Long Boat Festival in Phichit

Well, It's been way way too long since I made a blog post and I am paying for it! I have probably 4 blog posts to do, and probably way too many pictures to post on here, so that it will take me days just to download them all! (the internet is kinda slow here, so it literally takes hours to download photos onto facebook blogs.) Ok, so i'll just start from the beginning, but first of all, I really need to express my gratitude for how blessed we have been this entire trip so far.  Yes we have only been here about three weeks, but this entire experience, we have been so well taken care of, we haven't lost anything, gotten lost, and everything has really just seemed to fall into place and work out for us and I am so grateful for that.  So many things could be going wrong for us and honestly, a lot of bad things could be happening, but We have been incredibly blessed and I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for that. , This was the coolest festival I have ever been to. It was basically the equivalent to the county fair in La Grande being a small town an all, but 500,000,000,000 times cooler! And the food is way more amazing. Seriously, I was looking over all the things I have bought compared to the other girls, and I was wondering why I don't have as much stuff since I am spending just as much money and then I realized, it's because I am spending a lot of my money on the food here.  Ya, gotta limit myself somewhere.  Apparently if I'm going to limit something it's not going to be my food heck no! It's just going to be souvenirs and probably shampoo and conditioner next or something (just kidding, it's way to hot not to have my hair clean).  Anyways, getting way off track, here a couple photos of the shopping in downtown Phichit during the festival.      

              

The food area, my favorite.

The last day that we went, There were so many people and we couldn't move more than a step every ten seconds or so. 

More Thailand yummys! 

Saw these high school boys playing this game that looked like volleyball with your feet.  It was really interesting and I almost got killed by the ball.  good thing there was a sign in front of me.  

The boat races! The boat races are extremely well known in Thailand and everyone from around Thailand actually comes to Phichit to participate and watch, so that's Phichit's little claim to fame there.  (Good thing they have at least one, Nobody else in Thailand outside of Phichit seems to know where or what this little town is haha) 

The temple we sat right in front of at the boat races.

Seriously, how do they even fit that many people on one boat?

This team was pretty excited to have the only white girls in all of Phichit waving at them haha

Outside the temple we got to go into. 

Inside.  We got blessed by a monk while we were there!

Afterwards, Tang's mom and dad took us to lunch were I experienced the food Thailand is known for. Pad Thai.  Done right! Not Americanized, complete, 100% authentic, scrumptious pad thai.  I am going to die when I go back to America, because nothing even sounds good from there anymore! Except Pizza, I could do pizza, oh and desserts. I could go with a cookie now and then. Maybe a block of cheese to put in some of my food.  They don't really have cheese here I'm realizing. WHAT! 

These little critters are all over the school, you have to be careful where you step at night, or make sure they don't jump on you in the shower.  They are quick little buggers. 

Well, I better get to bed, got another day of teaching tomorrow! Hopefully my next blog post will be soon and I will have pictures up from the Chang Mai trip! Love you guys! Be good and don't forget to "Super Smile!"