Our time in Chiang Mai is almost over. What a week!!

So, it's been fabulous!! One night the staff here put on an all-out Thanksgiving dinner for us! So precious as most of the people we are spending time with this week rarely get a true Western meal. Oh my goodness, it was good. What a blessing.



We also joined the group for some "tourist time." Last night we began with something we have heard about for 2 weeks: Fish Therapy.

You basically put your bare feet into tanks teaming with little fish that nibble and nibble until you are relaxed and impurity-free... that is IF you can make it the entire 20 minutes.



It felt really weird and kind of gross, but it was an experience, right? (right??)



Today we rode an elephant. Ha! We laughed a lot today.



We rode in an ox-cart, too. Add that to the growing list of random activities that have befallen us lately.



There was a little raft ride at the end of the tour. Clay only THOUGHT he would miss the cap he left in Belgium... we were well provided for :)




It's been a great week. We got some great video for several projects, and we met some incredible people that we already miss.

It has been incredible to meet new friends and hear their stories this week. We feel so blessed to be here! We truly have one of the best jobs in the world.

Tonight we all had a free night so we headed into Chiang Mai for some Night Bazaar action. One of my friends and I got chased down by this lady selling croaking wooden frogs.... she totally got us to buy one.




Here are Clay and I on the taxi ride back to the hotel. Things are definitely different here than we are used to. But they are pretty fun, too. There was a light rain on the way home. That combined with the cool breeze made it a great right back. It is so good to laugh with friends, trade stories, and be in awe of the Lord together at all that he has done.



Ok, so I also came home with a Thai Coca-Cola shirt and a crazy pair of pj pants.... they may become real pants if I get brave, but for now they just make me happy :)

I have a new 2nd cousin!!!! Vivien Claire was born January 20th!!!! I am so excited! Kirsten and Keith, love on that baby extra for me and know that in all the world, the only place I want to be right now is Lubbock, Tx. (I wonder if that's ever been said before) :)

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So, Thailand. I maintain my theory that this is the cutest place on the planet. One of the girls even had a sugar glider in their purse.... yes, this place is THAT cute. I am dying.



As I said before, even the rice is cute.



We have had a great week in Bangkok tagging along with our friends here. It's been great to see their lives first hand and experience some of this cool country. It's comfortable and chill here. Just relaxed, you know? Here's Clay hanging off the back of a taxi.



We did some shooting in an English language class the other night. My heart literally embraced all these precious people trying to learn another language. I just wanted to wrap them all in my arms as they struggled with simple English phrases and say "You guys are my people! I totally GET it. Learning another language is so hard. Keep trying. You can do it!!" So many of them are planning to move to America soon. It takes so much courage to do what these guys are doing. The next time you see someone who seems new to the country, be extra kind and patient with them. They need encouragement in a huge way.



I got a haircut a few days ago. It only costs $10 here as opposed to like a gazillion in Belgium, so I feel like I scored the deal of the century. In Belgium I always end up with a mullet, and it appears that in Thailand they lean more towards a buzz... Whatever, it's all good. The most embarrassing thing was what happened afterwards. See, I usually just let the hairdresser do whatever they want as far as styling my hair after the cut. Cultures are just so different that there is just no point in trying to describe how I, as an American, would like my hair to look. I actually look forward to how it all turns out- it gets pretty crazy. Anyways, this lady gave me a HUGE dome with individual spikes enforced with their own squirts of mousse. It was pretty incredible. Pointy sideburns... yes. I said I loved it, thank you so much, etc, paid, and then proceeded to the nearest bathroom to make myself a little more presentable. You will never guess who walked in right after I drenched my head in the sink.... Yeah, my hairdresser. Sheesh. All I could do was laugh.... there is no explaining away what I was doing. It was too obvious. She said "You not like it?" to which I responded "I like it, I like it!" Not all that convincing. I questioned whether or not to say "Bye" to her through her stall door as I exited but thought better of it. Sometimes you just gotta walk away. Oh gosh.

Here I am after the incident.



Today we did a little tour of Bangkok, complete with Thai tour guides. We met some college students earlier this week and they agreed to chill with us today and show us some sites. It was fun to get some good shots for the project and also just to see more of this awesome city.




One thing we are in love with are grilled bananas. It's really cool how common street vendors are here. We have never been somewhere where it's safe to eat food off the street. It's so cheap, too!



The Buddhist belief in karma results in some of the best looking stray animals I have ever seen. They are every where, usually have collars, and never lack for food. Incredible.



We went to the Grand Palace which is this HUGE grouping of sacred Buddhist buildings and temples.



Clay had to rent some fancy pants to put on over his shorts out of respect.



We had to take our shoes off to enter some buildings... my feet are so covered in mosquito bites from this week it's ridiculous.



When we saw a camera team shooting with some pretty heavy duty equipment, Clay had to check it out.



Here is his face afterwards. He was pretty pumped.



He then told me that he had learned that they were there filming for The Travel Channel... Guess which show?? Samantha Brown!!!! And she was there!!!! Here I am, the Queen Dork, really really nervous before my approach...



AGH!!!!



I have never been more tongue-tied. There is no hope of us being best friends (yet), but she is just as friendly as she seems on her show. How wild to meet the woman whose show I watched years ago, anticipating all of our travels. Cool!

We traveled by boat, taxi car, and bus today.



Here's Clay hanging out the bus door... anything for the perfect shot, right? :)



Enough musings for one night. We head to Chiang Mai tomorrow! Can't wait to see a new place and meet some more incredible people.

We spent some time today at the campus our friends work at. Very cool. Some things are so similar to our experience in America. Check out this cafeteria.



And then there's the food court. 3o stalls like this lady's all in a long outdoor corridor. Garlic chicken, limeade, and a pineapple slushy was our choice.





The dorms are a little different too. I like all the shoes lined up outside. The other side of the building showed laundry hanging out of every window to dry.



They also wear uniforms to class, but manage to "flair" it up with heels and cute bags.



Thailand is the "cutest" place I have ever been, and by that I mean cuteness oozes out of every facet of this place. It's like Hello Kitty on steroids and I am loving it. I need to take a picture of some of the packaging at the grocery store. Seriously, these people make rice and toilet paper look cute.

Jetlag hit us a little today so we had to crash after our garlic chicken to gear up for our evening of shooting video out at another campus. It's a fast-paced world for the Sandozes right now and we're loving it.

The weather is warm, the food is good, and I have seen 2 rats in the last 30 minutes :) Sometimes I feel like this life we are living right now can't possibly be mine. It is just too surreal. Thailand has been great. We dove into the video projects right away and are also enjoying getting to know some families that live here.

Here we are on Sunday discussing the week's plan. As you can tell by the banner, we got to join in on a little birthday party. It was a 10 year-old's birthday party, and Keith had brought a pair of capguns to his parents for them to give him for his birthday. All of the other kids immediately wanted to know where the toys were from and were told Keith had brought them, to which they replied. "They're from America?!?" It must have sounded so far away to this kids used to living on the other side of the world from "home." Their expressions are ones I tuck into my pocket of little nuggets I take away from these trips.



I rode home with one of the families and about died I was giggling so hard. Seriously. I may be the only person alive who can wreck a bike when they aren't even driving. We laughed quite a bit.



Hard at work. I like this picture because it proves that I really really do help Clay in this process. I take my role as assistant very seriously :)





Oh, the places we have traveled with Keith Keller.



We reunited with a family we met at training in 2008. I love 'hellos'!



So, all is well in Thailand. I kind of feel like we are in a place in our lives where God is teaching us something new with every breath. It's a good place to be and exhausting too! I am thankful to be here.

We made it to Thailand!! Whew! A long day of travel. It began with Kevin escorting us to the airport. His assignment was to return back to Huy with all of our winter gear (it's in the 80s/90s here in Thailand), but he went above an beyond with coffee and croissants.



We've enjoyed the sights today, while wondering around with our friend Nate, just trying to stay awake until it was late enough to go to bed.

The Thai script is so cool. So ancient- looking. Even on an electrical pole.



The elephant is one of the national animals. Beat that, Dubai :)



One of the best parts about our job is reuniting with old and new friends. Clay grew up with Nate in Midlothian, Tx . Now Nate is working in Bangkok. They enjoyed some Dairy Queen together :) Yum, Blizzards!!



And here I am with the spirit houses outside of our hotel. They are everywhere!



Ok, off to bed (I am so excited to go to sleep). We are 13 hours ahead of you in Texas, so I wish you all "goodmorning!"

Hello 2010.

I for one can't believe it's the new year. And it's already the FIFTH of January at that, meaning that this year fully intends to fly by just like the last one. Surprisingly, I am reaching a strange, never-before experienced stage here in Belgium where I am actually starting to wish it would all SLOW DOWN. This is very strange and surprising indeed. For the past (almost) 10 months I have been engaged in life here in Belgium, all the while constantly ticking off the months somewhere in the back of my homesick head. It's all been fun to be sure, but I think I have been secretly trying to make it go faster. Now I am starting to feel like I have been purposely rushing through my own birthday party- gulping down the punch and asking if the cake could be wrapped to-go! We have almost been here a year! A whole year! And there is only one more left! How do you reconcile wanting to be home so bad it aches with just wanting to sit down and enjoy your cake? Do please advise.

So far, 2010 has been busy and blustery. We are cramming in last minute visits and French classes before our trip to Thailand that's coming up fast. I apparently left my housekeeping skills in 2009 and promptly sent back for them, but to no avail. There is still stale candy in the living room from gingerbread parties past. Laundry, however, has been much less of a chore since my family's amazing Christmas gift... a big high-five for that one, guys. It is soooo wonderful.



I'll leave you with this random point of interest: the walking hotdog stand. Hands down the most enterprising fanny pack I have ever seen.