Junior High Pay-Off

Well, my junior high days have finally paid off. My classmate Jena Carper [now Roach] is having a blog giveaway. Check it out: http://recentlyroached.blogspot.com/

Relation to a Princeton Theological Seminary {GRADUATE}

After flying back to the United States suddenly upon hearing of the declining health of my precious grandfather, I decided to head to New Jersey to celebrate my sister wonderful sister Olivia’s seminary graduation. [my grandfather did have a boost of strength when I got home, but as of yesterday, he is declining again daily. Please continue to pray].

I’m so proud of my sister and her amazing accomplishment {masters of divinity}. And p.s.  her pick to post-graduation dinner celebration was delicious!

Hubby & Wife.

Olivia and fellow Princeton graduate (& best friend) Jen

Part of the Lane family celebrating Liv’s graduation (plus Josh)

Me and Anni, glad to be united after our Thailand/Vietnam adventures in December

The evening was finished with a wonderful dinner at an Italian–delicious.

Thanks OCU!

Today as I was searching through old school documents and such I pulled up the 11-12 OCU online catalogue and was very surprised when I saw my face staring back at me. One of my “adventures” as an honors student at Oklahoma City University was posing for photos to publicize OCU (yes, sorry to break it to you, those college photos that they publish all over brochures are not extemporaneous poses, they are very meticulous and thought out–incorporating racial, sexual and gender diversity is just the beginning). But thanks OCU for remember me. I have recruited two of my students FROM Thailand to attend graduate and undergraduate in your lovely halls.

Batu Caves

I’m in the US and am slowly adjusting back. Many things to come but at the moments I’m going through reverse culture shock, emotions with my grandfather, my sister graduating from Princeton Theological Seminary and seeing my family for the first time in a year. Let’s just say I’m wasted in the best sense of the word. My grandfather is still living and doing a lot better then when I first came home. I think having all the family around has given him a boost of spirits and reason for life. It’s hard being home but it’s good that I’m here.

Enjoy the photo taken in KL, Malaysia back in February at the Batu Caves. Current greetings are sent from Princeton, New Jersey.

Korea Stationed

I am currently sitting in the Korea airport waiting to board a flight for… the USA! I am still in shock that I am headed home and so drastically fast. I have been traveling and got home yesterday from Laos to e-mails from my family telling me that my grandfather is in the hospital and that he’s nearing the end. Ultimately I had to make a fast choice to see my grandfather again or stay in Thailand, and I immediately chose my grandfather. 

It was a bitter sweet decision and I know I chose the right thing because God worked everything out. I was able to find a price that wasn’t insanely expensive that left the same day (had six hours to pack everything to head to the airport), and God definitely gave me the strength to think through the exhaustion and emotions. So, I’m headed back to the states! It is currently 11:03 am in Korea on May 8th and I will get to the US May 8th at 3:30pm (to Cleveland, Ohio where my grandfather is). You might be asking how that is possible, but hello people I’m a time traveler (oh and I’m 12 hours ahead of everyone). It’s going to be a long flight but wanted to ask for prayers and send out the update.

I will continue to keep up this blog because I’ve still got LOTS to share about my travels and times in Thailand and Asia. More to come but please pray for my family, my grandfather and his wife (my grandmother) and for safety and strength for myself as I venture home. Thank you so much. xox. 

Turning 23 in Cambodia

That’s right folks, I leave Tuesday morning for my birthday extravaganza… i.e. turning 23 in Cambodia. I will go by train and head into Siam Reap on Tuesday where I’ve booked a hostel for $6.00 a night and am looking forward to seeing Angkor Wat! Then it’ll be off to Phonom Pohm on Thursday for a view of the river at with a glass of wine on the eve of my birthday and then another full day of touring before heading back for a celebration Bangkok style with only some of my favorite people Friday evening. I never thought that turning 23 sounded like that much fun, I mean what happens in your 23rd year of life, right? HOWEVER, I think I’m beginning the adventure the right way, in a new country (not to mention I’ll be spending my birthday in TWO different countries, Cambodia and back to Thailand in one day? Hopefully all the excitement will keep me energized!) Wish me luck! xox.

Of course I had to (try) to edit the photo a bit to preserve my safety, just in case.

Watty you say?

Watty and myself teaching my last "Saturday class" in Thailand!

It’s definitely bitter-sweet finishing up my teaching here in Thailand. I’ll still be teaching next month, but I won’t be teaching large classes anymore, just private tutoring. Above is a photo one of my students e-mailed me the other day, he took it at our last class on Saturday. I think it’s really cute how he added his named (Watty) on his shirt and he put a little hear there too. Watty was a great student, he always gave me nice compliments. I remember one day I walked into class and he said “Adjan, today you look lovely!” I just thought to myself, well at least one weekend out of the five that I teach on Saturdays I didn’t stay out too late. He would always call me Adjan too (the Thai word for teacher, most of my students don’t use it, it’s a great honor so I’ve heard to be called “adjan” but he never failed). I’ll miss my big evening classes, but the change of schedule will be nice, I can finally attend the body combat classes at my gym in the evenings! Really excited for that [yes, sometimes I’m allowed a little “shallowness” right?]

Student Attendance

There have been many lingering affects from the floods back in October 2011 in Thailand. One of those affects is the attendance of students at our school. Please see (e-mail) below sent out from the admin staff at the BSC today. You can see that the BSC has thousands of Thai students that pass through their doors on a weekly basis, and while we still have a lot of students, there is always room for improvement. Although the waters from the floods have evaporated, there is still a lot of financial affects. Please continue to pray for the people of Thailand as things still take time to get back to order and of course that as we start term three of 2012 on May 7th that we’ll have an increased amount of students.

student's studying in the classroom during an evening class. Classes run anywhere from 1 to 22 students a term (this past term I had a little as three students--one night I only have one student show!--in one Thursday night class to 21 students in my Saturday afternoon class!

Support needed.

Quick update since I’ve been out of commission the past couple of days. On Friday I found out my best friend’s dad passed away and I’ve been having a rough time since then. There were a couple days that I highly considered returning to the US early and spending time with my family. That’s the second death in two months and it really seems to take a greater toll when I’m overseas and far away from the ones I love. Please keep me in your prayers as things have been difficult to manage recently. I’ve had to make some big decisions and while the end of my time being in Thailand is close at hand, there is still a long journey ahead. I still plan to stick around until June (that’s the earliest I would return home) but I’m still trying to map out my plans until then. Also, please keep my friends and family back home in your prayers. It’s not easy to loose loved ones, first my cousin Peter back in January, and now my Joe’s Dad last week. It definitely sent my would be holiday weekend for a change (this past weekend was Thailand’s “new year” holiday, let’s just say it wasn’t the happiest of occasions for me.) 

Please just continue to remember me in your prayers and if you think about it, send me a note and let me know that you’re thinking of me. It really helps to hear from the US and I could really use the support. Pray for motivation in my work and personal life, for strength in times of loss, dedication to God’s call for me and the removal of distractions. Also happiness and contentment as I enter upon a new year next week and start the beginning of 23 years of life (birthday on April 27). Thanks. 

Here is what I’d like my motto to be for the next three months. 

a little FISHY action

Silly as it seems, while I was in Singapore I discovered a very new (silly) fear: FISH! Now it’s crazy and I don’t understand it entirely because I’ve been scuba diving twice now (six dives!) and loved every minute of it. But I totally freaked out while being peer-pressured to let these fish “suck” on my hand at a local hotel in Singapore. The fish at this particular hotel where “trained” to ‘suck’ on your hand if you put it in the water (crazy right?!?) and for some reason I freaked out every time I put my hand close. The fish just started to surround my hand even before it would reach the water and their mouths looked so big as they were opening and closing very “gross-like” in my opinion. I know it’s really silly, but I was LITERALLY shaking as Charles, Yun and Alexius kept saying “just do it”, “it’s not that bad”, “you’er such a baby”… I finally put my hand in the water and kept it there for possibly a max of three seconds and let a fish (one of the smaller ones with a smaller mouth) put it’s mouth of my palm. I was too terrified to let it suck on my fingers because and could only ball my fist up to try to conquer my fears, although it was still a very big feat for me. I don’t know if you can tell, but my whole body was extremely tense, but other fist is even balled up because I was so scared and I really didn’t want the fish to touch me. Looking back on it I feel like such a baby, I don’t know why I couldn’t just do it, I normally pride myself in being a daredevil, but it was just seeing their mouths and the little stings coming from their lips and their big eyes–freaky [not to mention the fact that there were TONS!]

I don’t know where the fear comes from, but I think the waterfalls in Thailand have freaked me out in the fish department (after walking through the water and feeling what felt like something “grab” my feet, only to realize that it was tons of fish just swimming up to “suck on them.”) I had already freaked out though and started running and screaming through the water, I looked ridiculous and people WERE definitely starring. I don’t know how long I’d last at a fish foot spa–don’t think I’ll try one unless someone pressures me, although they are all over Thailand. Maybe it’s the size of the fish that makes the difference or something and maybe the fact that I’m allowing them to touch me when I’m above the water (because I still don’t understand why I’m fine with scuba but I’m not fine with a little ‘out of water’ fish action). But alas, I think this is a fear that I don’t mind keeping.