Well yesterday we went to this incredible restaurant that was the size of a football field outdoors and you pick up little plates and get raw meat and seafood and veggies and grill them on hot coal grills at your table. We went with a bunch of SST students and it was really a great experience. I was nervous about getting sick a little but then I realized that I got sick out of no fault to my own and tons of people eat this and are fine. So I went for it and let me tell you...it was quite the experience...so DELICIOUS!!!
Today we got up and I had time to read a book and relax a little bit before we went out to KFC with our host family for lunch. Not our idea at all, the little girls in my family wanted to go. We met some more SST students and went to this enormous jewlery store again to return rings and buy more useless things. I got some good stuff though in all reality. We then met up with our good Thai friend Buoi pronouced Boy.
She is a student at the university and has more connections than anyone I know! She knows this guy who can get us into this private hotel/spa/pool place for free. So we went and this pool is incredible, quiet and so fun! Marit, Kelsey(another girl from our program), Buoi and another Thai friend of ours all went for a few hours and swam and hung out for a couple of hours. Then we headed to a Mexican restaurant for dinner which was incredible (and a favorite of Buoi's).
All and all i did not eat a single thing of Thai food today but at the same time I don't mind. Weekends here are apparently for experiencing everything touristy and non Thai that we can before we head back to reality on Monday morning.
I had a great day today and I am really looking forward for the weekends to come!
Aubs
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thai Art
So apparently this was major art week. I am bummed I missed two sessions but if I had to miss class this would be the best time for it. We had art class all week but the art class is learning how they do the art in most of the temples and we do it ourselves on blocks of wood etc. We do it the old way that they have done it in the past and then we do it with gold paint or other materials.
We have drawn lotus flowers, used stencils and gold leaf, painted, and did this weird black fish design that took forever to make and ended up only presenting a gold fish at the end...but it was incredibly cool to do the whole procedure. I would much rather have art class than 4 hours of Thai language class. O well next week will be back to the ol grind again with more Thai language and culture class.
Yesterday we also had a class on Buddhism taught to us by a 85+ year old man that needed to be escorted into class and out. He was an incredible teacher though that used stories to help us understand Buddhist philosophy. We also got a copy of two of his books on Buddhism and I am excited to read them for class! We are learning the original Buddhism religion (called Folk Buddhism) not the Buddhism mostly practiced in Thailand which is a mix of Animism and Buddhism.
Last night my host father took marit and I to a steak house for dinner and it was really good! Most likely we will go there again I hate to admit. Very american food but sometimes my stomach needs a rest from the exotica that is Thai food.
I am planning on putting up some other little pictures thus far on the side so check them out, if they aren't there...I got lazy.
Tonight we are going out to dinner with some people from our group and some Thai buddies. Marit invited her host sister so she is coming and she is excited. Should be a good time. Tomorrow we are going to hang with the girls from the trip and have a girl day with a shopping trip and possibly lunch or maybe even another Thai massage? who knows. I would be down for a pedicure too if possible.
I am looking forward to going to class on Monday again and actually being able to attend. The next couple weekends are going to get really busy with the Chiang Mai flower festival, the temple stay weekend, and Marit's birthday the next so keep reading for more excitement to come!
You stay classy United States,
Aubs
We have drawn lotus flowers, used stencils and gold leaf, painted, and did this weird black fish design that took forever to make and ended up only presenting a gold fish at the end...but it was incredibly cool to do the whole procedure. I would much rather have art class than 4 hours of Thai language class. O well next week will be back to the ol grind again with more Thai language and culture class.
Yesterday we also had a class on Buddhism taught to us by a 85+ year old man that needed to be escorted into class and out. He was an incredible teacher though that used stories to help us understand Buddhist philosophy. We also got a copy of two of his books on Buddhism and I am excited to read them for class! We are learning the original Buddhism religion (called Folk Buddhism) not the Buddhism mostly practiced in Thailand which is a mix of Animism and Buddhism.
Last night my host father took marit and I to a steak house for dinner and it was really good! Most likely we will go there again I hate to admit. Very american food but sometimes my stomach needs a rest from the exotica that is Thai food.
I am planning on putting up some other little pictures thus far on the side so check them out, if they aren't there...I got lazy.
Tonight we are going out to dinner with some people from our group and some Thai buddies. Marit invited her host sister so she is coming and she is excited. Should be a good time. Tomorrow we are going to hang with the girls from the trip and have a girl day with a shopping trip and possibly lunch or maybe even another Thai massage? who knows. I would be down for a pedicure too if possible.
I am looking forward to going to class on Monday again and actually being able to attend. The next couple weekends are going to get really busy with the Chiang Mai flower festival, the temple stay weekend, and Marit's birthday the next so keep reading for more excitement to come!
You stay classy United States,
Aubs
Thursday, January 28, 2010
You will never guess what happened to the past three days of my life..
So, you know how I was nervous to take my test well apparently my stomach was upset for more reasons than that. I got really weak before my test and actually I am embarrased to say that I barely remember speaking in Thai because I felt so sick. So my host father brought me home and I slept all day and all night and got up and still felt terrible. The head of my program told me to see a doctor so I went in and so did marit becasue she was having stomach issues too. We went in and went through a bunch of doors of people taking temperatures and blood pressure etc (not at all like the mayo clinic) and arrived in a room especially for me that had a couch and a TV and a bed etc. Very nice. Anyways they hooked me up to an IV...I had a stool sample collected, a blood test, and was told to rest. Marit went down to antibiotics and see another doctor.
Well turns out I had an infection or I guess still have one in my intestine. Probably from food or from bad water. Who knows. But apparently I had just had bad issues that made me dehydrated and so I needed fluids (3 bags) and rest. I left today at 4 but it took me a while to figure out how to leave there. The whole visit only cost me 340 dollars which is nothing compared to what I would have paid in the US.
Truthfully I think it was a good experience for me to figure out how to deal with medical stuff on my own and realize that things do happen when you travel and you have to be prepared. I am feeling much better now but I can only have liquids for a while, or at least that is what the doctor said.
I am sorry for not posting faster or more often since monday but as you can tell I have had no internet access. Long and the short...no one freak out I will be fine and healthy withina few days time. And hopefully catch up on the class I have missed haha!
Aubs
Well turns out I had an infection or I guess still have one in my intestine. Probably from food or from bad water. Who knows. But apparently I had just had bad issues that made me dehydrated and so I needed fluids (3 bags) and rest. I left today at 4 but it took me a while to figure out how to leave there. The whole visit only cost me 340 dollars which is nothing compared to what I would have paid in the US.
Truthfully I think it was a good experience for me to figure out how to deal with medical stuff on my own and realize that things do happen when you travel and you have to be prepared. I am feeling much better now but I can only have liquids for a while, or at least that is what the doctor said.
I am sorry for not posting faster or more often since monday but as you can tell I have had no internet access. Long and the short...no one freak out I will be fine and healthy withina few days time. And hopefully catch up on the class I have missed haha!
Aubs
Monday, January 25, 2010
For example g as in chicken and g as in elephant...
You must be wondering...WHAT is she talking about. Well long story short we had our first day of Thai writing today and the teacher said that exactly. You may not understand because it is actually the thai words for chicken which is gaye and elephant which is chang. Anyways he said it in english in our class and Marit and I couldn't stop laughing...sort of a funny story to start an interesting day.
TOMORROW is going to be the true test of my thai language knowledge. I have to speak thai for four minutes straight about myself. Try talking about yourself in English for four minutes and then tell me that it isn't hard. Point taken. Anyways today in oral thai class we had to present our speach in front of the class to practice. Most people were not prepared but I was because I have been working on it all weekend (mostly because my host father is one of the professors grading the speeches). I am not sure I can remember anything that I have prepared but at this point I want to say screw it and move on.
Well then we headed to the Buddhist university after lunch. Most times the monks are scared and won't come to chat with us but this time there was a monk for every person there (6). We each got to interview them for a period of time. My monk was very interesting and we ended up talking about buddhism for three hours. Needless to say I am going to become a buddhist. The things he said were so incredible. I thought I knew a lot about Buddhism but there is so much more that I didn't know. I could write a book about this monk. He wants to be a monk his whole life and has been one since he was 15. He almost speaks english perfectly and can describe his religion in english which is a feat because I couldn't describe my anything in english.
he talked about having freedom in Buddhism and how that draws him into the religion, but also that he believes in a God but his god doesn't act for him (which I tend to agree with). He says that what is within your mind and body is what coutns and acting with loving kindness is the most important part of living buddhism. He TOLD me I was already buddhist and that living in the way of the buddha is to not idolize him but learn from the great teacher. He said Buddha is not a god, he is someone to look up to and model our lives after him but mostly have self realization within our own hearts. A lot of this rings true in Christianity and he said you can be any religion and be buddhist.
I want you all to experience what I experienced today. Which in fact was true loving kindness and the absence of judgement. As a foreigner this man opened up to me in a way that comes straight from his heart. That was probably the most truth I have heard in a long time. I know I can't be perfect and there is suffering but there is also understanding and that is the most important part to understanding life.
It is so great that I have this opportunity to talk with these people because they admit that there are questions out there but don't look outside to solve them because the answer lies within yourself. The power is within you.
Anyways it was a good day and I can't wait to chat some more tomorrow!!!
Aubs
TOMORROW is going to be the true test of my thai language knowledge. I have to speak thai for four minutes straight about myself. Try talking about yourself in English for four minutes and then tell me that it isn't hard. Point taken. Anyways today in oral thai class we had to present our speach in front of the class to practice. Most people were not prepared but I was because I have been working on it all weekend (mostly because my host father is one of the professors grading the speeches). I am not sure I can remember anything that I have prepared but at this point I want to say screw it and move on.
Well then we headed to the Buddhist university after lunch. Most times the monks are scared and won't come to chat with us but this time there was a monk for every person there (6). We each got to interview them for a period of time. My monk was very interesting and we ended up talking about buddhism for three hours. Needless to say I am going to become a buddhist. The things he said were so incredible. I thought I knew a lot about Buddhism but there is so much more that I didn't know. I could write a book about this monk. He wants to be a monk his whole life and has been one since he was 15. He almost speaks english perfectly and can describe his religion in english which is a feat because I couldn't describe my anything in english.
he talked about having freedom in Buddhism and how that draws him into the religion, but also that he believes in a God but his god doesn't act for him (which I tend to agree with). He says that what is within your mind and body is what coutns and acting with loving kindness is the most important part of living buddhism. He TOLD me I was already buddhist and that living in the way of the buddha is to not idolize him but learn from the great teacher. He said Buddha is not a god, he is someone to look up to and model our lives after him but mostly have self realization within our own hearts. A lot of this rings true in Christianity and he said you can be any religion and be buddhist.
I want you all to experience what I experienced today. Which in fact was true loving kindness and the absence of judgement. As a foreigner this man opened up to me in a way that comes straight from his heart. That was probably the most truth I have heard in a long time. I know I can't be perfect and there is suffering but there is also understanding and that is the most important part to understanding life.
It is so great that I have this opportunity to talk with these people because they admit that there are questions out there but don't look outside to solve them because the answer lies within yourself. The power is within you.
Anyways it was a good day and I can't wait to chat some more tomorrow!!!
Aubs
Saturday, January 23, 2010
THE WEEKEND
Finally we thought we got to rest and hang out...false. Marit and I went and went all day. It was really fun but I am really tired and today hopefully we get to rest a bit.
Yesterday we got up and I worked on my oral Thai midterm before we got in the car to head to Tiger Kingdom. Tiger Kingdom is such a touristy place but it really nice. We had lunch on the patio eating fresh fruit watching the tigers play with the people in the water. These tigers are bred in captivity so they are very tame and love humans. They act almost like dogs and are taken care of very well. They each get a pond to play in and they are constantly being given attention by all the workers who play with them.
We didn't go in the cage with them because it was pretty pricey but we got some great pictures of the big beasts and the little ones too. Many white people were in the cages taking funny pictures with the tigers. They wanted to lay on the tigers and take pictures like that. Marit and I were laughing the whole time watching this happen. It was almost more fun to watch the farang (foreigners).
We then got to see some snakes at this snake zoo and some monkeys at a monkey zoo. The snakes were creepy because they bit soome of the guides but it was fun to see the cobra snakes. The monkeys were not as fun because they are pretty crazed. Also because monkeys are not my favorite animals.
We got to study a little bit before dinner and then my host mom took us to one of the walking street as they call them here. It is like one skinny street with vendors on each side and people shuffling in between them looking at the goods. The market was mostly Thai people which is much different then the other walking street that we are supposedly going to tonight. We found some great gifts for people, mostly for friends.
Marit and I are super tired and both very nervous for this Thai oral test. We have to speak Thai for four whole minutes to a group of four professors. They look for pronounciation and fluidity. I am in the process of calling all my Thai buddies and requesting their services haha.
This morning when we were working on some homework my kun mee (host mom) was washing her little kids hair and wanted to wash ours. She has a whole beauty salon set up with lounge chair and all. She washed our hair and gave us both head massages...it was so relaxing. Hopefully there will be more of these to come or maybe a sunday routine?
I am not sure what we will end up doing the rest of the day but hopefully I can ask them (in Thai) to wait to go to the hot springs until next weekend when we can spend the whole day there...sounds fun! Marit and I want to go to the Airport Plaza which is the mall here but really unlike most malls in the US. Hard to explain why but it just is. We both need some basics like tank tops to wear under our uniforms so hopefully we can find them there.
Thanks for replying to my last post...keep the questions coming and I will answer!!!!
Aubs
Yesterday we got up and I worked on my oral Thai midterm before we got in the car to head to Tiger Kingdom. Tiger Kingdom is such a touristy place but it really nice. We had lunch on the patio eating fresh fruit watching the tigers play with the people in the water. These tigers are bred in captivity so they are very tame and love humans. They act almost like dogs and are taken care of very well. They each get a pond to play in and they are constantly being given attention by all the workers who play with them.
We didn't go in the cage with them because it was pretty pricey but we got some great pictures of the big beasts and the little ones too. Many white people were in the cages taking funny pictures with the tigers. They wanted to lay on the tigers and take pictures like that. Marit and I were laughing the whole time watching this happen. It was almost more fun to watch the farang (foreigners).
We then got to see some snakes at this snake zoo and some monkeys at a monkey zoo. The snakes were creepy because they bit soome of the guides but it was fun to see the cobra snakes. The monkeys were not as fun because they are pretty crazed. Also because monkeys are not my favorite animals.
We got to study a little bit before dinner and then my host mom took us to one of the walking street as they call them here. It is like one skinny street with vendors on each side and people shuffling in between them looking at the goods. The market was mostly Thai people which is much different then the other walking street that we are supposedly going to tonight. We found some great gifts for people, mostly for friends.
Marit and I are super tired and both very nervous for this Thai oral test. We have to speak Thai for four whole minutes to a group of four professors. They look for pronounciation and fluidity. I am in the process of calling all my Thai buddies and requesting their services haha.
This morning when we were working on some homework my kun mee (host mom) was washing her little kids hair and wanted to wash ours. She has a whole beauty salon set up with lounge chair and all. She washed our hair and gave us both head massages...it was so relaxing. Hopefully there will be more of these to come or maybe a sunday routine?
I am not sure what we will end up doing the rest of the day but hopefully I can ask them (in Thai) to wait to go to the hot springs until next weekend when we can spend the whole day there...sounds fun! Marit and I want to go to the Airport Plaza which is the mall here but really unlike most malls in the US. Hard to explain why but it just is. We both need some basics like tank tops to wear under our uniforms so hopefully we can find them there.
Thanks for replying to my last post...keep the questions coming and I will answer!!!!
Aubs
Friday, January 22, 2010
Busy Busy Day
Well it has been another busy day in Chiang Mai! We had language class this morning and then we had an art lecture. After lunch we went on a three hour field trip around the city to look at different architecture.
The Lan Na people who are the people of Northern Thailand, had distinct architecture that has stayed with the people here and can be seen even in today's buildings. I really enjoyed seeing the temples and examples of Northern Thailand houses that had this type of architecture but truthfully it was a little too hot to be standing in the sun while being lectured.
I really enjoyed seeing the first cheti set up in chaing mai before the city of chiang mai was even in existence. Mung Rai was the king that set up the city of Chiang Mai when he traveled from the City of Chiang Rai. This cheti was super old but in great shape with wonderful images of the buddha and also a special shrine for Mung Rai.
We learned a lot about the matrilineal society of Thailand and how it is much different from the patrilineal society of most other asian countries and even most countries over all. I wish I could dive into more detail but people might get bored over this history. Anyways the long and the short of it is that men in this society are not valued as much as women because it is the women who do the work. I can't wait until we learn more about gender and women studies which I was assured we will have classes on later!
We had dinner with our family and then headed to the market to walk around before we headed home to relax which is what we are doing now.
Tomorrow we go to Tiger kingdom which is exciting and I am sure I will have a ton to write about later!
Anything new in the US? Truthfully I love this country and this city and I am not missing the US much so that is good!
Aubs
The Lan Na people who are the people of Northern Thailand, had distinct architecture that has stayed with the people here and can be seen even in today's buildings. I really enjoyed seeing the temples and examples of Northern Thailand houses that had this type of architecture but truthfully it was a little too hot to be standing in the sun while being lectured.
I really enjoyed seeing the first cheti set up in chaing mai before the city of chiang mai was even in existence. Mung Rai was the king that set up the city of Chiang Mai when he traveled from the City of Chiang Rai. This cheti was super old but in great shape with wonderful images of the buddha and also a special shrine for Mung Rai.
We learned a lot about the matrilineal society of Thailand and how it is much different from the patrilineal society of most other asian countries and even most countries over all. I wish I could dive into more detail but people might get bored over this history. Anyways the long and the short of it is that men in this society are not valued as much as women because it is the women who do the work. I can't wait until we learn more about gender and women studies which I was assured we will have classes on later!
We had dinner with our family and then headed to the market to walk around before we headed home to relax which is what we are doing now.
Tomorrow we go to Tiger kingdom which is exciting and I am sure I will have a ton to write about later!
Anything new in the US? Truthfully I love this country and this city and I am not missing the US much so that is good!
Aubs
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Sick
Well looks like I recieved my first day of sickness today. Probably because of the water or something but let me tell you..it was not pretty. I came home early and slept for three hours though and I am feeling much better now. Apparently getting sick in Thailand is a right of passage so looks like I have achieved permanent status here...good.
Today was graduation at Chiang Mai university and it was wonderful. They have 5,000 (yes five thousand) people that graduate every year. Can you imagine the size of this school now? Everyone was so dressed up and the faculty that they came from was all there to support them. They do this thing called a boom and each faculty and organization gets in a circle around the graduates to yell and chant about their major or club. It is really cool to watch all the circles of students chanting and marit and I want to start this up at Gustavus...
Traffic is so intense during this whole week because the Princess of Thailand hands out the graduation certificates to all the students. It took us an hour and fifteen mintues to get home from the university which would normally take us fifteen minutes total. It is amazing to see all the people that come for graduation and celebrate with the students.
I am excited to see what tomorrow will bring. On fridays for class we take field trips in art class for the whole afternoon to look at Thai art and go into wats. I am sure there will be incredible pictures to take!
peace,
Aubs
Today was graduation at Chiang Mai university and it was wonderful. They have 5,000 (yes five thousand) people that graduate every year. Can you imagine the size of this school now? Everyone was so dressed up and the faculty that they came from was all there to support them. They do this thing called a boom and each faculty and organization gets in a circle around the graduates to yell and chant about their major or club. It is really cool to watch all the circles of students chanting and marit and I want to start this up at Gustavus...
Traffic is so intense during this whole week because the Princess of Thailand hands out the graduation certificates to all the students. It took us an hour and fifteen mintues to get home from the university which would normally take us fifteen minutes total. It is amazing to see all the people that come for graduation and celebrate with the students.
I am excited to see what tomorrow will bring. On fridays for class we take field trips in art class for the whole afternoon to look at Thai art and go into wats. I am sure there will be incredible pictures to take!
peace,
Aubs
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
I am in between classes...
Well as the title describes I have a fifteen minute break bewteen classes during the day. Today is my first art class and I am very excited. On fridays we take field trips to different art centers and wats to learn about the art of thailand and it's history.
Last night was sort of a situation to contend with. The thai people are very generous and I know that but sometimes it is over the top. My host father brought us to the mall and bought us snacks and also bought a bunch of movies for us that I can tell you were not cheap. We wanted to go to buy movies and snacks for ourselves but it ended up being the whole family. I am glad to have the snacks and movies but I feel guilty about them buying it all. I guess in Thailand gift giving happens all the time and so Marit and I need to reciprocate by taking them to dinner or buy them a great gift. I am not sure what yet...we will see.
I am very happy overall with my host family and my host mother is beginning to open up more to me and talk more in english. It is nice for her to speak more english but I really want to practice my Thai as well.
This weekend I think we are going to Tiger Kingdom which is a place where you can hang out with tigers and hold the babies etc. Should be a really fun experience. Hopefully we can head to the mall this weekend too because it would be nice to get some cheap clothes that I can go out with friends in. I failed to bring anything but uniform and wilderness attire. O well...a shopping we will go!
Aubrey
Last night was sort of a situation to contend with. The thai people are very generous and I know that but sometimes it is over the top. My host father brought us to the mall and bought us snacks and also bought a bunch of movies for us that I can tell you were not cheap. We wanted to go to buy movies and snacks for ourselves but it ended up being the whole family. I am glad to have the snacks and movies but I feel guilty about them buying it all. I guess in Thailand gift giving happens all the time and so Marit and I need to reciprocate by taking them to dinner or buy them a great gift. I am not sure what yet...we will see.
I am very happy overall with my host family and my host mother is beginning to open up more to me and talk more in english. It is nice for her to speak more english but I really want to practice my Thai as well.
This weekend I think we are going to Tiger Kingdom which is a place where you can hang out with tigers and hold the babies etc. Should be a really fun experience. Hopefully we can head to the mall this weekend too because it would be nice to get some cheap clothes that I can go out with friends in. I failed to bring anything but uniform and wilderness attire. O well...a shopping we will go!
Aubrey
Monday, January 18, 2010
I Love Lacey Squier
Well this title has nothing to do with the actual post but enjoy anyways...
Today was a frusterating day. Things were not working in my favor at all. I realize there are more and better days to come. This morning's class was hard because it was mostly review and we have gone over 6 chapters of Thai language in about 3 days, which I can tell you now is a LOT. So I was lost a lot of the time and so was everyone else. Then the professor, which happens to be my host father, went on to a new chapter...here we go again. Looks like I will need to speak more at home, aka practice.
Then we had our first culture class which was VERY boring. The professor studies the types of tribes of Thailand and the list of them is incredibly long and painful. I am excited to see what other topics lie ahead for this class. But this professor was monotone and not very fun.
My internship today was also frusterating because we did absolutely nothing. We sat around and talked and waited for the monks to come have "monk chat", but they were afraid of us and no one came. Tomorrow we are teaching English in the classroom so that will be better and once the monks see us sitting and waiting...I know they will come to chat. I want to learn so much about Buddhism not at the technical level if you know what I mean...but at the principle level, the history and actual practice of buddhism.
The day ended and I walked all the way from the Buddhist university back to Chiang Mai university to meet Marit and Ajan Rien who is my host father so we could go back home. We changed into workout attire and headed to the Lotus market for aerobic dance in the parking lot with Marit's Kunn Maa, which is her host mom. This is a free program to keep the people of Thailand in shape. It was fun, not too hard, but interesting. The guy at the front changed his mind on the moves we did a lot and it was hard to keep up as noobs (short for newbies).
We got back to Marit's house and had dinner with her host sister and her grandma and it was incredible. It made up for a difficult day for sure. We tried to speak as much Thai as possible even though it was hard. It showed me that I am learning but slowly and I can communicate but it just takes time. Hopefully I can get over this speed bump. I wish I could wake up and just know the Thai language.
Tomorrow is another day....
Aubs
Today was a frusterating day. Things were not working in my favor at all. I realize there are more and better days to come. This morning's class was hard because it was mostly review and we have gone over 6 chapters of Thai language in about 3 days, which I can tell you now is a LOT. So I was lost a lot of the time and so was everyone else. Then the professor, which happens to be my host father, went on to a new chapter...here we go again. Looks like I will need to speak more at home, aka practice.
Then we had our first culture class which was VERY boring. The professor studies the types of tribes of Thailand and the list of them is incredibly long and painful. I am excited to see what other topics lie ahead for this class. But this professor was monotone and not very fun.
My internship today was also frusterating because we did absolutely nothing. We sat around and talked and waited for the monks to come have "monk chat", but they were afraid of us and no one came. Tomorrow we are teaching English in the classroom so that will be better and once the monks see us sitting and waiting...I know they will come to chat. I want to learn so much about Buddhism not at the technical level if you know what I mean...but at the principle level, the history and actual practice of buddhism.
The day ended and I walked all the way from the Buddhist university back to Chiang Mai university to meet Marit and Ajan Rien who is my host father so we could go back home. We changed into workout attire and headed to the Lotus market for aerobic dance in the parking lot with Marit's Kunn Maa, which is her host mom. This is a free program to keep the people of Thailand in shape. It was fun, not too hard, but interesting. The guy at the front changed his mind on the moves we did a lot and it was hard to keep up as noobs (short for newbies).
We got back to Marit's house and had dinner with her host sister and her grandma and it was incredible. It made up for a difficult day for sure. We tried to speak as much Thai as possible even though it was hard. It showed me that I am learning but slowly and I can communicate but it just takes time. Hopefully I can get over this speed bump. I wish I could wake up and just know the Thai language.
Tomorrow is another day....
Aubs
Saturday, January 16, 2010
HOST FAMILY
I know all of you have been anticipating the big move to my host family so here are the deets...
We woke up this morning, moved out of our hotel and went to the University. We had individual tables that we sat at waiting for our host families to arrive. Mine was the last family. A small adorable girl came up to me and said "hello sarah my name is noel, how are you?". Her dad later told me that she is learning from a book and they use the name sarah in it, haha. We then talked and had tea for a while. I am staying with one of the professors at the university which makes transportaion to school a breeze. He taught us Thai earlier last week but he actually teaches french. Marit's family is his brother and he lives next door to my family. It seems like they move back and forth quite a bit so that makes a perfect living situation.
I don't have internet at my family, but Marit does. I have a TV in my room for movies, Mairt doesn't. It works well though because we can share...
There are two young girls in my family. One is seven named Noel the other is two and has a chineese name. They are so adorable and they love Marit and I already. They call us pee Aub-ee and pee Mal-ee for our names because they are more Thai. Pee means older than you and so anyone older you call pee unless they are teachers.
My host mom knows a little english but not too much. Marit's family doesn't know that much English but I think it will be good for us to learn more Thai. We already went to the mall to have pizza and ice cream for a welcome lunch which was the most I have eaten thus far in Thailand. It was very american but very good. We can walk to the Lotus mall from our houses and to the flower market which is incredible and beautiful! I am so happy about this living situation!
Ok well I am sure there will be more to come about this so continue to check back.
Aubs
We woke up this morning, moved out of our hotel and went to the University. We had individual tables that we sat at waiting for our host families to arrive. Mine was the last family. A small adorable girl came up to me and said "hello sarah my name is noel, how are you?". Her dad later told me that she is learning from a book and they use the name sarah in it, haha. We then talked and had tea for a while. I am staying with one of the professors at the university which makes transportaion to school a breeze. He taught us Thai earlier last week but he actually teaches french. Marit's family is his brother and he lives next door to my family. It seems like they move back and forth quite a bit so that makes a perfect living situation.
I don't have internet at my family, but Marit does. I have a TV in my room for movies, Mairt doesn't. It works well though because we can share...
There are two young girls in my family. One is seven named Noel the other is two and has a chineese name. They are so adorable and they love Marit and I already. They call us pee Aub-ee and pee Mal-ee for our names because they are more Thai. Pee means older than you and so anyone older you call pee unless they are teachers.
My host mom knows a little english but not too much. Marit's family doesn't know that much English but I think it will be good for us to learn more Thai. We already went to the mall to have pizza and ice cream for a welcome lunch which was the most I have eaten thus far in Thailand. It was very american but very good. We can walk to the Lotus mall from our houses and to the flower market which is incredible and beautiful! I am so happy about this living situation!
Ok well I am sure there will be more to come about this so continue to check back.
Aubs
Good Morning Thailand
Don't worry friends, family, fans etc. there is no war here in Thailand. But I do have to say that I wake up every morning glad to be here. Not once have I said things like "aww, another day in Thailand", "shoot warm weather", or "not another day of learning". All these things I wake up in the morning to and carry them throughout my day. Yes, only child syndrome does come up and I want to have my alone time...but when in Thailand...miss nothing.
Today was an incredible day. We woke up early and went to the university to start one of the hardest hikes I have even done. We went straight up hill to the top of this mountian next to Chiang Mai to a temple at the top. It took us about two and a half hours to get to the top and then we had to climb 306 steps to the temple.
Everyone was super tired but it was an incredible view and it was a great place to spend the afternoon. So many people from Chiang Mai go up there (mostly by taxi) to walk around and pray and meditate. It is kind of touristy but great at the same time. The temple itself is incredible. It has so much history and it is the biggest and most beautiful in all of Chiang Mai.
After that we had lunch then headed to a place in the city that gives traditional Thai massages. I have never had a more interesting, relaxing and incredible massage. This tiny Thai woman moved me in all directions for two hours. Everyone said we couldn't believe that two hours had flown by so fast. It was so relaxing and wonderful. If anyone comes here I will tell you where to go and also where to avoid. Someplaces give more than massages.
Then we went to Mike, our group leader's, house for dinner. It was his birthday so we had cake and a wonderful meal. I am excited to see what new things head my way in the next couple days.
Tomorrow we move out of our hotel and move in with our families. We finally start our internship and culture class in Monday. There is so much to look forward to!
I am thinking of all of you :)
Aubs
Today was an incredible day. We woke up early and went to the university to start one of the hardest hikes I have even done. We went straight up hill to the top of this mountian next to Chiang Mai to a temple at the top. It took us about two and a half hours to get to the top and then we had to climb 306 steps to the temple.
Everyone was super tired but it was an incredible view and it was a great place to spend the afternoon. So many people from Chiang Mai go up there (mostly by taxi) to walk around and pray and meditate. It is kind of touristy but great at the same time. The temple itself is incredible. It has so much history and it is the biggest and most beautiful in all of Chiang Mai.
After that we had lunch then headed to a place in the city that gives traditional Thai massages. I have never had a more interesting, relaxing and incredible massage. This tiny Thai woman moved me in all directions for two hours. Everyone said we couldn't believe that two hours had flown by so fast. It was so relaxing and wonderful. If anyone comes here I will tell you where to go and also where to avoid. Someplaces give more than massages.
Then we went to Mike, our group leader's, house for dinner. It was his birthday so we had cake and a wonderful meal. I am excited to see what new things head my way in the next couple days.
Tomorrow we move out of our hotel and move in with our families. We finally start our internship and culture class in Monday. There is so much to look forward to!
I am thinking of all of you :)
Aubs
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Welcome to Thailand...shrimp for breakfast...corn and chocolate crepes for dessert
Well as you can see in the title of this post...Thailand is exotic! Every day I see a food I have never seen before and everyday I am impressed by the combinations of odd things that I can tell you would never have crossed my mind. For instance we eat breakfast every day at the hotel and usually there is rice (sometimes two kinds) and meat usually covered in curry, some sort of seafood, two different soups with meat, and eggs. VERY different than what I am used to but good too. I am impressed with the people here and their daringness to try anything...
Another thing that I appreciate in the US now is chocolate, peanut butter and especially cheese. Pizza here has barely any cheese and if it does, most thai's order it without. I can't think of one American dish that has no cheese in it anywhere. Chocolate is really funky here too, it comes with an odd after taste. Peanut butter is here but in very small quantities in the 7-11 that cost about five dollars and for thailand that is WAY TOO much.
I wish that I could have all three of these things in large quantities right now but I know that I should just shovel in some more rice and come to terms with the fact that I am in Thailand and should be eating hot chilis every hour of the day.
I also have come to appreciate space. Thailand is crowded. I do love every minute of it but sometimes it can get awkward with a close neighbor in a taxi or squishing into a little elevator. I love the hustle and bustle of the city mostly because within the city walls there is a sense of calm everywhere. Buddhism lives and breathes fresh air (or semi polluted) here every day. I walk into the buddhist university and where you would think the sound of the city would crush the calm, it does not. Peace is everywhere here, yelling does not happen, throwing things is non existant and no one needs to blab about their feelings or complain on a daily basis. People deal with their shit here (excuse my french) because they have the means to. They have a religion that just lets humans be human beings instead of human doings.
Last night we just hung out and I got to talk to a friend about Buddhism that goes to the University here. She is incredible. She is not a strict buddhist but you can tell that although she wants to be more "american" she has a sense of calm to her that takes time to create.
I am nervous to move in with my family. At this point all I see are the things that I can do wrong to screw up and make them hate me. I know that if they do dislike me they won't say it and I won't be able to tell...but that is their culture. I need to be like the buddhists and be more attentive to body language and respect the elderly and hierarchy in place.
I am thankful for this trip in so many ways...
Namaste,
Aubs
Another thing that I appreciate in the US now is chocolate, peanut butter and especially cheese. Pizza here has barely any cheese and if it does, most thai's order it without. I can't think of one American dish that has no cheese in it anywhere. Chocolate is really funky here too, it comes with an odd after taste. Peanut butter is here but in very small quantities in the 7-11 that cost about five dollars and for thailand that is WAY TOO much.
I wish that I could have all three of these things in large quantities right now but I know that I should just shovel in some more rice and come to terms with the fact that I am in Thailand and should be eating hot chilis every hour of the day.
I also have come to appreciate space. Thailand is crowded. I do love every minute of it but sometimes it can get awkward with a close neighbor in a taxi or squishing into a little elevator. I love the hustle and bustle of the city mostly because within the city walls there is a sense of calm everywhere. Buddhism lives and breathes fresh air (or semi polluted) here every day. I walk into the buddhist university and where you would think the sound of the city would crush the calm, it does not. Peace is everywhere here, yelling does not happen, throwing things is non existant and no one needs to blab about their feelings or complain on a daily basis. People deal with their shit here (excuse my french) because they have the means to. They have a religion that just lets humans be human beings instead of human doings.
Last night we just hung out and I got to talk to a friend about Buddhism that goes to the University here. She is incredible. She is not a strict buddhist but you can tell that although she wants to be more "american" she has a sense of calm to her that takes time to create.
I am nervous to move in with my family. At this point all I see are the things that I can do wrong to screw up and make them hate me. I know that if they do dislike me they won't say it and I won't be able to tell...but that is their culture. I need to be like the buddhists and be more attentive to body language and respect the elderly and hierarchy in place.
I am thankful for this trip in so many ways...
Namaste,
Aubs
Traffic
Well here I am again. Surprisingly I don't have much to say tonight. Today was pretty much the same as yesterday with four hours of Thai class and then free time in the afternoon in which I watched tv and made flashcards for Thai vocabulary. So uneventful. Anyways I decided that I had to blog about something that people want to hear about. Something fun. Traffic.
In America there is common courtesy. Pedestrians feel safe crossing the street. Cars watch out for them and slow down in their presence. Here in Thailand there is a hierarchy of domination of the roads. First come big buses. Even down the smallest street that can barely fit one car, a large tour bus just rolls rift through. Maybe even two in a row, like today. Next comes roat dangs which is Thai for red cars which is a taxi. I have seen these things see furlong or foreigners and turn around on a two way street stopping traffic in both directions. Next cars, then scooters. I have never seen so many scooters in my life. They are allowed to weave between cars and drive on the medians. They park on the sidewalk, in the street, or at the university even on the grass. If there is space, a scooter will be there. Lastly come pedestrians. If I don't get hit by some sort of vehicle it will be a miracle... Ok I exaggerated. But really people are not priorities. At all. There are also no cross walks. If you don't pay attention when you are walking... Good luck in Thailand.
It is really fun to watch the cars. But it feels much safer to take a taxi then to rent anything to use to get around. Especially because you move much higher on the food chain. I am learning more and more Thai but truthfully I am excited tomorrow is Friday. I need to find some place to wash my underwear and socks because they don't wash them in the laundry service.
Ok I am tired and I have another four hours of Thai tomorrow so I need to rest my brain.
I hope you all enjoyed!
Aubs
In America there is common courtesy. Pedestrians feel safe crossing the street. Cars watch out for them and slow down in their presence. Here in Thailand there is a hierarchy of domination of the roads. First come big buses. Even down the smallest street that can barely fit one car, a large tour bus just rolls rift through. Maybe even two in a row, like today. Next comes roat dangs which is Thai for red cars which is a taxi. I have seen these things see furlong or foreigners and turn around on a two way street stopping traffic in both directions. Next cars, then scooters. I have never seen so many scooters in my life. They are allowed to weave between cars and drive on the medians. They park on the sidewalk, in the street, or at the university even on the grass. If there is space, a scooter will be there. Lastly come pedestrians. If I don't get hit by some sort of vehicle it will be a miracle... Ok I exaggerated. But really people are not priorities. At all. There are also no cross walks. If you don't pay attention when you are walking... Good luck in Thailand.
It is really fun to watch the cars. But it feels much safer to take a taxi then to rent anything to use to get around. Especially because you move much higher on the food chain. I am learning more and more Thai but truthfully I am excited tomorrow is Friday. I need to find some place to wash my underwear and socks because they don't wash them in the laundry service.
Ok I am tired and I have another four hours of Thai tomorrow so I need to rest my brain.
I hope you all enjoyed!
Aubs
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
My name Aubrey last name Austin
Thai has a different sentance structure than most languages. The subject comes first and pretty much everything afterwards. No need to conjugate verbs etc. This makes the language seem much easier at first glance...false. I am here to inform you that Thai is not easy. Five tones leads to what is a much more difficult learning experience than expected. I had a four hour Thai class today... You did not miss read that statment. Four hours. Yes we had a break one for tea and one for lung but at the end of the day I didn't want to learn any more vocab words or pronounce anything more. I guess I need to prepare for four more hours tomorrow.
We got an outfit for our kantook dinner tonight last night and so we just got back from the dinner. It was traditional northen Thai food of sticky rice and community bowls of sauces and meats to dip things in. It was so delicious. It mich have been the best meal yet except it was hard to sit on the ground with a long silk skirt on. During the dinner there was dancing with hands and swords. It was cool especially because we got on stage to dance with the women at one point.
We are getting to be better friends with the Thai buddies and that is so fun. I have a friend named boui who is really friendly and awesome and she said she would take us to some good hang out spots. Which will help me with my Thai hopefully. Maybe the ton of flashcards will help too.
Another thing we did today was visit our potential internship spots. I visited the Buddhist university today with ten other sst students. We talked to some professors and toured some classrooms. To top it off we visited the wat on campus which is temple in Thai. It was one of the most peaceful places I have ever been. This is definately the place I will choose. Mostly because I want to learn more about Buddhism. I hope that doesn't freak the über Christians out on this trip. There is a lot to learn.
I am looking forward to a more relaxed day tomorrow because I need to do laundry somewhere and I can't send underwear and socks to the laundromat because they are seen as the dirtiest things on the planet and not to be touched by others.
I miss you all at home! I wish you could see some of the things I was talking about..sometimes they are hard to explain.
Aubs
We got an outfit for our kantook dinner tonight last night and so we just got back from the dinner. It was traditional northen Thai food of sticky rice and community bowls of sauces and meats to dip things in. It was so delicious. It mich have been the best meal yet except it was hard to sit on the ground with a long silk skirt on. During the dinner there was dancing with hands and swords. It was cool especially because we got on stage to dance with the women at one point.
We are getting to be better friends with the Thai buddies and that is so fun. I have a friend named boui who is really friendly and awesome and she said she would take us to some good hang out spots. Which will help me with my Thai hopefully. Maybe the ton of flashcards will help too.
Another thing we did today was visit our potential internship spots. I visited the Buddhist university today with ten other sst students. We talked to some professors and toured some classrooms. To top it off we visited the wat on campus which is temple in Thai. It was one of the most peaceful places I have ever been. This is definately the place I will choose. Mostly because I want to learn more about Buddhism. I hope that doesn't freak the über Christians out on this trip. There is a lot to learn.
I am looking forward to a more relaxed day tomorrow because I need to do laundry somewhere and I can't send underwear and socks to the laundromat because they are seen as the dirtiest things on the planet and not to be touched by others.
I miss you all at home! I wish you could see some of the things I was talking about..sometimes they are hard to explain.
Aubs
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
First real day of class.
Thai is not an easy language to learn that is for sure. Everyone keeps telling us it is easy but no Thai words are similar to English words. Even though all of this is true, Thai is really fun to learn the the professors are awesome! We are learning conversational Thai and we are also learning the most practical form and dialect. There are five tones meaning that one word said five different ways means five different things or nothing. The Thai buddies are a great help because learning tones is like unlearning tones when they learned English. They are such great friends already.
We also got a long list of dos and don'ts in Thai culture today. The culture is very conservative and there are many new things I learned. You cannot show the bottom of your feet ever that is a big one. People don't touch in public at all. Not even to hold hands. Never do the traditional American sign for come here because that means something really dirty. And the list continues on and on and on.
We visited the us consulate today too which was the worst part of the trip this far. Basically they had no idea who we are and it took twice as long to go through security then to walk around the grounds, which is all we did there.I think the point of it was so we knew where to go if we had an emergency. Doubt that will happen because the crime rate in Thailand is the lowest of all the Asian countries. Impressive.
We then went to pick out traditional Thai outfits to wear to our formal dinner tomorrow night. I got a long silk skirt and a linen top tradtional of northern Thailand. It is really pretty but I doubt I will wear it outside Thailand. Maybe I will get a display case for it because it is beautiful.
We met a Thai buddy up for dinner up the road from our hotel. It was a new experience because a drunk woman came up to our buddy and yelled at her for speaking in English. I just she does not like furlong or foreigners.
I am loving every minute here and it seems I am learning something new every minute. I hope life in the us is great for all of you and I wish you could visit this country with me. If not with me then eventually with someone else. It is officially one of my favorite places in the world.
Love
Aubs
We also got a long list of dos and don'ts in Thai culture today. The culture is very conservative and there are many new things I learned. You cannot show the bottom of your feet ever that is a big one. People don't touch in public at all. Not even to hold hands. Never do the traditional American sign for come here because that means something really dirty. And the list continues on and on and on.
We visited the us consulate today too which was the worst part of the trip this far. Basically they had no idea who we are and it took twice as long to go through security then to walk around the grounds, which is all we did there.I think the point of it was so we knew where to go if we had an emergency. Doubt that will happen because the crime rate in Thailand is the lowest of all the Asian countries. Impressive.
We then went to pick out traditional Thai outfits to wear to our formal dinner tomorrow night. I got a long silk skirt and a linen top tradtional of northern Thailand. It is really pretty but I doubt I will wear it outside Thailand. Maybe I will get a display case for it because it is beautiful.
We met a Thai buddy up for dinner up the road from our hotel. It was a new experience because a drunk woman came up to our buddy and yelled at her for speaking in English. I just she does not like furlong or foreigners.
I am loving every minute here and it seems I am learning something new every minute. I hope life in the us is great for all of you and I wish you could visit this country with me. If not with me then eventually with someone else. It is officially one of my favorite places in the world.
Love
Aubs
Monday, January 11, 2010
Another incredible day...
Wow! Today was another great day in the land of Thailand. We started off the day with long meetings about rules and regulations and registration at the university. Then the dean of students came and we had tea with him while he welcomed us to the university. We had more introduction things and then we took a tour of the campus on an electric train that runs around campus. After that we had lunch at the canteen which is sort of like a private street market. The food is amazing. I got a huge bowl of some sort of soup with Thai meatballs and chili, it was very delicious.
We walked to meet the vice president of the university of chiang mai in his office area. I had no idea how official this was going to be. Apparently this university has a lot of prestige in the country and in all of Asia. Mike our program director, or we call him Ajan mike, told us that this university is like a harvard or yale in all of Asia. It is also nationally ranked. Meeting the vice president was really interesting. We had to stand in his presence and wai him. Wai is a sign of respect when greeting an elder, teacher or someone of great respect where you bow your head to your hands coming together at your face. Get it? They served us fancy juices out of chiang mai glasses and we asked questions to this man.
We had our first lecture mostly about Thai customs in general. We learned about the internships that we will be at and which ones we will all visit and some point. The one that I want is at the Buddhist university teaching the monks English. I really want to be friends with some monks because I hear you learn a lot more from them than they learn from you haha.
We then went back to the hotel to lounge before dinner. My roommate waverly has her best friend here too and the four of us get along super well! The four of us decided that we wanted to break away from the big group to see if we could survive and get dinner. We walked down the main street near our hotel and nothing looked good so we wanted to head back to the university canteen. The university is the largest campus I have ever been on. It is crazy huge! We used our good memory to walk a half hour through the university to see that the canteen was closed. We then wanted to head back to the main street to eat but we tried to use some of the Thai we have learned to talk to this girl at the team stop. She told us to go to tv university market. We decided to go with her. The food at the university market was really good and even though no one spoke English we still got what we asked for. We then got some fruits a vendor in the city to try and headed back to the long maw which is the back gate of the university in Thai. We got back to the hotel no problem even with this being the first day of using Thai language.
It was a really fun experience trying to use the little Thai that we know to get around and do our thing as university students. All four of us had a blast and learned a lot about patience and the helpfulness of the Thai people. They really as a country full of smiling happy people. I can tell that although our classes are only during the day, we will be learning well into the night. I am so excited to see what tomorrow will bring!
From the wonderful university of chiang mai
Aubs
We walked to meet the vice president of the university of chiang mai in his office area. I had no idea how official this was going to be. Apparently this university has a lot of prestige in the country and in all of Asia. Mike our program director, or we call him Ajan mike, told us that this university is like a harvard or yale in all of Asia. It is also nationally ranked. Meeting the vice president was really interesting. We had to stand in his presence and wai him. Wai is a sign of respect when greeting an elder, teacher or someone of great respect where you bow your head to your hands coming together at your face. Get it? They served us fancy juices out of chiang mai glasses and we asked questions to this man.
We had our first lecture mostly about Thai customs in general. We learned about the internships that we will be at and which ones we will all visit and some point. The one that I want is at the Buddhist university teaching the monks English. I really want to be friends with some monks because I hear you learn a lot more from them than they learn from you haha.
We then went back to the hotel to lounge before dinner. My roommate waverly has her best friend here too and the four of us get along super well! The four of us decided that we wanted to break away from the big group to see if we could survive and get dinner. We walked down the main street near our hotel and nothing looked good so we wanted to head back to the university canteen. The university is the largest campus I have ever been on. It is crazy huge! We used our good memory to walk a half hour through the university to see that the canteen was closed. We then wanted to head back to the main street to eat but we tried to use some of the Thai we have learned to talk to this girl at the team stop. She told us to go to tv university market. We decided to go with her. The food at the university market was really good and even though no one spoke English we still got what we asked for. We then got some fruits a vendor in the city to try and headed back to the long maw which is the back gate of the university in Thai. We got back to the hotel no problem even with this being the first day of using Thai language.
It was a really fun experience trying to use the little Thai that we know to get around and do our thing as university students. All four of us had a blast and learned a lot about patience and the helpfulness of the Thai people. They really as a country full of smiling happy people. I can tell that although our classes are only during the day, we will be learning well into the night. I am so excited to see what tomorrow will bring!
From the wonderful university of chiang mai
Aubs
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Another busy day...
Today was another busy day here in chiang mai. We went to a huge buffet brunch at this fancy hotel and then headed to the largest gem shop in all of Asia. I decided when I have to buy a wedding ring this for sure is the place. All the rings etc are handmade and set and they are super cheap. A silver ring with a sapphire in it costs about 30 dollars with a lifetime garuntee. I tried on a bunch of rings but everything was a little too flashy for me. I bought a silver ring with a cool design for really cheap though...next we went to a paper umbrella factory and saw how they made the classic bamboo umbrellas. They hand paint them there too and also they will do little paintings on whatever you bring in.
We then headed to a huge silk making place where they make silk and sell it. All of the things are really nice and fair priced for being such high quality silk. That trip took most of the whole day but it was fun. We are going to the night bazzaar tonight with our Thai friends to have dinner and walk around. A friend of ours nicknamed bird who goes to the university is having a folk music competition in his dorm tonight as well so that might be fun too...
We meet with the dean tomorrow and take our university pictures in our new uniforms! That should be interesting.
I don't have much of jet lag anymore so that will be good for starting classes. I am looking forward to learning more words in Thai other than hello goodbye and thank you.
Hopefully we get some free time tomorrow because I want to go to the market close to the hotel and pick up some delicious fresh fruit!!! They have so much wonderful produce here some that I have never seen before!
Kaa kum kaa which is Thai for thank you!
aubs
We then headed to a huge silk making place where they make silk and sell it. All of the things are really nice and fair priced for being such high quality silk. That trip took most of the whole day but it was fun. We are going to the night bazzaar tonight with our Thai friends to have dinner and walk around. A friend of ours nicknamed bird who goes to the university is having a folk music competition in his dorm tonight as well so that might be fun too...
We meet with the dean tomorrow and take our university pictures in our new uniforms! That should be interesting.
I don't have much of jet lag anymore so that will be good for starting classes. I am looking forward to learning more words in Thai other than hello goodbye and thank you.
Hopefully we get some free time tomorrow because I want to go to the market close to the hotel and pick up some delicious fresh fruit!!! They have so much wonderful produce here some that I have never seen before!
Kaa kum kaa which is Thai for thank you!
aubs
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Hello officially from Thailand!!!
Hello everyone! We have arrived safely after a long flight from minnesota. The hardest part was the fourteen hour flight from LA to Taiwan in which everyone ankles swelled to balloons. We are now in Chiang Mai Thailand which is north of Bangkok about an hour by jet. Yesterday was so exciting and fun. We got up early, and took an hour taxi cab ride into the mountians to an elephant training ground. There we rode elephants, watched a demonstration of elephants logging tea trees and fed the elephants with fresh bunches of bananas. After that we took an hour bamboo raft ride down the ping river wearing straw hats and led by men with huge poles pushing us along.
We then drove to an orchid farm outside or Chiang Mai to have lunch. The food here is wonderful! Easy for me because they have rice at every meal! We walked around the orchid grounds and took pictures...it was beautiful.
We have what we call Thai buddies that help us when we have free time and hang out with us. They are very helpful. They took us to the street vendors and ordered for us last night and helped us buy uniforms for school. The uniforms and most everything made in Thailand here is dirt cheap. I bought two uniform shirts and a skirt for under fifteen dollars.
Today we will go to the American side of the city and act like normal tourists for a day. The people here are incredibly friendly and it is most definately a country full of constant smiles. I love this country! We start classes on Tuesday and have orientation on Monday. We move in with host families on Saturday which should be interesting...I am nervous but very excited to meet them as well.
Thank you all for the wonderful posts! If you have any questions ask and I will try and answer them in my next post.
Sawadee kaa! Or hello and goodbye in Thai
Aubs
We then drove to an orchid farm outside or Chiang Mai to have lunch. The food here is wonderful! Easy for me because they have rice at every meal! We walked around the orchid grounds and took pictures...it was beautiful.
We have what we call Thai buddies that help us when we have free time and hang out with us. They are very helpful. They took us to the street vendors and ordered for us last night and helped us buy uniforms for school. The uniforms and most everything made in Thailand here is dirt cheap. I bought two uniform shirts and a skirt for under fifteen dollars.
Today we will go to the American side of the city and act like normal tourists for a day. The people here are incredibly friendly and it is most definately a country full of constant smiles. I love this country! We start classes on Tuesday and have orientation on Monday. We move in with host families on Saturday which should be interesting...I am nervous but very excited to meet them as well.
Thank you all for the wonderful posts! If you have any questions ask and I will try and answer them in my next post.
Sawadee kaa! Or hello and goodbye in Thai
Aubs
Monday, January 4, 2010
About leaving
I figured I should start my blogging before I left because I can try and get something on this empty page. I am super excited to leave but I am nervous. Marit, my roommate, is thankfully going to be on the trip with me though and although we won't be living with the same family, I know she is not too far away.
I encourage all Family, Friends, etc. to post here and tell me everything and anything. I plan on learning a lot from this experience and hopefully grow as a woman. Does anyone have any advice or words of wisdom for me?
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