Thai Life

At the Market

Wat Doi Sakhet

Wat Doi Suthep

Wat Doi Suthep

Waiing near the bells at Wat Doi Suthep

Failing the dart game at the carnival--didn't manage to win Meemee the stuffed animal she wanted...

21st Birthday Cake

Another picture of the Korean BBQ on my Birthday

Children's Day at the Mall

Posing for Meemee at Children's Day

Ok. So like I thought, I have already been pretty piss-poor at updating this thing, but it is only because the program I am involved in, when paired with the home-stay, has me busy most hours of the day. I've been hesitant on writing anything because of daunting nature of the task--how do I encompass everything I have learned, seen, felt and experienced in the last three weeks with one relatively short blog post (as I only have a few minutes to write this before I eat dinner with my host family). I guess the easiest way to accomplish this task is to limit it drastically or to just give a general overview of the things I find most important in my Thai experience.
I can easily pinpoint my greatest source of enjoyment in my time in Chiang Mai to be my host family, with whom I have stayed day in and day out for the past three weeks. Luckily for me, I found myself living with a kind, caring, exciting, English-speaking Thai family out in the 'country' surrounding the main city of Chiang Mai. I couldn't name exactly where I am located--I have no idea other than that it is on the way to Doi Sakhet--I know that I get off the rot luuang (yellow bus) at the second bridge on tanon (road) 118 and then have a ten minute bike ride to my house thereafter.
The family I am staying with is made up of six members (excluding me)--my Koon Yai (Grandma), Meemee (Mom), Papa (Dad), Nong Yok (my little sister), Nong Nim (my little brother) and Nong Trunk (my youngest brother). I could spend every day of my time here with any member of my family and have an amazing experience. Having them all together with me daily allows me to drastically improve my Thai along with allowing me relief from the mental drain I get from four hours of Thai class followed by 2-3 hours of learningThai Foundations. I could talk for hours about how much fun my parents are, or the many interesting conversations I have had with my Koon Yai, or how my little brothers and sister are keeping me on my toes and in camp counselor mode.
However, for the sake of making this post quick and easy for me, I figure the best way to describe my time with my family along with my current classes is to simply lay out my typical day:
I'll wake up every morning at around 5:45 AM when it is still dark out, but two hours after the roosters have started keekaakaaing around my window. When I can finally drag myself out of bed (usually around 6) I'll shower, brush my teeth, and get dressed in my school uniform (white collared short sleeve shirt and black pants) so as to look reep roy (proper/put together).
I'll eat breakfast and then bike ten minutes down the road to highway 118, where I can park my bike for 5 baat (~15 cents) at a small cafe/restaurant for the day. From there, I catch a rot luuang downtown, where I switch the the rot dang (red bus) that will take me to ISDSI. The 'buses' I refer to are actually called song tow, which means two benches, and pretty much describes the nature of the vehicle. They can comfortably fit around 10 people inside, though when adding those who hang off the back (often me) and the occasional person who rides on top, I have seen song tows hold up to 23 people, though two of the passengers I am counting are infants.
I'll be at ISDSI from 8 until about 4 PM, with four hours of Thai class, an hour lunch break, and two to three hours of Foundations, which more or less is a discussion of Thai culture, economics, government along with sustainable development (this is all 'so far' in the course's progression). There are 17 students in my program--for Thai classes we are split up into groups of four, though we are all together for Foundations.
ISDSI provides students with a small bouldering wall in the back of the building, and is located next to some tennis courts. I have, along with my fellow students, taken the liberty to use both the bouldering wall and the tennis facilities multiple times in my stay at the school. Other exercise, such as running, has been somewhat of a burden around my house, as I'll often be chased by dogs as I pass by peoples' houses. I still try to regularly run, though, in the evening after returning home.
So once classes are done, and I have gotten some form of exercise, I'll head home the same way I came, usually arriving at my house at around 5:30 or 6 PM. From there, I have 4 hours until I usually am too tired to make any conscious actions, so I try to use that time as wisely as possible. I spend a good amount of that time with my little brothers and sister--we'll either play out in the yard (football (soccer), basketball, or just watching Nong Trunk push his stroller around) or inside, playing hide and seek, checkers, or just kicking a balloon around. Usually I have a lot of homework, mostly from my Thai class. Nong Yok helps me study for about an hour every night--we'll draw pictures of animals, body parts, clothes, or whatever I need to study, she will write out what everything is in thai characters, and I will read them and learn the translations. Nong Yok, Nong Trunk, and Nong Nim will all be in bed at around 9 PM--once they are in bed, I'll usually do the rest of my homework, read for a while, and then pass out at about 10.

I figure now that I have laid down the general foundation for my current situation in Thailand, I can start writing posts of substance, more focused on my studies, Thai culture, and development in the country. I am more prone to answer questions about my experiences here than I am to document them in posts, so if you have anything you want to know- like have I ridden on an elephant yet?- just comment (and I taken an elephant ride).