These are four women from the Issan region of Thailand (north-east). It's sort of equivalent to the west of the U.S. -- rugged, hot, dry, kind of wild. (photo by Jennifer Forester)

Here's me a couple weeks ago in SiSatchanalai. These two women are local English teachers, and were an amazing help during my site visit.

These are the amazing kids who live in my homestay village. In the front is Da(falling tone), then Da (short tone), then Ai (rising tone). Yeah. You have to say the tones right. (photo by Jennifer Forester)

In San Francisco! I met Meaghan on the airplane from Chicago, and here we are will ALL our stuff for the next 27 months!

Here's the whole group right after they made site announcements. PC made a huge map of Thailand on the floor and we all sat down where we will live. I'm here, near the front in a red shirt!

our group visited a monastary (called "Wat" in Thai) that is a hospice for people with AIDS. This is use paying respect to the hundreds of people who have died at the Wat but whose families never came to collect their bodies.

This is the restaurant my language class eats at almost every day. The best restaurant I've found!

Here is my technical group working with the basket group on creating a brochure for them. These ladies are amazing.

I met this woman while visiting Issan.

Who is that farang?

Here I am meeting the local goverment office, SAO, in SiSatchanalai.

Here's a church I found with my friends last week. It was this little Catholic chapel which they opened for us and let us have a little worship in. I was so honored when my friends asked me to lead worship for us. :)

Classic Thai picture! On my right is Prasad, another PCT. On my left is his host-father, wearing a matching shirt. Get to know this hand-signs. No Thai photo is complete without them.

Here's me and my friend Becky. Everyone here has nicknames. Mine is "Ari," which means "loving and kind." Becky's is "Denkwa," which means "cucumber." Lucky girl.

Here's me and my host parents. I can't believe how huge I look!

This old guy carves amazing teak wooden doors. I think he's smiling because I told him he's handsome.

I visited a current PCV in the Issan region of Thailand and went to help with administering a health survey. This lady and I had to ask 50 women in the village about their knowledge of breast-cancer. After the 3rd person we talked to, my counterpart decided that the questions weren't that important, so she just filled in the answers for them. And so our survey tour became a chit-chat tour.

This is my homestay house! NOT typical. My host family is one of the wealthiest in the community.

This is Khun Ba. She is the head of a basket-weaving group I've been working with the past month. Love the Thai kitchen.

This is Conor. He is trouble and not to be trusted.