Well, a lot has happened since the last time I wrote. And unfortunately a lot will have happened by the next time I’m able to blog again, since I probably won’t have access to the internet again until mid-April. Tomorrow we leave our host familes and begin our week-long field trip to historical sites around Thailand. After our field trip we will be “released” to go on spring break, an adventure I am really looking forward to. I, along with four friends, will take a bus from Bangkok to an island, and….that’s as much as we know. Our plan is to not have a plan. I’m sure there will be interesting stories from that week, perhaps getting ourselves stranded on a deserted island or being chased up a mountain by the local tribal peoples. Who knows. After spring break we will come back to Chiang Mai for one day and then leave for the “muu-baan Karien,” or the Karen village. We will spend the first two weeks there going to classes to prepare for our research project, then we will come back to Chiang Mai for two days for the Songkhran festival, and will then return to the village and conduct our ethnographic research projects.
Although I would like to maintain my image for all of you as a strong, independent adventurer, I have to admit that I miss my parents. Luckily they miss me too, and actually decided to come out and visit, along with Mrs. Shomo, a family friend! It was very strange having my two worlds meet each other. The first day my mom and Mrs. Shomo did the “touristy” thing and rode elephants and such. Dad, on the other hand, who obviously loves me more than my mother, came to class with me and skipped the elephant ride. (Just kidding mom!) In the afternoon we met up and rode out to a wood-carving village (aka: tourist trap) to see/buy these beautiful handmade (false) items. (clarification: beautiful – true. Handmade – probably false). On Saturday I took my parents up to Doi Suthep to see the temple that overlooks Chiang Mai. I tried to repeat to them everything I had been told on my tour there, but most of it has escaped me, so they got the abbreviated version. Saturday in the afternoon they came to Agape, where my internship is. Mom had brought toothbrushes for all of the kids and would teach a class on how to brush your teeth properly. I assumed that we would have someone there who could translate for my mom, but apparently that person was me. I tried the best that I could with my limited vocabulary (there wasn’t really a “dentistry” section of my Thai language book), and I hope they got the gist of it. I’m sure the kids thought it was hilarious since I was saying nonsensical things that literally translated to: “you like food? You no brush teeth, you no have teeth. You no have teeth, you no eat food. No good.” Oh well, at least they were amused. The rest of the afternoon was full of similarly hilarious sights, like Dad trying to ride a kids bicycle with a little girl on the back, Mrs. Shomo getting her hair braided and put into pigtails, and all the kids dancing for Dad’s video camera. I’m so glad that they got to come and see what has been a huge and life-changing part of my time here in Thailand.
The following week at school I had a 15-page ethnographic term paper due, so there isn’t much to report on social activities. Similarly, my Thai culture final exam was last Tuesday, so studying pretty much consumed my last weekend here in Chiang Mai.
Sunday night was our final banquet, a time to formally say goodbye to our Thai teachers and our host families. It was a HUGE event complete with buffet dinner, student entertainment (more to come on that subject), and a laser/water/light show over the water, similar but not quite equal to the “Fantasmic” show at Disneyworld. There were four student entertainment groups, and unfortunately three of them contained me. My skit group got to (I say “got to” very facetiously) perform our skit again that we had already performed as part of our Thai language final exam. I also was involved in a musical number featuring the very sappy and overused song “Graduation,” by Vitamin C. I think it was understood that it was done in a joking manner, especially since at the end of the song we tagged the chorus a cappella and added some dramatic swaying and clapping. Although the night was a bit stressful for me, it was really fun, and I really enjoyed having that time with my family.
Thee past few days I have been trying to spend a lot of time at home since I will be leaving my family very soon. I did, however, make some time to go to a local waterfall (where a very strange Thai boy of about 8 years old followed us and tried to grab us from underneath the water. It was really creepy) and play some ultimate Frisbee.
Saying goodbye has and will continue to prove very difficult. I had to say goodbye at Agape on Thursday. It’s not so bad because I know that I will be back in April and I will get to see them all again, but who knows if the little ones will even remember me anymore? When I got there on Thursday, the little girl that I always go to see was not there and had gone to the hospital. She has been reacting badly to the ARV (anti retro viral) and they think she may be allergic to it. I was so upset because I wouldn’t be able to say bye to her, but when I walked back by the nursery later that day she was in there! Apparently she had gotten back from the hospital earlier than expected, and it was such a gift from God! That little bit of time that I got to spend with her was so special to me, especially since I didn’t think that I was going to get it.
I will say goodbye to my family tomorrow morning, and I am really not looking forward to that. Don’t get me wrong, I am super excited to travel and live in the tribal village, but I really do enjoy spending time with them. In fact, as we speak my brother Tung is trying to get me to play the Thai version of Monopoly with him while I am writing this. Every three seconds he yells “Rachel, turn you!!” They have really become a second family to me and are so generous. Last night we went to my host grandmother’s house. She had cooked us a huge dinner of “kuay tiaw,” fruit, and pad thai. I have only seen her a total of 4 times since coming here, but last night she told me that she loved me and to come back to Thailand. It meant so much to me, and I know that tomorrow morning will be more of that except multiplied by a million...yeah