Packing Up the Mozzie Net

Today's my last day at the Isara Foundation, and my last day of working during this volunteer adventure.  I cannot believe how quickly it's gone by, while at the same time cannot believe all the incredible things I've seen and amazing people it's brought me to. I never thought I'd be sad to have to pack up a mosquito net!

The last week/ weekend has been really great! I did some last minute things here in Nong Khai.. went to the Aquarium which was pretty funny, and got to see the sand art 'exhibit' they have on the beach here.  I've also had a chance to meet and hang out with some old volunteers who came back to NK for Songkran... They were so great and I'm lucky to have even more friends from this Isara family.

The next few days look to be pretty insane... I have 3 over night trains in the next 4 days. I take an overnight to Bangkok, meet up with Sheena, her sister, and Tiffany.. and then overnight to the full moon party on Ko Phangan.  Then stay there, but overnight train it the following night to hopefully arrive at the airport on time for my flight later that evening!

I'm of course excited to be coming home, yet sad at the same time.. I really hope I stay in touch with everyone I met on the road!  The little kiddies were a bit sad to see me go.. but I know I'm leaving them in good hands!

Food wise it's been challenging to decide what I should be having as my last meal... Pad thai? Fried Rice? Papaya salad? Either way.. I'm sure I'll be back! The days here have gotten a bit colder and cloudier and I feel as though it's preparing me for NYC weather.. I hope it stays a bit cold there by the time I get back!! I realized as well that I haven't really been sleeping well here due to the heat and no A/C.. .but with the temperature dropping all that's changing.. I hope I don't turn into a zombie or sleep for three days once I'm back home!

Will write my final blog after I'm back on Sunday... that is if I survive the tides of the full moon as well as all my train rides!!

Songkran Water Festival in Chiang Mai

Well, after a 12 hour car ride back from Chiang Mai, (and I say car not bus because I was actually in a mini-van) I am more or less recovered from the weekend that was Songkran.

Songkran is the Thai new year, and it is usually celebrated around the 13-15th or so of April, although this year, as is with most years, they start early and end late, adding on a day or two of festivities just for giggles. Sometimes the country side makes it last even longer!  For the new year, people flock to the streets dumping buckets and buckets of water on each other, using all manner of weaponry.  Sometimes it's a water gun, sometimes a water bottle, sometimes a water cannon.. anything you can think of to chuck water on some one else- it's there.  I imagine that traditionally this was meant as an act of cleansing, in preparation for the new year.. but as has happened with all holidays, it has become one gigantic block party water fight that gets the entire city from grannies to babies involved.

This past weekend, James and I met up with Sheena in Chiang Mai, the now undisputed Songkran capital of the world. We arrived super early to find our hostel to be a bit outside the old town, where all the action was happening, but to also be a small oasis paradise, with an insanely big pool, and free breakfast and wifi.  For only 9 bucks a night, I'd call that a catch for sure. That day we got right into it, and the water fighting and festivities didn't stop until three or so days later.

The main airline, AirAsia, had a booth near the main gate to the old city called Taipae Gate.  They had water cannons, foam parties, and a DJ, and everyone sprayed each other and cars which were passing through.  The water fighting was incredibly fun, and a great way to stay cool in the 100+ degree weather. However, the cold water that some people threw, that had literally just melted from a piece of ice was the one thing that was really not welcome.. I mean.. really.. have a little compassion people!  Luckily thanks to the one plastic bag I had with me, my camera and valuables were safe, and I was even able to snag some awesome photos and videos. Some people even put their phones in condoms, which actually worked really well! My camera wouldn't fit unfortunately...

Chiang Mai itself is a super cool city. The old part is surrounded by a well sized moat, and parts of a castle wall, which I assume to be the originals.  People were even swimming in this during the festival, but by the time the festival was more or less over, it had returned to its initial purpose. The food was great, and diverse -- I even got to have some amazing Mexican food!!  The people during that weekend were a mix of foreign and domestic which was a nice change and good introduction to the next Thai event I'll be going to, in addition to my upcoming home coming!

One really special thing I got to do was take a break towards the end of Songkran to go trek and sleep overnight in a longneck village.  They're the ones, as the name denotes who have the golden bands on their necks, similar to the african tribes who do the same. And yes, their necks are crazy long, sometimes scarily so. I was the only American in the group of about 20, and although I did get some slack at first for this, they soon realized I wasn't going to freak out or complain that no one was speaking enough english!  We trekked for about three hours the first day to a camp, and had a traditional dinner next to a fire.  Sleeping on a raised bamboo platform wasn't the most comfortable of situations but it was only for a night, and a pretty cool expereince, and I didn't get too many bug bites luckily! The next day we did everything you could possibly do in the mountains of Thailand pretty much. We rode and washed an elephant, we zip-lined, bamboo rafted, and even white water rafted, which was not so easy to do in the dry season when the river comes up to your shin in some places...

Returning to my hostel, and then eventually Nong Khai afterwards was a welcome rest from the eventful weekend.  I can't believe this is probably going to be one of my last posts!  At the same time I'm pretty much ready to go home at this point.. just the full moon party as a send off to go.  All the cultures have started to blend together.. I find myself saying falang and faringe interchangeably to describe my whiteness, everyones pointy hat with a pom pom on top is not unique to South America, Ethiopia, or Thailand, and I basically only just realized that Thailand drives on the opposite side of the road as the US... its been a long time since I've been home!

Helmet Parade and Holidays

It's just about time for me to get on a van, where I'll be for the next 12 hours, headed to Chiang Mai, but I quickly wanted to recap the week, and say hello and goodbye before I left.

Needless to say I was very sad to see Sheena and Tiffany go... our diversity level went down a few notches, not to mention that they were amazing awesome ladies, and I am now stuck with a bunch of dudes :) haha just kidding. I, and we all, have been managing well in their absence.  It has lead us to switch roles a bit, and I am focusing a bit more on going over reading with the kids, allowing James to take on more of a teaching role.

Teaching has become a bit easier for me and I really enjoy reading with the kids, as now I know them a bit better and know how they like to learn.  While there are some challenges, at the end of the day they're cute kids and since the program is totally free they're here because they really want to be, which is pretty cool.

In addition, this week has been very eventful and special for me. Yesterday I went campaigning all day for motorbike and scooter helmet safety. While the event in Nong Khai was a bit for show, we still got to meet and take photos with the governor here.  After this, I was lucky enough to have to opportunity to go with my bosses to Udon Thani, a larger town near by.  We knew the theme was helmet safety as well, but we didn't know really what to expect.  My role was initially to look pretty, and this was all I knew.  Mind you this is no small feat in 105 degree weather, sweating like a pig!

When we arrived in Udon, we were informed that we would be participating in a parade, and that we had to stand on a parade float shouting safety rules and recommendations to Thais and Falangs alike, especially because of the holiday weekend coming up. Although my boss Kirk was meant to be the only one on the float, me and my other boss Ming chased the parade down and hopped on as well.  Whenever we saw a white man in the street, I would get on the mic with Kirk and shout "Hey Falang! Wear your helmet this Songkran weekend! and remember don't drive drunk!"  Eventually I learned how to say it in Thai, and I got to scold a few Thai people we rode by who were not wearing helmets.

It was certainly a more memorable day that I've had this year, and a wonderful and lucky experience to have had.  It was nice to change it up, and to be working all day rather than just in the afternoon as we normally do for classes.

I think that is all for now... Songkran has started early this year, and I've already seen cars dripping with water and soaked with some power like substance.  I have packed basically all my stuff for Chiang Mai in a plastic bag, and I've just a few more helmets to hand out on the street before James and I head off to meet Sheena and Tiffany.  I don't really think I have to mention how amazing being drenched with water all weekend will feel in this heat... but more than that I hear there's plenty of cool things to do in Chiang Mai.. and I can't wait to share it all with you when I return. The bus company keeps pushing the return trip back, since this holiday has no real fixed dates, but I hope to be back in Nong Khai in about a week! Wish me luck in the van!

Beginning of the End and the Challenge

This month, April, is officially my last month of volunteering abroad.  I have just purchased my one way ticket home on the 27th!  It feels a little good, knowing that I have Chop't salad and Chipotle waiting for me in New York, but of course it also feels a little sad and surreal to actually have these months, this goal I've had for years, finally come to an end.

This week I have been planning my final mini trips and holidays, and will be going to Chiang Mai for Songkran weekend.  This holiday is the Thai new year I believe when everyone gangs up with their friends to form teams and have a massive water fight with everyone.  I will probably be wearing my bathing suit and carry nothing with me the entire time.  Finally, the last hurrah will be the full moon party in Ko Phangan, where I will be meeting up with two other volunteers from Isara and one of their sisters.  I am suuuuper excited for both of these things, needless to say. From Ko Phangan I will be heading directly to the airport, a trip that should take a little under a day via ferry, bus, and train.

But enough of all of that future stuff.  This week, the volunteers at Isara, minus a few decided to go on the 150 baht challenge, where we spend only 150 baht a day for 10 days, today being the last day.  I'm not really sure why we decided to do this, there is no political meaning behind it.  I know I did it as a mini challenge for myself. An exercise in self control, and it certainly reminded me that I actually need very little. To be honest it's really not that hard to live off of about 5 bucks a day here... A delicious pad thai costs a mere 35 baht after all... Tonight we will be celebrating the end of our "ascetic lives" by going to Udon Thani, a larger town about an hour or two away.. where I hear there's things such as sushi! Something I haven't had in ages!... The Mekong probably isn't the greatest place to eat raw fish from...

Besides that the temperature has gone up what seems to be 10 fold if that's possible. I honestly don't think I could be sweating more if I were sitting in a sauna! Sleep is more or less out of the question, and although my one lone fan helps a little bit, I still can't help but wake up in a pool of sweat probably about 4 times a night.  I hear the temperature is about 110/50 degrees, but I am honestly trying to ignore the figures... I don't want to know.  The ants however, seem to thrive in it, and I am also trying to ignore the fact that I think I may have ants in my bed.  I may have killed most of them with this spray but who knows.. they are microscopic... maybe I should just put one of the hundred lizards and geckos in there are let him go to town... Couldn't hurt...

Finally, in regards to teaching, it's been getting better and better. I notice now that I'm really beginning to understand how each kid learns, what they do and don't like, and possibly even communicate with them better.  I am sometimes hard on them, but to be honest I am here to teach, not to be their friend. These volunteer opportunities of mine were meant to be jobs for me, not excuses for vacation, and this is why I act more seriously. Other volunteers feel differently, but that's great! I think a balance in that regard is really important.  In addition, I think I have successfully learned my students names... You would think remembering names like BMW, Boat, Pee, Dream, Fun and Phonelink would be easy.. but honestly it can get quite confusing!  Also something really great that I've come to accept and appreciate is that unlike in Slumdog Millionaire, your shoes will not be stolen when you take them off outside a store or house as is the custom in some places, including Isara.  I have finally stopped worrying about my flip flops disappearing, and have started to enjoy being barefooted with everyone :)

Sadly this week two volunteers who I have been living with will be leaving at the end of this week... Sheena and Tiffany you shall be sorely missed! and I'm not really sure how I'll teach my class without Sheena... She's the good cop, I'm the bad cop.. Still, I look forward to meeting up with you both in Chiang Mai and Ko Phangan, and hopefully when we are all back in North America too!