Bangkok & Khao Yai National Park

The first weekend in December, I caught a plane to Bangkok to see Olivia, a childhood friend from my own hometown all the way over here in Southeast Asia. Compared with Phnom Penh, Bangkok is huge--I liken it unto New York City. It's big. After checking out the school there in town, Olivia, her roomate, Lauren, and I headed up to Mission College a couple hours away. Mission College is the best adventist college in Southeast Asia. It's located up in the mountains of Thailand, not far from Khao Yai National Park with its many waterfalls, monkeys, mountains, elephants, lakes, birds, fields, and jungles. We rented a van and driver for the day and checked it out. I was not disappointed.


I was very impressed by this tree and everything in the jungle we wandered into at Khao Yai National Park. It was the highlight of the weekend. Incredible.



Julie, a TA at Mission College, Thailand from California; Olivia, a teacher at Bangkok Adventist International School from Walla Walla College (and Collegedale, Tennessee!!), and myself at one of the waterfalls in the park.



Nine of the group of 10 from Mission College. Julie; Lauren of WWC and California, Olivia, me, ? Japan?, Shannon studying at Mission College from Washington, Lizzy studying at Mission College from British Columbia, Seyha at Mission College from Cambodia, and ? from the Phillipines.

It was good to hang with cool new people my age and a familiar face whom I could talk to about Collegedale happenings, its people, and nearby places. I also enjoyed sailing into the airport in Phnom Penh on Monday morning, smoothly gliding through customs, catching a one dollar moto taxi straight to the school gate, and taking over my 8th grade English class from Fay just 15 minutes late. Smooth.

On Wednesday, I'm leaving school again to go to Siem Reap where I will meet my Mother and Father and two of my best friends, Tim Mathews and Christoffer Clouzet. I'm pretty excited, to say the least.