After 10 days off for Christmas and New Year's, I'm back in the swing of things at school and our church activities are back to the regular schedule. It's amazing to think that I only will only teach for a month and a half and then the students are off for the summer! They finish at the end of February and I finish working at the end of March.
Right before the Christmas holidays, I was able to start leading a small Bible study/cell group for 11th grade students who can speak English well. Two of the students come from Christian families and the other four do not. Sometimes it is difficult for Thais to go against the grain and choose to become Christians. Buddhism is a part of everyday life. To leave it separates you from many important family activities, not to mention the fact that most Buddhist parents in our school discourage their sons from becoming Christians. I am very proud of the students in my Bible study and I am grateful to be able to teach them more about faith in God.
I am also learning more Thai. Several people have recently told me that my Thai has improved. Khap khun Phra-Jow! Chan fook pood paasaa Thai dai gap khon maak. (Thank God! I can practice speaking Thai with many people.) I like to practice Thai with people I don't know well, but I feel more self-conscious speaking Thai with people I know. I also feel like it takes too long to speak Thai when the person I am talking to understands English. Nonetheless, I want to practice more.
On a cultural note, I have been wearing black and white to work for the last 15 days. The king's sister died and the nation is in mourning. Mourning will officially go on for 100 days, but non-government employees can stop wearing black and white. It's so interesting to see how much the people of Thailand love the king and his family. The king brings a great deal of unity to this nation.
Today I was taking a taxi home and the taxi driver took several backroads to avoid traffic. He drove through a residential area and I was amazed at how tranquil it seemed. There were a lot of trees and greenery. For a few minutes, I felt like I was in a sanctuary away from the noise and rush of the city. There were no buses or cars whizzing by, and there were no street vendors. It was a very nice retreat from the norm.
