oh yeah

I remembered a Thailand story as soon as I left the internet cafe. I may post a picture about it sometime, if I get a chance. Ok, so here's what happened:

Saturday was our day off. A group of us went to this Thai culture/elephant show/garden place. For 50 baht (like less than $1.50), you can get your picture taken with an elephant! So we all decided to do it. Some people stood next to the elephant, or sat on top of a baby one. But the elephant I chose is trained to pick people up in its trunk and hold them in its mouth! So I have now been in an elephant's mouth. It was one of the most unusual experiences of my life.

Other than that, I've been learning to fight fires, first aid, life boats, life rafts, all kinds of things seafarers need to know. I've had 3 of the 5 tests, and made 100's on all of them. As long as I pass the other two, I will be a certified seafarer, which basically means that as long as I stay in the port cities, I won't need a visa, and I won't get a stamp in my passport. I can pay $$ and get a stamp in my passport, but that would be silly. I've also learned lots of vocabulary, like fo'c'sle, coxswain, and quayside.

Oh and, I had a dream about Mama's sweet tea.