fall and what-not.

I know it's been a while since my last post, but Fall has been on my mind... so I had to give it a proper tribute before moving on to other things.

There is something so beautiful about the heat of summer losing its edge and the cool nights creeping in to cool the day. The leaves bursting with colors and falling, crisping, being collected. Cider available at every store, powdered donuts, cinnamon, browns and burnt oranges.

Even if you don't carve a pumpkin, decorate your porch with hay or eat fresh corn on the cob, it's all still there to observe and enjoy. Sometimes things coming to an end is peaceful... Nature wrapping up before the winter sets in.

[source: nostalgic-wanderlust] 

It's not anything like that here. No warm Fall glaze casting a filter over Bangkok. Here it is endless summer. Some days are warmer than others, but every day is hot, punctuated only by the near-daily rains. Seasons seem non-existant, although those who have been here longer are accustomed to the nuanced shift from rainy season to dry season, with a brief interlude between called "winter".

I do love it here and the weather has grown on me a bit. It is not nearly so oppressive as it was when I first arrived. I've been assured that rainy season is the most pleasant of the seasons and that I'll be wishing it back once the heat index hits 117 and there is no rain for months. And yet, I do feel twinges of homesickness when I see folks back home enjoying the culture of Fall.

This has forced me to put on my metaphorical apron and start being inventive on how to bring Fall here. It's my day off today, and the rain cancelled my long-run, so I've been getting work done in my room. Currently, my toaster oven is heating up a pot with a mixture of cinnamon and other spices in it. The smell of Fall has now successfully permeated everything in my room, including me.

I've also invested in some stock-baking items and organized a couple of my shelves into a make-shift kitchen. There are very few ovens in Thailand, so learning to cook/bake by toaster oven is necessary... if you want to use it for anything more than a glorified potpourri warmer. By the end of this year, I may not be the best cook around, but I can guarantee I'll be much more inventive than when I arrived!

Well, that's all for now. I hope you make time to enjoy this season... And please crunch on some leaves in my memory!!

"What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God." -Ecc. 3:9-13