Good News, Bad News

The good news is...I'm staying a third year in Thailand!
The bad news is...I'm not coming home...until who-knows-when.

The good news is...I have fewer classes to teach this year!
The bad news is...I have one P6 class, which means a whole separate set of books and lessons and exams and bleh.

The good news is...I got a newer, bigger desk!
The bad news is...it has no drawers for my office supplies, so I've had to invest in some desktop drawer organizer things.


The good news is...I got a raise!
The bad news is...the government has finally noticed I'm here, and the tax deducted from my paychecks(starting this month) is the same amount as my salary increase. :(

The good news is...we have a new Sister at the school.
The bad news is...more on that later.

The good news is...I'm pretty sure(50%) that there won't be floods this year.
The bad news is...we only have 2 weeks off in October instead of 3, and we also have to work on Christmas Eve(so I won't be coming home...Mom and Dad - David is free to come visit at that time if he wants to).

The good news is...I finally got the billing address corrected with TOT.
The bad news is...I'm going to have to start paying for my internet every month again.

The good news is...I stuck to my guns and told Flo that I couldn't commit to a future with him with differing beliefs.
The bad news is...he now refuses to speak to me.

The good news is...I have a new iPod!
The bad news is...I left the last one (Bruno) plugged into the wall at church, charging, two weeks ago. Paid 5,500B($175) for this one.

The good news is...I got my completion bonus for my second year!
The bad news is...it's all going to my credit card bill.

The good news is...I'm staying in the same adorable little apt that I've had for the past year!
The bad news is...my air conditioner started leaking yesterday. :(

The good news is...I've found a university where I can get my Masters in under 2 years!
The bad news is...it may be out of my(my parents') price range, especially with the boy going to law school in a year. (Dammit, David, why can't you drop out of college already!)

The good news is...I love my life here!
The bad news is...I miss everyone at home like crazy. <3

African Choir

Our church has put together an African choir, or rather, the African members of our church have put together a choir, lol, and they performed for us two Sundays ago. :)

Flo's Last Day

Flo's flight was scheduled to leave at 3am Sunday morning, so Saturday was the last day we had together. We headed to Chatuchak Market in the morning for a bit, just to roam the stalls and grab a smoothie. Then we took the MRT to Siam where we had lunch and then saw Dark Shadows(Tim Burton, Johnny Depp); it was kinda cheesy, but well done.

We had a bit of time after the movie before dinner with friends that evening, so we just chilled outside Siam on the benches in the plaza, signed a couple boxes for a charity event in the square, and just people watched.




Dinner that night was at Sizzler for Yumi, Darrell, and Edd & Ingrid's going away. Yumi is moving to the States to work at the University of Minnesota, Darrell's moving back to Malaysia to help care for her family, and Edd & Ingrid are staying in Thailand, but moving to Cha Am for 3 months, and then to Isaan for...who knows how long.


Flo talked with almost everyone, and they all seemed to love him. The group went off to do something else after dinner, but we had to get back home to grab his stuff and head to the airport.


For some reason, this goodbye wasn't as difficult as the others; maybe because I wasn't the one leaving, maybe because we aren't in a relationship anymore, maybe because I knew it was for the best, or maybe because I just didn't have any tears left.

Dinner and Other Mayhem With Beatrice

Thursday night, after returning from Koh Samet, Flo and I had dinner at the top of the Baiyoke Tower.




Friday, Flo and I spent the day in the city with Beatrice. We stopped at the market next to my school first, then met her in Bangkok for lunch at Big Mama's Pizzeria.


Spent the afternoon wandering and shopping at MBK and finished at Dunkin Donuts. Hilarity ensued.





Beatrice and Flo chatting with their french mustaches

Finger people should really be classified as art

Flo's Visit

Flo came to Thailand to visit me, and arrived a few days before I returned from the States, so he was there waiting for me at the airport when I landed in Bangkok. We headed out to Koh Samet the next morning, and I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.











I'm a dog person...

Home For a Week

With the little bit of annual leave I had left, I gently twisted my parents' arms into bringing me home for a week to visit friends and family. Knocked out two doctor's appts and a dentist appt, attended the Stockton Asparagus Festival, made trips to Chico, Mountain View, Roseville, Lathrop, Cool, Sacramento and Placerville to visit friends, spent one Saturday with cousins and grandparents and the next helping with a dear friend's garage sale, got in four good nights of line dancing at the Davis Grad, and even managed to hurt myself 3 hours after arriving in Ca. I was pretty lame with my camera that week (sorry), so my pictures are a bit random.
My poor toe after the mirror attacked it (and two days after it stopped bleeding)

The Asparagus Festival!

MMMM..Deep fried goodness

Visit with cousins and grandparents :)

Mom teaching Sunday School

My sweet puppy Lucy on her 14th birthday with her new toy

My delicious avocado egg rolls from CPK

My dear friends Dan and Erin

Storage unit..My Life in a Box

Sigh...What a thing of beauty! God Bless America :D