thien beach.

Week 8.  I guess you could say I kept myself busy.  I...

Went to Chinatown with Austin Roberts.  It was kind of a lame.. just like any other market, except harder to navigate (if that is possible).  But it was good to spend the day with a friend, and the boat ride was nice.  And I rode a tuk tuk (a three-wheeled open-air taxi) for the first time.

Got a syphilis test for my visa.  Thai hospitals are much more legit than I imagined.  Don't worry, it came back negative.  ;)

Read the entire book: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Thoroughly enjoyed/made a fool of myself at Grapevine's 1st semi-annual Talent Night, in which I performed an interpretive dance to Pocahontas' own  "Colors of the Wind."  Un-rehearsed, mind you.  Unless you count all those times I danced around my living room to this song during college....

Won an Uno tournament at language school.

And got a sunburn.  But, the sunburn was well worth it, because I was with DANA Bruxvoort at the BEACH on an ISLAND!!!!!!!!!  It was a beautiful and much needed time to be filled with joy again. :)

And the photo of the week?  The island, of course.

Thien Beach.  On Koh Lam (Coral Island) off the coast of Pattaya, Thailand.

light.

Week 7.

Chiang Rak.  The road I live on.  At sunset on a (surprisingly) NOT rainy day.  Taken with my iPhone.

I didnt take very many pictures last week.  In fact, the four pictures I took of this sunset on my phone are all I have to document that I actually existed last week.  ....Okay, maybe there are other forms of documentation.  Moral of the story, I was busy.  On Thursday, we had a flashmob on campus to promote a talent night event we have coming up.  I was in the flashmob, so I dont have any pictures.  I was busy finishing up language school until Friday, then Saturday I went to Chinatown with Austin.  Dont get too excited-- Chinatown kinda sucked.  It was just like any other market, but not really as cool.  The coolest part of the day was the boat ride, which I have already done/taken pictures of.

I do like the sunset picture, though.  I love this kind of light.  The blinding, warm kind that makes everything glow.  The clouds look like something Aubrey Balk would paint.  And anything that reminds me of Aubrey is well worth a week's blog post. :)

Some verses on light:
John 1:5  "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it."
Genesis 1:3-4  "And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness."
Romans 13:12  "The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." 

Chiang Mai

Week 6.

This past weekend, I took a trip to the popular city of Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand with my friends.  Chaing Mai is known for its peaceful city beat, beautiful mountains, and cooler weather.  It is a city teeming with culture and beauty.  There is a modern urban population with lively markets, public transport and fancy hotels, but nestled in the mountains, there are also people who still live an older, simpler way of life.  Blanketed by ever-morphing, misty clouds, the mountain communities are quiet and still.  It was hard to believe that I was still in the same country.

It was a great weekend.  We visited some hot springs that spew out water at about 220 degrees Fahrenheit year round.  We stuck our feet into the hottest part of the stream allowed.  It was so relaxing.  We went to a night bazaar/market, which was much more enjoyable than the weekend markets of Bangkok, and we stayed at a nice hotel with air conditioning and a hot shower.  We visited a mountaintop temple and a quiet mountain community with beautiful gardens at the top of the mountain.  We also went to an elephant sanctuary, but it had just closed.  Luckily, there were some elephants who just so happened to be walking down the road (getting off work I suppose...).  And, one of the best parts, we got to ride a sleeper train there and back.  They don't move very quickly, but you can open the windows to let the fresh air in... a much appreciated feature after breathing in the pollution of Bangkok for six weeks.  I read the entire first Harry Potter book on the way there.  :)

the perch.      If I ever own a coffee shop, it will be called The Perch and it will have live chicken mascots.  These guys are my favorite.  This picture makes me laugh every time I see it, so, I decided to choose it as my actual 'picture of the week.'  I love it.  :)

I also decided to make a collage since there were so many awesome pictures from the weekend.  The one of the rice field was taken from the train, 4 were taken at the temple (wat), one from the hot springs, one from the mountain village, and my favorite one I took of the elephant.  :)

beginning of journey.

Week 5.

Since I started language school three weeks ago, I have not spent much time on Thammasat's camups.  Its a shame because I really enjoy the campus.  It is tropical and peaceful and clean.  There are huge lizards that walk all over the place.  The corridors and walkways quietly echo the laughter of students riding by on their cruiser bikes.  College life for Thai students seems to be a bit more slow-paced than for American students (well, Truman students at least).  At most times of the day, it is a relaxing place.

On Tuesday, I took a trip to the campus post office to mail a letter.  As I walked quietly through the campus, I was thinking and praying about humility.  Loving others, serving them, honoring them, becoming nothing before God, letting Him be ALL.  ...whew...  Hard stuff.  The main question on my heart:  "how, God?...  how am I supposed to remain steadfast in righteousness?..." 

Then I walked past a large, open, covered courtyard-type area with painted picnic tables.  There are many of these outdoor seating/eating/gathering areas all over Thammasat.  Every year, each new class of freshman in each faculty (major/school of study) paints over the table of the class that just graduated.  It makes for a very colorful campus. :)  One of the tables caught my eye...

Beginning.  [taken with my iPhone]

 

So, the English is not so good...  but you get the coolness of it, right?  God's answer to my "how" question... "Well, it's a journey.  But dont worry, my grace is sufficient for you."  The painting reminded me of the David Crowder song "How He Loves."  "If his grace is an ocean, we're all sinking..."

God's love is not always gentle.  And the journey of faith is not always smooth-sailing.  Sometimes it is quite tumultuous... like hurricane-tossed waves, crashing onto land, bending trees over backwards.  It is violently beautiful.  But the good news is that the winds are winds of mercy, and the rain that pours down is the rain of grace.

I am reminded of Jesus' words:  "Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me."  John 14:21

first 4 weeks.

God's plan.

Week 1.  Sitting at a table on Thammasat University's campus, I absentmindedly removed my rings while lost in thought, surveying the tropical campus around me.  I looked down at the ring in my hand and was flooded with thankfulness and astonishment at what I saw there:  Thailand.  It was a moment when I knew that I was exactly where God wanted me... in His hands, following His plan and His purpose.

Victory Monument.

Week 2.  Victory Monument-- a downtown transportation hub in Bangkok.  Surrounding the 'round about there are hundreds of roadside stands.  You can get anything you need here: fresh fruit, fried food of any kind, clothes, shoes, McDonalds, rice, suction-cup toothbrush holders, jewelry, coffee... and most importantly for me, a ride back to Rang Sit where I live.

a helping hand.

Week 3.  As I walked from one language school to the next on a bright [read: hot] afternoon, I just couldn't resist taking this picture.  At first I walked by them, then turned around and came back.  There was a man standing at the bottom of the stairs who looked at me like I was crazy.... but I didnt care because its not like I will ever see him again.  What I like most about this picture is the situation.  I took this picture in a very wealthy section of town, right outside the some of the fanciest, biggest malls in the world.  This woman and her children (you can tell by the clothes) are definitely from the lower class.  When I look at this picture, I wonder what their stories are... how they live, what the children's lives will be like....

feedin time.

Week 4.  If you know me, you know how I love animals.  And communicating with them.  :)  These guys were great.  They made me smile.  At least, until I walked a little further down the street and saw a dead body lying in between some railroad tracks.  There were police all around. People yelling, pointing, taking pictures...  I was just walking along, taking pictures of pigeons.  And a man died.  Sh*t just got real... real, real.  The rest of my walk back to the van at Victory Monument was filled with prayers for the city of Bangkok.  There is darkness all around...

dedication.

This blog was created for and dedicated to my two lovely friends, Aubrey Balk and Meegan Hand.  Life is an adventure and we have decided to document that adventure together via photography.  So, each week, I will be posting at least one photo with a short description.  Meegan and Aubrey are also supposed to be taking at least one picture a week as well.  I am no good at photography, but it is an artform I have always admired.  My camera: a Panasonic Lumix TZ4.  I will try to select photos for the blog that I think capture my perspective.  I will also try my hand at photo-editing, which I know nothing about.  Ideas and advice are welcomed. :)  Enjoy!