Wan Saow

Things that happened Today:

• I went to Spelling Bee for Thai high school students. In the morning, this consisted of me spell checking lists of words for the Thai ajaans as they clustered around a tiny TV straining to hear what was being said in the examination room. This was not easy feat as my spelling is abysmal and I haven't done any serious writing in English in about a month.
• After the first round of the spelling bee, I went to Kad Suwan Keaw (a giant shopping center) with my Mae because the English department at her school was receiving an award. I meant to stay with here for the ceremony but Mae Noy (Clare's host mom) insisted I would be bored and sent me off to explore the mall. For 3 hours. For some background, Kad Suwan Keaw is potentially the most poorly/confusingly designed building I have ever had the (mis)fortune to enter. I also had almost no money on me and zero interest in shopping so essentially I spent 3 hours people watching and being accosted by shop owners because I am clearly a farang, while simultaneously getting ridiculously lost again and again. Good times. Jing jing.
• In the afternoon we went back to the spelling bee because one of Mae Toi's students had made it to the final round. This time, the students had 60 seconds to spell as many words from a fixed list as possible. I have never before in my life heard anyone spell anything so quickly and I am sure that the Thai students would have sent me packing in about 2 seconds. It was ridiculous. But what do I know? I'm just a silly farang eating humble pie morning, noon, and night.
• After the spelling bee was over we met up with Nong Im and went back to Kad Suwan Keaw for ice cream and eventually dinner. This was my first time eating ice cream in Thailand and it was just as a-roi as it is in the US I am happy to say. (Fun Fact: Thais don't sweeten their whipped cream which is odd because they add ridiculous amounts of sugar to nearly everything else.) I had a really great time joking with Nong Im and telling her about all the different fruits she has to try when she comes to visit me in the US and warning her not to come to Michigan in the winter.

Ice cream and dinner were both really fun and heart warming experiences. All ISDSI students move into apartment at the end of the week so my family does not have a lot of time left together and the past month has absolutely flown by. At the ice cream parlor, Mae Toi told me "You have to come visit us all the time!" and that she and Paw Jade wish I could stay with them longer.  This was really touching to me as I generally very concerned about being too much of a burden and I worry about giving back to this family what they have given me. It also made me realize that I wish I could stay with them longer too.

Pi Aim, Nong Im, Mae Toi, Paw Jade and I post enormous dinner.

But, alas it is not to be. I have really enjoyed getting to know the family in the past month. They are the most wonderful, generous, considerate, kind, and caring people, and a very fun and vibrant family to be a part of. It's strange to think that a month ago, these people where total strangers, when now they are my second family and I feel like I really belonged with them here in Chiang Mai. I am so sad that this is my last week with them but I am going to make the most of it and I know that we have a connection that will last a lifetime.

Cheesy endings aside, I love my Thai family maak luey.

Geen Kaow Tuk Wan!

Attention!
I would just like to take a moment of your precious time and talk about rice. Rice (or kaow in pasaa Thai) is simply the best and nai brataed Thai, chan geen kaow tuk wan (in Thailand I eat rice everyday). And I am SO HAPPY about this because rice is the ultimate comfort food in every way.

I have also been eating many different things that are not comfort food but are delicious none the less. Here is a list of my favorites:

Pad Seeyu made by some lovely ISDSI students.

• Som Tdam- Spicy, salty, sour, green papaya salad. Spicy but delicious.
• Pad Seeyu- Like Pad Thai but better. So much better.
• Goi Tiao Rua- Translates to boat noodles. Delicious noodles, pork, assorted greens, crispy pork rinds, and fish cakes swimming in the most heart-warming and tasty broth you can imagine. Potentially my favorite dish so far. Really any kind of noodles. NOODLES.
• Kaow Neeaow Mah Muang- Mango Sticky Rice. Sticky rice and mango with condensed milk poured on top. Why does this not exist in America???
• Kaow Tohm- Rice porridge usually with egg, mushroom, and ginger, eaten at breakfast
• Cha Yin- Thai Iced Tea. Best drink ever. Cuts the spicy oh so well.
• Kung Ten- Dancing Shrimp. Not my favorite dish but still delicious and definitely the most interesting thing I've eaten thus far. Shrimp with lime and chiles, but the shrimp are still kind of... alive.
• Pom lah mai- Fruit. All day, every day. SO. MUCH. FRUIT. My favorites include: man kut (mangosteen), saparoh (pineapple), ngo (rambutan), persimmon (not sure what it's called in Thai), nam farang (guava juice-not really a fruit...), and of course, MANGOS

Goi Tiao Rua with Nam Farang in the background.
So perfect. I have no words. 

Som Tdam made by yours truly, Eli, Rita, Liz and Ajaan Budsakorn as part of Thai class last week.

Hopefully the pics help you to imagine all this delici-ality. Have fun waiting for your next meal!

Dancing shrimp. I got this pic just before they all decided to jump out of the dish and onto the table...

Other things that have happened recently:

Visit to Wat Suan Dok which houses a university for monks, one of whom talked to us about Thai Buddhism. Super interesting and, dare I say, enlightening. We also got to practice meditating for a while which I have decided is one of those things that I will never ever be good at. 

We journeyed to Mok Fa Waterfall in Doi Suthep National park for a student and staff retreat. The waterfall was so beautiful and swimming at its base was a wonderfully cathartic experience. The whole weekend was spent bonding, team building, leadership training, talking about health and safety, and just hanging out with some really cool people in a beautiful place.

Learning to drum at a Lanna (Northern Thai) Village that we visited this past week. The man in blue is the village headman and he was showing us how to drum properly. It was very different from Taiko but super fun all the same.
Yay for experiential education!

I got a haircut! It's was sudden and unexpected but Mae Toi was getting her haircut and I went along for the ride.  I asked for a trim and got this. A somewhat frightening experience.

Field trip to Crazy Horse Buttress last Friday- Taken from 40 meters up while hanging from a zipline. So much fun climbing and rapelling!

View from the bottom of the cave! Sanook, Sabai, Suay!

All in all it's been a wonderful week. Can't wait to see what comes next!