Category: Living in Thailand (Page 4 of 10)

In our old house we used to have a nightly visitor. A big colorful Gecko. At least I think it is a Gecko. Thais call them Too-keh. They are very beautiful but also scary. I was told that when they bite they won’t let go. Now having moved I realized that we again are proud owners of a Gecko coming out at night to hunt insects and scare our cats. One night the mother cat was screaming and being all upset after having an encounter of the Gecko kind. They are really not that small. This one is 40 cm. long. It stays hidden during the day and runs around the house walls at night. The worst that could happen though is when you open the kitchen door in the back and that thing falls on your head.

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It is 38 degrees here in Chiang Mai and in our house it is over 30. How can any normal person work in these conditions. Living here for so many years I still have a hard time with that kind of heat. Global warming here I come.
We moved house a month ago and I must say it is cooler here then the old place. Still I wish I could lay at the beach right now and not having to think of studying and working.

It is Saturday again and the whole family crashed in the living room to watch a video. Surfs up was the right joice. I love that movie about a pinguin in the arctic who wants to become a surfer dude. I wish I could be at the beach right now. The part of beach they show looks just like Phi Phi  in Thailand.

Tomorrow Lillian and I are leading worship in the German church gathering. It is held in an open house. This morning I practiced some new (actually old) songs. I hope tonight it will cool down a bit. So it want be too while we are playing.

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It is Saturday morning. We are in our new house. It has such a different feel I wonder why we lived at the other place for eight years. But I guess I moved so many times in my live that I avoid it if i can. There is still much to do in and around the house. But today I take it slow. Yesterday I came home late after playing folk music in the Irish pub till after twelve. It was great. I just love folk music.
My last post was more then two weeks ago and I wonder what happened in all this time. But then I realize that while moving house  (a major endeavor) we also work on a big water project in the mountains and we also finished I major language recording project for a Thai language school. I have run so many errands it is hard to keep track. Unfortunately a lot of my office work is waiting for me to be attacked. But this will have to wait till Monday. Today my two boys will come back from a one week camp. There will be a lot of sharing today.
I wish you all a nice Saturday

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I have not written on this blog for a week. There is just to much going on. Thai studies, Water project, office work and on Saturday we are moving house. The moving is not so much the problem, but going to all the places for address changes, a real pain.
This morning I should write a short fairytale in Thai and my mind is blank. There is just nothing. Time to go to the telephone company.

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I am sitting in front of my notebook and think about next week. All the things I have to do, Thai studies and a trip up into the mountains to start with the Hui Ba Rai water pipe. The first one we partly do with PE pipes.
The last two weeks my family was seek. One after the other except me. I hope this stays. Just Yesterday I went with my son to hospital to get him checked just to find out that he has bronchitis and an middle-ear infection.
Looking back to the past week I realized that I have been quite busy and I don’t get on the computer much. Thai studies takes a big junk of time out. On Thursday I was in Hui Ba Rai trekking through the jungle to figure out how we best do the water pipe. The valley the is very steep and really difficult. The villagers are waiting for the new pipe. They have been with barely any water for the last two month.

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I haven’t been writing for a while. I guess my head is to full already and I just don’t feel like writing. So what have I been doing the last few weeks?
I reviewed module 4 for the first two weeks. Module 4 teaches all the grammar, tone rules and Thai script plus starts with reading and writing. I did this one seven years ago. I managed quite well and passed the test. I had a hard time with getting back into the writing. Mainly because this is what I used the least. I am still motivated and in the next module which is quite extensive including the Thai textbooks for first and second grade.
I started to write every word in Thai and English on cards and keep a learning box. So the last weeks I collected several hundred words I’m memorizing and learn to write in Thai. Slowly I’m making progress. It is hard to get faster in in reading Thai. It is the tones. I need to decipher all the letters and at the same time decide which of the five tones the word is pronounced. I must admit it sounds weird to read like a first grader. But I’m excited as I can read more words in the subtitles of the movies. Before it was the first word now I can read up to three words. So I wonder how long it will take till I can read a film ;-).
Okay enough of this. I’ve got to do my home work.

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Today I am going back to school. Back to learning Thai. i know this sounds crazy from someone who lives in Thailand for nine years. But my Thai is just not good enough. I get by quite well with talking and can also read the necessary things like bills and street signs. When it comes to working with Thai people, teach and counsel I am often lost and can not communicate well enough. I want to be able to teach and share more adequately in Thai.
I remember when I started to learn English at the age of twenty my goal was being able to preach and translate in English. I reached this goal quite quickly. In Thai I failed to set this kind of goal. Perhaps this is why I never got further in my Thai. But It’s never to late to try again.

I finished my first double lesson this afternoon. I am in the reading/writing module 4 at ClC language school. This I will go through to refresh the basics in Thai script and the tones. Beginning of next month I will then go on with module 5. I have forgotten quite a bit, but I think it will not be too hard to refresh all I learned eight years ago. I must say I am quite motivated. I talked long enough about going back to Thai studies.

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To all of you out there who read this blog I wish you a happy new year. May God hold His hand over you and keep you save.

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I am in a state where it is hard to reflect on the year just passing. I am quite relaxed and enjoy the rest. Yes I did my last trip into the mountains for the year. Last week I did two and I won’t go up for at least a week. I am tired and slowly I am relaxing. I couldn’t finish everything I wanted too, but sometimes it just is impossible to tie all ends up. There will be work waiting for me in the office next week. Office work was a drag lately because my computer is still broken. The laptop I am using now cannot use many of the programs I use. I guess I have to get a new one in the new year. I will have to take some time next week to reflect on the year and make plans. But now what I just want to do is nothing, have a holiday and spend time with my family. This morning is Monopoly time.

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The elections are over. I red the Bangkok Post today with many articles of the outcome and opinions. I put it away. Still have to pack some presents and drink coffee with Lillian. Except from trying to commercialize Christmas through ever repeating Christmas songs and decorations in the shopping malls. The very special event that happened about 2008 years ago is just another day in Thailand. For us as a family it is a nice holiday. Tonight we have even special guests here. Lillian’s parents are visiting us and we are going to have cheese fondue for dinner. Right no turkey. We couldn’t catch the bird this morning and the cat is not fat enough yet. So I need to prepare the "röscho" I mean the thing under the "gaglo". What I mean is the heater under the pot we make the fondue. The only thing that I have left to say is:

"Happy Birthday Jesus!"

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