An unexpected meeting...

Hello once again to everyone, I hope all is well with everyone. Things are still going well for me here in "Amazing Thailand", as many people refer to it. Before I begin, I would like to send out a warm Happy Chinese New Year to everyone. I was invited to a party on Sunday to celebrate the New Year and it was held at a restaurant called the "Golden Dragon." I found out that it is the largest in the country and one of the largest in the world. In 1991, it was actually given an award from the Guiness Book of Records for seating capacity, square footage, and people employed (somewhere around 1,200...so Rick, if you are reading this, think about that number the next time you get stressed about employee costs). There were about 25 of us total from all different parts of the globe. If I remember correctly, among us there was a total of 13 different languages within our group and most of us were meeting each other for the first time. It is great to be a part of events like this because I get to learn about more cultures as well as do some networking. One of the coolest events that take place at this dining establishment was watching a Thai waiter fly via cable from one end of the restaurant to the other with a food plate that also contained fire. We got to see perform on four occasions, but the first time I saw this gentleman in action I could not help but say, "Oh my gosh, it's the Asian Peter Pan!" All in all, a great time was had and I cannot wait for the next celebration.

Besides the celebration, I wanted to share with everyone the experience that I had on the way to the party. The unexpected meeting that I am referring to in the title was not meeting so many new people at the restaurant.

I received a call from my co-worker, Alexis, who invited me to the celebration and told me that I need to be there no later than 7pm. Now, I have never taken a cab by myself due to the language barrier but there is a first time for everything right? She told me to send her a text when I was leaving my apartment and she would tell me what information to give "Timmy Taxi." So, I clean up, put on my red colors, and am ready to go. I get out of the building and start writing a text and not paying attention to what is in front of me. All of a sudden, in mid-text, I ran into an object that was quite bigger than me and also had a hair and skin texture that is different from that of a human. I look up, and I see an elephant looking right at me. I couldn't help but smile, and the Thai man stared at me with a look that basically said, "Hey.....stupid foreigner! How do you seriously not notice a GIANT elephant on the sidewalk?" After that, I bought the elephant some bananas and went on my way. Every time I think about it I cannot help but laugh out loud and think of my two best friends, Dylan and Furda, saying to me, "Is today your first day walkin' retard?"

Well, that is about it for now. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I would love to write more, but I actually have to get to work and make final exams. Until next time, remember that spotting the elephant in the room is not always as easy as it seems.