I always seem to make somethin’ out of nothin’.

(I made a new friend right before I came to Thailand- and thanks to his reconciliation with the ‘ole Post Office, I am able to benefit from his terrific musical taste. Hi, Case! Thanks for the Vetiver- from whom I am stealing a lyric for today’s blog post.)

So I’ve learned quite a few things about myself while living in Thailand- one of them simply being that I’ve changed over the years- not only in hair color, age, and location, but also in some other ways. In residing with a few wonderful girls in college, who were much cleaner than I, I’ve adopted some of their ways of living. Girls (and parents), you’re not going to believe this, but I make my bed every morning, and I wash dishes immediately after using them. When this change occurred, I cannot be certain, but it has. In addition to cleanliness, I’ve become ridiculously organized- ask my co-workers. I make to-do lists like you wouldn’t believe. I practically make to-do lists about my to-do lists. So I’ve decided that whenever I haven’t an inspirational thought to offer (like now), I’ll just make a list. Are you down with this?

Today my list is a bit cliché- but nevertheless, it is as follows:

Top 10 Things I Love About Thailand
(in no particular order)

1. Fame: If you’re a foreigner living in Surat Thani, it’s the equivalent of having made several major motion pictures in the States. Everyone wants to say hello to you, tell you that you are beautiful, and sometimes they even want to take pictures with you. And no, it never gets old.

2. Smiles: The smiles you offer to friends and strangers alike are always reciprocated. It beats the whole ‘look away and act awkward’ response that is more common in the west.

3. The Wai: This is a greeting, and moreover a sign of respect- when you bring your hands in a bit of a prayer position near your chin, elbows in, and drop your head a bit. I never tire of the wai. It’s a beautiful tradition.

4. Good Eats: My staple Thai diet includes spicy papaya salad, cashew chicken, fried rice, shrimp tempura, and dragon fruit. Aroi, mai? (translation: delicious, no?)

5. Thai Kids: By this point I think I’ve made it abundantly clear that Thai children are fantastic, and I absolutely adore my job. Some of the coolest people I think I’ve ever known are Cartoon (age 4), Kong (age 4), and Boat (age 13). Boo yaw.

6. Breeze: A cool Thai breeze is a thing of great comfort and relief. There is absolutely nothing like waking up to a cool morning in this town.

7. My Ride: It’s orange, it’s quick, and it has a bell- that’s my bicycle! Oh, and I’m also saving the environment one day at a time. My Chevy is but a distant dream.

8. Time: Everything is slower in Thailand, and you end up with significant down time- whether you like it or not. Personally, I’ve finally been able to read some books, write some things, and learn some music. (I guess now I have no excuse for not updating my blog more often. Oops!)

9. Snail Mail: I love writing and I love receiving. It’s just that simple.

10. Perspective: Traveling half-way around the globe gives you some. You see the way other people live, how they survive, what they value, what they find joy in. It’s not always better or worse, it’s simply different. But alas, it changes you.

We’ll catch up in June, my friends. ‘Til then!

You can take the road that takes you to the stars.

Thank you, Jason, coolest boss of all time, who will probably never see this blog post- for your wonderful mix. Title comes from Nick Drake’s song, Road.

Okay- let us all take a moment to congratulate me- I’ve made it 4 months, people! Yesterday was my anniversary! Yes, I’ve been counting. At first a year seemed like such a very long time. But perhaps it’s not so long at all?

I’m finding that because I have this limited amount of time in Thailand, I check up on myself more often. Reflect more. For instance, tonight as I was journaling I tried to note the ways in which I’ve changed, the things I’ve learned in these past months. I’m certainly learning to be less anxious. I think I’m also learning to be less important. I’ve always been a bit of a social butterfly- and living in a small community has been hard for me. But I think I’ve finally embraced it. I may not have hundreds of friends here, and may not feel as ‘important’ as I do back home, but I’m finding that loving the few I’m surrounded with is incredibly valuable- in both my life and theirs. It reminds me of a quote my brother Clarke sent to me not too long ago, “It’s not necessary to be important, but it’s important to be necessary.” So in short, reflection. It’s good, it’s refreshing. Do it.

Additionally, as I had mentioned in my last post, I’m taking this time to really develop my goals and dreams. What more would I like to learn in Thailand? What more would I like to do? And the biggest question of all- what dream do I have for my life after Thailand? Dreams don’t come overnight I’ve found. They develop over time, don’t they? In my nutshell, I’d like to learn more Thai, I’d like to become a better teacher, and as I always hope to do, I’d like to learn to love God and love people better. As far as dreams go, if I’m honest, I haven’t got much of a clue. I’m passionate about children, justice, and peace. It’s taken a few years for these passions to develop, so I figure in the next moments, months, and years to come my dreams will become more concrete. I’m a big believer in dreams. They are something to hope in, something to move toward. Whether it’s the dream of writing a song, or bringing peace to an entire people, it’s believing in the possibility that drives us, makes us better, and brings us together.

So perhaps today you might reflect some. Check in. And dream!!

(Because you can never have enough pictures of the little ones!)

Dream catch me when I fall.

Hello, hello! I’ll have you know, this post finds me having just returned from a relaxing trip to Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. I am unashamed to admit that I spent a lot of my time there simply hanging out, eating good food, drinking good wine, and just enjoying a true ‘holiday’. I am beginning to understand why people in the ‘adult’ world long for their vacations!

What did I find in Chiang Mai? Well! I found myself in a mall the first day- I know it sounds boring, but it turned out to be a true case of culture shock. I had forgotten about all of the products and comforts of the western world that are unavailable in Surat Thani- but it seems many of them can be found in Chiang Mai! I was in awe of lip gloss that I would probably never buy back home, an Apple store, and a movie theatre that plays films in English! I saw X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Oh, am I far too easily pleased?

Don’t worry- I didn’t spend all of my days there- I found myself exploring Chiang Mia by bicycle, stopping at practically all of the wats (Buddhist temples) along the way. Chiang Mai is a clean, and in my opinion, hoppin’ city. I was even able to check out their University, with an art building not all that different from the Wex. For me, there’s nothing like an afternoon museum stroll. And oh, how I love finding hints of home in a country half-way around the world.

Let’s talk about elephants. The highlight of my trip was spending a day at Elephant Nature Park- where practically all of the elephants have been rescued from the hands of street begging and abuse. I spent the day in awe of these creatures, fed them, and even hopped in the river for a bath with them that afternoon. I think I cleaned approximately 2 feet by 2 feet of one of the elephant’s bodies- but at least I tried. Elephants are incredible animals, and my heart broke at the thought of the way so many of them are manipulated in Thailand. It’s interesting- because elephants are greatly revered here, but are equally abused and mistreated. How do we humans find ourselves in such predicaments? And it’s amazing to think that we have the capacity to manipulate such a large and intelligent creature. We as individuals are capable of so much, aren’t we? How and where will we direct all of our strength and energy? I’m finding that I want my time in Thailand to be time in which I decide just this- where would I like my dreams to take me, and how would I like to use my capacity as a human being to create change. I’m excited about this- and I’ll be sure to keep you in the loop!


Happy reading friends, and above all else, Happy Mother’s Day! I am grateful today because I have an incredible, strong mother whom I admire dearly. I will always stand behind the belief that my mom truly is the best in the world. I love you, mom! Thank you for always generously giving me strength, support, and an example of how to live passionately and deeply. Your character and beauty is beyond words, and you are SO missed. Muah!