4 days on a tropical island...breathtaking.
I went with 3 of Matt's classmates (all girls) which made for a very dramatic trip. When we first arrived they needed to "get ready" for the beach...so I put on a swimsuit...waited and waited...finally making it down to the beach I counted to 3 and ran into the water. It was very shallow for a very long time and in typical Michaud fashion I hit a hole and tweaked my ankle. So for the rest of Friday I walked with a limp. The water was a warm blue green that you could see right through to the white sand. The waves were breaking fairly late and it was too shallow to play so we all just stayed out into the water until dark. I was able to see the sunset sink below the green hills while bobbing in the ocean. Again, in true Michaud fashion, the nights get a little hazy and memories a little fuzzy. I do know that after watching the sunset I wanted to watch the sunrise so I didn't go to sleep until Saturday morning at about 6:00 then the girls woke up and wanted to go to breakfast at 7:00...I was okay with that. But I'm getting ahead of myself, Friday night we went to a couple of different bars and I met a few beautiful girls from New York that are teaching in Bangkok. I believe it was one of there birthday's but in any case we exchanged information and I plan on shadowing them sometime this week or next. At another one of the bars I saw one of the guys that work at our bungalow and we sat and talked for a long time, always the opportunist I tried to see if I could get a price cut for the bungalow if I came once a month. Saturday I spent the day walking up and down the beach as well as sleeping out on the beach as well. A few beers in the afternoon and I was feeling pretty good for that night. We met up with the New York girls again and one of them attempted to show me how to Salsa dance. It looked more like a seizure plagued crab trying to spin some stranger around...it did not go so well but was still a lot of fun. We hung out with them for the rest of the night and decided to go for a night swim which didn't end so well for two reasons one of the girls got her purse stolen and I got locked out of the room, don't worry I eventually got in and I won the girl a Winnie the Pooh bear to replace her purse. Sunday two of the girls left and the remaining one decided we should have an early night so we won't feel like shit the next day as we travel back. I didn't think that was such a bad idea so as she went and got a massage I sat on the beach with a bottle of rum and a coke. I was listening to Buffett and Marley and couldn't be happier. It was simply paradise, and sitting alone on the beach was the 3rd best time I had at Koh Samed. We headed out that night and decided to sit down and have a Hookah (basically a bong with flavored tobacco) the girl I was with decided to go to bed early and I made friends with a group of British people sitting next to us. The night got very interesting with them and their German friend but knowing I had to go and travel back the next day I decided to hit the sack before anything got to bad. I made it up to our room at about 3:00 and she woke me up at 8:00 to leave. Needless to say it was a very interesting trip. For some reason the New York girls, the British girls, and the girls I were with have come accustomed to calling me Nebraska. Apparently it's funny that that is where I'm fun and the name has started to stick...odd but not the worst thing I've been called. I will admit that I might have had a little more fun if I'd gone by myself but, hey there is always next weekend! :)
New news...I'm going to go on a visa run sometime this week, it is expensive and the stamp only lasts for 30 days so I'd have to do it monthly. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do this. If I get a job with the New York girls I think I can get a visa but it is a year commitment and an 8-5 job leaving less time to do the other volunteer work. Speaking of which I have heard back from Habitat for Humanity that has projects in the Bangkok area I cold work in (or they had mentioned office work, but I'm definitely not interested in that). Also, I finally got a few contacts at PC(USA) which I have e-mailed and will hopefully hear back from them soon. I received an article from ActionAid Thailand that desperately needed revising. Helping out their lone media relations person is still an option but in this very indirect culture helping is a lot harder then I thought. I'm still waiting to hear back from Mercy Centre, if I haven't heard from them soon I think I will just stop by.
Besides all that things are going really well, I'm burnt to a crisp and anxiously awaiting to see about my Visa, shadowing, and making it back to the beach as soon as possible. I miss all of you guys and hope all is well. Again, I appreciate the e-mail's and posts, my Internet connection is shaky at best but I will always try and respond the best I can.
Here's to you,
Nebraska
Monday, June 30, 2008
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2 comments:
Ryan,
I found an old philosopher saying that seems to fit your situation.
"May you live in interesting times."
Response: It seems like you are enjoying interest times in Thailand and we all get to enjoy your journey through techology.
"May you come to the attention of those in authority."
Response: For this saying, I hope you wait until you arrive back in the states and have a job and those in authority is your boss. Otherwise, avoid letting your visa expire.
"May you find what you are looking for."
Response: Good Luck
Dad
Those old philosophers certainly did have a knack for articulating timeless truths, not to mention a wicked sense of humor.
Not too bad, dad, it seems these quotes have a different meaning everyday. I like them...hope all is well with you guys and I'm glad you guys are still reading the blog!
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