A Sabai Sabai Life

Wedding Day in Thailand

2011-10-29T20:34:00.007+07:00

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

2011-09-18T23:30:00.000+07:00

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

2011-08-07T22:50:00.005+07:00

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

2011-07-31T22:39:00.003+07:00

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

2011-06-23T21:57:00.004+07:00

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

2011-06-11T16:43:00.005+07:00

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

2011-03-21T02:36:00.009+07:00

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

"Watching" the Big Game

2011-02-07T22:35:00.000+07:00

Super Bowl XLV will be a memorable one for me. It is certainly memorable for the fact that the Packers came out as the victors. It will be just as memorable, though, how I watched the big game this year.

First, take into account the 13-hour time difference between Thailand and Wisconsin. It had stopped me from watching other games this season (including the NFC championship game between the Packers and Bears sometime around 3AM), but I figured I could muster the effort for a more forgiving 6AM Super Bowl wake-up time.

So I woke up, put on my Wisconsin Badgers t-shirt and Marquette stocking hat to represent, filled up my coffee mug with hot water and instant Nescafe mix, and walked over to the neighboring dormitory to watch the big game. The door locked, I knocked to get the security guard's attention, but she unsympathetically shook her finger at me and put her hands to one ear to make the sleeping gesture. I took that to mean that the security guard was forewarned not to let Super Bowl viewers inside, for fear they would be a bit too boisterous.

I returned to my own dormitory to check the TV situation there. The night prior I had heard reports of the cable not working in the dormitory, which is why I went to the other dormitory in the first place. Sure enough, the cable was still not working in my dormitory (I was later informed that there is only one cable connection for the dormitory, and that connection has been transferred from the second floor lobby to the room of a VIP guest currently staying there).

Feeling a bit lazy to travel into the city to find a place to watch the game (yes, several venues opened early morning to host Super Bowl watchers), I turned on my computer to see if I could get a live stream of the game online. No such luck -- I couldn't find a single reputable (read: legal) live stream that I wouldn't have to pay for.

A bit despondent by this point, I settled for "watching" the game play-by-play from the NFL's official website. It looked something like this:

As you can see, arrows described the movement on the field, and the text box in the bottom right-hand corner described the play that just occurred.

Remember that great Packer drive which led to a touchdown early in the fourth quarter? This is how I remember it happening:

Even without video or audio, it was an intense and heart-pounding last few minutes of the game. I sure was happy to see the word "final" appear and the score still standing with the Packers on top:

For most people, turning on the the TV was the least memorable part of the Super Bowl game. For me, not turning it on was probably the most memorable part.

Hello Wisconsin!

Eric

Weather Report, January 25

2011-01-25T16:23:00.000+07:00

It's not all that often that I take a moment to check the weather forecast here in Chiang Mai, especially at this time of year. Here's why:

Love and sunscreen,

Eric

A Priceless Day Trip

2010-12-29T21:48:00.000+07:00

Today I traveled "The Samoeng Loop" on my motorbike for the first time. Considered one of the premier day trips for the bike or motorbike enthusiast, it's a 100-kilometer (about 62 miles) stretch that cruises through the mountain terrain to the west of Chiang Mai.

Below is the item-by-item price list for the trip...

One tank of gas for my Honda Dream: 90 baht

The ultimate northern Thai lunch -- somtam (spicy papaya salad with crab), gai yang (grilled chicken), and khaawniaw (sticky rice) : 65 baht

A bottle of wine from a strawberry farm in Samoeng: 200 baht

A Thai massage upon returning to Chiang Mai from the four-hour trip: 150 baht

(I passed by this sign early on my trip. It translates to "Beware, elephants." And yes, there was an elephant on the road. Anyways, I thought it was representative of how Thai massage sometimes feels like an elephant stepping on you. But it's a good hurt.)

Total cost of today's excursion: 505 baht (not quite $17).

A fully relaxing day with beautiful scenery on the open road: Priceless.

There are some things money just can't buy. For everything else, there's Thailand.

Cheers,

Eric

The Holiday Season

2010-12-10T16:28:00.000+07:00

Holiday greetings to everyone -- and I'm not even talking Christmas yet.

The past few weeks have been full of holiday celebrating. First in line was the Thai holiday of Loy Krathong. It probably would be considered as the second most festive holiday in the country. During the holiday season (Thais like to celebrate, so it usually spans about two weeks), the evening sky is filled with beautiful lanterns, the river filled with homemade banana-leaf floats, and everyone's ears filled with the thunderous claps of fireworks and explosives into the late hours of the night.

I enjoyed two Thanksgiving meals this year. The first, on Thanksgiving evening, with some close friends from the mission. We went to The Dukes restaurant where we were able to enjoy a meal with all the traditional fixings. In the next week, Payap University also shared a Thanksgiving meal with students. Two rounds of turkey this year!

Last weekend was the celebration of His Majesty The King's birthday, which, not coincidentally, coincides with Father's Day in Thailand. The church I attend held its annual church camp during the weekend, at a great quiet place north of Chiang Mai. It was great to see some old friends and former Bible Institute students who were able to make it to the camp!

Finally, today is Constitution Day. I'm not exactly sure how it celebrated other than a day off of school and the closing of government offices. As for me, I celebrated by sleeping in, getting a Thai massage, and taking a nice long nap.

Happy holidays, whichever ones you're celebrating!

Eric

Truly International

2010-11-09T20:14:00.000+07:00

The phrase "Truly International" is one of the slogans heard often across my university's campus. It's the catch phrase on numerous billboards and promotional materials, and to be honest, it sounds a little gimmicky, no?

I have to say, though, that lately I have been feeling that Payap really does a good job being "truly international."

Last Friday Payap hosted its eighth International Day festival, which turned out to be a great success. There was an assortment of good eats and activities representing the international population of Payap and the city of Chiang Mai as a whole. As the pictures show, students also showed their talent in performing traditional dances -- whether from what they've learned about northern Thai culture (above) or what they wished to share from their home culture (a traditional dance from Bolivia, below).

Now into week three of my second semester of classes, I'm happy to gain new classmates with perspectives from an even more varied set of countries than last semester. This semester students new to my M.A. in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) cohort come from Brazil, Burma, Canada, Indonesia, Iran, and U.S.A., adding to the already diverse crew of individuals from last semester. And living in the international dormitory offers even further dimension to the international education and experience of Payap.

On occasion people ask me why I'm not doing my master's program in the U.S., much more "prestigious" of an opportunity with "brand name" schools. Why little Payap University? There are many factors that made me consider enrolling at Payap, but what I've appreciated most has been that, both in classes and in daily living, Payap has been a truly international experience.

Peace,

Eric

Three Weekends, Three Adventures

2010-10-25T12:16:00.000+07:00

After a long, tiring (yet rewarding) first semester of classwork, it has been excellent to vacate for the better half of a month from the toils of academia and soak in the rays of semester break. During the weekdays I stayed in Chiang Mai, filling my days with reading, hanging out with friends, catching up with online socializing, and watching one and a half seasons worth of Dexter episodes. Sometimes it was a strain to come up with things to do to pass the time away! The last three weekends were spent out of town, and each trip was well worth it!

Weekend 1: Hmong Village in Tak Province

This is the first time I had made it back to the village in about 15 months, but the trip there made me feel a bit like I had never even left Thailand in the first place. I had the opportunity to teach English for the children's program at the church there, as well as reconnect with some great friends.

Weekend 2: Sukhothai

A friend and I hopped on a bus one Friday morning and spent the night in the quiet town of Sukhothai. This place serves as a nice stone's throw away from the bigger city of Chiang Mai and boasts a World Heritage site on the outskirts of the town. We rented bicycles on Saturday morning and explored the "old city" ruins. Unfortunately I forgot to recharge my battery before the trip, so I have only a limited set of pictures -- a good excuse to find my way back there sometime in the future.

Weekend 3: Doi Khuntan National Park

Khuntan is a treasured place for some of my Chiang Mai ex-pat friends, and I think it's becoming something similar for me as well. This was my third venture to the park, not much more than an hour away from Chiang Mai. A group of 11 of us hiked up the mountain, spending two nights enjoying the cabins, the views, and the friendly company. There was plenty of time to take an additional hike to a waterfall, beautiful at this time of the year while the rains are still frequent.

These past three weekends have been no less than awesome. It's great to know that it doesn't take a large budget or overly-detailed planning to get out of town and experience some beautiful places with friends. I feel recharged to begin my second semester of classes later this week, and I know three extraordinary places to help recharge the battery should it get low in the course of this semester.

Peace,

Eric

The Motorbike Diaries

2010-10-08T09:17:00.000+07:00

Please, Mr. Security Man, could you take a picture for me?

Get a photo of me and my friends with the motorbike I just purchased.

It's a '97 Honda Dream, 100cc; runs like a dream. Yeah, just push the button on the top of the camera.

Red isn't my favorite color, but it'll do. Did you take the picture yet?

I'm thankful for the new set of sturdy wheels, and I'm looking forward to hitting the road (not literally) soon. Okay, let's take a look at the picture.

Oh. Umm...you were taking a video. And you didn't really get the motorbike in the picture. Never mind, thanks anyways.

Milestones and Signposts

2010-09-09T19:13:00.000+07:00

I'd like to make the excuse that my blog updates have been lacking in number lately because there haven't been any big milestones to write about. I haven't had another birthday or even traveled to another province (see previous entries). I've just been studying hard, hanging out with friends, going to church, and trying to stay cool in the recent heat wave. Seemingly nothing new or newsworthy to write about.

Until today. I have no excuse anymore, because I hit a milestone today. It involved a hacky sack.

To get a fuller appreciation for this milestone, you may want to review the blog entries dated July 1 and July 16. After the sewer incident of July 13, I noticed a marked decline in my desire to practice hacky sack regularly. For some time it seemed to me that my end-of-the-semester goal of 50 consecutive hacks was going to be unattainable, and I would have a good excuse of "an unforeseen variable" to justify my failure. Last week I had a breakthrough session of 45 consecutive hacks, though, which renewed my confidence that 50 was still in the realm of possibility. And today, the bar was finally hurdled: 53 consecutive hacks! It was a milestone moment. And one that occurred three weeks before the "deadline" of the end of the semester!

I know that kicking a hacky sack 53 times in a row may sound rather juvenile and inconsequential for a 25-year-old to be writing about. It's a number that wouldn't sound too impressive to "real" hacky sack players. And what's more, it's a pastime that sounds rather trite when there are starving children to be nourished, war-torn or disaster-ridden homes to be rebuilt, injustices to be rectified.

Sometimes it feels like we have nothing to show for a day's work besides another X on the calendar to mark the close of another day. Sometimes it's hard to know when the milestones have actually been reached because we haven't noticed the signposts along the way indicating that we're on the right path.

Sometimes, it's the little things that are the big causes for celebration.

Last weekend I went on a short out-of-town excursion north of the city to visit the mother of one of my good friends here. The mother had been gravely sick for some time with cancer, but has since recovered and is in good health. I have no reason to believe that it wasn't for the faith-filled prayers of many people that the Almighty Lord in heaven healed this woman. (Sorry, I should know better than to use double negatives, so let me say it again, more explicitly this time: I believe she was healed by the hand of God.) My friend invited me to come with him to visit his mother in order to share in the opportunity of praising the Lord and giving Him credit for His miracles, and encouraging his mother to recognize these miracles also and attribute them not to some benevolent but unknown spirit, but rather to the same One who was written about in the pages of the Bible.

This was the first time I had met my friend's mother, so I didn't have previous signposts along the way to note her improved condition. I couldn't understand much of the exchange in Hmong that was taking place between mother and son as we sat down on the concrete slab of floor in the little makeshift house where his mom is staying these days. But I did see that my friend shared God's Word and Love with his mother in song and message and prayer.

It's not the first time that my friend has shared the beautiful gospel message with his mother. And it may not have felt like a milestone day for my friend (though I hope that it was at least a signpost kind of day for him in that he was encouraged by the continually improving health of his mother and the Isaiah 55 encouragement that God's Word does not return to Him empty).

Going with my friend was a milestone experience for me, though. Not in the sense that I achieved some goal or surpassed some expectation. It was milestone for me in the sense that it is one of those experiences that will probably stay etched inside my memory for the rest of my life -- far more than the day I accomplished 53 consecutive hacks.

I think that as time passes by, we might note that the milestones we had previously reached have become the signposts marking the way for even more milestones. It makes good logical sense: now that I've surpassed 50 consecutive hacks, 75 might be the next predetermined milestone moment in my hacky sack adventures, and I'll look back to 50 hacks as a signpost along the way. Likewise, the milestone experience seeing the Good News shared from son to mother will someday be looked back on as a signpost moment for some other eternally profound milestone moment.

In a world with no lack of starving children to be nourished, war-torn or disaster-ridden homes to be rebuilt, and injustices to be rectified, it feels good to have milestone moments, even in the little things. Sometimes the little things aren't so little.

Love,

Eric

Sights in Chiang Rai Province

2010-08-21T21:41:00.000+07:00

Last week I had the opportunity and privilege to travel with friends to Chiang Rai province, roughly a three-hour drive north of Chiang Mai. It was an excellent chance for all of us to spend time in community with one another and share in the change of scenery. Below are pictures of some of the highlights.

We stayed three nights at the YMCA in Chiang Rai. The song is right: it's fun to stay at the YMCA!

We made a stop at the Golden Triangle, the point where Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos meet.

I wasn't able to cross into Myanmar this time because of my visa restrictions, but I still had a good time on the Maesai side of the border.

We inched our way up Doi Tung in the old truck and made it to the Mae Fah Luang Garden, site of one of the royal residences.

There are some really unique delicacies at the Night Bazaar in Chiang Rai, as the evidence shows from this sign. I chowed down on a few of the "The Moustache is Tiny Squid Roasts" and lived to tell about it. Who knows if my lot would have been the same had I tried "The Ark Shell Scalds/Burns" or "The Meatball Fries, Every the Wood"...

It was the first time for me to go to Wat Rong Khun. They're renovating the exterior but it was still pretty impressive to see.

On the way back to Chiang Mai we stopped off at the hot springs and dipped our legs in for a little bit.

It was a great, much-needed time away from the books and theories of second language teaching and learning -- just enough time away before it was back to work with studies, papers, and presentations. I'm thankful for the good mix of work and play!

Eric

The 12 Days of Birthday

2010-08-01T09:33:00.000+07:00

You've surely heard of the 12 days of Christmas before. But have you heard of the 12 days of birthday?

I was expecting a pretty low-key, relaxing day to celebrate my twenty-fifth birthday. A friend and I had plans to go out for Thai massage, and I figured that would be the extent to which I publicly celebrated the day. Little did I know that the celebration would span across 12 days, blowing out four sets of candles, complete with friends from the university, church, and other ex-pat friends in Chiang Mai. Besides the aforementioned Thai massage, the 12-day birthday also included copious greetings and well-wishes from friends and family, a special birthday dinner in the dormitory, an ice cream cake from friends in the dormitory, an awesome evening of karaoke, birthday wishes and goodies from classmates, a birthday lunch with friends from church, awesome personalized and homemade gifts, a game night "held in my honor" at my friends' place, and a partridge in a pear tree...wait, not that last one.

The realization I've come to is that I am extraordinarily blessed with wonderful friends and family. That is the best gift of all! I thank God for the wonderful 12 days of birthday. I can only begin to wonder what Christmas will be like this year!

Peace!

Eric

A Different Bounce

2010-07-17T10:43:00.000+07:00

First, I have some sad news to report: my favorite hacky sack fell through the sewer.

It happened three days ago. Upon returning from an afternoon of studying in the library, I needed to get my brain off of homework, and hacky sack is one of my go-to ways to accomplish that (see previous blog post). I was having a really good session, but it came to a sudden end when I kicked my hacky sack a little too high and a little too far. It landed on one of the metal bars of the sewage drain, and I watched in slow-motion horror as it slid through the cracks. It's my favorite hacky sack that I've had since high school...but I didn't love it enough to try to retrieve it from a 15 foot nasty sewer drain. Really, I do have my limits.

Upon this tragic event, I returned to my room to sulk for a minute, and then I went back outside with the one other hacky sack I had brought with me. Moving to a place that was far away from any sewer drains, I proceeded to play some hacky sack again. But this time, it was inevitably different. If you've ever had a favorite hacky sack, you know what I mean. After eight years of my life spent with this hacky sack, I knew almost intimately the way it would bounce off my foot; I had grown accustomed to its exact size and number of beads inside. This new hacky sack, though, had a different bounce to it.

Here's the thing, though. Although it will take me time to develop a new relationship with this other hacky sack, it will without a doubt have a positive effect on my overall, long-term hacky sack skills. I'm learning to adjust to a different bounce. It might be a harder challenge now to reach my semester goal of fifty continuous hacks, but in the process my skills are being honed in a way that they wouldn't have been if I had forever only stuck with my favorite hacky sack.

This post isn't really just about hacky sack.

I've figured it out that approximately ninety percent of my life has been spent in Wisconsin. It's the place where most of my first connections with new concepts were formed. It's the place that feels the most comfortable, the easiest, and "the way it should be." It's what I started out with and always refer back to in my mind. Wisconsin is my favorite old hacky sack.

Thailand has a different bounce to it. It's not that the bounce is qualitatively any worse; it's just that an adjustment needs to be made based on the way one has grown accustomed to having things bounce. It calls for an adjustment on many levels, but ultimately it makes a person better able to cope with whatever bounces their way.

To me, that's the beauty of taking this chunk of time in my life to pursue my masters degree at Payap University in Chiang Mai. To be sure, for two years I had already grown familiar with the bounce of life in Chiang Mai, so it wasn't quite as much of a shock coming here to study. But still, there are so many little and big differences with studying in a Thai university compared to my undergraduate program at UW-Eau Claire. I don't have any professors that come from the same continent as me. There are no printers for students to quickly print off their homework for free. The library closes at 6PM (the fourth floor, which has books in English, closes at 4:30PM). Convenience here means going to the newly built 7-11 behind the dormitory and sharing two refrigerators and a microwave among two hundred some students in the dorm. The electricity goes out for an extended period of time at least once a week. The bathrooms rarely have toilet paper.

All these things are an adjustment to the bounce of life back home in Wisconsin. I am willing to set those differences aside, though, and earnestly focus on getting the kick of things with a new bounce. Just like with hacky sack, my skills and competencies are being refined in such a way that a different bounce will ultimately make me a stronger player.

Peace!

Eric

Stunning New Research To Disseminate

2010-07-01T20:12:00.000+07:00

Here's the latest research: being a grad student is proportionately relevant to one's hacky-sack abilities!

These findings are based on empirical evidence from a case study done on a 24-year-old graduate student at Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This student had last set his personal record of consecutive hacky-sack hits back in 2006. Since that time four years ago, he has remained stagnant at 38 consecutive hits as a personal record.

On July 1, 2010, at approximately 16:40 (GMT+7), the aforementioned grad student silenced the four-year hiatus with a new personal record of 39 consecutive hacky-sack hits. In a personal interview with the student, the student suggested the direct causal link between the heavy amounts of brain activity needed in processing the challenging coursework and the urge to decompress with the physically stimulating (yet rather mindless) activity of playing hacky-sack. The student then speculated that given these findings, he may improve his personal record to 50 consecutive hits by the end of the first semester. The researcher suggests that this developing case study is revisited at the end of the semester to verify the findings and the student's hypothesis.

Respectfully submitted,

Eric

An Ahha! Moment

2010-06-24T18:54:00.000+07:00

I think anyone from Wisconsin can remember that special ahha! moment in life when they realized that the old Brewers logo was not only a baseball glove, but also the letters M and B, to stand for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Yesterday I had another ahha! moment to that same level of delight.

I've noticed that there always seems to be something affectionate that Thai people feel for the number 555. I've seen it in my friends' blogs and Facebook posts, but I never knew why Thai people used that number so often. In my cultural background, there is a meaning associated with 666 and 777, but 555? The closest thing I could think of was the first three digits of a fake telephone number on any sitcom TV show.

But yesterday I was chatting online with a Thai friend, and in the course of the online conversation he replied with 555, and instantly the meaning clicked for me!

You'll appreciate this if you know your Thai numbers. The number five in the Thai language sounds like "haa." So in instant messaging language, while English speakers will type 'haha' and Spanish speakers have their 'jaja,' Thai speakers have cleverly put it this way: '555.'

Just like the M and B in the glove, it was an ahha!, or better put, a haha! moment for me.

555,

Eric

Touring the Dormitory

2010-06-18T19:46:00.000+07:00

Please allow me to take you on a tour of Paradornparp International House (PIH), the dormitory where I'm staying this semester:

Here's the view from the outside looking to the dormitory.

Take a step into my room if you wish, but only if you're a guy. Girls aren't allowed in guys' rooms, and vice versa.

Need to use the bathroom? I've got one of those, too.

Don't forget to take a look outside my window to see the newly constructed women's dormitory.

Breakfast buffet is served 7-9:30AM, and dinner 5-7PM, Monday through Friday. These meals are included as part of the room and board. You're on your own for the other meals, but you can order dishes from the cafeteria anytime 7AM-7PM.

If you're not hungry for cafeteria food, you can nuke your own in the microwave and keep the leftovers in one of the two communal fridges meant to accommodate you and the two hundred some other students and guests. The water dispenser is impressive, though, as you can choose either warm or cold water (that's a new feature in Thailand at least for me!).

Once you've had your share of food, relax in the lobby with your Thai and international friends and cheer on your favorite soccer team playing in the World Cup.

In the evening, be sure to take a look out towards Doi Suthep to the west. It's a beautiful view.

Thanks for joining me on the tour!

Eric

A New Chapter

2010-06-09T16:57:00.000+07:00

It's about time to begin another chapter of this blog.

The previous purpose of this blog had been to post updates for friends and family while I was serving the church mission in Thailand. Then I returned to Wisconsin, and I used the blog to write a little bit about the transition to life back in the U.S. Now I'm back in Thailand, and this chapter begins the story of life as a full-time graduate student.

After about 40 hours of flying and layover-ing, I arrived safely to the Chiang Mai airport last week Tuesday. I knew that someone would be picking me up, but I was not exactly sure who that someone would be. I was happy to see the Thai national pastor and his wife come to get me from the airport and equally elated to spend some time that first afternoon at the remodeled church/coffee shop where I saw many of my other mission cohorts. The first two days were spent at the missionary's house as a place to recoup from jet lag. It's been a great blessing to reconnect with all these wonderful people here at the mission and worship again with them on Sunday morning.

What's especially new about this time around in Thailand is the element of graduate studies. Wanting to further my training and competency in the international education and English-teaching field, I have enrolled in Payap University's Master of Arts in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) program. It's been three years now since I've done the full-time student thing, so that fact combined with the subtle (and not-so-subtle) nuances of studying in Thailand will make for an interesting, challenging, and likely often comical experience.

To illustrate this point, I bring to the table last Friday's new student orientation as evidence. The university was probably well prepared for the traditional Thai undergraduate student, but as an international graduate student I had little idea of where to go. Eventually I found my seat in the back row of the large multi-purpose sala, and the opening ceremony began. Including new students, older students, faculty and staff, there were probably altogether around 2,000 people gathered for the opening service. Payap University is a private college with Christian roots, and what a strange and exhilarating feeling it was to sit in the opening service, which included hymns of worship and a short sermon, knowing that the student population surrounding me was roughly 90% Buddhist. It gave me the overwhelming feeling that though I'm not working directly for the church mission presently, I'm definitely in a massive mission field that needs to hear and come to know the Gospel message.

And, of course, amidst the splendor and grandeur of this opening ceremony, there were mangy street dogs roaming around inside the building. There were power blackouts throughout the entire day. This, my friends, is Thailand.

Tomorrow I begin my first day of class. I have 12 credits of study, and all my classes are scrunched into two days per week in the classroom. I'm looking forward to beginning these four classes: Teaching the Language System; Teaching Language Skills; Language Acquisition and Learning; and Assessment and Evaluation. To find out more about Payap University and the MA in TESOL program, check out the university website: http://ic.payap.ac.th/.

As I begin from here, there's no way for sure for me to know what will take place in these coming chapters, but I'm glad to know the One who has weaved the entire story from start to finish. I'm excited to discover what's to come and share the journey with you. To Him be the glory.

To be continued!

Eric

Christmas greetings 2009

2009-12-25T06:25:00.000+07:00

Below is my holiday greetings letter for family and friends. I thought it'd be relevant to post on this blog as an update of my "sabai sabai life." Enjoy for yourself a merry Christmas, no matter where you might be.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Dear family and friends,

It's almost time to flip my 2009 calendar to its final page, and if December is like the other months of this year, it will have passed by before I realize it. I guess that makes now the prime time to write an update on what has transpired in one year's time. Without further ado, here is this year's version of "Things you should know about my life since the last time I wrote this letter."

1. At the end of December 2008, I got to make a little checkmark on my list of lifelong goals by completing my first marathon. The months of training (including weekly long runs that started before 5:30AM) helped me regain both discipline and joy in my running. Two downsides of running the marathon in Chiang Mai were the 4AM start time for the race and the lack of crowd support. Two benefits were the very flat course and the opportunity to place well with a smaller field of runners. I managed to nab the fifth place trophy in the men's 18-39 age division with a time of 3 hours and 35 minutes. Would I do it again? Definitely.

2. Again this year I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to some unique places while living in Thailand. In January, I enjoyed a week in Cambodia, traveling through the capital city Phnom Penh as well as the massive temple ruins of Angkor Wat. In April, I spent a little time traveling in Laos, including the beautifully tucked away Luang Prabang, a World Heritage City. On my final visa run in June, I flew into Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with just a few days to explore the city.

3. The early months of 2009 were full of big changes that challenged me to rely more fully on God. I formally decided in January that I would return to Wisconsin after my second year in Thailand instead of staying on for a third year with the mission. In February, my girlfriend and I parted ways after almost two years together. In March, one of our students at the Bible Institute died in a tragic motorbike accident in his hometown. On the first of May, the Thailand mission received news that it would no longer be financially supported by the stateside church synod, which has strong implications for the future of the mission work in Thailand. These were all things that have necessitated time for adjustment, but I take comfort that I have seen the LORD working through all these things to His glory. If our God is one who can use even these tough times to carry out His good plan, then He certainly is a God worthy of my praise!

4. Since the end of July, I've been finding novelty in my reintroduction to life in the U.S.A. I didn't waste much time getting two "necessities" that I never had in America prior: a cell phone and a car. For the first time, I also have to cook and clean for myself in my Milwaukee apartment. All of these are good additions to making me feel like a more responsible adult. Wow, can I really start calling myself an adult?!

5. There are plenty of things I miss about life in Chiang Mai. I miss my Honda Dreams motorbike, inexpensive Thai massages, the ultimate frisbee club team, and warm soy milk and pumpkin juice. I especially miss my Christian brothers and sisters still living on that side of the world, and saying those goodbyes was one of the most difficult things I've ever experienced. On the other hand, there are plenty of great things to keep me occupied in Milwaukee: I'm still able to ride the same bike I've had since about the age of 10; the city has a great network of parkways for running and exploring; and I'm able to tickle my fancy for singing through having joined the Lutheran Chorale of Milwaukee.

6. My job as an ESL (English as a Second Language) instructor at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee has helped solidify to me that working with international education is something I really enjoy. I teach a small but very diverse group of language students, and I learn a great deal from them as I help them improve their ability to communicate in English. Some of my favorite perks to the job are the access to a great library system, a free coffee machine at the college, the morning chapel service each day, having a job within a 15 minute walk from my apartment, and the daily interaction with so many uniquely gifted people.

7. I love being back with family and friends in Wisconsin. It seems that every week I run into a few more people that I haven't seen in years, whether it's friends from the hometown area, college, or camp. Living far away from loved ones is not easy; it really is a sacrifice. I'm doing my best to cherish the time I do get to spend with my family and friends, and I continue to keep close in prayer those who aren't near enough to spend time with regularly.

Altogether it's been a year that has helped me grow tremendously in my relationship with my LORD and in my relationship with those around me. I have learned a lot about myself in the process, and I know that I'm continually a work in progress. There are plenty of hopes and dreams I have for 2010, but I'm striving to live each day with joy in the knowledge that God's grace is already sufficient for me, and that living for Him foremost is far better than living for myself. May God's grace richly bless your life, health, and prosperity in the coming year.

Love,
Eric

Another Reason to Celebrate

2009-11-06T01:35:00.000+07:00

Last April I wrote about Thailand's Songkran holiday and how it rather inconveniently coincided with the Christian Easter holiday. Here in the U.S., this past Saturday brought about another unusual collision of holiday cultures: Halloween and Reformation Day.

The Halloween decorations started going up around the neighborhood a few weeks ago. Maybe two years away from the holiday caused me to be caught off-guard and a bit stunned by the gory and gruesome displays of "festiveness," or maybe I just have some especially graphic neighbors living down the street. The holiday's fascination of witchcraft, the living dead, and demons does not gel with what I constitute as "whatever is true... noble... pure... lovely... admirable... excellent or praiseworthy," so I'd just as soon not dwell on those things.

There is something I appreciate and enjoy about Halloween, though, and it's the concept that one can be transformed into someone or something different. What a unique little cultural expedition our October 31st brings each year, as costume-clad children take a basket around their neighborhood and receive treats in return! It sounds just as unique to me as Thai people celebrating New Year in April by having a three-day long water throwing festival in the city streets.

The theme of transformation is also central to the day's other holiday, Reformation. To celebrate this holiday, my international students have been working through a unit on the life of Martin Luther and to what the word "Lutheran" refers. Also, on Sunday I had the pleasure of attending and singing in a special district-wide Reformation service attended by hundreds of other Christians. I'm thankful for this time of year as a reminder of the imperfections of the church on earth, both in the past and in the present, and how that just brings us more acutely aware of this world's need for a Savior, found in the God-man Jesus Christ. I’m thankful that God’s Word is truly our great heritage, and shall be ours forever. And the more we’re in the Word, the more it transforms us.

That's a transformation that cannot be held to a once per year celebration. It's a transformation to celebrate each morning as we wake up and ask God to give us the strength to live lives worthy of His calling.

Happy Transformation Day!

Mile Marker 110

2009-10-16T22:08:00.000+07:00

Yesterday was a very special day for me.

Some work-related travel took me across the state of Wisconsin on Interstate 94, up to West St. Paul, before returning to Milwaukee. It was while passing mile marker 110 on the highway that I saw snow for the first time in over two and a half years.

At first it was just small portions of white in the grassy median of the highway. While continuing on the highway, the amount of snow increased until in some places I saw fields of white. The most beautiful part was that these fields were accompanied by trees at the peak of their autumn reds, oranges, and yellows.

While I took this all in, I wondered how many drivers around me were muttering to themselves about how it's too early to have snow on the ground. I also thought of my expatriate friends in Chiang Mai and how many of them, like me, probably would have appreciated this sight.

I drove more than 10 hours yesterday -- it was a long day with a lot of mile markers passed along the way. Mile marker 110 made it worth the day.

Trade-Ins

2009-10-01T08:26:00.000+07:00

I've surpassed the two-month mark of being back in Wisconsin now. That's enough time to begin to find some normalcy in daily living. As the daily habits of life in Chiang Mai have faded, I've traded in for some new ones in Milwaukee. Here are a few:

Trade-In #1: No more delicious Thai cooking made for me every day. Instead, I've had to cook regularly for myself for the first time since...well, since I was born. I've had enough opportunity to witness the art of good cooking, and now it's my turn to give it a shot. So far so good: I've only eaten one store-bought frozen meal in my two months back.

Trade-In #2: No more convenience store iced coffee for me. Instead, my place of employment has a hot coffee machine always ready to serve, and for free! I generally find myself drinking one tall mug in the morning during classes, and then again one tall mug during the afternoon classes. Hey, it's probably healthier (or shall I say less detrimental to my health) than 7-11 and Jiffy iced coffee!

Trade-In #3: No more living in a foreign language environment. Sure, I've heard a bit of Spanish spoken in the neighborhood, and the church down the street has a Chinese service, but I'm not tired at the end of the day anymore merely due to my brain having been constantly processing foreign language input. I try to keep up with foreign languages by watching the Spanish channels on TV, as well as switching off each day reading in Thai and Spanish.

Trade-In #4: The daily namasakan (worship) and Bible study opportunities I was richly blessed with while living in the tight-knit church mission setting have morphed into daily chapel at the college and new opportunities for Bible study there. One of the things that I've welcomed back is the singing of traditional worship hymns. I've also joined the Lutheran Chorale of Milwaukee, which has been the largest choral group I've been a part of since the days of the traveling A Cappella choir in high school.

Trade-In #5: I do miss my motorbike, but I'm very pleased with my current transportation situation. Many places, including my job, the grocery store, and a place of worship, are all easily within walking distance. I can ride my bike to get to many more places. I even have my own set of four wheels to get me further out of town when necessary.

Trade-In #6: Flip-flops are no longer my only footwear. Now I have to wear “real shoes” to work, and I don’t get to take them off once I get to the door. Plus, the weather won’t allow me to wear flip-flops year-round in this neck of the woods. It’s still September and I’m already finding it necessary to wear a hat and gloves in the mornings and evenings. It may be a really rough winter for me!

Indeed, there is an awful lot that I miss about Thailand. There are plenty of things that can have no substitute. And that's fine, because the people, places, and things that stand out in my mind about Thailand will continue to be outstanding to me throughout my lifetime. It's similar to the impressions that Lake Mills, Eau Claire, Costa Rica, and camp have made on my life. All of these places are my home, and I wouldn't trade that for the world.

Love,
Eric

Getting The Picture

2009-08-25T05:29:00.000+07:00

There's a little confession I should make. For the past five months, the pictures and video clips you've seen on this blog were not up to date pictures taken from my camera. My digital camera has been M.I.A. since disappearing from my backpack on a long and windy (but beautiful) bus trip through the mountain passes to the city of Luang Prabang. It's been through the use of other people's cameras that I've been able to get the pictures to you (this blog entry is no different).

Now approaching one month since my departure from Thailand, I have to rely not only on others' cameras for a picture, but now the pictures I do see of Thailand are of a place that I'm no longer seeing with my own eyes.

Really, the transition of moving "out of the picture" has been a long one that began back in January when I officially decided not to return for a third year with the mission. Since then, it was a gradual process of transitioning my work role so that at the time of departure, there would be none of my job responsibilities remaining that were still dependent on my presence. My notions of how to achieve this were of course subject to God's timing, and His timing blew mine out of the water. I didn't expect to have to say so many goodbyes to others before goodbyes were said to me. I didn't know I'd be moving out of the dorm a month before leaving Thailand to make room for someone else as part of the downsizing of rented facilities for the mission (though I'm certainly thankful how God used that to prepare me to leave). And I didn't know that no matter how hard I tried to prepare myself mentally and spiritually to make my exit from Chiang Mai, the final moments with my Christian family there could still be so bittersweet as they passed by.

On the flip side, the past month has been great to get back "into the picture" of life here in Wisconsin. It's been a mix of taking care of the big-ticket items like moving into a new place, securing a means of transportation, and piecing together a plan for employment, along with spending time with family and taking excursions nearly every weekend to visit with friends. I am very happy that I'm relearning how great Wisconsin summer culture is: from the outdoor concerts and picnics, to spending time out on the lakes and rivers, to the brats and burgers (and Sundrop) consumed.

As I continue my transition back to life here, I am thankful that I have many pictures to remind me of the blessings that God brought into my life through Thailand. I am grateful that my video camera was repairable (after having fallen into a swamp with it last summer while trying to cross a makeshift bridge made of two bamboo shoots), so I'll be able to view and edit videos I took in my first year in Thailand and continue to post items to this blog that will help put together a picture of life in Thailand. And I'm looking forward to using this blog to my give my friends in Thailand a picture of what's going on here in Wisconsin.

Until then, God's blessings to you.

-Eric

In First Person

2009-07-30T03:48:00.000+07:00

Below is an article I recently wrote for my final mission e-newsletter with the Thailand mission. I thought it would be something relevant to include on this blog as well. Enjoy!

"He must become greater; I must become less." - John 3:30

For the first time in writing updates for the past two years, it's time to use the word "I."

That's not to say that I haven't been writing mission updates from my own vantage point. In fact, it's just the opposite. I have been present for the joyful baptisms, the exciting outreach opportunities to share the gospel with people who had never heard it before, the jubilant desire of new Christians to share the love of God with everyone they know, the ordination of the mission's first national pastors, the prayerful commitment of national workers to carry out the Great Commission despite great financial strain, etc. In short, I am a witness to the powerful work of our Almighty Lord.

It has been a blessing and privilege to see the Lord's grace and favor so evident in the lives of people I have come to know and love these past two years. I have been refreshed in spiritual living through walking with my brothers and sisters in the faith, both nationals as well as the foreign mission team. I have been challenged in my understanding of living my life for Jesus as I've seen faith expressed in many unique and beautiful ways. And I have been emboldened in my resolve to share God's love with others, as I've witnessed others boldly doing the same for family and friends still living in spiritual darkness.

As I return home, knowing that I will treasure all these things in my heart for the rest of my lifetime, I can't help but give thanks to God for the opportunity he has given me to be a witness to His work in Thailand. In coming here to serve Him, He, in fact, continued to serve me. How great is our God and worthy of praise!

In Christ,

Eric

Malaysia

2009-07-16T21:49:00.000+07:00

A few weeks ago, I had to leave the country to renew my visa for one final time. Since my one-year visa is now expired, traveling overland would stamp me in for just two weeks in Thailand, which wouldn't have been enough time for me. By flying into the country I received a full month tourist visa, which was perfect timing for my travel needs. The cheapest and most interesting means to make this happen? A two-night trip to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.

I spent less than 48 hours in Kuala Lumpur, which certainly isn't enough time to say that I've successfully experienced Malaysia, but I was happy with what I was able to see. I was fortunate to sit next to a friendly tour guide on my bus ride from the airport into the city, so I got some good advice of how to make way around town and make the most of my time. It was also really nice to have booked a guesthouse in advance, so there was no guesswork upon arriving into the city in the early evening hours (which is a nice change of pace from my normal travel habits). I stayed in the Chinatown area, a hub for tourists with plenty of street markets and eateries.

The next morning, I woke up early and had my greatest success story of the day by navigating the underground subway to find the Petronas Towers, which are currently the tallest buildings in the world. The tour up the sky bridge is free, but the tickets go quickly, and there are limits to the number of people who can go up, so one must get there early in order to be able to go up the towers. The towers open for tour at 9AM, with the ticket gate opening at 8:30. Thanks to the advice of my tour guide friend from the bus, I got there around 7:15AM, which was perfect as a line was already starting to form and I ended up being the last person to get a ticket for the highly coveted 9AM tour. The elevator ride up to the 41st floor to the skybridge and the view seen from there was nothing life-changing, but it's fun to be able to say that I've been in the tallest buildings in the world now.

My productivity in seeing the sites diminished a bit after this, as I decided to walk from place to place and my navigation skills in the big city were not very good. There was a noticeable difference in the architecture, with many domed roofs reflecting a more Islamic feel in the city. I walked in some of the main plaza areas, through the national mosque grounds (though I couldn't enter because I was a "non-Muslim tourist"), the national museum, a beautiful gardens area, and through the main commercial district.

The food was a mix of a lot of Indian food and a lot of Chinese food, as these two ethnic groups make up a sizable portion of the Malaysian population. I kept seeing a restaurant called "Kenny Rogers Roasters" all over the place in the city, so I decided to dine there for a dinner meal. I wondered why the country of Malaysia would have such a special affection for Kenny Rogers, but have since heard that it is a chain restaurant in some places in the U.S. as well.

On my final evening there I realized that I would have more than enough ringgit (Malaysian currency) to spare, so I went to one of the little shops in Chinatown that offered to do an "ear-wax candle." I didn't exactly know what I was getting myself into but had heard about it and was willing to give it a try. Basically they stuck what I think was something like a candle in my ear, lit the candle, and somehow that was supposed to suck out the wax in my ear. There are supposed to be several health benefits to the process, but I didn't receive any miraculous renewed clarity in my hearing so I'm not fully convinced about the whole ordeal.

My time in KL was up before I knew it, and I was welcomed back to the airport in Chiang Mai by a health worker in a strange jumpsuit and mask giving everyone two squirts of his sanitary hand spray. Ah, the joys of international travel in the midst of a flu pandemic.

Peace (and good health) be yours,

Eric

Unclehood

2009-07-04T21:44:00.000+07:00

As the youngest child in the family, I didn't grow up with little kids around me all the time; I was the little kid.

In May 2008, I had the joy and privilege to be home for my niece's baptism in Wisconsin, as I was welcomed into the world of unclehood. My time at home with my little niece was short, though, as I returned to Thailand for a second year. As I moved back into the dorm, I was returning to a new set of neighbors: a young Hmong family. The family of three grew to a family of four within a few months, and I have been very blessed to have shared living quarters with them.

One of the greatest joys has been watching little Sumalee grow up. I've been around for her first words and her non-stop monologues, her potty training and numerous and continued mishaps along the way, her playfulness and her tantrums. In a sense, I feel a little bit like an uncle to Sumalee, who one time even said something about me being her dad Joe's brother.

Below is a video of my little Hmong niece Sumalee in all her glory. She's quite a star!

Thanks, Sumalee, for giving me the experience and practice of unclehood while in Thailand. I'm looking forward to carrying out the role even more fully in a few weeks with my niece back in Wisconsin.

-Eric

Takraw

2009-06-22T14:01:00.000+07:00

Below is a video from a few months back of some of the guys at the dorm playing takraw, a popular game in Southeast Asia. The game is played with a wicker ball, usually with three people on a team. The rules are fairly similar to volleyball, but like soccer is played without the use of the players' hands. It's a fun game to watch, but it's a hard game to master!

Peace,

Eric

Use of the Superlative

2009-06-09T07:36:00.000+07:00

As an English teacher, one of the many lessons covered is how to use the comparative and superlative forms of different words. Generally you add -er when comparing two things, and -est for three or more things. With some words, you add more or most before the adjective.

In English, there's seemingly always an exception to the rule. The word good in the comparative form changes to better, and to best in the superlative form. Below is set of pictures to help illustrate this phenomenon.

Good: Preparing chicken feet in a spicy marinade sauce

Better: Chicken feet still hot on the grill, ready for consumption

Best: Eating chicken feet while playing Settlers of Catan

Best wishes,

Eric

Spring Cleaning

2009-05-29T22:42:00.000+07:00

Have you done your spring cleaning yet? I'm talking about more than just getting down on your hands and knees with the heavy-duty bathroom cleaner -- that's the basic spring cleaning. Have you gone through your stuff, determining what's worth keeping and what's not? Now that's the difficult spring cleaning.

The way stuff can accumulate is incredibly sneaky. Unless you live in an igloo, your house has at least four corners to it...and every room in that house has four corners....and every cabinet in every room has four corners. Altogether that makes for a lot of places to keep stuff. Slowly over time, the piles get higher without ever realizing it.

It's easy to know that the grime on the back side of the toilet doesn't belong (though it's another matter of working up the motivation and even courage to do something about it). It's not always easy to know what stuff in our lives is worth hanging onto and what stuff is okay to toss, and it takes both motivation and courage to make those decisions. Sometimes it's not until we're forced to go beyond the basic spring cleaning that we actually sort through the stuff in our lives.

Here at the mission in Chiang Mai, we likely would not have done much of any spring cleaning, had it not been for the news we received at the beginning of the month of May. We knew to prepare for budget cutbacks within the synod, but it was a shock to hear what those cutbacks meant for our ministry here: the funding for both missionaries has been cut for our mission.

Time for some spring cleaning.

There have been two large-scale garage sales to help prepare one of the missionary families for returning to the U.S. this next month. We've got most of the stuff moved out of Promise Church and into Promise House (we had the final Sunday worship at Promise Church this past weekend and prepare to be completely moved out by the end of the week, as the "FOR RENT" sign has been put up). The Bible Institute is prepared to close down. This has been a month of limbo-land for students, interns, called national workers, and ex-patriate mission staff.

As we downsize, shift venues, reassess ministry options, etc., it's a powerful time to do some spring cleaning: of buildings and, more importantly, of our lives. What stuff is worth taking along, worth maintaining, worth further investment? What stuff is taking up space and really is better thrown out? What stuff has value, but, while recognizing the limitations of space, would be better sold or given to someone who could put just as much value (if not even more) into it? It's hard enough when these questions are about the stuff in your storage room, let alone spring cleaning your understanding of life and ministry.

Despite the many challenges of the past month, as well as the challenges to be faced in the days to come, we can say with confidence and sincerity, "To God be the glory!" To God be the glory for the dedicated and faithful service of the two missionaries and their families for many years. To God be the glory for the calm attitude of many of the Bible Institute students, grounded in the rock-solid foundation that is God's Word and ready to take God's love with them wherever they end up in the coming months. To God be the glory for the different paths of service He's prepared for me and so many others in past months.

To God be the glory for the opportunity to do some important spring cleaning of buildings, but more importantly lives, here.

Have you made time for some spring cleaning yet?

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence

Or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

And grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

-Psalm 51:10-12

-Eric

A Case of Mistaken Identity

2009-04-30T22:24:00.000+07:00

This past weekend I made the roadtrip out to Baan Ruam Thai 9, a Hmong village in far western Thailand where our mission has a church site. It's a unique experience each time I go, and it's a place I enjoy traveling to very much. On the agenda this trip: picking up the stitched products the ladies in the village make for our mission's handicraft program, Sunday worship that included three baptisms and twenty-one teenage and adult confirmations, and picking up students to return to the Bible Institute in Chiang Mai.

After Sunday worship, I made friends with some of the little children, and we had a fun time chasing each other around in front of the church. As I sat down to talk with some other people, the children came up to me and continued to play around. I taught them how to "high five" and how to "soul pound." At first they were hesitant, but once they got the hang of it, they couldn't have enough of it.

One of the little girls playing around with me said something in Hmong language that I obviously didn't catch, as my language of study here has been Thai. A Bible Institute graduate now interning for the church there translated it for me in Thai.

"Do you know what she said you look like?"

No, I didn't know what she said, but I could guess: she probably said that she thought I looked like a monkey. The Hmong children (and strangely enough, sometimes even the adults) often find great fun in playing around with my arm hair, as it's not a trait among Hmong people there to have arm hair. Hairy arms are a strange thing to them.

"She said you look like a Karen person," he chuckled.

In Chiang Mai, you find people of every type and tribe, but the area where this girl lives in Tak province is dominantly Hmong country. There are, however, a few Karen villages scattered around the area, too. This little girl had likely heard of Karen people but had never seen one herself. Looking at me, she knew that I certainly wasn't Hmong. The only alternative? I was obviously a Karen.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but there is something strikingly beautiful to this little girl's simple understanding of the world. That day I helped to open up her world just a little bit more. I will gladly be a Karen for her.

"Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." - 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Peace,

Eric

The Most Important Holiday

2009-04-24T21:36:00.000+07:00

Last week Thailand celebrated what would probably be considered as its most important holiday: Songkran.

Technically speaking, it's a three-day holiday meant to round in the Thai New Year. The time is spent with loved ones; people sprinkle water on one another as a sign of a blessing.

Realistically speaking, it's a week-long water fight where both Thais and tourists release a year's worth of pent-up energy and become kids (wild, often delinquent kids) again.

A little dose of Songkran can be fun. I went out last week Monday with two Thai friends to "play water" in the heart of the Songkran action. The heart of the Songkran action, perhaps for all of Thailand, happens to be a short walk from my door. We brought a water gun with us, and exchange squirts with the thousands of people parading around the roads surrounding the city's moat. Our little water gun produced just a small stream, whereas some people's weaponry included huge buckets of ice water which they threw at any individual they decided needed a good dousing. Being a very tall, very white, foreigner, I was welcomed into the new year with a disproportionately high number of buckets of ice water poured down my head and back. We were out in the heat of the midday sun, and the daily high temperature lately has been in the 90s and 100s. But by the end of those two hours walking around, I was shivering cold and my hands were numb!

Unfortunately, Songkran is the most dangerous time of the year in Thailand as well. It seems that many people neglect to use common sense in their celebrating. Alcohol gets abused, leading to reckless driving and even people drowning in the moat. I probably heard more ambulance sirens in those three days than in the past several months combined. Sometimes the holiday seems a bit cruel even. For example, riding a motorbike makes one especially vulnerable to water-throwing -- and getting startled with a bucket of water forcefully thrown at your face while driving a motorbike is neither an enjoyable nor a safe experience!

There was another three-day holiday that happened just before Songkran, but it went largely unnoticed in Thailand. The most sacred time of the Christian Church year -- The Triduum -- pased by without even a passing glance to most Thai people busy in their Songkran preparations.

Yet we have reason to celebrate. Eternal victory has been made ours. It was declared in the words Jesus proclaimed to the world as he hung dying on the cross: "It is finished!" It was proven with the linens laying in the tomb that no longer wrapped our Savior in death. He is risen. He is risen indeed!

That's the joy that makes each day a great day to be here in Thailand. What an important message to share! Move over Songkran, we've got a better reason to celebrate. Like Songkran it involves water, but not some bucket of icy water poured down one's back with a twinge of cruelty. No, this is the water of rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit through baptism. And it's the eternal life-giving water Jesus offered the woman at the well in Samaria.

Please join me in praying that this spiritually thirsty country would be quenched through Jesus.

Blessings,

Eric

Change

2009-04-05T01:00:00.000+07:00

It hadn't rained for quite awhile, probably almost two months. The pollution in the air was terrible: some days you could barely even see the mountain that towers over the city out towards the west. Then, after several seemingly failed attempts, all the right natural elements came together in the right combination to bring about the miracle of rain to the city. It rained, hard, throughout the night. The next morning was quite literally like breathing a breath of fresh air. You could sense the change not just in the weather, but it was almost as though it had the power to change people, if only for just a day.

I remember it being the same way back in Wisconsin, most noticeably on the university campus. The day of the first strong spring evening rain brought everyone out of their dorm room and onto Towers Field, where with enough people and enough rain, it became a festive mud fight. The first warm day in late March again brought everyone out of their dorm room and outside, holding a tennis racket, a Frisbee, a baseball glove, or anything else that would help one enjoy the beautiful weather. The first snowfall? Of course everyone was outside playing, dancing, and opening wide their mouths to enjoy the soft sensation of landed snowflakes on their tongue.

Isn't it interesting what a little change can do for a person?

It seems like there have been not just a few little changes to life for everyone here in Chiang Mai this past academic term; the changes have been many, and they seem more significant than that of a much needed rainfall.

We've celebrated the graduation of students and the ordinations of the first national pastors in the mission: what a change! We've prayed for and supported our brothers and sisters in the faith who are going through challenges in health: what a change! We've stood by our students whose futures only the Lord knows, as they prepare for lives of service for the Lord's ministry yet face daunting pressures around them both in Chiang Mai as well as with their families back at home: what a change! We've all begun to brace ourselves for the "tightening of the belt" that comes with the uncertainty about the future of the economy: what a change! We've mourned the loss of one student's younger brother through sickness, as well as one of our own dearly beloved students killed in a motorbike accident: what a change!

Let's learn a lesson from the change in seasons: change means that it's time to prepare. The first snowfall is a good indicator that it will soon be time to put away the shorts and dig out the winter jacket. The first heavy rain reminds us it won't be long until planting season begins.

Likewise, the many changes we've seen in our lives here lately remind us how Jesus instructed us to prepare: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." Thanks be to God that though heaven and earth will pass away, we have the very life-giving, hope-lifting words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel message, which will never pass away. It's the only lasting thing that we can cling to in the times of change.

I'm thankful for this past term at the Bible Institute. There have been many changes in my life, in the lives of my cohorts in the dorm, and in the lives of the mission team. This term has drawn me closer to the Word than ever before, and that has brought about a sensational joy and peace. This past term has drawn me closer in my relationship with the guys in the dorm, towards a unity and equality of Christian brotherhood that I once didn't reason to be possible with them, given barriers of language and culture. Finally, this past term has renewed my vigor to live for Christ and to daily carry out the greatest command summarized like this: to love God with everything, and to love my neighbor as myself.

This past week, after spending several days visiting with some of the families of the students, I had a few days to myself to enjoy some new scenery as well as reflect on the many changes that I've seen throughout the past few months. In that bit of time, I sat down to write a song in which I thought of the lives of our current and former students at the Bible Institute and Seminary. The lyrics are below. I hope that you, too, find comfort in the words and the reminder that you are not alone: you have the unchanging One with you always, along with your fellow Christian brothers and sisters! If you're interested, see Matthew 5:14; Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Kings 19:9-18; Psalm 23; John 14:6; and Hebrews 12:1 in reference to the song.

Who You Are

You are the light -- the light of the world

Yours is the light that shines every day

I know that the darkness hastens around you

But don't let that darkness lead you astray

For the light is the one that shows the Way