Birthday thai style – In Thailand they do things a little differently!! Surprise, Surprise!! I think in our western cultures it is normal on your Birthday that your friends family take you out for dinner not so in Thailand. In Thailand if it’s your Birthday you pay. So I used this opportunity to repay our Thai neighbours for there hospitality. They always pay for us because they are older. So went to the steak house just around the corner, and I had steak and chips yum yum.
Presents – you don’t open your presents when you receive them you take them home and open them there, suspense suspense, and you can’t guess cause whatever it is it will be in a box.
Then we went to the market for some hot milk as is our tradition when we go out for dinner with these neighbours. An elephant walked past our table this is becoming quite normal for me now, but thought it might interest some!!!

THANK YOU SO SO MUCH everyone who sent me cards, letters, pressies phoned, texted etc. thank you I feel very loved : )
P.S. Mum I really like the shirt, as you can see.

My Birthday in Thailand -having lunch with the other students. The first time i've ever had banana cake for my Birthday very yum : )there are more pictures to come, but i'm kind of tired so this will do until tomorrow when I will hopefully have more time.

SHOPPING There is a big supermarket here, but it’s so much more fun to go to the market and practice speaking Thai. I can get pretty much everything that I want here apart for proper coffee, cheese, and choclolate, but you can’t get them anywhere in Thailand! Oh if I want honey I go to the big super market and porridge oats!!! This is what I bought tonight to take to fellowship group. I meet with a group of other language learners each week have some fun food prayer and Bible study that kind of thing.

THAI, BROWNIES AND GAS
Thought I should give you some insight to what I am actually doing here – learning Thai. I’ve now finished module 2 so I’ve also changed my teacher. So this is a picture of myself and Teacher Toy. The other picture is of the book that I use. I’m still using phonetics but after module 3 I will move onto Thai script so look out for the picture when I get that far!!
I took a picture specifically of this page for a reason. Gas!!! PS this is not a story for my Mother or to be relayed to my Mother!!!!
On Friday I decided to make some brownies, I also made this other random recipe, so I was checking on these to see if they were ready, but no they were just melted, strange I thought. Hmm that’s strange no flame we must be out of gas.
“Lilli” my housemate “Do you know how to change the gas tank” “No” Hmm I don’t either but if I don’t change it no brownies. So I thought let’s give it a go. So changed it quite proud re lit the flame and all was well. The brownies were cooked and very yummy. All great so far!! Then….
…. an hour later I decided I would like to roast some potatoes. So I turned on the oven and whoosh bang – inside the oven, and flame coming out of the empty cylinder. Aah Lilli hearing the bang came downstairs and very sensibly got a tea towel and got the fire out. I hadn’t closed the empty cylinder properly!!
Then we had to order more gas to replace the empty cylinder saga 2. I had just learned the word on Tuesday for gas so thought well my Thais not quite sufficient for phoning so I’ll ask my neighbour to phone. But she didn’t quite understand because I forgot to use the word for order which I knew but just forgot. But eventually she came around and I showed her the empty cylinder!!! She phoned and about 5 mins later – very efficient the new cylinder arrived.

TAMARIND - Yum Yum!!!!

My new favourite snack – tamarind – yes it is an English word one I never had heard of before I came to Thailand. These are special ones flavoured with sugar and salt and chillies. Hmm strange I know, but it tastes really good. Sour, sweet salty and spicy : ) and I figure it’s also a good rehydration snack with salt and sugar, as it’s hot hot hot loosing lot’s of sweat. I was in air conditioning the other day and I thought I’m really cold I have goose pimples I looked at the setting and it was set at 26 C oh so cold!!!!

So yeah I actually choose to eat these over Walker crisps (which are given the name Lays but are the same) sold in the same shop which were actually cheaper.
Strange but true. I also have chocolate in the fridge. Very strange but again true : )

Me doing my fav thing : )

Me in Bangkok. Lots of people and cars. I went there last weekend for a bit of a teol (thai word for outing) not to take part in the election rallies!!!

Taksin rally in Bangkok last weekend. Not everyone loves Taskin. He was the prime minister but had to step down a few weeks ago because of huge public pressure. People especially in Bangkok do not like him they say that he is corrupt and they do not want him to rule the country.
So there will be an election on the 2nd April, and he says that he will only be prime minister if he gets 50% of the votes. It is likely that he will get voted in agian as there isn't a strong opposition party.
Many are protesting that he resigns completly, and steps down from the re-election.