Weekends in Chiang Mai

I really love weekends in Chiang Mai. There are always so many adventures! On Saturday, my friend Sam and I woke up early for a really intense hike to the top of Doi Suthep mountain here in Chiang Mai. I almost bailed because it was raining when I made it to the steps of PIH but it turned out that rain was the perfect weather for such a sweat-producing activity! I thank my very fit and impressive friend Claire for leading the hike and speaking words of encouragement along the way. Today, was a little different. Sam, Jayje and I went to a lake about 30 minutes away from campus and had a very lazy day under the sun. We lounged, swam, played marco polo, saw who could hold their breath the longest. We were children today. And it was so much fun.

Pictures of the Lake!

Last Saturday

Last Saturday morning, I joined other Grandma Cares volunteers at the Chalermprakiat School, an orphanage/school for young girls where we led a few ice breakers for 120 girls before a vocational training session. As a human services student, I had so much fun doing this. In New Paltz, creating a welcoming and comfortable environment for interaction has been emphasized in many of my sociology classes. It was early in the morning. 120 girls sat in the school’s gymnasium. It was hot, we were strangers but after an hour of making it rain with our bodies, keeping the earth ball up in the air, making shapes and undoing a human knot, the energy shifted. There was a lot of laughter, smiles and happiness. I am happy to say to my human services cohort and professors that ice breakers have been coming in handy here in Thailand especially with the language barrier!

Human Knot

Keeping the Earth ball up

My friend Sam joined on Saturday and took the pictures that I posted above. He doesn't look very happy here but he was!

Last Sunday

Last Sunday, I took a free “song tau” ride to Chiang Mai’s second annual Yoga Mala Festival. The day offered inspirational events, yoga classes, meditations, lectures on sustainable practices and agricultural ways. All proceeds of the event went to the Children Shelter Foundation in Thailand. The Children Shelter Foundation has a farm near Chiang Mai and provides homes for orphans, and children from underprivileged families, seven of whom are deaf. What I thought was pretty neat about this organization was that they all communicate through sign language, including volunteers, staff and hearing children. I hope to visit them later in the semester!

At the end of the day, the kids performed Michael Jackson's Heal the World using a mixture of Thai and American Sign Language. I loved it and it was the perfect way to end the day! Below is a video. Unfortunately, the quality of the video isn't too great when I upload it to blogger but I will try to fix that up as soon as I figure it out!

A Little Update

Wow! I can't believe it's already been a month! Even though I haven't been unbearably homesick, I've been experiencing some symptoms. I've been thinking of New Paltz often, that sweet place that has been home for the last three years. I miss its creative, musical soul, relaxing nature and even the common sight of hippies walking barefoot on the street.

While I am thankful for a second opportunity to live on campus, Payap University is quite different than the guitar-playing, quad-lounging, politically active and hula-hooping joy that is New Paltz. Payap University is a Christian campus. Residence halls are co-ed but the floors are separated by gender and people of the opposite sex are not allowed in the room. It is also a dry campus which means there is absolutely no alcoholic beverages allowed. After living off-campus for a year, not being allowed to have a glass of wine with a few friends (male and female) in my own living space was a little strange but there is so much to do here that why sit in our rooms and do nothing, right!?

Even though this campus is a little more conservative than my expressive, free-loving, liberal campus at home, like New Paltz, Payap is peaceful and surrounded by natural beauty-huge mountains, palm trees and so much green! There is still a sense of community, happiness and learning here.In the last month, the steps of the International dorm have led to some memorable moments. One night, International students and Thai students spontaneously joined in the front of the residence hall for a late-night session of salsa dancing! It was really fun to watch.

CAMPUS

This is the front of the International House. Something I really like about our residence halls is that there is a lot of open space and opportunities to look outside.

The Sky Blue is our free transportation to the academic buildings...we love the Sky Blue especially on really HUMID or RAINY days.

"Peace Making" fountain in the middle of campus.

How I dry my clothes. Who needs electric dryers!

And finally, what I wake up to every single day. The view outside of my window.

Sawadeeka!

The City

At times, I am overwhelmed by Thailand’s beauty, its magic and never-ending smiles. This summer I spent a lot of time at home, on the NYC subway feeling completely disconnected from the people around me. In Thailand, I live in the city of Chiang Mai. Although there are many similarities to nyc- traffic, large population, bars, restaurants, tourists, Chiang Mai is surrounded by mountains of small, tight-knit communities. Modern-day architecture exist here but the presence of temples and historical preservation makes this city a community, a special cultural quality.

The Language

I don’t know much Thai yet but being polite and respectful is often emphasized in my Thai language course. I’ve noticed that social interaction is very different here than in the United States and it all begins with the way people greet each other. Thai people show grace and gratitude in their greetings. In Thailand, people Wai each other, which is a slight bow while joining the palms in a prayer pose toward the person you are greeting. At first I felt very uncomfortable doing it. I felt even more uncomfortable when a six-year-old girl looked me in the eyes and greeted me with a Wai. The more time I spend here though, I realize that it is a sign of respect and appreciation for all people. I’m getting so used to it that the other day when I waved and yelled “hi!” at my friend Jeudi, I felt rude.

COSA

Last week, I spent a lot of time attempting to adjust to the return of homework and routine in my life. I didn’t sleep much but this week I am back on track and inspired by the unbelievable energy of the young girls at the Children’s Organization of Southeast Asia (COSA). On Saturday, some of my friends from my program and I visited COSA, an NGO dedicated to the prevention of child trafficking and sexual exploitation in Southeast Asia. We visited the Chiang Mai shelter where we met, conversed, played and gardened with about 13 girls. While sex exploitation is a traumatic and prevalent issue in Southeast Asia and Thailand, COSA does not focus on verbal therapy. Although COSA does offer mental health opportunities, their approach focuses on active methods, providing or assisting the girls with the opportunity to be their age, have fun, learn and become a part of a community. In my human services classes, we’ve spent a lot of time discussing trauma and the difficulty behind working with people who have experienced it. Despite the presence of this sensitive issue, their home was full of color, laughter and positive energy.

Thai and Southeast Asian Students with some of the girls from COSA!

This is New. After lunch, some of my friends and I joined New and a couple of the younger girls for a modified version of Duck, Duck Goose. We played Duck, Duck, CHICKEN!

There was really a beautiful energy to each of them

and they all gave us lots of hugs and pictures that they drew for us to take home.

And it Begins!

With the start of classes and my internship at Grandma Cares, I am finally developing a routine. Three times a week, I will be doing volunteer work and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I will be in class. At Payap, there are two parts in the semester. From now until mid-October, I will be taking Thai language 1, Service Learning: Institutions of Southeast Asia and Globalization of Southeast Asia. I am sad to announce that I could not take the Thai Dance course due to scheduling conflicts.

As for my internship, I spend my Tuesday mornings in the Grandma Cares office doing minimal clerical work and the more exciting part, I am responsible for maintaining the design and content of the website, Facebook page and news letters. I don't have much experience with website design but I felt comfort and gratitude when I was given a packet of detailed guidelines and ideas that a former volunteer left for me. I am excited to get started on renovating the website. To my dear friends at The New Paltz Oracle, I will not hesitate to contact you for some help and suggestions!

On Thursday, I started teaching English to a small group of third graders at the Ban Mae Yoi School, where I will teach for a couple of hours each week. The class is made up of mostly 9-year-olds but also, two 13-year old girls and one 15-year old boy. Most of the students are from Burma.

Before I started, I wondered how I was supposed to teach English without speaking Thai but most of the kids already have a very basic background in the language as I am gaining a basic understanding of Thai. Since Thai class started for me last week, I was able to ask them for their names, nicknames and last names in Thai, how they were doing and where they were from. Then, I asked them to repeat it in English. I showered them with Dee-Maaks and Geng Maaks (Thai for "good job!") and after an hour and a half of ice breakers, small conversation and inevitable charades, I was ready to go home. It was my first day and I enjoyed it very much but I realized that lengthening a lesson to an hour and a half while keeping it fun and entertaining despite the language barrier is quite a challenge.

Luckily, on Saturday I joined Linda, an experienced teacher and Grandma Cares volunteer, at another school where she taught English to a group of kids from the organization. I watched her and got some tips. I will be assisting her each Saturday morning. Throughout the semester, I will also work on other side projects which I can't wait to share with all of you!

TIME FOR CLASS

Lisa, Abel, Zoe and Claire in Thai language course 1! Before I got to Thailand, I was really worried about taking a Thai language course. I was scared but the classroom experience in Thailand is far from intimidating. It is fun! Our Thai language professor, Ajan (professor) Noi is a bubbly and small Thai woman who is constantly laughing and making us laugh. She tells us not to be "so serious." "Go with the flow!" she says, as do most Thai people. On our first day, as Lisa walked in, Ajan looked at us with a serious face and while pointing her finger, she said "The number one rule in this class is that the last person to walk in, NEEDS TO SING A SONG!" Lisa sang and it was wonderful.

As many of you may know, Payap University requires their students to wear a uniform.The majority of the schools in Thailand do, I think. My grandmother is really fond of the idea. It's a little strange to wear a uniform but it really feels like I am a part of a community.

STICKY WATERFALL

Classes have started but my friends and I were still able to make some time for an adventure! After teaching on Saturday, we took a one-hour "song tau" ride to Nam Tok (waterfall) Buatong. Also known as the "sticky waterfall," which is perfectly located at the beginning of Chiang Mai's beautiful forest.

This is not your typical waterfall. We didn't just stand beneath it while fresh water hit our faces. We climbed the damn thing. We sat on it, we lyed down and we rested on it. This is a picture of my friend Berrett and I on top of the waterfall enjoying the warm weather and fresh air.

Down the waterfall!

Climbing up!

I am having a lot of fun learning Thai and getting to know Chiang Mai. It is really starting to feel like this is my home. To make it feel even more like home, yesterday I rented a bike to have for the semester! Starting Thursday, I will start riding my bike around town, something I really enjoyed doing in the New Paltz I miss so dearly. Something else I miss: The New Paltz Oracle. Be sure to check out their first issue of the semester on Thursday!