Unit 1: Agriculture

On September 17^th, we departed for Yasothorn, which is approximately 2 hours outside of Khon Kaen. The drive there was speckled with a gorgeous sunset, lots of rice fields that were the prettiest shade of jade green I have ever seen in my life, and cow herders walking beside the street with a trail of cows following behind. My friend Ana and I were roommates, and we decided to jump out at the first house that was available for 2 girls, and we made the best choice! Our yayee (grandmother) and paw (grandfather- the correct term is da) didn’t speak any Thai, which made it hard to communicate with them, but they had hearts of gold and always made sure that we were comfortable and happy. We slept at their house, but had all of our meals at their daughter’s house, P’Choo, because she and her family had a kitchen. That first night, I helped her to cook dinner, which consisted of fish, eggs, vegetables, and rice. It was great to be able to see how Isaan people make their dishes: lots of fish sauce, soy sauce, canola oil, fresh ingredients, and always made in a wok. After scarfing down dinner, yayee, Ana, and I walked back to our house under a night sky freckled with literally hundreds of luminescent stars and a clear view of the milky way. It was probably the most magnificent view I’ve ever seen in my life. When we arrived at the house, Ana and I were setting up our mosquito net, and discovered a 3 inch cockroach on it. We desperately tried to fling it off, but to no avail. As a last resort, we called yayee in to save us, and she responded by laughing, then grunting, taking her show off, and squashing the cockroach into a pile of nothingness with her bare foot. At that moment, Ana and I looked at each other and knew that we were in good hands.

The next day, Ana and I woke up at 6 AM to roosters calling, after spending a night listening to the dogs next door howling at all hours and with seemingly no intention. I groggily took a shower, but was son wide-awake after splashing cold water all over my body. We then helped our yayee pick mini lettuce heads out of her garden, and then washed them to bring to P’Choo’s house. We had a hearty breakfast, and then went to the rice mill, where P’Choo and her father work, to help prepare food for the school children as a way to educate them about organic farming. After eating lunch at school with the children, Ana and I returned to P’Choo’s house and rested on hammocks for roughly two hours since it was too hot to go into the fields. We just talked and looked out at the pond that surrounds the house. It was extremely relaxing, and much needed, after days of running on empty. At 4 PM, we went with yayee to the family’s vegetable field and helped her collect peppers, greens, and banana leaves.

After many attempts to communicate by way of speaking Thai, listening to her speak Isaan, hand movements, and smiles, Ana and I walked to yayee’s house to begin our profiles, which are interviews of someone of your choosing. I chose to interview P’Choo, so we met her and Ajaan John (our translator), and I was able to gain the most insight on her life and the village in a matter of minutes! I learned that she and her entire family farm organically after her father was diagnosed with stomach cancer as a direct result of farming with toxic chemicals 15 years ago. She also told me that it is impossible to make a living solely off of farming, and that one must have another job, such as working in a rice mill, to make ends meet. P’Choo is extremely active in promoting organic farming. She is the main teacher for integrating organic farming into the elementary school’s curriculum, and she has tried to prevent chemicals from being imported to her village, but has not heard back from the government. My interview with P’Choo revealed so much of who she is to me. Not only is she a mother, a daughter, a wife, and an amazing cook, she is also an activist, a teacher, and an amazing human being fighting for the health and livelihood of her entire village.

Later on, Ana interviewed our paw, and it was interesting to hear another point of view. Our paw explained that he found out he had gotten stomach cancer after his doctor at the regional hospital told him 10x that nothing was wrong, but when he went to the Khon Kaen hospital they correctly diagnosed his illness. He said all of this without a trace of bitterness, and when asked about his upbeat disposition while discussing such an upsetting situation, he seemed unfazed. Instead of wallowing in literal sickness, he decided to tell his fellow farmers the truth that their own government hid from them: pesticides and herbicides can have terrible side effects, not only to the environment but also to the farmer and consumers. The entire family now stands as a symbol of perseverance and dedication to such a worthy cause.

Yet again, we walked home underneath a sky full of brightly lit globes that illuminated the Milky Way weaving its way through a black backdrop. It reminded me just how beautiful the world and its inhabitants are, and to never underestimate the power of human beings.

The next morning, Ana and I woke up at 4 AM and were picked up 45 minutes later to go to the Green Market. The Green Market is an organic market that was created by Yasothorn farmers a year ago. It is a huge feat for them because it allows them to sell their produce as well as spread awareness about the benefits of organic, integrated farming. The market is tiny, most of the stalls sell the same things since they don’t have chemicals that allow them to plants certain plants out of season, and its busiest time of day seems to be from 5-6 AM. The farmers there see all of those aspects as problems, so they consider the market to be a work in progress, but they have much to be proud of. I helped my friend’s parents since mine weren’t there, and it was really fun. Sagar, my friend, and I were able to sell a bag of passion fruit to my friend, Morgan, for 10 Baht, which I thought was a raging success! I was so impressed that a relatively small amount of farmers were able to put together an entire market by themselves to not only help themselves, but to also help those who eat/produce chemically grown food.

At 9 AM, we had an exchange with some of the farmers at the Green Market, and it was so great to hear from them after actively participating in what they had created. I learned that there are only a few organic farms in all of Thailand, that they campaign on behalf of organic agriculture in hospitals, schools, and department schools, that they hope to have 30 stalls in a year, and that much of the next generation is not interested in farming. The points that piqued my interest the most was that organic farmers and non-organic farmers get along really well and that organic food is sold for either the same price or lower price than chemically grown food. Kara, a friend of mine, pointed out that in America, organic food is a status symbol, whereas in Thailand it is simply about helping yourself and others lead a healthier life. In America, organic food is only accessible to those who can afford to buy it, and people get in huge debates about organic vs. non-organic. In Thailand, there is no price distinction between organic and non-organic food, and it is not a posh lifestyle choice, it is a matter that is solely about health and protecting those one loves…That is why neighbors do not fight against each other. When those neighbors are ready, the organic farmers will provide them with everything they need to help them through the difficult process (in the 1^st year, one’s yield will decrease by 50% when transitioning to organic farming).

Afterwards, we travelled to a different part of Yasothorn and met with the Alternative Agricultural Network (AAN). The AAN is composed of 3,000 farmers (out of 65 million in all of Thailand) who all farm organically. The AAN aims to promote self-reliance and to create relationships between the producer and consumer. The exchange with the farmers was extremely informative because I came into this program knowing very little about agriculture (whether in Thailand or the U.S.). Sadly, I was informed that China imports many fruits into Thailand, and that China’s produce is more affordable for Thais than the fruit that is locally grown. As a result, Thai farmers can’t compete, and are slowly going bankrupt or being forced to export their food to Europe. The AAN has a lot of pressure because as one of the leaders said, if it fails then only 2% of farmers in Thailand will be small-scale, as has happened in the U.S. To end the exchange, the group was told to bring awareness of these issue and free trade back to the U.S., which I plan on doing. I see these people work so hard, and I know that I can’t go home and simply forget about them and their courageous struggle.

When Ana and I got back to our village, we took a really nice walk through the street as the sun was setting on the rice fields. At that moment I truly realized how lucky I am to be in Thailand. Then, we had dinner at P’Choo’s, and from the start, it was obvious that her son disliked both Ana and me. Yet that night, he came from behind me and clutched my arm. I was so excited at the thought of having finally won him over, but when I turned around and he saw my face, his face contorted into a look of complete terror. He then looked around, spotted his mom, ran to her, and then burst into tears when Ana said that I was truly part of the family. He only grabbed me because I look like P’Choo from behind…Just another day in the life of Katie Steinhardt, haha!

The next day, Ana and I woke up at 6 AM, and helped P’Choo make the most delicious breakfast. We had fried rice because I had told her that that was one of my favorite dishes, fried eggs, and fresh vegetables picked from their garden just that morning. Then, we went to an exchange with the local herbal medicine doctor. We all made herbal compresses, and we were allowed to keep them! He said something that really struck me, which is “short-life food causes you to have a longer life, while long-life food causes you to have a shorter life.” It was simply put, but it’s so true, and I never even thought of it like that before he mentioned it.

Afterwards, we had an exchange with the villagers of Yasothorn, which went really well! I learned that switching to organic farming actually decreases farmers’ debt because they do not have to pay for chemicals, and they don’t need to buy food to feed their families. Yet, many farmers refuse to switch to organic farming because they only see the short-term, consequences, which means that they only see that their yield after the first year will decrease, and that their fields will have to be restored with nutrients, which takes roughly 3 years. However, those who did switch to organic farming saw more animals come back to their fields, and the soil and their health improved. The main thing that I took out of the exchange was that you had to love organic farming to pursue it because it took a lot of hard work in a nation that frowns upon those who don’t use chemical fertilizers. Lately, I have become increasingly aware of the fact that I need to decide a career path, and this talk made me realize that I need to choose something that I love because I want to have as much passion and fight for what I do for a living as they do about their livelihoods.

When we returned back to our village, Ana, Tommy, Dan, and I went for a walk, and ended up playing volleyball with a bunch of local kids. It was so much fun to interact with them, and of course, we all became extremely competitive about it, which made it rather silly. After dinner, Ajaan Pote and P’joy (our driver and mentor) came to our house to translate a conversation between Ana, myself, and our family. Ana and I thanked them for having us and told them how delicious (sep in Isaan and aroy in Thai) the food was, and how wonderful the overall experience was of being able to live and farm with them. It’s great because the entire family then told us that they were interested in us coming back to visit them, and Ana and I are planning on going back in November, during one of our 2-day breaks, to help them harvest the rice during rice season!

The next day began with chaos and confusion. Ana and I woke up and then walked to P’Choo’s house because we couldn’t find anyone at our house. We helped P’Choo make breakfast, but then had to leave without eating because we were leaving at 7:45 AM to leave Yasothorn and go to Roi-Et. Yet trying to tell the entire family goodbye and that we couldn’t eat with them because we had a deadline and were afraid that we were holding all of CIEE back was very difficult to exchange. We finally left the house, albeit 10 minutes after our pick-up time, with yayee in tow. When we got to her house, she and paw gave us departing presents, which are beautiful block-shaped pillows that are all the rage in Isaan. It was the sweetest gesture, and just another example of how generous the people are.

At Roi-Et we had an exchange with some NGOs and AAN farmers who were in the process of switching their cassava and sugarcane farm from chemically treated to organic. They began the switch 2 years ago, but they have a lot of land, so they are doing it little by little. Plus, the farm is indebted to both the sugarcane and cassava companies already, which means that the farm needs to ensure that it meets the quota of how much crop it produces so as not to become more indebted. It was amazing to see how hard these farmers work, and how terribly they’re treated by these huge companies, and yet they still have the energy and morale to fight back. They turn the soil instead of setting the fields on fire once the crops are out of season to help reduce global warming, and they have begun to grow fruit trees, beans, corns, and pumpkins to practice integrated agriculture.

We then took a tour of their land, which is huge, and we were able to see all of the plants. It was amazing for me to learn that 10 sugarcanes only earn the farmers 10 baht (30 cents), which does not come close to covering the costs of producing sugarcane. Plus, the farmers directly asked if any of us were from Korea, and I raised my hand and told them that I was. That made all the difference because in the next minute, I was standing next to a farmer having my picture taken with him. I was ecstatic because most of the white kids on the program are always asked to have their picture taken, so I finally felt that my time to shine had come.

Next, we were on our way to Kalasin, where we had dinner and then set up shop at a new home stay. I stayed with Haley, Jenny, Rani, Maina, and Kati, and our house was the most picturesque, glorifies tree house. We weren’t actually living in a tree house, but it seemed like that because it was nestled in between the trees, was very open, and was made out of wood. It was wonderful! We had a paw, meh, p-seouw, and our p-seouw’s husband, all were very nice and great cooks!

Our last day of the entire agricultural unit began with a great start! We had an amazing breakfast of red, indigenous rice, eggs, pork, and som tom (spicy papaya salad). We then hopped into our paw’s truck and rode to his farm, which reminded me of a petting zoo. There were cows, chickens, ducks, and pigs! We were also able to take a tour of his farm, which is stunning. His fields are completely organic, and he even has a fishpond! He said that it only took him 1 year to transfer to organic farming, which is a rare occurrence since it is such a hard transition, both financially and physically. Sadly, he mentioned, as did many people during our exchanges, that his daughter wasn’t interested in taking over his farm when he’s no longer able to do it. I found this to be the saddest thing because he worked so hard to get his farm to be what it is today, he stands as an example for the rest of the community as a success story for organic farming, and he’s done all of this because he believes in chemical-free agriculture. It would break my heart if no one took over, and his farm ceased to exist after everything he’s been thorough and all that it stands for.

After the tour of paw’s farm, we had our final exchange with P’Bamrung and P’Yoowah. P’Bamrung is the advisor to the Assembly of the Poor, and he’s the leader of the regional Tambon Administrative Organization, which works to eliminate governmental corruption and promotes self-sufficiency. P’Yoowah is the regional coordinator of the AAN, and he even came to the U.S. in 2006 to hear about small-scale farming in the U.S. The exchange with them was great because it focused more on international trade policy and globalization. They thought that while globalization had good consequence, it also had bad ones for many of the rural poor in many undeveloped and developing nations. They also stressed the importance of getting all of the facts. For instance, Starbucks sells free trade coffee, but Starbucks was the corporation that got the free trade label to only mean that 2% of the product is free trade as opposed to the original 5% that was required. It was an eye-opening discussion between the farmers and NGOs and the students where all sides voiced opinions, ideas, and information.

We then left to return to Khon Kaen, and it was a bittersweet goodbye. I was both sad to leave because I had had one of the most amazing times, but I was also happy to return to a place where I have a room to always go back to and just relax in. This unit of the program has taught me so much about human nature. While there are many people who are power hungry and greedy, there are also those who will fight until the end to make sure that their marginalized voices are heard. The people I met changed my life forever because they were able to show me the heart’s capacity to love and care for others even when faced with some of the most challenging situations. I will never forget my paw, the farmers, or the NGOs, who taught me that there is true beauty in fighting against injustice. 

P.S.- I just uploaded a lot of new pictures to flickr!

Learning how to navigate through a new world

Although it’s not raining cats and dogs outside, it is raining quite hard out, and if you were to step into the streets of Khon Kaen, you might think that cats and dogs had literally just fallen from the sky. They litter the streets here, so I constantly have to watch out for cars, other pedestrians, and animals while walking around. The cats are more domesticated than the dogs, but both wander in and out of stores and restaurants, and they are accustomed to the crazy traffic that pollutes the city. Like the dogs and cats, I find myself roaming the streets in a slightly lost manner, but I’m never truly lost. Like the residents of Khon Kaen who feed and pet the dogs and cats, the people of Khon Kaen are all willing to lend helping hands to the American trying her best to communicate with the locals and gather some sort of directional sense of the city.

On September 13, I went for a run in the morning. The most exercise that I receive during the day is walking the 2 minutes that it takes to get to the 7-Eleven everyday, which is pathetic. I haven’t been feeling the best the last couple of days and I think that it may in part be due to the fact that I haven’t had any physical activity in the last 3 weeks. To remedy this problem, I went running at 7 AM in the fields right behind our apartment, and it was the most beautiful place that I have ever been. There were orchards, rice fields, trees lining the path…It was surreal! Afterwards, I had my Thai midterm, which wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It was 20 minutes of me having a conversation with Ajaan Pote, and I feel that I am at least somewhat conversational in Thai. Then, we had another lecture, and this one was quite boring…it was on the societal structures in Thailand, and was presented in a dull manner. Afterwards, I played badminton with some friends and went out to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Peace Time Café, which was really fun!

Then, I ran to my process facilitator meeting. I am excited to be a process facilitator, but I am also pretty nervous because it involves a lot of work, and I feel as though there aren’t enough hours in a day as it is already. I’m sure it will be fine and that I’ll make time, but it’s slightly nerve wracking. I learned that being a process facilitator means planning “where we’re at” sessions as well as monitoring the group’s progress and interpersonal relations. It seems like an interesting job, but I think that I’ll learn a lot from the experience.

On September 14, we went to the jungle wat again. It was our last day of orientation, and I was relieved because I’m ready to tackle the actual program! We were all absolutely exhausted because we’ve been going non-stop with lectures, Thai tutors, and preparing for our midterm, but we were all really excited to move onto the actual units (agriculture, slums/landfills, water, and mining). That night, we had a party at the interns’ house, which is in a village that’s 15 minutes away from where the students live. It was nice to hang out, dance, and eat the night away!

Yesterday, September 15, was a personal day. However, it wasn’t that personal since we all had a paper due the next day. I went to the library with Jenny, which made me miss the library at Goucher. The KKU library is nice, but the shades are drawn in every single room, so the only lighting is fluorescent, and it all felt so sterile (very orderly and impersonal). Oddly enough, I found it slightly refreshing to spend an entire day doing homework since that is what many weekends are spent doing in America. I was able to get a lot of work done, and afterwards, I went to the night market with some friends. It’s so lively there, and I was even able to hold a puppy that was for sale! It reminded me of when I went to a pet store with Sam, Jordan, and Steve, and it just so happened to be puppy night! Then, I met up with my roommate, some of her friends, and some of mine, and we went to the most amazing pad thai restaurant for dinner. Unfortunately, I have lost a lot of my appetite and have pretty bad stomach cramps. I think that it’s because I’m just trying to get used to the food here (everything is either noodles or rice, and it is all fried), but no one seems to have as much trouble adjusting as I am. Oh well, I’m sure that by the end of this trip my stomach will be invincible!

Today, September 16, I had Thai class for 3 hours, and then had a lecture on organic farming. Tomorrow I depart for Yasothorn Village (Thai people pronounce it “willage,” which I find to be incredibly endearing), which is an agriculturally based community. Apparently, 95% of Isaan farmers use fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides to increase their annual crop yields. A method that is heavily endorsed by the Thai government since the international market never seems to be satiated by the large amounts of Jasmine rice produced by Thailand. I’m so excited to go to Yasothorn because organic farming is an issue that I support, but one which I don’t know much about either.

I will be in Yasothorn for a week, so I will be out of touch for that period of time, but I eagerly await sharing my adventures with you when I return! I’m sending happiness and love your way!

Sa wa dee ka (both “hello” and “goodbye” in Thai…for a male, instead of “ka” you would substitute “crop”), Katie and Pee Bear

Professors Galore

On September 8th, Nic Dunlop, a photographer, spoke to us about photography since one of our big projects is to tell a story about a villager’s life through pictures. I learned a lot of things from him that I had never though of before, such as how to set up a frame and where to place a person in a picture (it’s not always best to place someone dead center). Yet more than simply learning new techniques, it was amazing to be able to hear his stories. He’s most famous because he tracked down Commander Duch, who is responsible for 26,000 deaths under the Khmer Rouge’s rule in Cambodia. Nic didn’t go into too much detail, but he showed us a video and explained that he had become obsessed with Cambodia at the age of 19, and became determined to track down Duch who was never found after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. Nic said that he carried of picture of Commander Duch all over Cambodia, until he finally found him working as a born again Christian at a religious charity (ironic).

Duch is currently on trial in Cambodia for crimes against humanity, and the trial should end sometime in November. It was also interesting to hear his stories about Burma, a project that he is currently working on. He has been exiled from the country because the government realized that he was taking pictures that were not very flattering of the Burmese government. Nic’s pictures are beautiful, and they depict people dying of Aids (ARVs are not accessible in Burma), soldiers, prisoners, political activists, prostitutes, etc. It was a great honor to meet him, and he inspired me so much. There are so many ways to shed light on the atrocities that take place all around the world, and he has done an amazing job of spreading awareness about social and political injustices.

On September 9th, Ajaan Sulak, a famous political activist, spoke to our class about the history and politics of Thailand. I was in awe of him because he has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, he won the Gandhi Millennium Award, and the Right Livelihood Award. He was a monk for 2 years and then worked with NGOs, and he now travels around the world to inform governments on peaceful resolution. After the lecture, we had an orientation activity at the jungle temple! Our task was to guide our partners, who were blindfolded, across a floor riddled with stones, plates, and candles without either of us stepping on any of those things. It was a hard challenge, and it took the entire group 5 hours! Being my clumsy self, I fell backwards and dragged my poor friend, Kara, down with me. Luckily, I walked it off with only a minor scratch, and my hair didn’t catch on fire, which it was supposedly close to doing!

That night, I got back to the room and immediately went out to dinner with Boe and 3 of her friends. We went to the cafeteria behind our apartments, and then went to a really cute dessert place. It is a milk bar as well as a bakery! Boe ordered roti with bananas, chocolate, and condensed milk (they love condensed milk here- it is on many desserts and added to many drinks)! I discovered roti the other night while walking home from a restaurant, and have been obsessed with it ever since. It is a deep fried crepe that can then be topped with many different things…It always includes condensed milk, but you can have honey, chocolate, cocoa powder, fruit, or cinnamon sugar on it. It definitely can’t be a regular dessert for me, but once in a while is heavenly!

At the dessert place, we played Bingo, which allowed me to practice my Thai numbers, and we also played Dominoes. It was funny because I have never played Dominoes before, which I think of as a classic American game to play, and the first time that I played it was in Thailand, haha! I really liked hanging out with Boe and her friends because they are all really nice and I get along with all of them. Plus, it is a goal of mine to interact with people outside of the CIEE group to better immerse myself in Thai culture.

Yesterday, September 10th, Ajaan Sulak came to speak to us again, but this time about the social structure in Thailand. We meditated on three separate occasions during the lecture, and it was incredibly relaxing. It’s hard to concentrate on just my breathing and forget about everything else in the world, but Ajaan Sulak told us that it is only natural for the mind to wander and that during the course of meditation the mind will eventually focus on the self and breathing, It was an interesting class, in which Ajaan Sulak called Bill Gates a “nice chap,” and said that he believed that the downfall of western education is that it only focuses on monetary success, as opposed to social justice and humanitarian causes.

Although I feel that this is a stereotype that is certainly not applicable to many schools and people, I have had experience with educational models not putting nearly enough emphasis on the importance of social justice. For instance, at Goucher, many students and faculty members believe that the peace studies department is a joke, and an impractical study since a lot of the occupations that one can acquire with such a degree are not very high paying.  While I can see their point of view, it is frustrating that so much emphasis is placed on monetary success as opposed to following one’s beliefs, regardless of what their passions may be. It was refreshing to hear that the Thai people think in a manner very unlike Americans, in that they believe that learning about humanitarian issues and suffering is of great importance. I can already tell that people’s commitment and belief in working towards peace in the educational environment is something that I will miss when I return to America.

My days are absolutely packed, but I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to meet such esteemed individuals, Nic Dunlop and Ajaan Sulak. Most nights, I fall asleep at 10:30-11pm because I am so worn out from the day! However, it keeps me from being homesick, and there is always something/someone to keep me laughing and smiling.

P.S.- I met my peer tutor tonight, Yee, and she is very nice and very good at tutoring me in Thai. I am excited to be working with someone who I get along with so well to help me with my Thai because I really need to improve. One of my goals is to have a coherent, longish conversation with a member of one of my host families at least one time during the program.

P.P.S- I noticed that many of the Thai tutors were looking at me in a strange manner, and I thought that it was because I was Asian (many people don’t understand that I am American because my physical appearance is Asian). However, Yee told me that the Thai people are obsessed with everything Korean, and that everyone became excited in meeting me. Yet instead of meeting me, they simply ogled me from a distance, and when I looked at them they looked away and scampered off. It was a strange experience, but I was relieved when Yee told me why people were looking at me because at first I thought that I had something terribly wrong going on. Alas, it was simply my Korean-ness grabbing the attention, haha!

P.P.P.S- I have a flickr account so that you can see my pictures.  Just go on flickr.com and search for people and then put in Katie283!

Chan rack kuhn (I love you), Katie 

Living in a sea of Asians

I have been in Khon Kaen for the past 3 days, and it has been absolutely wonderful. One of the things that I have trouble with is change, and one of the many things that attracted me to this CIEE program was the fact that participants would constantly be changing their locations and their daily routines to fit the structure of different classes and home stays. I wanted to challenge myself, and so far I feel that I have dealt with constantly being in transit pretty well. I have enjoyed all of my home stays, but it is nice to be settled in one place for, KKU, for a little less than 2 weeks. I love that I have a room to return to, that I know where things are, and that I can take refuge from the chaotic schedule in the streets, which are very safe, of Khon Kaen.

The last few days have been filled with relaxation, class, and homework. On September 5^th, I had a 10 hr. day of class, but then went out to the downtown area with about 13 other people as a reward for making it through our first two weeks of the program. We were taken to an Italian restaurant (that’s right, they have Italian restaurants here) by way of tuk tuks. Tuk tuks are little cabs that can hold roughly 4 people, but of course, we crammed 5 people into each one. They do not have any seat belts, any airbags, or any semblance of automobile “walls.” Although scary to ride because they weave in and out of lanes as though the streets are deserted when in reality they are jam packed with traffic, the experience is always fun. I was in a tuk tuk that happened to have sub woofers, which was really fun; especially because he was playing “Low” by Flo-Rida, which is a very popular song in Thailand, whereas it was the “it” song in the U.S. my freshman year (2007).

Pomodoro’s, the restaurant, was delicious and not overly pricey. We then went to U-Bar, which is the most popular bar in all of Khon Kaen. It was packed because there was a very famous band from Bangkok playing there, much to our surprise. It was a lot of fun to “dance” (the popular style of dancing is to wildly toss your head in the air while bouncing on the tips of your toes). It was a lot of fun, and also very eye-opening. CIEE had told us to not bring anything that revealed our shoulders or too much of our legs, which is understandable, but the Thai girls here wear the most revealing clothing that I have ever seen in my life.

On September 6^th, I had my second personal day, and I along with some friends, decided to try to find some craft stores that were described in our program book. We first tried to find a store that supposedly sells handmade crafts, but we were unable to find it because the directions were too vague. So we then decided to try and find the other craft store, but yet again, we were unsuccessful. We boarded a sang taow, which is a larger version of a tuk tuk and slightly safer, but the driver clearly did not understand where we were trying to go because instead of bringing us to our destination, we simply rode the tuk tuk in a circle. A large circle at that because we sat there for an hour while we watched all of the other passengers on board slowly filter out, and then watched as a new batch of people boarded to retrace the route that we had just come from. Luckily, we were all in good spirits and just considered it a funny and unexpected tour of the city. That night, I went out to dinner with some of my friends, Boe, and some of her friends. It was really nice because the American and Thai students (nach- suk-sas) were able to mingle with each other.

On September 7^th, we had class all day, and we were then split into our “where we’re at” groups. In these groups of 5-6 people, we had to come up with who would be the process facilitators. The process facilitators have to decide what the schedule is for the “where we’re at” days, and they also need to monitor the group to make sure that everybody is on-task and enjoying the program. I was chosen as the process facilitator for my group, and I’m excited/nervous to see exactly what that job description entails. Afterwards, I had a homework party in my room with 2 of my friends, Dalya and Jenny.

AnAnd now…Some things that I’ve noticed since I’ve been here:
1.     I am constantly covered in bug bites. I have been spraying deet on myself every morning, but it does not seem to detract the bugs from biting me. It’s something that I think I will simply have to become accustomed to.
2.     In order to survive, one must be fearless. The drivers here are insane and seem to think that driving laws and regulations are either nonexistent or do not apply to them. Through much observation and experience, I now know that you need to simply walk into the street regardless of the flow of traffic because otherwise you would simply be waiting for the right time to cross for literally hours. Perhaps this isn’t the best rationale, but it’s the only way that I know how to get by in Thailand.
3.     Many of the people here think that I am Thai, which is very interesting to me. I am given a lot of attention when I am with my white friends, but when I am on my own or with my home stay families, I am not called a farang (foreigner). It is nice to blend in because many of my white friends feel disrespected and singled out when called a farang instead of his/her actual name. It is as though farang is their only identity. I was slightly apprehensive to come to a country that is populated with Asians because I thought that it would be a strange sensation after being surrounded by white people my entire life.
4.     Without internet in my room, 10 hr. a day schedules, and a ton of homework, it is very hard to keep up with current events. I found out about the death of Ted Kennedy through my brother’s facebook status, which is terrible! Many of us have talked about how we feel very disconnected from the rest of the world and quite ignorant on current issues because our hectic lives do not provide the time for us to be able to read the new on a daily basis.
5.   I'm in a perpetual state of exhaustion, but I love being in Khon Kaen. Everyday that I am here I fall more in love with the people and the land. It is an amazing setting to live and learn in, and I’m excited for what’s to come. I hope that all is well in America!

 

Pee Me

It’s an odd feeling being in Thailand because time simultaneously seems to pass very quickly and very slowly. In a sense, I can’t believe that I have been here for 2 weeks, but at the same time, I feel that I have been here for much longer because of all of the things that I have already done in such a short period of time.

On August 31st, our entire group went on a tour of the city. Khon Kaen has a great downtown area that is filled with lots of markets, malls, and beautiful parks. During the tour, we visited a shrine, and we had our fortunes told. My fortune said that I shouldn’t try to be smart like those around me, that I need to study hard, and that I am very healthy. Not a great fortune, but not a terrible one either. Some of my friends got ones that said that they had to repent for their wrong-doings in their past lives.

Afterwards, I went to Nongchai, which is 20 minutes outside of Khon Kaen. At Nongchai, I met my two sisters: Bee, 17 years old, and Boom Beem, 12 years old. They are two of the sweetest girls that I have ever met!  Boom Beem is very caring, and always willing to help (with my Thai, with the dishes, with doing chores, etc), while Bee is much quieter, but just as polite and kindhearted. I learned a lot of vocabulary from them. For instance, bird is not, and bear is me, so Pee Bear is Pee Me! They love to laugh, and made sure that everything was always taken care of for me, which was unnecessary, but very nice of them.

They live with their grandmother in a house that has three rooms (2 bedroom and a living room). Their kitchen was outside, and we ate every meal on a mat on the dirt, which was nice…I loved eating while the stars were clearly visible in the night sky right above my head. For dinner, they bought me pad thai because I had told them that I thought it was “alloy ma” (very delicious). Again, the generosity that was shown to me was overwhelming. That night, we watched Thai soap operas (they had 2 televisions!). The soap operas are similar to the ones shown in the U.S., but the most interesting thing that I noticed was that the main actresses on the shows looked white. Their skin was white, which is in direct contrast to Thai people who are much darker than me, and many of them had gotten eye surgery to make their eyes look “white.”

On September 1st, Boom Beem took me to school with her, and we participated in their flag ceremony and their daily exercises. The exercises consisted of massaging one’s ears, lips, hands, etc., which was all very amusing to us Americans. Then, we got into a van and were taken to Nonwaeng, a different suburb, and we played soccer with the kids there, which was really fun. The kids here are all wonderful. Despite their poor socioeconomic statuses, they are happy, lively, and all smiles for the “foreigners.” That night, I returned to Nongchai, where there was a welcoming party for the U.S. students who were staying in that community. Boom Beem performed in a traditional Isaan dance, and she looked beautiful all dressed up! Then, the students there all received white strings that were tied to our wrists as a sign of good luck and hospitality. The experience of having 15 people tying string to your wrist to welcome you into their lives is something that I will never forget.  

On September 2nd, I returned to Nongwaeng, where we sat-in on a class of 9 year olds who were taught through an alternative teaching method…The group process. We were partnered with the kids during school activities and had snack time with them. After sitting in on the class, I returned to my home stay. Boom Beem, my friend, Hillary, her little sister, and I went to watch an aerobics class, which was fun. The aerobics classes are the same as in the U.S., except they do not use steps in Thailand. I became nervous for a little bit because a man came walking down the streets, and the girls pulled us away from the road so that he couldn’t see us as well. Then, they looked up and down the street before leading us home. Later, we found out that he was the town drunk. While I was on edge, I was also comforted by the fact that Boom Beem and Hillary’s sister were so concerned about us, and they did a very good job of making sure we were safe.

On September 3rd, I went to Mahasarakham, about an hour away from Khon Kaen, to have an exchange with Thai Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (TNP +). It was a very interesting exchange, and I found out a lot of interesting information. Luckily, the National Health Security Office in Thailand provides free healthcare, so people living with HIV/AIDS don’t need to pay for their medical bills/medications (ARVs). TNP + works with 3,000 patients from the entire district, and helps with both the mental and physical obstacles that the patients must face. There is still a lot of stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS in Thailand, and one woman (a volunteer who is also HIV positive) said that she once brought home a puppy, and her neighbors poisoned her dog because they were afraid that the dog would bite them and then pass on the infection. This was the most shocking of everything that we had heard that day, at least for me, because I never imagined that people would go to such lengths to “protect themselves.” The sad thing is that many people are uninformed about the infection, and think that impure/sinful people contract it.

As a follow-up to the exchange, I visited a 5 year-old boy who got the infection from his now- deceased mother. He began taking the ARVs when he was 3 months old, and became blind when he was 4 months old, which is a side effect of the infection. He is a sever case because he is also ADHD, and has problems controlling his body movements. He loves to sing, but he does not have any friends his own age because he is very aggressive and gets into fights with other kids. Surprisingly, his aunt, his caretaker, said that he gets sick just like any other kid, but that he doesn’t get sick due to the drugs or having HIV. One of the saddest things that I found about the situation was that he will never be able to go to school because he needs an adult with him all the time, and he is not physically capable of meeting the demands presented by attending school. Also noteworthy is the fact that he does not know that he is sick.

Many of those who had HIV/AIDS and who spoke with us, told us that they never told their children that they were sick. The children realized what was happening to their parent(s) because of all of the hospital visits, and the information that was spread to them through the community gossip. Although one must be courageous to speak about such an issue with their child, it is important for their children to be well educated, and to realize how the infection impacts lives. Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and I feel very lucky to have been able to speak with such brave, open, and strong people who are trying their best to fight for such a worthy/underrated cause.

On September 4^th, I left Nongchai to return to Khon Kaen University (KKU). Bee dropped Boom Beem and me off at school, and then Boom Beem handed me a rose during the farewell ceremony. I had a wonderful time at my home stay. Boom Beem and Bee were both very funny, nice, and more than patient with my attempts to stutter out some semblance of a sentence in Thai. However, I was excited to return to KKU because I wanted to be settled in one place. I almost lost it though when Boom Beem began to bawl into my shirt right before I stepped into the van that took me to KKU. I plan on writing to them (in Thai…With the help of my handy dictionary), and I may even try to visit them during a personal day/break…They really aren’t that far away.

At 9 AM, I had my first Thai quiz. I don’t think it went too well, but I also think that it could have gone worse, so we shall see. After Thai class, we all went in Song Taows (open-air “buses”) to the jungle temple. The jungle temple is a temple nestled amongst many trees, and hidden far from the road. It was extremely beautiful and peaceful…A place that I have only seen in National Geographic. We met a Ajaan (teacher) there, and he guided us through a 20 minute meditation, which made me the most relaxed that I have ever been since arriving in Thailand. Then, we participated in an orientation activity. It was the best atmosphere to be in after having a whirlwind 2 weeks.

When we returned to KKU, I went to dinner with some friends at the night market on campus, and we then went to an adorable café that serves ice cream. 4 of my friends decided to try the “Wall of Magic,” which is a dessert that has 9 scoops of ice cream. 3 of my friends were able to finish their desserts…Quite a feat!

Thus far, I love the program, and am so grateful for all of the amazing opportunities that I have already had. It makes me truly appreciate everything that I have in America, and I’ve begun to notice that people are amazing beings who have the capacity to possess never-ending supplies of love and courage. The only thing that does make me anxious is the fact that the program is so demanding. It’s nearly every day for at least 10 hours per day with the same people day in and day out. It’s clear that the group is becoming slightly frazzled/burnt out, so this next personal day (Sunday) is going to be wonderful! Luckily, I get along with everybody…They all seem to understand my strange sense of humor/sarcasm, haha! I miss all of you terribly, and wish all of you fun dee (sweet dreams)!