It's been interesting being here in Bangkok. There are many people from all nations here helping out with the ministry here. Irish people, Americans, Philipino, Hmong ;), and of course Thai. So the subject line holds all the greetings in different languages.
As of now, I message you all from Ladkrabang (Lat Krabang, Thailand). Today will be my last day here. :'((( I am actually kind of sad/disappointed now that I think about it... but yes. Today is my last time here in this city at least. After an hour of teaching, we will have a mini thanksgiving dinner.
Anyhoo... here are some extra updates from me:
1. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Although I celebrate it today, I will also do it tomorrow on a larger scale at the actual Santisuk English School location.
2. Today was my last day of teaching my students from the main SES location. :'( I said my last goodbyes. I truly enjoyed my time with the students there. I will post pictures eventually!
3. I believe my body has FINALLY recovered from diarrhea!!! Wooooo!!!
4. Please pray for Sheng Her. She has an eye infection and will be staying behind in Bangkok to heal her eye in the hospital. Yesterday they finally found out what the bacteria was and they are targeting it with specific medicine. They will also be giving her medication to heal her cornea soon. So please pray for her!!!
5. I am kinda nervous because I will be giving my testimony this weekend. It will be interesting... I'll be doing it at a church service in SINGAPORE... and right after my testimony the Hmong students will be singing a Hmong song. :)
6. Speaking of Singapore, we leave Thailand/Bangkok on Friday around 7 AM. We will arrive in Singapore and stay there until early next Monday.
7. By Monday/Tuesday, we will be in Southeast Asia. Please pray for us as we are there....
8. I will not be able to update you all because there will be more limit on access to the internet.
9. I miss you all.
10. I am really tired.
11. I have to go.
12. I updated my blog! There are also pictures.
daniellelor.blogspot.com
13. I bid you all farewell!!!
14. P.S. Today i started seeing Christmas decorations in Bangkok. It was so bizzarre because I havent even thought of Christmas yet!!! But when I get back I am pretty sure that I will see holiday decor EVERYWHERE!!!
15. I am still getting used to the cars being on the left side hehe. :)
16. OKAY!!! Good bye for real now. ;)
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Hello All
Lol so when I told many of you that I would be updating my blog so that you all can have detailed ideas of how my internship was going, I'm sure you all thought that I would be updating often or something.
I also thought I would too. Lol. But time does not permit me to update you all as often as I'd like. And when I do want to I am too tired. Or I have SO MUCH to say that I cant say it all.
Anyway. Bangkok. I have so much to say about it. I will try to keep it to four sentences or so, so that I can save space and time to show you all pictures.
Bangkok is a very interesting city because the people are changing. The culture and people here are deeply seeded into the customs and values of Buddhism. Buddhism is definitely in the air (to put it metaphorically). You can see shrines on almost every block if not every neighborhood, and shrines are typically seen in many buildings/stores. It's definitely more objective to see the shrines, palaces, Buddha necklaces on students and etc., but when I say deeply seeded, I also meant subjective tell. I am only here for a short time and I feel that I will never be able to truly comprehend how subjective/deeply rooted it is, and how much it influences this society. Maybe I'll be able to know if I were to live/stay here for AT LEAST 5/6 years, and learn the language/be fluent in it too.
In addition, the city is in political unrest. But that is very subjective too. No one will probably tell you this unless you are a foreigner (like me) that is directly asking the question, and your sweet and gracious students are willing to give you an answer. The people in this city truly adore their king. They are so loyal and will even report someone that insults the king to the authorities. You could probably lose your life for saying something about the king (and even if you meant it positively, it could have sounded negatively to someone else). Nonetheless, they love the king, but many dislike/loathe particular political parties. Or if the do or don't like a particular party, they might just ignore the whole political discussion entirely. The thai do not speak about political issues...
Anyway. I think that is enough for now. I feel very blessed to have been here. I am so privileged to have gotten to know so many students. I will miss my students. There are some moments that make me appreciate them and treasure our moments together so much.
Although I have enjoyed my time here and with my students, I feel like I have not given the culture justice... I have only been here for such a short time without knowning very much about social issues, the religion, the language, etc... I don't know what people are really thinking like here. Their thought patterns, their concerns, etc. Well I know some of their concerns and etc, but still. A month is really nothing sometimes.
From all of this, I learn that in the future, long-term goals are definitely bette suited for any type of ministry. Maybe that is why my youth group has so many struggles as well. We always have people in short-term leadership and there is no one in a long-term position. Things are always unstable. Long-term goals force us to do things like learn the language, understand the social issues, strategically plan, get to know the people etc etc... most of all, long-term stuff forces us to go to God during the suffering and the praising... Yeah.
So yes. That is some what of what I've learned here so far!
As for pictures:
Lunch. :) Real Thai food that one of my cell members made. Nov 6.
One of the views from a train we were taking to the city of Kanjanburee. November 12
Me and Rung (one of the Thai workers @ Santisuk English School [SES]) on the train going to Kanjanaburee.
The waterfall at Kanjanaburee.
Me and Gai in the water @ Kanjanaburee. Gai is one of the Thai teachers @ SES.
On the way back from Kanjanaburee. Gai, Amy M., Mikalia, Moi.
We were in a tuk-tuk. My student Honey and her son, Nano. November 13.
Japanese dinner. Lol. We were really hungry. November 15.
Dr. Morgan's head and one of the palaces/temples @ the Grand Palace. November 18
Moi @ the Grand Palace. November 18
My student's son, Nano. He loves me!! And I am going to miss him SO MUCH... sigh. November 18
Some of my favorite things in Bangkok.
I saw this movie with my high school students on Nov. 21! :P
The other SES location that I teach English at. The city is called Lad Krabang.
One of the benefits to being @ Ladkrabang. CJ. Haha he's such a cutie. November 23
Here's his beautiful smile. November 23
These are the students that I teach @ Ladkrabang. Ploy, Milk, Mah, then me, Wit, and Ly. They are a very intelligent, unique, and hard-working bunch. November 23
Here is my other class at the Bangkok SES, taken today Nov 24! :)
Goofy picture.
Chris, Jeab and me. One of our students. Very good essay writer. :))
OKAY!!! Bye everyone!!! Send me a hello!!! :)))
I also thought I would too. Lol. But time does not permit me to update you all as often as I'd like. And when I do want to I am too tired. Or I have SO MUCH to say that I cant say it all.
Anyway. Bangkok. I have so much to say about it. I will try to keep it to four sentences or so, so that I can save space and time to show you all pictures.
Bangkok is a very interesting city because the people are changing. The culture and people here are deeply seeded into the customs and values of Buddhism. Buddhism is definitely in the air (to put it metaphorically). You can see shrines on almost every block if not every neighborhood, and shrines are typically seen in many buildings/stores. It's definitely more objective to see the shrines, palaces, Buddha necklaces on students and etc., but when I say deeply seeded, I also meant subjective tell. I am only here for a short time and I feel that I will never be able to truly comprehend how subjective/deeply rooted it is, and how much it influences this society. Maybe I'll be able to know if I were to live/stay here for AT LEAST 5/6 years, and learn the language/be fluent in it too.
In addition, the city is in political unrest. But that is very subjective too. No one will probably tell you this unless you are a foreigner (like me) that is directly asking the question, and your sweet and gracious students are willing to give you an answer. The people in this city truly adore their king. They are so loyal and will even report someone that insults the king to the authorities. You could probably lose your life for saying something about the king (and even if you meant it positively, it could have sounded negatively to someone else). Nonetheless, they love the king, but many dislike/loathe particular political parties. Or if the do or don't like a particular party, they might just ignore the whole political discussion entirely. The thai do not speak about political issues...
Anyway. I think that is enough for now. I feel very blessed to have been here. I am so privileged to have gotten to know so many students. I will miss my students. There are some moments that make me appreciate them and treasure our moments together so much.
Although I have enjoyed my time here and with my students, I feel like I have not given the culture justice... I have only been here for such a short time without knowning very much about social issues, the religion, the language, etc... I don't know what people are really thinking like here. Their thought patterns, their concerns, etc. Well I know some of their concerns and etc, but still. A month is really nothing sometimes.
From all of this, I learn that in the future, long-term goals are definitely bette suited for any type of ministry. Maybe that is why my youth group has so many struggles as well. We always have people in short-term leadership and there is no one in a long-term position. Things are always unstable. Long-term goals force us to do things like learn the language, understand the social issues, strategically plan, get to know the people etc etc... most of all, long-term stuff forces us to go to God during the suffering and the praising... Yeah.
So yes. That is some what of what I've learned here so far!
As for pictures:
Lunch. :) Real Thai food that one of my cell members made. Nov 6.
One of the views from a train we were taking to the city of Kanjanburee. November 12
Me and Rung (one of the Thai workers @ Santisuk English School [SES]) on the train going to Kanjanaburee.
The waterfall at Kanjanaburee.
Me and Gai in the water @ Kanjanaburee. Gai is one of the Thai teachers @ SES.
On the way back from Kanjanaburee. Gai, Amy M., Mikalia, Moi.
We were in a tuk-tuk. My student Honey and her son, Nano. November 13.
Japanese dinner. Lol. We were really hungry. November 15.
Dr. Morgan's head and one of the palaces/temples @ the Grand Palace. November 18
Moi @ the Grand Palace. November 18
My student's son, Nano. He loves me!! And I am going to miss him SO MUCH... sigh. November 18
Some of my favorite things in Bangkok.
I saw this movie with my high school students on Nov. 21! :P
The other SES location that I teach English at. The city is called Lad Krabang.
One of the benefits to being @ Ladkrabang. CJ. Haha he's such a cutie. November 23
Here's his beautiful smile. November 23
These are the students that I teach @ Ladkrabang. Ploy, Milk, Mah, then me, Wit, and Ly. They are a very intelligent, unique, and hard-working bunch. November 23
Here is my other class at the Bangkok SES, taken today Nov 24! :)
Goofy picture.
Chris, Jeab and me. One of our students. Very good essay writer. :))
OKAY!!! Bye everyone!!! Send me a hello!!! :)))
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Update
Hello all. I hope you are all well. I'm doing pretty deece. :) Well, I'll try to keep it short. Please leave comments/message back I would love to hear from you!
Updates:
1. Got to talk to some people at NWC Breakout Chapel for my department and got to share a little about what I've been doing. It was so cool to "feel" connected with my profs, and with people in the department. :) I miss everyone. ;) I wonder if my sis, Paul, Matthew, and etc were there!!! Probably not. :\ You guys probably skipped out on that breakout chapel. Haha.
2. Anyway. This is what my Mon-Thurs days look like:
8 am - wake up, get ready
9:45 - make sure that lesson plan is set and turn on the AC in my classroom ;)
10 am - start class (English Level 2 -- there are 4 levels)
12 pm - class ends. have lunch. take a nap. go on the internet and update people. eat more. prepare and have the next lesson plan for my next level two class ready.
2:30 - walk to the van stop to be transported to the city of Lat Krabang
3 pm - van leaves
3:30 or 3:45 - van arrives to destination. walk to the english center.
4 pm - arrive at english center. continue preparing lesson plan. talk with the hosts. talk with my teaching partner. sleep.
5 pm - class starts (these are generally my highschool students. ;))
7 pm - class ends. walk back to location where van picks me up.
7:30 - van arrives, go back to Bangkok and apartment
8:15 - arrive @ destination. eat. prepare lessons. get ready for bed. talk with the team. journal. devotions. etc etc.
11 pm - lol i always try to aim for 10 pm for bed time but i always get in at 11.
3. WOW my schedule looks packed huh? In fact yes, it is. But the reward getting to know my students is very satisfying. For the first hour of class, we work on the grammar for sentences they write. The next hour includes pronunciation, Bible passage reading, practicing conversations, and going through their work book.
4. My students are so kind and gracious and thoughtful and sweet. One of them, called Honey, took me to a floating market and to Thailand's wax museum. She shared her time and family with me and some of my teammates. it was such a privilege to get to know her and her husband and 2 year-old son. Honey is one of the most hospital people I may have ever met. And the Aor, she is also very thoughtful. She wrote my name for me and thai and gave it to me on a cute piece of paper. And then Ple, she bought me some sweet taramind things to eat today. They are all so thoughtful. And older than me too. I will post pics up eventually. ;)
5. Right now, I am pretty tired. I did not get a lot of sleep because of a late meeting after coming back from lat krabang. I feel that I also am getting a little sick. So I'm trying my best to take care of myself. No more thai coffee drinks and fried food. :'( and junk food. :(((
6. There is so much more that I want to elaborate on. But I might be on the internet for DAYS. lol.
7. I feel a little misplaced right now. I have mixed feelings abotu Beijing. What are they you may ask? Well here they are: I'm wondering if I really did fall in love with the city of Beijing. I truly enjoyed my time there and seriously considered being there for a long-term typa deal. However, now that I think about it... I'm confused because I dont know if that was enough time to do "loving a city" justice. I do miss it though... sigh. But it was only two weeks so. Therefore, I am confused.
8. I really did enjoy my time in Beijing, but I am also enjoying Bangkok too. The people here are so different. It's not a good or bad thing. They are just so considerate. It speaks so much to me on many levels. Shall elaborate on that more some other time.
9. I went and visited a Hmong church on Sunday. Wow that was a breath of fresh air AND really interesting to see Hmong-thai people. They were very energetic and fun. Will elaborate more on this eventually too.
10. Well it's hitting the 1 pm mark, which is the 1 am mark for you. I need to get some things done like take a nap and get some food and lotsa water in me before I leave to lat krabang.
Thanks for reading!!!
11. Prayer requests: my health and the team's health (about 2 have physical injuries [someone came to asia w/ a bad knee and another rolled their ankle], 1 has a poor immune system and needs to watch everything they eat lest they faint, and 2 others are still recovering from a nasty cough/sore throat). Also pray for team unity, for peace since we all have hectic schedules and mainly for us to do His will.
Thanks!!!!
Updates:
1. Got to talk to some people at NWC Breakout Chapel for my department and got to share a little about what I've been doing. It was so cool to "feel" connected with my profs, and with people in the department. :) I miss everyone. ;) I wonder if my sis, Paul, Matthew, and etc were there!!! Probably not. :\ You guys probably skipped out on that breakout chapel. Haha.
2. Anyway. This is what my Mon-Thurs days look like:
8 am - wake up, get ready
9:45 - make sure that lesson plan is set and turn on the AC in my classroom ;)
10 am - start class (English Level 2 -- there are 4 levels)
12 pm - class ends. have lunch. take a nap. go on the internet and update people. eat more. prepare and have the next lesson plan for my next level two class ready.
2:30 - walk to the van stop to be transported to the city of Lat Krabang
3 pm - van leaves
3:30 or 3:45 - van arrives to destination. walk to the english center.
4 pm - arrive at english center. continue preparing lesson plan. talk with the hosts. talk with my teaching partner. sleep.
5 pm - class starts (these are generally my highschool students. ;))
7 pm - class ends. walk back to location where van picks me up.
7:30 - van arrives, go back to Bangkok and apartment
8:15 - arrive @ destination. eat. prepare lessons. get ready for bed. talk with the team. journal. devotions. etc etc.
11 pm - lol i always try to aim for 10 pm for bed time but i always get in at 11.
3. WOW my schedule looks packed huh? In fact yes, it is. But the reward getting to know my students is very satisfying. For the first hour of class, we work on the grammar for sentences they write. The next hour includes pronunciation, Bible passage reading, practicing conversations, and going through their work book.
4. My students are so kind and gracious and thoughtful and sweet. One of them, called Honey, took me to a floating market and to Thailand's wax museum. She shared her time and family with me and some of my teammates. it was such a privilege to get to know her and her husband and 2 year-old son. Honey is one of the most hospital people I may have ever met. And the Aor, she is also very thoughtful. She wrote my name for me and thai and gave it to me on a cute piece of paper. And then Ple, she bought me some sweet taramind things to eat today. They are all so thoughtful. And older than me too. I will post pics up eventually. ;)
5. Right now, I am pretty tired. I did not get a lot of sleep because of a late meeting after coming back from lat krabang. I feel that I also am getting a little sick. So I'm trying my best to take care of myself. No more thai coffee drinks and fried food. :'( and junk food. :(((
6. There is so much more that I want to elaborate on. But I might be on the internet for DAYS. lol.
7. I feel a little misplaced right now. I have mixed feelings abotu Beijing. What are they you may ask? Well here they are: I'm wondering if I really did fall in love with the city of Beijing. I truly enjoyed my time there and seriously considered being there for a long-term typa deal. However, now that I think about it... I'm confused because I dont know if that was enough time to do "loving a city" justice. I do miss it though... sigh. But it was only two weeks so. Therefore, I am confused.
8. I really did enjoy my time in Beijing, but I am also enjoying Bangkok too. The people here are so different. It's not a good or bad thing. They are just so considerate. It speaks so much to me on many levels. Shall elaborate on that more some other time.
9. I went and visited a Hmong church on Sunday. Wow that was a breath of fresh air AND really interesting to see Hmong-thai people. They were very energetic and fun. Will elaborate more on this eventually too.
10. Well it's hitting the 1 pm mark, which is the 1 am mark for you. I need to get some things done like take a nap and get some food and lotsa water in me before I leave to lat krabang.
Thanks for reading!!!
11. Prayer requests: my health and the team's health (about 2 have physical injuries [someone came to asia w/ a bad knee and another rolled their ankle], 1 has a poor immune system and needs to watch everything they eat lest they faint, and 2 others are still recovering from a nasty cough/sore throat). Also pray for team unity, for peace since we all have hectic schedules and mainly for us to do His will.
Thanks!!!!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Some of China... and a touch of Bangkok. ;)
Me and Amy on Oct 23. We were trying dog meat today. It was very good. :)
Renmin University, also known as the People's University of China.
Some noodles I had in Beijing. Joann (our host) said it wasn'treal Beijing-people-food though. :\ Oh well. :)
Some students from Renmin University and me. We had dinner together and had a really good conversation. I miss them. :( Taken on Oct 24.
Random puppy. ;) So cute huh?
Haha. I know this is a funny picture of me because of the bag... Oh well. :) But I am at Tianamen Square on Oct 26. This is also in front of the forbidden city.
This is what 5 yuan looks like. Me thinks that the girl on the left is Miao-tsu (Hmong).
This is me kissing the dragon or elephant water draining thing @ the Temple of Heaven. October 27
I forgot what this hall was called, but it is the one where the Emperor would go pray to God and the ancestors. He would ask for a fruitful harvest for the year. (Still @ the Temple of Heaven)
Rose garden @ Temple of Heaven. Pretty huh?
Terracotta Warriors in the city of Xi'an on Oct 28. It was such a great sight to see. Wow.
One of the dishes of our last meal in China. Oct 28 :'(
Me and Jo-Lao-Sher aka Joann. I miss her so much already. She was such a great host. :'(
Thailand!!! Me on the plane.
Me and Mona!!! This was today. November 4. I am about to leave to go and teach English at Santisuk's Ladkrabang location.
More updates soon to come!!! I miss Beijing so much!!! And I'm really starting to get used to Thailand... :) It's been good so far.
Bye and please continue to pray for us.
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