Time Flies in Thailand

Emily and Hannah

We made it to Chiang Mai!!  We arrived with no problems about 10:45 PM Friday and our luggage was there too.  How cool is that?  We have been so blessed on this trip when it comes to luggage arriving with us and we have not had major delays…

It was so good to see Steve Keefer waiting for us especially when we found out he had done the airport run the night before thinking we were coming in then.  When we got to there place Rhoda was still up and we all ended up talking till 1 a.m.!!  Fun but we all felt it the next day since there is no such thing as sleeping in with little ones in the house.

Plants by front door

The Keefers’ have moved to a different house since we were last here and it’s in a lovely neighborhood and they have such a nice yard on a dead end (sort of) street.  Behind them are some open fields growing beans right now but sometimes they have rice growing.  Also there are mountains behind the house in the distance which I am sure on a clear day are beautiful…even shadowed in haze they are pretty :)

View from Keefers' backyard

Saturday was a low key day here.  It always takes us a few days to acclimate to a new home…new people…new routines…new kitchens…new foods etc.  We loved seeing the kids who were anxiously waiting for us to wake up.  Ben is now about 2 and 1/2 months and talks a blue streak…truly loves balls of all kinds just like the Keefer’s newsletters say (it’s not just Steve’s wishful thinking) . Ben spends a lot of time dribbling a ball better than I can by far…also kicking a ball...running in for a huge kick on a bounce or a running power kick…I say all that because honestly it is very impressive coordination for a 2 yr old. 

Hannah is now 6 and such a sweet girl and we praise the Lord she has not had any seizures since they took her off her meds.  If that continues till this summer they will consider her to be totally well from that. 

Emily is 8…fun and funny.  She loves to tell jokes and tease us.  She loves to read as well.  We are enjoying being with them so much and getting to know the kids again…as they change so much as this age.

Papaya Tree with fruit

After we got up and going, Roger and Steve rode their bikes to a shop to have some repairs done while Rhoda, kids and I went to what they call the stinky market.  It’s an open market with fruits, veggies, various cooked food and also the meat section…it is for sure stinky.  It was cute to watch Ben plugging his nose and telling me over and over again something was stinky and smelled bad!  On the subject of food...they have a few papaya trees in their yard that produce more than they can eat so we are really going to enjoy eating it every day since both of us love papaya!

In the evening we decided to go to a Mexican restaurant they had not been to.  It was quite good.  We were able to eat outside and the kids could run around (it was like a picnic area) after they were done. (I was bummed I forgot the camera).  After dinner we went to a night market.  The night markets here are so fun.  The street is blocked off and vendors set up their “stuff” which ranges from clothes to toys to any kind of souvenirs….carvings, silk scarves, purses etc.  and of course lots of “street food”…smoothies abundant..kebabs of all sorts….fruits…even dried fish.  

Flowers (honey suckle) against back fence

We got home about 8:30 and were all very tired and had an early night to bed.

Sunday we went to church.  It is mainly missionaries that go to it so it had a bit different dynamics than some places we have been.  After the service we came home for a quick lunch and then Rhoda and Steve were hosting a farewell open house for the school nurse (who happened to be from Ireland).  We enjoyed meeting some of the people that came…hearing what brought them to this part of the world etc.  Roger talked with someone who works at the school who already has some ideas of things he could do to help out there.  I think my focus while here will be mostly on hanging out with Rhoda and hoping in that way to be an encouragement to her.  Helping out with kids and just good conversation therapy :)

Jan and Emily on neighborhood walk

In the evening Roger and I went out for a walk in the neighborhood with the girls.  Of course they led us to the playground where we played for a bit before wandering around trying to get lost but the girls did a good job keeping us on track to find our way home.

Hannah and Ben's "I don't feel good" pose

It’s now Monday…we are still acclimating you might say.  It’s hard to explain how hard it is for my brain to adjust to different schedule (we are feeling the 5 hours difference in time) and just figuring out where things are etc. Last night Ben came down with a fever so I stayed with him while Roger and Rhoda ran to some friend’s house to pick up their basketball hoop.    About the time they got back Rhoda got a call from school saying Hannah was not feeling well…so she ran to get her…and she also has a fever…Roger broke out the airborne!!  So this afternoon has been relaxing and fun to catch up on emails and Facebook and blogs etc.

We have things planned for the week…we will see how they unfold…I know our time here will fly by…why do I even think about that?  It makes me sad…

Yes, they are from South Carolina and like their Braii's (or Barbecue)