Showing posts with label peeps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peeps. Show all posts

MY NAME'S BOB CRAMER AND I'M IN ARTILLERY

The title just amuses me.


Lemme give you a lil sumfin sumfin about my next day trip, this time to the Mekong Delta.  I didn’t have enough time to go for more than one day, but there are longer trips available if you wish to book a tour.  I’d say a few days at the Mekong Delta would be worth the trip because I had an excellent day there. 

SO! I woke up and hopped on a bus.  Tom was my tour guide again!  We made a stop at some Buddhist Pagoda with very large Buddha statues done in different styles nearby.  The pagoda and the statues are very new, and magnificent.  I was marveling at how beautiful the mosaic work at the front gate was.  Oh, I feel it is necessary to mention that Mahayana Buddhism is more prevalent in Vietnam, in stark contrast to the prevalence of Theravada Buddhism in Thailand.  I’d explain the differences between them, but I am still no expert in Buddhism, and what I do know would take too long to explain. Do some research- it’ll be good for you.
Look at how amazing this mosaic/sculptural relief is! At the gate of the pagoda.
I'm intrigued by the florescent light halo around Buddha's head.

Two large Buddhas and a pagoda all in one picture!
 

The most intriguing thing inside of the temple was the fact that they worship the Lady Buddha, to whom barren women pray so that they may bear children.  Fertility gods are so interesting.  I also learned that when people pray in front of these statues, they always hold an odd number of incense sticks in front of them, or offer those sticks to the statues.  The numbers 3, 5, and 7 are the typical numbers.

So that was a fun break from the bus. But then, we rolled on! To the boat station!

We hopped into a motor boat to enjoy a slow cruise amongst the islands. There are four islands in the Mekong Delta- Tortoise Island, Phoenix Island, Unicorn Island, and Dragon Island.  I only got to see Tortoise Island, where we ate lunch (but those who do the longer day-trips get to see the others).  Free rice and pork and vegetable was provided, but you had the option to buy additional food.  My friends who are teaching English in Japan bought the elephant ear fish to put inside of spring rolls- it was wild!
At the boat station!

Elephant ear fish for lunch

We left the island, hopped in the boat again, and went to the coconut candy factory! It’s a family-owned business, I think, and calling it a factory seems way too grandiose a description since it’s basically a bunch of machinery underneath a hut.  BUT IT’S AWESOME! These people use every part of the coconut in their candy-making process.  First, they shred the coconut and press the powdered coconut to release the oil and cream. Then, the powder is used to feed the geese and fertilize the ground, the oils are used for beauty purposes (whitening, moisturizing, etc.), the cream is for the candy, and the shells are used to feed the fire in order to make the molten candy.

They test to see if the mixture is ready by seeing if a drop of candy does not dissolve into a bowl of water.  Then, they cut up the molten candy into strips, then into smaller pieces.  The people then hand-wrap the candies inside of edible rice paper wrappers, and then paper wrappers.  I found this absolutely fascinating and cool.  Also, the candies come in different flavors- regular coconut, chocolate, panda leaf, durian (popular fruit disliked by many people in the West), and peanut. I bought all of them and they are so yummy.
The machine used to press the juices out of the shredded coconut.

They served us some of the most delicious honey tea I’ve ever tasted, and then let us all take turns taking pictures with a python around our necks.  The python kept getting passed around every fifteen seconds- I felt so bad for the poor thing, but this did not keep me from getting my snake picture.
Pythons make for interesting scarves.

Next, we got into these lil rowboats where we were slowly paddled through the river, lined with lovely greenery.  It was kinda romantic. The best part though, was that we got to wear rice patty hats.

After reaching our new destination, we got to eat some fresh fruit snacks, and were entertained with some traditional folk Vietnamese music. It was absolutely awesome- and the songs have stories, as folk songs are wont to do.  The bus driver even got up and sang!  They provided CDs for us to buy- #tourist trap- but I bought one because the Music of the Silk Road class that I took last year has made me obsessed with foreign music.
The music was really delightful, and the instruments were beautiful.

That was the end of my trip to the Mekong Delta- we just hopped back on a boat and then a bus to get back.  Something cool about the boats: there are two types of boats- tourist boats and fishing boats.  They paint eyes on the front of the tourist boats to scare the fish away, and keep the fishing boats eyeless because scaring the fish away would be detrimental to the fisherman’s purpose. 
I'd be scared if I were a fish

Later that night, I sat in the park to journal, as became my nightly routine in Ho Chi Minh City.  I was all alone until a possibly homeless man randomly sat beside me to ask if I speak Vietnamese and question my ethnicity.  I tried to make conversation, but the language barrier made everything awkward.  He left after a good 2 minutes of awkward silence.  I don’t know why I felt the need to share that bit of info. 

Anyway, the following day was to be a day of travel.  I was leaving Ho Chi Minh City for Hanoi.  But due to a delay in flight, I had the entire morning to explore the city a little more.  ABC Bakery, along Pham Ngu Lao street. Holy crap.  It was amazing.  So many pastries, some even have cheese.  And everything is 15,000 dong each.  I was in heaven, and I was upset that I had not thought to explore the bakery earlier in the week.
Cheesy bacon pastry, mung bean and almond pastry, and blueberry muffin.  It's not a cakey muffin as we are used to, but pretty much bread.  Still good.
 

Then, I walked to the Fine Arts Museum, which is housed inside of an old French building.  The building itself was really beautiful, but the arts inside were simply amazing.  Much of the art was created within the past century, which I found very interesting.  There was even an entire floor dedicated to arts related to the Vietnam War and its effects, which was a bit depressing.  I’ll let some of my favorite art pieces speak for the museum.
The front of the museum

Vietnamese pottery is kind of amazing

One of the many art pieces related to the Vietnam War

An art piece about the effects of Agent Orange on babies born after the Vietnamese War

I love this sculpture for some reason. Every angle is a new sculpture

I love this contemporary painter. I could have bought one of his pieces for $100- SO CHEAP! But that would have been impractical.

Afterward, the owners of the hostel took me to the bus station so that I could catch the bus to the airport.  I must warn you travelers- the Saigon airport has separate terminals for international flights and domestic flights.  Just be aware about which one you are in. 

In the next episode of this blog, Jessica takes on Hanoi. *dramatic closing theme music*

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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!

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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.




 

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Don't Mess Wiff Ma Peeps!


It’s my birthday!!!!!!!! And you know what that means- I’m legal in Thailand!  So, what am I going to do for my birthday? I have no idea.  Sadly, I will not get to partake in the St. Mary’s ponding tradition this year, but oh well.  I’m hoping someone will accidentally spill some watery chocolate pudding on me.  That would satisfactorily simulate the experience.

 

Let’s see.  I’m gonna make the theme of this post about people.  This week I have had the most amazing encounters with the most interesting people- the sweetest, the worldliest, the most talented, and the most helpful.  They had it right in that documentary A Map for Saturday (which everyone should watch)- the people make your travel experience.  But, it’s more than that- the people we meet every day impact our lives in ways that I believe many of us are unaware of.  So, let’s begin introducing you to the people I met this week.

 

1). Roddie, the trumpeter.  Now, the trumpet is one of the sexiest instruments in existence.  Saxophone is another, and I have discovered that somehow piano has become my favorite (the main instrument in all of the songs I like to sing to myself is piano).  But the fact that he plays a sexy instrument is not why Roddie is awesome.  He was born in Scotland, spent a lot of time in London getting into the music scene, and has travelled all over the world playing music with different big band…bands.  We met him at North Gate (where I got to sit on the bunny plaything all night! WEEEEEEE!!!) after his band was finished playing- ooh it sounded so lovely.  He would ask us where we were from, and he’d have a ten-minute long story in response, telling us about his adventures near our hometowns.  He’s met famous artists, he’s been offered exorbitant amounts of money, and he’s even been asked to forge a famous person’s autograph.  What a life!  Now, he’s retired and settled in Chiang Mai, smoking and drinking way too much, and playing with random groups of people. 

 

2). Hannah, the SMCM alumnus (alumna, if you prefer me to say that).  Alex has mutual friends with an alumnus from our college who has lived in Chiang Mai for the past few years teaching English to Burmese refugees.  I’ve met so many people with this goal.  Several people in my group are even volunteering for such a project- some are teaching refugees some computer skills and chemistry! I love it when people see the merit and benefits of an education, and are willing and patient enough to help others achieve that.  To all the teachers around the world: respek.

 

3). Den, the Muay Thai trainer at Lanna Muay Thai Boxing Camp (a.k.a. Kiat Busaba).  Mickey, Rachel, and I went to the gym to ask some questions to see about getting muay thai training.  And guess what! No need to because imma tell ya!  We start training on Wednesday! Blammalamma! Anyway, Den is the manager of the gym, and he is the sweetest person.  He was willing to help us with deals on paying for use of the gym, and he is our friend on Facebook, and he told us that we can call him any time we needed help.  He said that in the gym, our relationship is students-teacher.  But outside of that, we are all friends.  He was also not pushy about having us join the gym- he understands that we are students and have a duty to learn, and that getting to the gym is an expense because we have to pay for a sangteauw to get there.  So, he’s not a pushy salesperson jerk! Whoo!  I can’t wait for Wednesday to come, even though the 6:30-9 AM workout is going to kick me in the face.   I tried training for it Thursday morning- woof.  I’m out of shape and need to stop buying ice cream every day.

 

4). Friends in my group!  Duh huh!  We went to the Sangdee Gallery on open mic night where we all discovered how talented our group is.  There are several people who are musically talented- they can sing, play instruments, and even write really good songs.  For many of them, this was their first performance in front of people.  That takes SO MANY guts.  They serve as an inspiration to me. 

 

5). Nameless dancers.  We went to Ma Cherè Art Gallery during the opening of an art exhibition.  MORE CHARITY, MAN! Except this one was expensive- they were having an art auction in which the proceeds go toward the renovation (?) of a temple.  The MCs were so adorable, but I had no idea what they were saying because their dialogue was all in Thai.  But, the dance performances were so awesome.  There was a traditionalwomen’s dance, a contemporary Bhutto style dance about the circle of life that was amazing, and then a traditional sword dance which was mesmerizing (and not because he was only wearing a cloth that barely covered his bum).  Dancers…I don’t know what else to say because I didn’t actually meet them, but I feel like so much was revealed in the way they moved.  Just beautiful.

 

6). Eyesha.  Eyesha haggles like no other.  Holy crap.  The experience of being hounded by people wanting your money makes me nauseous.  I really hate it and wish not to talk about it further. 

 

7). Peeps at the Home of the Swallow.  On Saturday, we had the chance to volunteer at one of three locations: 1) Care forDogs, a place for strays – there are so many dogs on the streets, 2) Agape Home- an orphanage for children with HIV/AIDS , 3) Home of the Swallow- an organization that seeks to help single mothers be able to keep and support their kids.  I volunteered at the Home of the Swallow because it reminded me of Maria’s newfound babychildorganization, Feminists for Life.  Home of the Swallow was splendiferous- they teach the mothers (who are all sweethearts) life skills such as crocheting, sewing, banking, cooking, jewelry-making, etc.  They sell homemade goods such as crochet teddy bears and bracelets to raise money for their organization.  The kids (who are under the age of 3 because that’s when they have to start schooling) are amazing and are so obedient.  They were scared of the white folk, but after the awkward stranger danger phase was over, we had so much fun with them.  One had me chasing after him, in and out, in and out, in and out of the house.  Another thought I could provide the milk- no way, baby.  We also tried to help out by cutting the grass.  They usually cut the grass with these rusty, dull shears- I don’t know how it is possible because we resorted to ripping up weeds with our hands until Caleb could start up the most terrifying weed whacker I have ever seen.  I love the aim of this place.
 

 

8). The Meals on Wheels delivery man.  I got a Subway sandwich from him.  It wasn’t as good as it is in America (not enough meat on my Spicy Italian, and not enough cheese options), but it tasted so nice- to have a good ol’ sandwich is a pleasure.

 

9). Doi Suthep is a beautiful temple where we got our Chinese fortunes and walked around the chedi three times in order to pay our respects, and Bhubing Palace was beautiful but kinda boring except for the imitation crab waffle I got (verdict: imitation crab does not belong in waffles).  But, afterwards, we returned to Free Bird Café.  If you didn’t check out the link in my last post…well, you lose brownie points.  So, the café is headed by this lady who is a wonderful cook.  She serves the most amazing food, and runs a secondhand shop, and all the proceeds go toward supporting the education of Burmese refugees.  During the day, she works the café, and during the night, she teaches.  Amazing woman, right?  Well, here’s the stressful sitch- they are running out of money- so the café might not exist soon, and because the money they make keeps the school alive, the school might not exist either.  A group of us are going to try to do a fundraiser to help keep them alive for a lil while longer, but they need much more help.  If any of you have any ideas, they’d be more than welcome.

 

10).  Raylena.  She is a 59 year old PhD student studying at Payap.  She was one of the first people I met on campus, but I didn’t get to know her until this past Friday.  By some turn of events we realized we have similar interests, and I suggested we get some tea at some point.  We talked about our lives, experiences, goals, and whatnot over Thai banana smoothies at what she has nicknamed Mocha Bar, and it was the most amazing thing I have experienced thus far.  I don’t want to say too much except for the fact that I am SO glad to have made her acquaintance.

 

Sooo, people.  I love people.
 
More pictures coming later- my camera is dead, so I have to get pictures from other people!

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