what an amazing view!

this friday was payday, and you know what that means... the girls are going out! so some of the girls from work (and one lucky man, richard) took motorbike taxis (my FIRST TIME! it was awesome!) to the state tower and went to the top and took in the view at the sky bar. what a sight! we arrived just in the nick of time for the sunset. breathtaking and amazing are the words i use to describe it. whomever makes it to thailand will be escorted there by yours truly. i did the best i could with taking photos. there really isn't any way to capture what you experience up there... i'll post the photos when i have some free time among all the work.

my friend anelda and i have been frequenting our local 5-star gym. we joined last month. it's our entertainment now. i've enjoyed the yoga classes and actually got myself on the treadmill for a normal run last night. the steam room and sauna always cap off a good day. the pool is beautiful and a great place to read and relax. it's been a wonderful investment. i even save money on shampoo and deodorant. they provide everything you might want. hairbrushes, water, blow dryer, the whole lot.

back to the motorbike taxi. WOO! what a ride! they take you through (meaning between) the traffic at fairly high speeds. my dad would kill me if he really knew what it involves. oops. i guess he knows now. NooOOoo, it's safe. they and their riders must wear helmets. it was a really exciting ride. i was nervous (since i've been here) about riding one because i see how they dodge cars and dart around traffic, but it was really nice because we arrived at our destination at least ten to fifteen minutes sooner than a car could have. i highly recommend it!

if you've seen the newly posted photos, then you see i've 'moved in' or unpacked myself in my apt. it feels very cozy and i even bought a fan this weekend. i'm pretty disappointed because it's not what i expected. i'll have to put it full blast and pointed directly at me tonight to see if that's better. at least i can lay off the air cond. for a while.

we've been getting regular rain lately. i think we've entered the rainy season. each day at work i look out the window in the afternoon to see the dark, dark clouds rolling, or sometimes rumbling, in. it's beautiful, fun, and a hassle all at once. i love storms and thailand's are INTENSE! the temperature hasn't gone down at all since the summer. the islands and south were much, much cooler, but the city is STEAMY and humid.

school... the boys are busy learning all sorts of things like the letter sounds for s, i, p... the ideas behind the words, 'under', 'on', 'in front of', (prepositions for those teachers out there! ;-)) we've covered colors, numbers up to 20 and addition and subtraction up to 10. science has covered living and non-living things (living things need food, water, and air. just as a reminder. hehe). it's been a lot of fun through all the trial and error i'm going through. the boys are doing better with English each day and becoming more and more brave to speak the words they know. it's great to see them making progress already! smiles abound and they are SO proud to show off their work. i have a couple VERY talented artists in the class. one boy can draw dinosaurs with extreme detail. maybe i'll take a photo of some of his work and post it ... we'll see.

i have a meeting to attend but before i go ... one more thing. CONGRATULATIONS to LLCS (my previous school) on their first year (almost) completed as a new school! it's such a wonderful place and i'm so proud of everyone who works and attends the school. WAY TO GO!!!! i miss you all very much! tell me all about how school ends and what's new and exciting for next year!

off i go...