Yesterday after church, I was a little bored b/c there was no one around at all. Paul had gone to Bangkok for the weekend, Amnuey had gone to Koh Nok, and Benz had gone to dinner with some people from her church. Then I remembered that Amnuey had repaired an old bicycle that I could use! So I went out on my first bike excursion by myself! I felt so free. It reminded me so much of the old days when I used to go out for hours-long bike rides by myself in Salzburg. I explored just about every corner of the city on my bike, almost no matter what the weather was. And I loved it. It was a great adventure. Somehow, I couldn't really feel lonely on my bike. I felt close to God and close to nature. I could stop anywhere I wanted to; I could go to a little cafe and enjoy a hot cup of coffee on a cold day. I could bike up challenging hills (and partway up Gaisberg Mountain) or on the flat road alongside the river, which led out to other towns.
Well, this bike ride wasn't quite like those times in Austria. There are no bike paths here, and it's not really safe to ride along the main road, so a bike can't be my main form of transportation. But every time I set out by myself on a long bike ride, I always reminisce a bit. This bike trip had one thing in common w/ my bike rides in Austria: the bike was really clankety and rickety, and too small! As I soon discovered, I couldn't shift gears! Well, I could shift up but unfortunately not back down. That made it a hard ride up the hills. I had to go old school and stand up to pedal. I rode out a small country road that goes through the rubber tree plantations and out to the waterfall (the one I've been to a few times already). I didn't ride all the way to the waterfall b/c I didn't have a watch and I thought it'd be getting dark soon, but I rode to the reservoir. It was a cloudy day and late in the afternoon, so it wasn't very hot at all, just a bit humid. I loved it. I realized how much I've missed bike riding since I've been here, especially since I don't drive either, and I feel a bit stuck.
Today was our first German-Thai lesson: me, Ton, and four Germans. Boy, did we ever laugh! All four of them were so funny and good-natured and interesting to talk to. My brain got all mixed up as I tried to understand everything Ton was saying and then translated it into and explained in German (but really, it worked out well for the most part. Occasionally I turned to Ton and spoke to him in German, and then he gave me a confused/ amused look). I am really happy about this opportunity to help Ton (earn some money), to use my German in a challenging way, and to get to know some nice people. It's good to be connected to the German community here. A lot of them stay here for half the year or longer (they are retired). I encouraged them to all buy the same book, one that has German and Thai, so that Ton will know what to prepare beforehand, and they will have a better idea of what's going on in class. It is hard to learn a language that has a different alphabet, so you have to learn by trying to distinguish the sounds as best you can and writing them down the way they sound.
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Bri~bike riding sounds like so much fun! I know what you mean about feeling free and having the means to ride anywhere you fancy. It's easier to appreciate nature when you're on a bike and not in a car, though I'm sure you wish you had a car sometimes. Good job with the Thai-German lesson. That is so cool that you can integrate your talents to bless both your friend and your new German friends. What would you have said if someone told you in Salzburg that you would use your German in Thailand years later!
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