We're home safe...

got back to a wonderful welcome party with our parents and friends. Thanks everyone for following our story and holding us in your thoughts. Very nice of everyone... not much more to update on... there will be more news on here but later. Thanks again.

We're in Singapore...

we have had a bit of excitement checking bags and finding out that we have a 20kg limit per person on Silk Airways but after some negotiations we only had to pay a small fee and do some moving around. Now we're all working on homework or reading and trying to get a nap in but it's so hard to get sleep in the airport. We depart at 7:00AM tomorrow morning and will arrive at 2:00PM in Chicago. See you all soon!

Almost home...

today was our last eventful day. We went to Patong beach which is one of the most popular beaches in Phuket. It was very beautiful and we went in the water and went shopping around at some shops after lunch. We also found some other interesting things that we'll be sure to discuss when we get home. Life is good let's put it that way. Mai pen ray.

Then we came home and went out to dinner at a very nice restaurant. It was half Chinese and half Thai seafood. Very good. Then we went for some grocery shopping and our last ice cream at Swensons. Rachel and I had fun in an Eat-off each buying the (meant for two people) Earthquake with eight scoops and assorted toppings. Let's just say I'm feeling it now. We're back at the hotel working on some homework and watching some DVDs. Tomorrow is packing day. YAY!

An easy day...

all we did today was work on some homework and go out for a nice dinner at a seafood restaurant. The restaurant was over water which was pretty cool and the food was very good! Tomorrow we are going to one of the best beaches on the Phuket island and enjoying some shopping along with the sun. I'll probably end up in Thailand later in life. It's just too good to pass up. It's sad that their tourism industry may be cut in half next year due to this years events. Thailand is wonderful.

I uploaded some of Lee's pictures from today's dinner.

BIG NEWS...

We're still burned from our day at the beach... just kidding...the highest court in Thailand has ousted the Prime Minister Somchai and dissolved his party (PPP). He has accepted this defeat and has stepped down. This presents a few problems. One the P.A.D. isn't leaving the airport until the new government is formed and who knows how long that will take. Two the pro-government supporters (those who have been known to wear red) are obviously frustrated and believe the court is corrupt and and very upset. We still don't know what they are capable of. Hopefully they too will accept what has come to be so nothing too crazy happens.

*EDIT*

Supposedly reports are changing and the airport could be ready to accept passenger flights as early as Thursday in preparation for the honored King's birthday on Friday although that is hard for me to comprehend considering the fact that airport administration has a lot of work to do to get it ready. I'm sure it hasn't been cleaned for a week and with it housing so many people they will have to do bomb searches and whatnot for security prep.

Today was a very fun today. For about $15 (per person) we went on a full day cruise leaving at 7:30 and returning at 5:00. This cruise was to the islands of Phi Phi (pronounced Pi Pi). They are beautiful islands and it was an hour and a half ride out. When we arrived we went for an hour of snorkeling and then lunch at a nice hotel on the island. After this we went for a bit of shopping and took the boat home. Probably sat about 150-200 and most were foreigners.

As you all know by now not my favorite environment but I'm dealing with it... starting conversations with the travelers to see what they think of the protests and the political issues and what they're doing in Thailand. Most are European and Australian. On the boat ride no one dared to go out to the front of the boat because huge waves were crashing on the deck but I went out in my swim suit and it was great.

Anyways we've still been working on our homework and tomorrow we will have a relaxing day maybe with some shopping. Thursday is still an open day and Friday we will most likely observe the festivities for the King's birthday. Saturday we fly out early in the morning for Singapore.






An interesting tradition we've started is going to Swenson's, the local ice cream store, for a nice cold treat after a long day. Mr. Hossman's idea.



Hope things are well back in the States. Miss you all! I'm sorry this blog post is so un-formatted with the pictures but I think they help to understand and I don't want to spend hours on the computer.

Phuket...

today we took a trip to the beach. It wasn't a jaw-dropping beach but it was pretty and the sun came out for us. We all got a bit sun-burned even with sun screen. The sad thing was that it was almost entirely dominated by Farang (foreigner). Oh well, it was a nice chance to relax. Tomorrow we go on a short cruise around some islands which are supposed to be beautiful. We're getting a bit of touring around Phuket here and there but we are also working on school work. We have a structured schedule now with breakfast, then a meeting, an activity, homework time, dinner, and finally free time before bed. Nice to have some control over what we do. For those of you following Thailand and its international news I will be doing a better post tonight on the best news I have tonight from a few different sources.

Some things to talk about...

There are lots of things I'd like to discuss and I have some time to type because we're hanging at the hotel today to get settled despite being restless from the bus trip.

First of all I'd like to just let everyone know that these events are no representation of how this trip has been at all! Thailand is a beautiful and wonderful place and each and every one of the students on this trip have experienced something awesome! We love it here and I personally would like to let everyone know that traveling to Thailand is something everyone should experience. People here are incredibly giving and nice. Everyone smiles at you when you walk down the street... it's great.

Another thing I want to mention is the misrepresentation and bias of news. It's becoming obvious that overseas it's very easy for things to be misinterpreted or misunderstood. Being in this conflict and seeing it the way a Thai person might (obviously it'd be a bit different) makes me realize that when I hear from someone back in the States what they think is going on it's sometimes completely different. It's interesting to find out what rumors are being spread... at first people thought we were stuck at the airport but obviously that's not the case.

On to today's matters... the first being what we did. We went shopping for a little bit and we went to this ice cream place for a snack. Through this experience we found that Phuket is very touristy. That's a bit disappointing because I don't really want my travel to be like this. I don't like it when I don't have a chance to socialize with the locals. Anyways we were waiting for some people to pay within the ice cream store and all of a sudden two teenagers got in a motor bike accident right in front of our eyes. They skidded for a bit and then when they were on the ground jumped up and got on the bike and drove away. It didn't look like they were hurt at first but I saw a good deal of road-rash on one of their legs. Anyways, halfway through the ordeal a man saw us staring at the accident and just came up and asked if we needed a taxi like it nothing even happened.

Another funny story... we were riding in the elevator and conveniently they it beeps to notify if the weight is too much to ride. It said 1000kg MAX and 15 people. We had about six people in the elevator and it was too much. Just tells you something about how different Americans are built than Thais. Thai people are so small. If you are shopping here don't expect to always find a size big enough for you.

Things are going well. We are enjoying our relaxing days. Bye.