Tag: Christmas

it’s beginning to… wait, it’s Christmas?

MeridithLeave a comment

Aside from the glittering glam at all the malls I go to, I would have no clue it was Christmas!  But apparently it’s Christmas Eve-Eve today.  December 23rd.

The songs, food, lights and everything we prepared for the Christmas program have long faded, and the mess from two nights of programs has been cleaned.  Our first program was on Friday night, and it was the younger kids, and then the older kids were on Saturday night.  Here are a few pictures, just to give you a taste of the evening:

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Anyway, it was a good night, but I’m so glad it’s over.  I can hardly believe it.  It feels so weird that it’s all over.  We worked for 6 weeks to get ready, and it was all a whirlwind.  It was a lot of fun dressing up for the programs, myself and two of my roommates got dresses made for the program, and as you can see, they did a BEAUTIFUL job on my dress!  Over here, the tailors, and all clothing makers are amazing.  We all just brought in pictures of the styles we liked, and they made them for us!  I also have videos of all the songs for the younger kids, so eventually hopefully I’ll put those up.

I don’t really know who reads this blog anyway.. maybe mostly facebook people since it pops up!  Anyway, for the past three days I’ve laid low, and haven’t made any huge plans.  Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and as of now, I plan on going in the morning to Hot Yoga at our gym, then hanging around our apartment for the rest of the day.  We have a Christmas Eve service at the church, and I’m singing a special song, so I figure I should get ready for that!

Christmas morning, Tiffany (a fellow teacher here at GES) and I will go over to our friends for breakfast, then we’ll have a Christmas Dinner at our Pastors’ home.  I’m so glad I’ll be surrounded by great people on Christmas day, it’ll be a great great time.  

My plans for this week were to: rest, have alone time, work out, and just RELAX.. which I’ve gotten to do so far, so I’d say it’s been a great break thus far.

This Saturday I’ll head down to the beach with several other teachers, then come back the following Friday.  I can’t believe it’s almost 2009!!  I think my next blog will be wrapping up 2008, and talking about 2009 goals… :).

Hope you are all well (whoever is reading this!).  Have a very Merry Christmas, and may you be reminded of your blessings as you’re surrounded by loved ones and you reflect upon the past year in all it’s trials and victories.  Love you all.

Four more…

Meridith2 Comments

days!  We have four more days of school, no school this Friday, but rather prep for our first program (Friday evening), then Saturday will be our second program.  I can’t believe it’s already here!  It seems like just yesterday we got back from our break in October.  

Christmas time here in Thailand feels like any other time in Thailand.  It’s still warm, yet cooler than when I first arrived and also during rainy season.  All the malls are decorated extravagantly, some even more than I’ve seen in NYC.  It’s like magic, or it would feel like magic if it were cold.  Christmas just isn’t Christmas when you aren’t home.  That’s what I’ve come to realize.

I need prayer for this week.  Stress-wise I’m doing just fine, but I have a feeling as the week goes on, it may get worse.  I’m also sick again.  I really need prayer for that.  I’m so discouraged.  I have been sick on and off for nearly 3 months now with one thing after another.  I had to miss our all-Staff Christmas party on Friday because I had a fever (again).  I think my body just isn’t used to being so warm all the time, and not having the seasons.  (Who ever would have thought I would say anything like that!)  Anyway, so just pray for healing in my body, and that I wouldn’t struggle with sickness for the rest of the year.  It really does a lot for well-being.  

We have a two week break again after our programs, and I’m really looking forward to some down time.  For the first week I will definitely be staying here, and enjoying the peace and quiet around campus for that time.  I will be spending Christmas Day with our Pastor and his family, which looking forward to.  Our church has a Christmas Eve service as well, which I hope to be involved with.  My friends will come back from a week in Chiang Mai on Saturday, the 27th, then we will take off for the beaches down south.  Maybe I already mentioned this.. in fact, I think I did, but none the less, I am really, REALLY glad to have a break soon.

Exciting news for Nonthaburi, we just had a mall put in near the school called “Central Plaza Chaengwattana” and I went there last night, but only for dinner, and was BLOWN AWAY!  It’s HUGE!  23 Stories to be exact!  Next time I go there, I’ll take some pictures, but I think it’s potentially one of the largest malls I’ve ever been to.  Downtown, “Siam Paragon” is rather large, so maybe it’s competing with that mall, but for way out here in Nonthaburi, this is definitely BIG NEWS.

Oh, so yesterday in the midst of my sickness, I went with a family of one of my students to a puppet play downtown.  It was actually really well done, and the puppets were controlled by 3 people, and performed traditional and modern Thai dances.  Here’s just a picture I pulled offline.. I’ll put more pictures up when I get them.

01Alright, well the night is quickly passing, and I need to head to bed early tonight.. for REAL!  I hope you all are well, and again I apologize for all the unnecessary concern from the email sent out last week!  I still feel awful about it!

Blessings and peace to you all!

November 29

Meridith2 Comments

I’ve begun to write several blogs since my last update, but then I give up because I have so much to say, and just can’t seem to put it into words.

November really has flown by, as we all had anticipated.  Now we have 3 weeks, and 12 school days until the Christmas Program (and Christmas Break of course!).  Last weekend was the church retreat, which I mentioned earlier, and it went really well!  Aside from me being sick and running to the bathroom ever 10 minutes, it was wonderful!  Haha, I did spend a significant time sleeping and just relaxing, so that was nice. Here’s a picture from one of our worship times:

n1081742605_30200445_8292I’m not really sure what to say.  I’ve been going through times of such deep discouragement at times, marked by short times where I’m filled with so much joy that I can’t even explain.  I don’t even know how to be myself at times… if you’ve ever been overseas for a significant amount of time, I think you’d understand some of the things I’m describing.  It’s hard for me to think about making rational decisions about the future, when everything seems so cloudy at times.  My friend Joni and her husband Paul are the Youth Pastors at our church, and she told me once, “Here in Thailand, you never really feel ‘normal'”, which I think is the truth.  This isn’t my culture, this isn’t ever what I pictured my life to be, and therefore no wonder I feel so weird at times.  For the past week, I haven’t even been able to really eat Thai food.  That’s partly because when I got sick (for the second time) it had been because of some Thai food I ate.  So, I’ve been on an all-American food diet (consisting of : KFC, McDonalds, Pizza, Sandwiches….).

Anyway.  Our Thanksgiving day quickly passed, just like any other day that we’ve been here.  That night we did however eat a nice dinner ad McDonalds.  🙂  We will be having a dinner here at the school on Sunday with turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie.. and everything else!  So that is definitely exciting.

In less than a week, I will also celebrate another significant event: my 6 month anniversary since arriving in Thailand.  I can hardly believe it.  It seems like it’s gone by really fast (which is good NOW I suppose!).  On June 5th I left home and arrived here in Bangkok.  In many ways, it still seems that I’m eternally stuck in June here.  It’s still hot, and everything is the same around me.  Weird.

Christmas break we will also have another two weeks off of school!  I’m not sure exactly what my plans are, but I will probably be heading back up to Chiang Mai to the orphanage we were at over October break, then a bunch of us will meet up on Phi-Phi (pronounced “pee pee”) Island to celebrate New Year’s together!  It’ll be nice to have another break, and try to feel not so far away from home over Christmas.

I’m told January-March goes by really fast, and isn’t quite as unbearable as things have been lately.  That’s a relief to hear.  Anyway, it’s now Saturday morning, and I’ve eaten my oatmeal breakfast, and now I’m going on a run before taking off to visit a friend downtown (and of course go shopping!).  Please keep me in your prayers, I know God has me here for a reason, and I need to hold onto the peace that I felt deep down when I first arrived here 6 months ago.  

 

Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength, 
an ever-present help in trouble.

 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way 
       and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

 3 though its waters roar and foam 
       and the mountains quake with their surging. 
       Selah

 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, 
       the holy place where the Most High dwells.

 5 God is within her, she will not fall; 
       God will help her at break of day.

 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; 
       he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

 7 The LORD Almighty is with us; 
       the God of Jacob is our fortress. 
       Selah

 8 Come and see the works of the LORD, 
       the desolations he has brought on the earth.

 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; 
       he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, 
       he burns the shields with fire.

 10 “Be still, and know that I am God; 
       I will be exalted among the nations, 
       I will be exalted in the earth.”

 11 The LORD Almighty is with us; 
       the God of Jacob is our fortress. 
       Selah