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sophiewriteswordsfromfaraway · 6 years

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3: A WEEK OF FIRSTS IN CHIANG MAI

Let me preface this entry by apologizing for not posting this blog entry earlier. It’s been an incredible, rewarding, and extremely busy month (+) in Thailand. Along with exploring a new city, meeting a terrific group of new friends, and integrating ourselves into the Thai culture, we have had homework to complete and lesson plans to write.

So, finally, I have a moment to put the stories and experiences of the first wonderful week onto virtual paper.

AWAY WE GO TO CHIANG MAI!

DAY .5 (SUNDAY)

Ryan and I arrived at the Chiang Mai airport, grabbed our bags, and met up with our driver, as well as some new friends from our program. We were taken to La-Mer Hostel in the Old City of Chiang Mai and given the keys to our assigned rooms. (Mine is a cute little corner room with sky blue walls and floral tile. I have grown quite fond of it.) Soon after, we had our first meeting with the entire group of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) students.

A REMINDER/EXPLANATION:

We will spend the majority of the month of October living in Chiang Mai and training to become English teachers. Following our certification, we will receive our school placements and move on to our respective cities all over Thailand.

Saying that the group is absolutely wonderful would be an understatement. Every single member of our class of 22 is so kind-hearted, open-minded, and ready for challenge and adventure. Many, though not all, are extremely well-traveled, and some have previous teaching experience. Regardless, everyone is so unbelievably excited about being here and supportive of each other.

A COLLECTION OF NAMES AND HOME STATES OF THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE I NOW CALL FRIENDS:

Alayna (Minnesota), Alex (California), Brandon (New York), Celia (Washington), Conor (Manchester, England), Dalton (Washington), Erica (Tennessee), Erica (Maine), Nathia (Maryland), Gabe (Colorado), James (Melbourne, Australia), Jessica (Vancouver, Canada), Kelly (Oregon), Mallory (Tennessee), Nicole (Michigan), Ryan (Illinois), Taylor (Colorado), Taylor (Kentucky), Tori (West Virginia), Tori (Minnesota), Vee (Illinois)

Yes, you read that right! There are two other girls from Tennessee! And guess what?! THEY ARE FROM NASHVILLE! There are three Nashvillians in our little group all the way across the globe. They went to school just down the road from me! It always surprises me how small the world can be.

After the initial meeting, at which we introduced ourselves and received information about the next month of training, we all headed just a few streets down to the famous Chiang Mai Sunday Walking Market.

WHAT IS THE FAMOUS CHIANG MAI SUNDAY WALKING MARKET?

I’m glad you asked. Simply put, it is a long stretch of the city blocked off for vendors to set up small stalls of food, clothes, trinkets, bags, sunglasses, etc. Pedestrians make their way through the crowded streets to shop and eat and listen to the live music played by buskers on the street.

It was absolutely packed, which added to the crazy energy and authenticity. We bumped and pushed our way through the people and stalls for about two hours before stopping off to listen to live music at a patio bar on a side street. A bluesy-rock band of Thai men belted out a classic: “They call me the breeze. I keep blowing down the road.” A fitting end to our first night in the city of Chiang Mai.

DAY 1 (MONDAY)

We began our day in the classroom with a brief meeting. Soon, we departed for the nearby mall complex in our very first songthaew ride. Remember that pickup truck with the roof and benches welded on the back that I mentioned in the previous post? Turns out that would become the staple method of transportation around Chiang Mai.

At the huge mall, we shopped around for necessary items (Thai burner phone circa 2007), and then had the unique pleasure of enjoying a Thai food court.

Later that night, we all decided to check out a local reggae bar and were absolutely floored by what we heard. The band, which consisted of 5 Thai guys playing the guitar, bass, drums, saxophone, keyboard, played through a mind-blowingly varied setlist. Not only did they smash out some classic reggae hits, but they also played rock, ballads, country, latin, and pop. It was fabulous, even “transcendent.”

DAY 2 (TUESDAY)

Tuesday began with a trip to the rice paddies in the outskirts of Chiang Mai. We had a lesson on planting rice and spent an out pushing clusters of rice bulbs into the muddy floor of the paddies. Though our group made it fun, planting was hot and physically tiring. I have so much respect for the farmers who do this work day in and day out. It is such a difficult and taxing job for people who get little societal respect or recognition. Next time you have rice, take a moment to think about where it came from and who spent their days planting, cultivating, and harvesting it.

After rinsing the mud of the paddies of our feet, we hopped back into the red songthaews and continued on to our next stop: a Muay Thai gym.

MUAY THAI: A DICTIONARY DEFINITION

(n.) a martial art developed in Thailand in which blows may be struck with the fists, elbows, knees, and shins

Our training session began with stretching, running, and a crash-course in the standard Muay Thai boxing moves. Then, we rotated through a weight-lifting circuit (complete with flipping massive tires). We finished by practicing our jabs, cross-jabs, elbow strikes, kicks, and knee strikes one-on-one with a Muay Thai fighter. Needless to say, we were all sweaty and exhausted.

To cap off a day of new experiences, Ryan and I decided to try a fish pedicure, aka submerging your feet into a tank while a bunch of tiny minnows nibble all the dead skin off of your feet. IT WAS WILD. The first few minutes consisted of squealing and squirming, because it really did feel like a bunch of tiny minnows were munching on your toes. As we settled into the idea of it, though, it began to feel more like a consistent vibration. It turned out to be a very relaxing experience, and my feet had never been softer.

DAY 3 (WEDNESDAY)

The overcast Wednesday morning was a perfect backdrop for a meditation session with a very informative and funny monk. He spends his time traveling around the world teaching and practicing Buddhist meditation. Because of this, he can imitate a startling number of global accents, including (but not limited to) Australian, German, English, and even Minnesotan! After answering our questions about the monkhood and cracking more than a few jokes, he led us in a short guided meditation. If you’ve ever tried meditation, you know it can be a tedious and difficult task, but if done right, it can be cleansing and rejuvenating. For most of us, it leaned more toward the former. Add ‘improve mediation skills’ to the Thai to-do list!

Next, we visited the tunnel temples and pagoda connected to the meditation center. Both were beautiful—ancient gray stone covered in brilliant green moss. The small temples at the end of each tunnel were simple but fascinating, all with small sticks of incense spiraling smoke into the air.

We piled back into the trusty songthaews and made the twisting climb (almost 5,500 feet in elevation) up the mountain to Doi Suthep, a famous temple outside Chiang Mai. We arrived and promptly hiked up the few hundred steps to the entrance of the temple. Once inside, we were stunned by the glorious colors and intricate detail of the space. Equally as breath-taking was the view from the side balcony. You can see for miles and miles—all of Chiang Mai and the mountains beyond.

That evening, we all walked across the old city to the Night Bazaar, a nightly market with clothes, souvenirs, cheap gadgets, an international food stand area, and live music. We sat together and drank and ate and sang along with the music AND THEN WE ATE A BUNCH OF BUGS.

WHAT?

Yes. Bugs. Crickets. Silk worms.

At first, it was a cautious nibble and then, before too long, it became a game of ‘what are the odds you’ll eat x amount of bugs.’ Hilarious and gross.

In case you’re wondering, the jury is split. I say silk worms are way better. Ryan opts for crickets every time.

DAY 4 (THURSDAY)

Thursday was packed with classroom time—Thai language, Thai culture and politics, and more information regarding placements.

3 RANDOM FACTS THAT I LEARNED ON THURSDAY:

Most Thai noodle dishes are eaten with a spoon in your dominant hand and fork in the other. The eater is to fork the food onto the spoon and eat.

You can make or break relationships in Thailand depending on your wai (customary Thai greeting in the form of a small bow).

The Thai monarchy is intertwined in almost every facet of Thai life. In the wake of the former King’s death, Thailand has been in a state of mourning since last October.

DAY 5 (FRIDAY)

After a few classes in the morning, we visited a huge market in the heart of Chiang Mai’s Chinatown. This market was particularly interesting, because it was seemingly located in an abandoned three-story mall complete with non-functioning escalators. It boasted a unique mix of smells and goods.

That evening, our program agency hosted a family-style dinner in a gorgeous riverside restaurant for both our group and the other TESOL group studying across the city. The restaurant is owned by a former Thai pop star and was absolutely beautiful, especially lit up at night. We were able to mingle, admire the beauty of the location, and enjoy the live folk music.

We ended the night dancing to the now-infamous band at the Reggage Bar. Groovy. Boogie on, Thailand!

DAY (SATURDAY)

After a week of XploreAsia-sponsored orientation activities, we took it upon ourselves to organize something: a visit to the Elephant Sanctuary. It did not disappoint.

We were picked up outside the hostel by two rugged-looking songthaews early in the morning. For almost 2 hours, we twisted down the windy roads deeper and deeper into the jungle. As we drew closer to the sanctuary, the road turned into a bumpy dirt path. We weaved through the trees until we reached a steep trail, at which point we hopped out of the trucks and carried massive bundles of bananas across a rushing river and down to a bamboo structure with a primitive deck and long table. We were met by our guide, who talked to us about Asian Elephants and the Karen People, a mountain tribe in the hills outside Chiang Mai, and their role in caring for the animals.

With bunches of bananas in our hands, we followed the mahouts to a small grassy patch with five or so elephants—3 big and 2 babies.

MA-WHAT NOW?

A mahout! A mahout is an elephant trainer and care-taker. Each mahout is assigned an elephant when he is of age. This assignment lasts for life, as elephants have roughly the same life expectancy as humans. The mahout and the elephant develop a relationship over time, and the mahouts use verbal commands to train and communicate with the elephants.

Hesitant at first, we fed the elephants one banana at a time and moved cautiously around them. Soon, though, we understood how gentle and smart these elephants were and began to interact with them, pet their trunks, and pat their sides.

We restocked our bananas and continued on to another area with another group of elephants. The oldest elephant, a grandma to most of the babies, was my favorite. I found her rough trunk and wrinkly, smiling eyes to be so endearing and captivating. I could have spent all day feeding and petting her.

After lunch and a quick nap in the sun, we headed down to a muddy pit to give the elephants a mud bath. We splashed them with the brown water and rubbed handfuls of mud into the skin on their backs. Once we were all covered in mud, elephants and humans both, we walked to the creek to rise off. The elephants piled into the deepest section and rolled around—massive creatures tumbling in the water like children. It was quite a sight to take in.

After a final talk from our guide about treating elephants ethically with care and dignity (no riding!), we said goodbye to our amazing friends and made our way back to Chiang Mai.

SHAMELESS PLUG:

For more information and to support a very worthy cause, visit http://www.elephantjunglesanctuary.com/

#thailand #chiangmai #tesol #teach #teachabroad #expat #greenheart #xploreasia #asia

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