The one where everybody throws water (Songkran Festival)

Last week I got to experience my first Songkran festival, or Thai New Year.  I experienced my first taste of Songkran a week before it started…I was on an afternoon bike ride exploring yet another side road that led to another cluster of villages when I look ahead to see kids standing on the side of the road with hoses/buckets/water guns.  Luckily I quickly stuffed my camera and iphone into pockets where they wouldn’t get wet, because as soon as I rode by they attacked.  They laughed, I laughed, and it was awesome because it was so hot outside and it felt great. 

Songkran festival included a week off of work and a busy schedule full of celebrating.  My community started celebrating two days before the actual first day of Songkran, with a parade, beauty pageant, singing competion, a bunch of speeches I didn’t understand and more brightly colored, flowered shirts in one place than you’ve ever seen in your life.  Water is a huge part of the celebration as people pour water on each other all day long and kids wait by the side of the road with buckets and water guns to drench the 5-20 people riding by in the back of pickup trucks (sometimes the pickups have buckets of water in the back for retaliation as well).  After they drench you in water they put baby powder on your face (if you want to read more about Songkran check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songkran_(Thailand)).   We made several trips to the local wats (temples) to pay respect to family members who have passed away by using plant branches and leaves to sprinkle water on their ashes/bones that are in little jars or containers in front of a bunch of monks.

Around the third or fourth day of Songkran I woke up cranky, determined to have a bad day.  I didn’t want anything to do with anything.  I accompanied a few community members to a gathering at a house where a few monks were surrounded by a bunch of people sitting on mats on the floor (side note: Thais sit on the floor a lot for a lot of things, and it’s pretty uncomfortable to do for long periods of time.  My feet and legs start to hurt and then fall asleep and then I have to try to adjust my sitting position periodically enough so that my legs don’t completely fall asleep.  One time I sat in one position long enough that my leg fell asleep and when I tried to stand up I couldn’t walk right for a few minutes and everyone got a good laugh at my attempts).  I went through the process of switching my seated position every so often while listening to what sounded like a mix between a song and a chant in Thai, wondering when I’d be able to stand up and sit in a chair again.  Then the songs stopped and all the Yais (grandmas) sitting around me took turns tying strings around my wrist and wishing me health, happiness, and good luck for the new year.  Needless to say my mood changed instantly as one by one they tied strings around my wrist, wishing the best for me and squeezing my arm and smiling at me.  Then we all ate a bunch of food and they busted out a few bottles of whiskey.  The men drank, the women danced, and the kids took to the streets armed with buckets, water guns, and buckets full of water. 

Overall I really enjoyed Songkran festival and was happy to be a part of so many different events in my community.  I wasn’t sad when it ended though, since that meant not changing my clothes a few times a day and being able to ride my bike again (they told me not to during the festival – lots of drunk drivers apparently, and Thai driving is scary enough as it is….I’ll save that topic for a later time).

My supervisor bought flowers and had me give one to each of the beauty contestants.

Dressed up in traditional Thai clothes after changing out of my wet ones

The water crew...with one still armed and ready while we take pictures.

Kids just up the street.

String ceremony

Dancing and karaoke! 

Turning on his own...this is also the little pistol I made cry a couple weeks ago.

Piling into the truck for a ride around the village...only to come back soaked. 

More water ceremonies at the Wat (temple).

Lots of blessings for the new year.

Brief water break for a snack.

The one where I made a kid cry

The phrase ‘good conversation’ has become a very relative one lately.  If I’m able to make it through any exchange in Thai, no matter what it’s about, I consider it a good conversation.  I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a few very interesting people since I’ve been here and have learned a lot in several actually good conversations with them (these people can all speak English fairly well, which has been great not only for my sanity, but because I can talk about things in addition to what I’m doing here, where I’m from and what I like to eat).  I’ve learned bits and pieces of the history of Thailand and the history of my community and surrounding area (the province I’m living in was only established as its own province in 1993, and is the second newest province in Thailand).  I’ve learned about Thai people and my community from the people who have lived and grown up here; I’ve also learned about some of the many realistic challenges I’ll face in the next two years.  I’ve been careful not to ask too many probing questions - with all of the other personal challenges that are presented on a daily basis I don’t want to focus on the potential barriers and become disheartened about the things I’ve come here to do before I even get started on them. 

 Last week I went to stay with another family in a neighboring village in my area.  I was excited because this family had a little boy about 6 years old, and while I love kids in general, I love playing with Thai kids – they’re so much easier for me to talk to, likely because they’re more on my language level.  I spent most of my time with him, and when it ended up storming so bad later in the evening that the power went out, he clung to me like a monkey and wouldn’t leave my side.  I had a couple small flashlights in my bag, so I got them out and we took turns making scary faces at each other while his parents set up candles so we could eat dinner.  The thunderstorm was awesome and was accompanied by a lightning show that went on nonstop for hours.  It was pitch black outside and the doors and windows were open – there was an amazing breeze outside, which was especially refreshing considering it’s so incredibly hot every day.  Having never experienced a thunderstorm blackout in rural Thailand before, I kept nervously glancing toward the open doors, slightly terrified that I’d see a scary man standing in the doorway with a knife/machete/bamboo stick, waiting to attack every time the lightning struck.  This was also the same night I experienced my first ‘bucket bath’.  I had opted to wait until before bed to shower, and as I walked into the bathroom with my flashlight to provide a little bit of light so I could see what I was doing, I regretted my decision to wait.  It wasn’t as bad as I imagined it…it’s kind of like a bath…but without sitting in the actual water…kind of.  One of our days of training included demonstrations on how to take a bucket bath along with how to use a squat toilet, and I was happy to have successfully experienced both of these so early in my PC experience (though I’m happy to have a ‘normal’ shower on a regular basis).  Unfortunately I’ve somehow gotten into a bad habit of forgetting to bring my towel into the bathroom with me when I shower, so I either end up getting dressed while wet (which I absolutely hate doing), or drying off with the parts of my dirty clothes that aren’t drenched in sweat (I’m pretty much perpetually dirty here, so that doesn’t really gross me out much).  The next day I went to the Local Health Station to get an idea of what goes on there and help with some home visits.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the home visits turned out to be much more than I bargained for as we were visiting a few very elderly people in the area to treat their bed sores.  Let’s just say there’s a reason I never actually wanted to go through with my fleeting childhood aspirations to become a doctor.  I had to put considerable effort into keeping my face expressionless while trying to look anywhere else but at pockets of bone and skin.  We ended up back at the health station where I recovered with one of the aforementioned really good conversations (in English).  Lunch that day consisted of a whole lot of food (as always) and about 20 people on a floating dock/restaurant.  I let the little boy I had spent the previous day with play with my iphone since there was a game on there he had quickly become obsessed with….eventually I took it away and told him he could play with it later when we got back to the health station since it was getting dangerously close to going in the lake.  What eventually followed was an epic tantrum.  Having noticed that this kid seems to get whatever he wants no matter what, I was determined to stand my ground no matter how loud he screamed.  As we made our way back to the health station in a car with 5 adults and 1 screaming child, I wondered if this was the best time to be trying to teach a lesson to this kid that’s not mine (but I was still determined to not back down and give him his way).  I wasn’t sure what the other adults in the car thought of the situation, or if I was breaking some sort of cultural rules/norms or just being a stupid American that won’t share her toys (although sometimes I really just don’t like sharing – I blame middle child syndrome).  They took the kid home and that was the end of that – I wasn’t sure if I should feel successful since I didn’t back down or terrible because I made a kid cry.  He eventually forgave me, as the next time I saw him he was the same clinging monkey I met the first time. 

I wish I could write about all the amazing work I’m starting here, but I haven’t really done anything yet.  My days consist of riding my bike to work, playing on the internet for a while (if it’s working…such a treat since I don’t have it at home), getting escorted to meetings where I listen to a whole lot of stuff I don’t really understand and then give a brief introduction/speech in Thai, going with my coworkers for a 2 hour lunch/coffee break, maybe coming back to the office for a bit (the internet seems to not work as well in the afternoon so I pretend to study Thai or something), then biking to wherever the local market is to hang out with my host mom and eat some fruit/shop.  Most of the day is spent confused, wondering what’s really going on or where I’m being taken.  This past weekend I set out on yet another bike adventure (my go to activity right now when I don’t have anything to do).  I took a small road near my house into the fields to see where it would go.  Eventually the dirt road turned into a paved one and led to what has become my favorite spot in my community – open fields with hills and mountains and a pretty amazing view.  I eventually made my way back to where I came from, but chose to continue on the paved ‘road’ instead of taking the dirt one right back to my house.  I figured it had to lead somewhere, and when I eventually ended up in a nearby village that had a road leading back out to the highway that I live on, I felt like I had actually accomplished something.  For about five whole minutes my life here made sense, and it was awesome.

I don't understand.

I’m finally home…or what I will call home for the next 2 years in the Esan region of Thailand.  After my 3 day site visit several weeks ago I wasn’t sure what to think (or even if I could live here for 2 years).  Coming here for good a couple days ago I had a new perspective and a bit more willingness to let go of my expectations and preconceived notions so I could really get a feel for my new home.  The first couple days have been a little bit of everything and a whole lot of nothing.  I have a new host family, which is comprised of just my host mom and her father.  My new home stay also has a washing machine and an air conditioned bedroom for me….ah the simple amenities that I had learned to live without but now have a whole new appreciation for…it’s really nice to have them for now.  The first day here I was told I have a 4 day ‘holiday’ - my supervisor is out of town for a few days, so he told me to take it easy and we’d start work on Monday.  A few hours after arriving at my new homestay I decided to go with my host mom to one of the markets to sell fruit…I figured I’d have plenty of time to settle in and thought this would be a great opportunity to start integrating into the community.  I was able to practice my Thai a little bit while my mom introduced me to everyone that came by and told them what I was doing here, even offering the information to people walking by that didn’t seem all that interested in hearing it.  I ate a lot of fruit and listened to a whole lot of conversations I didn’t understand.  The first night here I was greeted by a bat flying straight at my face when I turned the light on to go into my room.  My host grandpa was able to help me out and took the bat outside for me.  I found another, smaller bat a few minutes later (squeaking in the corner hiding on a stack of books) that he took out as well.  I can still hear bats squirming around in my ceiling every once in a while and I’m waiting for the day I wake up with one of them on my face.

My second day at site I thought I was going with my host mom to a cave in one of the small nearby mountains.  After breakfast I put on a t-shirt and workout pants, prepared to climb the 600 steps to get to the cave.  Before we left she was saying something to me that I couldn’t fully understand, but what I took from it was that we were going to the temple near the cave so I needed to be dressed appropriately, which included a shirt with full sleeves and longer pants (the ‘conversation’ included several gestures and a few select words of English she decided to throw in).  Not fully knowing what was going on and also not wanting to be dressed inappropriately, I changed my clothes.  We got to the temple/cave and my host mom explained that she was going to sit and sell fruit so I was free to walk around and explore (so much for thinking I knew what was going on…not the first or last time this will happen though.  This was also the moment I realized that the English words my host mom knows aren’t always correct, or used in the correct context).  I really wanted to explore, so I climbed the 600 stairs to get to the top…in long pants, a long sleeved shirt, and $3 flip flops I bought here at the grocery store in what felt like at least 100 degree heat….not the best attire for cave exploration, but it worked.  It was pretty awesome (and a little cooler once we got to the top and inside the cave).  After wandering around for a few hours I ended up going to have lunch at the Early Childhood School that was close by with a few of the women who work there (and a bunch of napping kids nearby).  I’m trying to be intentional about trying to remember names and faces and I’m sure it’s going to take a while.  It’d be nice to know everything that people are saying to me (and about me), and hopefully with time will come more understanding and language ability. 

I really thought I’d have a bit more anxiety with my first few days at site, but I’m happy to realize it’s not really there.  I’m excited to finally be in my community and be done with the 8-5 schedule of training we had during PST (pre-service training).  It’ll take time to get to know people and actually get projects started, but for now I’m just soaking it all in and doing whatever comes up with whoever comes along.  I’ve spent a lot of time on my bike, exploring and seeing what I can find.  Each time I can’t help but realize how amazing this experience is – how much I’ve already done and how much more I still have yet to do.  I’ve been in Thailand for almost 3 months now…really?  The longest I’ve been out of the country up until now was about 2 weeks.  The more language I learn the easier it gets and the more excited I am to learn more.  It’s definitely frustrating for me learning a new language and there’s so much I don’t understand, but when someone says something to me and I’m able to answer them, it’s awesome.  I’m anxious to meet everyone and get started with something amazing.  I know this will be a process and it could take some time before I’m able to really get started on something new, but I’m excited to learn along the way.

Two months in Thailand

I’ll be spending the next 2 years living and working in Northeast Thailand! I’ll be living in a small village in the province of Nong Bua Lamphu, fairly close to Laos (and about an 8 hour bus trip from Bangkok).  My site visit proved to be just another one of the awkward, confusing, scary and exciting moments that seem to be a part of everyday life now.  I met a lot of people, ate a lot of food, and didn’t understand a good portion of what people were trying to say to me in Thai (the fact that I understand anything still makes me incredibly happy on a daily basis…usually a very short lived victory until I’m lost again).  The weather was much cooler, which was awesome (70 degrees instead of 100 degrees) and definitely something I think I’ll appreciate during the ‘winter’ months.  Northeastern Thailand has its own dialect, so in addition to continuing to learn central Thai I get to start learning the northeastern dialect (which is apparently also spoken in Laos, so if/when I make trips across the border I’ll have no trouble communicating…hopefully).  The trip to and from site was an adventure in itself in some respects, especially considering it was the first time I’ve really traveled by myself in a foreign country.  I had a lot of new experiences along with a lot of unanswered questions (why is the music on Thai busses so obnoxiously loud? Why, on an 8 hour bus trip, did my bus stop about 20 times? Why do they feed me dinner as soon as I get on the bus? Why is the bus always so cold? What am I supposed to do when I get to the bus station in Bangkok at 4am?).  I have no doubt that the next couple years will be two of the most challenging (and hopefully most amazing) of my life.  I also hope to take full advantage of my vacation days and have some pretty amazing trips all over Thailand. 

I’ve started to feel at home here in our training villages and was surprised at how great it felt to come ‘home’ after our site visit.  I missed the place we’ve called home for the past 8 weeks and it was great to come back to something familiar (including host families that were anxious to hear about our visits and happy to have us ‘home’).  I distinctly remember my first night with my host family….it’s amazing how helpless you can feel when you can’t communicate verbally, despite the fact that there’s a million things to say…it’s also amazing how much you can communicate with someone without either one of you having a language in common.  I’m getting sad to leave after spending only 8 weeks here in this village with these people.  I’ve gotten into such a routine during training and I think the site visit served as another realization of just what I’m doing here – getting ready to live on my own in rural Thailand and try to figure out something amazing to do to benefit a community and people that I know next to nothing about. 

Before I left for the Peace Corps I remember reading so much about how the people that will be going through this with me are the people that will become like family.  In the first few weeks of training I wondered how I was ever going to find my place in this ‘family’, and also thinking that I can just do it on my own if all else fails.  Now we’re getting ready to go our separate ways in just a few weeks, and I’m amazed that the people who traveled here to Thailand with me about 2 months ago, that were all strangers, are now the people I rely on to discuss the fear and excitement of leaving for our sites and dealing with the dependable ups and downs of this whole experience.  I couldn’t imagine making so many new friends in such a short amount of time, and now I can’t imagine what I’ll do without these people that I’ve seen almost everyday since we arrived in Thailand.  I’ve also realized that without them I’m not sure I could get through this whole experience on my own.  It’s nice having family and friends back home that I can talk to who know me better than anyone, but it’s also incredibly comforting to have a new group of people that I can rely on that are going through many of the same crazy experiences and emotional traumas that seem inevitable.  In the next two weeks I’ll turn 29 years old and officially be sworn-in as a Peace Corps Volunteer.  I don’t really care much about getting older or the fact that I’ll soon be in the final countdown to being 30 (what!?), but I can’t imagine a better way to spend the last year of my 20’s.   

English is fun

I have no idea how to summarize what I’m doing or what’s happened the past few weeks…..we’ve been so busy and scheduled that it’s easy to sometimes wonder what I’ve gotten myself into, but I’m starting to get more days of realizing why I signed up for this in the first place.  This week we had our first experience teaching English.  I was able to go to the Nonformal Education Center in the village where we have classes all week to teach English with another volunteer for 2 days.  Our students ranged in age from 16 – 40 and we spent an hour a day with them, teaching them basic English greetings and a few other things.  I’m not a teacher and have never taught English to anyone, but I truly enjoyed it.  It’s interesting to be on both ends of the learning/teaching spectrum in the last couple weeks, and it makes me appreciate how far I’ve come in such a short amount of time and how eager these kids are to learn English.  Two other volunteers that are in my language class have been teaching a group of 10-11 year olds at a nearby school, and I also got to practice English with them.  They’re so eager to learn and so patient with me when I speak Thai to them.  I love speaking Thai to kids here and I love it when they get so excited about what I say.  I’ve never seen kids get so excited when I tell them what Thai food I like to eat (although I think I’m more excited than they are).  Every once in a while some of them will just bust out a sentence in English and it’s awesome. 

 I’m slowly becoming more confident in my Thai speaking abilities and am able to converse more with my host family.  One of the best nights I’ve had with them so far was when I gave them a picture calendar of my family and friends (a gift I made for them) and we talked about my life in America and the people and things in my pictures.  They asked about my family in America and I told them as much as I could in Thai (by the way Ashley, they have a really, really hard time saying your name – but they said you’re beautiful every time they saw you in a picture).  My host family also likes to see how many mosquito bites I get every day (my host mom has given me several home remedies to stop the itching).  I explained to them one night that the mosquitoes here like to eat me for dinner, and they could not stop laughing at me (they never really do, but most of the time they just laugh at me for no reason).  Language has been one of the toughest things to adjust to, and sometimes I still find myself in conversations where I have absolutely no idea what’s going on….but when I do know what’s going on and am able to respond, it’s awesome.

It’s still hot, and I’m a little apprehensive about the upcoming ‘hot season’, but I think I’m acclimating to the change.  I thought it was cool the other day…when I looked at the temperature it was 86 degrees.  It gets cool enough at night that I can still sleep comfortably with a fan and a blanket, which is awesome. 

We find out our permanent sites next week – so exciting!  I’m anxious to find out where I’ll be living for the next two years.  Also, I ate chicken blood a couple weeks ago.  It looked like dark red tofu, and kind of tasted the same.  I haven’t eaten any bugs yet (at least not intentionally – I’ve caught several unintentional ones in my mouth on late bike rides).

Fun facts from Thailand

• I’m currently living with only half of the things I brought with me.  They told us to only bring one bag to our host family’s house, so half of my stuff is still sitting in a bag that I won’t see again until the end of March.
• Sometimes the sun, moon, sunrises and sunsets look so awesome that they look fake…or like they belong in a movie
• My host mom gave me an info booklet and audio CD about meditation.  My whole family asks me every day now if I’ve meditated (I’m so exhausted at the end of every day that I haven’t tried it yet….maybe eventually)
• The tv in my house is always on, and it’s always on the same channel, which I’ve discovered is basically a meditation (or Buddhist) channel
• The letter R is pronounced as an L a lot here, which has made language acquisition all the more difficult, and I often think I’m hearing new words when I’m actually hearing words I already know
• Sometimes I think in Spanish when learning Thai.  I haven’t used much Spanish since high school, but maybe it’s because that’s the only other language I’ve really been introduced to before…..but it’s funny….and confusing
• I’ve eaten a lot of ‘kanomes’ (treats/desserts) since I’ve been here, but they’re not always what they look like….when we were staying at a hotel the first week we’d have coffee and treats every afternoon, and one day we were having what I thought was a small cake (similar to a few we’d had already)….I bit into it to find tuna and corn inside…
• I don’t talk to my host grandma much (she’s often not around), but one day we were eating fruit together and she took out both her top and bottom dentures, showed them to me, and laughed.  I wish I understood more of what she says to me, because I guarantee it’s funny
• Having a conversation about what I did, what I ate or where I went in a day has never been so satisfying as it is when I can speak and understand Thai with my host mom
• Stray dogs are everywhere and sometimes chase us on our bikes. I wish I could adopt them all and take them to site with me.
• I haven’t worn makeup or used a hair dryer in over 2 weeks (I used both just about every day in America)
• I used to think the tan lines I got playing softball all summer were bad…they’re nothing compared to the ones I’m starting to get now
• I eat rice usually 3 times a day…I thought I might get sick of it quickly, but I love it
• 7/11 here has all sorts of strange ‘treats’….the aisle that has a bunch of stuff that resembles Little Debbie snack cakes includes cakes with fillings like beans, tuna, corn, and other things I’m not sure of yet
• A snickers bar at 7/11 costs more than a lot of the fruit in the market (Yes mom, I bought a snickers bar….I still love chocolate in Thailand, and it was delicious….but I eat much, much more fruit)
• A can of beer costs as much as an entire meal
• Sugar is used on a lot of things here….often in the form of sweetened condensed milk, and it’s awesome
• I wash all my clothes by hand, in buckets.  My host family has a washing machine, but Peace Corps told them not to let me use it because I need to get used to living conditions similar to what my permanent site will be (the fact that I change clothes at least twice a day doesn’t help the laundry situation)
• Everyone rides motorbikes here and almost no one wears a helmet.  It’s also common to see 3-5 people (usually a few kids included) riding one at the same time
• We’ve eaten fish a lot at my house, and most of the time it’s served whole….tail, head, bones and all on the plate.  I was a little apprehensive at first, but I love it
• I’m getting used to greeting everyone I see, being stared at, being laughed at, and not understanding what people are saying to me
• I rode my bike at night for the first time last week....I’ve never ingested so many bugs at one time (imagine riding a bike in the rain, except instead of rain, it’s bugs)
• Everything I heard about Thai people before I came is proving to be true….they’re so welcoming, gracious, generous, and happy (and I can’t even understand what they’re saying most of the time)

 

Here's a link to some pictures...also posted on Facebook!


http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10102228419765740.3301962.1904684&type=1&l=c870527f46

2 weeks in Thailand

It’s been a while and a lot has been happening, so this might get long (but there’s pictures!)…

Last Saturday I moved in with my host family, my home for the next 8 weeks.  My host family is great – it’s my host mom, two aunts, grandma, older sister, and father, who I’ve seen maybe twice since I’ve been here.  The house is right along a river and the scenery is fantastic.  My host sister is the only one who speaks English – and she also lives in Bangkok and only visits the house on weekends.  She understands most of what I say and it’s nice to have her around to help with some new translation on the weekends. My host mom cooks breakfast and dinner for me everyday and I feel a little spoiled (the food is delicious). I communicated to my host mom how much I enjoy spicy food and she usually includes something spicy at most meals. I try something new at least once a day and I’m discovering new favorites all the time.  I’ve also eaten more rice in the last 2 weeks than I have in probably the last 2 years (it’s included with breakfast and dinner everyday, and sometimes lunch as well).  I could devote an entire blog post to food/meal time happenings (maybe next time).

My home for the next several weeks!

Part of the backyard

 

Mangkut...'the queen of fruits' and my new favorite.

Thai kids teaching us card games...

Rice fields on one of our bike rides

The river right behind my house.

Training is exhausting but informative.  Our days are generally split into two parts: language learning and technical (job-related) training.  Our training hub is right next to a market, which is absolutely fantastic – we’re able to get all sorts of amazing treats for lunches and snacks during the day. The language part can definitely get a little frustrating, but it seems like they way they’re teaching us is the best way for us to get out there and start speaking.  Our teachers are also amazing, which helps a lot. We’re not allowed to use English during our language sessions, which is frustrating but effective. It’s a lot of call and response and repetition, and our teachers aren’t supposed to directly translate for us, so basically I make up my own meanings and dialogue based on pictures, questions and context clues (super frustrating for me, but I’m learning to deal with it).  I’ve had a few successful interactions with my host mom using my very limited Thai vocabulary (at least I consider them successful; I could very well be making things up to make myself feel better).  My host family likes to talk at me in Thai and laugh at me a lot.  Thai people smile and laugh a lot, and I’m learning to laugh at myself along with them.  I still get frustrated not knowing what they’re saying or how to respond, but we’ve been told so many times not to take anything here too seriously, and to just smile and laugh.  I’ve thought a lot about how many times in America I’ve heard people say the same thing over and over to someone who doesn’t speak English, expecting that saying the same thing 5 times the same way (increasingly louder and slower) will eventually lead to comprehension – that happens to me on a daily basis, and all I can do is laugh.

The weather is hot and getting hotter.  I heard a lot about how cool it was the first week we were here (it was averaging probably mid 70’s to 80).  The ‘hot season’ starts around March, and given that it was in the low to mid 90’s this week I can’t imagine what the hot season will be like.  We bike everywhere and have to change clothes at least twice a day (skirts and collared shirts are required for training and not appropriate for biking), so by the time I get home a cold shower is one of the best parts of my day.  

Thai people are so nice and welcoming and seem happy for us to be here.  We get a lot of stares, waves, greetings, smiles and laughs.  The kids are curious and friendly as well. We were able to talk to some kids doing homework and I was able to have a few very basic conversations…I loved it and can’t wait to start doing a lot more with kids.

I’m starting to develop a new routine as I settle in a little bit more here.  I’m up at 6am everyday (very strange and new for me) – I have coffee, sweep the kitchen and eat breakfast by myself (my host mom is always around the kitchen cooking things).  I bike to our trainings with several other people that live near me and we have training/classes from 8am – 5pm with a few breaks in between.  Evenings usually consist of dinner with my host mom, limited Thai conversations using what I’ve learned so far, and any homework I have (she’s always eager to help me with it and asks every day if I have any), then some time to decompress/journal/watch Friends before I go to sleep. 

The weather this weekend was almost perfect (seems a lot less hot when I’m not biking everywhere).  We went to a big festival on Saturday (see pictures below) called Don Chedi, and saw a show that was like a reenactment of the final battle between Thailand and Burma like 400 years ago (pretty interesting story - you should google it).  I didn’t understand what they were saying, but my host sister helped point out some of the highlights for me.  The festival was fun (and super crowded) and it was a nice break from everything else. 

I don’t have internet at my house, which was quite frustrating the first few days, especially after finding out how many volunteers have wifi available at their homes.  As much as I’ve felt the withdrawals of being so disconnected, I’ve realized that I’ll survive without it for a few days at a time (although I’m definitely planning to get internet for myself once I move to my permanent site in a couple months, if possible).  It’s hard to believe I’ve been living here for 2 weeks…it’s also hard to believe I’ll be living here for another 2 years.  There’s so much more to talk about but not enough time - or internet access - to do so, but I’ll update again soon!