First day, FREE – September 24-25, 2011

The next 24 hours after the family left was CRAZY! Meredith and I unpacked our room! The apartments are brand new and beautiful! The rooms look like a really nice hotel! We have our own bathroom  (with hot water), air-conditioning, a huge fridge, huge closet, lots of drawers and cabinets, a microwave, a balcony, and even internet! Our Ethernet cord isn’t working though. But it’s really amazing. The apartment building has a pool and workout facility on the ROOF that overlooks the city. It’s unreal. I never imagined it would be this nice. So, we were obviously excited.

We headed to Gat Luang to get stuff we needed for our rooms. That took a while but eventually we got everything and headed out. We got back to the apartment, and decided to go swimming!! We packed the pool. Everyone was just so excited to be free so we were all discussing what we would do for the night! People had different ideas so a bunch of us made plans to go to a nice dinner for Meredith’s birthday on Nimman Haman street (the high street) and get some drinks. It was a GREAT dinner. I only spent about 400B ($13) on a really nice dinner of chicken parmesan, hummus, a mojito, and a large beer! NEVER IN AMERICA! We stayed for a while and then headed back to the apartments. We passed a Roti place (sort of like crepes but better) and all got DELICIOUS Rotis. I ate SO MUCH. I asked the waiter for his recommendation and he said the “Thai Sweet” Roti. It was delicious. Although, it had a weird kick to it and realized there was a good chance that there was some sort of crab flakes added to it. So, that was weird.

We continued the walk back and hung out in the apartments for a while with the group! We went up to the roof and had some beer and just chilled and talked for a while. Then a few of us decided it was time to go out! We had heard of this club called “Warm Up” that all the Chiang Mai University students go to! So, we headed out and a bunch of people decided to come along, as well. We walked all the way back up Nimman Haman street and found the club. This club was crazy! There were many parts to it. The inside had American music and there were groups of friends drinking and socializing around buckets of ice/drinks. Not very much dancing… But we had our hearts set on dancing so we did it anyways. Definitely not appreciated and I sensed it…so I decided I was done with that and we started to head out. As we were walking out, the rest of the group came in! We went to a different area where there was a live band (boy band!!) playing. We all went to the front and a few of us got RIGHT front and center and got really into the music and danced A LOT! I had a great time!

After a while, we headed out of that area and back to the main area with the bar and tables and we found some more people from our group who said the rest were in the “lounge”. So we walked in and it was all crazy lights and dup step! Of course, we couldn’t pass it up so we danced there for a while too! We even tried out our Thai with some of the locals! I think they sort of understood. It was a cool experience but I’m not sure how often I am going to take part in this scene. It’s a little intense.

Meredith, Mel and I took a Tuk Tuk (3-wheeled motorcycle with an attached seat and roof) back to the apartments! We immediately fell asleep and woke up LATE the next morning. First time sleeping past 8am!! We were not feeling so hot in the morning so we got smoothies and breakfast and then it was time for homework. We had to do our homework early because we all wanted to go to Walking Street Market (the one I went to with my family and LOVED).

Walking Street was a little overwhelming today. It was much more crowded and we were so exhausted from the night before. So, we got massages on the street (60B/$2 for a half hour). Massages here are SO CHEAP! There is a spa outside our apartments that have a full body, 2 hour massage for 200B (<$10). I will definitely take advantage! We ate dinner, shopped a little, and then took a Tuk Tuk back. Tuk Tuks are my new favorite way to travel. They are so comfortable and you get a great breeze and the view is great.

Agroecology starts tomorrow! It seems like we haven’t been in school in forever…LONG weekend! But, it was a good one. I could live here for a while.

Last night with the family – Friday, September 23, 2011

I was a little nervous for my last night with my family. I wasn’t really sure how to act. Should I be really sad or hug them? I had no idea. I was definitely excited to have some freedom and fun in Chiang Mai in the apartments but at the same time, leaving was definitely going to be kind of sad! Big change! So, we headed home, I took a shower, and then I biked over to Meh’s house. It was kind of awkward. We didn’t really talk, just watched TV. Then it was dinnertime and I decided to give my family their gifts! I had a book with picture of DC and I had gotten pictures printed and bought a frame to give them. I had also made Nong Not a friendship bracelet. But, I think the best thing was my card! I spent 3 days of breaks at school with Ajan Sitorn writing a card. The first day I figured out how to say the sentences and wrote in English phonetics. Then I went home and tried to spell each word in Thai. Then Ajan helped me to correct my Thai! I put A LOT of effort into the card.

So, I gave them the presents (wrapped) and they just put them aside. This is normal in the Thai culture and they said to expect that. But I told them to open the card! Paw read it and I said “tuk mai?”…meaning, is it right? And he said no. I was REALLY disappointed. Then he came over and proceeded to show me every little thing I did wrong. I didn’t really take it well…I was kind of annoyed. I think he noticed and then said, “but it ok…I can understand.” So, that kind of threw off my mood. I know he didn’t mean any harm. He is always a little hard on me and I think it is really because he wants me to improve. I got over it because I wanted to enjoy my last night!!

When I said goodbye to Ba Plun (my aunt), I was REALLY sad. It hadn’t really hit me yet. I really like her. She is a hard one to explain. She was kind of serious but in a loving way and would sometimes be really sweet and funny. I think the best way to describe her is that she just has a strong personality. But she always spoke Thai to me and tried to incorporate me into things, which I loved. Anyways, I hugged her goodbye and said goodbye to Lung Tong (my uncle), who I also really like. My grandfather was in bed but I “whyed” him (said sahwaticah and put my hands to my chest) and he had a huge smile on his face! He always does when I come in. I wish I could have spoken to him!

Anyways, I headed back to Paw’s and packed…took FOREVER! I hate packing. I had SO MUCH STUFF. The next morning, they all made fun of my bags. They were huge and heavy. Meh made an amazing breakfast, which I helped with a little. First Paw and I had rice in a banana leaf and I thought that was it but then he said Meh was in the kitchen. So, I had a feast!

While we were waiting for breakfast, Paw gave me a rolled up canvas. He said he had taken my painting off of the frame and rolled it up for me! He also rolled in one of his paintings! That really made my day and was the BEST gift he could have given me. Now I wish I had worked a little harder to finish the painting!

Then, I put my bags in the little red car. ISDSI told us to buy sheets and not to accept sheets if our host families offered them to us. Sure enough, Meh whips out a brand new package of orange and green sheets (she knew those were my favorite colors). I said thank you but ISDSI said we should buy our own. Paw and Meh couldn’t understand why and were a little bit mad. I walked outside and Meh brought out a bag of pink sheets with teddy bears. I again told them what ISDSI said but Paw said, “why would you buy??? You only have 3 week!!! Too expensive!” Sheets are about $5 (by the way). I didn’t have the heart to say no so I took them. Sorry, ISDSI!! I am now sleeping on pink sheets with teddy bears…Thai style.

Anyways, I put all my bags in the car and got in and the car wouldn’t start! FIGURES! So, we had to take the bags out and put them in the pickup truck that Paw borrowed from a friend. Meh, Nong Not, Paw, and I all stuffed in the tiny cab in the front and took off. We got to the apartments and Meh and Nong Not made my bed in my new/old sheets! I unpacked and then eventually they left! The goodbye was a little awkward and I got a little emotional. But, I’ll see them again before I leave so I got over it pretty fast and was back to the excitement!

Goodbye Party

Last night was our goodbye party with our families! It was great!! A bunch of us got there early so we got a headstart on all the food. It was DELICIOUS. We had amazing kanom (desserts). Some of them were just like the ones I made the other week with my family. My Thai class (five of us) has been learning the song about the beautiful girl at the hotel asking an admiring boy where the bathroom is. I think I explained the song in another post. Because we love our professor so much, we decided to do it for the talent show part of the party! She was SO HAPPY! It was adorable. Katherine, Hish, and Meredith sang while Andrew and I acted it out. It was so embarrassing. I pretty much just "gracefully" walked across the stage pretending to strut...but graceful isn't really my thing.

Some people had some really great talents. Everyone who performed was awesome and just did whatever their families had them do! My mom couldn't go because she felt sick so Paw's hippie friend who I went to Tak with last weekend came to fill in! I am obsessed with him. He's hilarious and laughed at me the entire time. He told me I have a "Thai smile" because I smile a lot and he loves that. So, I was really glad he came!

Other than that, we had a really great time and we all sang the "sticky rice" song together, which was a lot of fun!

So, an update on the week! This week the field professor from each field course had a day to give us an overview of the course and the last hour was given to us to write an essay about what we had learned in the overview and how it relates to what we learned in Foundations. Agroecology sounds like it is going to be SO interesting. It is all about food systems around the world and in Thailand and how they could become more sustainable. We visit farmers and an NGO ( I think). Forests sounds cool but I didn't really understand the goal...but we will be backpacking to all the different hill tribes and learning about their cultures. Sounds really cool! Oceans is going to be the most aesthetically pleasing for sure! We go to the coasts and islands south of Phuket. Half the time we spend on the coast learning about mangroves and the ecology and people of the area. We stay with families on the coast. The other half of the time we spend sea kayaking and skin diving everyday and traveling to the different islands with locals to camp on the beaches! Apparently its hot and uncomfortable but I really couldn't care less. I'm SO EXCITED. These field courses are going to be really cool.

If you want to see more about any of the classes, you can check out the ISDSI website! http://www.isdsi.org/

Also I just realized that ISDSI has a blog also where they post pictures they have taken of us!! So that website is http://www.isdsi.org/blog/

Last week with the fam!! – September 20, 2011

I can’t believe I have been here for almost five weeks! The first week went by ridiculously slow but every week since has flown by! Five weeks marks the end of my homestay! On Thursday we have our going away party/talent show. We all have to sing a song translated as “Sicky Rice Children.” This song is completely in Thai. So, everyday this week for the last half hour of Thai class, all the classes join together to practice and Hish plays the guitar. I’m sure anyone who speaks Thai would think we should completely ridiculous so I’m sure our families will be amused. Some families taught their student Thai dance/song to do at the party. Paw said that he doesn’t know how to do anything except paint so he thinks we should get on stage and paint together. I’m not sure how well that would go over. The best part about the party is that we get to dress in traditional Thai attire. We get to wear a sarong skirt and a light tunic top. Some people had to go out and buy outfits but Meh had one picked out for me to wear!

So, that is my update on the going away party! Today, Meh and my aunt told me I should come back to visit when I am in Chiang Mai! YAY…they must like me a little haha. I actually have recently gotten much more comfortable with them and confident about speaking. I can now understand most of the things they tell/ask me and can usually put together some sort of response. This is a huge step that occurred in the past week or so. So, I’m kind of sad to be leaving now! But, when I visit, I’ll be even better!

I haven’t talked about Crossfit for a while so let me enlighten you on my newfound heavy lifting and intense workouts. My bootay is DEFNITELY going to be in shape after this program. Today our workout consisted of 2x 50meter prowler pushes and then Burpees and Sledges where we go all out for 20 seconds and then have a 10 second break, 8 times each and then an extra set of Sledges. Now, let me explain what this all means. You may have heard of Burpees. You start standing and go down into pushup position (must touch ground with chest) and then jump up and clap hands. Once we had a “death by Burpees” workout. But, that’s a whole nother story. Sledges are pretty self-explanatory. We have 8-12 pound sledge hammers and have to hit a huge tire for 20 seconds. Prowlers are AWFUL! They are basically these huge contraptions that have two poles sticking up to put weights on and to hold. Then, we push this huge contraption on the cement driveway for 50meters (or however far our workout states). I usually push 70 pounds but the big guys and some champ girls push up to 180ish. This is one of the MOST PAINFUL workouts. Literally, my hold body pains and if you stop or lose momentum, the workout gets a million times worse. This exercise is definitely meant for larger people who have more body mass…not exactly me. This is just the main workout. Warm ups are another story and harder than most peoples full workouts (they have a shirt that says that hah). We have to run 400 meters, 10 pushups (chest to ground), 10 squats, and 10 wall ball squats…4 times with no rest.

This is just one example of a workout. If you were curious, death by burpees means you do 1 burpee in 1 minute, 2 in 2 minutes, etc…until you can’t make the amount in the designated time. This is much harder than it sounds. I made it to 15, which was actually farther than most and ended up being about 105 Burpees in 15 minutes (I think)! After almost every workout I always feel like I’m going to pass out.  We all kind of dread Crossfit! Haha. We have also started heavy lifting and I can squat with 105 pounds (almost my body weight…which is my goal)!!

Well, I don’t have much else to report on now. I had a great last weekend with the family and my week is going really well, too! It took a little while but I really think I have finally connected with my family and it’s going to be sad to leave. It’s also going to be weird to have so much independence! But, I also really can’t wait to be able to explore Chiang Mai and just hang out with friends in the city. Saturday is definitely going to be fun.

Also, just a heads up on my schedule and access to communication… I start my Agroecology course next week! We spend the first week of each block (course) in Chiang Mai and stay in our apartments. We continue Thai class in the morning and then have seminar on the course topic in the afternoon…and then crossfit. For the remaining three weeks of the block, we are out in the field staying in hill tribe villages and backpacking between villages. During that time I will have no phone or any kind of technology. The villages don’t even have electricity! So, I’m planning to keep a journal and then post some updates when I’m back in Chiang Mai for the seminar week of the next block. I leave on October 3^rd (I think). 

Weekend trip to Tuk!

I still haven't written about Friday's hike up Doi Suthep mountain but I'll just have to do that tomorrow. 

Today was, hands down, the best day of my home stay.  Yesterday (Friday), on the motorcy ride home, I asked Paw what we would be doing this weekend. He said he was going away all day Saturday and most of Sunday so I should make plans with a friend. Meh doesn’t drive. Well, we were a little too late to make plans…it just isn’t that easy here. So, after a ton of calls and wrong numbers, I thought I was out of luck. I guess I seemed a little frustrated because then Paw said well maybe you can come with me. Originially Meh didn’t want me to go because she was nervous something would happen to me. So, Paw called the woman in charge of homestays at 8pm the night before we left and she said YES! So, 6am today, I was up and ready to go to Tak. I didn’t know what we were doing except it had something to do with painting and a bunch of his friends were going and Tuk is another province and 2 hours away. So we head out…

We first stop at Paw’s friends house to ride with them. Good call because I was definitely wondering if Mr. Rickety was going to make it all the way. Anyways, Paw's friend and his son are probably the coolest people who live in the sickest house. They are obviously artists and the hippies of Thailand. The house is all wood and impeccably decorated. The father is a wood sculptor, painter, and musician and the son is a metal worker and wood carver, as well. The four of us had tea and headed off in the pickup truck.

The ride was ridiculous…these men obviously have a sense of humor although I’m not sure what kind. Paw’s friend talks SO LOUD and constantly sounds like hes yelling and after he says anything they all laugh like hyenas. Not kidding. I actually took a video. It was hilarious. I had no idea what they were talking about but I just couldn’t help but laugh. And then I would hear them say “farang” (meaning wihite foreigner, sometimes derogatory depending on who says it and the context) and look at me or put their hand on my knee and then start cracking up again. So, I know I was part of the amusement…I just don’t know exactly what. So, we stop to eat breakfast with the rest of the crew! Breakfast was like most people’s dinners and we ate it out of the back of a pickup. It doesn’t matter where you eat or the circumstances, Thai’s always have full elaborate meals.

The artists were all hilarious and so sweet. One woman , Kwan talked to me for a while and told me that I was really great at Thai and she was really impressed! I later realized I told her I had been in Thailand for 4 months instead of weeks so when I later told her I made that mistake she was even more impressed. Her English is perfect. There were a few old women who were so adorable and wonderful. I had already eaten by the time they came and they kept saying kgeen caow??? (meaning eat mean??) and I said kgeen leow (I ate already!), and they were just so excited about the fact that I spoke some Thai, which made me feel great! I think I’m making myself sound better than I am. I know enough to get by but can by no means keep a conversation or even remember half of what I have learned hah.

Anyways, after breakfast we headed on and the cackling and yelling continued as I tried to take a nap. Didn’t happen. About a half hour later we stopped for lunch. Wasn’t hungry…but ate anyways so then my stomach hurt a bit for the last hour and a half of the drive! They planned this two hour drive to last half the day…they like breaks.

We got to the hotel and it was SO nice! It has wireless and everything! This is definitely a change and I don’t hate it. The only problem was that I had to share a room with some woman I didn’t know! Luckily, I found out it was Kwan. It has been really great. We have talked a lot about Thai culture/etc. and she’s so sweet. But we do have to sleep in the same bed and that has yet to happen.

Kid that came to paint...there for more than an hour!

So little story… One of the old women is really tiny (up to my chest). So, they were all around a truck grabbing bananas when I came over. Paw knows I LOVE bananas so he was said “ohhh don caow (my Thai name), get gruay (banana)”. The old woman grabs one and quickly gets it to me! I thanked her a lot and then I’m not sure what happed but I heard “farang” and then other Thai words and all of a sudden she grabs another banana and gives me a HUGE hug and slips another banana in the side of my backpack. It was the best hug and the first I have gotten from a Thai (my family doesn’t even hug). So, another hilarious, great moment.

So, we chilled for a few hours at the hotel and then headed off to a market. They waited about an hour to leave because they thought it was too hot outside…Thais are sensitive to heat, I have realized. So, we get to the market and Paw puts out our paintings. He brought the one I started the first weekend!  Turns out this group of 15-20 does this every Saturday. They come to this market and each have their craft (painting, wood work, making things out of banana leaves, etc!) and they bring supplies for the children of the village to take part as well and they teach the children how to do the craft. They said they do it because they don’t want children to lose touch with the Thai art culture. Love it. This is just one part of the vast market. There is a stage where the students of the town sing, dance, play instruments, all in traditional Thai costume. There is also amazing food! I really had the best time.

My new friend :)

I spent an hour or two painting and the rest of the time I just explored and tried out my Thai a little. The best thing happened while I was painting. This little girl and her mother kept coming up to me the entire time and I thought they were just amused because I was a farang (like everyone else was…people were taking pictures and everything…I felt like I was in a zoo). But, towards the end of the evening, the mother pushed the little girl towards me and she giggled and grabbed her mom. Her mom then said that she really wanted to talk to be but was nervous. She was learning English. So I told her that I was trying to learn Thai and maybe we could help each other out! So I spoke a little in Thai and then some English and she finally started talking. I found out she was 10 years old and LOVES art, also! She said she loved my painting! Then she and her mom left. About a half hour later, when I was packing up, she came back  on the motorcy with her mom holding a Thai dessert! She handed it to me and said “for you”! I thanked her a million times and took a picture with her. She was the CUTEST. Then she ran back to the motorbike with her mom and they asked if I would be back next weekend. NOW I WANT TO COME BACK L

My painting of the transport of Thailand

Anyways, this was the highlight of my trip so far. No question. It was just a really great day and I met all the nicest people. 

Week 4 - September 12-16

This week has again, be pretty much the same as the past weeks. Not too much crazy things have happened! Everything is finally starting to become pretty normal just in time to move out of the host families house and into the apartments! I only have one more week with my family!

I guess the reason the week has been so tame is because we watched a bunch of really, really depressing movies about Cambodia (The Killing Fields) and Burma and talked about development in this region of the world. The movies really put me off and threw my mood off completely, both days.  So, I mostly just went to Meh’s, ate dinner, did some homework and slept.

Thai class is always entertaining! Ajan Sithorn is hilarious and taught us some really great Thai songs. My Thai is really improving I think! The one song is about a beautiful girl who walks into the lobby of a hotel and catches a boy’s eye. She then walks up to the boy and the whole song is about the boy’s thoughts and how he’s wondering what she is going to say to him. When she reaches him, she smiles and asks where the toilet is. Pretty ridiculous song but fun to sing and we can actually understand most of it! Also, everyday Ajan gives us Thai proverbs, which usually align with some English proverb. They are pretty much consistently about love and almost always depressing hah. We always ask for more uplifting ones but haven’t really gotten any. Here are some examples…

“soi the rub, jub maii hom” – your appearance is beautiful, when you kiss it smells bad (meaning: you are beautiful on the outside but not the inside?)

“tii dai mii rrak, tii non mii tuk” – where there is/was love, there is suffering

“rrak pehh glaii cheet” - closeness conquers true love (this one took a while to unfold and she had to use examples so that was entertaining...)

“glaii ta glaii jai” – out of sight out of mind

Now the less depressing…

“ow jai caow, mah saii jaii raow” – take his heart to put in your own (meaning: put yourself in his shoes)

“puuan kgeen ha gnai, puuan die ha ya” – a friend to eat with is easy to find, a friend to die with is hard to find

“nam neeng laii luuk” – still water runs deep

We also just found out she isn’t married…maybe that explains the quotes? Anyways, she also teaches us really funny things. When a girl has to pee she says “baii dek dok maii” (to pick flowers). When a guy has to pee, he says “baii ying grad tai” (to shoot the rapid). Hmmmm…

I absolutely love Ajan Sithorn despite her very blunt and maybe pessimistic proverbs! She is 77 years old and FULL of energy and although it may not seem it from the proverbs, she is really upbeat and ALWAYS smiling. She really thrives off of teaching, which is why she hasn't stopped. Also...none of those pictures were posed. 

Also, we had full fried fish one night for dinner. They were mini so you are meant to eat the entire fish. I couldn’t handle it. I felt like it was looking at me! 

Reflections - September 13, 2011

This update is mostly about cultural aspects of my trip and not as many funny/ridiculous stories! I would say this is maybe more directed at my dad… Just a heads up!

I have decided that my comfort on the motorcycle is a pretty solid symbol of my comfort with Thai (family) culture. The first days when I was introduced to the “motorcy” (as Paw says), I was pretty uncomfortable and clung to Nong Not or the back ledge for dear life. As the first week came and I was dressed in my school uniform (tight skirt), I realized that I would have to ride the motorcy sideways, as many Thai students do. I was terrified and CLUNG to Nong Not and she held my arm the entire way home. Eventually I was able to ride sideways and just hold the back ledge but was still nervous, as I had to balance my posture with the weight of my backpack. After the first couple weeks, I was able to ride without clinging to the motorcy but I was still very conscious of my posture and positioning. I am proud to say that I have now ridden the motorcy in all weather (including todays rain storm), in all attire, and all positions (ask far as I know…) and I am not nervous in the slightest and don’t even need to hold on. The 20-minute motor cy ride through the village is actually one of my favorite parts of the day (probably because I think of things like this the entire time…it’s really the only time I am able to have personal thoughts).

Now, for the connection. My first weeks I was constantly nervous and always clutching to any comfort that I could find. As school started, I had to adjust to my new schedule and I was still nervous in most situations and always very aware of my actions and surroundings. As I got more comfortable with my family, I started letting go of some of my security blankets and was willing to open up and try to speak the language and integrate myself into their culture. I have now been through many experiences that I believe have led me to my current comfort level. I am still culturally aware and always looking to find new aspects of Thai culture but I am very comfortable with the aspects I already know and I have learned to relax in most situations and just let the, very different, Thai culture be exposed. This may sound kind of cliché but this is what I thought about my entire motorcy ride home today (in the pouring rain). I am now relatively comfortable with the Thai culture that I know (in my family) but when I move out into Chiang Mai and head out to the field courses, I believe I will go back to the state of uncomfort as I would if Paw were to take me out on the highway on the motorcy. But, I believe that because I have had this homestay experience, comfort will come sooner and I will adapt faster. HOPEFULLY!

Anyways, now that explained my comfort level, in depth hah, I have some other interesting cultural things that I have learned recently!

In Foundations we are discussing development…very broad. So, yesterday at dinner, I asked Paw what he thought about the development in Thailand. After finally understanding the question he said “bad, bad, bad”…many times. I asked why he thought that and he said that Thailand is trying to develop with a western mindset, which he believes is not applicable to the Thai nation. He says that the buildings and city life is not the way of traditional Thai culture, which is why he moved from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and eventually to Meh’s village (that she grew up in). He says this village has even changed a lot in the past 50 years. Meh used to hear wolves and all kinds of wild animals from her house (which is why her house is risen and many of the original houses are, as well). He believes Thailand is moving from the self-sustained way of growing ones own food and trading within the village. Paw believes that soon there won’t be enough food which is ridiculous because Thailand’s hot climate is ideal for farming. This explains a lot about the way I have been living with my family. I am lucky because I get to experience the traditional Thai culture that is may be turning into a rarity. I have obviously expanded upon Paw’s slim English vocabulary but this was the main idea.

Paw also explained that he hates to go back to Bangkok because of the pollution. He grew up there with 7 siblings in a small apartment. Many of his siblings are still down south but he rarely sees any of them. He says the Bangkok mindset is very different from the mindset here. But he says Chiang Mai is moving into a similar monetary mind set. Life in Bangkok is very focused on money (which accounts for much of the prostitution and trafficking in/through Bangkok…for many, it is the only way to earn money). Paw Peap is very wary of money driven way of life and dreads the day when it consumes Thailand. Although, he believes Thailand will continue to change and developing in this way.

I have also have some observations about traditional roles within the family here in Thailand. As I have noted, my family is relatively traditional. I have explained that Meh’s father is very sick and cannot care for himself. So, Meh and her sisters and brother all take care of him. Her older and younger sister sleep in the house (most nights) and someone is always there to care for their father. He is definitely a primary focus of the family. This is very different from America. People are way to busy to be able to focus completely on an elder person that is completely incapable. Meh does not work and her older sister is a seamstress and her younger sister is a masseuse. Both of which are not necessarily time consuming jobs. The women do ALL of the cooking and cleaning. The men (Paw and Lung Tong) have no part in cooking/cleaning/laundry/housekeeping/etc. When I asked how to do my laundry (at the beginning) Paw said he didn’t know and that Meh would have to show me. I have never seen Paw in the kitchen or clean up from any meal (in any way). This is interesting because gender roles in America are definitely much looser. Here, there are very rigid roles and they are very much fulfilled. Many of my male classmates aren’t expected to do their laundry or clean their dishes. I do all my own laundry and my job is to washPublish Post dishes after dinner.

These are just some of my observations…I could go on for pages!!

Fourth Weekend – September 11, 2011

 Well this weekend definitely went through its’ ups and downs! But, in the end I think it was a good weekend! Saturday we did, in fact, go to hot springs AND a Wat (temple). The Wat was beautiful and a great experience. The hot springs weren’t like any hot springs I have been to. People don’t really swim in these. Little kids swim in this fountain man-made river thing but adults don’t. And it was more of a spa. The first area we went to had food stands that sold eggs. I wasn’t sure why until Meh and Nong Not took me back to this big fountain that was meant to boil the eggs we bought! It was 105 degrees! After we boiled the eggs we went back and ate them. Delicious. We also had papaya salad which I love but is always spicy…I’m getting used to it.

Then it started to pour so we took cover until the rain stopped. I then thought we were leaving but Paw asked if I wanted to take a mineral bath. This was the spa part. So, Meh, Nong Not, and I went and took mineral baths. We all had our own little rooms and bathtubs. I just sat in the tub for about 15 minutes. It was very relaxing. Then we headed home. The ride took FOREVER because the roads have tons of potholes and it’s a very rundown car so we had to swerve around them all. I fell asleep. The rest of the day was pretty boring and I tend to get homesick when I’m bored so that was definitely the negative of the weekend. I really wanted to go to this Sunday market called the Walking Street Market so I decided to ask Paw. He said we would have to talk to Meh. I had figured out a way to go with a friend or to take the taxis because I assumed they wouldn’t take me all the way into the city but after a lot of Thai and confusion, I finally communicated what I wanted with Meh and she said we would all go! Paw didn’t feel like translating I guess…

So, today is Sunday and I actually had a really great day. I was nervous because I didn’t know if we were for sure going to the market and what we were going to do all day before (because the market doesn’t start til 4pm). By the way, days are LONG because sleeping in is 8am at the latest. So, I woke up and had breakfast, studied for a while, and headed to Meh’s house. At Meh’s all the women (including me, Nong Not, Meh, and my three aunts) made a HUGE batch of wonderful dessert. It was basically sticky rice mix with flour and tropical fanta wrapped around this brown sugary mix and folded into palm leaves and the baked. Then you open the palm leave and the dessert had turned into wonderful tasting gelatin with the sugar in the middle. But the process of making this is LONG and interesting. I learned to very precisely fold palm leaves around the dessert. It was fun!!

After leaving Meh’s, we headed to Walking Street Market. I am obsessed with this market and can’t wait to go back. Everything is so cheap here. Really nice pants/shirts/etc. cost like $2-$10max. Jewelry, scarves, decorations, etc are also insanely cheap. So, obviously I went for it. The food is also delicious! If anyone has anything in mind that they want, let me know! I’ll definitely be going back.

So, that was the gist of my weekend. The downs were really just homesickness during downtime but could be much worse! The rest of the time was great. I guess I didn’t have too much to be nervous about and I underestimated my host parents! 

Fish Farm+ - Friday, September 9, 2011

Ok first things first. THE SCARY PET IS MISSING. Nong Not and I walk into the house after dinner and she looks in her little cut open container with fruit that she made for the creature…except there was no insect. I asked if he died (hopeful) and she said no. So I said ‘yu ti ni????’ which means where is it?!?! And she shrugged and smiled. Nong Not is no ordinary 12-year-old girl. Then she starts looking all over. Paw comes in next and asks where the creature is. And Nong Not says something to him in Thai and he starts looking too! I am concerned. I feel like if it were really missing they would be more alarmed but what do I know? I’m thinking they are just messing with me (which they love to do) but maybe that’s just being hopeful. Wish me luck. Now my door is SERIOUSLY staying shut.

Now that that is out of my system…let me tell you about my fish farm excursion! We headed off to Mae Tang Fish Farm at 7:45am. Once we got there, we split into two groups. We had two different activities and we would switch activities after lunch.

For our first activity, we walked up to a very large (swimming pool sized), MUDDY, pond looking thing full of small (hand sized) fish. There were many of these ponds throughout the farm. We were told to climb down into the muddy water and we immediately sunk in. 16 of us were lined up across one side of the pond with our backs facing the other side. We then all grabbed onto part of a very large net and started walking together. All of a sudden, fish were flying everywhere!! We were catching them in this net as we walked across the pond. The fish were jumping/flopping up at as ALL over. They were hitting our legs, arms, butts, FACES…everything. That was the scariest part. We could feel them everywhere and we were submerged in water up to our shoulders because we had to bend down to drag the net on the floor of the pond. We were all getting stuck in the mud and it was a workout to try to walk while pulling this huge net of fish! Once we finally got to the other end we had to get the fish out! Luckily the workers helped us out a lot so it wasn’t too bad. However, we had to repeat this 3 more times to make sure we got ALL the fish. The first time was definitely the worst.

After this activity, we had lunch! I’m sure you can guess what we had…fish. Not a fan of fish and I’m all about eating locally but I was WAY too close to my food. That is one thing about food in Thailand. It’s very hard for me to eat meat because there is just not a lot of separation between me and the pig (or fish, in this case) that I am eating. When walking through the markets, there are LIVE fish, eels, etc. and there are full pig heads (with ears and snout), etc. And sometimes I even go to the market with my family to get the food we will later have for dinner. So, there is a good chance I could become a vegetarian after this trip. I have kind of lost taste for meat. Anyways, back to lunch… even though I was kind of uncomfortable eating the fish…it was pretty good and the fish sauces was spicy AND sweet and delicious.

After lunch was our second activity!! This activity was more fun than the first and we definitely got personal with the fish. We walked to another set of “ponds” These ones had all kinds of netting/pipes, which were used as barriers. We then waded into this water, which was about chest deep and headed over to one of the “pens” of fish. One of the farmers showed us how to tell whether the fish was male or female. We were to catch the fish with a net and then grab the fish to see its’ sex. If it was male, we had to open its’ mouth with our fingers and see if it had little yellow eggs! If it did, we had to keep the mouth open and shake the eggs into a net and then throw the fish over a barrier into another “pen”. This may sound easy (or maybe not…) but it isn’t! Shockingly, the fish aren’t cooperative and don’t enjoy being grabbed and pulled out of water. They flop a lot and by flop, I mean WHIP their bodies. And their fins are sharp so you have to make sure you grab them the right way. And SOMETIMES you accidently lose the fish and it gets out of the pen and into the water we were in. So…it was a challenge but SO FUN! We all got really into it! We probably actually made more work for these farmers but they were really amused by us so I think it was worth it for them. I have TONS of pictures. Benefits of the waterproof camera!

So, after our second activity we changed into clean, dry clothes and headed home. I was disgusting and we got home pretty late. Paw was going to take me straight to Meh’s house for dinner but I told him I desperately needed a shower. He eventually agreed and took me home. Apparently, I took to long again because Meh showed up on the motorcycle to take me home.

I am not sure if I have explained this yet but my family is definitely protective over me. Usually when I need to shower before dinner (after Cross-fit or if I get home early enough), Paw brings me home on the motorcycle and then he heads to Meh’s house and I bike over 15 minutes later when I am showered and dressed. However, 15 minutes is apparently enough time to worry them. While biking over, I tend to run into Meh and sometimes Nong Not on Meh’s bicycle heading to Paw’s house. At first I thought they had forgotten something but after enough times, I realized that they were coming to check on me. Now that I think of it, it’s probably a good idea…we do have many creepy creatures in the house! Anyway, I definitely find it kind of funny and endearing but I am DEFINITELY looking forward to some freedom in the apartments. I can’t wait to check out Chiang Mai life AND nightlife!! Thai beer is GOOOOD…or so I hear.

Well, it is Friday night and I am blogging and about to study some Thai…who is this program turning me into?? I have a feeling I may go back to my normal self a LITTLE bit when we live in apartments in the city. Maybe stay up past 10pm…haha

Third Week – Thursday, September 8, 2011

This week has been much tamer than the rest. I had Thai class everyday from 8-12 and then Foundations from 1-4 and Cross-fit on Tuesday and Thursday. I think we are getting into a pretty set schedule. Although tomorrow starts the weekend and I have no idea what to expect.

Today, I asked Paw what we would be doing over the weekend because the first couple weekends we didn’t really go anywhere or do anything  (and the host families are told to take us around on weekends). Paw said he asked his student to take me around (I think) and he said that if his student couldn’t than he would. After my rough moments the first weekend, I talked to Pi Pooh (who’s in charge of the home-stays and knows the families) and she found out that my grandfather is very sick. I already knew this because I see him everyday but apparently its new and pretty consuming for my family. So, I definitely don’t want to push my family to take me places but I do really want to explore! So, I talked to Pi Pooh who said I could potentially go with someone else’s family. I suggested that to Paw and he and Meh just sat me down and asked who, if their family said it was alright, and if it was a girl or boy. This is another major culture difference. Girls and boys are NOT allowed to hang out or be alone together…very bad implications. Luckily, I already knew of this. But, I don’t know if anyone’s family is willing to take me so I said I would ask tomorrow and let him know. After talking with Meh, Paw said that I could either go with a friend or we would go somewhere as a family. Of course I said I would love to go with the family but I said I didn’t want to burden them. So, I THINK we are going to some hot springs but it is all a huge mystery. I’m just hoping that I get the chance to explore places outside the village!

So, that was the confusion of the day and I’ll let you know how that plays out. But, things with my family are apparently going better than I thought. Reading the family is HARD…for a while I wasn’t really sure how my family really felt. Pi Pooh and Ajan visited all the homes this week to see how things are going. Paw told me this morning that they had come to speak with him yesterday afternoon. He said that he told them that I was talkative and rip roy (doesn’t translate but basically means respectful/considerate/etc). Then he said that in a little more than 2 weeks I would be moving to the apartments and he would be sad! I can’t explain to you how happy that makes me. To be honest, their approval means more than anything else. This is a huge relief after the first weekend. Paw said that at the end of the homestay we have a banquet where we dress in traditional Thai attire. He said Meh would dress me and that we all perform something (with the family, I think)! But, apparently they don’t know how to sing or dance so Paw said maybe we could just paint on the stage together haha…so we’ll see what happens.

On the study front…Foundations class is getting really interesting. We learned a lot about sex trafficking, which was definitely disturbing at times, but very revealing about Thai culture and much of what we don’t really see on the surface. We also learned a lot about Burma and what the Burmese government is doing to many ethnic groups located in the jungles. It is awful and basically genocide. These topics are always disturbing when brought up and discussed/studied in depth but the fact that we are so close (proximity wise) to both makes these topics so much more real and meaningful. I wish I could explain more but I wouldn’t be able to do it justice and it wouldn’t have the same effect. So, I’ll leave it at that.

On a more entertaining note (notice I did NOT say happier)…I found a new creature in the bathroom this week. New surprises, always. I walked in to take my shower and I saw a long centipede looking thing that was about 10 inches long with MANY little legs. As I recalled, Ajan Mark told us that some creatures like these were dangerous…so I ran outside, in my towel, to get Paw before he headed off to Meh’s house (where I would later bike over to eat dinner). I guess I seemed flustered because he ran in and saw the creature and immediately calmed down. Guess it wasn’t a big deal because he picked it up with his fingers after he couldn’t get it on the toilet brush. So…that was another exciting/embarrassing shower moment.

Oh also…I have gained a passion for Milo. It is sort of like hot chocolate but better! They have Milo flavored everything. Everyone makes fun of me for it. I have a major sweet tooth. All my favorite foods are the Kanom (desserts). Coconut milk, sticky rice is my favorite. We also have this sticky rice banana thing…hard to explain because I don’t really know what it is but it’s also DELICIOUS. Eventually I will figure out what the food I’m eating actually is but in some cases it is better I don’t know. And in other cases, I just can’t understand. Meals are always a mystery and I am always a little nervous before mealtime, not going to lie.

Alright, I should study some Thai and go to sleep. I have to get up early to go to a fish farm tomorrow to do “aquaculture training and activities”. Don’t know what that entails but I do know that we will be in mud up to our waists because we were told to dress appropriately! 

Retreat to Mok Fa – September 2-4, 2011

On Friday we left for a reservoir at 8am for our swim test! We got there around 8:30am and changed into our suits and rash guards. We were to swim 500 meters in the reservoir and then tread water for 15 minutes. It was actually really fun…it felt so nice to swim again. Almost everyone passed. After the test, we had lunch right on the shore. They brought us a big fish, fried chicken, papaya salad, and dancing shrimp. Dancing shrimp are literally dancing shrimp. They are live shrimp that flop all around (seasoned and spicy!). I was definitely set on leaving those aside but, of course, the challenge got to me and I couldn’t say no. So, eventually Zane and I grabbed a bit of sticky rice and a shrimp and we ate it. It wasn’t so bad AND I didn’t get sick from it. Double plus.

After the swim test and lunch we headed to Mok Fa, where we would be staying for the next two nights. We got there an hour later and it was beautiful! We stayed in really nice cabins where we all had mattresses, blankets, and pillows and really nice facilities. The point of the trip was to learn about health, safety, and GROUP BONDING…all of which were accomplished. The first day was chill. It stormed so I didn’t go to the waterfall but many did. The rest of us played games in the rain and later played bananagrams and card games. That night, Ajan Mark came and talked to us about leadership and the skills we would need. We found out that on our field courses, we all get changes to become leaders and make major decisions that could have major consequences. This didn’t freak me out at all…just one more thing!!! Hah.

After our leadership session, it was time for some group bonding games! We had a huge bonfire and played a crazy game. They put out a rope and everyone was to find a partner. The goal of the game was to get a waterbottle as far away as possible. The rules were that both partners had to be touching. One partner had to have part of their body on one side of the rope and One one arm or leg could be on the ground on the otherside. Needless to say, we definitely bonded. People came up with crazy ways to get the waterbottle as far as possible.  Monica and I are both small (compared to most other groups) so we didn’t do so well. But, I think we did better than most people our size would!!

The next day we leisurely woke up around 7:30am…LATE!  We had breakfast and then had another session to learn about basic first aid and health. This freaked us all out a bit but I guess that was the point. We then had a scenario activity. We were told that we would be put into groups of 8 and sent to certain areas around the park. One person would be injured with a knee and clavicle injury. All we had was a backpacking  backpack filled with ropes, a tarp, and a sleeping pad. That was all the information we had. We would all be in a group with one WFR (Wilderness First Responder) because four out of the 31 of us are WFRs. They met separately and we all took off. Our route was a windy one through the mountain. All of a sudden, Grace (our WFR) fell, “injured.” I have to say, her acting is top notch because we all freaked out for a second. We then made a sling for her shoulder out of an extra shirt and rope and a knee brace out of a sleeping bad and rope. We then made a backboard using the backpack frame and the tarp. We had to move her onto the backboard and carry her all the way back. This is no easy feat. We had already hiked about 10 minutes in and not only did we have to hike back holding her…we also had to cross a river (and we weren’t allowed to use the bridge). Everyone took this completely seriously. We really acted like this was the real deal. There were parts of the trail that were so narrow that only a couple of us could hold her at a time and everyone was getting exhausted. We were all literally DRIPPING with sweat. Eventually, an hour and a half later we made it back…exhausted. I truly hope no one gets injured on our field courses…

After our little scenario, we had lunch and all headed to the waterfall! It was AMAZING! The fall was so strong and the water felt amazing. Unfortunately, in Thailand, we aren’t allowed to swim in just bathing suits so we had to wear clothes over. I will not be getting tan here until MAYBE the oceans course…haha. But regardless it was probably the coolest thing I have seen since being here! We then hiked around the area for a while and headed back for dinner. After dinner we had more bonding games. We played ‘birdie on a perch’, which is my new favorite game. Everyone danced around the bonfire to Pi Toto’s guitar and when the guitar stopped, someone yelled “birdie on a perch” and everyone has to partner up and someone has to jump into someone elses arms…the last to partner up or any couple that falls is out. There were many awkward/funny and even completely seamless moments. We played a few other games and then a few of us CC girls had some pillow talk and cliffbars before hitting the hay. It was a good night.

Today is Sunday! This morning we went on a GREAT hike. It was hot but the environment was really beautiful and amazing. There were tons of palm leaves and crazy trees. Literally “crazy”…one tree was called the “crazy tree” but in Thai. The hike ended about an hour and a half later at the waterfall! Our group was early so we played in the falls for 20 minutes before heading back for lunch and packing up. Everyone was definitely a little sad to head back. I could of stayed for much longer! It was a great time and we even learned a few useful things! I don’t even think I need to take the course to be a WFR anymore (ha kidding…).

I’m now back home and getting ready to go to sleep! Class tomorrow and I have a quiz written in Thai! Guess I should get studying. I planned to do homework on the retreat but that didn’t exactly happen.

Ohhh…also my camera froze in the waterfall and died so I don’t have many pictures L But luckily…Uncle Eric is sending me another one soon! And my camera is working again but the pictures are still not up to par. I’ll post what I have. BYE

RATS

I'm leaving for the retreat in a half hour but I got to school early and I couldn't pass up the chance to write about last night...

I got home late so I went straight to Meh's house for dinner. Meh kept putting this weird creamy(ish) grey stuff on my rice. It was GROSS but I ate it anyways. After dinner Paw told me that I ate ___ (in Thai). I asked what that meant and he said "you just ate bug!" I asked what the bug was and he said it is like a giant bee and pointed to some sort of nest in the corner...lovely.

THEN...we head home and I go to the bathroom to take a shower. A GIANT rat starts sprinting around the bathroom. I freaked OUT...I ran back to my room and shut the door and called my mom (real mom) and cried a little. First time since being here...and it was over a rodent hah. So, eventually I get myself together and Meh, Nong Not, and Paw were back in the house. So, I open the door and say "Paw, there is a big mouse in the bathroom." He didn't understand so I then said..."Micky is in the bathroom." They laugh and Nong Not goes into my room and starts looking around...I  said "Nooooo...hong naam (bathroom)!!!" So they look around and couldn't find it. I go back to my room and start packing for the retreat. All of a sudden, I see the BIG devil run past my door. I ran out of my room and told Meh and Nong Not. They humored me and looked around for the rat and couldn't find it. Meh told me it was time to shower...so I nervously I showered and went back to my room. I took a benedryll and melatonin last night to knock me out because I knew I wouldn't sleep otherwise because the rat was lurking around the house. SO HAPPY I'm going on the retreat all weekend!

One last little thing...on the way to school, Paw's car almost broke down again and we had to pull over because it just stopped running. I thought we would never make it but luckily it eventually started up again.  This happens too often hah.

Off to the mountains. BYE

Learning to COOK…etc. Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Yesterday (Tuesday) was definitely the plateau for most of us in the Thai language department. Luckily, today we didn’t have Thai class…instead we had Thai cooking class! It was so fun! We got split up into groups to make different foods that our Ajans would teach us to make. When we got to school, we all piled into Rot Dengs with our Ajans and heading for the market. We got a list of the ingredients (in Thai) and how much of each and were sent off with 700 Baht. Our group decided to split in half to make it faster. Mark and I got everything in 10 minutes (mainly because we wanted to go buy food for ourselves!). Of course, we ran into some tricky situations. One of the ingredients we were supposed to get was chili. Although, we weren’t sure if it was actual chilis or chili powder(ish). So, we went with chili powder. The list said 10 which was kind of confusing because they sold big bags of chili powder so we just got 5 (which is still a RIDICULOUS amount of chili powder). When reuniting with our group…we thought maybe we did something wrong. So…Mark and I ran back to the stand and bought actual chilis also…just in case.  Eventually, we found or Ajan and she looked in our bag and and definitely expressed some amusement at our chili situation. I told her in Thai that we were confused and she agreed…turns out we were supposed to get 10 Bahts worth of chili rather than 10 packs of chili. Although we used both kinds so I’m not sure which the one on the list was…

But, since Mark and I finished early, we bought some DELICIOUS pastries. The desserts here are unlike anywhere else and are always so good! They usually entail sticky rice, coconut milk, sugar, egg...etc. I still haven’t figured out exactly what they are. But dessert is, by far, my favorite meal. 

So, we headed back to school and started chopping, boiling, crushing, peeling, etc. We were making pork salad. Sounds weird but is delicious. It is salty, minty, spicy, and sour all at the same time. We used leek, mint leaves, pork, onion, some other vegetables, lime…to create a cold salad-y creation. Other groups made egg dishes, pasta dishes, wraps/dumplings, salads, etc. They were all amazing. But, I think the best part was that an ice cream man came today! This ice cream is unlike any ice cream I have ever had. He puts it in either a cup, cone or sandwich (and by sandwich I actually mean a piece of bread). I am pretty sure it is vanilla ice cream with some sticky rice, coconut milk, coconut jellies, and chocolate syrup. I can’t explain how good it was. He came before we got to eat and ISDSI treated us! Luckily, he stayed til after so me and a couple others went back for seconds. Today was a day of sweets…I have these days more often than I probably should.

Later, for our Foundations course, we visited a museum of Thai history (mostly Chiang Mai history).  Honestly, I couldn’t focus. I might have been too hyped up on sugar. I forgot to say that I also had dessert after breakfast…this is a daily thing and I think I can get used to it.  But the museum was pretty cool…

The most interesting part was what we found out about on the ride there. Our professor was sitting up front in the Rot Deng with the driver and asked him about a certain Wat (temple) that we passed by. The driver said that our Ajan wasn’t missing out on anything because that Wat was one in which methamphetamines were sold and child prostitution took place. Disgusting. Although, this is very interesting because Wats are seen as very sacred, religious places and I would never have imagined such actions occurring. So, that was my lesson for the day. Although, let’s be real…I have many lessons a day…

Today was the first day I didn’t go to cross training and instead went to the mall with our “taxi crew”. We call ourselves that because we all live far from the school and travel home together! I’m sure I already explained that but I can’t always remember what I have written. The mall was boring…I hate malls even in Thailand ha.

I am very ready for bed. Although I still have about 15 pages to read for Foundations and some studying to do for Thai class! Never a dull moment here (except for m my weekend)! Good news, this weekend we are going on a retreat! We are heading up to the mountains to a park with waterfalls and staying in hostels/cabins. It’s mainly chill time so that should be awesome. We have a swimming test on Friday at a reservoir, which should be pretty cool. We have to swim 500 meters and tread water for some amount of time. I can’t wait for the weekend!!