Tuesday November 3rd, 2009

Alright well today was a little crazy, but good. I think though that I will start with last night.

Logatone Festival: Yesterday was the official day of Logatone and there were only two places in all of Petchaburi province that had celebrations, Had Chao Samran and Cha-Am, so everyone close by came here. There were people everywhere, it was insane. There were some fireworks and tons of those balloon things. When we got to the beach you couldn’t find a place to sit. My host dad had gone early because he was judging the beauty contest. The rest of us went later. When we got there Mike kept wandering off and it got really annoying chasing after him because my host mom didn’t want to lose him. We got there and we watched a part of the beauty contest then we wandered around. Mike bought some fried bugs, apparently they are one of his favorite foods. I told them that I would try anything they wanted, but I drew the line at bugs! I couldn’t believe he ate them all! After a short time my host mom got tired so we went back to the house so she could change shoes and rest for a minute. We also grabbed our Godangs (the flower and banana leaf things). When we went back to the beach we bought one of the balloons and then went to release it. Mike was in charge of lighting everything, but he wasn’t very good with the lighter and it was very windy so he continually burnt himself. We started by trying to light the Godangs, but they wouldn’t stay lit for more than a second or two in the wind. We eventually gave up on lighting them and Meow went and put hers in the ocean; it didn’t go for than a few feet before currents brought it back to shore. Once she got back to where we were standing they decided to try to launch the balloon. It was so funny watching the two of them try! They didn’t know what they were doing and they couldn’t get it to light and when they did Mike would burn himself and Meow would not be holding the top properly (at one point she let go to answer her phone). Some stranger had to help them because they were really pathetic. There were people lighting off fireworks not more than five feet behind them and they kept getting closer and closer to them, so I was a little nervous about that. After almost 15 minutes they finally got it into the air. After that I decided to put my Gadong into the ocean. I wanted to keep mine so I put it in and expected it to come back like everyone else’s, but of course mine had to be the one that kept going further and further out. It eventually came back far enough for me to grab it, so for now I’m keeping it. After we finished releasing them, my host mom went to listen to the concert and Meow, Mike and I went off to explore. We met up with some of their friends and just wandered around and took pictures and ate. It was a lot of fun, but I was really tired! We returned back to the house around 12, but then Meow and my host mom and I walked to the river to release my host dad’s and my host mom’s Godangs (I released my host dad’s because he was too tired to come). After showering (which was necessary because I was covered in sand), I did my devotion and went right to bed because I was too tired for anything else!

This morning we were supposed to leave 30 minutes early of school, but of course I knew that wouldn’t happen. We left about 10 minutes before normal and we stopped at the store, but it was a really quick stop and they didn’t get anything. We were at school right at 8, so at least we weren’t late. I went to the English Corner as always to wait for the girls to come and get me, but they didn’t until almost the end of first period. We then went to Physics, where I didn’t understand anything but the signs are the same (like F = force) so I caught some of that. They then had English, which is taught in Thai (I know, very odd). After English I had a Thai lesson with the new Thai assistant in the English Corner. She is teaching me to read and write. I learned the first six letters of the 44 letter alphabet. Even though it means nothing to you I am going to say the names just to show you how confusing it is: Gaw Gai, Kaw Kai, Kaw Kwat, Kaw Kwai, Kaw Kone, Kaw Rak-con. I don’t know how they are read yet, but I can write them all and identify them. My homework for tonight is to write them all 100 times, but I’m too tired (I might do it tomorrow during Social Studies). After my Thai lesson I had lunch, I was sooo hungry (breakfast was 4 mini hot dogs and some rice). After eating the main meal I decided I wanted to try the Thai dessert, which is ice with different candies and syrups. I got Taro, corn (it’s a sweet here), some green noodle like thing, and banana, with a red sauce and the sweet sauce. The first bite tasted like cough medicine, but I was determined to eat it all and after about ½ way it didn’t taste like cough medicine anymore, and I actually began to like it. After lunch we went up to the library and they worked on homework and goofed around. They decided that I have to have a Thai name so they spent like 40 minutes trying to come up with good things for me. They gave me a list to look at tonight and if I don’t choose they are going to nickname me “Farang” which means foreigner and guava (it’s strange but true that it means both things). I keep forgetting to ask my host family about the names, I’ll have to do it before I head to bed. I decided at 2:45 to head to the English Corner so that I could find someone to take me to Thai dance, but no one was around so I missed another class (I’m beginning to think I’m not going to learn any Thai dance, or very little). After school I read. Gayoon talked with Meow about something until my host mom came and then she talked to my host mom for like 30 minutes. Once we left the school they took me somewhere to print some photos. After that we ran a few errands and then picked up Mike from his after school school. We then went home where I’ve been reading and doing things until now. Now I’m writing my blog and preparing to head to bed.

Well that was my day, or what I can currently remember of it in this half stupor I’m in!

Oh yah I forgot that I got my iPod to work again. I took it to school today because the girls said they might be able to do something. I tossed it on the table (not as gently as I normally would, but I was annoyed with it for not working) and then after that it worked! I have it fully charged now, so I’m really happy! I’m going to buy my video camera now, well if I can find something reasonable here.

Now that is really all I can remember for today.