Lights Out

Yesterday brought a surprise in the form of lack of electricity. We came back from school at noon to find that not only would our lights and fans not turn on, but we had no water. No sink, shower, and most unfortunately, toilet (reference Everybody Poops entry). Everyone else headed out to do various things like the pool, Doi Suthep, or internet--I, however, decided the time was ripe for a little nap. I woke up an hour and a half later completely drenched with sweat, and decided that the time was ripe, in fact, for a little Airport Plaza. Packing my bag, I quickly made my way out to the street, flagged down a taxi, and stepped into air-conditioned bliss at the Airport Plaza mall. Sweet, sweet air-conditioning. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

I watched Night at the Museum 2, which was really entertaining. Also, I saw the Harry Potter trailer--cannot wait for July 16! Though we'll probably be able to get a black-market copy here next week.

Returning home at 6:45 to get ready for our group dinner imparted the worst--our electricity was still off. Everyone was sitting in the dark, grouchily waiting to ambush our coordinator the moment he stepped through the door. Thankfully, he had organized a guest house stay for the night for us, and while the guest house looked awful at first glance, it was actually very comfortable and clean. I was one of 2 out of 6 who actually stayed overnight in the guest house--the rest booked air-conditioned rooms in the hotel whose pool we've been swimming in. Kind of jealous. But I did sleep really well last night, so can't really complain. The other girl who stayed, who was also named Steph, came to breakfast with me this morning at a new find, "Coffee Lovers". The strawberry smoothie and banana pancake I had for breakfast should qualify as a sort of modern-day ambrosia. Sooooo good. I saved half that pancake for a tasty mid-morning treat. mmmm.

Though a rough-looking Dalmatian attempted to waylay us on our way back to the dorm to catch the morning truck, do not worry, my friends, we prevailed. With the help of a Thai woman who rescued us and shouted at the dog. But hey--he was big. And mean-looking. He meant business.

And so, off to another day at school.