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!