Random Updates

It feels like it's been awhile since I've written anything. I'm not really sure if I have much to say so I will just list some random updates and hope you find them entertaining or interesting.

* Earlier I said my house was being painted sea foam green. Well, it turns out they only painted half of the house. The first floor is sea foam green and the second floor is an off white color. There is pink and brown trim. It actually doesn't look too bad, but I officially live in a half sea foam green colored house in Thailand.

* A white girl (actually she's half Thai) appeared one day with the rest of the Thai kids on my porch and I was severely confused. She's American and lives in Mississippi. Turns out her mom is Thai and married an American and has been living in the States for 16 years. Her mom grew up in my village and is back for a month to visit family. A WHOLE month! That means I have a fluent Thai and English speaker down the road from me. I hang out with her everyday and she is incredibly helpful and willing to translate stuff for me. She also knows all the village gossip so I have learned so much. It's maybe the best thing that could have ever happened, particularly because I have to submit a report of my community assessment in Thai in 3 weeks as well as present on everything I have learned in Thai to Peace Corps. She doesn't realize it yet, but this lady is gonna be helping me a lot....

* I'm covered in mosquito bites again. Every couple weeks I get 40+ bites all over my legs (but only below my knees, which I don't understand). They take forever to go away and then I won't get any for another couple weeks. It's really strange. I'm currently on the recovery stage of the latest bug bite attack.

* I was Thai knapped last week. I won't go into the details because it's not really worth it, but just know that it's 6 painful hours of my life I can never get back. I was with a lady from my office who can't drive stick shift, but was anyway. I lost count of how many times we stalled on the highway. That poor engine. I did manage to get a trip to 711 in, so the day wasn't a complete loss. I was able to buy yogurt. 10 yogurts = 6 hour Thai knapping. I think it was worth it.

* I went to a restaurant with some coworkers for lunch today. I ate a strange kind of meat that I have never had before. It was really dark and tough. I could tell from the bones and such that it was not chicken, or any other kind of bird. It seemed more like a furry creature - maybe like a fox or ferret or something although those don't reside in Thailand. I just decided to not think about it, but I am a little terrified that I ate something that in my mind should be a pet. I'll let you figure it out, but the creature might make a barking sound.

I think that's a good place to stop.