A night on the town...

Saturday night, all four of us (Damaris, Danielle, Phet and I) living in the Volunteer House dressed and prepared for a night on the town. We walked down to the Baan Duu market, crossed the Super highway, and hitched a ride on the Tsong Dao (sp?) into the bus station and then walked around downtown for the evening.

Our first stop was for water and iced coffee. Then on to more shopping, we visited the Puma and Adidas store, Boots (a British pharmacy/beauty store - where you can get any pharmaceuticals and self-medicate), and many other shops having a perfect girly evening.

For dinner, we ate at DaVinci's Italian Eatery, which was delicious. While eating, we happened to run into a group of girls going to a free concert at a local hotel. The Chiang Rai Youth Orchestra was playing, and they invited us to go with them. Since all four of us didn't want to go, we split and Phet and I went to the concert while Damaris and Danielle went to the night bazaar. The concert was beautiful, bringing tears to my eyes several times. One of the last songs they played was from the movie, Mulan, called Reflections, which is one of those heart songs for me and was a sweet kiss to hear in a country where I've found little in common.

After the concert, Phet and I caught up with the others at the night bazaar. If you haven't been to a night bazaar, there are loads of streets lined with lighted paper Chinese lanterns...it's like the Farmers Market times a thousand. There are millions of little shops all full of handicrafts or food or both. You can bargain with them (if you speak thai or have a friend with you that speaks thai - thanks to Phet) and get a lower price. So if any of you want anything like Thai pants, lamps, wooden animals, bedding, purses, clothes, jewelry...really anything, let me know!! It is so ridiculously cheap here. Before I came here, I bought Thai fisherman pants in Manitou for $30. Last night, I bought four pairs for 700 baht, which is $14...for comparison.

I can honestly say, the friends I am making here with my housemates has made this transition so much easier. They are the most wonderful group of girls, and it's amazing how quickly you bond when you don't speak the language here, you are thrown into a very intimate setting and are forced to unite in order to make sure you get home or to the place you want to be at. We have shared heart stuff pretty quick and are much the closer for it. So for those of you praying about friends, I thank you. God has been faithful and will continue to be.

Since today is Sunday, I'll tell you about church. I go to Baan Athitaan Church, which is both Thai and English. It is a sweet place where the Lord's presence is felt, especially during worship. The first Sunday I had a hard time getting into the worship songs I used to sing growing up, but was quickly wooed by the Spirit of the Lord and the love of these people for Him. I cannot resist Him nor seeing His love in others. We all eat together after, which is AWESOME!! I love it...the communal nature of the Thais is how I always want to live my life. I am learning so much.

Night and blessings on you!! Kaa poon kaa! Sa wat dee kaa! Thank you and good night!