The City of Angels: I listen to the wind, to the wind of my soul, where I’ll end up, well I think only God really knows.

(Side note: I've been writing at night and posting in the morning. I find it's easier to think when I'm in my room, but since I don't have internet access over there I have to wait until morning to post. So, now I am half way through Tuesday and I have to say- so far so good!)

Today actually felt like a Monday morning. Sunday was spent exploring, the way Sundays should be spent. Naturally, Lauren and I found an International Food Festival. Bangkok is full of surprises and always offers something new. Lauren went for the Thai dishes and I found some Italian sorbet (I miss you LHA) and Mexican soft shell tacos! We spent the afternoon strolling Siam, our favorite neighborhood and ended the day with ice coffee overlooking what can only be described as Bangkok’s Times Square ((read: lots of people, lots of lights)).

Last night I had a hard time sleeping, perhaps it was all the coffee, since I’m no longer used to having about five cups by 9am. Except for the days when Lauren and I meet up, I’m down to zero caffeine. For those of you that really know me, I realize this is shocking and almost incredulous. Mom wonders why I’m so groggy on our early morning Skype sessions.

This morning the rain started when I was in the shower and lasted the better half of the day. It was a gloomy Monday and the superstars looked burned out. Even though it’s their “summer vacation” their schedules are jam-packed; English lessons 6 days a week and sports, music, etc on the weekends. Today I gave one very simple rule for our lesson: find a book in English and read it. After about 15 minutes they wanted to hit the beanbag chairs to read and about an hour later they were asleep. I’m surprised I didn’t pass out either. The steady fall of heavy raindrops, paired with the hum of the oscillating ceiling fans in a cool, shadowed room, who would be able to stay awake? So I let them sleep. That is until another English teacher came in and I felt like I was getting the stink eye, so as gently as possible, I woke them and told them we would break early today and that they should go home and rest.

These days my afternoons seem to be spent solely in the Executive Directors office. I’m feeling pretty good about the fact that she has taken a liking to me. She trusts me to send emails from her name, to research and arrange HIV/AIDS NGOs for her to visit and to review material for Mercy’s HIV/AIDS Home Care Training conferences. I’m not really sure how I’ll relate this to anything in the strict IE (International Education) box at SIT, but I am here volunteering to do whatever it is they need me to do and I’m sure I’ll think of a creative twist. A Bachelors in English and Philosophy really translates to a master of “making things sound good”.

There are so many exciting adventures on the horizon as well! At some point I hope to get to Pattaya with Ben to meet some of his friends at Father Ray’s Foundation – the NGO he volunteered with last year for 7 months. Then I owe Amy a trip up north to the refugee camp she is working with on the Burmese (Myanmar) boarder, with a side trip to ChiangMai and Pai. Then there is the October retreat where I will be accompanying the 60 Mercy kids with HIV/AIDS to the Executive Director’s house on the beach- sponsored by Quantus Airlines. Not to mention my VISA run to see Carol in S. Korea! Soon Diane will be here and then the newlyweds Amy and Andy!

And in the most immediate future: I hope to be having a little house warming party for Ms Lauren, who is moving into a new apartment this week. It is beautiful and I’m sure there will be pictures to come of us by the rooftop infinity pool soon!

I feel really settled and happy here. I feel calm. And when those moments come, and they do, where things feel so different and I miss those people that are home, I run. I throw on my kicks and I run. Today I ran for two hours. Genius playlists are amazing and there is so much to see when you run through this city…old shirtless men playing chess and checkers with bottle caps, babies cradled in their mother’s arms flying through traffic on the back of a motorbike, the giant lizards cruising the swampy waters along the highway, larger than life adverts for KAREOKE BARS and my neighbor who transfers rum from large handles into mini red bull bottles with a funnel. People usually stare at me; running outside of a gym or park is very rare here, but I guarantee that if you smile they will flash you a full smile back.

My run completely rejuvenated me and as I made my way back to the house I saw three beautiful faces through the glass door. My wild, eccentric, beauteous little sisters: Poi, Pung and Kwang. The music was blaring and dress-up time had just begun. Make-up, dress-up and glamour shots are a pretty standard week night for them, but tonight it was Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night” meets Madonna in the 80s – full costumes, make-up AND dancing. They memorized an entire music video.

“Alex, come watch us, please, come on!!”

While it pains me to be so far from Leanne, my other half, my best friend and sister all rolled into one, it’s nice to have my little Thai sisters knocking on my door, asking me to paint my nails with them and watch their dance routines. And tonight, assuming my role as the big sister, I ran upstairs grabbed my camera, snapped away and cheered them on. Mercy is one big family and what a family it is.

All I can think is how lucky I am to be here.

In true SIT fashion, I will leave you all with a Dewey quote, something to chew on as you sip your first cup of coffee:

Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.

Sure is true here.