Gypsie Keen

Bangkok (and Julie's Apartment)

2006-02-21T05:50:00.000-08:00

About one month ago, that is to say January, I ditched the old 9 to 5 in favor of some urban refreshment. I visited Bangkok and, graciously, Julie let me stay with her for a week. She lives in a lovely one room apartment with some hardwood flooring, a real kitchen and a real bathroom! (Meaning the shower is actually seperate from the rest of the room, not just a water spout attached to one of the walls.) This is her third, and I dare say, favorite abode. The first was a dorm style apartment (I think?) provided by the first school she worked for and the second was a less lovely, perhaps a little dingy, one room apartment with no kitchen that you arrived to after treading down a scary and many times dog-poo filled alley. (Sorry for the graphic details, but just imagine how Julie felt!) Not to mention the cross dressers and prostitutes. In the fifth picture we're hanging a much needed mosquito net.

The two following images are of the beauteous Au Bon Pan cafe near Julie's apartment. Then the unspeakably adorable baby is, of course, the famous Chet, of the fantastic Australian couple Guy and Alex of the Bangkok English Congregation.

Then you will virtually saunter through the amazing Hilton, Thai style, of Bangkok. Dao, an awesome Thai sister who is in the Bangkok English Congregation, took me there for our photo-shoot. Dao means 'star' in Thai. She is quite an excellent photographer and took most of these pictures. Thank you Dao! Then we went to a little jazz joint called Brown Sugar. Sweet.

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a few photos

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This is one of Weryn's many Bibles studies. She is a very old lady who lives in a three sided shack, underneath and behind which are the chicken stomping grounds. Stinky, to say the least. Weryn calls her yai, grandmother. All old ladies are referred to as yai because that is both respectful and endearing. Weryn was biding time talking to the neighbor waiting for yai to arrive for her study. When she came sauntering home she was wearing her traditional green skirt, carrying a folded umbrella, old rubber flip-flops on her feet, bundled up in a thick classic tan peacoat! As if it were cold! She was quite the picture but I didn't want to seem like a freakish foreigner for taking her picture (though, come to think of it, she probably would've been flattered.) I snuck these shots in while they were studying. That pink thing is her mosquito net.

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Yai's yard with a view of the neighbor's digs.

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Candy and Julie, some lovely sisters in Bangkok. Well Candy is actually studying. Candy is the sister of Baby, who lives here in Roi-et and is the mom of Zona and Nina. (Candy and Baby's mom, Ba or Auntie Udom, recently got baptized.) Julie is an awesome sister from Ohio who has been in the English cong in BKK for a year and recently switched to a Thai cong where she's helping to form a sign language group. They're so darling!

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Some serious ghetto territory with Somai. She's awesome.

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At the hospital after we got into a motorcycle accident. Just kidding! Pong Pan has a study with the nephew of one of Weryn's studies who just happend to be in the hospital so we went there to say hello and have the study. Oddly, people camp out at the hospital when someone they know and love is in it. It's like the waiting room?

2006-02-14T07:05:00.000-08:00

Our circuit overseer, Brother Petcharat and his wife Jitigawn. He is really talented and cool; he writes lyrics to all these lovely songs and we (I say we but I mean the Thai brothers and sisters) sing them. They sang a really beautiful and catchy one about the purpose of life and finding Jehovah. His wife is soooo loving and encouraging in service.

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Luke and Ta, a wonderful Australian couple. Ta is actually Cambodian but grew up in Australia after her family fled the Khmer Rouge. Lynn met them when she briefly jaunted over to ozzie land. They are in the Thai/Lao group in Sydney and came for a visit a few months ago to improve their Thai (and enjoy the beaches...not in Roit-et, in the South : )

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Somai came over to make this beauteous cake (no one has an oven in Roi-et)

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The pioneers with our beloved American elder, Brother Bob. The other brother is Pong Pan, the only other elder in the cong. and a special pioneer.

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Feast after the pioneer meeting.

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Nina, me, Sheep on location at the Kingdom Hall cleaning

2006-02-14T06:33:00.000-08:00

Nina, me, Zona

In the Twilight Zone

2006-01-17T03:43:00.000-08:00

Is there anything more startling, much more frightening, to walk passed a nice looking Thai lady, at night, and have her greet you with a man's voice? It was a soft voice, but it most assuredly belonged to a man. This country is oozing with transvestites.

How about being asked by the service overseer to accompany him on a call he'd like to hand over to you? You ride side-saddle on the back of his bike as he manuveurs off the road like a maniac. You're already almost falling off because the seat really isn't big enough for two big butts as it was originally designed for Asians, and you vow to take your own bike next time. You jolt down a dirt road and immediately are transferred from the modernish city atmosphere to the inbred back country. When the bike stops and you're getting off, several of the villagers gather round your spectacle of white skin. Dear God! A skinny shriveled grandmammy of an Isaan lady appears, her height barely reaching four feet. (Isaan is the area where I live, a mix of Thai and Lao culture.) She stares at you with one sunken eye and one hollowed out white space where one should be...but isn't. You just can't help staring back at it especially because now you're not quite sure whether it's an empty eye socket or an alabaster eye completely taken over by cataracts. You conclude it's missing, with lots of pillowy scar tissue to replace it. A younger granny saunters up, carrying a baby on her hip. The granny speaks, revealing her fang-like teeth dripping with what appears to be blood. But you know better (even though blood is used as an ingredient in much of the food here...it's usually coagulated and brown. euuucchhh.) It's actually snuff or some such addictive and cancer-causing substance the Isaan mammies love to chew. Her tongue is half rotting away, and the red colored drool seeps in the cracks of her wrinkly lips. They are surrounded by at least eight filthy, snot-nosed children. You hope they are the grandchildren but know probably at least one or two of them is the kid of one of the grandmas. Not sure which one, if any one of them, is the one you're supposed to call on, as the service overseer tries to get a word in through their cackling and leaves them all tracts. No wonder he wants to pass on the call. haha. Only (slightly) kidding. They do need the truth and were charming. In a scary twilight zone way.

Then there's the 10 day, marathon Red Cross Fair held at the soldiers' camp two streets over from your apartment. Every night the loud shriekings of amplified vendors mix with the loud shriekings of 'musical' performers, enough to drown our the loud shriekings of the roosters. Yes, they do attempt to crow in the pitch black of night. One night the band is thumping out a fairly accurate version of 'Enter Sandman' but it suddenly evolves into a slow Thai ballad.

And finally, to end this mortifying rant, there is the English bookstudy. I wouldn't even mention it on such a bizarre post as this, if it weren't for the fact that conducting is...weird. We have Lynn and myself that take turns conducting and reading, which seems to be theocratically acceptable; the new family Sister Poon and the boys; and 3 teachers from school-Jim, Caroline, and Daniel. It goes pretty well. But the feeling I get when it's my turn to conduct is, there's only one word for it, weird....

(conclude with music and a black and white tv shot)

Thanom and Thinu

2006-01-13T05:24:00.000-08:00

Doesn't that sound like the title of a classic children's novel set in some exotic location, like Zimbabwe or, say, Thailand? Well perhaps one day it shall be and the two main characters will be two fantasticly entertaining Thai American boys. (Pronounce their names 'Ta-nome' and 'Ta-new'.) Thankfully for me they are real and are the new additions to our Roi-et congregation.

They actually lived here with their parents, Sister Poon, who is Thai, and Brother Jack who is American (from Kentucky, to be precise), for several years before I moved here. They left because poor brother Jack had to move back to the states for cancer treatment. Now Sister Poon and the boys have moved back and hopefully brother Jack will join them next month, if all goes well with the completion of his therapy. In the picture to the left, Thanom is on the far left, Thinu is in the middle, and Sheep is relaxing while reading a Watchtower.

Thinu is 12 and obsessed with animals, especially dinosaurs. Therefore we have good conversations in that regard, though we often spiral into discussions of somewhat violent movies he enjoys retelling. Don't be too concerned, though, because he usually ends up in fits of jolly laughter at my reactions.

Thanom is 13 and has lent me several movies (worth watching) and, more importantly, is my new service partner. We make a good team as he can help me with Thai and I can help him with reasoning (but really I just make the time in the ministry go by fast for him. His words.) Though he seems to do pretty good on his own already. He's bold, too. On New Year's Eve morning we went to one house where the man informed us that he was off to get drunk as he rushed passed us to his early merry making. Thanom quickly made sure he had a copy of the Awake! on the trap of alcohol abuse. Haha! Another day we were out together I did the first presentation for the new beautiful January Awake! The lady I spoke with had been in her small rice field but had taken off her classic straw hat and met us at her gate. As I spoke I could tell she was puzzled and Thanom new exactly why. She asked "What will cars be like in 20 or 30 years?" repeating my ill pronounced question. It seems when I say the word for earth in Thai, lok, it sounded like the Thai word for car, rote. Don't know quite how that happens. But it did and we had a nice laugh over it and Thanom explained what we were really there to talk about and we read a scripture and it was great.

So I really enjoy these kids. Even Zona and Nina, the Sikh's children, seem to finally be warming up to me. I went on their Bible study with Weryn the other day. They study out of the Learn from the Great Teacher book. Zona (the one up front in the picture below) reads and then her younger sister Nina repeats. Really good for me. I'll put up another picture of Nina on another post, since she is just so cute. So the kids seem to be doing good here and providing amusement for me. (But none can ever replace Jessica or Emily, my leech and monkey babies.)

watercolours

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Siam 1948

2005-12-27T23:54:00.000-08:00

Saturday Service

2005-12-25T02:52:00.000-08:00

Saturday service is an event here. Almost all the publishers (almost all twenty of us) meet at the Kingdom Hall. Then it's to the territory! All of us! En masse! Haha! It's quite enjoyable, meandering as a large group down the highway, through the neighborhoods. Don't try that in Florida. It seems to be acceptable here and probably a protection from rabid dogs. Here are some pictures of what one Saturday service morning looks like. These were taken a few weekends ago when the weather was still warm. Recently it's gotten down to 10 at night! (That's about 5o F) So nice.

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Jamnian is a Thai lady who studied with Christendom many years ago in her youth. A few months ago when the boys were visiting, Jono and Art found her while we were working from house to house. She had been praying for spiritual direction; that someone would help her. Jono and I went a couple of times to study the Require brochure and then I went a couple of times after the boys left. Then one day I took Sister Aree with me. Well, it was so good for Jamnian to have someone who can really explain things in Thai and listen and be her friend. So now I handed the study over to Aree. I have the motorbike, she speaks Thai. It's a good match. We go every Wednesday morning. Jamnian looks after her grandson during the day. His name's Icecream. He's adorable. In the picture below, Jamnian is on the left and Aree is on the right. (Icecream is the short little guy.)

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Today

2005-12-08T22:21:00.000-08:00

The sun is glowing bright green through the leaves of the plumeria trees. The windows are open and the breeze wanders through the English Program building.

I came to school today to meet Lynn to study with Jim. Lynn was running late and Jim was no where to be seen. And it was just as well because the music called me.

"What's this? Electric guitar!? Drums!?! Some muffled vocals!!?! How perfectly awesome." So I walked towards the lovely Weezer-esque/Ventures-ish tunes towards the end of the open air hall. In a 'room', that's more of a pavillion, normally used for math classes, was a band of Thai punks. They took turns playing the guitars and drums and slightly shrieking into the mikes (it was really more like singing), while others jumped around in their ska-like fashion. I was impressed. They were really good. And I wanted to take a picture of the delightful shananigans, but alas, my camera was sleeping at home. I made a vow to begin always carrying my camera with me. This is the second time this week I needed it. Earlier this week I was driving home around nine at night and sailed past a side walk restaurant where I saw a blue Mohawk atop the skull of a Thai guy enjoying dinner. I was also delighted; and also without camera. Boohoo.

But I digress.

I wandered back to the EP room and eventually Lynn and Jim showed up. We studied the first part of the new book "What Does the Bible Really Teach?". Jim is really great. He is quite honest and open hearted when answering the questions. For example, paragraph 8 gives the illustration of a grown son who turns rebellious and leaves home to live a rotten lifestyle. He has a lot of problems and is not happy. Could anyone rightly say that the son's unhappiness was caused by his father? We know the answer. Well, the question asks to illustrate the difference between allowing wickedness and causing it. Jim came up with his own. He said in his almost Welsh accent "Well, for example, if I got really drunk and wandered outside, and my dad didn't stop me, and I wandered into the road and got hit by a car and was just totally broken, I couldn't blame my dad."

Well, only a slight flaw in the illustration but generally good. And he has so many questions and is very appreciative of what he learns. Quite a refreshing Bible study. Not that the others are unrefreshing, only in Thai, and we all know there's only so much I can understand there.

More to share soon.

grin

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English Bookstudy and Gypsy Scarves

2005-12-02T06:50:00.000-08:00

A few evenings ago, we had the first English bookstudy since the boys left. It consisted of me, Lynn, Caroline from Cameroon and Jim from, well we really don't know where Jim is from, but he's traveled to more than fifty-four countries and has lived in 7. He has an affinity for the Middle-East.

Can you imagine starting up a bookstudy again on that lesson? Sheesh! It was so good to have it in English, though, because my brain booted up again and I understood. And was encouraged. A good time was had by all. It was truly lovely.

Lynn conducted and I read, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. I may be conducting, however, so I started experimenting with head coverings, trying to make a stylish one you know. (I know...I recall I'm not to be worried about the external braiding of the hair and what not. Head coverings do cover one's hair.)

I may start wearing them all the time.

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The Weather is Glorious Cool

2005-11-20T00:51:00.000-08:00

It's 1948 at the post office. The green metal fan, so used to slicing through the humid heat, is enjoying swirling through air thin and cool. In fact, it's getting a little tipsy.

She walks to the wall of wooden boxes. Number forty splinters at the corner, an old wound from an angry father, receiving blunt notice of his son's death, dutiful and quick. Now the mail only ever brings good things, envelopes in English from the states. Decorated with areoplanes. So modern.

The key sticks halfway through the turn then changes its mind and obliges with a click. She looks in the empty box, then out the back (because there is no back, as is the case with p.o. boxes) to the room full of boxes. A face fills the square space and says something in Thai.

And she understands. It's taken 10 months but, by jingo, she understands. That's swell.

And how!

Oh, Jack talk Thai. Jack talk Thai ver' well.

2005-10-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

I just gave my first talk in Thai! I've been a householder three times and did that well enough to trick Brother Bob into thinking I can talk Thai. Hahaha! I really found out about it two days ago. We've all been very busy here. We were out of the country on a visa run last week and the returned to Thailand and went directly to the Thai disctrict convention. So I only had two days to know about it and prepare! It's just as well, since I am a procrastinator. I was slightly grouchy and stressed, trying to work on it while the boys were off with Lynn on a temple-outing. What I found out later was that they really went on a waterfall trek (although they never really reached the waterfall they did slip and slide over a beautiful brook in the jungle...and I missed it...boohoo.) So... in anycase, Art helped me translate it into Thai today, I practiced with Weryn this afternoon and the delivered it tonight! I thought it was kind of a poor performance compared to my 3 past parts but everyone said I spoke very clear. I felt swell. It was the number four which would have been out of the reasoning book if we had one in Thai, but since we don't we are reviewing the PE book. The subject was "Where do wicked spirits come from?" (a literal translation is "spirit bad come from where"). Unfortunately we forgot the camera so we may stage it tomorrow before the service meeting. Hehe.

Much love to everyone. I miss you guys.

2005-08-29T02:31:00.000-07:00

Last week, or two, ago...I gave one of my classes the assignment of writing predictions, for example "In the future, I think there will be world peace." We've been doing a unit on predictions. They all did a good job, being clever girls. But one was so funny.

I think there will be more Salah.

Isn't that sweet? Salah is me, by the way. Many Thai people pronounce it that way. They'll often say an 'L' sound instead of an 'R' sound. And most Thai words emphasize the last syllable instead of the first, like English does. So my name is sa-LAH. Thais often can't say the 'V' sound so Violette is Wiolette. But some say it right, which is good, because Violette doesn't like being called Wiolette.

My students are not shocking like Violette's, thankfully. (If you're wondering what I'm talking about visit her blog, imaginarydeadline.) I guess it's because they're younger. I do have my doubts about one girl, or is it a boy? No girl...

Aree is very good, sweet sister. She and Brother Bob and their son Matt are considering what seems to be like an extended visit home, as Aree calls it. 'Home' is Washington state. They've lived in Thailand fifteen years. And Aree was born and raised in Thailand. But she belongs in Washington. She always tells me to o-tone, which means endure. She speaks from experience.

Lynn, Yutina and a fabulous sister named Thinom are all in Bangkok to see Pong Pan off. He'll be attending MTS in Sydney for two months. That will be a wonderful experience and essential training for him. But what will become of Roi-et congregation? Never fear. Who do you think runs this organization...people? Hahaha! Just kidding, I'll try to become sane again. We will only have one elder, Brother Bob, and one ministerial servant, Art. But Ben and Jonathan are here and everyone is encouraged by their pressence. And our congregation is really going. There are 5 publishers that want to get baptized at the convention in October. They haven't gone over the questions yet, (yes Brother Bob will be VERY busy) but I think they'll be able to. So that's exciting. And Lynn has a new project, and I'm using her words. Her original project, dare I even say assignment, was to help Pong Pan learn perfect English so he could go to MTS. Brother Bob mentioned this as one of his assignments, too. So I think Brother George, the branch overseer, made sure there were plenty of English speakers here for Pong Pan. Well, now, Pong Pan's Bible study Yutina has mentioned that it is his goal to go to MTS. Therefore Lynn has a new project.

One must set goals for oneself to remain happy in one's service, and indeed, in one's life.

Random Thai Happenings

2005-07-05T21:29:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, my happiness was renewed by a delightful day in service. You see, the only day we go out in service, real service, with a service meeting and working door-to-door with the whole congregation out together, is Saturday...ah so nice. I started at 8am, going with Pong Pan to his studies in the park, then worked with Weryn, who, as I'm sure I've mentioned, is so wonderful at the door. She becomes all things to all people, witnessing to everyone from school girls to monks. She so cute and matter-of-fact and confident. After the half hour of service, I took Lynn on my motorbike down a back road to do a rv of mine. Lynn is about six-feet tall remember. The man wasn't home but I spoke with a woman there and had Lynn read Matthew 5:3 in Thai. Lynn said she was impressed. I just love commendation! Later I went with Nok on a call of hers and did a small study with a girl who is actually Violette's study (Vi was sick on Saturday), then went to a young girl I'm studying with. What a great day. If only they were more often! I'll have to work on that.

Monday night, as I was driving around town with Violette side-saddle on the back of the bike seat in search of food, I came to a tricky intersection. I stopped then gunned it across the road, only to loose my passenger. That's right. I heard a "Whoa....WHOAaaaaaaaahhhh" and look around to see Violette landing in a seated position on the road. Well the reason I had gunned it was because a car was coming so, now, not only did my friend fall off the bike into the road she was also going to be run over. I kept going to get out of the road and calmly tried to put the bike in neutral, which it will not do, in a dazed state, instead of just running over to her. When I looked around she was standing on the other side of the road and started to limp across. What a horrible feeling. I was laughing, not just because of nerves, it was funny, but at the same time horrid. Obviously. Violette was extremely good natured about it. But then, later, when we were talking about it at home and I mentioned the truck that was coming, I think that really irked her. And why shouldn't it? Wow, well first Nina, then Violette, it's my turn next.

The African couple came to school today. They will be teaching here. There was a welcome breakfast for them that I didn't go to as I hate Asian breakfasts and it was at 7:15 in the morning. Last night, Vi and I stayed up till 1, though it felt later, making plans to expand our social circle from just the two of us to select foreigners in cities 2 to 7 hours away. In any case, the couple seems really cool, and the wife is a little peevish, like yours truly, and seems capable of jai rawn behaviour. And who wouldn't be under these circumstances? Plus their apartment is probably possessed. Jim just moved out of it for that reason. I feel really bad for them. I hope they can find a new place right away. Keep you posted.

Stories

2005-06-29T19:03:00.000-07:00

In Thailand, as in so many other parts of the world, when it gets dark and the earth cools down a little bit, people start gathering outside; under their houses on stilts, on long, low wooden benches, in salas, on the tailgates of trucks...And laugh and sing and listen to music or talk on their cell phones, drink beer, gamble...but of course the most traditional thing to do is to tell stories.

Many years ago, there was a young girl, the second oldest of nine children, who delighted in the tales her mother would spin. The family gathered together at night beneath the palms, looking up at the stars, and listening to the history of their family.

The young girl's mother had come from China, so she was fair as porcelain. She had escaped some kind of upheaval in society by escaping to Thailand. There she met a very famous, very handsome, traditional Thai dancer. He traveled to different cities performing in the famous story dance. He was very talented. The dancer and the Chinese girl fell in love and had a child. The dancer loved the Chinese girl but would leave her for a time as he danced through several cities. And charmed other lovely young girls.

One evening, as the Chinese girl knelt at the brook, looking sadly at her reflection, a Thai woman who also loved the Thai dancer, perhaps his wife, caught a glimpse of her from across the water. She was consumed with jealousy. She look around her. There was a huge mortar and pestal type tool used for mashing food. So she took a the huge spear-like, thick wooden dowel, and hurled it at the sad Chinese girl across the river. It struck her in her chest.

For days, she was severely ill, to say the least, for I believe she was coughing up blood and could barely breathe. Then she finally found rest in death. But there was her little girl. Who would take care of her. "I will take her as my daughter," one voice told all the others. It was the voice of the jealous woman from across the river!

So the very person who had caused the Chinese girl's death was now raising her child. The little girl did not understand at that time what had happened to her mother. But wagging tongues of other villagers soon made the story a familiar one to her. The jealous woman used her like a servant. And soon she started feeling weak and frail. Finally, one day by the river, the jealous woman tried to drown her by holding her head under the brook.

It didn't work. The little girl ran away. She grew up to have a family of her own, who she took care of better than anyone ever took care of her. And who she would tell tales to in the evening beneath the palms.

Sister Aree shared this story with me. Her mother told stories, true family stories, to all her children, and her husband, when he was around, in the evening beneath the palms.

Jai rawn

2005-06-07T00:36:00.000-07:00

In Thai jai rawn literally translates to English as 'heart hot'. It is not a good thing, such as 'warm hearted'. It means 'hot-tempered'. That is me. Lately. Shocking...to some of my readers. At the moment I am not feeling jai rawn. I am thankfully feeling rather jai yen, which means when translated 'cool headed' (literally, of course, 'heart cool'). But this brings me to an idea Sophie and I had together.

A few weeks ago I told her how I just wanted to throw things against stationary objects sometimes. How pleasant it would be to throw a plate or a glass on the floor or against a wall (as long as one didn't have to clean it up.) I know it's totally lacking in self control and therefore try to avoid such practices. But if I were to indulge occasionally, Sophie suggested buying lots of ugly dishes from garage sales just for that purpose. Then I thought I would carry them with me in my perfectly sized purse and throw them down next to me when angry. One would be sufficient, I'm sure, to frighten or repulse and secretly enrage the typical person (for one example: a Thai teacher) I would be throwing it in the pressence of. Sophie suggested throwing it at their heads. But I prefer the satisfying crash of glass against concrete.

To move on the worthier subjects, the meetings are always full of interested ones. A Bible student invited a monk to the Sunday meeting and he attended with modest saffron garb. On Saturday, I was working with Werynn door-to-door when we came upon a sunny, lush green side road that led through the middle of a wat. The monk quarters were on the left and a monk was sitting on the porch. Werynn started witnessing to him in her typical wonderful and conversational style (well, you know, as far as I can tell). She placed three magazines. And the monk I met so many months ago in the park keeps calling me. I don't answer though I should. What if he wants a Bible study? And even if not, it may make for a good blog entry.

There is also a teacher at our school who has been attending the bookstudy and who will begin studying with Brother Bob, I believe. His name is Jim. He has an American passport. Which says he's American. Very important. But he has a curious accent, slightly Welsh, due to spending several summers in Wales as a young boy. His mother was Polish. He has a Thai wife living in New Zealand getting her masters. They may not get along. I guess it would be hard to living that far apart. He has lived in 7 countries and has visited 51. He's only in his thirties, I believe. It's really great seeing him come to meetings and participating. During the first week's study of Keep on the Watch he shared his observation on how he's been around the world and found peoples attitudes the same (in big cities that is) everywhere: love and pursuit of money, no love for other people, younger and younger ones involved in crimes, etc. During the meeting he also asked for a show of hands as to how many people at the bookstudy personally knew someone with AIDS. At the second week's lesson he made a sad observation/question about the people who were in false relgions who didn't know it, like his grandparents, who are devout Catholics and pray sincerely in church and hang on to their religion even when they see bad things done by the leaders because to them it is the only way and they trust that God will work things out. 'What about those people?' Then Brother Bob translated it into Thai, although I wonder if he did it accurately. (He tends to give his own answers while 'translating'.) Then I answered in English about how much those leaders and religions have to answer to Jehovah because of ....(etc. you know why) and that's why the angel is declaring the good news and why we're told to 'get out of her'. Jehovah will bless all those that love him. Then it was translated into Thai. Very strange. Anyway, I felt soooo bad about it afterwards because I thought I was too harsh...so then Jim and I had a good talk afterwards. That is, I apoligized and shared my concern for all those people too, and how God is concerned with all sincere ones and shared the Genesis account of Abraham asking Jah about Sodom and Gomorrah. Poor Jim. "Yes, yes" nodding his head, slightly misty eyed. Good person.

Well a class has entered the computer room. I may need to leave. To prove my life here is like a bizarre comedy I had to teach a health class today, in English of course, about puberty.