Sorry for the lapse. Thailand was fabulous as predicted. As I was enjoying a $5 foot massage on the island of Ko Samui, I thought to myself how life just doesn't get any better. I am very blessed. I did fun things like ride an elephant (which was actually kind of sad, if you think about it from the elephant's perspective. If I was a 40-year-old elephant, I wouldn't want tourists riding on my back and controlling my every move with some sort of sadistic ear-hook). I did go to the coconut farm and watch monkeys harvest coconuts, I saw alot of drag queens, I took a 2 day thai food cooking course, I went to a Wat. I did lots of shopping, took a kayak out in the ocean.

I also made an important decision to teach next year in a country called Laos. I will be teaching college students, which will be a nice change of pace.

My mother and brother visited me, which was wonderful. I didn't get tired of them. Everyone on the team seems to assume that I was glad to have an empty house again. I love my family; is that so unusual? We did all of the fun Beijing things. It was nice to have an excuse to do them again. It was nice to watch them see things for the first time. We have been here for seven months, so we don't get suprized much anymore. And I don't notice the smell anymore. Although Chip commented on it several times. I hope I'm not like the stinky kid in school who doesn't know he smells.

It is cold here.

ckb

Saturday, Feb. 22, 2003 at 8:44 PM