4 Days in Mae Chaem

After 4 days of the most beautiful place I have ever seen, I returned to my dorm nervous and eager to read about Hurricane Irene. I have gotten in contact with my friends and family and I am relieved and thankful to learn that everybody is safe and in one piece. Phew!

While my friends and family prepared for a hurricane on the other side of the world, I was computer-less and happy in rural Chiang Mai. Our first excursion of the semester was three hours away from campus to a village in Northern Thailand called Mae Chaem. My classmates and I were split into groups of 3 and sent to stay with different host families within the community. Jayje, Loretta and I slept on a thin mattress on the floor in a room with a fan and very little space. Although it was uncomfortable at times, the kindness of this tight-knit community made everything worth it, even the 4 a.m. cock-a-doodle-doos of countless roosters.

During our stay in Mae Chaem, we were fed, blessed, and welcomed with open arms. We did a lot of walking around the rice fields and just exploration of the village. We got lost at one point but I did not mind getting lost in a place surrounded by beautiful mountains, plants and palm trees. While in the village, we were also invited to help cook traditional Northern cuisine which again, was so delicious. We also went crab hunting in the fields with one of the local people! Initially, I had no idea why we were digging our hands into the mud and searching for crabs but when we returned to one of the host family's homes, it became clear. The crabs were crushed into a very special sauce, a famous sauce of the Mae Chaem village. But I had nothing to do with the crushing.

Everyday Mae Chaem is much different than the city of Chiang Mai. The people of Mae Chaem share a lifestyle of weaving, taking care of the rice fields and together, they preserve the traditional Lanna style. I hope to go back to Mae Chaem to visit my maa (host mom) and the village that for four days, really felt like home.

MAE CHAEM

The first thing I noticed about Mae Chaem was its absolute beauty. It is simple, pretty, green. The scenic drive to the village itself was enough to want to stay there forever.

The sky in Thailand is magical but here it was unreal. Never have I felt so close to it. Every time I looked up, I felt like I could just reach and grab a piece of the whitest, fluffiest cloud I'd ever seen and take it home as a souvenir!

Mae Chaem is well-known for their distinct weaving style: Pha Sin Teen Jok. Aside from being an economical resource, this particular weavng technique is a very special part of the Mae Chaem culture and heritage. It takes about 10 days to complete the weaving into beautiful traditional Lanna skirts.

Here are most of the students of the Thai and Southeast Asian Studies Program which consists of 22 international students. Most of the group is American but there is also Hitomi from Japan and Jeudi, a monk from Cambodia. On our last day in Mae Chaem, after doing some community work, our families invited us to the local temple to have dinner and we got to dress in traditional Northern Mae Chaem attire!

I've been in Thailand a little less than two weeks and I've had nothing but good experiences. This is my first week of classes and my internship at Grandma Cares. Can't wait to update you all on that!

To my friends and professors at SUNY New Paltz, I am wishing you all a smooth start to the Fall 2011 semester!

I am here!

After so much anticipation, I am safe and sound in Thailand. And I am VERY VERY HAPPY to be here. It was a painfully long flight but I was very lucky to have a book, 2011 comedies to deliriously laugh at, a layover in Korea to do some stretching and Loretta, my new friend who is also a SUNY New Paltz student studying abroad through IPSL! When we finally arrived at Chiang Mai International Airport, we were pleasantly surprised by a group of Payap University students awaiting our arrival with a big sign reading “Welcome Payap Students!” Outside of the airport waited a “song tau” and a lovely taste of monsoon season in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

It’s only been a couple of days and already, I can passionately say, I am in love with Thailand. It is refreshing and incredibly stimulating to be in place where everywhere you turn waits a genuine smile and a lending hand. In Thailand, I have met some of the most patient, helpful and nicest people I have ever encountered! Many of them are Thai students at Payap University who have really made an incredible effort with the international students to share everything and anything they could about their culture, history and the customs of Northern Thailand.

During the next few months, I am living in the International Residence Hall on campus where I share a room with my friend Lookpla, a Thai student studying English at Payap! Before I came to Thailand, I was worried about the language barrier but living in an international dorm is helpful because many of the residents are Thai students who speak English pretty well. The language is complicated but it is so exciting to greet and thank people in a different language, which is all I know how to do so far (I am practicing!). I look forward to learning some more once classes officially start on Monday Aug. 29!

Below are a couple of pictures from the last few days:

This is a picture of a traditional Northern Thai meal called "Khantok" dinner which was provided after a very special ceremony for incoming students at Payap University. It was absolutely delicious. And some of it was spicy so I had to be super careful!

On Saturday the international students joined Pang, Petanque, Jayje, Kunthara, Mix and Prince (some of the Thai students at Payap) for a city tour of Chiang Mai. The city of Chiang Mai is not very close to campus but it takes a dollar to get there which isn't so bad! This is a picture of Chiang Mai's famous night market where there is a lot of delicious food, beautiful art, crafts and musicians- a fun experience on a Sunday night.

Here a few of the wonderful people that have made the experience in Thailand so far more than enjoyable! Pii Nung, Petanque, Jayje, Kunthara, Pang and I in front of the Three King Monument in the city of Chiang Mai on Sunday!

One day of orientation is over and the more I talk to the generous people of Chiang Mai, the more I add to my To Do List. There is a lot of exploring to do and although I am feeling a little overwhelmed, I am excited to gain a better understanding of Thailand’s rich culture, history, wisdom and geographical beauty.

From Wednesday to Sunday, I will be staying in a Mae Chaem, a Northern and rural Thai Village with my peers from the Thai and Southeast Asian Studies Program, professors and other students from Payap.

A little side note: My friends and family, I recently got a skype account and would love to coordinate some time to video chat. My skype name is pamela.vivanco2. Feel free to add me :)

Hasta Pronto Nueva York

I’ve heard it more than a million times throughout my 21 years of life and I’m sure you have to but never has it felt so real...

Holy. Crap. does time move fast!

The packing has finally ended (with the guidance and patience of my brilliant grandmother!) and after an overwhelming week of last-minute preparations, in just one day, I will be on a 24-hour flight toward Chiang Mai,Thailand. This upcoming semester, I will be studying abroad there through the International Partnership for Service Learning and Leadership (IPSL). Aside from being a student in the Thai and Southeast Asian Studies Program at Payap University, I will also be a service participant at Grandma Cares Partnership Program, a volunteer organization for children whose parents have died of HIV/AIDS and are being raised by their grandparents in rural areas of Chiang Mai.

During my research for the perfect study abroad program, I barely looked over Thailand. The truth is, it wasn’t even an option but as the study abroad application deadline got closer, I realized that IPSL had the perfect program for me. IPSL is dedicated to putting forth programs that connect volunteer service to the host community (in this case, Chiang Mai) with academic studies. Their mission supports a valuable and necessary skill in the field of human services, one that I am eager to practice on an international level- cultural competence- the ability to interact effectively and respectfully with people of different cultures. As somebody who has had little experience traveling outside of the US, except for my native country of Ecuador, I am excited to practice this skill in a culture that before my decision, I was completely unfamiliar with.

While I recognize that living in a country with a different language, culture, form of government and religious influence might be a challenge, it is exactly what I am looking for. I am going to Thailand because I believe that immersing myself in a culture so different from my own is significant in gaining new perspectives and ideals that could enhance the success of social movements and projects on this side of the world. In my studies of sociology and human services, I have come to value the interchanging and sharing of ideas as a form of social unity, and social unity as a powerful tool toward achieving social change. While I am in Thailand I look forward to working with organizations such as Grandma Cares and gaining a fresh way of doing things, and possibly a better way of doing things. In addition, Thailand is a Newly Industrialized Country and while there are many modern conveniences around...cellphones, wifi internet... I am curious to see how the absence of overdevelopment influences Thai culture and everyday living.

I’ve received a number of puzzled reactions when revealing my very far-from Europe study abroad destination. Luckily though, I've also been told that this will be an unforgettable adventure, full of learning experiences and how could I forget, the nicest people I will ever meet. But as the hours pass by (quickly), I can’t stop thinking about how much I will miss my family and friends, how fast time has passed and how I hope that I am asleep through the whole entire flight!

To my dear family, friends, classmates and professors, I thank all of you for the inspiration to go abroad and I look forward to sharing my journey with all of you throughout the semester. Please feel to e-mail me at pamviv27@gmail.com.

New York City and my oh so pretty New Paltz, adios until Dec. 24!