Things are always changing here. I just finished my last Thai language class for the duration of my time in Thailand. I didn’t expect it to come so soon, there is so much more i’d love to know. It’s been so hard to notice the time passing here. Thanksgiving is today/tomorrow (depending where you are in the world) and that blows my mind. Always moving and always going, it feels a bit more like being in another dimension, another plane of time. So, Thai class finishing today seems to be a mark of something.
Fortunately, I have a lot to be thankful for. Our last course, Forests, was an incredible experience. Living in Mae Hong Son with my Karen host families: hiking from village to village, working in the rice fields, exploring the fallows, playing with the village kids/ little host siblings, eating the local variety of cucumber that is the size of a watermelon, using my thai with my families and local instructors. laughing for hours with my padee in Nam Hoo, getting to talk gender with the women of huey tong kaw- Between this course and returning back to a wonderful Chiang Mai- I fear I may actually be experiencing the closest I will get to a honey moon phase, or at least, the closest i’ve been yet. Since returning to Chiang Mai, I’ve spent some quality time with my older host sister, Pi Goo, and her faen, Pi Oy. The connections I have made with my Thai family are strong already, and though I know it is pre-emptive to say it, If I keep going at this rate, I will miss them immensely upon leaving. Luckily, i’ll be in Chiang Mai all of January and will have plenty of time during ICRP.
Things change here so frequently and in so many ways, that I think these good things will stay, and transform into other things as well. As it is, I have only a few of the many portions of this program left: oceans expedition portion, winter break and some travelling?, and the ICRP.
We started learning about the oceans this week and despite being excited for what’s about to go down, my terrestrial bias is definitely showing and i’m also a bit nervous for the whole ordeal. On Sunday we leave for the south by plane. The first week we are kayaking and camping and doing reef surveys and snorkeling- scientific stuff that i’m still trying to wrap my mind around. The second half of the course is on the coast with a muslim host family learning about community resource management. the homestay experiences have been sometimes weird but mostly good so far and i can’t wait for one more. Plus, by the time i come back i’ll be able to identify several dozen ocean fish species. who am i kidding, i’m supposed to know those by tomorrow. and write a six page paper on coastal resource management. all on thanksgiving! this all said to point out the absurdity i feel is my life right now. beautiful and reasonable but absurd a little, nonetheless.
a day’s work here is a funny thing. I feel so fortunate for it all right now. oh thanksgiving, way to go make me all sentimental and shit. way to go.
