Like the Mona Lisa, beautiful things always come in surprisingly small packages and this is true for the "Emerald Buddha" (which is technically made of Jade), the most precious Buddha in all of Thailand. In my class this week I am teaching my students about Thailand (cause that makes sense to have an American teacher teach her Thai students about their own country, I basically only taught them the word tourist) and to show them a little bit of the culture we took a field trip to Wat Phra Gaew, the temple within the Grand Palace Royal grounds. Of course super cuteness followed and there are tons of pictures but it was also a really interesting day for Miss Ellie as I have not had the time (nor money, it is 400 baht for for foreigners to get in!) to get to the Grand Palace yet. The architecture of ancient Siamese buildings is really incredible, it looks like something out of a storybook, mostly because it is. Stories of Kings and ancient Siamese people are are written in the most eloquent script that makes monk chants sound like mystic music rising from the pointed framework. Walking around any temple, whether it be the in Royal Palace or in my own backyard, the shimmering jewels are breathtaking.










This is what Thailand is really all about. Not the full moon parties, not delicious street food, not tuk tuk rides, not cheap women - Thai people are devote, traditional and hardworking people who have a very rich history of beauty and elegance, entagled with Buddhism and a land of Kings. I have only scratched the surface of this culture but I seem to learn a little more everyday, with six little cuties (and one big one) with me along the way.