Passion to Purpose: My Journey

Thursday, March 28, 2013

It's the simple things!!!!

Hello sorry it has been so long! The Peace Corps has been keeping us busy! So much has happened since the last post! Training ( which included me buying a ticket in Thai and getting to and from Petchabun in Thai) has ended, I was sworn-in and I am now an official Peace Corps Volunteer.... I'm sure you are thinking what have you been this whole time hahaha! We were Peace Corps Trainees until we passed our language proficiency interview, all of our competencies and made it to MARCH 22, 2013. This was followed IMMEDIATELY by supervisor conference and then counterpart conference...to use the word exhausted is an understatement but I'm trucking along because I can sleep when I'm not in Thailand lol
I am writing from my new home! Petchabun, Thailand!!!! I am currently on day 2 at work in the Sub district Administrative Office! Aka the SAO. It has been pretty good thus far! Lots of introductions, pictures, and smiling! Ohhh and definitely laughing at yourself ( a must)!!! I will say thus far everyone is very welcoming and seems excited to have me! Today I participated in a training for caretakers of babies, the sick, disabled and elderly. Lots of laughter, confusion ( on my end hahah) and randomly requesting me to speak Thai... Oh sing karaoke ... Oh and did I forget to mention the infamous question ....mi fan leeo ru yang ( do you have a boy friend) hahahaha fun times! Just a little summary now I would like to share a personal experience with all of my family and friends!!!

One of my major concerns (although I never voiced it because I did not want any of my lovely friends or family worrying about me) before coming to Thailand ,was how I may have been perceived due to my skin complexion. From books, google, and other sources, i found that here in Thailand the lighter your skin complexion the better. With a bit of reservation I chose to go anyway. I am a firm believer in walking by faith and not by sight! There were so many signs saying "sasssshhhaaa gooo goo" so I prayed about it and went! Also I absolutely love every part of me (minus my huuuggee feet ....thanks mom hahaha)and that didn't happen over night so my thought process was that I would go and make others feel the same haha.
Since arriving in Thailand I have received the complete opposite of what I was scared of! The people that I have met thus far are wonderfully kind and always call me beautiful ( one person has called me cute lmbo I'm gonna come back with a big head bahahaha) Often I get lots of gawks and stares but I've come to accept it and embrace it due to the surprising conversation that me and my nong saow (little sister) had.
As we were sitting in our room chatting as we tend to do she randomly asked, Wait so are there others like you in America? In shock, I stop what I'm doing and ask for clarification. She responds people with your skin. EXCITEDLY I answered yessss! she goes on saying that until the day I arrived she did not realize that even one African American lived in America. She stated that this was the reasons for all of the stares when we bpaitiow. At this moment I realized that I am not as aware of the world as I thought. I assumed that everyone was aware of diversity even if it was not around them. I explained the way race relations worked in America as she explained race relations here in Thailand. As often as the PC says how important exchanging culture is i never thought it would be like this. The exchange of culture ,in what I like to call Thai-Lish was amazing! Language was no longer a barrier! As I write I'm still in awe of that night. ( I'm glad I was able to use my beautiful family my mini UN as an example of diversity! )This conversation ended with her saying she was glad she could have me for 3 months ( although shed rather keep me) and she hopes more people get to learn as well. The simple act of being present in another country has opened the eyes of not only me or my sister but every other person who asks majak nai?!( sorry lol where r u from) I am happy to be the messenger on this one! Lastly the cutest thing happened to me.... At our goodbye party the cutest little kid around 4 or 5 taps my leg and points up, confused I get a little closer to his level and he points to my hair. I bend further and allow him to touch my hair and he smiles.

Just a little reminder and last thoughts
...you never know whose world you are changing by just being you (positive or negative) so be the best you you can be!

OH AND OF COURSE PICTURES!!!

Saying goodbye to my beautiful Supan Family to meet my beautiful Nong Phai Family

Silly lol

Im official!!!

Some important adjuns Shes soo funny

This wouldnt have been possible with out him

ADJUN JAREE love her!

My new desk!

Being introduced to the Roong Piyaban (little hospital)

Giving my little piece of thai

Great ppl lol look how i tower over them lol

OMG MY TAMBONIES LOVE THEM

And here we are! PCV's

This little pineapple sooo good lol the big one 10 baht the little one 15 b and for great reason lol

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Where is the time going!

Sawadee-ton-yen( good evening)

I promise today's post will be much shorter than the last! haha!

Its been about 2 weeks since I have blogged! You have not missed much! Today marked exactly 5 weeks into PST (pre-service training) WE ARE AT THE HALF WAY POINT! Still training Mon-Sat 7:30-6, getting chased by dogs, getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, still riding my bike ALOT but getting much more comfortable lol!, annnd still enjoying every minute! Oh and language is going pretty well...by March I must be at an intermediate low on my Language Proficiency Interview so keep me in your prayers lol! I also taught English this week and will run a life skills camp next week! They are definitely keeping us busy busy busy!

I just wanted to keep all of you posted and let you know that I am OKAY ....actually I am great!!!! I will leave my contact info so that if you would like or if you are curious about something.... you can email me or skype me! =)

sudom121@gmail.com
sudom121 skype and if you want my address to write me... msg me on fb,skype, email...ect and i will send it!

Here are some pictures so you can get a better idea of what I have been doing!

At the temple with Mae... they told me I can take pictures and understand that I am not Buddhist but still allow me to observe their ceremonies

My Sunday off hanging with a few friends in Si Prachan playing

soccer and bball

First day teaching when I was just suppose to be asking a few questions for 20-30 mins! Was there for 1 hr and 30 mins! SOOO MUCH FUN!

We told them to be silly but they were unsure of how silly or

what they should do! lol Cru(teacher) Sasha is a little unorthodox lol

I taught them hi 5 too lol

Day 2 teaching trying to learn all of their names! lol

PEOPLE TO PEOPLE!!!! THEY LOVED THIS GAME!!!

BUILDING LEADERS!!! SHE IS SOOO SWEET!

TRYING TO TAKE A PIC WITH MY GIRLS THE BOYS RAN OVER! LOL THEY BROUGHT ME HEART STICKERS!!!! SOOO SWEET!

MY TAMBON!!! A CRAZY BUNCH! I PRETTY MUCH SPEND

80% of my time with them lol

SPORTS DAYYYY!!! We played all Thai games and then a relay race! lol FUN TIMES

WE WERE INVITED TO WATCH THIS PRETTY COOL PLAY! I did attempt to follow what was going on. Still not sure completely sure bc it was all in Thai! It was very interesting though!

more from the play (pic taken by christine)

THAI DAY WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING SANUK MAK MAK!

ME PLAYING SOME INSTRUMENT LO L

THIS HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THAILAND!!! LOL

BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS SOOO CUTE MY GOD DAUGHTER IS DRESSED

UP LIKE AN OLD LADY FOR THE 100th DAY OF SCHOOL LOL!

OK AND THAT IS IT FOR THIS POST! LOL THE NEXT ONE WILL HAVE A LITTLE MORE WRITING AND DEPTH LOL!! BUT I JUST FOUND AMERICAN TV! I HAVE TO WATCH AN EPISODE A NIGHT TO CATCH UP ON MY CRIMINAL MINDS!!! LOL!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!! STAY WONDERFUL!! ENJOY!! AND SHOOT ME AN EMAIL LET ME KNOW HOW YOU ArE DOINGGG!!!!

RA-TEE-SA-WAD!!!( Good NIGHT!)

PS: THIS WAS MY STATUS BUT IM NOT SURE IF EVERYONE GOT A CHANCE TO SEE IT >>>JUST A FRIENDLY REMINDER TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAD an amazing VALENTINES DAY!!!! THERE ARE NO MARRIAGES OR BABIES UNTIL 2015( march to be specific) PLEASE KEEP THIS IN MIND! I dont mind engagements but weddings and babies are NOT ALLOWED UNTIL I RETURN! If you choose to have a baby he/she must be conceived 9 May/Jun of 2014 lmbo! if you have any questions leave a comment or inbox me lol <<< JUST THOUGHT I WOULD REITERATE THANKS AGAIN Lol

Monday, January 21, 2013

Yes...Yess... WE MADE IT!

Sawatdee ka! ( HELLO) FROM THAILAND!!!!!

Good Afternoon ( but good morning to most of you 12 hr time difference)! I know that it has been quite a while since I last posted and I apologize! We have been uber busy! I will attempt to get all of you up to speed right now with out individually calling each of you =)!!!!

For those of you who have not realized it or have been hibernating for the past month I am in Thailand! lolol! Jan 11th, 2013 my father and cousin Jr., took me to the airport to begin the adventure of a lifetime. When we arrived at the airport I was almost 200% positive that my father was going to be balling for that reason I gave him a HUGE hug ( that should hold for about 12 months lol) and hopped on the airplane, QUICK! I HAVE NO CLUE what I would have done if I spotted a tear on his cheek! In San Francisco, 50 other Peace Corp trainees and myself began a day long training that ended with each of us deciding what we thought our "last meal" would be! lol Can you guess what I chose? PIZZA and a platter full of greasy deliciousness! I had a slice of cheese pizza and a platter (that i split with another PCV) full of FRIED zucchini, FRIED ravioli, FRIED chicken, FRIED mozzarella sticks, and FRIED ONION RINGS just to name a few ( notice the pattern bahah)! ...BRINGS BACK MEMORIES ( Sorry being dramatic like my sisters... it slips at times)
The next morning, bright and early, we were off to the airport at 5 am for a 21 hr flight! Once we were on the plane, we sat for an extra 2 hrs for "mechanical issues"....Thanking the Lord that we were not in the air when those were founded. The ride to Thailand not too bad; a little turbulence ( and by little I am referring to the time limit because the turbulence was a bit extreme and scary haha ) with one stop in Japan.

Finally in Thailand!!!! WHATTT TO EXPECT NEXT!

THE PEACE CORPS staff was waiting for us as we got off the plane! HUGE smiles and these amazing peace corps sign that gave me instant energy from that long flight eating every 1 hour haha! It was like nothing I could even have dreamt! I could literally not stop smiling! You think it hit me yet! not at all! haha At this point I start questioning my sanity. I left family, friends, work and a WHOLE continent and I am still not nervous in the least! so I take a poll and ask other PCV's how they are feeling and they feel the same way! **whew close call for a minute there I ALMOST believed I could be a little off ;) ** Newho a party bus which actually wasn't a party bus, all Thai buses look like this, came to pick us up and take us to the hotel, which we would stay in for the next week until we moved in with our host families!

Getting your body acclimated to a 12 hr time change is not as easy as it sounds, if it sounds easy! Through the week we had several different culture sessions, language sessions, events, coffee breaks, and meals that required you to be well rested for the next day. As some of you may have noticed my social networking at 1 and 2 pm your time , its is because I have been falling asleep around 9pm, waking up at 1am -2 am, going back to sleep at 5:30 only to wake at 6. My excitement and motivation have been my red bull for the past week!

The week started off very easy, simply informing us of what was to come, taking pictures, discussing when and when not to 'Wai' and getting a few shots! Then Tuesday we are informed that we will be meeting the Governor and the Chief of District and we MUST be able to introduce ourselves and state where we are from! I know I know thats exactly what 51 other people were thinking! HOW in the world! haha but with the help of our AMAZING language adjuns we did it and it was amazing! After conquering that feat, you think what could be next, nothing that I cant do!!! boy did they have a surprise waiting on me!

BIKING! YIKE YIKES YIKE! day one of biking DISASTER... sadly I let the bike get the best of me! and I called it a night early and went to bed! I woke up feeling refreshed, Imessaged some people, and said a long prayer! Next morning I was feeling GREAT and ready to go! ON THIS DAY FRIDAY JAN 19th, me and my bike became (almost) one! haha! I had to ride the bike and not let the bike ride me! We biked over 20 k! and I was still alive although I pulled something on the way in.... I DID IT!!! Thanks to some wonderful counterparts for keeping me motivated and sticking with me even when I was in the back! Once at the hotel, although in pain, we walk to Tesco Lotus which was like a walmart to do some last minute things before we move into homestayyy!!!! I know that I skipped a few important events that took place ie I SAW A BABY ELEPHANT ..like really walking down the street and this amazing opening ceremony! but I want to get to everything without making this tooooooo long! The Thai people are just as friendly as you have probably heard! Being from Georgia, my instinct is to Sawatdee/ Wai everyone as we walk down the street. The reaction does not help, they seem to get almost as excited as me when they hear me speak Thai. For this reason, I continued!

YAAYYY THE BIIIIGGGG DAY!!! WE MEET OUR HOST FAMILY!!!!

Saturday was truly the first day I felt a smidge of nerves! All these thoughts racing.... what will they be like, where will they live, WILL I HAVE TO BIKE FAR (PLZ NO), will they be able to speak english, will they like me. Finally the moment came, we met up in the big training room, flower in hand, 51 PCV's on one side and the host families on the other side divided by tambons (kind of like counties) . They continue to make us wait through some reminders for the host families.... And finally with something said in Thai all of the host families pull out these envelopes! They also had NO idea who they would be bringing home.... Next they all open their envelopes and inside are pictures of their new family member! Heart throbbing I can barely see through the excited PCV's as well as their new families. YESSS, my moment has arrived I see someone holding my photo, a horrible photo might I add, I run over, leaving all of my things and greet the young women who actually speaks a little english. She greets me with a smile on her face and brings me to my new MAE (mom). Overly excited, I instantly start spewing out every single piece of language that I had learned! My mae was just as excited as I! My adjun then came and translated for us! They welcomed me, told me I was part of the family, and asked for me to call her mama ( mae)!

We went to the hub got my bike and went to what I would know as my home for the next 3 months. I met my 2 brothers and Pa. I unpacked into my room and felt right at home! I then helped cook a yummy meal, in which I have no clue how to spell but It was fun and by march 2015 Ill have all that down! Then my sister left and everyone was going to sleep, then Pa came knocked on my door and brought mango with sugar and chile! yummm we sat on my floor attempted some convo but bonded nevertheless!

Sunday is officially family day! We went to an amazing wedding! I danced as the groom was bringing in the gifts! Everyone was soooooo kind and friendly! people were running up to me giving me hugs and wanting a picture with me! It was absolutely beautiful! I was introduced to everyone as the other daughter although laughs followed. Everyone was quite receptive and to be honest.... I was not sure how I would be received due to my skin complexion. If you do not know here in Thailand the lighter you are the prettier and vice versa. Thankfully, this has not been an issue thus far!

We then went to the Sumchuck market which is a famous market here in Suphan Buri and everyone was so kind and bright! The childrens faces light up as I smile, wave or wai! Its is truly beautiful! Now we are home! I just taught my sister the word NAP and my brother is heading back to the University and he graduates in May ( just like Reuben!haha)

In summary! I am great! (No worries) Lots of fun, food and family!!! Sawatdee ka!