Sorry about the delay...

So a lot has happened since my last post so I thought I would fill everyone in with some of the details but putting all of them in here would be too much...you have no idea.
Last you heard from me I was on spring break in Koh Chang or elephant island enjoying my time and the beach...eating seafood and baking in the sun. We went on a great snorkel trip where I saw the most incredible fish I have ever seen. We had some good nights on the beach walking and talking with other SST students about various things. I learned a lot.
After that we spent a day in Bangkok walking around waiting for our flight back to Chiang Mai. Don't worry we stayed away from the "red shirts" and we just met some Thai friends and saw the largest reclining Buddha. We were going to go to the floating market but it was way too far away for just a day trip so we got foot massages on the street instead.
We got back to Chaing Mai late at night and then some random Thai person on our flight offered to give us a ride to our hotel....what a sweetheart. So a free taxi to the hotel.
We left for the Lahu village the next morning and it took us about 4 hours to get there. It was a dirt road the whole way and full of red dust. When we got there we were greeted with a buch of wild kids. We stayed there for a week and here are some of the highlighst:
1. Painting a orphanage's walls and singing loudly as a group...before the walls were dark and not cheery. The next day we went back and the kids from the orphanage gave us a cultural show...it was great.
2. Playing soccer in the dirt every night with about 50 villiage kids.
3. Taking the kids to the river to have huge water fights and all of the little boys that stripped completely down to nothing and jumped off the rocks....so funny.
4. Staying with my host family in their living room of the house on the wooden floor and a blanket.
5. Finally being able to wear the "warmer" clothes I brought.
6. Killing a pig and having a big pork roast feast!
After that we went to the Karen Village 7 hours away for two weeks. Along the way we stopped at a huge waterfall and swam for a little bit. The road to the Karen village was really really twisty and turny and many people threw up...not me. Here are my highlights from that:
1. Sleeping in the Cougars Den...or that is what we called the house we stayed in.
2. Setting up huge purple mosquito nets over our beds and somehow we still ended up with huge red welts everynight.
3. Culture shows all the time with tradition Karen clothes and music. The kids were a big part of this.
4. We came together much more as a group here.
5. Going to the lake everyday and swimming across as a big group and taking our showers...that is right...no showers there haha.
6. Bonfires and marshmallows
7. Going to the drug and alcohol hilltribe center and spending the night there talking to the people. Marit and I are going to sponsor one of the graduates for two years of Bible school for him so he can be a pastor and leader of his village. It is only 200 dollars for two years!
8. Reading a lot and relaxing. Also learning guitar more from my friend Ian who is amazing and I learned a lot.
9. Interviewing people of the village about the new development happening in the area and how the village needs to ban together to keep our prostitution and drugs.
10. Riding on top of the trucks though the hills of Thailand or in the back of pickups on dirt roads overlooking huge cliffs and rice fields....amazing views....
Now we are back in Chiang Mai and excited to be here because our parents are coming!!!!!!! In fact I am waiting to see my mom right now!!!!! :) Again if you have questions about the details just ask....

Aubs