In the year 2551

Greetings from the year 2551! How are things in 2008? Michael and I had no idea that when we traveled to Thailand, we would also travel about 543 years into the future! Here in Thailand we are currently living in the year 2551. I believe it has something to do with the year that Buddha was born, or received “enlightenment” or girl scout cookies or something… Anyway it makes living in the present future much more exciting! !
One thing that I love so much about here is that there are so many things that you wouldn’t see in the states. Here are a few. In the states you would never see: Teachers teaching in bare feet in every classroom. Dogs walking around in the sanctuary during church. Children running down the aisles catching winged ants during vespers. Cats roaming at will in the school kitchens. Students eating around the bugs (ie fruit bugs, and the occasional grub) missed by the cook and not really seeming to mind. Dogs running around in the cafeteria after meals. Seeing the soy milk man come to your house every Monday and Thursday to drop off your freshly made milk. (It’s a highlight of my week!) Going to markets and seeing all sorts of animals, chopped and unchopped lying un-refrigerated in pools of their own blood all in the Thai heat. (That one is enough to make anyone a vegetarian!)
These are just a few examples. I learned early on that if something looks like a deep fat fried heart valve or intestine, it probably is. Eating food from the street vendors is not as dangerous as we have been led to believe, and having bugs in your food is not the end of the world. After the 2nd bug I found in my rice, I just shrugged and thought, “Eh! Mai ben rai.” And went on eating. It’s all good here. Bugs, heart valves and all.