Sunday, August 5, 2012

The Afterward

I've lost track of time a little bit....life has been INSANE since Keara and I left Chiang Mai early Saturday morning.

Our plans to travel down to Koh Samet took a turn for the crazy as soon as we landed in Bangkok. Basically we were led around like livestock onto buses, motorcycles, boats. for the rest of the day, hauling around our 40-pound suitcases and stuffed-to-the-brim backpacks. We were exhausted by the time we finally made it to this little island, but once we saw that white-sand beach our troubles floated away...

Sunday we spent the entire day at the beach. We examined marine life in tide pools, swam in the warm sea, bummed on the beach...but in the afternoon we realized that we'd been a little crisped... so we walked back to our hotel to shower and change and then headed back to the beach for dinner and a show.

There are these crazy fire-dancers that perform every night here, and Keara and I had front-row seats. The things they were doing with ball/sticks of fire were unbelievable...I have videos but I don't want to upload them right now.
Toward the middle of the show we realized that we were smeared in whatever fuel they were using to keep their sticks burning, and then one of the guys threw his baton into the air, but he must have slipped because it landed RIGHT in front of me instead of in his hand. I was terrified. I was sure that I was going to burst into flames at any second. But the guy just swept the stick up, smiled and winked at me, and continued on with the show as if he hadn't just put my life in jeopardy. 

It wasn't until we got back to the hotel that we realized the extent of our sunburns. Oh my ouch. I have never been this burnt in my entire life. We were supposed to leave the island today and go back to Bangkok, but we chose to stay here and chill in the hotel room because it hurts too bad to even put our backpacks on.

Wish us luck on the adventure home!

Friday, August 3, 2012

The Last Days

That's a camel, in case you were wondering.
Noi let me drive her motorcycle. We both lived.
Last ride in the back of the truck. :(
Beautiful sunset just for me.
Katoon
It's amazing that my time here is at an end. I remember that first night, when I thought that I would never make it through three whole months here. But now I would do anything for three more.

There are so many people I've met, things I've done, and lessons I've learned. Before I came to this country I thought I knew what life was about, but Thailand taught me better. I cannot even begin to explain the love that I feel for my friends and family here, for the vast green rice paddies and bulging storm clouds, for the chaotic traffic, the hot sticky air, the food that gives me hiccups because it's so spicy.

I came to this country with a development perspective. I was going to work at an HIV/AIDS NGO helping AIDS victims with an "income generation project." I was going to give them all these great ideas and help them improve their lives.



But I've decided that working under the development perspective is a hindrance. It's relationships that really matter...it's absorbing a culture and coming to love it despite its faults. It's understanding that this is real life for some people, and they don't get to go back to America and show their pictures to everyone and talk about how great Thailand is.

These are my true friends. They aren't victims or patients or even co-workers. They're people and they're trying to make the most out of what they have, just like everyone else in the world. I care deeply about them and they've taught me much more than I could ever teach them.


Today, after I said my final goodbyes to everyone at the center, Olay took me on her motorcycle to the main road to catch a rot leung home. I stood with her on the side of the road for a long time, holding little Katoon on my hip. I belonged in that place, in that moment, and when I handed Katoon back to Olay and hugged them both goodbye,  I think I handed over a little piece of my heart as well.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Noi: "Yesterday, I saw wet leaf"

Me: "You saw a wet leaf?"
Noi: "Yeah."
Me: "Wet leaf?"
Noi: "Wet leaf."
Me: "What??"
Noi: "Wet leaf."
Me: "You're telling me you saw a wet leaf?"

Eventually we established that she was trying to say weight lift, but I think I like wet leaf better.


Yesterday was my last night with the kids... I ate dinner with them, during which I tried to explain the term orange juice. Pretty soon we had purple juice and green juice, and then when they caught on, banana juice, buffalo juice, and dog juice.

After dinner I took some of them over to the little shop on the side of the street and let them pick out whatever treat they wanted, on condition that they share. Once we had our bag of canom, we started back to the school, but stopped when we heard some screeching tires, gasping, and a strange animal noise.

Yeah, the neighbor's big black dog got run over right in front of me and ten children. It was traumatic to say the least.

But these kids are resilient and we still managed to have a great time.





The older girls performed a couple dances on the stage and then we all sat in a circle and the kids expressed their thanks to me and wished me a safe trip home. Afterward, I showed them pictures and videos of my own life and family in America...they were enthralled. They handed me flash drives and SM cards for me to upload my pictures on. Then we played around with my webcam as they all scrambled to tie more bracelets around my wrists.


This morning they left for school, as per usual. I wasn't sad because it feels like I'll be seeing them again next week. The reality of me leaving hasn't set in yet, but when it does, life will be rough.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

These flip-flops


have taken me many places.

My true love for them blossomed last summer in Yosemite, when I wore them hiking up to the tippy top of an intense waterfall. Basically the whole hike was over wet rocks and I was so sure that I was going to slip and die because I was wearing flip-flops! But I made it down alive and my relationship with those flip-flops has never been the same.

Here in Thailand they've carried me through some frightening things. Just last week I was following Paanie through the meat market in them, trying very hard not to slip on the blood smeared all over the ground. When it rains they slosh through the mud with me, and then because this is Thailand and you have to take your shoes off when you enter most buildings, they often get left outside in the downpour. And I wouldn't exactly call them water-proof.

They've taken me on bike-rides through my village and adventures around the city. To night-clubs and Buddhist wats. To church and work and weekend excursions and back home again.

They used to be gray but now they're more brown. The fabric is fraying and my toes have rubbed away the material on top. Basically, they're nasty, as you can see. Even my Thai friends wrinkle their noses when they see me slipping them on, and my dog thinks they are chew toys.

So this is an ode to my beloved flip-flops, which I will be leaving behind in this beloved country. Just thought they deserved a little shout-out before I abandon them forever.


Friday, July 27, 2012

I'm still here

That's what I tell myself every day, because I know the day will soon come when I won't be able to say it anymore. But as for now, I am in Thailand. At this very moment I am sitting on the bench in the living room next to Noi. She is working on art history homework and chewing on taro (fish string) and there are crickets chirping outside and a big jing jok crawling up the window screen. I'm still here.

This week I took every opportunity I could to go to the center. We did the usual stuff, but it meant more to me because I knew that it's not going to last for much longer. Ahmpaa and Nute joked that I should marry Joe to stay in Thailand, and then Joe yelled, "I love you!" I guess it's an option...except Joe is like, 40 so that wouldn't exactly work out.

Today (Friday) I teo-ed with Ning in the city because her school was hosting an open house at a hotel. To indulge the children's English program exhibit, I let a bunch of 10-year-olds weigh and measure me (literally). They also took my blood pressure, which is low apparently. It was a little bit freaky, because they definitely knew what they were talking about. And I didn't. Hello?? I'm the native English speaker here.


After the doctor visit, we sat down in an auditorium and watched the students' musical performances. Then most of the audience piled out and I was left sitting at a table with thirty high-schoolers. It wasn't long before they started taking jumping pictures, showing off their dance moves, and knocking things over, as high-schoolers do. Me, being the mature 20-year-old that I am, sat back and planned my English lesson for this evening. 

Wondering, eating, singing, laughing, sitting, walking, singing....finally Ning and I peaced out and got a rot dang to Nimmanhaemin. I took her to soi one, down which is located the sweet eclectic shop I love so much, but unfortunately it was closed for lunch, so I asked Ning for other options while we waited. She said, "My aunt owns a coffee shop near here." And so off we walked.

Half a mile and two sweaty backs later, we reached her aunt's coffee shop, which actually turned out to be a COPY shop. Oh, Ning. The letters W T F may or may not have been running through my head, but the situation was just too funny not to laugh. We got a free drink of water from her cousins at least, and then we borrowed their bike to ride back to Nimmanhaemin. And when I say "we rode back" I really mean, "Ning pedaled and I sat on the baby seat behind her." If you're having a hard time picturing that, here's a visual:



Classy, right? I offered to be the driver, but after ten terrifying seconds in which I almost killed us ten times, Ning took the wheel again and we continued on our merry way. And you better believe every person we passed busted up. But really, can you blame them? Look at us.

Back at Ning's house (in case you were wondering, Ning is Yai's daughter, and Yai is Meredith's host mother) we had a little going-away-type party, complete with pizza, spaghetti, soda, and ice-cream. It was delish. Yai and Ning tried to teach us a Thai pick-up-sticks game, but after several failed attempts on our part, Yai finally admitted that farangs (or pharangs? I don't know guys. Somebody who knows romanized Thai, please correct me) don't have the coordination to play that game anyway.

A little after 5:00, John came to pick me up. I taught the older kids today--we reviewed shapes and colors and basic questions like "What are you doing?" At the end all of them (including the little ones) insisted on riding in the back of the truck with me, even though we were going all the way to Doi Saket. The whole way they kept leaning over and shouting, "teacher!" to offer me homemade bracelets. By the time I got off the truck I had six on each wrist. It made me want to cry. I'm going to miss them so much! I'm going to miss everything so much!





Friday, July 20, 2012

Dois and deks

On Wednesday, I spent the day with Noi. Actually I dragged her along with me. But I had to see the wat at the top of Doi Saket because I do live in the town named after that mountain, after all.

At the top of one hundred and ninety-something steps we saw this:



Just another wat right? NOT just another wat. This is the big golden building on the hill that tells me that I'm almost home. My first weeks here I would breathe a sigh of relief every time I saw it.

Unfortunately, I realized as we were climbing the stairs that I was wearing shorts. Knees are supposed to be covered when you visit any wat, so I thought they wouldn't let me in. I tried to tie Noi's jacket around my waist, but then a little monk stepped out and said, "Mai ben lai. Dai dai."

Inside, there were some crazy paintings. The friendly monk explained them to Noi in Thai and then she tried to explain them to me in English.

In case you couldn't tell, this painting is a depiction of Adam and Eve luring "stupid fish" to the Bible.
Can you feel the love for Christianity?



As we were hanging out outside admiring the golden spires, some Thai guy came up to me and asked me where I was from. We did the basic exchange, but then he bent over, looked up at me sideways and said, "You really big." Then he left. Gee, thanks.



Warning: transition-less subject change in the very near future. Sorry not sorry.

Today is Friday, which means teaching time! I sure do love my little kidlets. I thought I'd share this video with you from tonight because they are so scrumptious it'd be selfish not to.


Sometimes they yell and hit each other, so I'm trying to teach them "be nice," but there isn't a great Thai translation for that. Also, the cute little three-year-old is just a neighbor's kid who likes to be in on the action. She's adorable though, so I let her stay, even though she's loud and distracting.

After English class, the kids wanted to ride in the back of the truck to take me back to the church. On the way as we were bouncing all over the place they asked, "Where you from?" and "What you occupation?" I was kind of surprised because I definitely did not teach them those words, but I was also a little mad because why the heck are they retaining that information but not the information I give them? Come on guys. 

The problem is me I think. I speak too much Thai to them.




Thursday, July 19, 2012

I call this...untitled.

Okay guys, I have a confession to make. This blog is actually a school requirement. I know, I know. And I'm pretty sure I'm doing it wrong, but whatev.

How do you feel about that? Used? Shammed? Don't. Life isn't always as it seems--a discovery I've made recently. 

Thailand has a reputation for being chill, but because of the nature of the culture, a lot of feelings and emotions are often left unexpressed. For Thais, being jai yen or "cool-hearted" is very important. The cool-hearted person is not easily upset. The cool-hearted person never express anger in public. In Thailand, it's important to be jai yen to save face and maintain a good reputation.

That is why people here often seem fine on the surface, when underneath lies a different story. 

Even though I'd learned that before, I kind of forgot about it until recently. But it really is an aspect of the culture that needs to be recognized in order to be truly culturally aware, otherwise you could find yourself in a naive love-bubble. I am still head-over-heels for this place, but that little cultural snack having come to light (in multiple ways) recently has put a small spin on my perspective.

In other news...
At the center lately we've been helping punch holes out of saa-paper so that they can be made into little gift-bags. I like to sit near Olay so that I can talk with her. Her English has improved so much since I first met her. Every time I say a new word, she asks me to repeat it and then she'll repeat it to herself and oi! Next thing I know she's using it in normal conversation. She catches on so fast.

Today I was out bike-riding around the village and a gajillion strangers asked me, Bai nai ma? I would smile and respond bai teo. But at one point I had to pass a big group of men sitting at a table outside, and then again on the way home. The first time by I just ignored them, because they were kind of intimidating after all. But the second time I forced myself to say hello and they all smiled and started spouting off Thai phrases that I didn't know and maybe don't want to know. Then they started singing at me as I rode away. It was great.

I'm content here. I decided that there is nothing that I miss in America enough to make me want to go back. Not even Costco pizza (I know. I know!) or drinking water that comes from the faucet or sleeping with air conditioning or... I can't think of anything else. Really. Jing jing. 


PS. Paanie just informed me that there is "no light" in the bathroom so I have to shower with a candle. That should be an adventure. 





Sunday, July 15, 2012

Twenty in Thailand

Even before I came here, I was looking forward to titling this birthday post. I was so excited to turn twenty in Thailand. But I had no idea that my birthday here would be the most memorable one of my life, or that I would be so overwhelmed with emotion.

I was thrown three birthday parties.

One, which I told you about in my previous post, organized by my beloved Thai friends at my NGO on Friday.

One yesterday at a bar featuring a freakin' awesome live band that even sang me happy birthday. After my friends from the program surprised me with a cake, we danced the night away like a bunch of crazies.

And one with my family and family friends tonight at Pi O's house, complete with grasshopper-eating and gift-opening.

That equals three cakes, three "Happy Birthday" songs, and three wishes. But each of those wishes was the same. I can't tell you what they were of course, but I'm sure you can guess.

I have never felt so much love in my life. Tonight, as I was sitting on the ground chowing down on homemade french-fries and breaded chicken, surrounded by people that I care so much about, smiling and laughing and joking, I looked up at the rain falling against the sunlit palm trees, and my heart absolutely flooded.

How can I leave?

How can I leave?

Friday, July 13, 2012

The long lovely day

Friday the 13th was a good, good day. Duh, because 13 is my lucky number!

In the morning, our neighbor, Ahm rode with us because sometimes he likes to go fishing with Bua. He's really quiet and I don't think I've ever heard one word of English come out of his mouth. But as we were driving, a dragonfly flew in and couldn't get out. Ahm tried to put it out the window, but the seat belt was in the way, so he handed it to me and I put it out my side. Precious moment.

I got to work early and helped Olay out with saa-paper hole-punching for awhile. When I walked in she handed me a gift wrapped in green paper and tied with a pink ribbon. I said thank you and set it aside to open later.

To take a break from hole-punching, I went outside and watched Bua and Ahm try to spear fish with a cool cross-bow contraption. Ahm shot one right through the face, and when he pulled it out, Bua smiled and sang "Happy birthday to Jen!"

All morning Ahmpaa was busy in the kitchen making the food she knows Mer and I love so much, lettuce wraps! Once the Aussies and Pam showed up, we all sat in a big circle and munched. After lunch, Bua, Prawit and Ahm came in and everyone sang "Happy Birthday" as the cake was brought out. Meredith and I blew out the candles together, and then I cut it into 16 little pieces to share with everyone.

After cake people expressed happy birthday sentiments--they wished us luck in our future as well as health and happiness. I opened Olay's gift and was delighted to find a beautiful set of wooden tableware.


The rest of the day was spent punching more holes and talking with our Australian friends. After they left, I hung out with the Thais until John picked me up to teach at his place.

The birthday gang.
Bua trying to sing the fish to him.

The kids knew it was my birthday, so the older ones came in and were whispering to each other and then they all yelled, "Happy birthday to you!!" and Paul gave me a WWJD bracelet.
They were very involved today and were excited to learn--especially when I taught them "Hello, how are you?" and "I am fine, thank you." It's so cute when they say thank you, because it's more like theek yew. 


At the end of the night they wanted to ride back to the church with me, so we all hopped in the back of the truck and jammed out to Flo Rida. At the church, the Friday prayer group was still kickin, so I listened until they were finished and then my parents and Ahm and I rode to the hospital to visit Ahm's grandmother. By this point it was about 9pm, and I was exhausted. On the way home I kind of fell asleep on Ahm--ish. I wasn't actually touching him but I was definitely on his side of the bench. I think it freaked him out a little, because when we pulled into the driveway he was out of there like a rocket. It was pretty funny.

Best birthday I've ever had, and it wasn't even my birthday.





Thursday, July 12, 2012

Bai Pai mai?

The experience of working with my NGO as a whole has been absolutely magnificent, but I find true joy in the small moments.

Today when I picked up a guitar and started strumming, Ahmpaa said, "Ring, ring!" I was confused for just a second before I remembered our conversation the other day about ring and sing
"You mean sing?"
"Oh. Sing, sing!"

Nute asking whether I wanted the black man or the white man that we met in Pai yesterday. She said the black one was probably smarter because he looks like a Thai.

Listening to Olay as she laid out the party plans for tomorrow. Small cake. Candles. Sing a song--Happy Birthday!

Being around them every day has softened me, I think, but it has also hardened me in a way. I have so much fun with them and I feel so well taken care of. I don't want to go back to America and be surrounded by people who have so much but care so little, after I've seen what life looks like here.




Yesterday we all took a day-trip via rot tu to the Lisu Village in Thailand's Pai province. 

We left at 5:00 in the morning and then drove three hours along a windy, bumpy, mountainous road. At the Lisu village, our new Australian friends who operate this NGO bought some of the village products and then we ate lunch and took a tour of the church being built and the day care center.

On the way home we stopped at a couple sight-seeing places and then made the long drive home. That was the really watered-down version, but it was a fun trip. It was good to spend time with Olay, Joe, Nute and Ahmpaa outside of our everyday work context. I love them

We have nothing to do with those hand-prints or that date. But whatev.

I've been sad lately, since I only have about three weeks left here. I want to stay forever, and that is not an exaggeration or a joke. But it's unlikely that I'll be back to Thailand in the near future, and because a number of the people that I work with have AIDS, the possibility of reuniting with them again at all is slim.

They have so much to complain about, but they don't. They have so many reasons to be selfish, but they aren't. They are the most kind, diligent, hard-working, happy people I have ever met and it breaks my heart to think about leaving them. 

The other day Olay was talking about how much they would miss us. She said (keep in mind this is a translation) that they would miss us a lot, but we wouldn't miss them. I quickly corrected her and said, "Mai chai! Kit teung kun maak!" I wish there was a better way to express to them how much they've changed my life. I still want to kick our communication barrier in the face, but what really gets to me is the fact that in three weeks, all I will be to them is a memory.






Sunday, July 8, 2012

A love like Laos

This past Tuesday we took off for Thailand's neighboring country, Laos, to renew our visas and whatnot.

It began with a 6-hour bus ride that paused at a hauntingly beautiful temple in Chiang Rai and ended in a cute little guesthouse in Chiang Kong. The next morning we took a boat across the Mekong river and stepped off onto Laos soil! We waited for awhile for our visas, did some more driving, and then hopped onto the boat that would take us to Pak Beng. The boat-ride was absolutely beautiful, and it was extra enjoyable because we were the only ones on it!





We docked for the night at the teensy little town of Pak Beng, and after settling in at our hotel, Keara, Eden, Erin and I went exploring. We walked for quite awhile down Pak Beng's one road. Once we got of the touristy area we ran into some really cool locals and some adorable Lao children. 



Obviously, none of us spoke Lao and none of them spoke English or Thai, so we just stared at each other and smiled for a good five minutes. Finally we waved goodbye and kept walking, but since there is only one road in Pak Beng, eventually we had to turn around and so we inevitably passed them again. This time Keara gave each of the kids her sunglasses to try on, and they got a real kick out of that. When we tried to leave again, they kept following us, so we took their hands and continued on our way. Erin has that picture, so I'll post it for you when I can.

Later that night we (Me, Erin, Eden, Keara, and our new friend from Mexico, Marcella) decided to crash the town's only bar, The Hive. They gave each of us a free shot, but Marcella was the only one who drank and there was no way she could do five shots, so Erin and I went back to the hotel to get the rest of the crew so that Amanda could drink the rest. And also because we love them. 

It was a fun night. We got to choose the music, so we were totally dancing it up. By ourselves. But whatev. We were rockin. 

Thursday morning we got back on the boat and headed back up (or maybe down?) the Mekong all day long until we reached our final destination, Luang Prabang. To pass the time we debated whether or not giraffes and cows can swim and other important topics. 

In Luang Prabang we put our stuff in our rooms and then headed out to hike up a mountain to catch the sunset. Laos is unique because it was colonized by the French, so there was a lot of French-influenced architecture and food. I loved the cobblestone sidewalks and the baguettes. 

Halfway up the mountain, five of us decided that it was not worth the energy/80 baht, so we walked back down and went to eat at a little restaurant called The Coconut instead. I got a fabulous baguette sandwich and we had a lot of fun talking and laughing. We also got a kick out of the Lao waiters just standing around and smiling at us as we ate. 

The rest of the trip included excursions to two awesome waterfalls (one of which involved a rope swing), a jammed/bruised finger, and a couple toilet fiascoes. There was also night-market browsing, early morning monk-feeding, baguette-eating, bar-chilling, bear-watching, elephant-petting, and joke-making. It was a great little getaway and I totally want to go back some day.









Sunday, July 1, 2012

Just another week

Meet Deem.

We call him Sam. He was born about five weeks ago, though he was three weeks premature and weighed only 1.8 kilograms (4 pounds) at birth.

Both of his parents are HIV positive. His status is still unknown. The little family lives in a small shack composed of wood and tin nailed together. It doesn't even have a proper door. For the first few weeks of his life, he lived there with his parents but he was still in-and-out of the hospital and the neighbors were concerned for his life because he wasn't being properly cared for. His mother is just too weak and sick and without have the knowledge or the energy required to take care of a newborn. But at least she was trying. However, this past Sunday night Sam's father came home in a drunken rage, telling his wife that Sam wasn't his son and making her condition even worse, so on Monday morning, our friend Pam took the baby to her house where Meredith and I helped look after him for a couple days while his fate was being decided.

Me and little Sam

Don't be fooled; he's a boy!
On Wednesday a lady from England that runs a foster-care system (ish) out of her house took him and I guess she will take care of him until a more permanent situation can be arranged. I'll miss the little guy. I hope he can overcome the unfortunate circumstances he was born into and grow up to live a full, happy life.

Friday night I was supposed to teach English at the children's home, but things fell through with the kids' school schedule and so I had to stick around the center because my host family participates in a Christian prayer group there on Friday nights with some other members of their church. I was kind of bummed about not being able to teach the kids, so I had a semi-negative attitude toward sitting through a "prayer group meeting"--whatever that meant-- all night, but it ended up being a great experience.

We all sat in a circle (I made Ning (Yai's daughter) sit next to me so she could translate) and Bua played the guitar as the group belted out a few Thai hymns. And when I say belted I mean belted. They aren't quiet about their hymn-singing in the least. Check out this video I took. I love it.


After singing Bua asked if anyone wanted to share an experience they'd had with God that week. Ning didn't translate the experiences that were shared, but afterward everyone had the opportunity to ask the group to pray for something or somebody in their lives. Meredith's stomach aches, Bua's brother, somebody's aunt, somebody else's finances. Everyone chanted their prayer out loud, in Thai of course. It was beautiful. It was even spiritual. I could feel how much God loved and cared for these people.

Then we did some bible study, some more singing, and some more praying, and the whole time I was thinking how glad I was to be able to participate. These people have amazing dedication to God and an impressive knowledge of the Bible. And they care so much about each other. The whole thing was fascinating to me. Missing out on English teaching just may have been a blessing in disguise.


Thursday, June 28, 2012

Nothing so beautiful

Tonight I took a bike ride around the village by myself, because I've only recently come to appreciate its real true beauty.

My mind was blown.

All I did was take a left turn where I normally take a right, but suddenly it felt like I was in some whimsical indie film. I was literally surrounded by miles and miles of lime green rice paddies punctuated by pools of still water reflecting the sunset. My entire conscious was expanded in the matter of an hour.



There was one stretch of road where the flat green fields were interrupted by a grove of dark looming trees with spindly vines hanging from them. It got darker and quieter all of a sudden, but still I could hear the vibration of insects and the call of birds. I was in complete awe; but it was when a big black butterfly flitted in front of my bike that I was sure that the left turn I'd taken was really the secret entrance to Alice in Wonderland. I had to pedal back and ride through it again, it was that cool.

In other news, this week I've spent my time helping to take care of a premature newborn (more on that later), motorcycling with Noi to Bo Sang for some umbrella village action and then bicycling with Noi to Doi Saket for some chillaxation at a coffee shop and then getting a stellar massage with Noi at a place on the side of the road, making beads out of paper, teaching the kids about the days of the week and months of the year and in general just falling even more in love with Thailand every day.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Thailand


Smells like
campfire and jasmine
car exhaust and laundry soap
like searing meat and rainstorms
eucalyptus and rotting vegetation
It smells like a breeze wafting over an open field
and stale lemon water

Tastes like
overripe mangoes and pineapples and bananas
like ice cream and waffles and warm water
fruit mentos and lemon oreos
ovaltine and coconut yogurt
It tastes like fried chicken and sticky rice, but also
bamboo shoots and curry and fish oil


Looks like
God's country
glittering temples and gray storm clouds
it has something to hide
like a scene from a movie
second-hand clothes and a thousand smiles
It looks like questionable meat and a sea of dark hair
and blue and orange sunsets behind acres of green


Sounds like
bad English
genuine laughter and quiet singing
the whir of a fan and the rumble of a motorcycle
It sounds like Thai television drama
and birds and bugs and barking dogs
like the same three cell-phone ring tones, over and over,
drums in the distance, persistent vendors and rain hitting the ground


Feels like
an eternal sauna
a dream and a promise
greasy lips, a stinging tongue and itchy skin
like a conversation with myself,
and an accident waiting to happen
loose clothes, no make-up and a pony-tail
the wind on my face and the sun at my back
It feels like home





Friday, June 22, 2012

I never want to leave

I've been waiting a long time to say that. If I would have said it any earlier, it wouldn't have been entirely true. I always knew the feeling would come though, and it's finally here! I can honestly say that I do not want to go back to America. Thailand is home.

I'm in love with riding in the back of the truck while watching the sky fade from blue to orange to black. I'm in love with the people that I work with and the kids that I teach. I'm in love with the humidity and the street markets and the way everyone smiles.

I've become a new person here. I'm afraid I won't know who to be when I come home.

Today I taught the younger kids English at the children's home. I've noticed that they haven't been very motivated lately (party because I mostly throw my "lessons" together on the car-ride over) and I feel bad because learning English is no fun, especially after a long day at school. So today I shamelessly bribed them into liking me with candy.

Oh boy, it worked. As soon as I pulled those fruit-flavored mentos out of my bag, their eyes lit up. Two hours flew by. It was so fun. I taught them London-bridge and Ring-around-the-rosies and Head-shoulders-knees-and-toes. They don't really know what they're saying...they mostly blabber out whatever I tell them to, but hopefully they'll catch on eventually.

I thought that the English alphabet was old news to them, so we just ran through the song real fast. Turns out  I was wrong. The ABCs are definitely not old news for the younger ones, so my gameplan needed some adjustment. I drew each letter up on the board and then split the kids into two teams of three. Two people from each team came up and I pointed to a letter. Whoever said the name of the letter first got to blow on their team's paper fish once (the goal was to blow the fish to the other side of the room before the other team). They loved it, and I loved it. Some of them are better at the alphabet than others, so it was funny to hear them shout "B!..Y!...A!" when I was pointing to R or something. The winning team got two pieces of candy, and the losing team got one. But the real winner was me, of course. I think I've finally won their little hearts!

##Grateful acknowledgments to mentos and sugas.




Sunday, June 17, 2012

Unbelievable

This past weekend was my favorite of them all.

Friday night we partied it up at Erin's house for her birthday. Britt, Meredith and I spent the night at her house and then caught a truck to our friend, Pi Thi's restaurant for breakfast.

While we were eating we had the privilege of witnessing a a stand-off involving two prostitutes, two pimps, and a totally plastered Australian guy. It was entertaining, to say the least. Also a great way to kick the day off.

After meeting our guide for the weekend, Rambo, we headed out to a market to buy food and camping supplies and then rode up the mountain to ride elephants!

Guys, riding elephants rocks. Literally. It's hard to balance when you're sitting on their neck and their shoulder blades are wobbling all over the place. But it also rocks figuratively.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Keara and I were on one named Wandee, who liked to wander off and do his own thing. But hey, we weren't complaining. I couldn't really get a picture of me on him, but somebody else did, so I'll get that to you when I get it myself.

After elephants we had lunch and then began our trek through the jungle of Thailand. It was beautiful! Rambo was showing us all sorts of cool things on the way. He made us hats out of giant leaves and walking sticks out of bamboo. He's kind of a little guy, but kind of a big deal.
Rambo! Complete with machete and headband.
On the way to village where we spent the night, we stopped at a waterfall to cool off.


I made the mistake of wearing brand-new shoes, so by the time we got to the village my feet hated me, but who cares about blood and blisters when you have this in front of you?

This village, home of a Karen tribe, literally took my breath away. It is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my life, and once again, pictures don't do it justice. The Karen people dug this intricate system of pools to water their crops. It must have taken so much hard work.
Just step inside this for a second.
Or this.
We put our stuff in a little wood hut on stilts, and then jumped into the waterfall right outside. It was awesome. Words cannot describe that experience and neither can pictures.

After swimming, Keara and I joined Rambo and our other guide in another little bamboo hut on stilts to help make dinner. I sat next to Rambo in front of a big metal bowl over a little fire and helped make dinner. Me "helping make dinner" means that Rambo did all the work and I stirred the pot. But apparently not even my stirring skills are up to par, because he would periodically take the spoon back and do his thing and then hand it back to me.

At one point I picked up a pan so he could scoop potatoes in or something, and my fingers got all black with soot. After trying and failing to get me to touch my forehead, Rambo took a napkin and wiped every one of my fingers off. He's a genuine guy.

After awhile some of the other village guys came in and started singing and talking to each other in Karen. It was such a cool experience, sitting there in the firelight and laughing with a bunch of Karen men in a hut that smelled like curry in the middle of the jungle. I'll never forget it.

Needless to say, dinner was great. And afterward our other guide (I can't remember how to pronounce his name) set up some little mind-games with sticks and told us to figure them out. We were all kind of zonked from the day's adventures, so they took awhile (and some help) to figure out. But once we had more or less conquered all four of them, we packed into our little hut and went to sleep. Actually, that's a lie. I hardly slept at all because it got cold (it got cold!) and also the bed wasn't super comfy.
Trying to figure out stick-puzzles by candlelight.
But whatev. In the morning I "woke up" before everyone else and sat by the waterfall for a little while. Then we all had breakfast, took pictures, and hiked out. I was really sad to leave that place. I could seriously live there forever.


After hiking to the point of stomach-sweat (there's a first time for everything), we stopped at another waterfall, in which we sat and talked and laughed for a long time. There was a little more hiking until we reached the road, and then we took a truck to a restaurant for lunch before heading down to the river to clamber onto bamboo rafts and float through the jungle this time. It was fantastic. Sorry, no pictures of that. A bamboo raft is no place for a camera.
Just chillin in the waterfall. 
Truck-riding through the jungle.
It was an hour-long ride back to the city. We got off at our friend Pi Thi's place, where she served us free (!) delicious mango smoothies, and then Erin, Eden, Keara and I went to wander Walking Street. I can't get enough of Walking Street. It's the coolest atmosphere.

Now it's Monday morning and I'm exhausted, sunburnt, bug-bitten and sore, but I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. It was just indescribable. I can tell you about how gorgeous the land was and how friendly the people were, but there is something else there entirely that just can't be put into words.