Greetings Friends and Fam!!
I just got back from a terrific trip to Thailand!! You may remember, it was almost one year ago that I went to the exact same place!

OH, Thailand is truly a idyllic, dream location... I SOOO recommend it! The month of August at my school in Korea was the intensive term. AKA EARLY mornings, LONG hours, the exact same students EVERY day, ... So this trip was my chance to let go of the stresses of work and life in Korea. I chose to have NO schedule on this trip. Just RELAX time!

HIGHLIGHTS!

COOKING CLASS! I learned how to cook such delicious delicasies as Som Tum (Papaya Salad) , Tom Jud Tang Gwa Yad Sai (stuffed cucumber soup), Gang Ped (Red Curry with Chicken)

MASSAGES! I spent most of my time tootling around, sitting in cafes, just enjoying the relaxed culture of Thailand. I got several massages, and they were heavenly!

JAZZ! There was a little bar just down from my hotel where they had live music every night. It was so good!! I wish I had spent more time there. While I was basking in the cool blue of the moment, there was a group of foreigners who were having a great time, dancing up a storm! It turns out they were Polish and Russian massage therapists. They were in Thailand to study the art of Thai massage.

TOUR! I went on a day trip to the border and saw Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle... The place where Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos meet on the Mekong River.
We also got to visit the hilltribes... the primative tribes of people who live in the hills. The people know only one word in English, "HELLO!"
They have big stalls of touristy things to buy, and they would motion for us to come see their things, saying "hello, HELLO! Mr., HELLO!" I think the situation of the hiitibes is quite sad. According to Lonely Planet, "Hill tribes tend to have among the lowest standards of living." Because they are nomadic, the Thai government denies them citizenship, so they don't have a right to own land, or receive health care and schooling. I tryed to talk to them, but their English ability is limited to "Hello!" They see me merely as an exotic foreigner with money.

My time spent alone in reflection allowed me to really seek and plan for the next phase of my life. In a few months I will finish my contract in Korea and I must choose what is next. I have an opportunity to continue working for my current school, at their campus in Beijing, China! My contract ends in February, and I would stay in Beijing for three months.

There are also programs in Thailand to teach English! Maybe I could live there after Korea!

I also visited a YWAM base in Chiang Mai. Many of you know that m1ssions is very close to my heart. Being at the base revived my desire to be part of that. Maybe I could go back into that after Korea.

Of course there are benefits and drawbacks to all options. I will have to do lots of research, consideration and pr@ying about it!

How are you? I miss all of you tremendously! Write to me! Let me know how I can be pr@ying for you!

~:)