Today was a good day. It started with a trip to the orphanage this morning. I got to sit on the floor and tickle the sad looking kids that moved to the corners away from the others until they would go and play with everybody else. There were some who still wouldn't play, but I at least got them to stand up and walk to a lap of one of our other teammates. We just sat around really, but it was worth getting up early because there was real joy in those kids eyes and smiles to have us there.

I went to my integrated humanities class, and it was an interesting three hours. She spent the day talking about the Jewish and Christian traditions. I had no idea how she would approach teaching her students about Christianity. I cynically expected whatever had to say would be in a negative light. I had reason though, she has often told very funny but sadly true stories about Bush in class and makes no qualms about saying negative things about America infront of two American exchange students. And it is a rare case indeed where America and "Christianity" don't walk hand in had in peoples minds. I respect her as a teacher, because she really tries constantly to make her students look past the norms and really see things that will allow them to better their lives. She really pushes thinking on the deeper topics of life. Still I was skeptical and curious about how she would approach Christianity. She had berated the Thais in the class for calling themselves Buddhist when they new nothing of Buddhist scriptures. So maybe because of that all she said when she went to speak about Christianity was, she only spoke about its true core, not about how people normally practice it. She told the class Christianity taught that people should love one another, not just people you like. Christians should love everybody. That was the end of her talk on Christians, she did not go into how we have a history of doing horrible things in the name of Christianity, she just laid out what a true Christian should be. After class I stopped by her desk and thanked her for illustrating Christians as they should be, and not as we often are a religion of hypocrisy and mistakes. She merely smiled said that I was very self deprecating and had a good sense of humor. I would like to talk with her more. I don't really know what to take from the class, but I now I was wrong to expect the negative.

We went to Kaoson road and I got to do some Christmas shopping. Its really nice that we get back right a Christmas so we have six months to find the coolest Thai stuff we can and then have the budget to get it for people because it can be their Christmas present. Other that than that the only other big think for the day was I realized just how much I don't like the "no drinking at any time" rule. Apparently the team last year messed up the "you can only drink at Greg and Allison's" rule. This means that in order for any of us to try any varieties of the Thai whiskey that are supposed to be so good we have to pack them and take them home with us, adding a ton of weight to luggage that we need for other things. Im not a fan of this one. But yes it does make me feel a little better to complain. Well over and out.