Update #3

This third e-mail comes from Shawn Livingston, junior Cross-Cultural Communications student from Houghton College in Houghton, NY. Shawn is from Maryland.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greetings from Thailand!

We just finished our third amazing week in Thailand and none of us can believe how fast time is going. This week we started our new Thai culture class and internships. Our new class focused on the "short" history of Thailand, the history of Thailand was (usually) interesting but to most of us, did not seem very short.

We were all looking forward to our internships not knowing what to expect, hoping for the best. Although not everyone is doing what they expected to be doing, we are all pleasantly surprised at how much we are enjoying our internships. A few students are working at the Buddhist University learning about Buddhism, but mainly teaching monks English, others are interning at a local elementary school helping children to learn English.
A few students are working with an organization that helps impoverished children, they thought they would be playing games and helping them get on the right foot but ended up teaching English. A couple students are working at a Silver factory where they will make beautiful art and jewelry out of silver while still other students are interning at a hospital in Chiang Mai. Ajarn Mike and Ann have given us so many opportunities; it seems there is an internship for every type of person. The internships are another great way for us to experience Thailand and its amazing culture. (www.community.webshots.com/user/ajarnmike100 -- see internships
2007)

We have also finished the first week of our home stays. Many of us are sad that we do not live in a hostel together anymore, but on the other hand living with a family gives a sense of belonging. Home stays have been a trial for every student, learning new customs and a new way of life, learning to eat what is given us no matter how weird it may seem.
The host families are so caring, treating us like their own children, making sure we have eaten every meal and that we are safe and sound at night. Some of us have been blessed with families that can speak English while others are learning to communicate with their families with very few words. In both cases we are learning the differences between Thailand and our home cultures; this experience will truly stretch us emotionally but in the end will be extremely positive. Since we are not fluent in Thai
(yet) the first week with our families has been trying and we are all excited about learning Thai better so that we can communicate more fully with our families. (www.community.webshots.com/user/ajarnmike100 -- see Home Stays 2007)


On Saturday we all met at the University to go to the Royal Flora Expo, essentially an extremely fancy arboretum the size of Disney World built in dedication to the King because of his work in Thailand. There were seemingly endless gardens with flowers and plants from every country in the world. There were different exhibits stretching from South Africa to Australia to the U.S. not to mention the orchid, bug, and fruit exhibits.

This establishment is extremely appreciated by the Thai population, people come from all over Thailand to visit and appreciate the king's work. It was very hot but the park was still enjoyed by our group, some of us walked around all day while others played backgammon with Ajarn Add. In the middle of the park there is a huge building with a temple-like design adorned with gold and beautiful intricate patterns. On the inside of this building are beautiful murals of the king helping different people around Thailand, The centerpiece of the building was a huge tree with thousands of olden leaves, each leaf representing one of the kings royal projects.
Some students left at 2 PM while others left at 4 but a few of us decided to stay into the evening time when there was a huge program watched by thousands of Thai people showing the prosperity of the Thai people because of the Kings work. The Royal Flora Expo was indeed another reminder of how much the king is really loved by the Thai people, it is extraordinary.

On Sunday we had the opportunity to sleep in, or depending on our location, go to church. One of our Thai friends invited us to come to the university and watch him in his play Animal Farm (put on by the English
club) at 1 PM. Many of the students attended, and it was extremely enjoyed. Most of us spent the rest of the day with our host families continuing to learn about Thai culture. We look forward to every day, excited about learning and about what kind of new food we will eat next.

Love,

Shawn Livingston
SST 2007 Student from Houghton College

P.S. You're letters are greatly appreciated...