as it begins

hello lovlies...

it is an overcast yet beautiful and hot day in chiang mai.

i got a chance to really sleep today which was wonderful and since i don't start working at the orphanage till

monday, i've had this weekend to settle in and get some rest.

yesterday was my start

of thai experiences. i bought a fruit called pomela for my frist breakfast, which is kind of like grapefruit but in my opinion, better. the morning was kind of lazy, just

stuck

photos on the wall in my room and watched "friends" with my

housemates.

[from r to l: my housemates hanna, camilla, mincahn, and sarah]

for lunch my housemates and i took a song-tow [basically a taxi] to their friend jasmine's house where she made us amazing thai food! it was absolutely delicious, and as i watched her cook i couldn't believe how easy it was to make. we had this soup that had a complicated name i don't remember and a stir fry lettuce called pah bong. jasmine was so welcoming and hospitable, she even carried an umbrella over my head as she walked us back out to the main road. granted, it was not from rain but to keep us from getting sunburned.

on every friday, my housemates go to dinner at the house of one of the women who works at the orphanage named jane. we rolled out mats and all sat on the floor as jane brought us about ten different little dishes of food that she bought at the market. i tried a little of everything and EVERYTHING was so good. it was a wonderful evening as we sat around talking about the difference in our cultures, like the many ways we all celebrate christmas and other things.

i've already started to learn a lot about thai culture from what my roommates tell me and it's really interesting to hear about their own cultures as well. it's weird talking to people who's first language is not english and having them ask me what certain words are. i never thought i'd be in that position but it gives me hope that as i start to learn thai, that even if i don't say things quite right, people will probably still understand me.

i can't wait to start work at the orphanage and meet the children. monday will be an exciting day.