Team Chin: I might move to Thailand

Ok, my wishes were answered in a big way! Remember in the last post when I (jokingly) hoped that our Thai teacher would want to whip up fabulous dishes each night. Well, he did. Like, at least 3 times a week for the two weeks he was here. He even taught Bobby how to make several of the dishes and left recipes for the ones he didn't instruct on. We also discovered an International Market on Lafayette Rd that I know we will be frequenting from now on. Bobby described it as a Walmart for foreign food. Noi was amazed because this place had all the brands of things he buys in Thailand. I'd call that pretty authentic! So I have now had Tom Kun Kha and some other soup, two different types of Laab, some kind of canned fish concoction, a delicious fried egg dish, Pad Thai (of course) and all the rice I could ask for. So, not only do we have some new food to add to our cooking repertoire, I have some different things that I can order at Thai restaurants. Those menus always intimidate me and I inevitably end up ordering Pad Thai out of fear. Don't get me wrong, I love Pad Thai. But it's nice to have some new options and actually know what I'm getting! Noi has gone back to Thailand now--the group left on Saturday--but he left a huge mark on our family (and not just because of his culinary skills).

I have to say, when Bobby first proposed the idea of hosting a total stranger in our house, for 24 hours a day, for two weeks, I was hesitant. Maybe a little more than hesitant. I'm not exactly the most outgoing person in the world and new things sometimes make me nervous. New people make me nervous. That's probably why, for all my big talk of moving somewhere warmer, I'm still in good ol' Indiana. Anyway, after some serious discussions and promises that all home repairs would be completed, I conceded. I agreed that it would be a good experience for both us and our children to be exposed to a different culture. This is especially important to Bobby given his Asian ancestry and dedication to teaching for the IB program (International Baccalaureate). The whole experience was SO much more than I could have asked for! Noi has a 4-year-old son of his own so living with our two kids was perfectly normal for him. They adored him and had fun wrestling and entertaining someone who hadn't already seen all their tricks. :) And while they're kinda young to understand the whole "from a different country" thing, some things definitely sunk in. Last night Trey and Emerson were playing in our coat closet (their cave) and invited Bobby to join them. Bobby said he was too big to get in there and Trey said, "No, it's an international closet. Everyone can come in, no matter what." Hmmmm, maybe he did soak up a few lessons along the way. We also opened our house to some other hosts and the other Thai teachers as well. Those nights were a blast--learning about a new culture while entertaining friends. It was perfect (and a nice preview of the summer days soon to be here).

We've also been looking at vacation places in Thailand. It's super cheap to stay in most places over there because of the exchange rate. We'd love to go visit and experience Noi's every day life too. Now, if only the flights were cheaper and it didn't take 2 days to get there! Just another far-off place that we need to save our money for. :)