Bowling and Chiang Mai

With Otto out of town last week, I tried to keep myself occupied. Friday night we went bowling which was a lot of fun then Saturday we headed off to Chiang Mai.


Bowling with Chanika, Josh, Rob and Becca. We had a blast!



In the tuk-tuk with Becca and Josh.


With Josh: A fellow Illinoisan. It was his first time in Chiang Mai and i think he liked it...


Chan and I at the Brasserie listening to an amazing guitarist. Chan has been such a good friend to me here. I feel quite lucky to have a great group of friends.

Summer/Rainy Season Updates

Well the beginning of august has been quite busy. Our friend Karen came to stay with us for a few days before she and her boyfriend Known moved to Shanghai. We went camping out at Michael's again and also enjoyed a pool party. We adopted her lovely cat Sweetpea. This cat is probably the most vocal cat i've ever met though she is completely loving and always wants to be around people. She has already caught a wide varieties of creatures in our house....geckos, cockroaches and even a mouse. She seems to have adjusted pretty well though she is still fighting with "Crooked-Eyed cat" who has been living in our yard ever since we've moved in.

Otto is going home to visit his father and older sister this week. I'm really sad that i don't have the free time to go with them. We will try to go to Ubon on the way back from Cambodia. However, i am quite proud because i managed to write them a letter in Thai. it was brief and probably full of mistakes but otto said it would mean a lot to them. He's also taking my photo album to show them. and some Thai snacks "khanom" which seems to be the custom here. whenever people visit a new place, they have to bring back food from that province.

in other news, i have had to quit my teaching at the anuban (pre-school) because we discovered that foreign teachers can get fined and possibly even deported for working outside their place of employment as specified on the work permit. i think the thai government is not strict about this, but we probably don't want to risk it. i'm really going to miss teaching those kids. at least the school is still on my street so i'll be able to go down and visit sometimes.

lots of people coming and going in lampang. i feel like our friend base is constantly changing but i think we are quite lucky to have lots of friends and to always be busy. some highlights from this past week have been making veggie sushi with some japanese teachers in town and painting watercolors with otto and cara (our friends' daughter). tonight we are going bowling and then i'm off to chiang mai with Chan and Rick tomorrow. should be a lovely weekend.