the adventure I find myself in / das Abenteuer in dem ich mich finde

Month: May 2009

Flying Ants

Rainy season started in Chiang Mai. It has rained every day the last week. In the evening after the rain stops the flying ants come out for the "light party" looking for a girl. Yeah right they are all male. Then after a short time partying they drop to the floor and die of exhaustion. What a life! 

It's on me next day to clean up the mess. I feel like the bartender who has to throw the drunks out after hours. I just throw them over the wall after the birds have feasted on them. 
To be honest I also tasted some over the years. Thai people fry them and it them with some fish sauce…… yummy…. they are high on proteins. I cannot really warm up those bugs as a snack, but perhaps I should dip them in chocolate next time.

Here are some pictures:

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41 years… Happy Birthday to meeeee!

Today is another one of those days that only come once a year. It is my birthday, or the day my mother labored me into this world in pain. In a strange world that often times seems hostile to me with all it's conflicts and hardships. But also a world that was made for me to live in. I mean there is everything on this planet we need to have a great life. Most of the people on this planet don't have this option and struggle through their lives. some can call themselves lucky. This post is getting a bit gloomy. I mean that looking back on my journey all those years I consider myself fortunate. (Thank you God for showing up in my life, you made all the difference).

40 was the kind of magic number as an "age number". Mid-life; time to look back and be depressed. Somehow with 41 I look at life different. I somehow processed through alot of things in my life and things became clearer and it feels like I am coming into a new phase, perhaps a new fork on my journey. I am not quite there yet, but I can sense and see some of the changes. To be honest I can even get a bit excited about it. So for me 40 is soooo five minutes ago. long live 41.

For everyone who wonders what all this rambling is about….. I don't know either. But to assure you. I have not gotten a tattoo nor a gold chain for my neck. Yet :-) 

Happy Birthday to meeeee!

Samstag Abend….

Nachdem ich mit meinen zwei älteren Kids noch einen Film geschaut habe, musste ich mal wieder meinen Schreibtisch aufräumen und alles was sich so angehäuft hat durchgehen und neu stappeln. Dann musste ich auch noch packen und meinen Trip in die Berge vorbereiten. Morgen früh werde ich für zwei Tage in die Berge fahren.

Ich werde mal wieder ein paar Gottesdienste besuchen. Morgen ist ja Sonntag. In Hui Kau Laam sollten eigendlich bis zu 30 Personen, meist Kinder im Gottesdienst sein. 
Wir werden auch das Scholarship Program durchgehen. Am Montag werde ich mit Mitarbeitern zusammensitzen und die Vorgehensweise besprechen. Wir werden dieses Jahr noch mehr Kindern den Schulbesuch ermöglichen können und unsere Unterstützung weiter ausdehnen.
Als drittes müssen wir die Ausmessung für das Fundament des unteren Stockes machen. Dies wird unser neuer Treffpunkt, Gottesdienstraum und unter der Woche die Kindertagesstätte in Hui Kau Laam.
Morgen früh geht's los…

Last week in short

It is Sunday. The kids are in a camp for three days and it is so quite around the house. I spent two days in the mountains. We had to drive pipes and building material to a remote area in the Hui Kau Laam valley. My truck suffered a little, got scratched up and the tail gate was bend under the heavy load. 

Driving back and forth through the forest I realized how much this placed has changed in the last 8 years I have come here. It used to be populated by four Lahu villages, which all have been relocated in the last four or five years. Further back in the deeper forest where we did our biggest water project the forest has disappeared due to slash and burn farming. There is a lack of land for the growing population of hill-tribe people in this area. Alot of the beautiful bamboo, the village has it's name from has been cut down for sale to orange farmers. Somehow sad what is happening in this once so very beautiful valley.
Enoch said how he remembered us coming here regularly to share the love of God with the people deep in the valley where in rainy season it was sometimes impossible to enter. All this is slowly disappearing and we are left with memories and pictures from our digital cameras.

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On the last trip back from the jungle I caught a terribly itchy rash that lasted the last three days. Today I feel a bit better. I had to take some strong antihistamine that made me quite tired. 

Friday evening I played with the Itinerants in the UN Irish pub. Once again I realized how much I enjoy playing folk music. 

This is last week in short. I wish you all a good start into the new week.

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