Host Family Farewell Dinner

Tonight was our host family farewell dinner, put on by ISDSI, as a way to say thank you to our host families for everything they have done for us over the last month. It was held at a fancy hotel in Chiang Mai and the dress was required Lanna clothing. I am accustomed to seeing my classmates in either our school uniform or hiking clothes, so it was fun to see the various outfits and costumes in which their families had dressed them up!

After a dinner of Northern Thai food, there was a talent show put on by the students.  It is called a talent show, but I think it is really a venue for all the host families to show off their students…..many of us, including myself, were volunteered for our roles in the show! Nevertheless, it was a fun time! The acts were mainly Thai dancing and singing, with some of the students performing together in groups and some dancing and/or singing with their host siblings. I ended up singing a song (yes, I really did!) about Northern Thai food with two of my friends who share our carpool and my host dad singing/accompanying on guitar. I don’t think it was on tune at all, but hey, why not share in the embarrassment?!? And considering all of this, the entertainment value is very high! All the Ajaans and Pi’s have been saying that the farewell dinner is their favorite night of Foundations, mostly likely because they get to watch all of us get dressed up by our families and embarrass ourselves in front of the entire group!

For those of you who might not know….our four week Foundations course ends this week. We’re moving out of our host families’ homes and into apartments this week, and Monday marks the beginning of Agroecology. After a week of lectures in the city, we’ll be heading out into the field for three weeks of hands-on learning….

It is really hard to believe that this is the end of my first homestay. The time has gone by so quickly, and I know that once the expeditions begin the rest of the semester is just going to fly! It is bittersweet though. On one hand, I am really looking forward to being in the apartments. I am looking forward to having freedom and the ability to make decisions; to be able to run more than just laps around my house; to go bouldering or to the market or to get coffee after school if I want; to decide what, when, and how much I eat. Though it is only a week, it will be nice to experience some autonomy and to have a bit of a cleanse, per say, from fried food and rice before heading out into the field (but I really cannot even complain, because my host family was probably the best situation I could have asked for). I am also very much looking forward to living with my classmates and getting to know my way around the city better.

On the other hand, I feel so thankful to have experienced the normal life and routine of a Thai family. My host family has done so much for me that I almost feel indebted to them (and even slightly guilty for looking forward to leaving). They have welcomed me into their home; introduced me to their friends and extended family; shared their food and taught me how to cook; showed me their city; put up with my attempts at Thai and exponentially improved their English; and most of all, made me a part of their family for the past month. As we would say when talking about Thai culture, I am now part of their “circle of family.” I am forever connected to them and to their network of colleagues, family, and friends merely by association, an association that brings with it an expectation of social obligations and favors that are constantly being given and received.

Though I am leaving, I am glad to know that the relationship does not end here. Really, this connection is for life. Our Pi’s have told us, for example, that when they came back to Thailand several years after participating in ISDSI themselves, it was their Chiang Mai host families who picked them up at the airport. And so I know I will see my family again on the weeks in between field expeditions, as well as at the end of my program before I leave for the states, which really doesn’t even make it a goodbye.

Girls Weekend

It’s been pretty busy around ISDSI lately! We’re still knee deep in Thai language class, and it is hard to believe we’ve learned so much in such a short period of time. The husband of one of our ajaans also came and talked to us about his work with land rights, which was extremely interesting.

On Friday, our field trip was to a fish farm outside the city. The fish farm itself is a business that breeds Tilapia and sells the Tilapia to local farmers, who then raise the fish and sell them at the market for a profit. The proceeds from this business funnel into a foundation that benefits the Hill Tribe people, especially children, through English lessons, education about Lanna culture, and art and music instruction. A pretty neat set-up; local people have a means of income yet others also receive additional help!

We spent the day at the fish farm learning about the way in which it functions. The morning was spent seeing where the baby fish are kept, after which we waded through waist-deep water and mud, dragging nets along the bottoms of several fish ponds (we were collecting the fish so they could be moved to different ponds). Per usual, a couple hours of work were followed by great food and a nice long sit. Lunch was none other than fresh-from-the-pond Tilapia, which, along with this sweet-and-sour sauce, was probably up in the ranks of best fish I’ve eaten! In the afternoon, we were wading in different ponds, where we were collecting adult fish, determining whether they were male or female, and then collecting eggs if they were female. So incredibly fun! Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures, so hopefully this description suffices.

This weekend was interesting, to say the least. Yesterday, I went with my host mom and host grandmother to the funeral for one of my grandmother’s friends. And it was an experience. When we arrived there were already many people sitting around folding tables, with monks chanting in the background. Nobody appeared sad, and the only people who seemed to be actually listening to the monks were a group of women sitting directly in front of them. For everyone else, it seemed like it was social hour! Food was served in rounds, and all the while my host mother was chatting away with her friends, who were showing each other pictures on Facebook and telling me about the “sexiest,” “most pretty,” and “most athletic” people from their high school days. After a couple hours of social hour, the deceased woman’s coffin was paraded down the road to a sacred place specifically funerals. We sat and listened to more talking and then everyone filed by the coffin to place ceremonial flowers on top. I was told that the body would then be washed, her clothes changed, and then cremated.

Funeral procession

After the funeral ended, we continued on to Chiang Dao. I did not realize this beforehand, but Chiang Dao is where my host mother grew up, and my grandmother splits her time between her house in Chiang Mai and her house in Chiang Dao. Apparently my host mother got married in the living room and had her wedding dinner at a resort just down the road, so it was really neat to be able to see some of her childhood! We’re back in Chiang Dao today, but it was a nice (though exhausting) trip. It seems as though most of my host mother’s family still lives in the village where she grew up, and it was great meeting extended family, cousins, and friends. Compared to our village in Chiang Mai, everyone was friendly, loving, and always joking, which was nice to witness in contrast to the life I live in Chiang Mai.

I’m taking a little breather now before the birthday party that is happening for my host mother’s sister later tonight. There will be Vietnamese food, lots of laughing, and probably karaoke, but honestly, I’m most looking forward to the chocolate ice cream cake we bought from the supermarket! It’s my last weekend and last full week here with my host family….hard to believe, but I’ll save all those thoughts for another post on another day.

Retreat Weekend!

This weekend we had a really, really great weekend retreat in the mountains. After meeting at ISDSI Friday morning, we first headed to a lake outside of Chiang Mai for our swim test: a 300m open water swim followed by 15 minutes of treading water. Because the oceans course, especially, has so many water elements including sea kayaking, snorkeling, and skin diving, they have to make sure we are all proficient enough in the water. I wasn’t too worried and did pass, but if students did not pass this weekend and do not pass a re-test later in the semester, they have to wear a life jacket any time we are on or near water. But luckily most of us did just fine!

After lunch at the lake, we headed up to the national park and Mok Fah waterfall where we would be spending the weekend. Of course it was not a completely free weekend, and we did have several seminars on various topics….most of which were about staying healthy in the tropics. We went over the various animals, plants, and elements that could be potentially dangerous/harmful, and how to remain healthy while we are in the field. We also went over basic first aid, how to assess a patient and situation if we find ourselves in an emergency situation, and how to carry an injured person. It is highly unlikely that we would ever need these skills as we will always be with other students, local guides, and our field instructors who are WFRs, but it is good to know just in case.

Aside from the academics, this weekend was really just a chance to spend unstructured free time together as one large group. We see each other everyday but it certainly is not enough time, especially with over 30 students in the program, to really meet and talk with everyone. Yesterday afternoon, us students made the short trek to the Mok Fah waterfall…pretty amazing and hard to believe this is how I get to spend my semester! Besides the exploring, it was really nice to play games, have a campfire, talk, and stay up way past our 9pm bedtimes (we live pretty crazy lives in our home stays!) listening to the live guitar/uke/banjo music and singing! It was also really great to get to know our Pi’s a little better, since we haven’t had much of a chance yet (Pi is like an older brother/sister, and it is what we call our field instructors. It’s a polite term and is a step down from our teachers, who we call Ajaan).

In addition to all these wonderful activities, we also had some American food! The highlight, for everyone I think, was peanut butter and jelly/nutella toast with coffee in the morning. It’s the little things you miss when you eat rice with every meal!

Even though we still have the entire semester, coming back was a little bittersweet. It was awesome being together as a big group and everyone is really looking forward to the apartments, so it’s hard going back to our individual host families knowing we still have a couple more weeks (actually 2, where did time go?). But it makes me all the more excited to go into the field!

Not real life!

In other news, my host mom has been teaching me how to “cook” Thai food, and this evening she taught me how to make a meatball soup and fried rice. This really consists of me watching, occasionally stirring, and trying to write down ingredients, half of which I either have no idea of the English name or have no clue about whether or not I’ll be able to find it in the states. I’m building my repertoire of dishes I theoretically know how to make, so maybe I will be able to make something decently well when I return. But either way, I think my host mom enjoys showing me how she cooks since it is something she really enjoys.

Cooking (mis)adventures

For your humorous morning entertainment…..

So my host mom told me yesterday that I was making spaghetti tonight. We’ve been comparing food the last couple of weeks but since we don’t really have one “typical” type of food in America, my go-to answer is to say that a lot of people eat fast food. They also ask what we eat at home, whether my dad cooks, and if I ever cook. Lots of questions made especially difficult when there is a communication barrier! But I think I somehow communicated to them that I could cook pasta. So anyways, I believe that’s how this whole adventure began…..

Today, after dropping my host brother off at English school, was the day for shopping for supplies. We headed to Big C, called a supermarket but really a store where you can get anything- from shoes and toys to beauty products and food. We don’t go here often; we get our fruits, vegetables, and meat at the outdoors market just up the road from our village. But Big C is the place to go for processed food and “American” products like peanut butter, cereal, and pasta.

I figured it wouldn’t be that bad. I mean, how hard is it to cook spaghetti? I emailed my Mom and figured out a pretty simple recipe for spaghetti sauce, salad, and salad dressing. Something we normally eat at home that I could share with my host family and mostly vegetables, so I knew I could definitely find the majority of the ingredients!

But the problems started right away. Since we have longer noodles a fair bit here, I figured I’d mix it up and get some smaller pasta. Try explaining to your host mom (who thinks that spaghetti is only longer pasta) the difference between types of pasta- about as difficult as figuring out all the different types of noodles here! Then basil for the sauce was nowhere to be found, so I was just hoping the sauce would have some sort of taste. I was also looking for vinegar to make a vinegar/oil dressing for the salad. Since that- again- nowhere to be found, I resorted to these packets of what looked like salad dressing (think fast food-type packets) that smelled remotely like what I was looking for. Of course I could not read anything on the packet and my host mom had no idea either, since salad and salad dressing is a foreign concept here. So here we are leaving the store, and I’m half wondering if this is even going to work.

Then we get home and unpack the groceries. While at Big C, my host mom had repeatedly reassured me that she had spaghetti sauce at home. I thought that was a weird item to keep stocked in a Thai home, but just figured I would go with it. So as we’re putting away groceries, my host mom digs into the far corners of the cabinet under the kitchen sink and pulls out: none other than a gigantic bottle of ketchup! That she had intended for me to use as spaghetti sauce, and which clearly was not going to work!  I hadn’t even started cooking yet, and I was already down from spaghetti to pasta with vegetables. American cooking: 1, Kathleen: 0 and it was only 4pm!

In the end, though, it worked out very well. It didn't necessarily taste how I imagined, but it was really yummy. My host mom helped me, which is pretty ironic considering she is a great cook and I could probably count on one hand the number of times I have actually cooked a full meal. I was worried my host family would not like the food since it had neither meat nor chilies, but they, to my surprise, ended up loving it! My host mom is thrilled that she now knows how to cook “American” pasta and my host brother, who avoids most vegetables, even ate the salad! And apparently I am making the same exact thing for my host grandmother tomorrow for lunch!

I think it was maybe the first meal since I’ve been here that did not involve rice of some sort, which was a welcome change! As were the raw vegetables (we eat a lot here, but they’re always cooked). And nothing beats the fresh food in Thailand! Everything you see here came straight from the market this afternoon!

In other news: my host mom thinks I have forgotten to wash my sheets, and told me to remember to wash them tomorrow. Except I didn’t even know I was supposed to be washing my sheets and hadn’t planned on washing them at all…I’ve only been here two weeks! She might have a heart attack if she knew how infrequently I clean my dorm at Wooster!

Elephants, Adventures, and Wats

I’m finding that one of the best times to write a blog post is after our Friday adventure, when I’m too physically tired to do anything but sit in bed and too mentally exhausted to put together a coherent Thai sentence….so here’s a re-cap from the last week or so:

Last weekend we went to an elephant conservation camp. It was interesting! We saw all the elephants take baths and then an elephant show where the trainers had the elephants do activities like play catch, roll logs, and bow. We also saw some baby elephants and the hospital where the animals are taken if they are sick. I’m still not sure how I feel about wild animals in captivity being trained to perform like that, but I guess you just have to trust that they are being treated well. Although it definitely never gets old seeing such beautiful and massive animals in such close proximity!

The elephants also painted during the show.

Up close and personal!

Baby elephant!

Elephant bath time.

This school week was also full of adventures. I’m finding that with ISDSI, just when you think you can’t stand sitting in another classroom, you won’t be. As part of Foundations, we’re learning about the city of Chiang Mai. Normally we have lecture in the afternoon, but on Tuesday and Wednesday we headed into the Old City, where we learned about the city’s history. Chiang Mai used to be gated (the walls still stand, but now only define the original old city), and we learned that it was designed in the shape of a human body; one gate at the north for the head, two east and west for arms, and two south for feet. Consistent with Thai culture, the North gate was only for the King to enter (because the head is the most sacred part of the body) and all deceased persons would exit the city through one of the southern most gates (because feet are the dirtiest part of the body). We also visited several Wats and talked with a couple monks, where we learned that temples are increasingly becoming community centers, educating people and holding events in order to preserve cultural identity and foster within the people a pride in their heritage.

Some of these Buddhist scripts are 700 years old!

Thursday, instead of Thai class, we all headed to the market to buy food to cook lunch, and of course to put our wonderful Thai language skills to use! Obviously we can’t become fluent in a language in five weeks so they definitely structure our learning based on what we need to know to get by and by what pertains most to our classes. Even so, it is still nice to learn something in the classroom, and then be able to immediately apply it in the “real world”! 

Today, Friday, our field trip was a hike up a mountain to a temple. This temple is famous in Chiang Mai because it houses some of the Buddha’s ashes and is built on top of a mountain. We started at the bottom, stopped at one temple to look around and eat lunch around midday, and then made it to the top- and the Doi Suthep temple- in the afternoon. The Doi Suthep temple, although beautiful and extremely ornate, was much too crowded and touristy for my liking, and I probably speak for everyone when I say that the first temple in the forest was much more appealing. Still, it was fun to see the view of Chiang Mai from the top, and even more rewarding knowing we had hiked all the way up!

Lunch! Sticky rice and pork, wrapped in banana leaves.

High fashion outside the temple.

Wat Doi Suthep