Mom & dad, Stephen & I, and three other Partners staff members visited Noh Poe refugee camp for a Christmas party over the weekend. And despite the traditionally somber faces in this photo, the students and teachers were happy to see us!

The festivities included a skit of the Christmas story, complete with four really adorable sheep.

Dad also gave two messages, one to the children’s home we were visiting and another to a nearby village church.

Our host, Thara Lah Say, is an agricultural genius. He loved showing us around his gardens and farms full of organic vegetables, fruits, and livestock. And discussing such topics found my Dad completely in his element…

…as well as learning new tricks of the trade.

Our favorite farm visit included a raft ride down the river.

They arrived! My parents arrived last Saturday, and they smelled just like Christmas. They also brought us suitcases full of Christmas treasures, including wrapped presents, Goldfish, five boxes of cereal!, candy canes, pretzels, coffee, M&Ms, Memory games for the neighbor kids, new Christmas music…the list is incomprehensibly long.

We are slowly attempting to take in all the deliciousness and sparkles and smells and blessings. It’s hard to explain how food or gifts can be overwhelming, but they can be: things that are too familiar, too special, too rare, and too lovely to receive all at once.

But we did delve into the peanut butter M&Ms.

While in Chiang Mai to meet them at the airport, we soaked it up: a day at the zoo and a visit to a snake farm.

One of the best things about the Chiang Mai zoo is feeding the animals. You pay about $3 for entry, and then you can feed most animals for about 30 cents. You can even feed the tigers, cheetahs, and jaguars raw meat on a stick. We learned to put the meat up higher so they’d growl and jump for it.

Apparently we are only brave until provoked.

Mae Sot doesn’t look very Christmas-y, but Chiang Mai does!

And as the city full of surprises, we managed to search a couple grocery stores and find egg nog for Stephen to enjoy.

We spent a few days in Mae Sot and made Christmas here. Our tree is looking gorgeous and sparkling, and now surrounded by surprises! We also had carolers two nights in a row and gave my parents a true picture of our lives, including trips to the pharmacy and dinner cooked in a kitchen full of kids.

We’re out again tomorrow to visit Noh Poe refugee camp for a Christmas party, and our poor neighborhood kiddos are a little confused at all the comings and goings!

I feel like there are two recurring themes to this blog, and thus my life: perspectives and two worlds.

I keep coming back to the huge gaps between worlds–the jungle & Mae Sot, Mae Sot & the city, Thailand & America, our life & our neighbors lives, our life & our families’ lives.

I also keep seeing the power of perspective.

I was reminded of it again as I collapse onto our bed on Tuesday morning. We arrived in on the Bangkok bus at 5am. I usually sleep quite well on the bus, but this time I happened to be awake to see us pass a horrible accident around 1am. It was another bus–same exact paint job as ours–turned over with people and chaos everywhere.

I didn’t sleep the rest of the ride.

And as I collapsed into our bed, I was oooh-ing and ahhhh-ing over the comfort. After three weeks on a bamboo floor, it was heavenly. But my response was shockingly similar to last December when I fell onto our bed in the States and was shocked at the comfort of it. I cherished it all month in the States, sad at a short night of sleep. I whined when I climbed back into our Mae Sot bed in January; the same bed I was now cherishing.

Both themes resurfaced in Bangkok, too. We went from a remote village in the jungle– where we ate the same foods every day, wore the same four outfits, followed the schedule of the sun, and spent a total of $22 in three weeks to buy snacks for the students–to this:

We arrived in Bangkok about 3pm and didn’t have a bus to Mae Sot until 9pm. And with our handy-dandy translator with us, we learned that there is a place at the bus station you can leave your luggage! We happily let them watch our things while we trekked off to a nearby mall.

This was fun for a few reasons. First, we ate an amazing dinner. Stephen & I also split up for a few hours and had a chance to purchase Christmas gifts for each other, which is quite difficult in Mae Sot. Neither of us really had much of a plan, so this was a fun chance to make some purchases. We also found a Coldstone ice cream shop, which was a delight.

These photos pretty much sum it up. We’re both in quick-dry shirts with a Karen bag; we don’t fit in at a mall in the slightest. Stephen is thrilled for ice cream, and in front of a digital store: he loved seeing the new iPad & new iPhone, and visiting the Canon & music shops. And I was very thrilled to enjoy my ice cream and visit Gap!

We definitely took advantage of the time there, but wow. That was a huge switch. When we walked in the door, I actually slowed down and Stephen nudged me forward. There were so many lights and music was blaring from every direction. In that moment I could see more people than I had seen in the whole village for three weeks–a village of ten people plus twenty-seven students attending the school.

We walked from one world into a very different one, and all perspectives were challenged.

That said, we’d do it again. It was so much fun to get a taste of the Christmas season, with window decorations advertising holiday sales and this ginormous Christmas tree!

Everything in Bangkok looked like Christmas, but celebrates the holidays or new year–never Christmas. And in Mae Sot, it doesn’t even really look holiday-esqe. There are a few shops selling sparkly garland, and we have seen just a few Christmas lights, mostly in celebration of the King’s birthday today.

And now, we’re back in Mae Sot in our sleepy little neighborhood. We were greeted with wonderful smiles from the community and requests to see pictures from our trip. The kids were anxious for hugs and time to play with the dolls and badminton. We spent yesterday evening out in the streets playing and realized how good it was to be home. And we haven’t been to the hospital yet 🙂

I don’t think I can ever really describe the places we go, but now that we’re in a city, I can at least upload photos!

This was our little abode. We slept in the building to the right. In the building on the left, the bathroom was on the left and the shower room was around the side on the right.

This was my classroom. It doubled as a church, game room, and movie theater.

Stephen did some teaching, too. He taught a few photography courses and gave more sermons than we expected.

We ate a lot of pumpkin.

We didn’t eat many chilies, but they sure did.

The area was really beautiful and surrounded by gorgeous greenery & flowers, and covered in stars at night.

And now, we’re ready to greet Mae Sot. We have some neighbors to hug and a Christmas tree to set up!

The Karen have a really wonderful tradition.

On 30 November, everyone comes together as a community and stays up until midnight to welcome December. The whole month celebrates Christmas.

We joined in, and I think we’ll make it our tradition, too.

The day was a celebration, too. No classes, and just a few chores necessary for the evening events. Most of the day was filled with volleyball games.

Throughout the day I was very aware of the similarities at the core of our cultures; but the great differences that exist parallel. Volleyball was a great example: the game was essentially the same, with a few added kicks that seem to be permitted. The boys played hard and impressed the girls, who sat on the sidelines cheering and squealing when the ball left bounds in their direction.

But while there were similarities, there were differences. I have never seen quite a game of volleyball. They have Olympic intensity, and I might argue Olympic strength or more. Every smack of the ball was loud in my ear, and my eyes were amazed at the leaping and flipping and somehow landing back on feet.

The gear was far less than Olympic level. About a third wore tennis shoes of some form–mostly the local version of Keds with holes around the toes. Another third wore flip flops or other sandals; the final third went barefoot.

It was very fun to watch, and almost the highlight of the day.

It was beat by Henry.

Mid-morning, we were sitting around talking with some students. They were telling their stories while Stephen recorded them for future projects. We heard some dogs chasing something and barking aggressively; Stephen glanced out the window.

“A monkey!”

We then spent about an hour feeding Henry bananas and giving him water. He preferred females, we learned pretty quickly. He only let Stephen and the male students get within a distance, but he happily drank from the cup I held.

In the past, he was living with a family in a nearby community. Once he got loose, he couldn’t find his way back. Now, he was quite open to people feeding him, but he kept his distance.

Later, he got into a little trouble. The students found him destroying things in the school and had to catch him. They planned to give him back to the family, but kept him around the school for a few days until we left. I think this was mostly because we loved it. We saved food for Henry at every meal and took it out to him.

In the end, Stephen decided we’ll be getting a monkey soon. Previously, he was hoping for a baby elephant–which does grow into a huge elephant, I keep reminding–so I would prefer a monkey. A monkey is one of the few animals that is cute as a baby and as an adult. However, I’m still keen on the idea of a bunny farm for the neighbors.

The rest of Sweet December was still wonderful. We had a wonderful meal with the surrounding three communities all together. We then had a church service full of Christmas songs and part one of a two-part sermon by Stephen. The evening was full of games, watching Elf, and even a few fireworks at midnight. We had a second service after the fireworks, where Stephen tiredly finished his sermon on the Christmas story and we sang more Christmas carols.

And then we had breakfast of rice soup, and stared at the beautiful sky. We’re not sure what to call this, but it was like a night rainbow–a halo around the moon with very light color to it. Absolutely gorgeous.

And we were absolutely tired. So we crashed at 1am, only to hear the students out doing their chores at 5:30am.

In the following days, we confirmed what their favorite Christmas carol is. We sang Joy to the World twice on Sweet December, and then sang it once on Saturday and twice on Sunday. That is a whole lot of joy.

This week was full, where it seemed there were many things to say and simply not enough time to sit down to say them.

It started with our voting mishap, which was a significant disappointment. Otherwise, we were busy with meals with friends and playdates with the neighbor children.

_________________________

Stephen & I were both caught up in work in an attempt to finish a few details before we headed out of town. He was up many a night working on videos, completing three. I am hoping they will be open to the public soon so I can boast his work to all of you!

I was updating my curriculum, adding bits and bobs that have been critiqued or found lacking. In the end, I have now compiled a book of 118 pages. This is exciting to me, to see work in written form, being translated and multiplied.

We now have plans for a second curriculum to be researched and written in January & February of next year. This is a little overwhelming, as I see the piles of eight to ten books and countless articles that need to be read and extracted for applicable lessons. But I’m hopeful for the value they can bring to the communities they serve.

_________________________

I made my first trip to the dentist in Mae Sot this week for a cleaning.

It was terrifying.

I did get to listen to the Backstreet Boys, which I haven’t heard in years.

The dentist placed a fabric over my whole face, with simply a whole over my mouth. I suppose this is nice because you can close your eyes and pretend you aren’t there; no one is asking questions and implying you can answer with their hands in your mouth.

But I think the fabric does make it easier to forget there is actually a person attached to that mouth, and that person is in great discomfort when you stretch their lip that far to the right or jab the hook tool into their gums repeatedly. But if you can’t see their facial expression of pain, I suppose it’s irrelevant?

There were two people working in my mouth the entire time: one cleaning with a mirror and hook, and the other with the water & sucker constantly being used. It was overwhelming. That is a lot of metal and plastic and hands in one very little mouth.

And again, a lot of jabs into the gums and lips pulled in unnatural positions.

I kept telling myself it was short-lived: I could do anything for thirty minutes, right?

…Or ten; it was fast.

I suppose I got my $12 worth of medical care, but we decided we should work harder to schedule our regular visits in Chiang Mai or elsewhere.

_________________________

We did our weekly bicycle ride this weekend: 17 kilometers bicycling out, 690 steps straight up, down again, and 17 kilometers back.

We won’t be able to do this for awhile as we’ll be out of town and then have the holidays, but it seems worth noting that we completed this trek fourteen times in the past three months!

We missed just two weekends: one while my parents were in town; and one when we made it halfway and received a call from friends inviting us to dinner. Not having many opportunities for such, we opted for friendship over exercise, for better or for worse.

Either way, thats over 476 kilometers on a bicycle and 9,660 steps climbed since 31 July.

_________________________

Also, it appears to be snake season around Mae Sot, and we encountered a number of snakes this week. The largest was about five feet long and crossing the road in front of our motorbike. I’m sure we received some laughs as we both threw our legs up in the air above the handlebars to zoom by.

_________________________

And last, we just left yesterday on the bus, the first leg of our journey out to a village. We had about 10 hours on the bus, shortened a little by a very fast driver. I woke up a number of times feeling that I was falling, though it wasn’t in my dream, but from the significant sway of the top level of our double-decker bus.

Terrifying.

But we survived.

We are missing our neighbors already; they were quite sad as we told them we’d be gone for three or four weeks. We’ve arranged for a friend from work to go by the community weekly to make sure all is well and they don’t need any immediate medical attention.

And we’re off!

Per usual, Stephen & I made our trek yesterday: 34 kilometers cycled and 690 steps climbed.

But we were showed up.

Some additional structures were being built at the top of the climb, which required concrete–a favorite and overused resource around here. The only way to get that much concrete to the top of the mountain is to carry it.

This woman is carrying a 5-liter bucket full of sand on her head for all 690 steps! Never mind her long skirt, and the noon sun bringing temperatures over 90 degrees.

Wow.

If you looked around our home, you would think we had children.

My parents brought magnets from the States when they came: letters, animals, shapes. As of late, the kids come to play while I make dinner. They gather around the fridge and washing machine to make shapes, spell out letters, and match colors. The little ones just pull them off and put them back on in amazement. I stumble around them to get to the oven and fridge and stove and sink; Stephen and I attempt conversation about the day.

It’s a small kitchen for ten to fifteen of us.

But they love it, and I can’t help but love it, too. They They even learned to spell our names!

In the nearly two years we have been in Mae Sot, Stephen and I have had two nephews born, with another niece scheduled to arrive in November. Stephen’s mom was diagnosed with cancer and went through surgery and treatment. In February, Stephen lost his grandfather. And on Monday, my sister called us from America with news that my grandfather had passed away.

I don’t know how to express these things from here. Words cannot celebrate enough with our sisters having healthy babies; words cannot mourn enough with death.

And particularly with my writing skills, this will likely be a disarray of thoughts and emotions.

____________________________

I’m really thankful we went home for Christmas. We got to spent time with my grandparents, who bravely made the 11 hour drive to Arkansas. After spending a day together, I told Grandma & Grandpa goodbye that evening and planned to them the next day.  They called later to say they were going to go ahead and head home the next morning; Grandpa was pretty exhausted of people and not being in his own home.

I wanted a proper goodbye, so Stephen & I woke up around 5:30am to go to the hotel. We had breakfast with Grandma & Grandpa, laughed together, and said our proper goodbyes.

I’m really thankful we did that. I’m really thankful they made the drive at all.

This keeps going through my head.

____________________________

Tuesday and Wednesday became preparations for mom & dad to return to the States early, including re-booking flights, driving to Chiang Mai, and reserving rental cars. We called family to make arrangements and encourage.

And then my parents left, just one week after they arrived instead of three.

I’m not even sure I’m willing to count the whole week, since we spent one day on a bus, dad spent two in bed with an odd rash, and the last two were corrupted with tears and international phone calls.

And now it’s just Stephen & I.

I’m not sure Mae Sot has ever felt this lonely. Suddenly it seems obvious the little bit that people know about me, my family, and my sadness. Or even the little bit that my family knows about Mae Sot and our lives here.

The ocean seems much bigger today.

We got our bamboo bed! And we are sleeping like royalty.

Well, not right now. We slept on it two nights before the parentals arrived, and it seemed fitting to let them enjoy the royal bed with aircon while we survive with the fan & futon for a few weeks.

But I know it will be wonderful again soon!