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.