By the sea by the sea by the beautiful sea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6PGxLLkCXg

Expedition 3- Oceans

Day 1&2- overnight train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok- arrive and go straight to Jatujak market.

Jatujak: Somehow this market has everything you could possibly want to buy and then a lot of things I think no one should ever ever desire to, let alone actually purchase. Some examples. - I bought a water proof bright orange and blue backpack. Sensible, cute, and as I will explain later...extremely vital for later in my trip. A bamboo mat that folds up for easy transport, perfect for keeping items sand free on the beach. Shirts with misspelled or just simply mistranslated English ("Don't make sexy in the garden")- providing great entertainment and souvenirs. Okay so maybe that last one could go in the second category, but there were far worse things to buy, such as sedated squirrels that were glassy eyed and breathing heavily in their cages. Overall though it was just enormous and filled with everything from second hand clothing to endangered marine life and I had a blast exploring and bargaining all day, until we had to catch the 2nd overnight train to Trang province down south.

Day 3- Arrive at Hat Jao Mai
We stayed for around 8 days with a muslim community, living with a host family and taking trips around to learn about the area and how the people on the coast interact with their marine resources- mostly food (fish, crab, squid etc.) and then mangroves, which they have been struggling to protect because of all the help they provide to keep the area ecologically healthy.
Some things I did
- Went fishing with my neighbor and 2 other students and caught over 50 fish. I personally went back and forth between "Tok blah geng"- really good at fishing, and "Mai geng" Really really awful several times throughout the one trip. I caught some big fish sometimes two at a time, but somehow managed to tangle my fishing line more often than successfully casting.

-Swam with dolphins. No joke. Maybe 6 or 7, there were actually two groups of them swimming by our two boats and we stopped and jumped out, then got back in followed them for another half hour. Glorious.

-Went to a talent show and watched some prepubescent boys shake their asses better than I can, while wearing tutus or hula hooping.

-Danced on a stage with over 50 Thai people and at least a dozen other fellow students until we were covered in sweat and the power went out. Probably good timing, the stage was shaking so vigorously I feared for my life. BUT SO FUN.

- Got dressed up as muslim barbie. pretty literally. Bright pink traditional dress. Bright orange head scarf. Make up Make up Make up. And bright pink knock off Ray bans for an added pop. Everyone found this quite amusing. We took so many pictures it was hard to adjust to using other face muscles to eat my dinner. Everyone looked so great though. after dinner we exchanged thanks with our host mothers in front of the group and laughed/cried/said goodbyes.

This is exhausting so I'm going to write more later,
I'm getting home sick so write me some love somehow if you have time

k08aw03@kzoo.edu

sawasdee bee mai ! (Happy new year)

Keekahoooooo

Ya samoonply:herbal medicines
Life: Rice and mountains
Huay Tong Kaw: Oh how I miss thee
The light streaming in through the ceiling made of "tong kaw": how the village got its name
On top of Doi Pui: the tallest mountain in Huay Puling district


LIMBO





Take a trip with me

We'll start in the back of a pickup truck, 5 eager students bounce up and down as they wind their way up and through mountain after mountain. Into the heart of the forest, hours away from telephone service and junk mail. Miles away from paved roads and traffic jams. Worlds away from the city life your accustomed to.

Now you've arrived at Huay Tong Kaw. Greeted by your smiling Moogas and Pawtees (aunts and uncles) A village with a vibrant and close knit Karen tribe community eager to share their culture, their time, and more than a few laughs with their new children. Don't worry, it takes no time to get accustomed to life in the mountains. Waking up to the chickens, a not entirely welcomed personal serenade welcoming you to join your family around the fire...which is providing the only heat and light as the sun has yet to be awakened by the poultry choir. A couple hours of slowly and steadily cooking eggs, pumpkin, and peppersauce (always accompanied with rice of course) all the while singing songs in bawkenyaw, a way for mooga napal to simultaneously teach and poke fun at her silly foreign children. All the while Pawtee Sakoo scurries about busily, making bamboo cups, feeding the pigs that grumble hungrily underneath the tree house-esque, stilted bamboo fortress where you are residing.

Don't get too comfortable though, as soon as you've finished your delicious fill of neverending rice its off to the Rai/Na/...Rice field. A half hour walk of bumbling to keep up after 70 year old pawtees while trying to soak in the view, by the time you arrive somehow your moogas have already started working (Wasn't she still at the house when you left?) and your breath is already gone- taken away by the vastness of your families land amid the surrounding peaked landscape...a field of food..several families sustenance surrounded by wilderness.

But now is not the time to be out of breath, it's time to work. 4 hours of struggling to keep up with these beasts and you'll never take rice for granted again. They have the triple f's down to a bowing t- fun, fast, and fficient- so efficient they don't need the e. It becomes a beautiful rythym, cutting bunches with a sickle, tying the bundles with a clump of dried husks without sacrificing any grains (this step a swift dancing twist of the hand and husks for the teachers- a slow tangle of limb and lumps for the struggling student).

Don't worry, a break is in store...a trip to the "sabai shack" for lunch. Todays menu: More rice! With a side of more pumpkin, another type of equally deliciously spicy pepper sauce and upon special request: Zoo. A bawkenya delicacy. Commonly known to foreigners as wild rat. Freshly skewered and roasted personally by Pawtee Papu and cooked specially in front of your eyes right in the sabai shack itself. If that's not guaranteed freshness I don't know what is.

An hour of lounging, laughing, and licking your bowls clean and you'll be sent off with your pawtees, helping them carry 10 foot bamboo poles back home for several uses: making cups, baskets, floor repair, pipes, "thai twist ties"...and a variety of other creative and effective things. You can't help but be left in awe of their handiness.

The days pass in a flash, blurring into one big scene. A scene that leaves you with the feeling of laughing so hard your eyes are filling with tears, your side in the best kind of cramping pain as you remember playing limbo with the locals, laughing hysterically at your mooga as she continues her attempts to embarrass you by telling all the pawtees that you like to "Kee-ka-hoooo" (Shake your butt; synonymous with being promiscuous). Who knew you'd be paired with a woman whose quirkiness rivals your own. The scene leaves your head spinning as you try to hold on to everything you've learned. weaving baskets, weaving clothes, setting looms, spinning thread, dying thread from barks and fruits, blacksmithing, herbal medicines, traditional songs...each local teacher an unending source of knowledge and friendliness.

No time to get comfortable though. Pack up your belongings, it shouldn't' take long. It all fits into one large bag. Sling it over your shoulder. Let it get to know your back...they'll soon be best friends..they have quite a bit of time to get to know each other over the course of two weeks. Put on your quick dry clothing, your name brand boots and gear. It's time to get a little dirty and a lot wet- a combination of river crossings and intense sweating, an inevitable consequence of hiking through forests and up mountains.

At the time it will feel like the day will never end. With each peak you reach there is another in sight. Your legs may scream and your feet blister, but most of the time it's hard to think about anything other than the enormity of the trunks surrounding you, sprouting roots bigger than most trees you've ever seen. The variety and lushness of the forests. The clarity of the river. The overwhelming aura of pure wilderness. No time to want the pain to end if it means the beauty will be gone too.

But eventually you make it, everyone in tact though thoroughly exhausted and overwhelmed. Don't think you get a break though, in a short half hour your whisked off to the next family. The next adventure. The deaf grandma who works harder than most healthy boys your age, Take a trip with me


When you first meet this woman she'll have a basket on her back strapped to her forehead for balance. This basket probably weighs as much as she does, full to the brim of veggies from the farm. Within 5 minutes she'll spot a chicken climbing up the stairs and proceeded to grab a nearby machete and chuck it with surprising accuracy straight across the house at the aformentioned poultry. Don't worry she's just trying to scare it away. This woman is such a boss and you'll aspire to be just like her someday.

Hike after hike, family after family, as you go you'll get closer to the city. Closer to the end of your trip. Closer to missing all these experiences and people. Closer to understanding a complicated issue of people living among the resources of forests that are trying to be preserved by several actors, all who view the same land through a different lens.

Closer to Chiang Mai, closer to February when I'll be returning to all of you. It's bittersweet. Bitter and sweet. But don't worry... I'm only tasting the sugar on my tongue.

videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGEIez1CDAg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr5UtLZ_rj4

Sometimes you just need toast

Hiking to a village: W.O.W
Organic Farmers market "JJ": We helped our Maes and Paws sell what we helped harvest
Wat in the mountains: worth the walk
Kids at one of the palang villages: So. Cute.

So I guess I have a lot of updating to do.

I returned to civilization on Wednesday afternoon after 3 weeks of bliss. Back to the big city of Chiang Mai.
I think my school is trying to kill us with culture shock.

From the aroma of countryside to the stench of the city.
The sweet smell of manure to the sour smell of dirty streets.
From the endless chirpings of chingree (crickets) to the blaring bars and car horns

But I must admit It’s nice to get some internet access
And have a break from eating sticky rice (which was throwing my digestive system for a loop)
And have a chance to reconnect with everyone (I had my first bout of home sickness 2 weeks into the expedition)

Surprisingly though I didn’t really miss a lot of the things I thought I would.
Not having a computer and phone was more of a relief than anything, and I must say I’ve become a fan of the once dreaded and feared squat toilet and wish I had one in my dorm. There’s something about the squatting position that really helps things get moving if you know what I’m saying. Sorry, we like to talk a lot about our bowel movements here in Thailand. On the regular. Especially when we’re regular.

Anywho
3 weeks ago I left for our first field course about Food Systems.
We began the trip in Mae Ta, a rural village North of Chiang Mai. We stayed for 5 days, living with host families learning about their switch from industrial mono-crop farming to polycultural organic farming. This community was beautiful.
From the green land with its abundant fresh/delicious/heavenly/succulent/mouth watering produce to the warm/caring/smiling/considerate/knowledgeable people. Beauty enveloped me and sent me soaring to new heights of happinesss.
In was a good life.Waking up at to the sound of roosters to help Mae cook sticky rice and breakfast. Going to the co-op to meet with community members. Walking by rice paddies and grazing cows, mountains looming majestically in the background. I had a really hard time comprehending that it was indeed real. Helping Mae and Nong Tui (17 year old host sister) harvest peanuts at their farm. Hiking the local watershed. Touring agroforests. Cooking dinner, at least 70% from straight from the farm. Every day was filled with adventure and laughter, but my favorite part was just hanging out with my family.

Being able to communicate was such a huge boost in confidence for me. It hadn’t really sunk in yet that I had actually learned enough Thai to not just get by, but talk about so much and to joke (my family way so funny, especially my Paw). They had to literally pry me from my host family the day I had to say goodbye. At 4 am. On a Saturday. To go help sell produce with some of the Mae Ta farmers at an organic market. Sanook maaaak (So fun)

Then school again hit us up with some culture shock. A trip to Tesco, a grocery store equivalent to Meijers in the U.S. It was so weird. It felt so sterile, and kinda gross. We had to compare the prices, atmosphere, customers, etc. of the organic market and the big grocery store. Mai sanook (not fun)
Then just to keep with the theme of never letting us get too comfortable with one atmosphere they took us to the Nest. A posh tropical resort in Chiang Dow. Wow.

From there we met up and stayed at an NGO even further north in Mae Ai. UHDP-Upland Holistic Development Project. Basically they are working with villages of marginalized hill tribes to help them gain access to citizenship and land while also training the village members to do a variety of projects such as plant backyard gardens and raise livestock or other forms of protein. We visited about 5 of these villages.
We talked with their headmen and played with their children, helped the women dish out dinner, were performed to and performed for children around a bonfire,slept under their mosquito nets and took showers in ceilingless room on stilts under the stars, stayed up late learning palang vocabulary with the cultural guru who laughed harder than anyone I’ve met in Thailand. I loved every second of it. The more people I meet here, the more beauty I see.

At UHDP itself we learned how to make organic pesticide and compost. How to cook using bamboo and banana leaves. How to measure biodiversity the way the pros do it, getting all up in that dirt, classifying understory and overstory, measuring wind and temperature. We played a lot of soccer and a lot of pranks (we lived camp style: bunk beds, separated by gender, boys vs. girls) We did a lot of stretch circles (sound effects included) and ate a lot of peanut butter. Again, it was a hard place to leave.

There are a million stories and a million pictures but there's an overview of my life the past month.
Today I'm off to the queen's botanical gardens which is supposed to be stunningly beautiful.
Thailand is about to start cool season which means I can stop sweating through everything I own.
I think I know where I'm doing my internship in the fall and I'm trying to get a bartending job in Chiang Mai while I do it.

More to come.
Yuh Ah-Nuh (I love you in Kahren, a hilltribe dialect, sounds like someone grunts and then says my name hahahah)

Pringles! Thai Style: not pictured- soft shell crab and seaweed

Veiw of Chiang Mai from the hike: zoom a few thousand times and you'll find ISDSI

At the forest temple: Sabai Sabai...relaxed, harmonious with life, all is well

Some of the group in front of the Wat Doi Suthep stairs: (notice the Yesterdog shirt.Reppin)
Pure surprise: Farang and Chang bff for life
One of my favorite fruits: impossible to pronounce/write...Nghaugh? It's all in the throat

Yesterday my host family brought me to Duke's. It's an Italian restaurant, Farang style: individual ordered meals rather than shared Thai style of mix and match dishes and hodge podge grabbing, Menu written strictly in English and naturally overpriced. "I bring you here so you feel like you in you're Michigan." Awww, thanks Kun Mae. At first I was kind of bummed, I love Thai food and don't like them spending unnecessary large sums of money on me... but once the food came it was nice to eat some things I haven't seen in a month. I have been craving pizza and mashed potatoes both of which were welcomed by my taste buds, happy to be reunited with their long lost friends cheese and potato.

Before the food came out my Mae pulled out four Tupperware containers. Fruit! She must have known that she wasn't going to like the salad dressing I would choose (I don't think they would have liked any of the choices actually, they like something similar to mayo smothered on their salads...) and of course once the food came we simply ate Thai style anyway: all plates in the middle, a flurry of knives, forks, hands...and ketchup. Ketchup by the bottle. I kid you not we went through 2 whole medium sized, glass Heinz ketchup bottles. They may not have been completely full but we had to grab a third bottle from another table, so I stick by my estimate of TWO complete bottles. My family loves the stuff especially my little brother who had to swim through the pool of red on his plate to find the crust of his pizza at the bottom. "Would you like any pizza with your ketchup?"

After lunch we went shopping for my dinner party. It's my last weekend :( because next Saturday we move into dorms. Therefore, it's the time to do it big. We made Suki! Basically we have these tables at our house that have 4 hot plates built in, one in front of each seat. We had a bowl of boiling water, into which we added whatever we desired. A cornucopia of vegetables, a plethora of thinly stripped meat, seafood aplenty: shrimp, fresh fish, crab meat. And a rainbow of unidentified processed thingamabobs. Star shaped, cat shaped, fish shaped doohikeys...pink and white in color (My best guess: fish "balls") circles, squares, the occasional dumbell shaped shmooshma, usually tan in color on the outside, sometimes flecks of unnatural green, red, orange, neon yellow on the inside...I think you get the picture. I was braving the unknown. No worries, I love adventure. On second thought, I don't think I explained the full extent of options I was given. There was also eggs, jelly noodles, several tofu options, green sauce, red sauce, cilantro, garlic, crispy pork wafers, chili paste....I actually really didn't know what to do with myself when I first saw it all. I kind of waited around until my Kun Mae started to plop things into my bowl and then just watched and learned. Sanook Sanook Sanook (fun). Rroan rroan rroan (HOT) Soon my broth got a little saltier as I began to sweat profusely due to spiciness and excessive steam. A few trips to the kitchen for some ice and all was well.

Writing this is making me realize how much I'm going to miss my family, they are so much fun and have made my home stay experience better than I could have ever expected. I was actually pretty nervous and was prepared to feel awkward and crave contact with my American friends for 5 weeks. I was proved wrong in all respects and feel more connected to my new home than I thought was possible to feel after such a short amount of time. It's nice to know that I have a safe and welcoming place on two opposite sides of the world. My Mae has already told me I have to go out to eat with her for the festival in November and told me next year to come back with my mother and "No need for hotel, you stay with me." This Thursday is the host family dinner party hosted by ISDSI, I hope I don't cry.

OHHHHH Duuuh. I mean Doi. I forget to write about Doi Suthep hike on Friday. Holy Holy cow. I mean Holy Wat. I mean holy temple. After hiking 1 mile straight up a mountain...Not exaggerating it took 2 hours and was full of exciting obstacles such as fallen trees, streams, rocks, vines, the occasional passed out student (j/k)...we reached Wat Doi Suthep. The second most famous Wat in all of Chiang Mai. We changed out of our sweaty hiking clothes and into our culturally appropriate wat-wear and proceded to walk up 300 stairs with beautiful undulating dragons escorting us on either side. Just what our legs needed. Ha. It was pretty touristy and pretty pretty. There was an amazing view which quenched my thirst for wide open space and beautiful carvings and Buddhas aplenty.

The hike itself was a chance to realize the extent of the diversity of wildlife sustained by a tropical climate. We hiked through 4 different types of forests the names of which I promptly forgot and saw literally thousands of different plants. A monkey was spotted, I saw a big grandpa turtle, so many beautiful butterflies (of course, my spirit animal follows me even in Thailand) dragonflies, and huge bugs I would rather stay away from. Several waterfalls, a lunch packed in banana leaves, a long, thoughtful stroll through a smaller forest temple halfway up the mountain...Just another day at school.

:)

I can't believe it's already been a month. Time is flying and I love every second.

I'll leave you with a great Thai joke I heard.
Preface: another word that makes more sense to me in Thai than English. The word for a bad smell is men. Stinky men. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, I can remember than one and thank goodness no weird faces, tones, or tongue tricks accompany it.

"Which bathroom smells worse men's or women's?"
"Women's because there is Woooo-men" (imagine with someone emphasizing the wooo and fanning their nose, maybe it’s a hard one to get across via the internet. Remind me to tell you sometime…

Oof. Fail.

Until next time...
Sabai Sabai

AA...Alcoholics Annannamous

DK with the groups fave drink, Hong Thong: Cheers, we made it to Thailand

Max and I sampling the local...cuisine?: nom nom nom...don't worry, not enough to blah ;)

Today I learned that Lohw means whiskey in Thai.

This would explain why my sisters laughed so hard at me the first night ofmy Host Stay when I proclaimed loudly and proudly, several times..."Imm lohw imm lohw"....I'm full of whiskey.

I was trying to say Imm layo....I'm full already.

This explains a lot. No wonder they hide all the alcohol in the house.

Anna Witte- queen of all first impressions.

Horses and Chang rides and falls oh THAI !

Rot Deng Ride: Louie, Emblz, and me

Behind the waterfall!: Louie, Jordan, and Jamie

Retreat: Hippies, butterfly children, and tree huggers

Bridge to our cabins: Clap if you beleive in fairies.

Crazy Horse Buttress: The epic climb

Born ready: Max and me, geared up, geekin out

MOK FAH: Ahhhhhhh

I never posted about the retreat last weekend! It was a blast and a well deserved break from classes. We went to Mok Fah waterfall at Doi Suthep National Park.
We played some crazy games that got a lot physical, a lot competitive and a lot sweaty. So fun.
We had to respond to some emergency scenarios as a team, which made me reflexively grab for a non-existent lanyard with a non existent whistle (thanks for the brainwashing Grand Rapids Parks and Rec.).
We played some music, sang some ditties, star gazed, had giant bonfires, ran around barefoot, became one with nature, and all lived happily ever after. Not really, but kinda. There was even a little bridge that lit up with these pretty lamps that made me feel like I was in a fairy tale...So surreal, as most things and experiences have been so far.

Then this week of classes went really well, my language lesson isn't making me want to cry anymore and the seminar topic was right up my alley...sociology of Thailand. So interesting, I was way into it... I can try to give a spark notes version because it's fascinating. Keeping social harmony is put above all other things here. The way efficiency or effectiveness is put above all things in the U.S. This is because Thai people are concerned with "saving face" They don't want people they care about and respect to ever feel embarrassed or upset. In order to prevent those feelings they will not confront them under any circumstance. Confrontation would upset social harmony and cause people to lose face. This is why my host family/ajaans/pis are very forgiving of my silly culturally insensitive mistakes; they do not want me to lose face or upset the social harmony of our relationship. This is just one example of something that is seen in many aspects of Thai culture and really explains a lot of things that could seem very strange to someone (like me) who comes from a very different cultural context. I eat this stuff up.

Speaking of eating...
When I first came to the conclusion that my family's nannies (Pi A and Pi Noot) were doing a social experiment on me, I decided I was prooobably being paranoid. But after several occurrences of either one of them shoving strange and overwhelmingly spicy things down my throat the second they get me alone, I think my suspicions have been validated. Most Thai people I have eaten meals with get very worried about my tolerance for spicy dishes, and my peers have told me similar stories about their host families. My curious nannies must be on a mission to find out exactly what foods foreigners can tolerate. Yesterday Pi A literally put something in my mouth against my will. Straight up came up to me with a piece of ped blah tohd (spicy fried fish) and proceeded to pry my mouth open with chopsticks and drop the disgusting parcel in my mouth. She then began rambling at me in Thai and I sat there trying to swallow without crying. "mai alloy, mai alloy" Not delicious. She waddled off laughing, I'm assuming to tell Pi Noot and record her newfound data.
Then this morning they decided to switch it up and move on to poisoning me with sugar. They gave me hot chocolate, which I watched them spoon ungodly (un-buddah-ly?) amounts of thick sweetened condensed milk into, and something similar to a deep fried pancake with a waterfall of yet more sweetened condensed milk and a fountain of sugar, rolled up into a delicious heart attack stogy which I promptly smoked down. Hours have past and I still feel the ashes, an anchor in my stomach. Condensed milk harbor.

Luckily there was no time for Pi A to give me a second heart attack wrap because my Mae came to tell me to get changed. It was time to go ride some Chang. ELEPHANTS! I went with Sarah's host family and I loved getting to know them, her host parents are teachers and her kun Pa speaks great English. The Elephant resort was...interesting. Obviously catered towards tourists but hey, sometimes you just have to suck it up and be the stereotypical farang and ride a chang. We rode through a really beautiful village surrounded by mountains and tropical trees...just breathtaking...and bumpy. After the 30 minute ride was over and we were back on much lower ground the rider told us to come over to the front of the elephant, and all the sudden in one swift blur of grey I was lifted up in the air by a powerful trunk. Sarah got a great picture of my face, what a surprise.

Everything is kind of a surprise here I rarely know what's going on in the moment let alone the next week, day, or even hour. For example last week we were told that Friday would be spent rock climbing. Naturally I was pumped, no classes and I get to make a fool of myself in a dorky belt...I couldn't wait. But of course I was picturing something along the lines of a YMCA style, multi walled, colorful playdough-esque fake rocks in random patterns..rock climb.Duh......Nope. They meant rock climbing in the most literal way possible. Crazy Horse Buttress, a beautiful and very real rock face. My first time climbing a real mountain and it was not easy, but it was a thrill and so much more fulfilling that ringing a stupid bell after clambering up play dough steps (no offense to those who are indoor rock climb junkies). We also repelled down a 120 drop in a cave. Nbd. BIG DEAL. It was pretty terrifying but I felt extremely safe at the same time, there's just something unnerving and unnatural about semi-floating in the middle of an enormous cave. Unnerving and spectacular.
The staff was so awesome, they got us geeked up from the start with some dorky games to ward off any and all possible attempts to keep dignity in tact. For example: you are this animal (look at card, don't tell your friends) Ok now close your eyes. Find your animal pack. Use only sounds. Elephant? Not as easy as it sounds. No pun intended. They made the entire experience a blast. They were never condescending and encouraged us the whole time. I couldn't have asked for better teachers. Thanks Pi Oo-an and Nong Day. Team Chang for life :)

What next?...It's Thailand. Ya never know.

Don't judge a tuk tuk by its driver.. Actually on second thought..

Me n' my goldfish: Thai hat...muddy clothes and still getting macked on.

Muay Thai fight: Adventure to downtown first night in Chiang Mai.

Market: Kat Luang.

At the fish farm: holy cows

The most important thing I’ve learned so far is: Do not trust initial assumptions.
Usually these assumptions stem from appearances.

For example, just because a fruit looks delicious and exotic from the outside, does not mean that it is going to taste like the crisp, fresh prickly-pear-esque fruit one might imagine from its deceiving “peel” which is actually more like a shell. Once opened, I saw fist sized yellow pieces of fruit that upon putting in my own fist I found oddly soft. Upon biting into the piece of fruit (which I had to keep reminding myself was NOT a chicken thigh despite all sensory signals) I was even more bewildered. Creamy? Slimy. A hint of… vanilla? Overwhelmingly sweet. With a…what is that…garlic after taste? Needless to say I was left confused after my adventure with the spiky, head sized monstrosity that is the Durian. My Mae loves them and often brings home three at a time and I eat several pieces at her request. Oy.

Another example: Just because roads look similar to those in the U.S does not mean they operate under the same rules, laws, regulations...all of which are most expertly ignored. There is a ratio of about 10 motorbikes to each car and they weave expertly (and terrifyingly) through traffic. Thai people don't do things alone. Everything is communal, even drives can turn into family outings, babies and toddlers holding onto the steering wheel, other times stacked on top of parents or siblings; sometimes 4 to one bike.

It is also not uncommon for drivers of public transportation to be intoxicated. Red bus, yellow bus, tuk tuk... if you have any doubt in your mind about your driver's coherency level and ability it is safest to bail out immediately.

I’m just glad I will never be forced to drive any type of vehicle here. Watching is enough excitement for me. As a passenger I get front row seats to the Dance that is Chiang Mai driving. Lanes are subject to interpretation and these vehicles take the opportunity to get creative. The metallic sheets of metal glide from partner to partner getting so close I’m left on the edge of my seat waiting for the finale of sparks and sounds of crashing applause, only to be left in awe as the pursued vehicle gracefully declines its seducer’s quest to become one. There is no apparent hesitation, nor fear, and in the rare occurrence of a blunder all is quickly forgotten and forgiven with no road rage lingering. This all usually leaves me feeling a little sick and praying silently for my life.


When I'm not encountering culture shock I'm usually slaving away for I.S.D.S.I.
Class has been getting more draining by the day. After a night of reading several articles for seminar and practing language lessons from the previous day, 4 hours of language is a lot to handle. Buuut I enjoy the company of the small group I’m with so that helps me get through it. Lunch is always a nice long break and always delicious as is every single thing I’ve tried here thus far (even chicken’s blood, I’m SO glad I had no idea that’s what I was eating while I was eating it. Gyuhhck).

There are usually surprises awaiting throughout the week too, which help keep us in good spirits. Yesterday we got to school and we were given an envelope with 500 baht (around 15 dollars) and a list of ingredients in Thai. We were brought on a field trip to a market where they set use loose…an overexcited pack of farang (foreigners) Ready, set, go go goong hang (dried shrimp) Dua Fagk Yoow (reeeally long beans), and all sorts of interesting looking fresh veggies. After we collected the items on our list (and sampled several delectables upon our appetite’s request) we returned to school to an awaiting team of master chiefs: our professors. We spent the rest of the day in teams preparing the most epic and authentic Thai feast known to man. Barbequed chicken and pork with coconut curry sauce, fried fish caked topped with veggie garnish, papaya salad with peanuts, pudding desert wrapped in banana leaves, topped with coconut…Just wow. The best part was learning from the most adorable little grandma I’ve ever met. She was so hilarious and I think we have a mutual understanding that I’ve adopted her. She taught me that in Thailand it is essential to finish tasks. “If you do not finish what you start, no man will come to ask to marry you.” Proof that I’m learning valuable life lessons over here.

Not suprisingly I’m getting laughed at a lot by my family. Usually when I attempt to pronounce anything in Thai. I swear every word is impossible and I must have verbal dyslexia…let’s just say it’s a slow process but far from painful because I bask in the joy it brings my host sisters because they have the funniest laughs ever.

Which reminds me of a great story. A few days ago my host dog, a huge German shepherd named Guiii-tar, was finally out of its cage. My host sisters felt the need to make a little human shield around me which was probably pretty funny looking because I’m approximately 30% larger in height and girth than both of them. I was trying to let them know that I was fine with dogs so I simply said… “oooh, cute, cute.” Well, not only did I fail to get the point across that I wanted to play with the dog because they continued to push the pet away and quickly ushered me into the house, but they also thought it was HILARIOUS. Except for the brief mocking squeal of “cuuute, cuuuute” I don’t think they stopped laughing for about 5 minutes. Now every time there is an animal in sight they point and repeat my apparently hilarious word choice and laugh laugh laugh at me. It’s all in good fun though, as everything is here in Thailand.

Off to prepare for a retreat at Wat Doi Suthep national park

Check out the link if you want a visual

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwYVBbagl00

Fishy business

Two words I think make more sense in Thai than English:
The word for Water is Nom. Nom nom nom. Delicious. The word for fish is blah. Blaaaah.

Today we went to a fish farm. I know it doesn’t sound all that exciting, but it was probably the best time I’ve had here so far…maybe ever. Okay I’m exaggerating but it was really an amazing experience. It wasn’t just a “fish farm” it was an NGO called the Northern Thailand Foundation for Enablement. Basically they raise Tilapia and harvest their eggs (or frys as they called them) to sell to other farmers who raise them to full size and sell them. It was such a well thought out process it was brilliant. Everything was sustainable and natural and just…so cool to see in practice.

Even better than just getting a tour and watching the process in action…we got to get right up in there with those fish. Down and dirty. Oh so dirty. Shin deep in muck, chest deep in water, finger deep in fish mouth. work work working our cares away. I’m sure it was pretty amusing for the seasoned workers to watch a bunch of students filling nets with flailing fish splashing muddy water in our faces as we shrieked like little girls (even the boys I swear. Like little girls) It was hard! Some of those fish were feisty little guys…or not so little guys. The Tilapia never got tooo big, maybe the biggest I saw was arm length to my elbow. But there were some carp that were massive. The biggest I saw looked like a giant gold fish I kinda wanted to take him home but I would have needed a Guinness Book worthy zip lock baggie for this guy. He was fat too. So cute. We also found a walking cat fish, we put it on the ground to see why it got its name, and there it went walking on back to the water. Okay it was a little more like slithering but still pretty bizarre because it used its too side fins to propel forward. Oh we also found dancing shrimp. And ate them. Right there and then. In the water. As fresh as it gets. They’re pretty tiny like the size of one to two knuckles and completely clear but they’re like pop rocks in your mouth..they jump around. I’m not gunna lie I was grossed out I had to bite down right away because it freaked me out. And then their stringy antenna and legs got caught in my teeth and I’m not going to act like I was okay with that either. But no regrets, it was an experience I’ll not easily forget. We collected some and they made them into a small salad for us to sample at lunch, with cilantro and stuff…it was way more fun to eat then.

After a couple hours of transferring a whole pond of tilapia from one site to another (not exaggerating) we got to spend some more time with fish. This time I spent less time with my fingers in ITS mouth and more with my fingers in MY mouth. It was oh so tasty. Fried Tilapia dipped in sweet and sour like sauce, mixed with rice…I think I may have eaten a whole fish. Nom Nom Nom Blah blah blah.

As we cleaned up, some of the workers played instruments and soon the students were joining in. and soon Jamie and I were being taught a traditional Thai dance. And soon we were showing it to other girls, and soon we had a performance to put on. It was such a blast, we had a woman playing a traditional Thai string instrument that sounded similar to a violin, Max on the drums, Jon on the Thai guitar, an adorable older woman playing something similar to symbols and a whole company of dancers. I don’t think I stopped smiling the entire afternoon.

With our bellies full we went out searching for some full fish mouths. They taught us how to look for eggs (which the females keep in their mouths) First we learned to distinguish between male and female (I’ll spare you the dirty details), then learn how to tell if the females have eggs, then learn how to collect them if they do. It was such a blast learning how to catch the fish with mostly our bare (or gloved) hands and so weird to see the females practically throwing up their bright yellow eggs. Jordan and I had a blast trying to become fish whisperers and ridding the tilapia school of the foreign carp. We literally didn’t notice when half of our group moved to a new pond. Whoops.

Then we had to do some REAL labor. Net cleaning. I don’t know how these little ladies did it. There were only two of them doing it when we got there, and once we started they took a break and watched. Again I’m sure it was something similar to a zoo attraction we probably looked ridiculous there were about 6 of us per big net and we had them laid out on the ground as we scrubbed them with push broom style brushes. I was soooo into it. For about 10 minutes. Then my back hurt. And I could feel blisters forming on my palms. And then the sweat came. And I gained sooo much respect for these adorable women who were smiling at us from the comfort of their chairs.

5 hours later, with my white shirt 3 shades closer to brown, and my muscles aching (Not to mention the smell)… it was finally time to leave. I learned so much from the staff and the head honcho of the farm who showed us around all day and explained everything. Such an amazing, fun, absolutely wonderful experience.

And to top it all off even the van rides to and from were epic. We traveled in style.The vans were …as Ted said… “Probably so illegal in America” They were so comfortable, cushiony, laid back. These were high class. Reserved for those with good manners, as the no farting allowed sticker illustrated for us. No joke. Red circle. Red dash over stick figure emitting offensive fumes. From anus. In addition to hilarious stickers and posh seating there was a huge T.V. and Karaoke. Probably the best idea ever, until the lack of any single one English language CD forced us to attempt Thai Karaoke.

Don’t worry, I’ve got it on film.

Other exciting news… I now have a grandpa! He is so cute. I call him gom gom. He is hard of hearing (aka more forgiving of my terrible Thai) and thinks I’m clever for using chop sticks…I love him already

Also: Upon my real brother's request I will attempt to name the rest of my family over hear in the SE Asia. Spelled Phonetically. Chem (9) Meyo (10) Jay (15) Ting (16) Brother..don't know his name (20), Fong (25), Chahn (27), and Ling maybe not sure (31) May (pronunciacion for mom), and Paw (dad) .... Huuuge family. It's like I never left home. Don't worry real fam I still miss and love you.

Life is great.

Just another day in Chiang Mai

Wednesday


Today I realized that somehow upon arriving in this country I magically became an expert at using chop sticks. No joke. Thailand loves me.

Also today was the Third day of classes. Language is really intense and to be honest hurts my brain…a lot. But it’s amazing how much I’m learning so quickly and I love the teachers. I can't imagine how much will power it takes them not to laugh at my feeble attempts to pronounce words that feel just.. so wrong to my American trained mouth. Despite our butchering of their native language they are really encouraging, which is fortunate because every time I think I'm catching on to one thing we move on to something new and again I'm drowning in syllables and tones, wanting to give up and go cry to my host mom and eat my feelings with a big bowl of sticky rice.


We are taught completely in Thai, we aren’t supposed to use ANY English. Nada. Whoops wrong language.. we still ask quite a few questions in English because we don’t know enough to ask in Thai yet, but I’m pretty sure they’re going to be strict about it as soon as we know enough to get by. So I have that to look forward to. Terrifying.

Because it’s the first week things are pretty unstable, we’ve been doing a lot of orientation and today we went on a city tour to the art museum, a "rahn yahan" (restaurant) and a big market (Kat-Luang)to do a scavenger hunt. It was pretty much awesome.

The market was HUGE. There were so many things to look at, so many smells (The good ones;amazing. The bad ones...foul.foul.foul), and of course, so much to taste. Our scavenger hunt was written in Thai so we had no idea what we were looking for. We went around to whoever looked like they weren't busy...pointed to the word...and said "Arai ka? Arai ka?" Basically we were the epitome of a foreigner, primitively pointing and grunting.."what what?" Luckily Thai people are the most amazing, helpful people I've ever met and everyone just pointed us the right direction until finally we were standing in front of a booth holding at least a dozen colorful things that I was hesitant to label as fruit because they looked more like children’s toys. But 3 seconds later I was shown that yes indeed it was edible: clear, sweet, smooth, delicious.

Some little old lady even walked around with us showing us where things were, it was adorable I wanted to take her home with me...I don't have a host grandma yet, if I knew enough Thai I would have asked her if she wanted to .

Most of the items on the list were foods which we bought and sampled. This included fried worms. Apparently the most expensive ones you can get in Chiang Mai because they live in some tree and never touch the ground? Who knew... Apparently at night there are several fried bugs for sale and they're supposed to be delicious. Two orders Crispy Caterpillar, Roasted Rolly polly and a side of French Fried Flees please.

Afterwards we all met up and our Ajaans and we talked about the things we tried and then I made the mistake of trying to be helpful in a country where I know absolutely nothing. About anything. Why? I don’t know. I really…don’t know. I called my host sister and told her she could just pick me up at the market. Because I thought it was closer than my school. Because I didn’t think about the traffic. Because I didn’t think about the fact that I would have to stay in one place until she came to me. Because I am a stupid stupid farang (foreigner). It wasn’t that bad but the fumes were awful and I was exhausted from running around the market all day so my feet hurt and there was no where to sit. But I am not one to dwell on my stupidity so I made the most of it and bought a coconut ice cream (&#*(^&@)(* YUM and people watched.

OH, how could I forget…we also have started cross fitness training. It's so soothing after a day of learning to get some fresh air, stretch out our limbs, breath in (Or should I say swallow? chew?)the thick, humid, air and embark on the torture tour that is Kru Jon's workout. Those of you who have experienced or been told tales of the abundance of my sweat can’t even imagine the rivers pouring from every pore. I’ll let you ponder that lovely image in your heads.

gao sip gao problems

So I'm about to start school so this is a quick post... but... on my way to school I was listening to the radio and heard a folk song (complete with banjo) version of 99 problems.

It. Was. Awesome.

If you've got girl problems I feel bad for you son

Imm Lau Imm Lau

SUNDAY

Last night was fantastic. I had dinner with my brother Jay (15), he cracks me up he doesn't know much english but he smiles at me and giggle and has hilarious body language, he reminds me of a cartoon.

I don’t think my host mom cooks, because they seem to have two full time babysitter/ nanny/maids who cook, clean, etc. The food was amazing though, even when I wasn’t sure what I was eating...which was a lot of the time.

After dinner my host mom came home and brought me, my little sister Meo(10), little brother Chem (9) , and Jay to the athletic club to go swimming. It was so nice, a huge pool, and I played with my little siblings who I now adore. They no close to zero English which doesn't matter at all because lets face it how necessary is it to speak English while teaching each other new splashing techniques? My mom on the other hand has pretty great English which is so nice because I love talking to her, I can’t wait to learn some Thai so it will be easier for both of us.

When we got back home my host dad was there, I went over to say Sa-wat-dee-ka and my mother knew I was tired so she told me to go dry my hair and sleep. Right after getting into my pajamas though I heard Jay calling “Anna, Anna!” and I opened my door where he told me in broken English something about someone wanting to take me out..to a barty? I was so confused… “Now?” I asked to which he nodded his head yes. So I went back to my room, put on real clothes, and waited for…?

Five minutes later a hoard of my host sisters waltzed in and ushered me into yet another car (is that 3 so far?). My host mom asked if I was sure I wanted to go (protective as my own already) and told me not to fall asleep in class on Monday, but my sisters assured her I could sleep all day Sunday which didn’t sound half bad to me. So we packed into the car, 4 in the back two in the front and drove off to the barty. Actually we went to a delicious little desert resteraunt.
Let me tell you, these tiny girls can EAT. We ordered about 11 slushy drinks, 7 random desert things (looked like cut up white bread to dip in pudding), and 5 spicy noodle/beef/egg/veggie mixtures. For SIX people. Imm Lau, Imm lau I said (I’m full) to which they responded “eat more, keep eating, try this”, I think that’s why they told me when the food came to eat fast. Not because I had to compete with them, but because otherwise my stomach would be able to detect the oncoming digestive disaster. Oh well, at least it was delicious and my sisters are hilarious, they remind me of my own.
By then I was absolutely exhausted and they laughed at me as I fell asleep on the car ride home, telling me it was okay, I didn’t have to eat the next day…I could sleep until dinner. ;)

1,2,3,4?…. meals later
These people love to feed me. So I woke up, ate breakfast, took a shower, did some stuff on my computer, and fell back asleep for while. I was woken up by Fong who told me it was time to go meet up with Mom and she drove me to this really exclusive looking golf club where she brought me to a beautiful game room/library. Of course there was food, it was lunch time for goodness sakes. Oh. my. Buddah. (innapropes?) my mother is the worst/best. she makes me try everything and then “try again try again”. Luckily she had to leave to pick up Ting or I don’t think she would ever have let me stop eating.

The rest of the afternoon was spent playing pool, first in their way which included a full rack of red balls with about six random colored balls placed in designated spots around the table: pink, green, blue, black, yellowand brown I think. The object is to first get a red ball in (1 point) then hit a colored ball in (pink= 7 Black =8 Yellow= 2 etc.). I sucked at it and Jay killed me, we ended up giving up and started playing teams but no one was very good so we played all afternoon, switching to the regular stripes/solid form after a while and actually finished a game: Jay, Meyo, and Chem won :(. Then we headed to the market to pick up a crate of fresh crabs for dinner, which we dropped off at home for the maids to cook while we swam at the athletic club.
Dinner was delicious but, again, was overwhelming. I felt bad because I was full and my host mom told me she told the maids to cook 7 crab for me. SEVEN. Crabs. SEVEN! So of course I ate more. And more. And then she wanted me to try this one tea. Then this one juice. Then sticky rice with coconut milk. I am definitely giving up on watching my figure. Unless you count watching it grow. I really didn't take it seriously when Ajaan Mark said that our host familys want us to gain weight, I'm just glad they aren't weighing me...I guess some families do that. Hilarious.

I really love my family though, they are really fun and playful and try to include me a lot. It’s amazing how much you can communicate without words. Chem, Meyo and I played games during the car rides, they taught me a few games similar to rock paper scissors but they involved slapping the losers hands..they never really hit mine though it was cute. We also played monkey in the middle at the pool with Ting and Jay. Meyo and Chem love having my attention and I love it too but it gets exhausting. I’m sure my host mom loves having a new babysitter though ; )


I. Am. Exhausted. More to come.

Welcome to Chiang Mai, Welcome home

After a day of relaxing at our "hostel" (which was really like a tropical resort) we met the head honch of ISDSI (Don't ask me what it stands for I keep messing it up..just look up the website ISDSI.org) Ajaan Mark. He introduced us to some of the other ISDSI staff: Ajaan Wilasinee, Pi Pu, and Pi Ben.

We were given a culture crash course that left me dizzy and sure I was about to either fall off of a four foot high squatting toilet or get thrown into the street for pointing at something with my feet. There were so many rules, so many phrases and tricky syllables that everything started to blend together into one big ngai-cheu-di-chan-messssss.

1.“Don’t touch people’s head. Ever. Even friends, even kids, no exceptions.” (Great I had ruffled a little boys hair the night before, I’m definitely going to be deported)

2.People don’t drink out of bottles. They use cups. If Thais see a stupid drunk tourist stumbling down the street shirtless with a beer bottle in his hand, Thai people will be most confused about the bottle. (Jordan and I look at each other. Yup, we were those people last night..don't worry we had our shirts on and we were actually walking pretty straight..to avoid being run over by motercycles or running over any tiny thai grandmas at night markets)

3 - infinity: Don’t point at things with your pointer finger, always take your shoes off before entering the house, use your right hand for eating and left for the bathroom, put your fork and spoon together when you’re full and done or you will look away for a second only to find your plate refilled by your host mother (who wants you to gain weight in order to feel like you love her and her cooking), don’t expect any privacy, Always, Never, ahhhh. Let’s face it, it’s impossible for me not to mess up in some way or another. Can't wait.

Before the crash course is over we notice that our families are beginning to show up and gather outside. They look as nervous, intrigued, and excited as we do. We get a departure bag with emergency numbers, a journal, an ISDSI shirt, and we’re sent to greet the crowd in our broken, newly learned Thai.

‘Soo-wat-dee-ka, di-chan-cheu Anna” Hello, my name is Anna.

The crowd applauds, and I stare back at the faces wondering which ones will soon be my new family. We gather our luggage and wait for Pi Wilasinee to call our names. Finally I hear mine and I am whisked away by two adorable girls. My new sisters? No time to waste, they whisk me away carrying one of my bags and I follow behind with my remaining one, wondering so many things. We load up into a truck and they introduce themselves. Fong and Ting, 25 and 16. The car ride was actually surprisingly fun, and they spoke pretty good English so I learned a little about them. They are from two different families Ting is one of 4 and is the oldest, Fong is one of 5 and is number four, like me! Phong likes thin noodles, Ting and I like medium ones. Ting plays a little tennis but prefers table tennis, her brother is fat. You know…standard stuff (?) (?) (?)
But really it was great we had a few laughs and they taught me some random words. I’m excited to get to know them.
We stop by a jewelry like shop and say hello to mama, she looked happy to see me, but who knows (I haven’t quite been able to distinguish between the thousand smiles of this land yet). We switched cars and went to eat meatballs with noodles and patient? Juice, it tasted like orange to me but they assured me it wasn’t. Then they took me home.
There is one house for living (I have a huge bed it nearly fills the nearly empty room it’s in…probably built for 3) with bedrooms, a TV, computer etc. and one house we eat in. Well probably another for living on the other side too, I’m not sure, it’s so confusing I don’t know if they are all relatives (probably) or what the deal is but it’s a lot of space and they said I can make myself at home. Besides being slightly confused by the living arrangement and people’s relationship to each other, I’m just happy to be here and excited for things to get super awkward. Here we go. Sa-wat-dee ka