Boonmii and Sompong

Can I take your picture for my blog??!! Sure!!! And here they are---gorgeous, no?!?!

My favorite Lanna style!

This is one of the buildings of a wonderful small resort here called the Juniper Tree. This particular building is very Lanna Thai---so-called because this part of Thailand used to be known as the Lanna Kingdom, and the architecture has a distinctive look. This building is made from teak, and has the two distinctive pieces at the top, called "Gallay". I love this look. One year, before Christmas, we were having a grand time putting together a gingerbread house with the older girls. We had a box kit, and tons of candies from here and abroad---and were fashioning quite the winter time scene. Still, when we were all done, something just did not look right. After staring at our Gingerbread "Baan' for sometime it struck me. I reached across the table, and grabbed two of those old banana candies---you know, the semi-soft ones that taste kind of like penicillin? Taking one in each hand, and turning them out like parantheses, I stuck them to the tip of the roof of the gingerbread house to make a "Gallay"!!! The girls cheered and declared the project to be all finished!

Wanee Buddy maa, chai mai kop!?!?!?

That was the question that greeted me last Friday from one of our older boys. Today, our buddy comes, right? The buddy he was referring too is a whole troop of buddies---young people from Grace International School, one of the International schools here in Chiang Mai, who volunteer their own time throughout the school year to establish relationship with our kids, visit them regularly and share a special experience together!! The program began several years ago as the brainchild of the Agape Home head nurse, who had children in GIS. She wanted to develop an experience for our Agape kids that would be similar to Big Brothers/Sisters in the states. What has blossomed is a wonderful relationship building program for our kids that provides fun, nurture and lasting memories! The Grace students are wonderful and commit not only to the time to come out to Agape and for special outings with the kids, but also to extra prep time before the program begins. One family who are dear friends of mine have both their children participating as mentors---and I know they never miss, giving up many other opportunities to be faithful to their time at Agape! Very inspiring...

Happy Birthday Pa Boonmii!!

Wednesday night I had a real treat--an invitation to my friends, Sompong and Boonmii's home for Boonmii's birthday celebration! He turned 46. Sompong and Boonmii both work at Agape, she as head of the laundry (a 24/7 operation as you can imagine!), and he as handyman/electrician/all-around helper! Sompong and Boonmii are dear friends of mine...they helped me in so many ways when I lived here---including Sompong's role as my personal Thai tutor! She loves to have a good long chat, and many an hour we would sit in my home and she would share a story, or we would talk about our faith. She loved asking me about my life in the US and my family---and I loved hearing her talk about how she and Boonmii met and decided to marry. Sompong would speak extra slow for me, and then would describe things, or give me the information in a variety of different ways, to be sure I understood. I learned so much from her----vocabulary, proper expression, tones---it was great! Boonmii, not the talker of the family, would sit with us too, typically nodding along, laughing at all the funny bits, and adding emphasis as needed! My foster boys LOVED him, and would squeal with joy whenever "Pa Boonmii" arrived! Off they would charge with him giving chase, and lots of hugs and tickles too.

It is such a special treat to be invited to a Thai person's home. Kindness and hospitality are almost national traits, and when you are a guest, you are treated with great care and love. On Wednesday, there were about 40 of us together to celebrate with Boonmii, many co-workers from the orphanage, and other family and friends. As you can imagine, the food was wonderful---a special treat called "Khanom Gin"---different kinds of rice noodles with a "spaghetti-like" sauce poured over the top. There was a fish-flavored sauce, and a meat sauce---and Sompong kindly made a special separate batch for me that lacked some of the ingredients that are delicacies here, but might well not agree with my delicate Western stomach! She also made sure that my batch, while certainly spicy, was not to the level that would strip the enamel from my teeth!!! We all had a great time, cooing over their new grandchild, laughing and enjoying each others company and wishing our friend the best of birthdays.

The Ping River and Doi Suthep

The Ping River is kind of like the Mississippi River of Thailand! It starts in the mountains in Northern Thailand, and flows down to Bangkok and out to sea. It was the primary mode of transport for people, armies, goods, etc, between Bangkok and the Northern kingdoms. It still factors into daily life up and down its banks---for fishing, tourism, etc, but the advent of roads, and airplanes means that it is no longer a primary way to move people and commerce!

Doi (Thai word for mountain) Suthep is the highest peak above Chiang Mai---in the photo here you can also make out the huge temple that overlooks the city. In the last photo you can see a wall of rain moving across the sky from left to right, a not uncommon site during the afternoon in rainy season!

Saw was dee Holiday Inn!!

I decided to try something a bit different this trip, and start out by staying at a local hotel for a few days for a bit of a vacation. The hotel I chose is located on the Chiang-Mai Lamphun Road---so named because it is the road that connects Chiang Mai and Lamphun! This road is tree-lined, with massive trees that grow together at the top creating a bit of a canopy. They were planted originally to shade the head of the Kings' daughters as they traveled between the two cities, in days of old. Modern intrusions like traffic, smog, roads built over root systems and other indignities have damaged some of the trees requiring their removal. However, thanks to efforts to preserve the remaining trees, you can still see the elegant canopy and imagine what it must have been like to be transported, probably by elephant, in luxury. It has always been a favorite sight of mine, and one I used to see almost daily, living in a neighborhood called Sunpaliang and driving this road to get into the city. About half-way between my old neighborhood and the city sits a huge, multistory hotel. When I first came to Chiang Mai, it was a Weston, then it became a Sheraton, and now it is a Holiday Inn. It has always boasted a wonderful brunch, the one treat of the hotel that I would occasionally get to enjoy when I lived here. However, I always wanted to stay here---it looked so pretty, and inviting...but was out of reach on my volunteer "wage"! So, this stay is something of a long wish fulfilled...and I have to say the old hotel is living up to my expectations in grand style!! I have a room on the 24th floor, with a view of the winding, rain swollen and rich chocolate-colored Ping River winding its way across the landscape. Today I have enjoyed the breakfast buffet, the Dimsum buffet, and tomorrow it is brunch joined by dear friends! The pool is just as nice as I always imagined, and there is a Thai-massage in my near future. Bliss! Who knows, maybe I'll even venture outside after brunch?!?!

Mae Patty Duu!!!

Remember when you were a kid and you would yell at the top of your lungs...."Hey mom...LOOK!!!" That's what I heard over and over again yesterday, my first day back at Agape. "Duuu" is the Thai word for "look"....at the speed running cartwheel I can do, at the HUGE beetle that is clutching my hand with its curled talons, at my shirt, at how tall I am, at the sewing project I am working on, at my braces, at my birthday cake, at...at...at...!!! What fun! The kids are always full of stories and were talking at me about a mile a minute, testing my sleep addled brain as I struggled to keep up with the rapid-fire Thai. I love every second of it...especially when all of a sudden there is a hand in mine, or a head on my shoulder, or four of the little ones all trying to sit in my lap at the same time. I already feel 10 years younger and so blessed to be here! There are 80 children and young people at Agape now--our biggest census yet. There are several new babies in the nursery, and they will be such fun to get to know. I do his without thinking about the inevitable goodbye in a couple of weeks, savoring each moment for what it is--grateful for the privilege of being part of their lives.

Away we go!!

Dear Friends-tomorrow marks my 14th trip (give or take one or more!) to Chiang Mai, Thailand! I remember the first half dozen or so times taking this trip---so exciting to think about the long flight, the transits through Tokyo, Taipei and other exotic locales, managing the Bangkok Airport and the luggage all the way---it always felt like such an adventure! These days, I must admit that while I so look forward to getting there, the trip over is kind of a drudge! The airplane seats are uncomfortable (understatement!), the food is okay, but not too interesting, going through the extra security check in Tokyo is more than a little annoying after 12 hours in flight---with nearly 8 more to go---yuck!! Why do it? Well, for me this is like going home. When I am there, it is like home to me and unfortunately, the only way to get there is by putting in lots of airplane time. Still in all, I am incredibly blessed and fortunate to get to go at all---so, the bags are packed, the books, ipod, and assorted distractions are packed, and I am more-or-less ready to go. I am glad to have you come along on this journey too. Who knows, I may just enjoy the flight yet!