Update #4

This fourth e-mail comes from Elizabeth Gray, junior Sociology Major from Messiah College. Beth comes from Honey Grove, PA.
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Greetings from Thailand!

We have just started our 4th week of our amazing experience here in Thailand. Time is going by so quickly! We have been busy learning more Thai language, learning about Buddhism (the dominant religion in Thailand), learning more about the culture, and trying to spend time with our Thai host families. Our days are packed with Thai language and culture classes in the morning, followed by a quick lunch break, internships in the afternoon, and then we head home to be with our host families. The time spent with our host families continues to be that of varied emotions. The language barrier still remains a challenge for some of us, but then again, it gives us a great chance to practice our Thai. However, we are still in bonding mode with our families and I'm sure that the 4 short weeks we have left with the families will not be enough.

Despite our busy days, we have had time to spend together as a group. Last Friday evening, three ladies in our SST group had a chance to compete in the Miss International Flower Bloom Competition, which was part of the Flower Festival Celebration (see our pictures at www.community.webshots.com/user/ajarnmike100). The contest was for women who were not citizens of Thailand, but wanted to represent their respective countries. We had three representatives from our group: Sarah Cunliff, Sarah Brown, and Marta Johnson. The group gathered to watch our friends compete. The contestants introduced themselves to the crowd and had the chance to share a small talent if they wished. We were all so proud of the three that represented our group and the USA. The competition was fierce, and even though none of our ladies made it to the final three contestants, they're all winners in our eyes. :)

Saturday, the group gathered again to watch the flower parade, an amazing display of the beautiful flowers that are in Thailand. We were all impressed with the magnificent colors and grandeur of it all. After the parade there were many opportunities to practice our bartering skills with the local vendors. Some of the group even found a Mexican restaurant and fixed all those cravings for something that reminded us of home.

Since the weekend was off to amazing start, it had to finish off just as amazing! At six o’clock in the morning, Courtney Connors, ran a 13 K race from Chiang Mai University to the top of Doi Suthep Mountain. Courtney is a cross-country runner at Westmont College but her family decided that she should run the race and win a trophy for herself. Wow, that is pressure!!
Well, Courtney outdid herself. She took first in the 18 - 25 year old female runners and second for women overall. It was a race of 200 runners so this was an amazing feat.

After the race, some of the group met early to go to church. When we all gathered later that morning (11:00 AM), it was in honor of Blythe's birthday and we were going to celebrate her birthday and Courtney's big win! Ajarns Mike and Ann took us all to the Empress Hotel, one of the more elite hotels in Chiang Mai, for lunch. Lunch was an incredible buffet with food ranging from traditional Thai dishes like spring rolls and som tom (spicy papaya salad), to sushi, to something that reminded us of home:
pasta and mashed potatoes! And if lunch itself wasn't enough to satisfy us, we had an equally delicious dessert buffet as well. Homemade waffles, homemade ice cream, shaved ice with different flavors, cakes, and fresh fruits were on the buffet menu. I think it's safe to say that everyone stuffed themselves that day. With some difficulty with walking, we headed off to a local gem factory, where we watched a short video on gems, and then had the chance to browse the selection of beautiful jewelry and even buy some if we wished.

After spending some time checking out the jewelry, we went to an umbrella shop, where we had a chance to purchase beautiful umbrellas and even have items of clothing, bags, camera cases, even cameras hand-painted with different designs. Our last two stops were at hand crafted pottery shops.
The pottery and handicrafts were unique and beautiful.

Overall, we have been having a wonderful time with our Thai host families and with our friends and we look forward to this weekend's Wat stay. We hope that you are all doing well!

Sincerely,

Beth Gray