A trip to the market...and follow-up hygiene...

After my unexpected upswing in mood in my last class...I decided to have a stroll to the village market (about 2 miles away)...

Took some shots for everyone...

* The gate to the town (the big one with the King and Queen on it). Every village has a main entry gate in similar style...

* The gate to the village temple (Nanongthum Wat)...also a part of all villages/towns...

* A teak house I pass en route to teach in the morning that I absolutely adore. It's obviously a very wealthy owner... Upon further inquiry (or just "inquiry"...), I'm told its owned by a 36 year old nurse who lives alone...VERY strange for these parts... Hmmm... At least she has a nice aesthetic!

* A photo of my gated house! I think they built it a few years ago for the grandmother. My host student now lives with her to help out with cooking, etc... I really like this "caring about family" attitude here...the sense of responsibility...it's nice. The house is lovely on the outside and in...but there is not a piece of furniture in sight...just tile downstairs and wood floors upstairs...i sleep on a mat...

* Two photos of the bathroom: one is the toilet (obvious) and the other the "shower". You use the squat toilet and fill the bowl from the basin next to toilet with water and pour in the hole to "flush"... The "shower" is a bit more 'uncomfortable' as you fill the bowl with the cold water from the big basin and just dump on yourself... Not fun unless its a scorcher out...and even then shampooing and dumping can be quite the balance unless one has abidexterous propensities...

* And last but not least...I finally found the ULTIMATE weight GAIN food I've been looking for for weeks (thank you, asha guesthouse breakfast buffet!). Sweet banana chips! What a delicacy! But today...a necessity! Oh boy are these yummy!

As I was walking down the road excited to have some of my purchased family-sized-bag of joy...my host student stopped by on her scooter with her friend (the outgoing pretty girl...nice girl). They asked if I needed a ride and what I purchased. Excitedly, I showed them my banana chips... In response...they poked my belly three times and said, "fat fat!". Thank you, girls. I'm never eating again (after this bag of course...)

Then as I neared the house, I saw a few primary-aged kids playing in a yard across the road...I kept hearing two phrases being screamed at me:

"My Name Is!!"

...and...

"I want to FART!"

Nice. Guess which phrase was self-taught...?

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T