Graduation CRAZY!

Well, graduation is definitely different in Thailand than it is in America. One reason could be because education is still a fairly new thing in Thailand, well, compared to America. Kasetsart University is one of the oldest universities and it is only 67 years old. The girls are required to wear makeup and there are so many other rules. One of my friends was worried because he had a black tie and not a navy blue tie and only the knot actually showed. They're pretty strict here. He ended up finding a navy blue tie :D. Here are some pictures.















These are pictures of me with Ting and some of her friends who were also my students last term. All I have to say is after looking at these pictures, I'm glad Thai people like white skin because I am on the verge of opaque. They are all working in different computer programming companies now.

















Here are some other interesting things from graduation. The boys surrounding my friend are doing their dorm cheer as a sendoff now that he has graduated. Also, many of his family members came from his hometown to help him celebrate. For gifts people usually give flowers, little knicknacks and stuffed animals.

















Here are people from my church standing with the proud graduate. This is my friend saying thank you to his parents. His dad folded all of that money into flowers! In total, my friend took over 600 pictures at his graduation. I was in awe!!!!!!!
















One thing that I have enjoyed about this graduation is not to take education for granted. It is a very big deal when people complete a degree of any kind and I think this whole event has reminded me of all of that.

However, I don't think I'll get used to being like a celebrity in Thailand. I went to take a picture with one of my students who graduated (I forgot my camera, so I don't have that picture yet) and her mom was watching me trying to figure out who I was there to see. When her daughter came up to me and I gave her a hug, her mom was stunned. Not only did she have a hired photographer taking pictures, but her mom couldn't miss the opportunity as well. Then, she e-mailed me saying her mom told all of her family that her daughter has a foreigner visit her on her graduation day. It's cute honestly and I really liked my student, so it's fine. However there are some days I wish I could blend in better hahaha.

After that week, I was able to have a week just to relax. I had to proctor a few exams and was able to rest from all my running around. Now, I have started teaching again today. It's nice because my students have actually said they missed my classes. I enjoy teaching them.

Please pray for one American professor. While I was proctoring one exam, I was reading my Bible. The other teacher came over to me and saw what I was reading and proceeded to tell me that he had never read the Bible before, but had started reading it from start to finish. However, his views were rather interesting. He was telling me God was weak because Moses could tell him what to do, God was a bad judge of character because he picked people who decieved and lied, etc. in the OT. Also, God was a murderer because he killed so many people. If he's truly God, he would find a way to do things that didn't involve killing people. There were other things too, but those are the main ones. It was quite interesting. I'm sure I'll be seeing him more and I offered to babysit his kids as well. He's a really nice guy who wants to help people, which is why he teaches. Just keep him in your prayers. God bless :D