.
One side benefit though... a friend called from Phuket (Shirley's brother) and I will be going to Phuket to stay in a nice bungalow for several days. AND... there is a restaurant serving a huge Thanksgiving buffet for the local expats so... if I'm feeling up to it I'll get to have Turkey dinner tonight with some Americans! YAY!! And then sleeping... and sleeping... and sleeping... no rest for the wicked! *chuckle*
Love to you all and Happy Turkey!!
Sawat-dee ka!
ps... Please don't worry about the Bangkok demonstrations and things going on there. I'm safe and doing okay.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Thanksgiving
Hello all,
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I hope you are surrounded by friends and the people you love. Thanksgiving and Christmas are my favorite holidays so I am regretting not being home... okay a little! I do love Thailand and Nepal was wonderful so I'm glad I've taken this opportunity even though it means I won't spend the holidays with all of you.
Please eat extra turkey and potatoes and pumpkin pie for me. SIGH. That's the best part... overeating!
Because I won't be able to share my gratitude in person...
I'm thankful for all of you - my family and friends and for the opportunities in my life. I'm thankful I have my health and education and for the ability to work. I'm thankful that I'm a US citizen - for the good and the bad. I'm thankful for this opportunity to travel and volunteer. I'm thankful for the love I receive and give both here and at home. You are gifts in my life. Thank you for being part of my life and for sharing this with me.
And Dylan, this one's to you! It's an "OMG my girlfriend's off her rocker!!" moment so advance warning provided...
I'm also thankful that I'm not vegetarian... I'm thankful that I can eat and ENJOY eating turkey! For those who do not eat meat... I apologize for any offense ... but Turkey day would NOT be Turkey day for me with tofu turkey. My hat is off to those of you who choose to do this because I've considered (well maybe remotely considered) being vegetarian but I draw the line. TURKEY is not to be given up for any reason. Those of you who do eat turkey, please enjoy some extra pieces for me! I'll be drooling from Thailand and thinking of how to best enjoy it next year. Hmm, maybe I'll celebrate twice. Oh... and that reminds me... it would probably be hard to give up the Christmas ham as well. Sigh! Another meat eating holiday I can't enjoy at home! Oh well... yes ... I'm still a meat eater and probably will be next year too. Sorry Dylan! :-) (And Scott... and, and, and... ) :-)
Happy Thanksgiving and much love. Enjoy your turkeys ... tofu and all!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I hope you are surrounded by friends and the people you love. Thanksgiving and Christmas are my favorite holidays so I am regretting not being home... okay a little! I do love Thailand and Nepal was wonderful so I'm glad I've taken this opportunity even though it means I won't spend the holidays with all of you.
Please eat extra turkey and potatoes and pumpkin pie for me. SIGH. That's the best part... overeating!
Because I won't be able to share my gratitude in person...
I'm thankful for all of you - my family and friends and for the opportunities in my life. I'm thankful I have my health and education and for the ability to work. I'm thankful that I'm a US citizen - for the good and the bad. I'm thankful for this opportunity to travel and volunteer. I'm thankful for the love I receive and give both here and at home. You are gifts in my life. Thank you for being part of my life and for sharing this with me.
And Dylan, this one's to you! It's an "OMG my girlfriend's off her rocker!!" moment so advance warning provided...
I'm also thankful that I'm not vegetarian... I'm thankful that I can eat and ENJOY eating turkey! For those who do not eat meat... I apologize for any offense ... but Turkey day would NOT be Turkey day for me with tofu turkey. My hat is off to those of you who choose to do this because I've considered (well maybe remotely considered) being vegetarian but I draw the line. TURKEY is not to be given up for any reason. Those of you who do eat turkey, please enjoy some extra pieces for me! I'll be drooling from Thailand and thinking of how to best enjoy it next year. Hmm, maybe I'll celebrate twice. Oh... and that reminds me... it would probably be hard to give up the Christmas ham as well. Sigh! Another meat eating holiday I can't enjoy at home! Oh well... yes ... I'm still a meat eater and probably will be next year too. Sorry Dylan! :-) (And Scott... and, and, and... ) :-)
Happy Thanksgiving and much love. Enjoy your turkeys ... tofu and all!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Catchin' the 8:pm bus to Takua Pa!
No it's not a midnight train to Georgia - yay! Georgia the country or Georgia the state! :-) Kind of enjoying Thailand thank you! Especially after Nepal. Thailand is like living in luxury after Nepal! Although there are many things I loved about Nepal and I actually am sad that part of my trip is over. I really enjoyed it!
I ended up getting to the bus station 4 hours early cuz I couldn't remember what time it left... I'm looking forward to being back at the school and seeing all the kids and staff. AND we have 4 new volunteers which is wonderful so I can't wait to meet them as well.
Love and hugs to you all.
Joyann
I ended up getting to the bus station 4 hours early cuz I couldn't remember what time it left... I'm looking forward to being back at the school and seeing all the kids and staff. AND we have 4 new volunteers which is wonderful so I can't wait to meet them as well.
Love and hugs to you all.
Joyann
Thursday, November 20, 2008
A girly moment
OMG OMG OMG... I fit into a pair of Thai pants!!! WOW! I'm SO excited. After trekking for a month and wearing nothing but ugly trekking pants (that are now faded and stained and mismatched...) and the occasionaly lungi (Nepali word for sari), I finally have a pair of regular pants! I have yet to fit the jeans but...
And I bought lip gloss and pink, blue, red and green nail polish and a pretty shirt... I'm tired of looking like a backpacker! I lost about 4 kilos/10 lbs hiking. Darn hard work... I was hoping the scale would say I was 20 lbs less! :-P Ah well. Cest la vie. Mai ben rai ka.
Cheers!
And I bought lip gloss and pink, blue, red and green nail polish and a pretty shirt... I'm tired of looking like a backpacker! I lost about 4 kilos/10 lbs hiking. Darn hard work... I was hoping the scale would say I was 20 lbs less! :-P Ah well. Cest la vie. Mai ben rai ka.
Cheers!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
News
It's funny what being out of contact can do. I have a craving for news and information about home and the world. I'm not normally a news junky but the past few days I've been scouring newspapers and even bought the Economist. I also want to understand country development and learn more about a couple human rights issues. I'm finding I want to read and read and read. Fiction, non-fiction, news, documentaries...
When I was in Nepal, the elections took place on the day or two I was crossing the Thorang La Pass. I found out through an Israeli at dinner that night that Obama won the election. Strange feeling, getting important news about the USA while I'm remote in Nepal from another tourist who's not from my country... and learning it from an Israeli.
Traveling before, during and after the elections was interesting because so many people would ask me what I thought about the elections and who should win and why. Most of the people I spoke with hate George Bush and want to know why the US elected him twice. They say, "most of the Americans they've met traveling didn't vote for him... so who did?" All but one person I've met in my travels were in support of Obama. I won't tell you where I side on this - only my observations. I find it incredibly interesting how many people were paying attention to what was happening in US politics and that they had strong opinions about what the US is doing. Many seem to think that the "great empire" of the US is in decline and has been for a bit and that China will be the leader in the not so far off future - perhaps they already are.
Lots to think on, lots to learn.
When I was in Nepal, the elections took place on the day or two I was crossing the Thorang La Pass. I found out through an Israeli at dinner that night that Obama won the election. Strange feeling, getting important news about the USA while I'm remote in Nepal from another tourist who's not from my country... and learning it from an Israeli.
Traveling before, during and after the elections was interesting because so many people would ask me what I thought about the elections and who should win and why. Most of the people I spoke with hate George Bush and want to know why the US elected him twice. They say, "most of the Americans they've met traveling didn't vote for him... so who did?" All but one person I've met in my travels were in support of Obama. I won't tell you where I side on this - only my observations. I find it incredibly interesting how many people were paying attention to what was happening in US politics and that they had strong opinions about what the US is doing. Many seem to think that the "great empire" of the US is in decline and has been for a bit and that China will be the leader in the not so far off future - perhaps they already are.
Lots to think on, lots to learn.
Bangkok
I'm back in Bangkok at my favorite guest house, Asha Guest House. I'll be here another day or two. I'll take a night bus to Takua Pa either Friday or Saturday night.
I'm now reachable by e-mail and phone.
Love and hugs,
Joyann
I'm now reachable by e-mail and phone.
Love and hugs,
Joyann
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Today
Hello all,
Nothing exciting to report other than I fly to Bangkok today. I leave Kathmandu at 3:30, have a layover in Bangladesh for a few hours (yay! I was able to change this to the same day so I don't have to stay the night) and I arrive in Bangkok about midnight).
I will miss Nepal - I'm a little sad to leave! Although I am looking forward to getting back to Yaowawit and the children. I've missed everyone there but... sigh... Nepal has been really wonderful.
I'm still sick. Spent much of yesterday in bed and ended up not going to see one of the best views in the world this morning because I'm still sick. I would have had to get up at 4:00 am to make the 1.5 hour drive to Nagarkot (sp?). Sigh. That would have been nice but that's okay. I've seen and met some amazing people.
I did get to see the Monkey Temple yesterday which was really cool but I didn't stay long.
I'll be able to post pictures once I'm back at the school where it doesn't cost me anything to download them to my computer.
I hope your Thanksgiving plans are going well - I'm in "Turkey Day Envy" as this is one of my favorite holidays!
Much love and hugs to you.
Joyann
Nothing exciting to report other than I fly to Bangkok today. I leave Kathmandu at 3:30, have a layover in Bangladesh for a few hours (yay! I was able to change this to the same day so I don't have to stay the night) and I arrive in Bangkok about midnight).
I will miss Nepal - I'm a little sad to leave! Although I am looking forward to getting back to Yaowawit and the children. I've missed everyone there but... sigh... Nepal has been really wonderful.
I'm still sick. Spent much of yesterday in bed and ended up not going to see one of the best views in the world this morning because I'm still sick. I would have had to get up at 4:00 am to make the 1.5 hour drive to Nagarkot (sp?). Sigh. That would have been nice but that's okay. I've seen and met some amazing people.
I did get to see the Monkey Temple yesterday which was really cool but I didn't stay long.
I'll be able to post pictures once I'm back at the school where it doesn't cost me anything to download them to my computer.
I hope your Thanksgiving plans are going well - I'm in "Turkey Day Envy" as this is one of my favorite holidays!
Much love and hugs to you.
Joyann
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)