Loves and hates

I love me some mangosteens. They have been in season since about December but I haven't had a chance to eat as many as I thought I would. I also like jujubies, kumquats, and strawberries. Can't get enough of that fruit!

I also love V8 and corn but V8 is so expensive here $4 a can I got it for $1 in Thailand I had to enjoy it. Fresh corn is so good.

Lastly I love making new friends.

Things that I don't like. Being yelled at by Lao people saying "Falang", two sided washing machines, walking home in 104 degree weather, teaching in the heat and hurting others when I am trying to help because I don't know how to act.

The age I live in

So wow this year has been trying but good. I dont think I have ever encountered so many people with so many problems before or known truly the extent I have been blessed. I have I guess that is what they say "You never know joy until you have had sorrow." This week some of the SP teachers had a friends child die. Between knowing little Lao and being a foreigner I wasn't completely sure what was going on.

I went in to ask for more hours to teach because I only have 8 right now and after some talk between them I came to realize that there were none so I proceeded to hang out only to find out 5 minutes into it my favorite teacher M was bawling. I didn't know what to do. She is so sweet she even has a sweet cry! I then proceed to hear M's mother who also works there and speaks little English tell everyone what happened. Someone then turned to me and said "baby die." I think that she said in Lao they were on a motorbike and a car hit them and if the baby had been in the other arm it would have lived. They were taking a bus to go to the funeral. I tried to hand M a pack of Kleenex as she walked out the door but all I got was "Thanks, no worries"(in Lao). I didn't mean to make her lose face if I did oh well. I wanted to leave but ended up sitting there till lunch a whole hour I had not planned and then leaving after that.

I had spent the whole weekend with some of these teachers at another city(same as the funeral). I thought maybe I had met a relative(everyones related here it is crazy). I was angry at first but all that kept popping into my mind is that he has a purpose. I cannot help but think this is going to be used in their lives. Leading them another step closer. Please be uplifting them! Also when I left yesterday one of the teachers daughters M didn't know. Ask that I can know how to be there for them and this culture that is so different from mine!