What can I possibly write about? I haven't been able to write because the blogging instructions were in Thai and I only just found the button that allows me to make a new post :).

Ach, my heart breaks. For the past two days I was teaching 12-14 year-old girls at the Wat Don Chan orphanage. Today I taught for an hour in the morning, and then we played games; one hour of teaching again, and then one hour of games. I brought elastics with me and we braided each other's hair, and later in the afternoon I started a soccer game in the field. I love the look on the boys' faces when they see a girl play soccer. I want to break this stereotype; usually they don't let me play unless I actually start the game.

The only people I have ever been frustrated with in Thailand are 'Farangs', foreigners. My TEFL instructor is from Florida and he drives me up the wall! After warning us all week about Thai time (I'm on time for everything for the first time in my life!), how administration is terrible, how some Asian countries don't hire employees unless they have studied or lived in America for a couple years, and how we have to be super flexible--- he takes the liberty to tell the four monks who single handedly run the orphanage of 700 kids who have all different dialects from different hill-tribes, and who have been orphaned by HIV Aids, that they have lost face (lost respect, etc- a very serious offense in Thailand), because the kids were half an hour late coming back from lunch (which was late because all the meals are donated by people in the village- not an overly reliable system). He called the taxis and we drove back to the University rather than teaching and playing for the rest of the day. Ach! The only flexibility I had to practice yesterday was giving grace to a pompous, power-hungry, hypocritical Farang. And then having to listen to the older men in my class talk about Thai women, ach! Farangs drive me up the wall. Thais, I have no problem with and absolutely adore; the only people I clash with in this culture are those from my own side of the world.

Speaking of, I told my friend Ek last night that I wish I had dark skin so I wouldn't stand out; he said it is just because I am different. Farangs don't stand out in the city, but where I live on the backroads I stick out like a sore thumb! I feel like they look at me as though I managed to escape the nice confines of the tourist district... a place I avoid like the plague! I have to be thankful that the colour of my skin gives me opportunities in Thailand that other don't have: the ability to talk to the wealthiest person as well as the poorest; in a hierarchical culture, it is definitely on my side to not fit into a defined part of the hierarchy.

Nevertheless, currently I am frustrated. Frustrated at my inability to communicate with Thais, and frustrated with my own culture. I have joined an advanced Thai class at the university to make myself work very hard to catch up in between classes. I almost know all my letters! I can buy a Thai/English dictionary when I know how to spell, as all the dictionaries I have seen don't have the Thai in phonetics (not very helpful).

Lastly, I have tried to explain to my Thai family that tomorrow is a holiday in Canada because we are so thankful for the harvest and the food that has grown, and that we celebrate with a big feast. I have told them that I will make a Canadian thanksgiving meal for them and the workers at the math school my family owns. When I explained this to my little brother Tung, he replied, 'I no eat! my arroy! no spicy!'... 'Tung, but I make it for you!', 'ok. I eat. but I put lots of spicy!'. Ohhh my. Haha, I'll let you know how it goes. :)

Blessings!!