Wedding Day in Thailand

One of my coworkers was getting hitched today and kindly invited me and other workmates to attend the ceremony. Here's how the adventure unfolded:

The ceremony was supposed to begin at 9AM, and the location of the ceremony was about 45 minutes away. Our time of departure from the dormitory: about 8:58AM. No problem when you have a speedy chauffeur!

We piled into the car and enjoyed stretch of highway towards the ceremony. Five in a little car -- again, no problem!

But at the turnoff, that stretch of highway got narrower, more curvy, and much steeper. That is, we were going up a mountain. We went for a long ways, longer than we realized it was going to take. And the car, weighted down by a full load of passengers, inched up the mountain ever more slowly as the rains began pouring down, until...

While the overheated car took a moment to recover, so did the passengers in the backseat who were getting car sick from the stomach-churning ride up the mountain. The car had lost all its oomph to climb the mountain, and there was only one way to go: back down. After a hair-raising 8-point turn on the mountain road, we reversed our direction and descended once again. That's okay. We realized we had taken a wrong turn anyways. Crisis averted... or was it?

We raced (albeit slowly) to find the nearest gas station, on the mountain, a ways away from the highway. This might be difficult.

But fortunately we made it to the nearest gas-station-like facility!

In the meantime, the girls stepped outside of the car to get some fresh air, and possibly some motion-sickness-curing potion from a traveling saleslady.

We got ourselves back on track with renewed vigor to make it to the wedding. But then we got stuck behind a pickup truck that looked like it might be hiding an elephant underneath the cover.

That's okay, though, as it gave us a little more time to take in the beautiful scenery.

Finally we arrived! We missed the ceremony in the church, but we got there just in time for the Northern Thai-style ceremony to follow. Here's the groom walking to the bride's house now:

After that ceremony was finished, we walked a little ways to the next celebratory station: the lunch feast! By that time the rain had stopped and the sun's rays were beating down rather strongly, so it was good that we found ourselves protected under the cover of tent.

The meal was delicious, and we appreciated the moment we had to offer our congratulations, and moreover explain our tardiness, to the newlyweds.

As we finished up the meal, we briefly watched the presentation of traditional Thai dancing.

We left shortly after the dance and made our way back to Chiang Mai. I must say, the ride back was far less adventurous than the ride there. But I was okay with that.

Peace!

Eric

More Than A Passing Grade

First semester final exams are coming soon for students at Payap. This becomes clearer as there are fewer and fewer open seats in the dormitory study room with each passing night. It's not just the students who face evaluation, though. Recently the Omega Dormitory was evaluated, and its mark is posted at the front doors for all to see: a "D" grade.

Okay, maybe I need to explain a bit more. When I say the dormitory received a "D," I mean that the dormitory received a "ดี" (pronounced like the letter "D"), which means "good" in Thai.

There are plenty of good things about the dorm. It's a modern and beautiful building, both inside and out. There are lots of friends to make in the dormitory. Thanks to my staff role in the dormitory, my room includes air conditioning, a bathroom, and a great Thai roommate (student rooms don't have the former two but have one more of the latter). Also, one of the best new features of the dorm this semester is the addition of three ping pong tables, making for copious hours of bonding and exercise. Yes, when you play ping pong with these guys, it often does feel like exercise!

A couple weeks ago, Omega Dormitory sponsored a trip to a nearby hot springs and cave. About 40 Thai and international students and staff joined in, and as you can glean from the picture, it was rated as "ดี" also.

Sure, there are plenty of challenges and nuisances to life in a dormitory. (For example, I'm glad I'm not trying to sleep right now -- there's a Manchester United soccer match streaming live on the Internet, and every 10 minutes the dorm erupts in a thunderous roar of cheers or groans, depending on which team just scored.) On the whole, though, it's a lively experience that I enjoy, and an experience from which I have gained a lot more knowledge about Thai culture. I'll give life in the dorm more than a "D" grade. I'll give it a ดี+.

The Crowd Goes Wild

As I entered into Omega Dormitory this evening, I noticed a larger-than-usual crowd gathered around the television. I decided to join in and watch whatever was attracting the attention of so many. It happened to be an English Premier League (soccer) matchup between Manchester City and Manchester United.

I arrived at the beginning of the second half with a 2-0 score in favor of Manchester City. However, Manchester United stormed back with three goals in the second half, including one in the final minute, to earn the come-from-behind victory. Each time Manchester United scored, all four floors of the dormitory erupted in cheers. I wouldn't be surprised if the neighboring dormitories and houses heard the rumbling from Omega Dormitory.

Though I'm not a huge soccer fan, the sensation felt rather familiar. It kind of felt like I was watching a Packers game in the dormitory back at UW-Eau Claire.

Lessons in Buddhism

That "Thailand is a Buddhist country" seems to me to be both obvious and somewhat foreign. It's obvious in the sense that the national census figures nearly 95% of the population to be Buddhist. It's obvious in the sense that you'll see a wat (temple) on most city streets, and plenty of orange-robed monks walking to and from the wat. And it's obvious in the sense that schools and post offices are closed on Buddhist holidays.

But sometimes it still seems rather foreign to me that "Thailand is a Buddhist country." Chiang Mai, the city where I live, is an international hub of action, and a large number of the ex-pats and Thais I hang out with are Christians. So when I had two Buddhist friends invite me to two separate Buddhist-related outings this month, I decided to accept their friendly invitations and join as an observer.

Event 1: Ordination as a Buddhist Monk

A friend from the dormitory recently graduated and has decided that he will be a Buddhist monk for three months. On the morning of the ordination, he had his head and eyebrows shaved.

Many spectators entered the temple to see this "cohort" of monks be ordained.

The novice monks were dressed in white at the beginning of the ceremony and later changed to orange robes partway through the ceremony.

Event 2: Buddhist Holiday "Asarnha Bucha Day"

Also this month, a friend from the dormitory I lived in last year invited me to join the dorm staff members on an excursion to the temple to make merit. I told her that although I wasn't interested in making merit, I would be interested in seeing what transpires during such a ceremony.

While the dormitory staff went to the front of the temple to kneel and make their offering to the monk, I wandered around the temple and noticed the artwork on the walls. I'd guess that just as our stained-glass windows at church often depict important stories from the Bible, these pictures likely have relevance and meaning to the Buddhist.

I'm glad to have had the opportunity to observe these Buddhist events, to know and understand a bit better what my friends believe and hold in their hearts.

My joy and my hope, though, remain attached to the LORD. "Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours" (Psalm 86:8). I pray that my lifesong sings harmoniously with a confession of faith in the Lord who we can call Creator, Redeemer and Counselor.

In Christ Alone,

Eric

A Freshy Start

You may have noticed that the title of this blog entry is remarkably similar to the title of the previous entry. "Y?" you may ask (hope you appreciate the pun). Well, this update is a brief account of some of the activities that have been going on around campus to welcome this year's new batch of "Freshy" (that's how the Thais lovingly refer to students in their first year of study).

This year I'm living in Omega Men's Dormitory, where I'm stationed in my new job position as somewhat of a residential life/English language assistant on campus. As you can see from the picture, my dormitory is a very modern building (only in its second year of use), and it's the place where a good chunk of the first year male students live on campus.

Just like back at UW-Eau Claire, there was a special buzz around campus on move-in day at the Payap dorms. You could especially feel it in the evening activities: students actually participated in the silly songs, games, and dances as seen in the video below:

This past weekend the International College hosted its annual Freshy Quest Camp for first year students in the undergraduate IC programs. This camp was held at the beautiful Doi Khuntan National Park, on which Payap University is very blessed to own a number of cabins near the top of the mountain! The camp was a really fun mix of games, activities, and opportunities for reflection, in order for the students to get to meet one another and spend some time considering their personal goals for their time at Payap University.

For the most part, orientation activities are wrapping up, but it doesn't quite feel like we're into any sort of "swing of things" yet. It definitely keeps me on my toes and has made this past month back both a challenging and exciting experience, with so much that's "fresh" every day.

Blessings,

Eric

A Fresh Start

After a few-month hiatus from academic toil, from sweating it out in Thailand, and from this blog, it's time for a fresh start.

Admittedly, I've been lazy with updates over the past few months. There was plenty of great and bloggable stuff going on during my time back home in Wisconsin, on my excursion to North Carolina, and while doing some sightseeing in China, just to name a few highlights. Instead of trying to recap all of it, I'll take the easy way out: if one picture equals 1,000 words, then these three pictures should more than cover the last few months of inactivity on this blog:

Blessed to have spent two months with family

A great time to see great friends doing great things in Raleigh

Changed layover plans provided the opportunity to explore a little bit of Beijing

And now it's a fresh start to a new year in Chiang Mai -- a fresh start which includes a new place to call home (though only a short walk from my last residence), a new job, new coworkers and comrades, and a new semester in which I'll begin the process of researching and writing up my master's thesis project. As I undertake these and other "less fresh" ventures, I pray the LORD will do for me as He promised Israel: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26).

And I pray He gives each of my friends and family the same, that each day may be a fresh start in faith, in hope, and in love.

Cheers,

Eric

20 Kilograms

Usually when I fly to or from the U.S., I am allowed to travel with two checked bags, each of which can carry 23 kilograms (50 pounds) of weight. My flight home was a bit different this time, however, because it was composed of two separate bookings with Beijing as the intermediary city. I came to find out that it is only international flights to and from North America which are so generous as to allow 23 kilograms per checked bag for economy seats. Since I was actually flying Asia-Asia before my separate booking of Asia-North America, the amount of luggage I could bring home was limited to just 20 kilograms (44 pounds) TOTAL -- less than half the weight which I could generally carry.

At first I didn't know how it would be possible to limit myself to such a piddly amount of cargo. However, as I reevaluated my situation, I realized that there was very little I actually needed to take with me -- I could live quite comfortably with the things I still had back at home. Instead of looking at all the stuff in my possession as the starting point for travel, I switched my perspective to asking myself what was actually important to take with me.

As I put into my suitcase all my travel necessities and the pile of gifts and goodies to take back home, I soon discovered that I had an abundance of room to spare. In fact, I would need to fill my suitcase more in order to protect some of the more fragile items in my suitcase from bouncing around too much in the open space! When it was all said and done, I only found 14.6 kilograms of stuff that would make it home with me -- not even three-quarters of the "piddly" 20 kilogram limit.It's amazing the abundance you'll find when coming from a perspective that looks at what's really necessary and important. It reminds me of the words from Scripture where Jesus said to "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

This "summer" break (although summer may be approaching in Thailand, I still see some snow on the ground here in Wisconsin!), I want to seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness. Even more than sharing time with family and friends. Even more than taking a break from academic rigors. Even more than getting fresh air and exercise. I trust God's promise that as I seek Him first, all these other good things will come as well. And I'm sure I'll be pleasantly surprised just how abundantly his supply of grace will provide for me -- far more than 20 kilograms worth.

Peace,
Eric