Wow I can't believe that this is my final post. To get you up to speed when we got back to Chiang Mai we played Songkran which is the world's largest water fight with all the SST kids, and then my mom came! We took her and Jaimie and Marit's parents around to all the fun places in Chiang Mai which was elephant riding, to meet our host parents, to walking street, to the night bazzaar, good restaurants, many temples and to meet various monks. We then headed to Phuket to do some final R and R with them. We stayed at this amazing hotel on the beach and took a boat trip to and around Koh PiPi which is famous for the movie "The Beach". We snorkeled etc. and ate as much wonderful seafood as we could handle and then we left our parents to complete Scuba school.
We flew to Koh Tao to do this and went to the most well known dive resort by lonely planet books...we actually didn't know this until we arrived. We also got placed with the head of the Scuba program to teach us open water diving. The max we can go is about 18 meters which is about 60 feet...sounds like a long way but you can barely tell haha. Marit had some issues in the beginning with being comfy underwater but by the end we were both mermaids swimming with the fish all over the island. Plus I learned a lot about scuba and all the prep that goes into it...even how to get around a reef being on the bottom. Good geography skill haha.
We left there today and took a boat to Koh Pangnan which is only an hour or so away by speed boat. We checked into our hotel where we will be meeting my dad and chris tomorrow! I am so excited to see them both and I am excited to spend my last week here with them. The resort is on the quiet side of the island and it is really peaceful here. I think Marit and I want to work up a show-off tan so I think this is a good spot to do this at.
Thank you all for reading my blog. I hope it wasn't boring and I hope you got enough information out of it for your personal enjoyment. I am looking forward to being back in the US soon and if you want to come visit or see me...please call and I will show you some more pictures of my adventure in Amazing Thailand.
Peace,
Aubs
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Sorry about the delay...
So a lot has happened since my last post so I thought I would fill everyone in with some of the details but putting all of them in here would be too much...you have no idea.
Last you heard from me I was on spring break in Koh Chang or elephant island enjoying my time and the beach...eating seafood and baking in the sun. We went on a great snorkel trip where I saw the most incredible fish I have ever seen. We had some good nights on the beach walking and talking with other SST students about various things. I learned a lot.
After that we spent a day in Bangkok walking around waiting for our flight back to Chiang Mai. Don't worry we stayed away from the "red shirts" and we just met some Thai friends and saw the largest reclining Buddha. We were going to go to the floating market but it was way too far away for just a day trip so we got foot massages on the street instead.
We got back to Chaing Mai late at night and then some random Thai person on our flight offered to give us a ride to our hotel....what a sweetheart. So a free taxi to the hotel.
We left for the Lahu village the next morning and it took us about 4 hours to get there. It was a dirt road the whole way and full of red dust. When we got there we were greeted with a buch of wild kids. We stayed there for a week and here are some of the highlighst:
1. Painting a orphanage's walls and singing loudly as a group...before the walls were dark and not cheery. The next day we went back and the kids from the orphanage gave us a cultural show...it was great.
2. Playing soccer in the dirt every night with about 50 villiage kids.
3. Taking the kids to the river to have huge water fights and all of the little boys that stripped completely down to nothing and jumped off the rocks....so funny.
4. Staying with my host family in their living room of the house on the wooden floor and a blanket.
5. Finally being able to wear the "warmer" clothes I brought.
6. Killing a pig and having a big pork roast feast!
After that we went to the Karen Village 7 hours away for two weeks. Along the way we stopped at a huge waterfall and swam for a little bit. The road to the Karen village was really really twisty and turny and many people threw up...not me. Here are my highlights from that:
1. Sleeping in the Cougars Den...or that is what we called the house we stayed in.
2. Setting up huge purple mosquito nets over our beds and somehow we still ended up with huge red welts everynight.
3. Culture shows all the time with tradition Karen clothes and music. The kids were a big part of this.
4. We came together much more as a group here.
5. Going to the lake everyday and swimming across as a big group and taking our showers...that is right...no showers there haha.
6. Bonfires and marshmallows
7. Going to the drug and alcohol hilltribe center and spending the night there talking to the people. Marit and I are going to sponsor one of the graduates for two years of Bible school for him so he can be a pastor and leader of his village. It is only 200 dollars for two years!
8. Reading a lot and relaxing. Also learning guitar more from my friend Ian who is amazing and I learned a lot.
9. Interviewing people of the village about the new development happening in the area and how the village needs to ban together to keep our prostitution and drugs.
10. Riding on top of the trucks though the hills of Thailand or in the back of pickups on dirt roads overlooking huge cliffs and rice fields....amazing views....
Now we are back in Chiang Mai and excited to be here because our parents are coming!!!!!!! In fact I am waiting to see my mom right now!!!!! :) Again if you have questions about the details just ask....
Aubs
Last you heard from me I was on spring break in Koh Chang or elephant island enjoying my time and the beach...eating seafood and baking in the sun. We went on a great snorkel trip where I saw the most incredible fish I have ever seen. We had some good nights on the beach walking and talking with other SST students about various things. I learned a lot.
After that we spent a day in Bangkok walking around waiting for our flight back to Chiang Mai. Don't worry we stayed away from the "red shirts" and we just met some Thai friends and saw the largest reclining Buddha. We were going to go to the floating market but it was way too far away for just a day trip so we got foot massages on the street instead.
We got back to Chaing Mai late at night and then some random Thai person on our flight offered to give us a ride to our hotel....what a sweetheart. So a free taxi to the hotel.
We left for the Lahu village the next morning and it took us about 4 hours to get there. It was a dirt road the whole way and full of red dust. When we got there we were greeted with a buch of wild kids. We stayed there for a week and here are some of the highlighst:
1. Painting a orphanage's walls and singing loudly as a group...before the walls were dark and not cheery. The next day we went back and the kids from the orphanage gave us a cultural show...it was great.
2. Playing soccer in the dirt every night with about 50 villiage kids.
3. Taking the kids to the river to have huge water fights and all of the little boys that stripped completely down to nothing and jumped off the rocks....so funny.
4. Staying with my host family in their living room of the house on the wooden floor and a blanket.
5. Finally being able to wear the "warmer" clothes I brought.
6. Killing a pig and having a big pork roast feast!
After that we went to the Karen Village 7 hours away for two weeks. Along the way we stopped at a huge waterfall and swam for a little bit. The road to the Karen village was really really twisty and turny and many people threw up...not me. Here are my highlights from that:
1. Sleeping in the Cougars Den...or that is what we called the house we stayed in.
2. Setting up huge purple mosquito nets over our beds and somehow we still ended up with huge red welts everynight.
3. Culture shows all the time with tradition Karen clothes and music. The kids were a big part of this.
4. We came together much more as a group here.
5. Going to the lake everyday and swimming across as a big group and taking our showers...that is right...no showers there haha.
6. Bonfires and marshmallows
7. Going to the drug and alcohol hilltribe center and spending the night there talking to the people. Marit and I are going to sponsor one of the graduates for two years of Bible school for him so he can be a pastor and leader of his village. It is only 200 dollars for two years!
8. Reading a lot and relaxing. Also learning guitar more from my friend Ian who is amazing and I learned a lot.
9. Interviewing people of the village about the new development happening in the area and how the village needs to ban together to keep our prostitution and drugs.
10. Riding on top of the trucks though the hills of Thailand or in the back of pickups on dirt roads overlooking huge cliffs and rice fields....amazing views....
Now we are back in Chiang Mai and excited to be here because our parents are coming!!!!!!! In fact I am waiting to see my mom right now!!!!! :) Again if you have questions about the details just ask....
Aubs
Monday, March 22, 2010
Catching up...
So much has happened in the past few weeks I can't believe I am almost at the end of my time at this island! I am in Koh Chang right now which is an island in the southern and eastern part of Thailand. Amazingly we might be the only Americans here. There are a lot of european and australian tourists and some thai. It is so fun to amaze the thai people here with our use of the language and our understanding and they love us for it! We are having a great time!
In Bangkok we went on a river cruise looking at the great hospital, where the king is, the floating market, and general life for the people along the river. It is a great way to see the city and it makes for an inexpensive cab ride as well. We went to grand palace for a while and it was the most incredible place I have seen thus far in Thailand. It is beautiful and also taken care of very nicely. It is also home to the emerald buddha which is beautiful but kind of small. After that we took a cab to the bus station, a five hour bus to trat ferry station, a cab to the ferry, a ferry to the island and another cab to our hotel. We were so glad to be off any sort of mode of transportation. We stayed at this hotel for two nights that wasn't on the beach or near one so we switched to the one we are at now. Yesterday we went snorkeling all day on this big tour boat and the guys loved us so much because we spoke thai that they let us jump off the top of the boat into the ocean all the time! It was so fun and the water was so clear and blue. Today because of the incredible burns on my back from snorkeling...we are staying in the shade, maybe kayaking, maybe hiking to a waterfall. We will see what happens i guess. Tomorrow we are going back to bangkok to see the wat of the reclining buddha which is the largest in the world and a better tour of the floating market and possibly the flower market which is world renoun. Then we fly back to chiang mai on thrusday night and leave friday morning for the village for three weeks....I know busy right? If you have any questions ask because I am not sure how in detail to write because i can't pick and choose what to write about.
Loving Thailand everyday more,
Aubs
In Bangkok we went on a river cruise looking at the great hospital, where the king is, the floating market, and general life for the people along the river. It is a great way to see the city and it makes for an inexpensive cab ride as well. We went to grand palace for a while and it was the most incredible place I have seen thus far in Thailand. It is beautiful and also taken care of very nicely. It is also home to the emerald buddha which is beautiful but kind of small. After that we took a cab to the bus station, a five hour bus to trat ferry station, a cab to the ferry, a ferry to the island and another cab to our hotel. We were so glad to be off any sort of mode of transportation. We stayed at this hotel for two nights that wasn't on the beach or near one so we switched to the one we are at now. Yesterday we went snorkeling all day on this big tour boat and the guys loved us so much because we spoke thai that they let us jump off the top of the boat into the ocean all the time! It was so fun and the water was so clear and blue. Today because of the incredible burns on my back from snorkeling...we are staying in the shade, maybe kayaking, maybe hiking to a waterfall. We will see what happens i guess. Tomorrow we are going back to bangkok to see the wat of the reclining buddha which is the largest in the world and a better tour of the floating market and possibly the flower market which is world renoun. Then we fly back to chiang mai on thrusday night and leave friday morning for the village for three weeks....I know busy right? If you have any questions ask because I am not sure how in detail to write because i can't pick and choose what to write about.
Loving Thailand everyday more,
Aubs
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Hopefully a quick one because I am paying for this by the minute
SOOOOOO much has gone on since we last met here in cyber space. I have been traveling for the past three days and it has been wonderful! We left at 8am sunday and this is the first time I have had to sit since then. We have been sitting on the bus but it has been watching movies talking or getting to know each other more in the group which I can tell you is really good. I had a lot of first impressions of these people that have been blown away and I am getting to know myself more by learning more about these people. It is always a learning expereince.
We went to a bunch of temples and very interesting museums as well which has been fun. The first day we were in sukkothai and woke up the next morning to bike around the ancient ruins of the city. We went to a Chetti in Pitsanulok as well and stayed there last night. The hotels we stay at are super nice and as soon as we get into the hotel every day we get into our swimsuits and jump right into the pool! It is so nice and refeshing. I have taken a lot of pictures and hopefully I can share them with you all too. We are now in loppuri (i spelled that wrong I am sure) and it is a city renoun for its infestation of monkeys. We went to a chetti today and the monkeys climbed all over us and tried to eat bugs out of our hair. A weird expereience that I labeled "a once in a lifetime experience that I will pass on if I have to do it again". The monkeys were dirty and that is the reason why I would pass haha. Tomorrow we go to the ancient capital of Siam called Auyttaya which is supposed to be fun and we are taking a boat cruise with karaoke and crazy dancing all night long. I am excited for the days to come. After that we head to Bangkok and then to Koh Chang for spring break. I am not sure how often I can update this so don't be alarmed if you don't hear much....
Aubs
We went to a bunch of temples and very interesting museums as well which has been fun. The first day we were in sukkothai and woke up the next morning to bike around the ancient ruins of the city. We went to a Chetti in Pitsanulok as well and stayed there last night. The hotels we stay at are super nice and as soon as we get into the hotel every day we get into our swimsuits and jump right into the pool! It is so nice and refeshing. I have taken a lot of pictures and hopefully I can share them with you all too. We are now in loppuri (i spelled that wrong I am sure) and it is a city renoun for its infestation of monkeys. We went to a chetti today and the monkeys climbed all over us and tried to eat bugs out of our hair. A weird expereience that I labeled "a once in a lifetime experience that I will pass on if I have to do it again". The monkeys were dirty and that is the reason why I would pass haha. Tomorrow we go to the ancient capital of Siam called Auyttaya which is supposed to be fun and we are taking a boat cruise with karaoke and crazy dancing all night long. I am excited for the days to come. After that we head to Bangkok and then to Koh Chang for spring break. I am not sure how often I can update this so don't be alarmed if you don't hear much....
Aubs
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
My 30th post!!!!
Everyone should be celebrating my 30th post on here. If you have been following...great work, if not then 30 may seem like too many posts but trust me they are out there somewhere.
Well here are some updates on the past week:
Monday was our last day of art class. We had a celebration by giving jasmine necklaces to the professors and they each tied string around our wrists and gave us a blessing to learn more and continue studying. Apparently this is a common practice of a leaving ceremony. The monks did this as well but there was a lot more string to be handed out haha. It was so cool to see all the art professors care about us so much and give us such warm blessings.
We went to Ban Patsuwan on Monday which is a group home for kids in the slums and an internship for some people in our group. It was so fun to hang out with the kids, eat ice cream and play games outside.
Tuesday we went to the Prision which is another internship for people and it is mostly teenagers in for stealing, drugs, prostitution and assult. We did a talent show and hung out with the kids. It was a very interesting place.
Today is our last day of class. We had Thai writing already this morning and now we have culture class later. After that we are planning on studying for the test tomorrow by the pool. I don't know how far we will actually get studying :)
I have started packing up my things and separating it all for the big field trip and for spring break. I am really wishing I had enough money to buy a big box and send my stuff home rather than take it home in my suitcase. There is not that much room haha.
Saturday we are going to the hotsprings with our family and then going out to dinner. Then Sunday early we are leaving for Sukkothai, one of the ancient capitals of Siam. It should be a fun trip!
Aubs
Well here are some updates on the past week:
Monday was our last day of art class. We had a celebration by giving jasmine necklaces to the professors and they each tied string around our wrists and gave us a blessing to learn more and continue studying. Apparently this is a common practice of a leaving ceremony. The monks did this as well but there was a lot more string to be handed out haha. It was so cool to see all the art professors care about us so much and give us such warm blessings.
We went to Ban Patsuwan on Monday which is a group home for kids in the slums and an internship for some people in our group. It was so fun to hang out with the kids, eat ice cream and play games outside.
Tuesday we went to the Prision which is another internship for people and it is mostly teenagers in for stealing, drugs, prostitution and assult. We did a talent show and hung out with the kids. It was a very interesting place.
Today is our last day of class. We had Thai writing already this morning and now we have culture class later. After that we are planning on studying for the test tomorrow by the pool. I don't know how far we will actually get studying :)
I have started packing up my things and separating it all for the big field trip and for spring break. I am really wishing I had enough money to buy a big box and send my stuff home rather than take it home in my suitcase. There is not that much room haha.
Saturday we are going to the hotsprings with our family and then going out to dinner. Then Sunday early we are leaving for Sukkothai, one of the ancient capitals of Siam. It should be a fun trip!
Aubs
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Update
So sorry for those avid readers of my blog (hi mom and dad)...but I have been really busy and my internet time has been devoted to facebook and email only haha. I have a few updates to fill you in on life here in Thailand:
1. My internship is officialy over but that does not mean the end of fun monk time. on monday we toured the zoo with them all afternoon in the swealtering heat and walked for easily six miles. This could have been the best day on the trip so far. The monks are so funny because they take pictures of EVERYTHING. Today we went to the Chiang Mai cultural museum which sounds boring but it was hilarious taking pictures of everything and everyone. We joke and say that the monks could make a flip book of the time we spend together because there are constant pictures being taken.
2. Wendesday we paid to get into a hotel pool in the afternoon and got some sun and went swimming. Not only that but our group has taken to finding good street food to eat for lunch before our adventures and I have never eaten such great food in my life...for one dollar! Today we had pork sautee which is curried pork on a stick with peanut sauce and clear soup...so arroy (which means delicious).
3. This past weekend I went to Marit's internship which is at an AIDS orphanage and we had ice cream and played with jump ropes, footballs, facepaints and balloons. It was really fun and it was good to see what Marit does for her internship too.
4. We had to say goodbye to our good friend Buoi on saturday because she is in Florida which was sad, but we also bought her plane ticket to Minnesota in May so I am very excited for that! We are planning on a really amazing time!
5. Sunday we had a Thai cooking class and let me tell you...you can hire me any time to make authenitc thai food and I will do it for you! We made green curry coconut coup (one of my favorites) and pad thai and fried bananas. I was so full after all of that! But it was really fun!
6. Classes have been good. We don't have language class anymore because we had our final in that already, but we still have thai writing, thai culture, and thai art left. Tomorrow is our last art class and next week is a four day week so I want to plan a trip maybe to doi intanon, the highest point in Thailand for some good hiking and fun!
7. I am getting homesick more often. Not terribly but it would be nice to have everything easy and normal again sometimes. Most times I forget I am even here but I think because we are leaving our host families soon I am going to feel a little homeless. O well...every day is a new day!
Aubs
1. My internship is officialy over but that does not mean the end of fun monk time. on monday we toured the zoo with them all afternoon in the swealtering heat and walked for easily six miles. This could have been the best day on the trip so far. The monks are so funny because they take pictures of EVERYTHING. Today we went to the Chiang Mai cultural museum which sounds boring but it was hilarious taking pictures of everything and everyone. We joke and say that the monks could make a flip book of the time we spend together because there are constant pictures being taken.
2. Wendesday we paid to get into a hotel pool in the afternoon and got some sun and went swimming. Not only that but our group has taken to finding good street food to eat for lunch before our adventures and I have never eaten such great food in my life...for one dollar! Today we had pork sautee which is curried pork on a stick with peanut sauce and clear soup...so arroy (which means delicious).
3. This past weekend I went to Marit's internship which is at an AIDS orphanage and we had ice cream and played with jump ropes, footballs, facepaints and balloons. It was really fun and it was good to see what Marit does for her internship too.
4. We had to say goodbye to our good friend Buoi on saturday because she is in Florida which was sad, but we also bought her plane ticket to Minnesota in May so I am very excited for that! We are planning on a really amazing time!
5. Sunday we had a Thai cooking class and let me tell you...you can hire me any time to make authenitc thai food and I will do it for you! We made green curry coconut coup (one of my favorites) and pad thai and fried bananas. I was so full after all of that! But it was really fun!
6. Classes have been good. We don't have language class anymore because we had our final in that already, but we still have thai writing, thai culture, and thai art left. Tomorrow is our last art class and next week is a four day week so I want to plan a trip maybe to doi intanon, the highest point in Thailand for some good hiking and fun!
7. I am getting homesick more often. Not terribly but it would be nice to have everything easy and normal again sometimes. Most times I forget I am even here but I think because we are leaving our host families soon I am going to feel a little homeless. O well...every day is a new day!
Aubs
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Temp Monk
I am no monk...But for the past while I have been feeling like I want to become one even though that is not possible. I wanted to tell all of you in more detail about the monks and what I do at the Buddhist University with them for four hours a day four times a week. In the process I hope to answer your questions about the lives of the monks...or at least try. If you have any more let me know.
Buddhist monks can become monks at the age of 20. They can be a novice from the age of twelve until they become monks. They can choose not to be a monk ever and just live by the less amount of precepts that a novice follows. Most of the monks at the University are monks. There are a few novices but they are past monk age and just want their experience to be more relaxed than a monk.
The University and all monk education is free. Many of the monks come from very poor families in Cambodia, Burma, Vietnam, and Laos. Most cannot afford education and most are the first to get any sort of education in their village. I have heard so many stories like this.
The monks follow 272 precepts which is another term for a rule. The five main one that everyone follows are no killing, adultry, stealing, lying, and drinking. The other ones are very minor about their behavior in terms of what they wear, what they can and cannot do, but most of them are vague and considered to be of the past sort of.
The monks are allowed to have whatever they want; computers, mp3 players, phones, etc. They are not supposed to show lay people but that is being more relaxed these days. Mostly this is because it makes the mind cloudy and unfocused on the truth. I can understand this but most use it to call home and to just be normal 20 year olds.
You can become a monk and leave monkhood whenever you want. There is no time minnimum but most boys become monks for at least 3 months at some point in thier lives. It is very favorable to a family to have their son in law be a monk at one point in his life.
The monks cannot play games, in terms of sports but they can lift weights. Some monks play soccer but not very many because the temple frowns upon it.
At the University we help the monks get more comfordable with speaking enlgish. It is really fun! We sit in on three different classes during the week either grading presentations, helping pronounciation or just talking about important places in Thailand in enlgish. It is so amazing to hear about all the temples, waterfalls, caves, cities and all the places we really SHOULD go to while we are here. Too bad I have no time to do any of that with this schedule haha. If we are not in class we sit at this long table and welcome monks to talk to us. We interview them about their lives, ask them about buddhism, or just chat about what we did that day or about anything they ask. They love talking to us and getting to know more about America. They speak english well but they love speaking in Thai or in Lao to challenge us to understand. Lao is similar to Thai but since Thai is hard...Lao is harder haha.
Women cannot be monks in Thailand. In other counties they have allowed it but not Thailand. There are a few female monks but they are not accepted or recognized by the country. There is a long history behind this but it is hard to explain. I can understand why though.
Tomorrow is our last day at the University and I am very sad. I am sad that we will be leaving all of this fun monk friends behind and we may never see them again. We have written in friendship books for them and they have each written us notes too. They are so wonderful and they have made a large imprint on my life and in my heart.
Any questions more just ask. Sorry I haven't written for a while but I was failing on thinking about things to write about.
Aubs
Buddhist monks can become monks at the age of 20. They can be a novice from the age of twelve until they become monks. They can choose not to be a monk ever and just live by the less amount of precepts that a novice follows. Most of the monks at the University are monks. There are a few novices but they are past monk age and just want their experience to be more relaxed than a monk.
The University and all monk education is free. Many of the monks come from very poor families in Cambodia, Burma, Vietnam, and Laos. Most cannot afford education and most are the first to get any sort of education in their village. I have heard so many stories like this.
The monks follow 272 precepts which is another term for a rule. The five main one that everyone follows are no killing, adultry, stealing, lying, and drinking. The other ones are very minor about their behavior in terms of what they wear, what they can and cannot do, but most of them are vague and considered to be of the past sort of.
The monks are allowed to have whatever they want; computers, mp3 players, phones, etc. They are not supposed to show lay people but that is being more relaxed these days. Mostly this is because it makes the mind cloudy and unfocused on the truth. I can understand this but most use it to call home and to just be normal 20 year olds.
You can become a monk and leave monkhood whenever you want. There is no time minnimum but most boys become monks for at least 3 months at some point in thier lives. It is very favorable to a family to have their son in law be a monk at one point in his life.
The monks cannot play games, in terms of sports but they can lift weights. Some monks play soccer but not very many because the temple frowns upon it.
At the University we help the monks get more comfordable with speaking enlgish. It is really fun! We sit in on three different classes during the week either grading presentations, helping pronounciation or just talking about important places in Thailand in enlgish. It is so amazing to hear about all the temples, waterfalls, caves, cities and all the places we really SHOULD go to while we are here. Too bad I have no time to do any of that with this schedule haha. If we are not in class we sit at this long table and welcome monks to talk to us. We interview them about their lives, ask them about buddhism, or just chat about what we did that day or about anything they ask. They love talking to us and getting to know more about America. They speak english well but they love speaking in Thai or in Lao to challenge us to understand. Lao is similar to Thai but since Thai is hard...Lao is harder haha.
Women cannot be monks in Thailand. In other counties they have allowed it but not Thailand. There are a few female monks but they are not accepted or recognized by the country. There is a long history behind this but it is hard to explain. I can understand why though.
Tomorrow is our last day at the University and I am very sad. I am sad that we will be leaving all of this fun monk friends behind and we may never see them again. We have written in friendship books for them and they have each written us notes too. They are so wonderful and they have made a large imprint on my life and in my heart.
Any questions more just ask. Sorry I haven't written for a while but I was failing on thinking about things to write about.
Aubs
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