Got back from Oceans way too long ago to warrant an extremely detailed post. Sorry. It was fun, if extraordinarily rainy/windy/frightening - but that only when we were out camping or kayaking, of course.
So our first week we stayed in the village of Hat Chao Mai, in a Muslim fishing village. I stayed with a woman I nicknamed Ma Kiwi (her real name is Ma Lam Duan, which is not all that hard to remember but nicknames are seriously much more fun). Spent most of this week (and most of this expedition, in fact) feeling profoundly unhealthy, namely because of the food we were eating. Example: Ma Kiwi not only subscribed to the classic Thai parent MUST FEED THIS CHILD UNTIL SHE EXPLODES methodology, but was also the town deep-frier; so every morning I went out the front door to find her sitting in front of a vat of bubbling oil, frying up donuts for my breakfast. I sat with her every morning, trying to wake up, helping her turn the dough over in the oil (which i'm not very good at but that's probably a good thing) and drinking NesCafe, heavy on the sugar.
We also visited a few Mangrove forests, which were pretty spectacular, surveyed some sea grass, and swam with dolphins? Or at least swam very close to dolphins. They weren't trying as hard as we were to get close to them. The long boats that these families use are gorgeous and old and seem more like a crazy ancient duck buzzing around on the water than boats; the men tie colored cloths to the mastheads and stroll around like tightrope walkers on the edges while the boats are rocking and rolling in the waves.
We then went to the profoundly touristy island of Koh Lipe for our midcourse seminar, where we were given the task of taking some observations of what the tourist economy has done to the island in general. In iwalking around, we talked to a group of women in tihe village and then walked with a Russian author and a Thai woman to a house called the art Garden, where an artist named Tee holds batihk (wax and paint art) classes, sells his art, and has wine and jazz parties. We hung around and talked to Luis, his Spanish protege, and then convinced them to give us a discount on some art, since there were five of us. But we all felt a little guilty about it later.
The second bit of expedition consisted of us kayaking between three islands (Lipe, Adang, and Rawi) and camping and snorkeling and bonding. The last part was exceptionally important, since from the first night we camped, a torrential downpour was never far away. We were stranded on Adang for an extra night, and only got about half the dives in that we wanted. But we never backed down! Our last paddle was done in a sort of fevered, desperate state, since we needed to get to Rawi so badly -- we pushed off into what amounted to be more or less a monsoon, with the rain masking the island we were paddling towards. Also, a few people got Staph infection. But we ended on a great note, and non-fried food has never tasted so good.
30 December 2010
19 November 2010
Into the Woods
So, we're back. Again. I guess if I thought Agro flew, it was NOTHING compared to Forests. For this sort of course, I have a feeling that the only thing that works to adequately describe is the hundreds of pictures that I'm uploading to Facebook as we speak/type, and possibly (again) the Daily Reflections we wrote which at the very least wrenched some semi-intellectual thoughts from my head every night, which would NOT have happened without the incentive of a grade. So, I'll just share some of the ramblings I wrote down about each of the villages we stayed with -- 5 in total. My group (B) drove out into the mountains to the furthest away village and hiked back, and the other group hiked out and rode back, although whether one mode is faster than another is up to some very legitimate debate, given that the roads were hilariously bad.
Took a nutso 9ish hour bus ride (no doors, I physically did not fit in the seat, eventually ended up sitting on a strange leather lump next to the driver's seat, etc.) to Mae Hong Son city, where we spent the night at a guest house and dazedly ate dinner and prepared for the expedition.
FIRST... Huay Tong Kaw
-Got there by amazing ride in the back of a pickup truck. Jon had a guitar and strummed, when we weren't being thrown against the sides of the bed. Road resembled less a road than a series of parallel, deep gulches.
-Stayed 4 nights with Paw-ti (Uncle) Opo and Mu-ga (Aunt) Na-tsi-tsi. Opo was GREAT at Thai (by the way, we spent Seminar week of Forests learning a new language called Bakunya, which I've totally retained. Not.), and was the village herbal medicine man. Very skinny, and VERY badass, and very old. Walked around with a machete and a pipe, making up songs about whatever Gregory and I said (example: pulomai [which means fruit]). To get to our house, walked through a banana tree forest and passed a series of increasingly aggressive pigs. Bought two machetes. At the cultural exchange night, played an outrageous game of limbo with everyone in the village, in which all the ancient Paw-tis obviously trumped all the young, "in-shape" Americans.
Took an amazingly beautiful but primarily 60-degree angle uphill hike to......
Huay Hee!
-Stayed 4 nights. Was very very mysterious and hilly, with great little paths springing off into the fields every which way, that all mysteriously ended up back at the main road (which is cruelly steep, especially when you approach the village the way we did after the hike we did). Stayed with Mu-ga (who, being very young, asked us to called her Na-Vo [sister]) Jintana at her husband's sister's house. Or rather, her husband's sister's large, empty tourist house which is easily three times the size of theirs. Jintana was so so sweet, and had an adorable baby who was pretty much the crown jewel of Huay Hee. During our cultural exchange night with Huay Hee, no one paid attention to any of the performers, because Jintana's baby started laughing and all eyes were on him. She was very bashful, however, about letting us cook or help at all, and ALSO about her English speaking skills. The fact that she knew any English was pretty amazing, and we tried to stop her from being shy, but no dice.
-Experienced the exploding shower incident. Exactly what it sounds like.
-Rai day - studied how the biodiversity of swidden agriculture fields retain biodiversity after sitting fallow (regrowing for 1 year, 3 years, 5, 8, and later 25). Very, very fun day and crazy. Battled out way through years of undergrowth (5 and 3 esp. difficult), naming plants hilariously (i.e., "scrawny circles"). Team name: Lethel. As in Ethel, with an L. Obviously held ourselves to v. high scientific standards. Other group arrived!
-Day after rai day, hiked to Doi Pui (highest peak in Mae Hong Son) for joint mid-course seminar. At lunch at the summit. Learned all about the magic of orchids and their sexy flower selves. Hiked back down the mountain with Ted, Alex and Annika at the actual speed of the Karen (the hilltribe) guide. (Example of this: a hike that takes us 7 hours takes the guides 2 hours). How fast? CRAZY FAST. arrived 30 minutes before everyone else.
-At cultural exchange night, sang beautiful song in Bakunya with Hannah, Jen, and Maggie, which Jintana then translated to English and had us sing that version. Ended up being very roughly translated Jesus tune. Cute and awkward.
Next day, straight up a mountain and straight down the other side through bamboo forests, to
Huay Nam Hoo
-9 houses. Spent only 1 full day there, could easily have spent 5 weeks. Unbelievably beautiful! Best food (i.e., Moosato [i.e., roasted chili sauce]) I've ever had. Watched our Mu-ga weave. Spent family day picking peppers, on the side of a hill overlooking a valley full of vegetables. Then walked to a waterfall and cave. Anna and I went back to the waterfall later to take showers there.
-Had SPECTACULAR grandma (yai). She couldn't hear anything except for shouting and sneezing. First time we saw her, she puttered into the house with a huge basket of vegetables strapped to her head. Sat down, and then the next thing we knew she picked up a machete and chucked it across the house at a chicken that had gotten up the stairs. Donned enormous glasses to do her threadwork. Cutest person I have ever seen, ever.
"Hardest Hike" from Nam Hoo to Hua Nam...actually the most beautiful and interesting. Awesome vines/fig trees.
Hua Nam
-3 nights. Bigger, very beautiful, all-around poorer, and a little dirtier. Taylor and I stayed with a young family - Muga and Paw-ti in their late 20s - with three kids
-Their house was huge and arbitrary, with an older section juxtaposed uncomfortably next to a huge, brand-new section, which really only achieved the effect of hitting your head on the roof of the old house/seeing how disgusting it is that roofs really get. Poorer people but bigger, fatter animals. Also, a LOT more processed food (i.e., canned fish and shaped pork balls) Gave me a pretty profound loss of appetite.
-On family day, actually got to cut rice!!! (before, just tied it off [in Huay Tong Kaw]) Hard work, lots of fun.
Forest transect hike! (i.e., keeping track of what types of forest/key species we were walking through on the way from Hua Nam to Pakalo [village closest to town, last village]). Ended up being pretty much one forest type (Bamboo deciduous) the entire way. Dubbed our transect drawing "A Bambiduous Hike"
Pakalo!
Last night in the field. Tay and I stayed with a very nice and quiet man with two little kids and a woman who may or may not have been his wife, but fluttered around shyly. Actually, we stayed in his store. It was quite the experience. Ate vegetables from the city instead of from the mountains, which was weird, but delicious. (and necessary, since I needed something besides the mechanically separated pig and chili seed that was Hua Nam, unfortunately) Had exhausted but interesting last village meeting.
Next morning, took a casual hour-and-a-half walk back into Mae Hong Son city, which was WEIRD. Spent the entire night doing my final essay, which was interrupted by several pages of drawings that my little host brother did without my knowledge in Huay Tong Kaw, so my essay looked like it exceeded the 6-8 page length by about 10 pages. Ate so much food that I had missed. Stomach was not pleased, immediately did not miss it anymore.
Next day, took vans back to Chiang Mai. Have been in a slight city shock ever since.
Can't actually believe that I only have 2 and a half months left in Thailand. Nothing has ever really flown for me like Forests just flew, as I said. WHAT A COURSE.
Love,
Embles!
Took a nutso 9ish hour bus ride (no doors, I physically did not fit in the seat, eventually ended up sitting on a strange leather lump next to the driver's seat, etc.) to Mae Hong Son city, where we spent the night at a guest house and dazedly ate dinner and prepared for the expedition.
FIRST... Huay Tong Kaw
-Got there by amazing ride in the back of a pickup truck. Jon had a guitar and strummed, when we weren't being thrown against the sides of the bed. Road resembled less a road than a series of parallel, deep gulches.
-Stayed 4 nights with Paw-ti (Uncle) Opo and Mu-ga (Aunt) Na-tsi-tsi. Opo was GREAT at Thai (by the way, we spent Seminar week of Forests learning a new language called Bakunya, which I've totally retained. Not.), and was the village herbal medicine man. Very skinny, and VERY badass, and very old. Walked around with a machete and a pipe, making up songs about whatever Gregory and I said (example: pulomai [which means fruit]). To get to our house, walked through a banana tree forest and passed a series of increasingly aggressive pigs. Bought two machetes. At the cultural exchange night, played an outrageous game of limbo with everyone in the village, in which all the ancient Paw-tis obviously trumped all the young, "in-shape" Americans.
Took an amazingly beautiful but primarily 60-degree angle uphill hike to......
Huay Hee!
-Stayed 4 nights. Was very very mysterious and hilly, with great little paths springing off into the fields every which way, that all mysteriously ended up back at the main road (which is cruelly steep, especially when you approach the village the way we did after the hike we did). Stayed with Mu-ga (who, being very young, asked us to called her Na-Vo [sister]) Jintana at her husband's sister's house. Or rather, her husband's sister's large, empty tourist house which is easily three times the size of theirs. Jintana was so so sweet, and had an adorable baby who was pretty much the crown jewel of Huay Hee. During our cultural exchange night with Huay Hee, no one paid attention to any of the performers, because Jintana's baby started laughing and all eyes were on him. She was very bashful, however, about letting us cook or help at all, and ALSO about her English speaking skills. The fact that she knew any English was pretty amazing, and we tried to stop her from being shy, but no dice.
-Experienced the exploding shower incident. Exactly what it sounds like.
-Rai day - studied how the biodiversity of swidden agriculture fields retain biodiversity after sitting fallow (regrowing for 1 year, 3 years, 5, 8, and later 25). Very, very fun day and crazy. Battled out way through years of undergrowth (5 and 3 esp. difficult), naming plants hilariously (i.e., "scrawny circles"). Team name: Lethel. As in Ethel, with an L. Obviously held ourselves to v. high scientific standards. Other group arrived!
-Day after rai day, hiked to Doi Pui (highest peak in Mae Hong Son) for joint mid-course seminar. At lunch at the summit. Learned all about the magic of orchids and their sexy flower selves. Hiked back down the mountain with Ted, Alex and Annika at the actual speed of the Karen (the hilltribe) guide. (Example of this: a hike that takes us 7 hours takes the guides 2 hours). How fast? CRAZY FAST. arrived 30 minutes before everyone else.
-At cultural exchange night, sang beautiful song in Bakunya with Hannah, Jen, and Maggie, which Jintana then translated to English and had us sing that version. Ended up being very roughly translated Jesus tune. Cute and awkward.
Next day, straight up a mountain and straight down the other side through bamboo forests, to
Huay Nam Hoo
-9 houses. Spent only 1 full day there, could easily have spent 5 weeks. Unbelievably beautiful! Best food (i.e., Moosato [i.e., roasted chili sauce]) I've ever had. Watched our Mu-ga weave. Spent family day picking peppers, on the side of a hill overlooking a valley full of vegetables. Then walked to a waterfall and cave. Anna and I went back to the waterfall later to take showers there.
-Had SPECTACULAR grandma (yai). She couldn't hear anything except for shouting and sneezing. First time we saw her, she puttered into the house with a huge basket of vegetables strapped to her head. Sat down, and then the next thing we knew she picked up a machete and chucked it across the house at a chicken that had gotten up the stairs. Donned enormous glasses to do her threadwork. Cutest person I have ever seen, ever.
"Hardest Hike" from Nam Hoo to Hua Nam...actually the most beautiful and interesting. Awesome vines/fig trees.
Hua Nam
-3 nights. Bigger, very beautiful, all-around poorer, and a little dirtier. Taylor and I stayed with a young family - Muga and Paw-ti in their late 20s - with three kids
-Their house was huge and arbitrary, with an older section juxtaposed uncomfortably next to a huge, brand-new section, which really only achieved the effect of hitting your head on the roof of the old house/seeing how disgusting it is that roofs really get. Poorer people but bigger, fatter animals. Also, a LOT more processed food (i.e., canned fish and shaped pork balls) Gave me a pretty profound loss of appetite.
-On family day, actually got to cut rice!!! (before, just tied it off [in Huay Tong Kaw]) Hard work, lots of fun.
Forest transect hike! (i.e., keeping track of what types of forest/key species we were walking through on the way from Hua Nam to Pakalo [village closest to town, last village]). Ended up being pretty much one forest type (Bamboo deciduous) the entire way. Dubbed our transect drawing "A Bambiduous Hike"
Pakalo!
Last night in the field. Tay and I stayed with a very nice and quiet man with two little kids and a woman who may or may not have been his wife, but fluttered around shyly. Actually, we stayed in his store. It was quite the experience. Ate vegetables from the city instead of from the mountains, which was weird, but delicious. (and necessary, since I needed something besides the mechanically separated pig and chili seed that was Hua Nam, unfortunately) Had exhausted but interesting last village meeting.
Next morning, took a casual hour-and-a-half walk back into Mae Hong Son city, which was WEIRD. Spent the entire night doing my final essay, which was interrupted by several pages of drawings that my little host brother did without my knowledge in Huay Tong Kaw, so my essay looked like it exceeded the 6-8 page length by about 10 pages. Ate so much food that I had missed. Stomach was not pleased, immediately did not miss it anymore.
Next day, took vans back to Chiang Mai. Have been in a slight city shock ever since.
Can't actually believe that I only have 2 and a half months left in Thailand. Nothing has ever really flown for me like Forests just flew, as I said. WHAT A COURSE.
Love,
Embles!
24 October 2010
Big Sister Orange Juice
Expedition. One finished, two to go. Crikey.
Sustainable Food Systems (renamed from last year's more poetic, elusive-sounding Agroecology) rocked my world, but I have missed Chiang Mai deeply.
Example: right now I am sitting with my roommate Sarah in a big, relaxing open-air cafe that smells like incense, is playing a lot of smooth jazz Christmas music and the Police, and is crammed with stuffed animals, strange childish paintings, and plastic toys from pretty much every decade. And a beautiful collection of what look like glass bongs, I just now saw.
It's very, very difficult to figure out how to recount the past three weeks, since I really had no time to keep much of journal except for daily reflections that were taken for a grade, which were supposed to detail the connections we were making in the course that resulted from our daily activities. Those do a pretty good job, taken consecutively, about how I felt at any given point or what kinds of things we were doing.
So, first week. October 4- 9. My group (group B) left for Mae Ta, a village northwest of Chiang Mai that is settled into rolling hills and forests. Here we learned from members of the Mae Ta co-op, a program that was set up about 14 years ago to help farmers in Mae Ta switch from chemically intensive monocultures that have been prevalent there to organic subsistence farming, which they can use to feed themselves first and then sell the surplus. Learned so much from this place, especially from my really exceptional host family: Mae and Paw See Wai and their little granddaughter Nong Mai. Della and I lived there with them and had a great time hanging out with Gabe and Ted (who lived next door), trying to hear our Mae (the most soft spoken person on the face of the earth), and "farming" (which consisted of about an hour and a half of planting broccoli seeds, and then hanging out and eating the fruit he brought to us) with our Paw. Oh and playing with Nong Mai and taking spectacular amounts of pictures of her. What struck me was how hungry I was all the time there. It's not that I don't have an appetite in Chiang Mai or other places. I think it was the fact that we were reading about food, hearing about food, planting food, and surrounded by more food than I've ever seen. It was always on the mind. We made dishes with pumpkin, fac keo (a sort of transperant squash), steamed bamboo, bakchoi, rattan, mushrooms, and SO MANY FRUITS. Also, Della and I knocked back like a bucket of sticky rice a night. Unlike in Chiang Mai, where host moms are always shoving bowls and plates in front of you, I think our host parents were actually astounded at how much we could eat. Nong Mai's most oft-used phrase (she's just learning to talk) became "Gin yeu-yeu!!!" (Eat a lot!)
Our host mother, because our names (Della and Emily) are so deviously hard to translate to the Thai tongue, gave us nicknames the second night we were there -- Della became Naam Wan (sweetwater) and I became Naam Som (orange juice). Or better yet, as Nong Mai called us, "Pi Naam Wan and Pi Naam Som" (big sister sweetwater and big sister orange juice).
Here is what I wrote about after a day of exploring agroforests, which actually sums up pretty much what I thought about Mae Ta.....
From Mae Ta we went to the mind-bending ritz and luxury of the Nest, a five-star eco-tourist resort in Chiang Dao, where we had a seminar, watched Food, Inc, and spent pretty ostentatious amounts of money on lots of Thai and non-Thai food. Too bad the pool was shaped like a big penis. You'd think that at least one of the guys in charge of the design would have been like "hey, what if you look at it from above? Or look at it at all?"
The following week, we hiked for two days up into the hilltribes of Northern Thailand, talking to village head-men and taking walks through agroforests and looking at the backyard gardens and catfish ponds and pigpens that people have been using more and more thanks to things like UHDP and The Royal Project. This was some of the best hiking I've ever have the privilege of doing. We were in rainforests one minute, then skidding down a muddy road through rice paddies and into another village, and then in a big open expanse of tangerine or corn fields, and across rivers and next to field of big lumpy cows. Stayed in longhouses, every one of our group of 17 crammed onto sleeping pads and under mosquito nets, on improbable sheets featuring every cartoon character and floral design ever conceived by man. Every village had a bunch of old folks who, when they smiled at you, displayed a set of alarming, dark-red teeth. This is from the Golden Triangle drug of choice, betel nut (which I think is a sign of affluence in lots of places). We asked about it at one tiny little snack shop, and a full set of the betel nut, limestone (which increases the potency), and some other thing called "blamamoo", cost about 30 baht (one dollar), so Taylor Sruba bought some and that night we sat with a wise old Palaung man who taught us how it works, and also taught us a ton of Palaung words....
Ha-mook-doo: Hello/goodbye/thank you
Anyuay: tea
Kapow: bottle
Sai: salt
Salai: bowl
Dakuay Dakuay: Sabai Sabai (the thai phrase for relaxing)
Biaow gun gun: lots of fun!
Then we moved onto UHDP, where we lived in hostel-type dorms and learned about ecology, plant field studies, how to calculate biodiversity and productivity of an area (during which time I had to count hundreds of cruel, spiky rattan and gained a deep hatred of them except that they are delicious in naam prik [spicy paste]), and general things about how to live in Northern Thailand, how to get protein, etc. This, of course, included the pig harvest.
Sometime I'll probably post my reflection about the pig harvest, since it's a famous feature of the Thailand program that everyone at K seems to know and freak out about, or experience apprehension about. The fact that we would have to help slaughter and butcher a pig was never a deal breaker for me, or anything like that, but it was something I really wondered about. It was one of the more intense experiences of my life; let's say that. But valuable, and REALLY interesting.
I loved UHDP for a lot of the same reasons I loved Mae Ta- it was gorgeous, and friendly, and fascinating. And hilarious, in a lot of ways. Example: for the first time ever, I saw a successful execution of the bucket-of-water on a door prank, and a few other choice pranks.
But home again home again jiggity jog. It's been overwhelming to try to keep up with everything now that the Internet is accessible again. In a lot of ways I kind of wish it wasn't, because I feel windswept/crazy in the presence of so much news and technology. Whatever. Chiang Mai is still great; as I said, I've missed it a ton. Last night we rode a pickup truck to a Chiang Mai FC game, which they won, and watched very little of the actual game except for the spectacular displays of showboating and the very-uncomfortable-looking and very scantily clad "cheerleaders," who stumbled around on 6-inch heels and arbitrarily waved pompoms around. It's good to be back. :)
Sustainable Food Systems (renamed from last year's more poetic, elusive-sounding Agroecology) rocked my world, but I have missed Chiang Mai deeply.
Example: right now I am sitting with my roommate Sarah in a big, relaxing open-air cafe that smells like incense, is playing a lot of smooth jazz Christmas music and the Police, and is crammed with stuffed animals, strange childish paintings, and plastic toys from pretty much every decade. And a beautiful collection of what look like glass bongs, I just now saw.
It's very, very difficult to figure out how to recount the past three weeks, since I really had no time to keep much of journal except for daily reflections that were taken for a grade, which were supposed to detail the connections we were making in the course that resulted from our daily activities. Those do a pretty good job, taken consecutively, about how I felt at any given point or what kinds of things we were doing.
So, first week. October 4- 9. My group (group B) left for Mae Ta, a village northwest of Chiang Mai that is settled into rolling hills and forests. Here we learned from members of the Mae Ta co-op, a program that was set up about 14 years ago to help farmers in Mae Ta switch from chemically intensive monocultures that have been prevalent there to organic subsistence farming, which they can use to feed themselves first and then sell the surplus. Learned so much from this place, especially from my really exceptional host family: Mae and Paw See Wai and their little granddaughter Nong Mai. Della and I lived there with them and had a great time hanging out with Gabe and Ted (who lived next door), trying to hear our Mae (the most soft spoken person on the face of the earth), and "farming" (which consisted of about an hour and a half of planting broccoli seeds, and then hanging out and eating the fruit he brought to us) with our Paw. Oh and playing with Nong Mai and taking spectacular amounts of pictures of her. What struck me was how hungry I was all the time there. It's not that I don't have an appetite in Chiang Mai or other places. I think it was the fact that we were reading about food, hearing about food, planting food, and surrounded by more food than I've ever seen. It was always on the mind. We made dishes with pumpkin, fac keo (a sort of transperant squash), steamed bamboo, bakchoi, rattan, mushrooms, and SO MANY FRUITS. Also, Della and I knocked back like a bucket of sticky rice a night. Unlike in Chiang Mai, where host moms are always shoving bowls and plates in front of you, I think our host parents were actually astounded at how much we could eat. Nong Mai's most oft-used phrase (she's just learning to talk) became "Gin yeu-yeu!!!" (Eat a lot!)
Our host mother, because our names (Della and Emily) are so deviously hard to translate to the Thai tongue, gave us nicknames the second night we were there -- Della became Naam Wan (sweetwater) and I became Naam Som (orange juice). Or better yet, as Nong Mai called us, "Pi Naam Wan and Pi Naam Som" (big sister sweetwater and big sister orange juice).
Here is what I wrote about after a day of exploring agroforests, which actually sums up pretty much what I thought about Mae Ta.....
The food is built into the land, and the people are too, through their histories and migrations. This resounds for me in how Paw Pat described a vacation for us; that it is something uniquely Western and market based, stemming from a world where we take a job we hate to pay for two or three days of a “real” lifestyle. Mae Ta's kind of self sufficient farming is the real lifestyle – a style of actually living. A system based on a person’s link to their labor and food (and therefore, their life) is a crucial part of the establishment of a system of sustainable agriculture. I think I’m learning that a “sabai” lifestyle is not a life insulated from labor but a life in rhythm with it, a life able to plan and sustain and provide, and have everything that you need. I felt like Paw Pat’s farm was giving me a hug.
From Mae Ta we went to the mind-bending ritz and luxury of the Nest, a five-star eco-tourist resort in Chiang Dao, where we had a seminar, watched Food, Inc, and spent pretty ostentatious amounts of money on lots of Thai and non-Thai food. Too bad the pool was shaped like a big penis. You'd think that at least one of the guys in charge of the design would have been like "hey, what if you look at it from above? Or look at it at all?"
The following week, we hiked for two days up into the hilltribes of Northern Thailand, talking to village head-men and taking walks through agroforests and looking at the backyard gardens and catfish ponds and pigpens that people have been using more and more thanks to things like UHDP and The Royal Project. This was some of the best hiking I've ever have the privilege of doing. We were in rainforests one minute, then skidding down a muddy road through rice paddies and into another village, and then in a big open expanse of tangerine or corn fields, and across rivers and next to field of big lumpy cows. Stayed in longhouses, every one of our group of 17 crammed onto sleeping pads and under mosquito nets, on improbable sheets featuring every cartoon character and floral design ever conceived by man. Every village had a bunch of old folks who, when they smiled at you, displayed a set of alarming, dark-red teeth. This is from the Golden Triangle drug of choice, betel nut (which I think is a sign of affluence in lots of places). We asked about it at one tiny little snack shop, and a full set of the betel nut, limestone (which increases the potency), and some other thing called "blamamoo", cost about 30 baht (one dollar), so Taylor Sruba bought some and that night we sat with a wise old Palaung man who taught us how it works, and also taught us a ton of Palaung words....
Ha-mook-doo: Hello/goodbye/thank you
Anyuay: tea
Kapow: bottle
Sai: salt
Salai: bowl
Dakuay Dakuay: Sabai Sabai (the thai phrase for relaxing)
Biaow gun gun: lots of fun!
Then we moved onto UHDP, where we lived in hostel-type dorms and learned about ecology, plant field studies, how to calculate biodiversity and productivity of an area (during which time I had to count hundreds of cruel, spiky rattan and gained a deep hatred of them except that they are delicious in naam prik [spicy paste]), and general things about how to live in Northern Thailand, how to get protein, etc. This, of course, included the pig harvest.
Sometime I'll probably post my reflection about the pig harvest, since it's a famous feature of the Thailand program that everyone at K seems to know and freak out about, or experience apprehension about. The fact that we would have to help slaughter and butcher a pig was never a deal breaker for me, or anything like that, but it was something I really wondered about. It was one of the more intense experiences of my life; let's say that. But valuable, and REALLY interesting.
I loved UHDP for a lot of the same reasons I loved Mae Ta- it was gorgeous, and friendly, and fascinating. And hilarious, in a lot of ways. Example: for the first time ever, I saw a successful execution of the bucket-of-water on a door prank, and a few other choice pranks.
But home again home again jiggity jog. It's been overwhelming to try to keep up with everything now that the Internet is accessible again. In a lot of ways I kind of wish it wasn't, because I feel windswept/crazy in the presence of so much news and technology. Whatever. Chiang Mai is still great; as I said, I've missed it a ton. Last night we rode a pickup truck to a Chiang Mai FC game, which they won, and watched very little of the actual game except for the spectacular displays of showboating and the very-uncomfortable-looking and very scantily clad "cheerleaders," who stumbled around on 6-inch heels and arbitrarily waved pompoms around. It's good to be back. :)
01 October 2010
Nung kreng mak!!!
GREAT FIRST WEEK OF SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS.
Have been alternately reading huge chunks of the SFS reader, draining my highlighter of its ink, and exploring Chiang Mai's Huay Caew district eating. Have found many, many delicious hole-in-the-wall places where the menus are only in Thai and the prices are about $0.75 per huge plate of food. Also, went to a rotee stand (AMAZING THAI DESSERT-Y DOUGH SNACK) where my friend Martha did her Independent Project last year and THEY REMEMBERED HER. Jordan and I managed to ask them about her in Thai, which was awesome.
later that night, was walking back to the apartments with Jordan and Sarah (my other roommate) and we saw a small elephant walking down the street being led by two men. We followed it for several blocks until finally they gave us some sugarcane to feed it for 20 baht. When it had eaten all of the sugarcane, it squeaked. WHY ARE ELEPHANTS SO CUTE. I hope they were not mistreating it, since it was clearly a tourist trap type thing. But a tourist trap that was so, so worth it.
Next week we head off on expedition, to Mae Ta (a community which switched from agro-industrial to sustainable organic farming) and then to UHDP, where I think we will learn about ecology. But I'm not really sure. It'll be great to get out of the classroom, even though the "classroom" is a patio with a metal corrugated roof. Also, this week has been one of the most interesting academically in my life....I love the readings, and also the teacher. Today we had an essay about building a sustainable food system in Thailand due, but it was only supposed to be 5-6 notebook pages long (we handwrite all our papers). It was so short that it was almost impossible to write, and last night instead of managing my time wisely I went to a salad place, did none of the readings, and then cranked out a few pages while having wine, which may or may not have helped its eloquence, but I looked later that night I finished it and was more or less happy with the outcome. Which was pretty much what you would expect from a prompt given to us 24 hours before the due date, mandating that we cram history and social planning into roughly a page and a half on a computer.
On Wednesday, went to an aerobics dance class at the Chiang Mai University alumni center with Hannah, Mackenzie, and Kelsey Elwood, which was seriously the most hilarious experience of my life. There was a series of three dance instructors who wore progressively tight pants and hipthrusted confusingly to earsplitting American pop music in front of a huge crowd of Thai people, who spanned the demographic from young and hip to old and sweaty. Later that night, made guacamole with the people in my Thai language class for Ajaan Danai, who had never had it before. He seemed to like it, the operative word being "seemed," though he jokingly clutched his throat when he first tried it, which might not have been a joke at all, I guess.
Today, as I said, was our last day of classroom Agroecology learning. Seminar was from 9 to 11, and I spent this time in a state of heat-crazed, sleep-deprived delirium. Tried to contribute to the class discussion a few times, but couldn't really form a coherent sentence, so instead spent class taking hilarious notes with Ted. Example:
Feeding Cities: Options-
1. Soylent Green
2. Local feudalism
3. Monthly raid on the townsfolk
Toward the end of class, humiliated self by sharing that I had participated in 4-H long ago, except instead of doing something cool like pig racing or whatever other kids do, I did cat 4H. In truth, didn't even participate in the actual showing of the cat because I had camp on the day of the contest. I just dragged my pissed-off and terrified cat to a series of embarrassing 4-H meetings where the lady tricked us into thinking our cats would just lay there docilely if we tried to bathe them. As I recall, my cat not only didn't like being thrust under a running faucet, she probably would have ripped my sister's chest open if she had any claws on her front paws. Painful memories.
In an hour or so, we will be going to a CP factory, one of Southeast Asia's biggest food conglomerates and touring. Direct quote from Ajaan Mark: "Try not to fall into the big grinding factory vats. We don't want a repeat of Slaughter-house 5."
Went to a little coffee shop with Anna and Tay Stamm during break to get some coffee since I really only got a few hours of sleep, and when we asked for "Ga-fe yen sai nam tang sai non" (Iced black coffee), the barrista looked at us like we really might be berserk. Thailand is the land of sugary NesCafe. It's hard to get away from. I am pretty sure that the Mocha Chip ice cream Jordan and I bought is comprised of NesCafe, brown dye, and some ice. But whatever, take what you can.
Stay safe, friends in Ecuador! Big coup, or attempted coup, from what I heard. Yikes.
Luv
Emblz
Have been alternately reading huge chunks of the SFS reader, draining my highlighter of its ink, and exploring Chiang Mai's Huay Caew district eating. Have found many, many delicious hole-in-the-wall places where the menus are only in Thai and the prices are about $0.75 per huge plate of food. Also, went to a rotee stand (AMAZING THAI DESSERT-Y DOUGH SNACK) where my friend Martha did her Independent Project last year and THEY REMEMBERED HER. Jordan and I managed to ask them about her in Thai, which was awesome.
later that night, was walking back to the apartments with Jordan and Sarah (my other roommate) and we saw a small elephant walking down the street being led by two men. We followed it for several blocks until finally they gave us some sugarcane to feed it for 20 baht. When it had eaten all of the sugarcane, it squeaked. WHY ARE ELEPHANTS SO CUTE. I hope they were not mistreating it, since it was clearly a tourist trap type thing. But a tourist trap that was so, so worth it.
Next week we head off on expedition, to Mae Ta (a community which switched from agro-industrial to sustainable organic farming) and then to UHDP, where I think we will learn about ecology. But I'm not really sure. It'll be great to get out of the classroom, even though the "classroom" is a patio with a metal corrugated roof. Also, this week has been one of the most interesting academically in my life....I love the readings, and also the teacher. Today we had an essay about building a sustainable food system in Thailand due, but it was only supposed to be 5-6 notebook pages long (we handwrite all our papers). It was so short that it was almost impossible to write, and last night instead of managing my time wisely I went to a salad place, did none of the readings, and then cranked out a few pages while having wine, which may or may not have helped its eloquence, but I looked later that night I finished it and was more or less happy with the outcome. Which was pretty much what you would expect from a prompt given to us 24 hours before the due date, mandating that we cram history and social planning into roughly a page and a half on a computer.
On Wednesday, went to an aerobics dance class at the Chiang Mai University alumni center with Hannah, Mackenzie, and Kelsey Elwood, which was seriously the most hilarious experience of my life. There was a series of three dance instructors who wore progressively tight pants and hipthrusted confusingly to earsplitting American pop music in front of a huge crowd of Thai people, who spanned the demographic from young and hip to old and sweaty. Later that night, made guacamole with the people in my Thai language class for Ajaan Danai, who had never had it before. He seemed to like it, the operative word being "seemed," though he jokingly clutched his throat when he first tried it, which might not have been a joke at all, I guess.
Today, as I said, was our last day of classroom Agroecology learning. Seminar was from 9 to 11, and I spent this time in a state of heat-crazed, sleep-deprived delirium. Tried to contribute to the class discussion a few times, but couldn't really form a coherent sentence, so instead spent class taking hilarious notes with Ted. Example:
Feeding Cities: Options-
1. Soylent Green
2. Local feudalism
3. Monthly raid on the townsfolk
Toward the end of class, humiliated self by sharing that I had participated in 4-H long ago, except instead of doing something cool like pig racing or whatever other kids do, I did cat 4H. In truth, didn't even participate in the actual showing of the cat because I had camp on the day of the contest. I just dragged my pissed-off and terrified cat to a series of embarrassing 4-H meetings where the lady tricked us into thinking our cats would just lay there docilely if we tried to bathe them. As I recall, my cat not only didn't like being thrust under a running faucet, she probably would have ripped my sister's chest open if she had any claws on her front paws. Painful memories.
In an hour or so, we will be going to a CP factory, one of Southeast Asia's biggest food conglomerates and touring. Direct quote from Ajaan Mark: "Try not to fall into the big grinding factory vats. We don't want a repeat of Slaughter-house 5."
Went to a little coffee shop with Anna and Tay Stamm during break to get some coffee since I really only got a few hours of sleep, and when we asked for "Ga-fe yen sai nam tang sai non" (Iced black coffee), the barrista looked at us like we really might be berserk. Thailand is the land of sugary NesCafe. It's hard to get away from. I am pretty sure that the Mocha Chip ice cream Jordan and I bought is comprised of NesCafe, brown dye, and some ice. But whatever, take what you can.
Stay safe, friends in Ecuador! Big coup, or attempted coup, from what I heard. Yikes.
Luv
Emblz
28 September 2010
ALBERT CAME WITH ME
Moved into the apartments on Saturday. I'll post lots of pictures of it soon, because it is very very cute and feels AWESOME to be independently living, at least for a little while. Saturday night was pretty insane, as expected -- we hit up the same nightclub that Pi Ben and Pi Nat took me to my first weekend in Chiang Mai, but the drinks were MUCH more expensive; a.k.a. I no longer had a host brother doing all the paying. Am starting to feel progressively guilty about how much money my host siblings probably spent on me. O_O
As it was, when I was unpacking with Jordan and Sarah, I noticed some movement in the bottom of my rolling suitcase, and then noticed that that movement belonged to an epically large set of legs. Further investigation revealed that these legs belonged to none other but the one, the only Albert. We freaked out for a long time, and then closed the suitcase, took it out to the balcony, and removed all the items one by one until nothing was left but Albert. Then Jordan flipped it over and he scuttled under the air conditioning unit with terrifying speed. Holy hell. I thought maybe I had gotten rid of him forever, but far from it. I'm halfway expecting to come back to the U.S. and find him in my wallet, or something. He is still the biggest spider I've ever seen.
Started course on Sustainable Food Systems yesterday, and I'm supremely excited about it in a really really nerdy way because of all the talk of economics and politics. Have been walking to school everyday (i mean, for the two days we've gone to school from the apartments) and always arrive feeling like my lungs are full of gasoline/debris. Will probably purchase a mask, preferably a stupid one with Hello Kitty on it or something. Speaking of stupid things, have purchased a twin bedsheet for the apartment, which is terrifying: blue plaid, with some freaky looking bears playing soccer. Because there is like 3 times more closet space in the room with the king sized bed, Jordan and I have been sharing it, but we just have one king sized bed cover and two twin sheets that lay next to each other and look hideous. Hers has zebras.
Crossfit is happening every day this week, and on Friday we are visiting some kind of food conglomerate. I'm so excited. Next week we split into our two groups and go on expedition. I go to Mae Ta first, a community that recently switch from industry style farming to sustainable agriculture. We will be doing lots of farming and interviewing, and received a grossly intimidating glossary of agricultural terms in Thai. Example: Swidden. Example: Understory. Am a little concerned, since I can barely ask a vendor how much pork on a stick costs. BUT, EXCITING NEWS: I can now read everything I see in Thai, as long as I have a little time and it's not in a freaky font.
Okie dokie, I'm going to eat and then try to read all the articles I didn't read last night.
Love
Emblz
As it was, when I was unpacking with Jordan and Sarah, I noticed some movement in the bottom of my rolling suitcase, and then noticed that that movement belonged to an epically large set of legs. Further investigation revealed that these legs belonged to none other but the one, the only Albert. We freaked out for a long time, and then closed the suitcase, took it out to the balcony, and removed all the items one by one until nothing was left but Albert. Then Jordan flipped it over and he scuttled under the air conditioning unit with terrifying speed. Holy hell. I thought maybe I had gotten rid of him forever, but far from it. I'm halfway expecting to come back to the U.S. and find him in my wallet, or something. He is still the biggest spider I've ever seen.
Started course on Sustainable Food Systems yesterday, and I'm supremely excited about it in a really really nerdy way because of all the talk of economics and politics. Have been walking to school everyday (i mean, for the two days we've gone to school from the apartments) and always arrive feeling like my lungs are full of gasoline/debris. Will probably purchase a mask, preferably a stupid one with Hello Kitty on it or something. Speaking of stupid things, have purchased a twin bedsheet for the apartment, which is terrifying: blue plaid, with some freaky looking bears playing soccer. Because there is like 3 times more closet space in the room with the king sized bed, Jordan and I have been sharing it, but we just have one king sized bed cover and two twin sheets that lay next to each other and look hideous. Hers has zebras.
Crossfit is happening every day this week, and on Friday we are visiting some kind of food conglomerate. I'm so excited. Next week we split into our two groups and go on expedition. I go to Mae Ta first, a community that recently switch from industry style farming to sustainable agriculture. We will be doing lots of farming and interviewing, and received a grossly intimidating glossary of agricultural terms in Thai. Example: Swidden. Example: Understory. Am a little concerned, since I can barely ask a vendor how much pork on a stick costs. BUT, EXCITING NEWS: I can now read everything I see in Thai, as long as I have a little time and it's not in a freaky font.
Okie dokie, I'm going to eat and then try to read all the articles I didn't read last night.
Love
Emblz
23 September 2010
Headin' up, movin' out
Tomorrow is my last full day at Mae Aun's. That is proof that I've been in Southeast Asia for five weeks, which is the weirdest thing to write, ever. Is strange that time is passing so quickly. I feel like I got here yesterday, equipped with a basic grasp of the Thai language and knowing this one part of the city really, really well. Anyway.
So I saw the dorms a couple of days ago, and they are swell. They have balconies with no railings that you could probably hang about 1 and a half shirts on: nice one, ISDSI (who assured us that we would pretty much have everything we wanted in the way of drying space). The thing I am most apprehensive about is doing laundry, actually. Pi Ben gave an overwhelming speech the other day about places that do laundry by the kilo. I think the people who live here all the time think to themselves self-righteously, "Well I had to figure it out myself, so THEY SHOULD TOO." Fair enough, I guess. I will probably just do my laundry in the sink or something.
Had a Thai tones test quiz today. Got a 15 out of 20, but for the life of me I don't know why. Later I'm sure we will go over the scores, and I guess I should be happy since it was out of 10 questions anyway, but still, I feel like the number of exceptions in the Thai language make any of the many many rules I have learned totally moot. I can read just about anything. Not understand it, but sound it out accurately and sounding probably like a nutso. Tonal languages are pretty crazy, man. But still, not NEARLY as crazy as learning English would be. Seriously.
So last night I was studying tones, and dangerously had my computer open, and whenever I got frustrated I sent crazed, aggressive skype messages to my friends who were not online, as little surprises for them when they DO get online.
Tonight, attended a profoundly awkward goodbye dinner party for the host families at a very ritzy hotel. Meals were served on the floor with great triangular cushions that you can lean comfortably for about 4 minutes before your legs/arms fall asleep from trying to sit "rip roi" (proper). All the American students were dressed up in traditional Lanna (northern Thai culture) dress, which basically amounted to pajamas for the boys and unbelievably intricate outfits for the girls. Before we left, my host sister Ben scraped my hair up so tight I felt like my scalp might come off any second, and grumbled about it wasn't staying up, and while she was dealing with that, Mae Aun kept scuttling up to my face and laying into it with vast amounts of blusher.
At the dinner, there were dancers/drummers/musicians from around the area who performed, and then some American students did dances or sang songs that their host families had taught them (THANK. GOD. i did not have to do this). Then all the farang (foreigners - aka us Americans) sang Kon Bon Doi, a super famous Thai song about a home on the mountains. It is pretty much 4 minutes of lyrics about how houses in the mountains have no TV, no bar, no Fanta - just good ol' "naam jai" which directly translates to "heart water," but which I think means "generosity." Anyways. Before the dinner, my host brother Nat (who plays for Chiang Mai FC, which is AWESOME) took my camera and lurked around with it for a while, taking really really unflattering pictures of me and all the other Americans, trying to capture us "candidly" talking to each other/trying the squid noodles/trying to recognize each other without the white shirt and usual sheen of sweat.
Tomorrow we are presenting projects that we've been trekking around the city researching for the past 2 days. My group is doing drinking water accessibility. We looked at restaurants to gauge how much they charge for water and what kind of container it is served in.
So Chiang Mai is a place for me now. I can get around comfortably, survive, I have a bedroom and a school, and a phone. That's pretty cool. Or, jeng!! as we say here. But I am almost positive that "jeng" is really nerdy and outdated, like "far out!" or something, and Ajaan Danai is just messing with us and trying to make us look like jackasses, which could definitely be the case.
So I saw the dorms a couple of days ago, and they are swell. They have balconies with no railings that you could probably hang about 1 and a half shirts on: nice one, ISDSI (who assured us that we would pretty much have everything we wanted in the way of drying space). The thing I am most apprehensive about is doing laundry, actually. Pi Ben gave an overwhelming speech the other day about places that do laundry by the kilo. I think the people who live here all the time think to themselves self-righteously, "Well I had to figure it out myself, so THEY SHOULD TOO." Fair enough, I guess. I will probably just do my laundry in the sink or something.
Had a Thai tones test quiz today. Got a 15 out of 20, but for the life of me I don't know why. Later I'm sure we will go over the scores, and I guess I should be happy since it was out of 10 questions anyway, but still, I feel like the number of exceptions in the Thai language make any of the many many rules I have learned totally moot. I can read just about anything. Not understand it, but sound it out accurately and sounding probably like a nutso. Tonal languages are pretty crazy, man. But still, not NEARLY as crazy as learning English would be. Seriously.
So last night I was studying tones, and dangerously had my computer open, and whenever I got frustrated I sent crazed, aggressive skype messages to my friends who were not online, as little surprises for them when they DO get online.
Tonight, attended a profoundly awkward goodbye dinner party for the host families at a very ritzy hotel. Meals were served on the floor with great triangular cushions that you can lean comfortably for about 4 minutes before your legs/arms fall asleep from trying to sit "rip roi" (proper). All the American students were dressed up in traditional Lanna (northern Thai culture) dress, which basically amounted to pajamas for the boys and unbelievably intricate outfits for the girls. Before we left, my host sister Ben scraped my hair up so tight I felt like my scalp might come off any second, and grumbled about it wasn't staying up, and while she was dealing with that, Mae Aun kept scuttling up to my face and laying into it with vast amounts of blusher.
At the dinner, there were dancers/drummers/musicians from around the area who performed, and then some American students did dances or sang songs that their host families had taught them (THANK. GOD. i did not have to do this). Then all the farang (foreigners - aka us Americans) sang Kon Bon Doi, a super famous Thai song about a home on the mountains. It is pretty much 4 minutes of lyrics about how houses in the mountains have no TV, no bar, no Fanta - just good ol' "naam jai" which directly translates to "heart water," but which I think means "generosity." Anyways. Before the dinner, my host brother Nat (who plays for Chiang Mai FC, which is AWESOME) took my camera and lurked around with it for a while, taking really really unflattering pictures of me and all the other Americans, trying to capture us "candidly" talking to each other/trying the squid noodles/trying to recognize each other without the white shirt and usual sheen of sweat.
Tomorrow we are presenting projects that we've been trekking around the city researching for the past 2 days. My group is doing drinking water accessibility. We looked at restaurants to gauge how much they charge for water and what kind of container it is served in.
So Chiang Mai is a place for me now. I can get around comfortably, survive, I have a bedroom and a school, and a phone. That's pretty cool. Or, jeng!! as we say here. But I am almost positive that "jeng" is really nerdy and outdated, like "far out!" or something, and Ajaan Danai is just messing with us and trying to make us look like jackasses, which could definitely be the case.
16 September 2010
Albert
Hi all. Sorry it's been so long since I updated!
Really can't believe it's been 4 weeks since we first got here. Everyday things are sort of approaching something like a routine except that we leave our host families so soon/uproot this routine. So it doesn't really matter. I have a feeling that the next four months are going to fly by, and not stop flying.
I've told this to almost everyone I've been able to talk to, but am writing about it anyway. Yesterday at like 2:30 in the morning, I got up to go to the bathroom. When I came out, I noticed, from the light shining on the curtain that separates my room from the next room, a spider on the curtain. The spider was as BIG AS MY HAND.
I considered trying to catch it but realized that nothing I own is big enough to securely trap a spider that big, especially against a curtain. I also considered taking a picture of it, but realized i didn't want to startle it, or make it seem any more real than it was by immortalizing it through a camera.
so in the end I decided to just turn off the light and let it be, but turned into a pathetic basket case, jumping out of my skin whenever I saw a piece of tape on the wall.
Now it is nowhere, but I decided it was probably the Huntsman spider, which in retrospect is probably a good thing to have around. But STILL. I got up later that morning, expecting to see it perched at face level every time I turned around. God. I asked my dear friend Britta, who is in India, what I should call it to make it less scary, and she advised Albert. Which I guess makes him a boy, though in the land of the ladyboy I guess I shouldn't be quick to label.
Today for Crossfit we had to, among other things, do 100 overhead lifts with a CANOE. there were three people to a canoe and our instructor let us stop after 70, but following the workout I could barely pick up my shoes, or for that matter, lift my hand up to my face.
Time to go shower and hopefully not run into Albert. A littler, nicer spider has moved into the bathroom and I really hope Albert doesn't annex the area or eat the little spider and take its place. Because it is MUCH easier to deal with at 2:30 in the morning than Albert would be.
Really can't believe it's been 4 weeks since we first got here. Everyday things are sort of approaching something like a routine except that we leave our host families so soon/uproot this routine. So it doesn't really matter. I have a feeling that the next four months are going to fly by, and not stop flying.
I've told this to almost everyone I've been able to talk to, but am writing about it anyway. Yesterday at like 2:30 in the morning, I got up to go to the bathroom. When I came out, I noticed, from the light shining on the curtain that separates my room from the next room, a spider on the curtain. The spider was as BIG AS MY HAND.
I considered trying to catch it but realized that nothing I own is big enough to securely trap a spider that big, especially against a curtain. I also considered taking a picture of it, but realized i didn't want to startle it, or make it seem any more real than it was by immortalizing it through a camera.
so in the end I decided to just turn off the light and let it be, but turned into a pathetic basket case, jumping out of my skin whenever I saw a piece of tape on the wall.
Now it is nowhere, but I decided it was probably the Huntsman spider, which in retrospect is probably a good thing to have around. But STILL. I got up later that morning, expecting to see it perched at face level every time I turned around. God. I asked my dear friend Britta, who is in India, what I should call it to make it less scary, and she advised Albert. Which I guess makes him a boy, though in the land of the ladyboy I guess I shouldn't be quick to label.
Today for Crossfit we had to, among other things, do 100 overhead lifts with a CANOE. there were three people to a canoe and our instructor let us stop after 70, but following the workout I could barely pick up my shoes, or for that matter, lift my hand up to my face.
Time to go shower and hopefully not run into Albert. A littler, nicer spider has moved into the bathroom and I really hope Albert doesn't annex the area or eat the little spider and take its place. Because it is MUCH easier to deal with at 2:30 in the morning than Albert would be.
05 September 2010
Workin' for the Weekend
Spent the weekend at Doi Suthep National Park. Played in Mok Fah waterfall. Ate lots of farang (which, hilariously, is both "foreigner" and a type of fruit).
Learned a lot of V. IMPORTANT STUFF re: rescuing people and performing the ABC safety check on them. Example: "If you try to rescue your friend, THEY WILL DIE." -Ajaan Mark
Learned a lot of V. IMPORTANT STUFF re: rescuing people and performing the ABC safety check on them. Example: "If you try to rescue your friend, THEY WILL DIE." -Ajaan Mark
sustained unbelievable amounts of mosquito bites.
Also, split into two teams and launched rescue scenarios out in the wilderness. My group had to carry a person on a hammock across a terrifying stream, down two overgrown stone staircases, across a stretch of rocky path, and on a vertical, ultra-skinny riverbank. I have never sweated so much. NEVER. Told a joke to the patient to keep her morale up.
"A grasshopper goes into a bar. The bartender says, 'hey, we have a drink named after you!' The grasshopper says, 'Why would you name a drink fred?'" HAHAHA
The patient gave a groan of fake laughter.
Then we stumbled back to the waterfall (this was Saturday) and then stumbled back to our cabins. Then Ajaan Mark split us into teams AGAIN and had us play ultimate frisbee with medicine balls. Decided that NOW have never sweated so much.
29 August 2010
The Turtles are Afoot
In Thailand when they say someone has B.O. they make a reference to that person's "turtle odor." Hence the title of this blog. I wanted something clever.
This evening I am mentally exhausted and want nothing more than to read Pigs in Heaven and go unconscious for eight or nine hours, but before that, THIS! Long post warning. Also, pictures.
On Friday night I went to a Thai disco club with Ben and Nat, which is essentially the same thing as an American nightclub except louder music, better air conditioning, and nicer people. It was Nat's friend's birthday and the entire club (including the band) sang Happy Birthday like 10 times for him, which was adorable/overwhelming. Nat's friend was dangerously drunk and spilled drinks on everyone's shoes for three hours. And Ben sang along to every song, even the American pop songs she didn't know, which basically amounted to her making odd, gutteral, vaguely English-sounding noises to songs like "Poker Face" and "O.M.G."
I've decided to call my first Facebook album about Thailand "Pra-tet Pet," which means "Spicy country." Twice today I have gone embarassingly teary and snotty because of supa spicy food, whilst Mae Aun and her friends laugh really hard at me. Mae Aun talked to my friends' Taylor and Kelsey's host mothers (who are her friends) and we arranged to take a trip to Lamphun Province today to look at Wats (temples). Only when we woke up it was pouring. Coming down in sheets. So we left a lot later than planned and went to pick up Taylor and Kelsey, who live close to each other, but on the way we encountered this:
This evening I am mentally exhausted and want nothing more than to read Pigs in Heaven and go unconscious for eight or nine hours, but before that, THIS! Long post warning. Also, pictures.
On Friday night I went to a Thai disco club with Ben and Nat, which is essentially the same thing as an American nightclub except louder music, better air conditioning, and nicer people. It was Nat's friend's birthday and the entire club (including the band) sang Happy Birthday like 10 times for him, which was adorable/overwhelming. Nat's friend was dangerously drunk and spilled drinks on everyone's shoes for three hours. And Ben sang along to every song, even the American pop songs she didn't know, which basically amounted to her making odd, gutteral, vaguely English-sounding noises to songs like "Poker Face" and "O.M.G."
I've decided to call my first Facebook album about Thailand "Pra-tet Pet," which means "Spicy country." Twice today I have gone embarassingly teary and snotty because of supa spicy food, whilst Mae Aun and her friends laugh really hard at me. Mae Aun talked to my friends' Taylor and Kelsey's host mothers (who are her friends) and we arranged to take a trip to Lamphun Province today to look at Wats (temples). Only when we woke up it was pouring. Coming down in sheets. So we left a lot later than planned and went to pick up Taylor and Kelsey, who live close to each other, but on the way we encountered this:
which made for an interesting/terrifying drive there. But the day was really fun, and we saw some extremely gorgeous temples. One of my favorites was pretty much all bright gold.
soooooo pretty!!
Cryingface incident #1 happened while we were touring the wats, with some very spicy sausages. I think my nerves are cursed with being highly reactive, as I blush at least twice as heatedly as others around me and get more embarrassing facial fluids when confronted with spicy or otherwise overwhelming food. It's not that I don't like it.
Then we drove back, and Mae Aun's car died as soon as we entered Kelsey and Taylor's neighborhood. So eventually I got a ride to Taylor's house and joined them for dinner while Mae Aun and my two host sisters who were along dealt with the car, leaving me blissfully ignorant. Enter Cryingface incident #2. Also, coughing. Taylor's host mother is small and adorable and talks similarly to one who is firing a gun -- loud, sudden, and at breakneck speed. In Thai. Also, if I thought Mae Aun is somewhat overenthusiastic about having me eat as much as humanly possible, she is absolutely nothing compared to Taylor's Mae. Even after we put our spoon and fork close together (which means "done") she brought out mangos, other fruit, a tub of sunflower seeds, and some Pringles, and aggressively suggested we EAT MORE EAT MORE.
Then Mae Aun and my host sisters showed up, and Mae Aun and Taylor's Mae jabbered for a long time in piercing, rapid Thai. Occasionally I would catch my nickname, as in, "ascoienkjfdkjshfkljf THAP TEEM sflhoiuehnsfdksljhkjhlfd" or Taylor's nickname. And then they would stare at the two of us until we shrugged/tried to determine what they were saying, and then they would both crack up and talk to each other more, crying with mirth. It was impossible not to feel put on the spot. But whatever.
Then we drove back home through yet another Wrath-of-God rainstorm.
Tomorrow we start official Thai classes and have received our permanent (a.k.a. for-5-weeks) schedules. I take language in the morning and orientation (Foundations) in the afternoon. Wouldn't have it any other way.
Night night <3
Emblz
27 August 2010
E-fish-ent
Today we went to a fish hatchery. It really was one of the coolest things ever.
It is run by an NGO called the Foundation for Enablement or something like that, and while I probably won't remember much about what they actually do or what is really sustainable about them until we talk all about it on Monday at school, I know that it was an almost offensively fun day, for being in school. The fish hatchery raises tilapia, with some carp in there for good measure, I think to ward off monoculture. We had a tour through the Five Stages of Fish Eggs, which was weird and generally uninteresting. Then, clothes and all, we hopped into some of the many fish ponds to do one of three things:
a) Move fish from one pond to another. This is done because they like to clean the ponds (which are fed through a canal) and re-plenish them or something like that. We move from one huge square net to the next, scooping out big netfuls of fish and scrambling with them across the knee-deep mud and chest-deep water of the pond, up and out of the pond, and over to another pond, where a far more capable Thai worker is waiting to take them from us hastily;
b) Taking a big net through the entire pond after the aforementioned big square nets have been emptied and taken out. This is accomplished by keeping the lead line (heavy line) of a dredging net (I think) at mudline and holding the floatline above water and walking the net through the pond, lead line first. Then when at the very end of the pond we toss the lead line over the float line, shake the fish down through to the end, and scoop them out (repeat step A); or
c) GETTING EGGS OUT OF FISHS' MOUTHS FOR INCUBATION. this was SO FUN. Basically we stood around a net, grabbed fish with nets/our hands, and tried to find females with eggs in their mouths. When we find one, we gently push its gills and shake the eggs into a fine net to be taken to the hatchery and then toss the female back into the pond.
Also we scrubbed nets, ate fish, and got slimy and filthy.
I went home all by myself today! I feel that this is a sign that Mae Aun might be seeing me as more than an inept, infantlike creature. Though it might be a one time thing, because I just realized that Mae Aun and Ben have made a chart on the family's dry-erase board that signifies who can take me to school and who can pick me up. As in "Monday: Morning - Ben. Evening - Mae Aun."
Also, I now have wireless and can use my computer perfectly well. THANK GOD, because I feel guilty/frustrated using Mae Aun's computer because it probably sucks up energy faster than a Hummer, and the keyboard apparently doesn't agree with Thailand's climate.
There may or may not be more to write. Life here is really fast paced. I am learning probably a lot of Thai. I really love this country. Sorry if this post was supa boring.
LuvEmblz
It is run by an NGO called the Foundation for Enablement or something like that, and while I probably won't remember much about what they actually do or what is really sustainable about them until we talk all about it on Monday at school, I know that it was an almost offensively fun day, for being in school. The fish hatchery raises tilapia, with some carp in there for good measure, I think to ward off monoculture. We had a tour through the Five Stages of Fish Eggs, which was weird and generally uninteresting. Then, clothes and all, we hopped into some of the many fish ponds to do one of three things:
a) Move fish from one pond to another. This is done because they like to clean the ponds (which are fed through a canal) and re-plenish them or something like that. We move from one huge square net to the next, scooping out big netfuls of fish and scrambling with them across the knee-deep mud and chest-deep water of the pond, up and out of the pond, and over to another pond, where a far more capable Thai worker is waiting to take them from us hastily;
b) Taking a big net through the entire pond after the aforementioned big square nets have been emptied and taken out. This is accomplished by keeping the lead line (heavy line) of a dredging net (I think) at mudline and holding the floatline above water and walking the net through the pond, lead line first. Then when at the very end of the pond we toss the lead line over the float line, shake the fish down through to the end, and scoop them out (repeat step A); or
c) GETTING EGGS OUT OF FISHS' MOUTHS FOR INCUBATION. this was SO FUN. Basically we stood around a net, grabbed fish with nets/our hands, and tried to find females with eggs in their mouths. When we find one, we gently push its gills and shake the eggs into a fine net to be taken to the hatchery and then toss the female back into the pond.
Also we scrubbed nets, ate fish, and got slimy and filthy.
I went home all by myself today! I feel that this is a sign that Mae Aun might be seeing me as more than an inept, infantlike creature. Though it might be a one time thing, because I just realized that Mae Aun and Ben have made a chart on the family's dry-erase board that signifies who can take me to school and who can pick me up. As in "Monday: Morning - Ben. Evening - Mae Aun."
Also, I now have wireless and can use my computer perfectly well. THANK GOD, because I feel guilty/frustrated using Mae Aun's computer because it probably sucks up energy faster than a Hummer, and the keyboard apparently doesn't agree with Thailand's climate.
There may or may not be more to write. Life here is really fast paced. I am learning probably a lot of Thai. I really love this country. Sorry if this post was supa boring.
LuvEmblz
25 August 2010
Thap Teem
Hello, one and all. I am using the must faster Internet and much better keyboard of my school, ISDSI. Later on I'll talk more about what we do at school. But because I have very little time before my host sister Ben comes to pick me up (on a motorbike. by the way.) I'm just going to steal my friend Dana's idea and write about the general routine of life so far this week.
4:45 am. Wake up. Still have not recovered from jet lag, apparently. Wander around, check email, read my comfort book (Princess Bride). Go back to sleep.
6:30 am. Wake up. Dress in school uniform with difficulty because I am too sticky from the heat to put on any articles of clothing. Awkwardly go to the kitchen, where Mae Aun has laid out a vast and improbable breakfast for me, so far having included:
a. A citrusy soup with whole chilis
b. Lots of rice
c. A huge, excellent omelett
d. JUST THIS MORNING: an entire fish, scales, head, eyes, and all.
e. Thick soy milk with strange Western cereal
6:50 am. Have confusing conversation with Mae Aun about how I am going to get to school. Almost always, she recruits one of her many "children" --really, just other students -- to drive me via motorbike.
7:00 am. Try to get ready fast enough, always fretting that I'll forget something. Alerted by Mae Aun banging on my door from the outside that her kid is ready to go. I stumble out, grabbing spare pens on the way.
7:05 am. Awkwardly mount motorbike in knee-length black skirt and don huge white helmet.
7:05-7:15 am. Exciting/terrifying ride through the city. Every once in a while glimpse of speedometer reveals speeds of 80, which puts me in a brief panic, but then I remember it is in kilometers and is more like 55 or so.
7:15 am. Dismount, also awkwardly. Bow ('wai') to person who drove me. Carry helmet into school. Am 45 minutes early. Drink tea in kitchen (ISDSI is kind of just a big house). Hang out with other early arrivals. Get on Internet.
8:00 am. Commence 4 hours of mind-numbing Thai lessons. I am in a class with Taylor Stamm, Taylor Sruba, Max, D.K., and Jordan. If a native speaker happened to hear our class, they would probably be filled with pity/fear at the mangled Thai we keep shouting/trying to read.
12noon. Lunch. Amazing array of Thai food and fresh fruit. Everyone, mentally exhausted, eats way too much and shares stories about homestays/exciting food.
1:00 pm. This week, orientation. Ajaan Mark ("teacher") scares everyone straight with horrific stories about students who have done drugs or gone to brothels only to end up dead or in Thai prison for years. We are outside and are soon stuck to our seats with sweat.
3:00 pm. Occasionally, the class goes to the back patio area, changes into workout clothes, and participates in Crossfit training, which is insane. The 90+ degree weather makes everyone almost pass out. Our trainer plays Fergie and Lady Gaga, which I discover I have not escaped.
4:00-5:00 pm. Get a ride home from Ben, my host sister. She is a better driver than some of Mae Aun's other children, and spends less time accelerating as intensely as possible.
5:15 pm. Arrive home, shower (maybe), collapse and rest for a little while.
6:45 pm. Ben and Nat and I hang out. Occasionally they tell me about something they are taking me to do. Sometimes we go out to eat, other times we sit in Mae Aun's tiny kitchen and eat the huge quantities of food she puts down in front of us.
8:00 ish. Wash dishes outside. Hang out a little more. If possible, study Thai a little bit.
8:02 pm. Fall asleep as soon as body is horizontal. Repeat.
Today we visited a walking market and an art museum as part of our city orientation. I asked one of the Thai instructors what Mae Aun's nickname for me (thap-teem) means, and found out that it means Pomegranate.
Love
Emblz
4:45 am. Wake up. Still have not recovered from jet lag, apparently. Wander around, check email, read my comfort book (Princess Bride). Go back to sleep.
6:30 am. Wake up. Dress in school uniform with difficulty because I am too sticky from the heat to put on any articles of clothing. Awkwardly go to the kitchen, where Mae Aun has laid out a vast and improbable breakfast for me, so far having included:
a. A citrusy soup with whole chilis
b. Lots of rice
c. A huge, excellent omelett
d. JUST THIS MORNING: an entire fish, scales, head, eyes, and all.
e. Thick soy milk with strange Western cereal
6:50 am. Have confusing conversation with Mae Aun about how I am going to get to school. Almost always, she recruits one of her many "children" --really, just other students -- to drive me via motorbike.
7:00 am. Try to get ready fast enough, always fretting that I'll forget something. Alerted by Mae Aun banging on my door from the outside that her kid is ready to go. I stumble out, grabbing spare pens on the way.
7:05 am. Awkwardly mount motorbike in knee-length black skirt and don huge white helmet.
7:05-7:15 am. Exciting/terrifying ride through the city. Every once in a while glimpse of speedometer reveals speeds of 80, which puts me in a brief panic, but then I remember it is in kilometers and is more like 55 or so.
7:15 am. Dismount, also awkwardly. Bow ('wai') to person who drove me. Carry helmet into school. Am 45 minutes early. Drink tea in kitchen (ISDSI is kind of just a big house). Hang out with other early arrivals. Get on Internet.
8:00 am. Commence 4 hours of mind-numbing Thai lessons. I am in a class with Taylor Stamm, Taylor Sruba, Max, D.K., and Jordan. If a native speaker happened to hear our class, they would probably be filled with pity/fear at the mangled Thai we keep shouting/trying to read.
12noon. Lunch. Amazing array of Thai food and fresh fruit. Everyone, mentally exhausted, eats way too much and shares stories about homestays/exciting food.
1:00 pm. This week, orientation. Ajaan Mark ("teacher") scares everyone straight with horrific stories about students who have done drugs or gone to brothels only to end up dead or in Thai prison for years. We are outside and are soon stuck to our seats with sweat.
3:00 pm. Occasionally, the class goes to the back patio area, changes into workout clothes, and participates in Crossfit training, which is insane. The 90+ degree weather makes everyone almost pass out. Our trainer plays Fergie and Lady Gaga, which I discover I have not escaped.
4:00-5:00 pm. Get a ride home from Ben, my host sister. She is a better driver than some of Mae Aun's other children, and spends less time accelerating as intensely as possible.
5:15 pm. Arrive home, shower (maybe), collapse and rest for a little while.
6:45 pm. Ben and Nat and I hang out. Occasionally they tell me about something they are taking me to do. Sometimes we go out to eat, other times we sit in Mae Aun's tiny kitchen and eat the huge quantities of food she puts down in front of us.
8:00 ish. Wash dishes outside. Hang out a little more. If possible, study Thai a little bit.
8:02 pm. Fall asleep as soon as body is horizontal. Repeat.
Today we visited a walking market and an art museum as part of our city orientation. I asked one of the Thai instructors what Mae Aun's nickname for me (thap-teem) means, and found out that it means Pomegranate.
Love
Emblz
22 August 2010
Punsiin
Today was pretty spectacular.
I was up at 1:30 am and pretty much powered through the day on that amount of sleep, but it was really okay because if you prepare yourself mentally for a long day of being awake then it's not so bad. But since my host sister Ben didn't wake up till about 2 p.m. I sort of wandered around, following Mae Aun and eating Thai-brand cornflakes and trying to get my thai phone to work, feeling vaguely lonely and restless. When Ben woke up we hung out for a little while and got ready to go shopping, and I realized that I have little to no idea about Mae Aun's familial status with any of her numerous children, because as it turns out Ben is not her daughter but some sort of exchange student from Bangkok who has lived here 6 years. I also met Nat, Mae Aun's 26-year old "son." Again, not sure. I'm sort of under the impression that Mae Aun's house (which is AWESOME; it is very long and 3 stories tall and the rooms are all kind of like apartment rooms/dorms) is kind of like this very close-knit hostel, and even if you are not family you are treated as such.
Also, it rained really hard last night and this morning I found a tiny lizard (ching cho) in my room.
But anyways. Ben and Nat and I took this enormous Isuzu truck to a shopping mall with a parking garage that resembled some kind of jigsaw puzzle. Cars were double parked, triple parked, sitting on top of each other. But no one was getting angry/belligerent and everyone was being so patient. We shopped for a little bit and then got ice cream at Swenson's. Nat and Ben got banana splits and I, in a stupid burst of curiosity, got something called "sweet n gold" which ended up being ice cream with corn, some grotesque yellow fruit, and lumps of weird gelatin. All the while "silent night" and "have yourself a merry little christmas" were playing in the background in English.
Going through the shirts with English writing on them was hilarious/sad because they made no sense but Ben and Nat, who have just a basic grasp on the language, wouldn't notice how funny they were. Example: "I don't care what you say, sex make me hot."
Then Nat and Ben took me to a scenic view halfway up the hill to the Doi Phuket temple, but not all the way because I didn't have a camera. it was INCREDIBLE; and up the road (which is really long and perpetually uphill) were all these crazy-in-shape bikers. The cars came within inches of them. Then we drove to a waterfall about a mile away. Nat took lots of photos of Ben in model poses which was really funny and the waterfall was gorgeous.
After dinner Mae Aun and I walked the dog, Punsiin (Poon-sheen). Punsiin is a tiny elderly long haired poodle who seems to be scared of everyone and everything, and trends sharply right whenever he runs, which makes him crash into fences/other dogs/my legs. But he always seems shocked that other things are around him and skitters away like a crab whenever this happens. He is really cute but extremely absent minded.
Later on Mae Aun ironed my school uniform and pointed out how much bigger my skirt size is than hers. I'm still looking for the compliment in this.
Love
Emblz
I was up at 1:30 am and pretty much powered through the day on that amount of sleep, but it was really okay because if you prepare yourself mentally for a long day of being awake then it's not so bad. But since my host sister Ben didn't wake up till about 2 p.m. I sort of wandered around, following Mae Aun and eating Thai-brand cornflakes and trying to get my thai phone to work, feeling vaguely lonely and restless. When Ben woke up we hung out for a little while and got ready to go shopping, and I realized that I have little to no idea about Mae Aun's familial status with any of her numerous children, because as it turns out Ben is not her daughter but some sort of exchange student from Bangkok who has lived here 6 years. I also met Nat, Mae Aun's 26-year old "son." Again, not sure. I'm sort of under the impression that Mae Aun's house (which is AWESOME; it is very long and 3 stories tall and the rooms are all kind of like apartment rooms/dorms) is kind of like this very close-knit hostel, and even if you are not family you are treated as such.
Also, it rained really hard last night and this morning I found a tiny lizard (ching cho) in my room.
But anyways. Ben and Nat and I took this enormous Isuzu truck to a shopping mall with a parking garage that resembled some kind of jigsaw puzzle. Cars were double parked, triple parked, sitting on top of each other. But no one was getting angry/belligerent and everyone was being so patient. We shopped for a little bit and then got ice cream at Swenson's. Nat and Ben got banana splits and I, in a stupid burst of curiosity, got something called "sweet n gold" which ended up being ice cream with corn, some grotesque yellow fruit, and lumps of weird gelatin. All the while "silent night" and "have yourself a merry little christmas" were playing in the background in English.
Going through the shirts with English writing on them was hilarious/sad because they made no sense but Ben and Nat, who have just a basic grasp on the language, wouldn't notice how funny they were. Example: "I don't care what you say, sex make me hot."
Then Nat and Ben took me to a scenic view halfway up the hill to the Doi Phuket temple, but not all the way because I didn't have a camera. it was INCREDIBLE; and up the road (which is really long and perpetually uphill) were all these crazy-in-shape bikers. The cars came within inches of them. Then we drove to a waterfall about a mile away. Nat took lots of photos of Ben in model poses which was really funny and the waterfall was gorgeous.
After dinner Mae Aun and I walked the dog, Punsiin (Poon-sheen). Punsiin is a tiny elderly long haired poodle who seems to be scared of everyone and everything, and trends sharply right whenever he runs, which makes him crash into fences/other dogs/my legs. But he always seems shocked that other things are around him and skitters away like a crab whenever this happens. He is really cute but extremely absent minded.
Later on Mae Aun ironed my school uniform and pointed out how much bigger my skirt size is than hers. I'm still looking for the compliment in this.
Love
Emblz
21 August 2010
Chiang Mai, King Thai
At last.
I am staying at my host family's house for the first time tonight, and due to horrendous jet lag have been awake since 1:30 in the morning. So I guess now is as good a time as ever to update my blog with somehing that actually has to do with Chiang Mai and pass off future tiredness to morning emily. All of this still feels vaguely surreal, but in a good way!
To this moment I have no idea how long the flight was from LAX to Bangkok. 15 hours? 18? Whatever. We left the U.S. around midnight on the 18th (or 19th I guess) and arrived at 5:30 am on the 20th. Time is no longer relevent. We took a red bus with benches to ImmEco, a lovely guest house, and Lily, Gregory, Lauren, Ted and I walked downtown to find this great big market we'd heard about. We walked and sweated and couldn't find it for a while but were soon helped out by a lovely ex-pat from California who not only told us where the market was but also insisted we stop at this great noodle place, although I think that was because she was genuinely concerned about our health, being clearly jet lagged and overwhelmed and in 95 degree humidity. Noodles were great, market was even better. Came back and swam at ImmEco's pool and met the other students there for ISDSI. Had a great night hanging out/relaxing.
This morning (the 21st) we got some weirdly Western breakfast (fried eggs, little hot dogs, white bread), packed up, and went to a little welcome meeting for ISDSI. Then we met our host families.
My host mother, Mae Am (i think) and two of her daughters, Ben and Jen, picked me up and we drove past ISDSI and then stopped at a little restaurant for lunch. Ben, who is 21 and looks about 15, speaks the most English. She's a business major in college. Jen is 16. Mae Am is a high school teacher. All I can say in Thai is:
Hello/good morning/evening/afternoon/night: Sawadti-ka
Thank you: Kop koon ka
Sorry (this is a very important one): Kaw tod ka
Can I help you?: Hai di-chan chuay mai ka
My name is___: Di chan cheuu
This is allows me to say/communicate nothing but try to apologize for the countless social faux pas I am undoubtedly committing, and thank Ben and Mae Am for forgiving me. We have laughed a lot so far, so it's okay. Apparently Mae Am's family contains about 15 people, but I've only met 3 of them except for obligatory sightings of a few young men. Mae Am has told me that her son is 28 and will be my boyfriend. Not having met him, I have little to say on the matter.
Love,
Emblz
I am staying at my host family's house for the first time tonight, and due to horrendous jet lag have been awake since 1:30 in the morning. So I guess now is as good a time as ever to update my blog with somehing that actually has to do with Chiang Mai and pass off future tiredness to morning emily. All of this still feels vaguely surreal, but in a good way!
To this moment I have no idea how long the flight was from LAX to Bangkok. 15 hours? 18? Whatever. We left the U.S. around midnight on the 18th (or 19th I guess) and arrived at 5:30 am on the 20th. Time is no longer relevent. We took a red bus with benches to ImmEco, a lovely guest house, and Lily, Gregory, Lauren, Ted and I walked downtown to find this great big market we'd heard about. We walked and sweated and couldn't find it for a while but were soon helped out by a lovely ex-pat from California who not only told us where the market was but also insisted we stop at this great noodle place, although I think that was because she was genuinely concerned about our health, being clearly jet lagged and overwhelmed and in 95 degree humidity. Noodles were great, market was even better. Came back and swam at ImmEco's pool and met the other students there for ISDSI. Had a great night hanging out/relaxing.
This morning (the 21st) we got some weirdly Western breakfast (fried eggs, little hot dogs, white bread), packed up, and went to a little welcome meeting for ISDSI. Then we met our host families.
My host mother, Mae Am (i think) and two of her daughters, Ben and Jen, picked me up and we drove past ISDSI and then stopped at a little restaurant for lunch. Ben, who is 21 and looks about 15, speaks the most English. She's a business major in college. Jen is 16. Mae Am is a high school teacher. All I can say in Thai is:
Hello/good morning/evening/afternoon/night: Sawadti-ka
Thank you: Kop koon ka
Sorry (this is a very important one): Kaw tod ka
Can I help you?: Hai di-chan chuay mai ka
My name is___: Di chan cheuu
This is allows me to say/communicate nothing but try to apologize for the countless social faux pas I am undoubtedly committing, and thank Ben and Mae Am for forgiving me. We have laughed a lot so far, so it's okay. Apparently Mae Am's family contains about 15 people, but I've only met 3 of them except for obligatory sightings of a few young men. Mae Am has told me that her son is 28 and will be my boyfriend. Not having met him, I have little to say on the matter.
Love,
Emblz
02 August 2010
30 July 2010
The Rite Aid guy thinks I am abusing drugs
Hello, and welcome. How are you today?
Yesterday I dropped off some prescriptions at Rite Aid for the diarrhea and malaria meds I'll need in Thailand, and the pharmacist was clearly taken aback by my insistence that I needed enough Doxycycline for at least four contractions of malaria, given that you can't get it here, and all. He said he would have to call the doctor. So I told him I was going to Asia.
We are babysitting my aunt's family's cockapoo Loki until her husband and son get back from Colorado on Sunday, and it is weird beyond belief having a dog in the house that can do normal dog things, i.e.: run, jump, climb stairs, walk in a straight line. Our elderly golden retriever Morse has not been able to do these things for a while.
My family has started getting milk in glass bottles and it is SEW much more delicious that way, mark my words.
http://www.blogiversity.org/blogs/frankthetank/archive/2010/04/21/arm-sleeper-pillow-fellow-arm-sleepers-rejoice.aspx
http://consumerist.com/2010/06/this-is-not-a-test---subway-says-it-definitely-will-start-tessellating-cheese-july-1.html
Yesterday I dropped off some prescriptions at Rite Aid for the diarrhea and malaria meds I'll need in Thailand, and the pharmacist was clearly taken aback by my insistence that I needed enough Doxycycline for at least four contractions of malaria, given that you can't get it here, and all. He said he would have to call the doctor. So I told him I was going to Asia.
We are babysitting my aunt's family's cockapoo Loki until her husband and son get back from Colorado on Sunday, and it is weird beyond belief having a dog in the house that can do normal dog things, i.e.: run, jump, climb stairs, walk in a straight line. Our elderly golden retriever Morse has not been able to do these things for a while.
My family has started getting milk in glass bottles and it is SEW much more delicious that way, mark my words.
http://www.blogiversity.org/blogs/frankthetank/archive/2010/04/21/arm-sleeper-pillow-fellow-arm-sleepers-rejoice.aspx
http://consumerist.com/2010/06/this-is-not-a-test---subway-says-it-definitely-will-start-tessellating-cheese-july-1.html
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