So our team arrived in Nakhon Sawan, our base during the time we’re in Thailand, around four o’clock Monday morning; it’s about a three hour drive north of Bangkok. On arriving at our “hotel,” we discovered, due to some miscommunication, we weren’t booked in until that night. It was hot outside, those who’d flown in from New Zealand were jet-lagged, and we were all tired. But we’d made it. A two-bed room was made available to us after a short while, so six of us crammed into there - some crashed out on the floor while the lucky ones got the beds – and waited for some rooms to be made available.

As there are seven of us total, and each of the four rooms we now have sleep two people, somebody gets a room to themselves: me. Our team will split into two smaller groups for some of the time we’re here, with half of us heading out to Naresuan University in Phitsanulok for a few days at a time, and as the only girl in our small group, it made sense for me to get the single room while I’m here in Nakhon Sawan.

Yesterday was spent in orientation followed by a tour of the university, dinner at the missionary’s house / NS youth house, bible study and prayer. And of course we’ve been eating lots of yummy Thai food and tropical fruits like pawpaw, pomplemouse (sp?) and watermelon.

University here is definitely different to New Zealand – students wear uniforms, and twenty percent of their course grade comes from attendance, participation and presentation. It seems the main form of student transport is scooters or motorbikes, but for us it’s by foot or songtheow, a vehicle sort-of like a ute with a roof over the back; you jump in the back and pull a cord when you want to stop.

Tomorrow our small group is heading out to Naresuan University to meet the staff and students, teach English – we’ve got a crash course in how-to tonight – and spend some time in prayer and evangelism.