Nearing the End

I'm sitting in the library, finishing up my take-home finals, and it hit me, i don't think i have ever written anything on the blog, or in my journal about school here. The reason i am here, and i've neglected to mention it completely. The only explanation i have, if you can call it one, is that i've been so buys soaking up the cultural experiences that i put the experiences that where at least in some fashion similar to my "normal" life, that i didn't find it interesting to divulge. But the fact is, majority of the experiences i have had that are cultural, i was able to do so by the people that i met at the campus. Especially Ajan Jim. I will miss her quite a bit, she is one of the most genuine people, caring, and very passionate about what she does. At the end of her last Thai class that i was auditing, dana and i gave her a classic, peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich. (there was one day that the three of us where teaching and Ajan mentioned she had never tried one) I couldn't believe how happy Ajan was, she was truly touched, surprised and in a way stunned that this was actually happening. She clasped her hands and brought them up under her chin like a little girl and gave us the biggest eyed look of happiness i have seen in quite a long time. I am very lucky to have met Ajan, she made my experience here. Classes, well what i say when most people ask me, Thailand is much more of a cultural experience than an academic one. However having said that, i feel the teachers where very knowledgeable about their subjects, and many passionate (some overly so) to the point where we jsut couldn't follow their train of thought. The cafeteria, now i wish we had that part back in st.louis, i'm telling you, fresh vegetables and fish cooked to order everyday, and always given to you with a smile! Not to mention you can get full from a dollar. But i have a feeling i'm going to be missing the flava in my dishes; i'm telling you, sauces, don't discount them. I know i'm going to get home and wonder if i was actually here at all. I'm already starting ot feel that way and i haven't even left yet. It seemed so long in the middle, but looking back, looking back. I dont' know how to describe it. True, it follows the cliche, but yet there is another intangible aspect. As if there is a fog over the last four months, already it seems a part of my distant past, a past i can't be sure i actually was a part of it was so surreal. Surreal, i guess that's the word i'm looking for. This certainly isn't my goodbye, but it's a taste of it. Shoot, i have 25 hours on a plane for that one, whooo baby!

Monks in Passing

i'm not sure what it is about this one, but i am kind of enthralled with it.

Reggae fest!

Well it's been a little dull around here this weekend in comparison to my last four weeks of escapades. Just reading by the pool and the ocean (a hard life, i know). But last night made up for it. who would have guessed that one of the top three music festivals in Thailand was at our very own, Hua Hin beach? It took about two hours to get there, on what would normally be about thirty minutes, because the traffic was so horrendous. Taxi's were charging an exorbitant amount for the ride too. Luckily we happened to snatch a green sorngtao (the converted trucks with seats in the back, the green ones are 10-20bhat per person [change!]) that wasn't jammed packed like all of the others, you'd see them go by and it looked like it was going to flip over backwards because there was so much weight in the back. Shuffling among a mass of people, we finally made it to the beach, big screen televisions adorned the shore. What was the dance floor? The OCEAN! I was up to my knees in water, and when waves rolled by, basically we were drenched from at least the waist down. And my friend Lwando was so nice in mentioning that we where probably dancing in the piss and vomit of everyone there...great, thanks for that one El! But you know what, it didn't matter, we were all having a great time grooving to reggae/ska...which apparently is really famous and well known for Thailand. I have to say it is significantly better than the other Thai music i have heard here.