So it is hard to believe but we have been in Thailand now for eight whole months. It feels like just yesterday that we stepped off that plane into this new world, and now we are already at the end of March. Unreal. There is so much to be thankful for as we look back on these eight months, and in a way, it still feels like we are getting our feet wet. I thought I would put my own little top ten on here of things we love about Thailand, and the things we have loved so far about moving here to commemorate our eight month anniversary. Here goes:


10) Riding an elephant. For me this was amazing. I kinda have a weird fascination with these crazy creatures. They are so huge, and their heads are gi-normous and hairy. There trunks are very calloused and they eat an amazing amount of food a day. Still, they are completely friendly, gentle animals who enjoy being taken care of. (I am not saying they wouldn't enjoy the wild more, but certainly they like being fed so much.) We rode one in Koh Chang with my parents last month, which was a wonderful experience for all of us. We also got to jump into the water with one and climb on it as it sprayed us. Pretty sweet. Love those elephants.





9) The travel. There are a lot of places to go here, and a lot of ways to get there. Riding motorcycles is an absolute treat, considering there are no rules and you can do what you want. The traffic here is chaotic at best, but it is so fun. I can't really explain this to you, you just have to get here and see it. When mom and dad came, we went to a restaurant on the ocean for our first meal. There was buses lined up for miles and we had a blast ripping around them on our bikes, getting to the front of the line while they had to stay and wait. Tuk Tuks are little motorized carts (found mostly in Bangkok, I think) that act like taxis, only much cheaper (see picture below). Boats are fun, as are ferrys. Song Tows are like truck taxis which rip you around town, and no matter how far you go they only cost 10 baht, unless you hire one to take you somewhere specific, in which case you barter the price. There are taxis and minivans to take you to places long distance, and these are crazy cheap as well. Thailand is very fun to travel in.





8) The Food. Okay, this may sound strange, but I haven't really eaten that much Thai food. I don't really have to. There are tons of restaurants out here with lots of Western Options. I will say this proudly however. I used to hate rice, and now I love it. In fact Chicken Fried Rice (Kow Pat Gai) is one of my favorite meals. I just had it tonight in fact. The thai food is very good and reasonably cheap. There is also really posh restaurants with great food and western prices, italian, mexican, indian, irish pubs, salad bars, and burgers to satisfy every craving. And of course, the markets, which are amazingly cheap and quite tasty, filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, and thai dishes.








7) The condo. So you want to go on vacation hey. What are you looking for? A hot country with nice beaches, a new culture to experience, perhaps being able to lay on a beach or by a pool and read. Perhaps cheap laundry service and a maid. Yeah, THATS WHERE WE LIVE. Our condo is quite nice and has all those luxuries, plus. And all of our close friends live here. Its brilliant. So after a nice thirty minute bike ride home you can shower off and jump in the pool, enjoy a drink or two, and chat with your friends about your day. Then dry off, and go upstairs to your room where the maid has cleaned your place and your laundry has been returned washed, dried, pressed and folded, ready to go. Lovely. We do like our place a lot.






6) The students. Okay, so to be honest the school we work in has some challenges. Okay, a lot of challenges. But no matter where you go, kids are kids, and they are pretty easy to get attached to. We have a wide variety of kids at our school. Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, English, Canadian, American, Indian, Armenian, Chinese....and the list goes on. They do funny things, get questions way wrong, have English language challenges and behavioural issues. But they are still great. It is quite cool to watch how all of these kids with cultural diversities get along. They don't just tolerate each other. They actually like each other and value the differences between them. I know we get a little bit of that in Canada, but not like this. I think when we leave here we are definetely going to miss the kids. See how cute they are....





5)The sun. This morning as Jazzy and I biked to school we watched the sun rise over this beautiful palm tree in the distance. And anytime we want we can sit on the ocean and watch it drop over the horizon. No matter where you go in Thailand, the sunrise and sunset will leave you speechless. Add to that the other scenery and the fact that it never snows here, and you have one happy Scott.





4) The shopping. So you want cheap stuff, hey. Well Thailand is your place. From clothes to watches to nick nacks, to purses to tv shows or movies to suitcases to backpacks to jewlery to furniture to food to wood carvings to flowers to disco balls to thai lotto tickets, Thailand has it all. And you can barter for a lower price too. Sometimes you don't even have to go out. You will just sit in a restaurant eating your chicken fried rice (see earlier) and people will walk up to you with mercandise for sale. Plus, we have a place called Tut Com where you can buy dvds and games for super cheap. I just saw that they had the ten seasons of Mash ready to roll out if you want it. Its quite a place. The shopping here is quite amazing.





3) The Lifestyle. We have so many options here. Here is a list of what we have done so far: Badminton, Tennis, Biking, Mountain Biking, Jungle Run, Football, Basketball, kayaking, Fitness Gym, swimming, elephant riding, fishing, beach time, frisbee, etc. So far we have gone to Bangkok, Koh Samet, Koh Chang, Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, Krabi and soon Chang Rai. We are also excited to go to Chang Mai and Northern Thailand. We also plan to go to Japan, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos and hopefully Australia. All of these are close and quite cheap to get to. Its an amazing place to be sure.


2) The weather. Always hot. Even the rain is cool, and fun to be in. One year ago today I was out in -40 weather trying to unthaw oil that had frozen in a hose. Now, well, I don't do that anymore....Ah Thailand!


1) Life is a funny thing. Have you ever wondered how the small decisions you make lead to big things. Like when Jasmine and I were deciding whether this was the year to go overseas, or whether it wasn't. As we were deciding last year, my truck broke down and the oil patch died, taking with it most of the jobs it had to offer. These two events sold my mind into the decision. Jasmine also agreed now was the time. We had offers from Korea, as well as another place in Thailand, but after alot of thought, we decided on Regent School. So too, did another group of people who have now become some of our closest friends. Without these people, are lives here would look very different. My parents were here a few weeks ago, and they made the comment to me "You and Jasmine are blessed, because no matter where you go, you seem to make quality friends." Its true. The friends we have here are of the highest quality, and they are an amazing blessing to us. Without a doubt, the number one highlight of our top ten list is our friends. Over the next couple of months I will tell you more about them, but for now here some pictures.

So every year we have "International Day" to celebrate the diverse cultures present at our school, and indeed our world. It is actually quite a cool event, with the football oval decked out in games and contests, as well as big inflatables for the kids, and the school itself is set up in pavillions from around the world. You recieve a passport and go to each station to get it stamped and look at stuff from all around the world. (Much like folkfest in Saskatoon, only student run, for the most part). This year, in the program, we Canadians sang the good ol hockey game to the crowd, standing up for the best sport in all of the world. It was a great day. It was also cool because Mom and Dad were here so they got to see our school on a very fun day. Here is the video and some pics of the day.