One of my favorite concertos. Rachmaninov 2.
January 15, 2011
January 6, 2011
mai khao jai
Break is over, sadly. I had a very restful two weeks in which I was able to explore some more of the city, read a lot (though not as much as I had planned) and reflect. It was all very much needed and has left me feeling better prepared to tackle 2011. But who knows how long that will last. Clarity never seems to stick around for long in my experience. Okay, I stole that from a John Mayer song. But it's true.
With the recommencement of the semester begins my formal education in the Thai language. It's an "intensive" course that meets for three hours every morning. Once I begin my other duties I won't have any trouble filling my time.
The class is small, about 15 or so, half of which are older farang men with Thai wives. At first I didn't even register this. I innocently thought they were all here on business or something. But others are not quite so naive as I am, and also less self-conscious about asking personal questions and well, it's a bit suspect that they are just now taking a Thai class after having married a Thai woman. At least they've gotten around to it. Anyhow, it's a bit weird to share a classroom with a bunch of older men. In general it's quite an international group. Americans make up the majority, but that's only because of our volunteer group. China, Taiwan, France, Germany, Australia and Canada are also represented. Plus the Philippines but that's Rochell, another of the volunteers. But even if it is an odd class dynamic, I still really enjoy being part of an international setting. It's a cliche but I'll say it: Americans ought to travel more. I realize travel is expensive, but I really feel that we are far too insulated, and we're the ones who lose out.
Having just completed tesol training, my brain is in pedagogy mode and I'm afraid I'm guilty of picking apart my Thai professor's teaching methods. On the one hand, she does a good job presenting language in a logical way, getting everyone to talk and adding an element of fun to the class. However the way she gets everyone to talk is pretty aggressive and often the fun is at the expense of a student. Perhaps this is cultural but if I were less confident my first day of class would have been terrifying. I've just internalized discussions on creating a safe speaking environment so maybe I am hypersensitive. still, I can't imagine using the same tactics with my Thai students. I wouldn't have had any left, I'm pretty sure. I'm sure I'm being overly critical, but I kind of see it as my job to assess different teaching practices so I can improve my own.
As far as learning Thai goes, it's hard and it's not hard. Thai intimidates people because it is a tonal language that uses a lot of sounds we're unused to making. But the actual structure of the language is very simple. There are no verb conjugations, which makes it very easy, and statements are "subject, verb, object" just like in English. In general there aren't that many rules to follow, which is something else that I think freaks people out a bit. We don't know what to do with the freedom. But I'm beginning to see the logic of it. I'll try to explain.
The hard stuff - Thai has five different tones: high, low, mid, rising and falling. Actually this is a bit deceptive as I think it's more nuanced than that, but it's an easy guideline to go by. The length of a spoken word also makes a difference (just to complicate things further). For instance, the word "khao" means "rice" with a long falling tone, "enter" with a short falling tone, "white" with a long rising tone, and "he" with a short rising tone. I'm sure it has other meanings with mid, high and low tone. It sounds like a totally foreign concept, but really it's just like music notation. We already use the percussive aspect of sound to create spoken language, why not the melodic aspect? I've been complimented on my ability to distinguish between the tones and on my pronunciation several times by Thais and all I have to say is "thank you Ear Training."
The other tricky thing is some of the "percussive" aspects of speaking (my term, there is a legit one but I can't remember it) are different. In English we only end words with the "ng" sound but in Thai you can begin words with it. Also, there are several sounds that are in between ones we use in English. Often these have to do with aspiration, or whether or not we release breath when making the sound. Phonology has given me a bit of a grip on this, as have voice lessons. Now I'm far from having perfect pronunciation or from hearing all the new distinctions in sounds, but just understanding that there is a distinction goes a long way in taking the mystery out of the language.
The easy stuff - Thai words are generally one syllable, or combinations of one-syllable words, which makes them easy to memorize (although I do love long words, oh German how I miss thee). The monosyllabic nature of Thai explains the development of tones, or vice versa. Basically, it goes together. It also fits well with the lack of complicated grammatical structure.
A phrase I've often heard uttered in my time here is that "Thais are lazy." Thai students are lazy. Thai employees are lazy. There are fish in the rivers, there is rice in the fields. Why work hard? This is the general perception of the Thai mentality and I've already heard my Thai teacher use this concept in explaining the brevity of the Thai language and its lack of structure. And it fits, but I don't quite see it as "lazy." As I've discovered in learning to drive in Thai traffic, there is a certain method to the madness. There is a form of logic at play. You could call it the path of least resistance, but I don't think it's quite the cop out that implies. It's a type of smart. It's the path of least resistance because it doesn't make sense to expend unnecessary energy. It's the same type of smart that all those boys in high school who I thought were so dumb had. They were always goofing off while I was diligently and responsibly trying to memorize all the Presidents or whatever I thought I was supposed to do. It's the type of smart that sees the easiest way from point A to point B. I do not naturally come by this type of smart, but I admire it greatly.
Those high school boys, who I thought were so dumb, often (though not always) excelled in the subjects and activities they thought were important. Even the ones who really were complete losers got the high school experience they were looking for. And that's it really, isn't it? People act on their ideas of what is important. I'm a rule-follower at heart, even if I do occasionally get halfway through something and realize I've been doing it in the most inefficient manner possible. All because I wanted to do it "properly." In some ways, I think Thai people have it right. The lack of traffic laws for instance. I'm not a complete convert but it certainly is nice not to have to sit at a red light, waiting for the stupid thing to turn green when there isn't another soul at the intersection. The freedom to choose allows me to exercise my own logic and creativity, which, ironically, is what the American workforce is supposed to be famous for. I'm beginning to wonder if it's so much that or if it's simply that we're willing to work our butts off just because. Not that I'm any less a believer in the value of work or have lost my good old yankee work ethic. There is something to be said for being thorough and there is something to be said for following the rules. Often they are there for a reason. But it's like with the body of Christ (dang it, I never can get away from religious illustrations, but I did just lead chapel today). Each member has its own function and we need all the other members. We need people of different abilities and perspectives to tell us when we're being stupid.
I was going to blog about chapel as well but I think I'll leave that for a separate post. Basically, learning Thai is cool. It's interesting to me how language can be a window into culture and vice versa. It's especially interesting when you think about how language and music are connected. Yes I am a dork, but I enjoy it. I'll finish by explaining the literal meaning of "khao jai mai." "Khao" is "enter," "jai," is heart, and "mai" is like saying "right?" so the Thai word for "understand" literally means "it enters your heart." Makes a heck of a lot more sense than "understand" if you ask me. What am I under and why exactly am I standing? Maybe I comprehend whatever is under the stance you are taking... That's a stretch. I like "it has entered my heart" a lot better.
With the recommencement of the semester begins my formal education in the Thai language. It's an "intensive" course that meets for three hours every morning. Once I begin my other duties I won't have any trouble filling my time.
The class is small, about 15 or so, half of which are older farang men with Thai wives. At first I didn't even register this. I innocently thought they were all here on business or something. But others are not quite so naive as I am, and also less self-conscious about asking personal questions and well, it's a bit suspect that they are just now taking a Thai class after having married a Thai woman. At least they've gotten around to it. Anyhow, it's a bit weird to share a classroom with a bunch of older men. In general it's quite an international group. Americans make up the majority, but that's only because of our volunteer group. China, Taiwan, France, Germany, Australia and Canada are also represented. Plus the Philippines but that's Rochell, another of the volunteers. But even if it is an odd class dynamic, I still really enjoy being part of an international setting. It's a cliche but I'll say it: Americans ought to travel more. I realize travel is expensive, but I really feel that we are far too insulated, and we're the ones who lose out.
Having just completed tesol training, my brain is in pedagogy mode and I'm afraid I'm guilty of picking apart my Thai professor's teaching methods. On the one hand, she does a good job presenting language in a logical way, getting everyone to talk and adding an element of fun to the class. However the way she gets everyone to talk is pretty aggressive and often the fun is at the expense of a student. Perhaps this is cultural but if I were less confident my first day of class would have been terrifying. I've just internalized discussions on creating a safe speaking environment so maybe I am hypersensitive. still, I can't imagine using the same tactics with my Thai students. I wouldn't have had any left, I'm pretty sure. I'm sure I'm being overly critical, but I kind of see it as my job to assess different teaching practices so I can improve my own.
As far as learning Thai goes, it's hard and it's not hard. Thai intimidates people because it is a tonal language that uses a lot of sounds we're unused to making. But the actual structure of the language is very simple. There are no verb conjugations, which makes it very easy, and statements are "subject, verb, object" just like in English. In general there aren't that many rules to follow, which is something else that I think freaks people out a bit. We don't know what to do with the freedom. But I'm beginning to see the logic of it. I'll try to explain.
The hard stuff - Thai has five different tones: high, low, mid, rising and falling. Actually this is a bit deceptive as I think it's more nuanced than that, but it's an easy guideline to go by. The length of a spoken word also makes a difference (just to complicate things further). For instance, the word "khao" means "rice" with a long falling tone, "enter" with a short falling tone, "white" with a long rising tone, and "he" with a short rising tone. I'm sure it has other meanings with mid, high and low tone. It sounds like a totally foreign concept, but really it's just like music notation. We already use the percussive aspect of sound to create spoken language, why not the melodic aspect? I've been complimented on my ability to distinguish between the tones and on my pronunciation several times by Thais and all I have to say is "thank you Ear Training."
The other tricky thing is some of the "percussive" aspects of speaking (my term, there is a legit one but I can't remember it) are different. In English we only end words with the "ng" sound but in Thai you can begin words with it. Also, there are several sounds that are in between ones we use in English. Often these have to do with aspiration, or whether or not we release breath when making the sound. Phonology has given me a bit of a grip on this, as have voice lessons. Now I'm far from having perfect pronunciation or from hearing all the new distinctions in sounds, but just understanding that there is a distinction goes a long way in taking the mystery out of the language.
The easy stuff - Thai words are generally one syllable, or combinations of one-syllable words, which makes them easy to memorize (although I do love long words, oh German how I miss thee). The monosyllabic nature of Thai explains the development of tones, or vice versa. Basically, it goes together. It also fits well with the lack of complicated grammatical structure.
A phrase I've often heard uttered in my time here is that "Thais are lazy." Thai students are lazy. Thai employees are lazy. There are fish in the rivers, there is rice in the fields. Why work hard? This is the general perception of the Thai mentality and I've already heard my Thai teacher use this concept in explaining the brevity of the Thai language and its lack of structure. And it fits, but I don't quite see it as "lazy." As I've discovered in learning to drive in Thai traffic, there is a certain method to the madness. There is a form of logic at play. You could call it the path of least resistance, but I don't think it's quite the cop out that implies. It's a type of smart. It's the path of least resistance because it doesn't make sense to expend unnecessary energy. It's the same type of smart that all those boys in high school who I thought were so dumb had. They were always goofing off while I was diligently and responsibly trying to memorize all the Presidents or whatever I thought I was supposed to do. It's the type of smart that sees the easiest way from point A to point B. I do not naturally come by this type of smart, but I admire it greatly.
Those high school boys, who I thought were so dumb, often (though not always) excelled in the subjects and activities they thought were important. Even the ones who really were complete losers got the high school experience they were looking for. And that's it really, isn't it? People act on their ideas of what is important. I'm a rule-follower at heart, even if I do occasionally get halfway through something and realize I've been doing it in the most inefficient manner possible. All because I wanted to do it "properly." In some ways, I think Thai people have it right. The lack of traffic laws for instance. I'm not a complete convert but it certainly is nice not to have to sit at a red light, waiting for the stupid thing to turn green when there isn't another soul at the intersection. The freedom to choose allows me to exercise my own logic and creativity, which, ironically, is what the American workforce is supposed to be famous for. I'm beginning to wonder if it's so much that or if it's simply that we're willing to work our butts off just because. Not that I'm any less a believer in the value of work or have lost my good old yankee work ethic. There is something to be said for being thorough and there is something to be said for following the rules. Often they are there for a reason. But it's like with the body of Christ (dang it, I never can get away from religious illustrations, but I did just lead chapel today). Each member has its own function and we need all the other members. We need people of different abilities and perspectives to tell us when we're being stupid.
I was going to blog about chapel as well but I think I'll leave that for a separate post. Basically, learning Thai is cool. It's interesting to me how language can be a window into culture and vice versa. It's especially interesting when you think about how language and music are connected. Yes I am a dork, but I enjoy it. I'll finish by explaining the literal meaning of "khao jai mai." "Khao" is "enter," "jai," is heart, and "mai" is like saying "right?" so the Thai word for "understand" literally means "it enters your heart." Makes a heck of a lot more sense than "understand" if you ask me. What am I under and why exactly am I standing? Maybe I comprehend whatever is under the stance you are taking... That's a stretch. I like "it has entered my heart" a lot better.
December 31, 2010
Happy 2554!
The Thai calendar marks the beginning of the current era from the birth of Buddha instead of the birth of Christ. Thus I am 543 years ahead of all of you. And fifteen hours. My New Year's Eve was fairly low key and not nearly as fun as going to First Night, but better than last year. I ended up going to a "cheese and wine" party hosted by the youth pastor of the church I am currently attending. It was good to be out in a different social circle and afterwards I managed to catch the fireworks show down at Ta Pae gate.
And now, to kick off the new year, here is some Oscar Peterson. He is pretty much my hero. My New Year's resolution is to become as good as this. Just kidding, that is impossible. But I hope that this serves as an inspiration to excel in whatever you do this coming year. Best wishes to all of you and blessings on all your endeavors in 2011. Or 2554. Whichever you prefer.
And now, to kick off the new year, here is some Oscar Peterson. He is pretty much my hero. My New Year's resolution is to become as good as this. Just kidding, that is impossible. But I hope that this serves as an inspiration to excel in whatever you do this coming year. Best wishes to all of you and blessings on all your endeavors in 2011. Or 2554. Whichever you prefer.
December 30, 2010
Thai boxing
Muaythai, or Thai boxing, is a significant part of Thai culture. Like many things over here, it is hardcore. Pretty much everything is legal except for "crotch shots" and there is no protective gear (except for an item related to the only illegal move). There is a scoring system, which I don't understand, but I do know that kicks are worth the most points. It may even be that kicks to the head are worth the most points. Like I said. Hard. Core.
EDIT: Here is an artistic rendition of a rabid leprechaun, courtesy of my brother. Thanks Eric.
Like you, I thought it all sounded pretty violent and so it wasn't a part of the culture that was super high on my list to experience. But then it turned out that one of the FBR guys trains at a Muaythai studio and was fighting a professional match the other night. There were a group of supporters going to cheer him on so I decided to tag along and see what this was all about. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so you'll have to make do without pictures.
The match site was definitely a no frills establishment. There was a small boxing ring (why do we call it a ring when it's square?) in the center and a decent crowd of Thais and faraang (mostly farang) gathered around it. The walls were lined with various vendors and bars, although I didn't recognize them as such until someone informed me that the random people sitting at tables could indeed sell me a beer if I wanted one. Like I said, no frills. We found a corner and watched a few matches while waiting for John's and one of the group explained a little bit about Thai boxing to me. Because gambling is involved (and gambling is illegal in Thailand, supposedly) all Thai boxing establishments are run by the Thai mafia. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I'd paid my admission and there wasn't much I could do. It was rather weird though to be informed that "the guy in the black shirt at our table is a mafia member."
The matches always start with a sort of dance, which shows respect to the opponent and also as a sort of "prayer" for a good fight. During the actual match, there is traditional Thai music which increases in intensity as the bout continues. Unfortunately it also sounds like a cat in heat. Hopefully no Thais are reading this.
Despite all the talk of no rules and kicks to the head, the fights weren't as brutal as I was expecting. In fact, the fights were surprisingly graceful and dancelike in a certain respect. Well, sometimes. There were brutal sections but they don't generally last long. The really good fighters put on quite a show, not that it was staged because it's not, but just that it was like watching a pair of really good fencers or an intense tennis match.
When the time came for John's fight, we weren't really sure what to expect. You have to understand that John is a bit of a character. He has really red hair and a very unkempt beard and this particular night he had styled his hair into a sort of mohawk. The most accurate way to describe my impression of him would be "rabid leprechaun." He looked pretty ridiculous in comparison with all the sculpted, trained fighters who had preceded him and he's a bit of ham besides so he milked the traditional dance before the fight for all it was worth. But once the fight was actually on, he meant business. He positively slaughtered his opponent. It was over practically before it had begun. It was a bit disappointing actually. Where's my money's worth? :-) But our guy won and it was a pretty good time and an interesting cultural experience.
EDIT: Here is an artistic rendition of a rabid leprechaun, courtesy of my brother. Thanks Eric.
December 25, 2010
Merry Christmas!
I've been posting too many videos and I will back off, I promise. But I had to post my favorite Bach cantata for Christmas. Consider my gift to you all. It's also part of my never-ending attempt to convince people that Bach is not boring. :-)
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland,
Now come, saviour of the gentiles,
Der Jungfrauen Kind erkannt,
recognised as the child of the Virgin,
Des sich wundert alle Welt,
at whom all the world is amazed,
Gott solch Geburt ihm bestellt.
that God decrees such a birth for him.
December 23, 2010
Watch This Video
Every Thursday, Esther and Gax host a spaghetti dinner at their house. It's kind of a hodge podge of their acquaintances, mostly expats, and it's awesome because it means I don't have to worry about dinner one night a week. Anyhow, many of those who come are volunteers with an organization called Free Burma Rangers, or FBR. I've been trying to figure out the situation in Burma for a while and after asking Esther about it she showed me this video that kind of explains it in seven minutes. It's a bit graphic I'm afraid, but I thought it was important to share. The music was written and performed by Esther's daughter and son-in-law.
http://www.freeburmarangers.org/
http://www.freeburmarangers.org/
December 22, 2010
Christmas Activities
It is now officially Payap's Christmas break, which means that the nursing dorm has closed and Sarah and I have moved into Esther and Gax's house until after New Years. The onset of break feels a bit like the calm before the storm to me. There won't really be much to do for the next several days, but once that is finished it will be time to step up to the plate and prove that we're really worth the investment. English classes for Payap staff and faculty are officially scheduled and I'm already itching to get planning for them.
But for now, I've been keeping busy enough with various Christmas and end-of-the-semester activities. The one theology student I have been tutoring took the TOEFL exam this week so we had some intense tutoring sessions in preparation for that. I can't wait to find out if she passed, especially as sometimes felt at a loss as to how to explain English grammar to her!
To celebrate her achievements, I agreed to go to a musical that was being held at her church. It was based on the book Punchinello, which I had never heard of, and also completely in Thai, but she did a great job translating for me.
It's been wonderfully cold. We've just emerged from three days of Seattle weather and I've been eating it up. After parting ways, I headed down to the Night Bazaar in my shorts and t-shirt, enjoying the fact that it was cold enough for me to get goosebumps. I went so far as to duck into Starbucks for a toffee nut latte. It cost me an arm and a leg and maybe a few extra toes but it was so worth it. Walking up and down the streets of the bazaar, underneath the Christmas lights, sipping my latte to keep warm, made me feel closer to actual Christmas than I have in two years.
And yes, there are Christmas lights and decorations around Chiang Mai. Christmas is pretty present here although I don't know how much a part of Thai culture it actually is.
On Saturday, Sarah and I found ourselves going on a bit of an impromptu trip with some of the nursing students. We really didn't know much about it except that Esther was going and thought it would be good if we came too. The only thing I knew about our destination was that it was a three hour ride out of town.
Our mode of transportation was what Rochell refers to as “the World War II buses.” They are these huge garbage-truck looking things with long benches in the back. We crammed ourselves into the corner along with 20 or so nursing students and heaps of luggage. It was actually kind of cool looking out the back of the truck and watching the scenery go by, but the further out we got, the windier and bumpier the road became. By the time we pulled into a gas station for a pit stop, I felt like I had been kicked repeatedly in the back after slamming into the side of the truck so many times.
I ducked into 7'Eleven for some snacks and was casually going about my business when Sarah came running up to me. “Did you see what just happened?” Nope, didn't see a thing. Apparently Sarah had been walking across the parking lot when two men with guns came straight at her, chasing a third. She thought she was going to witness a murder. The men with guns threw the man without to the ground and handcuffed him. It was a drug bust. They proceeded to place a whole bunch of drugs around the man and take pictures as “evidence.” Let's just say I haven't heard awesome reports of the police here. I guess a lot of innocent people are framed and Sarah was pretty frightened by the way the man was treated. Yet another one of Thailand's sobering realities.
And so we continued to our destination, which we had been informed was a rural Lahu village. The Lahu are an ethnic group in Southeast Asia and the particular village we were going to was a Christian one. The nursing students were bringing donations of blankets and things.
We turned off onto a very bumpy dirt road and it was all I could do to remain on my seat. But the scenery was beautiful and the views of workers tending their fields by hand were striking. The actual village was primitive, but not particularly impoverished. There were kids (tons of kids... and dogs) playing in the dirt, but they were all clothed well and had shoes. The home where we stayed had an outhouse, but also had a nice tv set. It was an odd mix of simple living and modernity.
Anyhow, the nursing students put on a bit of a program for the village and we got a peek into village life in Thailand, although Esther said she wasn't sure why that particular village had been chosen as it wasn't as isolated or badly off as others. But it was very interesting. People ignored us for the most part. Actually, even if we had known Thai, it wouldn't have helped because most of the villagers only spoke Lahu. But the nursing students seemed glad that we were there and kept on taking our picture...
Speaking of which, I did take a few pictures, which will probably show the experience more adequately than my trying to write about it. So I'm just going to post them and call it good.
But for now, I've been keeping busy enough with various Christmas and end-of-the-semester activities. The one theology student I have been tutoring took the TOEFL exam this week so we had some intense tutoring sessions in preparation for that. I can't wait to find out if she passed, especially as sometimes felt at a loss as to how to explain English grammar to her!
To celebrate her achievements, I agreed to go to a musical that was being held at her church. It was based on the book Punchinello, which I had never heard of, and also completely in Thai, but she did a great job translating for me.
It's been wonderfully cold. We've just emerged from three days of Seattle weather and I've been eating it up. After parting ways, I headed down to the Night Bazaar in my shorts and t-shirt, enjoying the fact that it was cold enough for me to get goosebumps. I went so far as to duck into Starbucks for a toffee nut latte. It cost me an arm and a leg and maybe a few extra toes but it was so worth it. Walking up and down the streets of the bazaar, underneath the Christmas lights, sipping my latte to keep warm, made me feel closer to actual Christmas than I have in two years.
And yes, there are Christmas lights and decorations around Chiang Mai. Christmas is pretty present here although I don't know how much a part of Thai culture it actually is.
On Saturday, Sarah and I found ourselves going on a bit of an impromptu trip with some of the nursing students. We really didn't know much about it except that Esther was going and thought it would be good if we came too. The only thing I knew about our destination was that it was a three hour ride out of town.
Our mode of transportation was what Rochell refers to as “the World War II buses.” They are these huge garbage-truck looking things with long benches in the back. We crammed ourselves into the corner along with 20 or so nursing students and heaps of luggage. It was actually kind of cool looking out the back of the truck and watching the scenery go by, but the further out we got, the windier and bumpier the road became. By the time we pulled into a gas station for a pit stop, I felt like I had been kicked repeatedly in the back after slamming into the side of the truck so many times.
I ducked into 7'Eleven for some snacks and was casually going about my business when Sarah came running up to me. “Did you see what just happened?” Nope, didn't see a thing. Apparently Sarah had been walking across the parking lot when two men with guns came straight at her, chasing a third. She thought she was going to witness a murder. The men with guns threw the man without to the ground and handcuffed him. It was a drug bust. They proceeded to place a whole bunch of drugs around the man and take pictures as “evidence.” Let's just say I haven't heard awesome reports of the police here. I guess a lot of innocent people are framed and Sarah was pretty frightened by the way the man was treated. Yet another one of Thailand's sobering realities.
And so we continued to our destination, which we had been informed was a rural Lahu village. The Lahu are an ethnic group in Southeast Asia and the particular village we were going to was a Christian one. The nursing students were bringing donations of blankets and things.
We turned off onto a very bumpy dirt road and it was all I could do to remain on my seat. But the scenery was beautiful and the views of workers tending their fields by hand were striking. The actual village was primitive, but not particularly impoverished. There were kids (tons of kids... and dogs) playing in the dirt, but they were all clothed well and had shoes. The home where we stayed had an outhouse, but also had a nice tv set. It was an odd mix of simple living and modernity.
Anyhow, the nursing students put on a bit of a program for the village and we got a peek into village life in Thailand, although Esther said she wasn't sure why that particular village had been chosen as it wasn't as isolated or badly off as others. But it was very interesting. People ignored us for the most part. Actually, even if we had known Thai, it wouldn't have helped because most of the villagers only spoke Lahu. But the nursing students seemed glad that we were there and kept on taking our picture...
Speaking of which, I did take a few pictures, which will probably show the experience more adequately than my trying to write about it. So I'm just going to post them and call it good.
 |
| The road to the village. |
 |
| The village center. |
 |
| The house we stayed in. |
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| The Christmas program. |
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