Hard to believe it is February and I have been here almost a month. Not quite as homesick…Days are getting easier as everything is not as foreign. Typically, I still cannot follow a conversation, unless it is slow and contains my limited vocabulary. Frustrating at times. Smiling and nodding helps a lot as does chaa-chaa nci (slower please), mai kao-jai (I don’t understand), and puut paa-saa Thai nit nci (I speak Thai very little). I can order simple things in a restaurant, find my way around the villages, and feel more at home with the other PCTs and my host family. I have learned over 100 vocabulary words, yes I counted! Nice to feel like I am making some progress. I can even make simple sentences. Di-chan puut paa saa Thai chaa-chaa. We have a practice Language Proficiency Interview next week for an assessment. It will be a challenge.
Thai Sports Day on Saturday…a hoot. Everything from chair ball (think basketball with a PCT holding a hamper) to threading a needle to the Thai version of botche ball . Also got more advanced bike maintenance training. I am dreading the day I need to change a flat tire on the side of the road! Roger, a fellow PCT and biker extraordinaire, shared his talents today. Such a great group!
It was a very nice Saturday afternoon hanging out with the “more mature” PCTs. There are several of us and although we love the young group, hanging out with them is not the same as with someone with similar life experience. Got lots of studying done Sunday.
Sorry I missed your call this weekend! I had a whirlwind trip back to WA for less than 48 hours and was so exhausted I was zonked when the phone rang. Too much to do!!!
ReplyDeleteLoving the blog and reading about your adventures! Love you and miss you!!! xoxo
Hi Karen Jo,
ReplyDeleteSo good to read up on how things have been going with you. I'm going to start writing down the words you're learning so I can learn them along with you :)
That was funny when you mentioned about a short trip turning into hours. Reminds me when Judy and I went on some of our Sports Ministry trips - one in Europe and one in South America. They would tell us the same thing and next thing we knew it was a six hour bus ride.....supposedly just 'over the hill'. But, once we got there, it was pretty awesome. All these people waiting for us to arrive so we could play volleyball and talk to them afterwards.
It must be hard, like you said, with all that great food to not eat too much! Great, though, that you are bike riding so much so you can pretty much have what you want :)
Take care and enjoy the next phase of your journey!
Love,
Dianne