Learning Thai

Aida and Eder waiting to take their first trip on the Skytrain.

We're excited about the arrival of two new interns - this time from Ecuador. Eder and Aida arrived yesterday afternoon and since then we've been helping to orient them to life in Thailand. Raul (the Costa Rican intern who has been here for about 8 months) is doing a lot of the work. Eder will live with him and Aida will be living with another intern from Nicaragua once she (and two more guys) arrive in a week or so.

Whenever a new intern comes I'm reminded of how overwhelming this move to Thailand is - and amazed at how quickly all of us have made the progression from helpless beginners to at-least-somewhat-competent veterans. Raul, who eight months ago, knew practically nothing about Thailand or the langauge is now helping Eder and Aida purchase health insurance, enroll in a language school, and learn to navigate Bangkok's complicated transportation network. I spent most of today with the three of them - communicating in a confusing mixture of English, Spanish, and Thai.

Eder and Aida both have great attitudes and we're very glad to have them here. Our team's diversity creates some communication challenges, but it also enriches our experience and our witness here. We'll soon have people from four countries working together in a fifth country - it makes for a great learning environment!

-Tom