Crystal’s Adventures

He’s 33 today, according to The Nation, Bangkok’s English newspaper.

So my new words from the past two days are goodbye: “Lah-GAWN”, with a falling tone.
Spicy: “PRICK”, with a high tone. Hot pepper: “PET”, with a low tone.

It’s been raining so much, all day and night the past two days. Lots of thunder. Bangkok is lush and steamy.

Yesterday I saw a huge centipede (or something like a centipede) crawling next to the lily pond at UNESCO. It was about six inches long and thicker than my finger, like the kind we had in Gabon.

Work is going well. I’ve finished editing the Bhutan, Indonesia, Myanmar and Pakistan country profiles, as well as an Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH) needs assessment report for the Asia and Pacific Island regions.

Some interesting facts I just learned: when the U.S. rejoined as a member of UNESCO just a few years ago, they insisted on taking up the highest positions, and then they made our ARSH unit bury its Web page further down into the main site because it’s content too “controversial” and doesn’t advocate abstinence-only values. Two months ago, they also made ARH remove the word “abortion” from our site completely, because they claim that it is trying to promote abortion, when in reality it is simply reporting about the practice all over the world. It’s things like this that make me embarrassed to be an American.
Also, did you hear the latest about the ACLU?

(sigh)

On a lighter note, last night I saw Star Wars Episode III, because it was opening night for it here in Bangkok. Awesome! My favorite part was the big jumping lizard.

I’ve started eating my food “Thai style”, with a fork in my left hand and a huge spoon in my right. The food is pushed onto the spoon with the fork, and the hand with the spoon puts the food in the mouth.

I was sick Tuesday through the night, but I felt better by Wednesday. It’s my own fault for being so adventurous with street vendor food and weird-looking fruit…

But for some reason I look really FABULOUS in Thailand! My hair is soft and shiny, and my skin is smooth and glows. I think it’s the humidity and the hot peppers that keep the color in my cheeks.

Monday is a Thai religious holiday, so we have a three-day weekend. I am creating an action-packed list of adventure activities for myself and my friend Kate Hummel who is visiting from nearby Vietnam (and who is one of my bridesmaids) to do this weekend, including a visit to the Grand Palace, the famous Temple of the Dawn, Chinatown and the weekend market.
Stay tuned for the reports…