Thanksgiving in Thailand

Thanksgiving. My typical Thanksgiving usually has a Turkey, cranberries, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, the dreaded green been casserole that my mom makes every year, a football game, more pie, family, and my dad's infamous long pre-meal prayer. This year, I had none of those, but I can still say it was one of the best Thanksgivings I have ever had. Without all of the traditional comforts of Thanksgiving at home, it actually made me think more about...being thankful. I have a lot to be thankful for:
*Hong Kong
*My family at home
*My family abroad...the Roses and the Enns Family
*Thanksgiving in Thailand with old friends
*the youth group at AIC
*all of the people praying for me at home
*the assurance that God will NEVER leave me, no matter how alone I feel
*The warm weather
*hello panda cookies
*the friends that send me random notes on facebook
*the internet
*God's provision
*Jeremiah 29:11-13
*flowers
*new experiences
*being stretched
*being broken
*red bean dumplings
*not being hit by a bus (or cab, or tram)
*and so, so, so much more!!!

So back to Thailand...

I got here on Monday evening. My flight was good, pretty uneventful. Things started getting interesting when I got to the airport. I don't know how I missed this, but I totally forgot to get an address of where I would be staying or even a telephone number. So when it came time to fill out my arrival card, I was lost! I had everything else filled out, and the customs guy asked me what hotel I was staying in, and I said, "I'm just staying with friends for a few days" Then he asked for their phone number, and I was like Crap! Hannah...why didn't you get a number!??? So I was so scared...so I prayed quick and then tried to use my cell phone to see if I could call someone to check my e-mail and search for a number. But then my cell phone wouldn't work, and then I started to panic...and the officer wouldn't let me out of line! ARGGGHHH! Right at the moment that I was about to really spazz out, I heard a stamp and he handed me my passport back and let me through...praise the Lord!! So I made it in and was met by two smiling blond girls from NWC...could've spotted them for a mile... =) Yes. After about a 45 min taxi ride and a quick stop at a grocery store, we arrived at Santisuk English Center. Santisuk is an English center that is run by Christians who share Christ through an Christian English curriculum. It was so fun to see old friends and hang out with NWC people...especially people my own age...Hong Kong is a bit lacking in the Christian college-age people department, so it has been so good to just be around them. It was funny because some people had no clue who I was or how I knew some of the team. I was sitting at this table, introducing myself to the people that I didn't know, and I told one guy that he looked really familiar and that I knew I had met him before, and he insisted adamantly that we had never met. And then later I was like, "Yeah, I think I had a class with you first semester!" and he was like, "What?! You're from Northwestern? What are you doing here?!" It was so funny, so clueless!
This week, every Northwestern student has to teach two 2-hr classes a day. So I've just been hanging out with random people whenever they are free. I sat in on one class one day, and was thinking of teaching, but decided not to. It has just been a great, restful, relaxing 5 days. I've seen two films at the cinema (James Bond and The Prestige), went to see the "Ancient City" (a park in the shape of Thailand with replicas of historical monuments and ruins), a little bit of shopping, Dairy Queen, Dunkin Donuts, an amazing Thai Buffet (the restaurant provided the raw meat and noodles and we cooked them over a fire pot thing on the table...it was so cool), a great Thanksgiving dinner-international style, and spending time with friends. I am so thankful for this time that I've had, and so thankful that I get to go back to Hong Kong.