i hope my two precious friends do not mind to see their email here. i want to answer all the questions so that everyone can see them!! thanks so much to Quinton, Omeed, Ivan, and Precious for giving me such big smiles in thailand! I miss you sooo much!!! HI miss nicole!! miss you tooooo!!!

Dear Miss Beth,
Did you try any new foods? Did you try the cockroaches yet? Did you buy any souvenirs? Can you bring any key chains back? We had a big blizzard here. The 7th and 8th graders were very excited from their trip! Do you like it over there? Do you think you will stay, or come back next year? Did you learn any new words? How do you say "better not talk?" Is it hot over there? Are the people nice to you? Is the grass greener there? Is your class behaving? Are they hyper active knuckle heads? Can you understand the other people when they talk to you and can you talk back to them? Do you miss us? We miss you! Did you make any new friends? Do you have a house or an apartment? Do they have as much technology as here? Hope to hear from you soon and we hope you are having fun!
Sincerely,
Quinton and Omeed

Here ya go:
Did you try any new foods? yes, some new vegetables and fruits, but i don't know what their names are. they are foods from thailand. sorry! i've been eating a lot of noodle and rice dishes including phad thai and fried rice and curries.

Did you try the cockroaches yet? NO! we saw the bug seller man last night on a walk in my neighborhood! i took some pictures that i will post for you soon. HAVE YOU EATEN A COCKROACH YET?! he was selling grasshoppers, too!! and worms!!! eeeew!

Did you buy any souvenirs? i have purchased some souveniors, yes.
Can you bring any key chains back? i will do my best to bring back keychains, okay!?

We had a big blizzard here. The 7th and 8th graders were very excited from their trip! i'm so glad they had fun! are you excited, too!? i heard about all the snow, was it fun to play in??! i wish i could have gone sledding with you!!

Do you like it over there? i like it here, yes. it is very hot... around 100 degrees every day. luckily, my new apartment has air conditioning! when we were on koh phangan (island) there wasn't any air conditioning in our room, only a fan and they only had electricity turned on between 6 pm and midnight. we kept cool by jumping in for a swim in the salty ocean every few hours. it was so relaxing.

Do you think you will stay, or come back next year? i don't know what i think yet! i haven't had to work here yet! i've been doing the traveling that i told you about... to the islands in southern thailand. miss nicole can show you on a map.

Did you learn any new words? i did! (but not very many yet. my thai language classes haven't started yet.) i learned how to say thank you... it sounds like this... girls say: korp kun kah... boys say: korp kun kup. (remember, boys say "kup" to be polite and girls say "kah" to be polite?) I learned how to say "i don't want anymore" it sounds like this: me'ow kah (for girls) and me'ow kup (for boys). that phrase comes in handy when the street venders and shop people are insisting that you "buy for you, madam. for you i give 200 baht. just for you, madam." i have actually been called "money" like it is my name. the man said, "hello money! hello! what you buy? discount for you, money?" everyone is trying to make some money here in thailand. it's the way it is. i am used to it now. "me'ow kah" really helps me.
i also know yes: chai. and no: mai.

How do you say "better not talk?" i don't know yet. ask me again in one month and i will know then.

Is it hot over there? YES! 100 degrees (at least), everyday!

Are the people nice to you? yes, very nice. thais are happy, kind people.

Is the grass greener there? literally?? yes, the grass is not brown and covered in snow. that is for sure! i don't see much grass in the city, but the islands and the land outside of the city is very, very green with grass and trees. it is the most beautiful thing i have ever seen. i love it! you will see in my pictures when i can get them on my blog.

Is your class behaving? Are they hyper active knuckle heads? ha ha ha! you make me laugh so hard! i miss you!!!!! i haven't started summer school yet, so i don't KNOW if they are hyperactive knuckle heads!! ha ha. the children i have seen and talked to so far are perfectly well behaved and follow all the rules. you can see that they really respect their culture and their parents. they do not cause any problems for their families. just like you, right!?!? :-)

Can you understand the other people when they talk to you and can you talk back to them? no, i cannot understand them unless they speak slow and say the things i know how to say (hello, thank you, yes, no) or unless they speak english. i have to speak what's called broken english when i talk to them. like this, "how much this?" or "you english?" to ask how much somethings costs or if someone speaks english. weird, huh?!

Do you miss us? We miss you! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! i need hugs!!!

Did you make any new friends? i did! i made some friends who come from germany, some friends from france, some friends from canada,some friends from australia, some friends from england, a friend from switzerland, and friends who live here in thailand. it is fun! we haven't met many americans yet... we'll have to see!

Do you have a house or an apartment? i have an apartment that is perfect for one person. i even have room for two or three friends to stay comfortably. get some money together and have a field trip to thailand!! i'm kidding, but it would be fun! you might not like how stinky it can be here in thailand. their garbages smell like the worst smelling throw up EVER. peeeeeyuuuu! i'm used to it, though. it's how it is, i can't be mean! i am their guest!! thais frown upon people who complain, so it is best to smile and move on with life, just like in america!! keep that smile on!

Do they have as much technology as here? they have the exact same technology as you do in america. their keyboards have extra letters that are thai letters, too... that is different. then they can type on their computer in their own language.

PHEW!! that was a lot, but i'm so glad you asked me those questions!! let me know if you have any more. i am so glad to hear from you!!! i miss you! it is late here (22:17, ask miss nicole what time that is... that is how they keep time here, it's called military time)

love you! miss you! write again soon!!!

miss beth