Wow I've Been Lazy

Okay, it has been longer than I thought since I last updated this blog... no wonder everyone's been getting on my case. :)

I blame my lack of writing on the AWESOMENESS that was the month of October. Seriously, it was really good.

I'm going to go back in time and just work through my month, but I'll do it in multiple little posts. That way, if you're using Google Reader you get more exciting notifications. If you're not using Google Reader, well, find your own way to be super-duper-happy about the lack of one monster post.

Now, as some of you may already know, October begins on October first. But for me it really started on October 6th-9th: RYLA!!

RYLA Camp was mandatory for all Inbounds, and for all Thai students wishing to be Outbounds. There were also a few kids hanging around who had already been on exchange.

Despite the fact that it took our bus 9 hours to get from Chiang Mai to Uttaradit (the return took 4 1/2???) it was well worth the lengthy ride.

Getting to hang out with the other Inbounds was, as always, fantastic.

Staying up til 3 in the morning talking with people - part of which involved an hour long conversation with my Californian friend Chantale about burgers - hanging out with a whole group of new Thai kids, trying to teach Thai kids how to Soulja Boy... It was all a blast!

There were many, many presentations - but three of them were truly memorable.

The first of these memorable presentations was having a total BO$$ old Thai guy (seriously, he wore his shades inside and drove a super old Mercedes) showing us a PowerPoint presentation that included: happy jumping M&Ms, Dragon Ball Z animations, and a Harry Potter clip. And then he sang "Smile, and the World Smiles With You" to us and led us in a chorus or three of "If You're Happy and You Know It".

The latter of which involved the verse "If you're happy and youn know it, Rotary!" At which point we all shouted ROTARY! (Or, really, Lotalee) and triumphantly fist-bumped the air above us.

The second, oh so memorable presentation was by a monk. Yes, a monk. A monk who did stand-up comedy. And showed us video of cats falling and running into things, as well as... wait for it.... Charlie Bit My Finger!! Yes, I witnessed a MONK show an auitorium full of teenagers a random, funny YouTube video.

Even if the rest of RYLA had sucked, that would have made it a totally worthwile weekend.

The last memorable video was very, VERY memorable. And not in nearly so pleasant a way as the other two were. This video was of a woman giving birth. And not the whole woman or anything like you get in Bio 30. No, this was just a close up of the -shall we say, critical area... Actually, when it first popped up on the screen I thought the guy had actually opened the wrong video by mistake... Because it was truly just a close-up of the woman's vagina and I (and apparently most of the other YEs) thought that he had opened porn by mistake.

I wish I could forget this video. It was gross. And there are some parts of it that did not look at all like what we learned about happening in Bio 30....

Apparently, this video was to show us how grateful we should be to our mother, because of what she had to go through to give birth to us.

Don't worry though Mom, I don't have some appreciation-guilt-complex now. I know you copped out and had a C-section. :)

So RYLA was great, the team-building exercises were pretty fun, and all in all I had a way better time than I thought I would.

Now, as for: PICTURES!

The first is a pretty great story: I was hanging out with my friends Chantale and Dominique. But I went back to my room at about 11:30/Midnight to shower and put on PJs before we stayed up talking super late. I was sharing said room with my ADORABLE Japanese friend, Aya. I knocked on the door and when there was no answer I assumed she was either asleep or off in someone else's room. I walked in, turned on the light, and found Aya. She was curled up on the bed, still wearing her clothes from the day, with her towel and PJs lying on the bed beside her.

So I booked it to Chantale and Dominique's room and made them come see how CUTE she was.

And then we took pictures. :D

The second is of me and Chantale, after she used her Thai costume lipstick to give me a rather obvious kiss on the cheek.

The third is of a bunch of the YEs. Not all of us. There are about 30 of us. So that for sure wasn't all of us. But it's a cute picture anyways, eh?

I need to go to school now. So I will sign off, and leave you all in breathless anticipation of my next scintillating update.

And the answer to this question:
How do you get a Kleenex to dance?

Love,
Jocelyn