Since we don’t have a television and relatively little entertainment options, Stephen & I watch through television seasons that we have on our computer.

Sometimes I do believe it becomes a waste of time, but when I think back over some of the hardest parts of this year, laughing to a 22-minute sitcom at the end of the day can go a long way, and I don’t think it’s all bad.

We’ve watched through Friends quite a few times, to the point that it was being quoted too often between us. We decided it was getting a little out of hand.  We’ve also enjoyed quite a bit of Modern Family.  I think I quite liked both of these shows because they presented very American-ized lifestyles: coffee shops, Western houses with soft couches and carpet, families and friends. It also helps that sitcoms tend to stick to “first world problem” story lines and throw in as many funny quips as they can.

As lame as it may seem, I have found that the fascods of facebook and sitcoms have been surprisingly tranquilizing.

Either way, we managed to get the seventh season of The Office added to our collection. This seemed a great reason to start over from the first season, we started that a couple weeks ago.

I have to say it’s not as much of a mollifier as the other shows, and I have a few theories.  For one, it lacks the real relationships of family and friends. It also has more “politically incorrect” aspects to it, which is bothersome when you are over-working yourself to accept and appreciate differences in the culture and friendships around you.

But I’ve decided the real culprit lies in the entire scenario: their office isn’t so different from ours.

And it scares me.

We’re just an odd bunch with very little in common, and among so many cultures, you can be offended by someone pretty easily.

And I don’t really know how else to describe it. It’s a little too close for comfort.

As I walked out the door this morning, a sweet girl, maybe seventeen or eighteen, was with the kids and said hesitantly, but clearly, “Kelli, you are very beautiful.”

…And when you read that, be sure you have an Asian accent on beautiful, because that is really the only way to capture it.

Not a bad way to be welcomed to the world, particularly in the midst of some recent storms. I smiled and thanked her, and wished I could tell her how much her kind words and smiles mean to me.

It also made me wonder how long had she been practicing that sentence or waiting for me to come outside.

It made me wonder what they view our lives as. And, really, it made me wonder if they view me as some sort of princess: living in a sort of castle, getting all dolled up to walk out into the world with an audience receiving her and somewhere to go. Almost watching and viewing our lives as elegant or extravagant.

Which, I find all the more interesting and funny with the fact that if other circles saw our lives here, I wonder how many would be equally horrified: at how sweaty I am after my shower; at how I “do” my hair by adding gel and blow drying it halfway; that deodorant and mascara are my only key ingredients to leaving my house. That my “castle” has a squatty potty, and recently requires me to step outside to turn our water on and off.

…But my castle has walls, curtains, and a crazy machine that makes your bedroom cold.

It’s truly amazing how much perspective changes things.

I wonder what they think as they watch us: if they wonder where we go to the bathroom inside, or if they are curious why on earth I’m always sweating. Or if they understand that there is water inside of our house and a machine that keeps things cold.

For instance, when the kids open their eyes wide to cold water, discover magnets, and open our fridge with a look of surprise, its no wonder they like to sit and watch me cook or watch me hang the wet clothes that came out of the machine in the corner.  But do their parents know? Do they run home, recount what they’ve seen and have their parents explain? Or do they recount things that their parents are in awe at, too? Are the parents just as curious?

I suppose I didn’t start today thinking I lived the life of a princess in a castle, and now I’m wondering if I do.

Stephen’s helmet was stolen off his motorbike during home church yesterday.

Boo.

And since Mae Sot doesn’t sell helmets a) with a chin guard or b) large enough for our heads, here’s to a week of bicycling!

There has been talk of a Tescos, Big C, or something of the sort making its way to Mae Sot. This would be the equivalent of a Thai-style Walmart or Target.

I knew of the possibilities, but I was in denial. Until we passed a very large piece of land, completely flatten, with quite a lot of machinery and workers for this area, and now I’m in mourning.

I was listening to “Big Yellow Taxi” while I ran the other day,

Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got til its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot. 

I don’t think I can really stop them from putting up the monstrosity and I don’t have to shop there, but I’m determined to at least know and be thankful for what I have now.

Even on the most frustrating days, I love that its not easy to cook here. I love that I am learning to cook with new vegetables and spices; I love that I can buy things from local shops, even if that means about twenty of them have to be visited!  I love that if something sounds good, I have to start searching recipes and experiment to make it myself. The challenges have been refreshing, and have really shown me the times I have settled for an easy pick-up at the store, when making it from scratch really isn’t so difficult. And it also shows me the times that it is well worth finding a local genius who can do some things for you!

I’m watching Mae Sot “develop” around us, and I just want to be sure I soak up this time and realize what I’ve got–simplicity. 

I am currently working to expand my curriculum on the basics of democracy and civic participation. Amidst a pile of books, I have also been utilizing iTunes U: a genius Apple application where universities, colleges, and programs have provided courses and lectures for free.  There are many more to choose from than I would have expected, and it has been very helpful when we live in a place where it takes six weeks or more for a book to arrive. And did I mention that it’s free?

Either way, I’m currently listening through lectures on the basic premises of democracy. The state university, which I’ll respectfully leave unmentioned, has an intro to each lecture, where they flash political words in front of corresponding pictures. Example: “The Constitution” in front of the famous We the people… with a feather pen; “Congress” with a photo of the House meeting.

Cheesy? Yes.

But its just a brief intro for free lecture, right?

…Then I saw “Foreign Policy” with a picture of an army tank.

I’m sorry, what?

Is that really how we want our foreign policy portrayed?!

There is a small university in Mae Sot, and some of our co-workers in Partners have attended there part time.  As part of the course, there is a group project where you interview a foreigner. Today, Stephen had the privilege of completing his second interview since we moved here.

I think the group puts the questions together themselves. Both times they have brought questions to us and ask us to edit them. They then practice asking the questions, and the whole experience is recorded and edited.

I thought the questions were noteworthy. The questions included, but are not limited to:

How many countries have you visited?

How many times a month do you go shopping?

How many countries are in the UN?

How many languages are in the world?

What is your favorite international food?
…Your choices are: appetizer, main dish, side dish, or dessert.

What does the Harry Potter actor look like?

…And the best: If you dream about spiders, what does the dream mean?

…Or working on it.

I was engrossed recently by another blog. After spending a large amount of time reading back over a years’ worth of a stranger’s posts, I began asking myself why this was so intriguing to me. Among other reasons, I determined that I was drawn to her gratitude. She was optimistic and thankful for a variety of situations that came her way, and it challenged me.

There are days I love living here, but there are plenty I don’t as well. Recently, the weight of it all has seemed so, well, weighted. I have had to deal with the sorrows and there have been more tears than usual. I have tried to simply avoid blogging or try to present a more positive spin on things, but it’s obvious. I’m aware of it. The weight, the grief, the sadness.

And I suppose I simply don’t want my blog, and further my life, to be permeated with this.

So this week, I’ve begun to pray for joy, and I’ve tried to embrace it. I’m working on celebrating the littlest things around us. I’m choosing gratitude.

My hope is that someday, when we’re back in the States, I can at least say that I fully embraced this stage of our lives, for every curve ball it threw at us.