Showing posts with label live music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label live music. Show all posts

Feelin' Good (listen to the Nina Simone song while you read)


OKAY! Sorry that my post is like two days late.  Between sucky internet that won't upload my pictures, and doing a crap ton of other things, like doing research for my term papers (UGH I'M STRESSIN!), I had a hard time making my Monday deadine.  WOOPS! So, please, enjoy my new post on Humpday.  Also, Happy Elections! :)

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you feel like you felt like you grew into yourself a little bit more?  Ya know that feeling of surprise after you try on this really great pair of pants or a pretty shirt that you think would never flatter your figure…and then it does?!  That’s how this past week has made me feel.  I’ve had such an excellent week, it’s ridiculous.

Let’s start on the Friday before Halloween! Which is also the Friday after I got back from Vietnam.  That night, the International Community thing was having a Halloween party at some place called Mr. Yum’s- I wasn’t going to attend, but four hours before the party, I decided that I was going to seize the chance to dress up like a weirdo because I love doing it, but never have a chance in Thailand where I feel like everyone is judging me.  Laura and Maia needed a third bear for their Three Litte Bears costume group, so I hopped in as Baby Bear!  We perused around Big C to gather all of our items for Big C, then rushed back to campus to hurriedly get dressed.
The Three Little Bears! Our Goldilocks ended up looking like a prostitute, so he lost his position in our story.

Seeing everyone dressed up was really fun- some had incredibly clever costumes like “Same, Same, but Different”, or Jason’s Chad Micheal Micheals (from Blazing Glory) using clothing from the free clothing box, or a Sims character.  It’s really funny because for most of the Thai people, dressing up does not constitute elaborate clothing- but rather normal clothing and a Halloween headband or some zombie makeup. As always, the people made the venue- Mr. Yum’s was kinda lame, except for the free sodas and French fries, until the dancing started.  I danced for four hours straight, and the next morning, my entire body was sore.  I threw my neck out during the dubstep part.  The band played some songs by the Carpenters, and I just about died with happiness, and everyone attempted dancing to slow songs, or salsa dancing, and our mock version of square dancing.  It was lovely.
Errybody in their getup!

The highlight of the night though: LAURA, MAIA AND I WON BEST COSTUME! YEAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! I was absolutely certain no one was going to understand the reference to the Western fairy tale, and that we would not win, but WE DID! Our prize- a certificate, and a flask of rum J
Winners winners, drunken chicken dinners!

On Monday night, it was Mickey’s birthday.  After a day of classes, and attempting to do research for my two term papers (omg I’m freaking out because I only have a month and a half to do research and write about 40 pages of intelligent sentences! Like really- I bit off all of my nails last night), about half of our SEAIGS groups went out to celebrate her birthday at this really delicious restaurant called Dash.  It has Thai food and Western food, including soup, salad, pizza, sandwiches, and pasta.  Holy crap.  Not only is the atmosphere beautiful (outdoors, candlelit, wooden furniture with colorful table cloths, and Christmas lights), but the food is absolutely delicious.  The spaghetti and the BLT were scrumptious, the Teak burger was juicy, the cheesecake with a mango sauce was to die for, and the brownie with ice cream was uncooked but slightly heaven.

The waiter was awesome too.  He spoke English in a manner that made him seem pretentious, but he’s actually a really weird and sweet fella.  He set up karaoke for us, and sang a few times- he was way too into it, but I loved it.  The night was filled with Disney karaoke, Gangnam style dancing, and embarrassing Mickey.  Check out the video that my friend made about the night (click on 'video')!  There’s nothing like great friends, great music, and great food all together.
"Hey Mickey, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind, HEY MICKEY!"
 

Essentially, the same group of people went out to celebrate Cam’s birthday on Thursday.  We went to Sumo Sushi for dinner- absolutely delicious, and they work fast!  I learned that generally, women can’t become sushi masters because our hands are a warmer temperature than male hands.  So many people went to her birthday dinner, that some of us finished eating before the others even got their food, so Sam volunteered to go explore Niemanhamen with me in order to find Cam a birthday cake, but also to film me running down the street in pumpkin shoes.
It was almost too beautiful to eat... Almost.

Yes, I ran down the street in pumpkin shoes.  Why? Because Mischa Collins of the show Supernatural wanted me to.  How am I getting orders from such a man?  Through GISHWHES! Earlier this year, my friend asked me to join her team on GISHWHES, and I said YES! I kinda wish I hadn’t accepted because I have way to many other things to do and I’d been stressing about money and time conflicting with all of the other things that I want and have to do because this scavenger hunt is elaborate.  I will explain no further- you should just check it out because it’s worth it, especially if you are obsessed with Supernatural. 

During this adventure, we found a mini birthday cake that was presented to Cam at Sangdee Gallery!  Now, ever since the first night I went to Sangdee Gallery, I’d been wanting to perform.  I love to sing in the shower, I love to sing in my car, I love to sing while walking through campus.  Aside from the two times that I’d sung karaoke in Thailand, I had never performed for people.  That night, I set out to do so.  The timing was perfect because I could dedicate a song to Cam in response to all of the times that she has praised every person in our group, telling us how beautiful and awesome we are.  Lemme tell ya what.  Performing gives you such a high.  Such a high!  I felt liberated, and I felt like I grew a little bit, I felt as if I had made a lifelong dream come true. 
Cam, the beautiful birthday girl, singing in her sweet velvet voice.

Now, the last main event of this past week was the weekend trip to Sukhothai, Siam's first Thai capital, founded in the 13th century.  We stayed at Sila Resort, which is this beautiful half hostel, half motel thing.  The walls were colorful, flowers were everywhere, and the room I was staying in had A/C.  The rooms were only 200 baht per night, which is excellent for the great conditions of the room.  The restaurant at the resort was delicious too!  They serve breakfast all day!  This includes muesli, yogurt, fresh fruit, pancakes, omelets, ham and eggs, and more!  It was amazing to have a light breakfast that did not involve over processed white bread.
Look at how pretty!

We travelled through the ruins of the Old City’s historical park on the bikes that we had rented for 30 baht (HECK YEA I CAN RIDE A BIKE!).  Riding through the city through the ruins felt like we were travelling through history in a romantic way.  The trees gave wonderful shade, the manmade lakes glistened in the sun, and the light breeze was soothing as I pedaled past ancient buildings, eroding away with time.
I fell off of my bike while taking this picture.

The structures were impressive, and it felt so weird to be able to see and touch these buildings that have existed for hundreds of years.  The most exciting ruin to me was the Khmer temple originally built for Hindu gods, but converted to a Buddhist temple after it was discovered during the reign of Rama XI.  I was sorely disappointed that the siva linga and the statue of Vishnu laying on his Naga seat were no longer there.  Nearby, there was the most beautiful, reverential tree I’ve ever seen.  The roots twisted over top of each other, crushing the cement blocks in their grasp as if to give a fatalistic message to mankind, while also cradling statues of deities that the people gave to the tree in recognition of its sanctity.  I hugged it, but then I saw the red ants crawling over it.
The old Hindu temple complex!

The tree :)


The other awesome site was the giant Buddha.  He sat, in his ginormous glory, while a Thai family prayed to him, and a man with a tiny squirrel-ish pet added gold leafing to his elongated fingers.  I learned that one of the 32 marks of the Buddha is his long fingers; another is the flame that exudes from the top of his head as a symbol of his wisdom.
Fee Fai Fo Fum.  He's huge.

Emily and I marveled at how all of these sites made us feel.  Not being religious persons, we were surprised at how awed we were in their presence.  It’s the effort and meaning that people place on these objects and places that make them so inspiring.  I think about how much effort went into making these sites colossal, and intricately beautiful, because the people love their gods so much that they want to take the time, effort, and resources to pay respects to their gods in this physical expression of their love.  Others make a pilgrimage to see these sites and pray to the Buddha, admiring him with immense love and duty in their eyes.  Even though I am not a believer in any conventional belief systems, I cannot help but feel a tiny bit of the reverence, awe, and love for the Buddha, for Christ, for the saints, and any other sacred being or form when looking upon these stony embodiments of a people’s love, or watching people take the time to worship their gods.  This is why I like religion.
How many Buddhas can you spot?

I love this sign.

So, all in all, this past week has been a memorable one.  And there will be even more awesome weeks to come.  I only have a few more weeks left in Thailand, so I’m gonna make it count.

Posted in , , , , , ,

Im Laew (I'm Already Full)- Like Really, I Eat All the Time


Well, folks, I can honestly say that this has been one of the most boring weeks that I have had here in Thailand.  Tis because finals week is coming up, and my laziness meter and stress levels have skyrocketed to an all-time high.  It’s quite unfortunate that they’ve both decided to grow at the same time.  Also, all of the Thai students have left for break, the internet is AMAZING; so, the internet is an even worse distraction than before. The amount of times that I’ve checked Facebook is making me feel disgusting.
This is what I look like too much of the time.

 
This is the common room on my floor where I spend 75% of my time when I'm in Alpha.
Look beside the red chair on the right- that's all of my homework!

A lot of my time this week has been dedicated to reading the assignments that I neglected reading so that I can do well on my take-home final exam for Social and Cultural History.  I have two out of three essays done!!!!! It’s never taken so long to write two 3-page papers before (both of them are over 4 pages- #overachieving). I have neglected to study for my Thai exams and one of them is an oral exam at 10:10 am (kill me now). It’s not my fault- I had to watch the boys at Omega Dorm model on top of the rooftop for 30 minutes, and hang out with Allen, and watch Game of Thrones, and learn the lyrics to a bunch of songs.  These things are important too. 

Speaking of Allen…Allen is one of my good friends here at Payap.  He is from China, but he goes to school in Thailand, and he studied abroad at SMCM last semester!  Eyesha and I went out to dinner and an excursion with Allen and his girlfriend Tingting to hang out with them before they leave for China- Allen has graduated, and Tingting is leaving for break.  After dinner, we went to the market behind Big C.  It doesn’t have many things that interest me (mostly nice normal clothing and weird toys), but it DID have fried bugs for sale.
Eyesha, Tingting, and Allen.

 


 And I ate some.  I had a little grub and bit the head off of the largest grasshopper in the bin. They didn’t taste bad, but I was absolutely horrified at the fact that I was eating bugs, and the grasshoppers head was super crunchy.  It’s amazing how the mind bars us from doing things that we’re totally capable of doing.  I tried eating bugs.  Now I can cross that off of my list of things to do, and I can say with conviction that I would prefer not to eat them.
I ate one of these grubs.


 


I also nibbled on the crunch head of this big guy.
This was my after-face.
After that lil escapade, we went to the German Microbrewery in Chiang Mai where I tasted the best beer I’ve ever had.  Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name, but it was yummy.  We met a man from Arizona who has been living in Thailand for 20 years.  We had a short conversation about how he saw that America was going downhill for years, and that he’s glad he’s no longer living there.  I can see how he justifies his reasons for being in Thailand from an economic perspective- you get a lot for your money here- but, politically…I just don’t really know.  Speaking of politics- sending in my absentee ballot this week!!!!! Good citizen!  Tis my first time voting J
A toast to Thailand!
 

I talked a lot about SMCM with Allen.  Unfortunately, this made me miss home a lot.  I think a lot of people are kinda missing home, especially those in relationships.  Crap has been going down lately, and it’s making me sad.  I won’t delve into personal matters too much in my blog, but I feel that long-distance relationships are a big issue in travelling.  It can be done people.  It sucks, but it can be done.  Don’t be a dingus and throw something good away.  My own beau has asked me to give this message to the boyfriends of my friends here, but I think this can apply to many others, so I post it here:

"Good sir, it has come to my attention that we are each dating incredible women as they mill about several thousand miles away in Thailand. I hereby challenge you: That we both maintain relationships with these ladies so long as they remain in that silly country. Where I am I have seen several relationships collapse due merely to distance - and I issue you this challenge in the hopes that at least two pairs of us can come away unscathed from this interesting, but most trying time. Stay true to your heart, stay true to your soul, Peter."
I miss St. Mary's!
 
 


And this.
Now.  On to less serious matters.  Perhaps the most fun that I’ve had this week was our short reunion with the Swedes- Andreas, Erik, Adam, Philip, and Rosa (and the Chinese girl’s name that I can’t remember) that we met in Pai.  We intended to go to a Salsa Dance Club…but it was closed.  So we hitched a ride with P’Jew who had agreed to go bowling with us…but there was a bowling tournament that shut us out.  Success came when we decided to hit a few bars- the THC bar, Loco Elvis’ Restaurant and Bar, and of course…Zoey’s.  I hate Zoey’s.

Loco Elvis was great.  We didn’t eat their food, but we used their microphone.  Laura and I sang “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith, while Andreas pulled out his air guitar to Kiss’ “Detroit Rock City.”  The owner of the place is the absolute best- during a Thai girl’s performance of “Billionaire”, he made an unexpected entrance during the rap part- and he was amazing.  Twas a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and totally recommended for all of the classic rock fans and pop babies. 
Emily, Andreas and Erik singing...a song.

The awesome bar owner makes his entrance.
 
 

Okay.  Awesome update.  We figured out how to get on top of the roof of Alpha! AAAHHHH!!!! I’ve been wanting to do that since I’ve been here, but the urgency was heightened by watching those boys model on the rooftop for 30 minutes.  It’s way too easy (though satisfactorily so) to get up there.  And the view is awesome.  We were gonna eat our Greek pizza from Duke’s on the roof, but then it got too dark.  Duke’s is a place that I would recommend to everyone who is missing good ol’ Amurican food- it’s a lovely establishment, it delivers to campus, and the food isn’t made Thai-style.


Do I look like a regal bird?



 


Sittin on a rooftop, enjoying a sunset.
I feel like this is the most boring post that has been posted.  But my week has literally been filled with work and gorging myself to death with 7Eleven snacks.

Well, I’ll talk about food then.  I’ll list out my go-to’s slash all-time favorites that you must eat while here!

·         Pad see ew= a Chinese influenced fried noodle dish.  I like to order pad see ew je (vegetarian) because they add a bunch of yummy veggies (carrot, bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower) that they don’t add when you order non-vegetarian.

·         Pad thai= famous noodle dish. On campus, the Canteen has the best seafood pad thai.

·         Tom yam kung= famous Thai soup with spices and some sourness.  This particular version has shrimp in it, but you can get it with chicken or pork too.  I like mine best with the small noodles (guay-tiaw lek).

·        Fried rice= everyone has had fried rice.  Rice being the staple food for almost the entire world, people have gotten creative with it.  Pineapple and chicken fried rice are always good.  I really like the Rainbow fried rice which has carrots, peas, onion, pineapple, tomato and raisins in it.  I’m being starved of the amount of veggies and fruits I want in life.

·         Sticky rice and mango= the sticky rice is flavored with coconut milk

·         Masman curry= thai curry. Reminds me of beef stew, but it’s derishous!

·         Papaya salad= super yummy, but sometimes really spicy

·         Khau tom= overboiled rice in a soup.  Kristina swears it has healing powers.

·         Pork on a skewer

·         Rotee!= like a crepe, but super good!  There are rotee stands everywhere!

·         Laap= ground meat with mint and basil and spices.  SUPER SPICY but super yummy.

·         These I have not had, but Kristina recommends them:

o   Taud mun= fish cakes with chopped green beans and chopped peppers, deep-fried (I've provided the recipe for shrimp cakes)

o   Mian kham= self-made wraps

o   Black sticky rice and coconut milk= dessert

 

There.  I’m sure I’ve sufficiently bored you until you drool on your keyboard.  Either that, or I’ve made you extremely hungry for some Thai food- in which case, you should come here and join me for some nom noms!

Posted in , , , , ,

Let Them Eat Pie


 

I’m having a terribly difficult time remembering this past week- probably because I was doing nothing that could overshadow the ABSOLUTE AWESOMENESS of this past weekend.  LIKE WHOA.

 

Before I get to describing my weekend though, let me first list a few important details:

1)      Thai soap operas are terrible.  Cheesy, way too dramatic, girls being abused, the lighting is awful…I feel like I’m glimpsing at shots of The Power Rangers sometimes.  These things are constantly on in the common room while I’m trying to do homework and drown out the drama with my music.  Currently, Hellogoodbye- hello again, seventh grade musical taste, goodbye temporarily to better musical preferences.

2)      I can totally go without food and drink for an entire day. I did it people! As some of you may know, last Wednesday was Yom Kippur, the last day of the Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah.  On the last day, the Jewish people fast from sunset until sundown, and go to services to pray and sing and reflect on all of the things you wish you had done better in the past year. 

So anyway, my friend Rachel is the only Jewish person here and so I figured I’d fast with her for moral support.  Also, I’ve wanted to try fasting because it’s supposedly spiritually cleansing.  I definitely felt a change in my mindset- it was quite interesting.  I recommend trying it- you’ve more will power than you may ever know.  Just drink water- it’s much healthier that way. 
Me and my fasting buddy!
 
 
After our fast, we ate at this crazy buffet place  called Sukontha Buffet where there were a million different kinds of food; all you can eat for 200 baht! Some foods were prepared, but others were raw, so you cooked them on the hot pot/griddle.  I stuffed myself to oblivion.

Please notice the imitation crab characters up top next to the raw chicken.  I collected all of the shapes, but did not eat them.

3)      Game of Thrones.  Just started. I damn the fact that I have homework because all I want to be doing is read that book.  ALL I WANT TO DO!

4) This is a really good movie; it's called Lost in Paradise, and is about two gay men living in Saigon.  It talks about homosexuality and the sex industry in Vietnam.

Ard. Let’s get down to business…to defeat…my current lack of a new blog post. So, on Friday, I went on a magical journey with my good friends Emily, Laura and Maia to Pai, a backpacker’s haven!  We departed from the Arcade Bus Station in a bus, where we would stay for the next three hours. Luckily, I bought some yellow motion sickness pills and took them…there are about 780 curves through a windy mountain to get to Pai.  The ride was great- I was asleep for most of it.

When we emerged tired, and stiff-knee’d, we found ourselves in a quaint lil town where white people were roaming the streets, and nary a Thai person was to be found.  That is, until we stumbled across the high school, where a festival was being hosted.  It was a multiple-day festival of constant music, regardless of whether or not there was an audience.  We got to witness Thai pop singers belting out songs whilst girls in traditional Thai costume danced around them.  It was…interesting.
 

We went on a hunt for our hostile- Spicy Pai Backpackers.  Dude, this hostile is awesome.  It’s a bit out of town, across a couple of bridges…and on your right is a lovely set of bungalows. Just beauteous.  I’d never stayed in a hostile before- and I’m so glad that this one was my first.  The mindset and personalities of backpackers are so wonderful- and these backpackers were the greatest people ever.

 I swear, our hostel was a mini taste of Europe (and other white people countries)- people from Sweden, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, Denmark, Australia, and yes, folks, we befriended more Americans.  We spent the weekend with our short-term newfound friends- they acted as hosts, caretakers, and family.  My favorite person, Uncle John, was a bright green gumdrop in my day- he never failed at cheering everyone up or adding a laugh into the conversation. His favorite video was this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMS2VnDveP8.  It was only hilarious because he laughed at it so hard.

We slid down Slidey Waterfall, we jumped off of Jumping Waterfall, and we climbed an incomplete Buddha statue to watch a sunset, and we chilled in some natural hot springs. (OMG the roads to get to the hot springs are awful and treacherous and slightly resemble a rollercoaster.  It was like being in a video game…but in real life.  I was on the back of a motorbike [rent for 140 baht per day with insurance-cheap!] the entire time, so you can imagine how terrifying that was…not really, since I didn’t describe it, but I shouldn’t because it could deter people from going.  Just do it…it’s an experience.) But, I think my ultimate favorite thing that we did was go to a bar with the hostile peeps.  They decided that Saturday night was lady’s night, so the guys all dressed up as women.  It was the most hilarious thing ever.  They were enjoying it way too much, and Andreas especially was amazing at being a girl.

I had way too many Mai Tais and ended up having a drunken political talk with all the Europeans.  We also had a contest to see who was better at geography- guess who lost…RIGHTO- this girl!  And for those of you who might think I can’t possibly fail, well…*blush* why, thank you, but I really suck at geography…and politics.  I did know when the French Revolution started (1789!), which impressed Cory…I think that was his name.  Anyway, the Europeans are very impressive, and very into politics, so it was fun to have a conversation with them. They did acknowledge the fact that they were uneducated about Africa, a lot of Asia, and some other things- same as America.  Come on Western countries- let’s fix this ignorance.
LADIES NIGHT! :)
 

The town of Pai.  Well, basically, there are streets upon streets of stores with some pretty cool stuff for tourists, and restaurants.  We made this weekend our escape from Thai food- it was beautiful.  Some recommended places are Witching Well, The Good Life, and Coffee in Love.  But we didn’t go to any of those.  We went to a place that I think is called Cake Go.  OMG.  I had THE BEST sandwich that I’ve ever tasted in my life.  Just look at it.  I have never been happier after eating a sandwich.  This could be because it’s been a long time since I’ve had a decent sandwich, decent bread, decent cheese, decent raw veggies….mmmmm I am slobbering.  Just look at it.
I'd go back to Pai just for this sandwich.
 

We also went to the Curry Shack.  The guy who works there is over 30 years old, but looks 25.  Aaaaaand he’s an amazing cook.  Best durn curry I’ve had in a long time.  I recommend the Green Curry, the Masman Curry, the Khao Soy Curry, and the Panang Curry.  Woof woof awhooooooo!

The Thai food there is absolutely delish as is the street food.  There are a million possibilities for eating at this place, but apparently the Italian food is crapola.

Lemme get back right quick to the motorbikes.  It’s super easy to rent a motorbike- super risky, but super easy, and super cheap.  If you are good and comfortable at riding a motorbike, I’d recommend it.  You’ll fall in love with Pai that much quicker.  There’s something amazing about riding down the roads on the back of a motorbike, taking in the lush scenery, and conquering fears and roads.  Emily brought up something she’d read in a book about “the zen of motorbikes” (or something like that) where the writer said that riding in a car is like watching a movie, but riding on a motorbike is like being in the movie.  Definitely sums up how I felt.  Incredible. 
Laura and Maia riding up ahead of me and Emily on our little Kirby.
 

So, Pai.  If you are looking for a break from your culture shock in Thailand…definitely the place to go.  A lovely haven for travelers, who are mostly white people, where your only encounters with Thai people are at the shops.  I bargained for a skirt there and the shopowner complimented on my Thai skills. HELLZ YEA!
Oh! On the way to town from Jumping Waterfall, we stopped at this lovely little place called the Land Crack.  It is called this because it's a family-owned farm with a giant land crack in the middle of it.  So, they can't produce enough food to sell at market.  Instead, they feed us backpackers some delicious fresh peanuts, sweet bananas, tasty passion fruit, cut up potatoes with salt, refreshing roselle juice, and some of the best red wine in a tiny bottle.  Oh my goodness- it was so delcious.  These people run off of donations, so EVERYONE WHO VISITS PAI SHOULD VISIT THE LAND CRACK AND GIVE EM SOME BAHT!
The yummy snacks...

 


and the crack!
 
Now, enjoy my photos…or else.

Slidey Waterfall
Hot springs.  Where it was quite warm, and quite nice.
The Buddha where we saw our beautiful sunset.

Jumping Waterfall. Where the jump was nowhere near as intimidating as the cliff-jumping experience.




 

Posted in , , , , , , , , ,

I'm a Schoolgirl Now


Dis week= first week of classes.  Whammalammadingdong woot? There’s really not much to tell about it.  I am taking 3 courses during this first part of the semester (now till mid-October), and I will be taking 3 courses in the second part (November till mid-December).  Thai 101 is super fun.  Ajan Gai is the kookiest thing, he’s baan (crazy), but we love him.  His nuttiness is entertaining and it makes class go by quickly.  The only thing is that Thai is a tonal language: the same syllable with a different tone could mean several different things.  And then, there are certain sounds that I am having difficulty pronouncing- like the difference between “b” and “bp”, or “d” and “td”.  You try it.  I dare you.  But! On Friday we started learning how to write and read- which is my favorite part.  Who needs to actually have a spoken conversation with people?  Well…eh speaking is actually super useful.

 

Anyway, I love his informative tangents.  Apparently Thais have long complicated names now, but they are given nicknames which come from some crazy story or characteristic from when they were little.  “Gai” means “chicken (or rooster, he claims)”- I won’t give the entire story, but he was placed on top of a pheasant cage when he was little because of lots of words.  The Thai word for pheasant is “chicken of the sky”, but it is too feminine, so they shortened it to gai, for chicken.  Awesome, right?!  He also gave us a history of the Thai king and his family- apparently the king was born in Boston, Massachusetts.  Small world!

 

Then there’s Social and Cultural History with Ajan Ratanaporn, and Globalization with Ajan Paul Chambers.  I’m excited to write a 20-page paper for globalization, which is weird.  I would say more about these classes, but I’m peeved at how many pages of boring reading I did and have yet to do for these classes.  For Social and Cultural, we did go on a field trip to Wat Chammadevi, the Hariphunchai National Museum, and the Wat Prat...I need to go figure out how to spell this one...but the field trip part was fun and informational.

 

Bloop bloop bleep blop.  So, I totally forgot what I did this past week- last Monday seems forever ago.  Time to consult my daily journal!

 

Monday night, Laura the Lovely Australian took us to a jazz bar called North Gate.  I loved it.  There weren’t many people, the atmosphere was chill, there was a dude doing pop and locks in the corner next to the old rocking bunny child’s plaything, and they played a couple of songs I could sing along to (“Girl from Impanema” and “Just the Two of Us”). 

 

Tuesday morning, Laura the Soft-Spoken and I went to a Presbyterian service spoken in all Thai.  They had a Christian rock band playing, then a minister spoke for about forty minutes about Matthew 1-4.  Fortunately, the head of the ministry at Payap, Esther, was there to translate the Thai for us.  It was super! I’ve never been to a Presbyterian service- it seemed so chill, and all of the young people were really into it.  The minister was more advisory than “preachy” I think, so the atmosphere was really comfortable and lax.  By no means am I gonna become a Christian, but I enjoyed the service, and seeing how things are done in a different church in a different country.  This church on campus is super awesome by the way.  Its architecture has a mix of Buddhist and Christian influence to make a statement about the harmonization of religion and that it does not matter where you worship, but that you are doing worship.  It’s just beautiful.  It looks like a Christian church due to the large cross on top, but the roof is in the shape of the Buddhist lotus.  It was also built over water- rad right?

 

So let’s see.  Bike shopping- I don’t think I’m gonna get a bike.  I suck at riding a bike, and the roads here are not friendly for bikes and pedestrians.  The sidewalk is a concept that barely exists- if it does, there are very large obstructions such as trees, cars, or a nonsensical end- and the roads are not the most even.  Also, traffic can be scary- I haven’t seen very many crosswalks, and even if you have the little walking man sign, some people still won’t stop.

 

Monkey Club on Wednesday night- I didn’t feel like doing homework.  My friend, Pek, wanted to take us out to this nice club to see a popular Thai band, Tattoo Color play.  Dude, we were very much underdressed.  Thai girls like to dress up- even at school, there are so many girls wearing heels with their uniforms.  Oh well- I forgot my booty skirts at home.  I liked the live bands, especially the one that kept playing American pop songs.  American pop+Thai accent is adorable.  But Tattoo Color was definitely the highlight of my night- they are really good and entertaining, AND they played songs I know by Electric Neon Lamp and POLYCAT, and Two Door Cinema Club! AWWWWW YEAAAA! The atmosphere was interesting though.  The Thai people didn’t really dance unless they were close to us American folk who were dancing like crazy baffoons.  Ya gotta feel the music and move it, Thailand.  Leg’go.  It was a good time until my groove got ruined by people wanted to get through the crowd (STAY IN ONE PLACE AND DANCE!), and tiny tables with drinks poking my bum.  Not a good feel.

Tattoo Color at Monkey Club
 

Vair interesting politics talk that I went to voluntarily…MEDITATION! With the Green Papaya Sangha at the Yoga Tree Studio.  It was beautiful.  We did sitting and walking meditation in the style of Zen Buddhism.  I highly recommend meditation to people- just do it.  It will make you calmer, and more self-aware, and very intriguing thoughts will come to you.

 

Friday- watched The Bourne Legacy at a theater.  Buying tickets was such a hassle.  We had to choose our seats on this touch screen because you must have assigned seats, and then…idk it was a hassle.  Inside the theater, they played 30 minutes of advertisements (my fave is for Fisho chips), then everyone stood up for the playing of the King’s Song.  The people’s loyalty and love for their king is just amazing.  They play the King’s Song I think every day, and during that time, people stop and stand attentively.  It’s amazing.  I’ve never seen so many people do something in unison.  The movie was okay.  But like, what does it have to do with the Bourne trilogy?

 

Saturday, I returned to the Yoga Tree Studio for an introduction to the Hakomi method of self-discovery with Adam How.  I won’t talk about it too much because this post is already so long, and I have SO MUCH MORE TO TELL! I think the most surprising aspect of this experience was that we had to have interesting interactions with others in order to understand how we carry ourselves or perceive ourselves in the world.  In the first experiment, each of us had to sit in front of one other person in silence, and just observe them and “connect” with them.  Twas a slightly uncomfortable and intriguing experience.  Some people didn’t like it, but others did.  I could go on for pages about this, but I am not sure that I could truly express everything that I thought and felt and experienced in two hours.  Ask me about it some other time.

 

Then, Mexican food in Thailand.  We went to this place called El Toro…I don’t want to say it was bad, but like it wasn’t good.  I was totally thrown for a loop because there were Asian versions of everything.  Alex had vanilla yogurt instead of sour cream with her taco, and my refried beans were made out of black beans instead of pinto beans.  The most mind-boggling was the fact that Thai was being spoken at a Mexican restaurant.  Instead of “muchas gracias,” I had to say “kob kun kha”.  Talk about culture faux pas.  After that, we walked around, I bought some books at a used book store, then we sat down in a random bar.  This bar was super cute.  The servers were transvestites, they made the straws curve near the top so that they looked like hearts, and then they pulled out Connect 4 and this weird dice game for us to play.  I loved everything about it except for the lemon juice I ordered.

 

Next day! Twas a food day.  For dinner, Alex and I accompanied Allen, Goi, and Seven (our Payap friends that studied at SMCM last semester) to Duke’s for good ol’ American food.  I almost cried at the amount of cheese I had on my plate.  I LOVE CHEESE.  It’s almost the only thing I miss about America.  It was lovely to see my friends again, but the highlight of the day was going to the Free Bird Café.  I urge everyone to please click on the link and read about this place.  Tis why I won’t write about it here- please- it’ll be worth it. And if you are too lazy, I will write about it again soon.

 

All right.  Week #1 of school… I survived. Sorry for the lack of pictures- my camera is acting up.

Posted in , , ,

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)