Sawadikah! Dichann pen naksiksa thii whithayalay chiangmai. Dichann choop khaw-phat gai le naam saparot pan maa. Dichann say suia le ghankhen.
I promise that I know more Thai than that after taking a week of intensive Thai class, but that's enough for now.
Translation: "Hello! I am a student at Chiang Mai University. I like fried rice with chicken and pineapple shakes. I am wearing a shirt and pants."
Pretty elementary, i know. Intensive Thai language class has basically consumed my life for the past 5 days. Class starts at 8 am and goes until 2:30 with an hour break for lunch. If that isn't intense, I don't know what is. The great thing about the Thai language is that there are no verb tenses, so those awful conjugation charts that you remember from Spanish class don't exist for me anymore. The downside is that there is an entirely different alphabet complete with sounds which are not possible for the white man to reproduce. As much as I appreciate spending 5 hours a day learning how to master the art of ordering chicken at the cafeteria, I will be happy to start up a regular class schedule on Monday.
Monday also marks the first day of my internship at RICD, a development center for disabled children. I met with the staff at the hospital this week, assuming that my collegiate music experience would not be of help to them, but to my surprise they suggested that I help in their music therapy program. I'm excited to be there, but I feel unqualified to help in that way, since I have no idea what music therapy really is. I was trying to decide whether to take this internship or one at an orphanage for children with HIV/AIDS, but I really felt that God placed this opportunity specifically in my lap. I know that this semester is going to be a testament to God working through me, since I am definitely not qualified for this position.
Well, tomorrow we wake up at 6 am to begin our hike up a mountain. There is a temple at the top of the mountain that overlooks Chiang Mai, so it should be pretty cool! If my internet situation is any better at my host family's house than it is here at the dorm, maybe I will be able to upload some pictures. Until then, Sawadikah!!!