I can't believe I didn't take my camera to Thailand! What was I thinking? But, on the other hand, I only left the complex where the hotel was located, one time during the week....so there wasn't much to photograph. First of all, the flight to and from there was great....direct, non-stop connections on China Air. The hotel met my flight and took me to the airport for my departure, so going and coming were totally painless. As I was inquiring at the hotel desk, my roommate for the week, Margaret from Kazakhstan, walked up and introduced herself. She is a widow (two grown daughters) heading up a language school that is part of a business enterprise in her part of the world. I thoroughly enjoyed the week together with her. She was lots of fun to talk to (I talked her ear off, I think) and felt like a kindred spirit in many ways.
The workshop was fantastic. The people who put these workshops together have such a wealth of experience among them....and they do such a good job of communicating their material. Lonna is the director of Wheaton Grad School's Institute of Cross Cultural Training (a pre-field program for missionary candidates). Her specialty is TESL and she has many years of experience helping language coaches. The volumes of information and experience she has to share, and the clear way she shares it, is amazing. David is the Assistant Director for the same program, and the rest of the time, he is the Provost of the Russian-American University in Moscow. (I hope I got the name right) I think the highlight of the workshop for me was David's devotional each morning. It seemed that every single day, he spoke directly to something I had just been meditating on or had felt God speaking to me about. I love his gentle and honest manner of sharing. I really appreciated all that he brought to us. And Carol was just so much fun. She is an amazingly gifted and broadly experienced person and the things she shared were so practical! And one of her special gifts was that she always made us laugh with great examples and personal experiences.
I feel blessed to have been able to attend the workshop. What else did I experience of Thailand? Well, it felt like Asia....quite a bit like Taiwan, except in Chiang Mai they didn't seem to have many tall buildings. The food was good, but there were lots of things that were too spicy for my palate. I wish I had had someone to really introduce me to different foods. Most of the time, I was on my own, so I didn't try too many different kinds of things--I discovered I am not as adventurous as I had thought. The papaya salad was a favorite, though. I had that about 4 times, I think. Too bad I didn't have an extra day, I could have taken a tour with Margaret and really seen something besides the shopping mall and the night market. Well, maybe if I go next year I can plan to spend some extra time. It was a great and restful week and I am thankful to have had the opportunity. It was a gift!
