Catch up

I am sorry I haven’t written in awhile! I have been so busy! Well I will start from the dance exhibition. It was so cool! We arrived at school at 530 am to get our hair, makeup and our costume done. Two hours later, we were ready! The dance went really well, but since I was in the front row, I got a little nervous. We only practiced the dance about 10 times! The performance was the first time where I didn’t mess up. I got it 100% right! I just wish I could have gotten it on video! After the dance, EVERYONE wanted to take our picture. So for about two hours afterward we got our picture taken with hundreds of people. It was very exciting, but I now have more respect for celebrities, getting your picture taken that much is so crazy. In the end, I was fortunate to have many pictures for my memories.
On September 7th, Jessica and I took an adventure to Jakutjak (JJ) Market. It is currently the biggest market in the world. I walked through Lumphini Park and met Jessica at the Sky train, and from there JJ was very easy to find. It was horribly crowded and very hot. In JJ, you can find ANYTHING. From fake IDs, clothes, endangered animals (alive) such as monkeys and tigers, to the unique masks and weird foods such as scorpions, lizards, and I have no idea what the food was. In JJ market, I bought some beautiful Thai silk that can be wrapped into a shirt, skirt, or be used as a scarf. I also got a bracelet with colored stones on it and bells, and a ring with black opal. Everything in JJ is very cheap, and if you find the right places hidden amongst the crowd, things are very good quality. I want to go back there again.
On September 9th, there was a really big flood. It only rained for about 2 hours, but when I was ready to leave school, there was about a foot of water and it was still rising! Of course, since there was so much water, the bus that I would normally take decided not to go down that street. Therefore, after wading in water that at times was past my knees, for about a mile, I saw a bus coming and I “ran” across a huge intersection and was just able to beat it to the bus stop. Normally running across an intersection like that was a plea for death, but since the water was so high, cars weren’t moving very fast. Also, along my adventure to find a bus, I passed SO MANY rats! It made you very uneasy to know there were rats swimming right next to you. After about an hour, I finally got home to more flooding. Normally my bus ride would only take between 10 and 15 mins but again, the water really slowed things down. I was VERY happy to get home, and of course, the first thing I did was take a shower. The next day the sun was bright and strong and there was no water just as if nothing ever happened. Welcome to Thailand.
On this Sunday it was a big Chinese festival called Mooncake festival. We all went out to dinner, and went to Ama's house. Displayed outside were BEAUTTIFUL ornaments made out of gold paper. They all put out offerings to the moon god to give us good luck, and wealth. The ceremony was beautiful and I thought that they must keep the same display year after year, until they BURNED IT! That’s right, they brought out a barrel and put all the beautiful gold paper in it and burned it. My brother was amazed how surprised I was. "How else will it get to the gods?" he said. At 11pm, we saw the moon. The bright beautiful full moon. You never realize how much you could miss something as simple at the moon and stars, until you live without them for so long.
Yesterday a few exchange students, two university students and I went to Khao San, and anything you ever heard about it, is probably true. It is famous for its spectacular nightlife, including many clubs and bars. However, during the day it’s as if it is undercover. During the day, only a few of the bars are open, and there are many stores selling items from all over Thailand. Most of the things being sold there were handmade or an illegal copy of a brand name. It was so much fun shopping there and imagining how lively this area would be at night with its bright lights and loud music.
Right now, I am not in school. We have break until October 20th. It is similar to how we have a winter break in America. Also, I will graduate in February! Only 3 months left of my senior year! Normally I would be worried about the time it takes to get enough credits for this year, but I go to school at 630 am, and don’t get home until around 6. There are 9 periods in the day, so over 12 hours of school here, is the same as two full school days in America. Therefore, if the government in America has any problem with the time spent in school. I would like to see THEM go to school here. Their opinions would change VERY fast. But overall, school is great. I have so many friends and a great relationship with my teachers. One teacher will be bringing me out to lunch when we get back, and another wants Jessica and I to sleep over her house and go to the Gym with her. (This is perfectly normal in Thailand) Actually, I am not sure what I would call normal anymore. I feel that a normal meal MUST consist of something spicy and DEFINATLY MUST have rice. A normal day starts at 5:30, and a normal conversation consists of no English. A normal drive into town consists of gold buildings and statues painted all the colors of the rainbow. On the streets, there are just as many dogs as homeless people, and more types of food than you wished you ever knew of. Normal is forgetting that there are stars and a moon. Normal is going to a park and noticing that the air is cleaner. Normal is trying to talk or write in English and forgetting so many words that you give up and turn around and speak Thai to someone else. What is normal anymore? I am realizing that there is no such thing as “normal.” It is just what you get used to on a daily basis and anything out of that routine becomes abnormal and worth noticing. My life is far from normal. I am an exchange student, which explains everything. I am in Thailand. It’s as if I was guided here to test my limits emotionally and physically to find my true self. Not what people want me to be, or what people expect of me, but really me. I have found out who I really am, and I have found a world of continuous adventure, starting with Thailand. I am NOT a tourist, I am NOT a Farrang, and I am not going to let anyone stop me enjoying my life day by day. I am home.