CHARGE!

So many things….where to begin? My life is crazy. My schedule is crazy. But there are a few things I’d like to discuss.

First of all, I was charged by water buffalo. Angela and I were driving to a small food stand on our village road, and as we were nearing the woman’s house who owns the stand, several water buffalo residing in a nearby field came charging towards the car. I don’t panic often…in fact, I haven’t really panicked in awhile. But I’m not gonna lie, when I came to the realization that these water buffalo had no real intention of moving out of our way, I suddenly lost all mental control and thought that a cow was going to be the reason I have an obituary in next week’s Pantagraph. To say that I regretted drinking so much water during the day at that moment is an understatement. Luckily, we survived due to some swerving as well as Divine Power. ;) These “chattle” as I like to call them were shortly followed by a small Thai man running with a cigarette in his mouth, chuckling as he went. Interesting…and only in Thailand.

Secondly, mole hairs. Yeah, you heard me. Mole hairs. I noticed that an elderly Thai man had a single black hair growing out of his mole, and I had no choice but to ask him why. He spoke Thaiglish, as I call it, which is a mixture of Thai and English, and said that Thai men believe it is a sign of good luck and wisdom to have a long black hair growing out of one’s mole. WOW. He said that some have grown over a foot long. Can you imagine? I have now set on a quest….I am rubbing Miracle Grow on any mole found on my body, and we’ll see the good fortune it brings.

Thirdly, Thailand does not have many cemeteries. They don’t believe in burials, the Buddhist people believe in cremation….and they also believe in cremation aiding reincarnation. Now, this is oh so interesting because what I thought was a miniature temple next to Wat Mae Guayang Pbay, the temple that our street is known for, is actually a huge oven in which bodies are placed and burned. I checked it out yesterday, and couldn’t believe it! It’s a massive oven, and there are pews placed outside of it for people to watch. Now this is a common practice that isn’t given a second thought in Thailand, but I was mesmerized by it. I couldn’t imagine watching a loved one of mine being placed in an oven and set on fire, dead or not! Craziness! I am blessed to know where I’m going when I die, and to know that how I’m taken care of after I’m dead makes no difference, I’ll already have spent quality time with my Father. J

Fourthly, I can’t remember. I know that there was something of importance, and for the life of me I wish I could remember, but I can’t. But I will. Soon, I will, and I will let you know. Oh! Exciting news though….two girls joined our team today at work! No longer just me and the guys, but now two very nice girls who I enjoy. What a blessing! I also had some visitors these past few days working with me with the videos, media, etc., because they’re film-makers from Paris, France doing a documentary on human rights abuse in Asia. It’s a great film, and I enjoyed meeting them. Well, off to bed. I have a busy day tomorrow, and a lot of Thai to learn. All of the months, in fact. So far I know that I was born on yii-sip-hok, duan Singhakhom. (the 26^th of August.) Good times ahead. I miss my Illinoisans, I do.