Family Blog

Pedestrian crossing!

Thursday, 08 September 2016 08:18 |

Written by Tatjana Bak

During the rainy season the streets and sidewalks become very green and slippery and we end up having to clean it. The best way to do this is to use a pressure washer. This seemed like a nice job for Nathan. When he was about half-way done he got bored and started to get some creative ideas. He started making a pedestrian crossing in the street and then decided that it would be good to also have a parking ban on that section so he made the sidewalk edge black and white. That’s how dirty the street gets during rainy season.
It’s good to see that you can have so much fun while working.

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Conference in Sukhothai

Tuesday, 09 August 2016 00:00 |

Written by Tatjana Bak

Early in August we, Peter, Tatjana, and Nathan, had a conference in Sukhothai. We were there for 4 days with colleagues from different ministries throughout northern Thailand. 7 staff from our ministry also came to this conference. It was a time of learning, meeting new people, meeting up with friends, and relaxing.
The city of Sukhothai is in a province by the same name and is situated in Northern Thailand. This city is over 700 years old and used to be the capital city of Thailand before Ayutthaya and now Bangkok. Sukhothai enjoyed a golden age under the reign of Ramkhamhaeng the Great, as he is now known. Ramkhamhaeng is also known for his design of the Thai alphabet. So because of him we can now read and write.
The city has many old ruins of temples and the old city wall is still visible in some spots. The oldest part of the city is now a historical site and can be visited for an entry fee. You can walk through it or rent a bike. You can also enter with your car but you have to pay extra for that. If you love history then this city is definitely worth visiting.

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Vacation to Nan and Chiang Mai

Wednesday, 13 July 2016 00:00 |

Written by Tatjana Bak

During our vacation we (Peter, Tatjana and Nathan) did and saw a lot of things.
One of the most interesting of all experiences was one that happened while we were staying at a hotel in Chiang Mai located near the train station, called the “Bossotel”.
While me and my dad were walking towards our hotel room, just returning from a visit to a grocery store, we witnessed a spectacular event that was worth capturing on my cellphone.
What happened was that the hotel had hired some people to fix a lightbulb in the lobby, and so a group of 5 people came to finish the job.
Now, I have seen many crazy things in Thailand that were totally against the Dutch safety regulations, but this was the best I have ever seen.

Here is the pic:

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Vacation and sitting still!

Wednesday, 27 July 2016 00:00 |

Written by Tatjana Bak

Sitting still is not something that Peter is good at. Peter is happiest when he has something to do. We went to a province called Naan, which has very beautifully forested mountains. We drove through those mountains for hours and sometimes we were up so high that we were driving in the clouds. It was very beautiful there. We visited a cave, weavers, a 150 year old wooden house and played many games.
The second week of our vacation we met up with friends in Chiang Mai. We got invited to stay with them in the mountain village where they work and live. We had stayed with them several years ago and had many good memories from that time so it wasn't hard to say yes to their offer. We had a couple of amazing days with them laughing, playing games, having serious conversations, and doing work. Peter and Nathan helped with building and painting projects while I, Tatjana, helped clean the legs of the chickens. Yes, living chickens with dirty feet because of the muddy ground. They had little clumps of clay stuck to their feet. 1 person held the chicken while the other tried to clean the feet.
We all wanted to stay longer but as the saying goes: "there is a time for coming and a time for going."
We are thankful for friends!

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Graduated!

Friday, 10 June 2016 07:34 |

Written by Tatjana Bak

After 4 years of High School it was finally time for Jeremy to graduate. Amazing! Jeremy had good grades. Good to the point that he scored highest in his class which meant that he was the Valedictorian. This means that you have to give a speech at the Graduation ceremony. Jeremy surprised everyone with his speech because he is normally not the kind of person who uses a lot of words or shares his emotions but this time he did… In front of a big crowd. In the Dutch tradition we hung out the flag with his schoolbag hanging from the top of the pole.
After the graduation ceremony Jeremy and his class and their homeroom teacher went on vacation to Hua Hin. Throughout their senior year the whole class worked hard to earn enough money to go on this trip. They had an amazing week. The last day of school they were back for the school picnic. This is an event that always takes place on the last day of the school year and everyone and their families is invited. After that the 3 month long summer break starts.
Jeremy will be going to the Netherlands for a year to work after which he plans to continue his education in the USA. Exciting times!

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