Chiang Mai Greetings

My dear friends, I bring you greetings from Chiang Mai, Thailand. My organization has an annual conference here, where teachers from around Asia come together for fellowship and training.

We have been looking forward to this event since parting with our training friends back in the summer, saying, "See you in Thailand!" Oh, how far away Thailand seemed then.

Now I'm eating, breathing, smelling, itching, sweating, and enjoying Thailand. The breeze is warm and the sun is hot. There are more foreigners here than I've seen in months. My community of brothers and sisters has increased more than a hundred-fold (from 3 in Qufu to more than 400 here).

Yesterday was filled with reunions. At the night market, you could hardly turn around without seeing a familiar face. "Hey, So-and-So! How are you?? How was your semester in Such-and-Such?"

And so on.

I'm looking forward to the conference, but for now I'm enjoying a lazy day at the hostel, away from the crowds and not so overwhelmed by reunions.




Dear Thailand,

You are quite a bright and sunshiny place. Thanks for hosting me and my friends. Can I get another strawberry smoothie? Thanks.

Love,
Alison