Our awesome team in Birmingham
We flew first from Birmingham, AL to Charlotte, NC but that first flight was delayed. We thought maybe that was a sign that we would have difficulties flying but the rest of the trip went very smoothly. We then flew from Charlotte to NYC. I have never been to New York so it was exciting to be there! Of course we didn't get to see the city but I think I saw the skyline when we traveled on the Air Tran (?) to another terminal. We had a six-hour layover there but it didn't seem so bad because we split it up: the first couple of hours we just waited in the concourse to check in. After we checked our luggage we went to eat. By the time we got through security, we only had about 30 more minutes to wait. Rachel and I walked laps in the terminal to get our blood flowing before we got on the 21-hour flight. Then we took off from NYC and headed to Frankfurt, Germany where we would stop to refuel. Within the first 30 minutes of that flight I got sick (luckily in the lavatory). The rest of the flight I was really restless. It was nighttime but I couldn't sleep. By the time we landed in Germany it was the middle of the day for the Germans. Even though we were going to stay on that same flight, we had to get off the plane for about an hour. By then I was pretty tired so I slept over half of the 11-hour flight to Singapore. Oh, in case you want to know, Singapore Airlines is the best airline I have ever flown with. The staff is wonderful, their planes are great, and the food was awesome! After a short layover in Singapore (awesome airport too), we flew to Bangkok. We had a seven-hour layover in Bangkok so we met up with our team leader's friend Jeff who Matt met when we was on CCP in 2007. Jeff took us into the city to eat at the mall food court. We road their version of the subway except that it is above ground. So we were able to see the whole city. Bangkok is huge! And the gap between rich and poor is unbelievable. Slums were literally next to mansions.
Bangkok
After our adventure into the city, we took a small plane to Khon Kaen where we received a very warm welcome from CO Thailand staff, families, and students. It was wonderful! We then took songthaews (trucks with benches in the bed) to our apartment. We settled in and finally took a shower after 2 days!
Yesterday started with breakfast (pork and sticky rice) and orientation meetings. Moe is in charge of our CCP this summer and he is amazing. Then we went to one of the campus cafeterias for lunch. I had cow pot guy which is chicken fried rice and a pineapple smoothie. Their fruit smoothies are so fresh here and naturally sweet. After lunch we took a city tour in songthaews. We went into the heart of Khon Kaen which was big and very modern. Where we live the roads are not as developed and the vendors are in huts, not buildings like the main part of the city. We stopped at the biggest Buddhist temple in the city and also the mall (Central). I walked around and talked to Thai students and staff to get to know them.
songthaew
KKU
After our tour, we went back to our apartments to rest. Then it was time to eat again! We went to another cafeteria (which is basically a bunch of vendors surrounding a central area with picnic tables). I had stir fry and another smoothie. Because we are still experiencing jet lag, we went back to our apartment after dinner to go to sleep. We were so tired!
Today started with more meetings in which we learned some basic Thai and how our summer was going to work. It got me so excited! Then we had lunch with the CO staff, families, and students. After a delicious meal we played games with everyone such as soccer, basketball,and badmitten. It was so fun! Now we're back resting before we go out with our ministry groups. I will be ministering with Bow and Laura Ruth this summer! Bow is Thai and on staff with CO Thailand. She is great!
God has been teaching me so much already! He has really been humbling me and showing me that He is all I need, not the comforts of this world. Our mattresses are made of cardboard so sleeping isn't as comfortable. Not knowing the language is really hard and the heat is really tough. However, God is continually proving His sovereignty and I can't wait to see how He is going to use me for His Kingdom this summer.
Thanks for all of your prayers!
In Christ,
Christine ><>
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