I Want to Hold Your Hand, and Get Back on the Bus

September 7, 2011

The Beatles had people in complete awe of them, wanting nothing more than to be near them. Now, I would not say I have John Lennon status here in Thailand, but at school in the village, the children certainly wanted to hold my hand.  In fact, all of us had 3-4 Thai kids ranging in age from 6 to 13 hanging off of us at any moment in time.  For our third day in the community, instead of Thai class, we had a “Thai Fun Activity”, consisting of us playing games with kids at school, and then us teaching them an activity.  Thank you, summer camps, because we all quickly agreed to teach them “Baby Shark”, and out second was “The Banana Song”.  If you are unfamiliar with these, I highly recommend learning them, because just as I thought they would never come in handy again—I was mistaken.  The joy that came from these kids was indescribable.  Later, at our homestays, we had kids doing the hand motions, asking us to sing it again.

My homestay could probably be best described by the final night.  Until the last night, it was a lot of observing and eating.  I didn’t really feel a strong connection to my family, and it was not the easiest three days of my life. It did, however, have a very happy ending when the entire village gathered at my neighbor’s house and we had what I would call a block party.  There was music, all the students ate a meal together prepared by many families, and we danced into the night (meaning like 8:00pm, because that is a normal bed time in villages.)

These past few days in Khon Kaen have given us a time to actually explore the city and get a hold of public transportation. Saung Taos, which are “buses” where you sit on benches on the flat of a pick-up truck with a roof, have been an exciting way of exploring.  For instance, last night as we tried to get to this Italian place for dinner, we were supposed to switch buses.  This, of course, we did not know, and ended up past the slums and far from the city.  As the Saung Tao slowed to a stop, the nine of us looked at each other, and got off hesitantly as we were kicked off by the driver.  The fear started to set in for sure, but luckily, there was one store with its light on, and the two women in the pharmacy spoke a little English.  We had them call a cab for us, because we had no clue where we were.  Seeing as cab drivers have numbers, but do not answer their phones, we were stuck.  At that moment, another Saung Tao drove up, and we had the women ask them to drive us to the hotel down the street from the restaurant.  At the price of 200 bhat, it was totally worth it.  So our personal taxi Saung Tao drove us back down the shady roads, and the night concluded with a delicious pizza.  (I absolutely love Thai food, but as a true American, I really missed pizza).  Another adventure, another night in Thailand.

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Lean on Me, Leech on Me

August 29, 2011

My departure from Bangkok was timely, as I was ready to experience something outside of the backpacking district of the capital. The drive to the “resort” where we stayed this past week was about 7 hours from Bangkok in Khon Kaen, Provence. We left our computers to be brought to Khon Kaen University, so the week was entirely wireless and open for bonding.  Through many group meetings and activities, we really started to work together as a group, finding our way each moment.  Whether we were transferring people through a web of string or discussing oppression, we leaned on each other through rougher moments and celebrated the positives together.  It seems like we are really forming a strong community, which is a main focus of the program both internally and within the villages we stay in.

On our way to the resort, we stopped about halfway through for a nature walk. By nature walk, of course I mean sludging through mud in gaters (which are cloth coverings for your legs and feet, because apparently there are leeches in the national park).  The scenery was absolutely gorgeous and followed by a delicious plate of kauw pad (fried rice).  As we went to get in the van, though, I noticed I was bleeding on my foot, so the med kit was grabbed so that I could bandage my apparent leech wound. It wasn’t until we were ten minutes on the road that I noticed I was bleeding on my thigh as well, and friends in the back of the van simultaneously found a huge leech on the ground. I suppose I, too, am delicious. All is fine, the leech was killed and cleaned up, and I was bandaged. Needless to say, mai pen rai (it’s all good / no problem—and a popular Thai phrase at that).

We started Thai class this week, and wow, is it a difficult language. Sure, they don’t have verb conjugations, but they have tones for each word. Use the wrong tone, and it’s a different word. So, although I will throw in some random Thai in these posts, it is not really helpful without audible dictation.

rice paddies in Thailand

The final stop before coming to Khon Kaen University, and our apartments, was a homestay in a weaving village. I was with one other girl, and together, we maybe understood 10%. Communication was not easy, and all our Meh (mom) wanted to do was feed us and have us take an abb naam (shower). However, in the course of 24 hours, we had a fresh coconut and grapefruit picked off a tree for us, ate fresh peanuts, and helped farm rice, pulling up the plants in the paddy. I also was attacked by my host mom with baby powder (which has the affect of Icy-Hot here). Before we left, some of us spent a few hours playing with the kids at school. My favorite game was their version of Duck Duck Goose, which involves a shirt instead of patting heads and a very catchy song. We were running around, slipping on the dirt, and finally “communicating” with Thais.

playing duck duck goose

It has been a long week, filled with surprises and adventure. I finally have met my roommate and moved in, and she is so cool. She is an English major, so communication is fairly simple. We were welcomed last night through a traditional Thai welcoming ceremony and we have a short weekend break before heading off to the Railroad community on Sunday.

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Milan or Milano

August 29, 2011

For those of you reading this before lunch or after dinner, no, I do not mean Milano cookies. I mean Milan, the fashion capital of the world (sorry Paris) located in Northern Italy and home to Universita Comerciale da Luigi Bocconi, the soon to be home of me.

Now, believe it or not, I did not just name my post so I could drop in a little comedic line about Milano cookies. (I thought about saying something about actress Alyssa Milano, but we can’t use up all of the good stuff on the first post.) Instead, it is supposed to be symbolic of the polarization between my life in America and the life I’m about to embark on in Italia. (Who says Richmond kids aren’t smart?) While the climates may be the same, the culture is not. The people, the language, the food (oh baby, the food!), activities, fashion… there will be a lot of adjusting for someone who steps outside of his comfort zone one foot at a time, with his finger on speed dial to call home to mommy. Okay, no, I’m not really that bad, but it’s going to take some getting used to, and my nervous excitement continues to grow into a ball of… we’ll call it uncertainty, best characterized by the word “duh.”

However, as my plans come together and the days get closer, everything is becoming real for me. Yes, I’m really going to Italy, yes, I’m going to be out of the country for 4 months, yes, I really need to pack. (Thanks Mom). However, I view the challenges with strength to overcome them, like the Marco Polo of my day, and I view the opportunities with something best described as jumping-off-the-walls excitement.

My head is spinning with questions like, when can I move into my dorm? Should I get an Italian phone? Do they deport Americans who forget important paperwork? But overall, I’m letting my excitement and optimism get the best of me. My friend who is somewhat of a study abroad guru, having spent a semester in both New Zealand and China and currently petitioning his University for a third semester in Spain, gave me some advice that I hold in high regard. It’s like getting home decorating advice from Martha Stewart (or maybe stock trading tips), golf lessons from Tiger Woods (well, I mean old Tiger… New Tiger is a different story), or hair care lessons from Mr. Clean (whether you like the clean shaven look or not, you have to admit the guy cleans up good… cheesy pun intended). Anyway, I digress. He said to be like Jim Carrey in Yes Man and embrace every opportunity, meet new people, explore as much as possible, and make sure to expand your horizons and blend into the culture and society where you are living. Finally, he said, take every action or opportunity like a new adventure to embark on, make a memory, good or bad, and learn about life and about yourself through new experiences. So consider me Dora the freaking Explorer. I plan on enjoying this once in a lifetime experience by being true to myself and accepting the changes and opportunities around me. So for those of you reading out there, I feel like this blog should be quite entertaining, and I can’t wait to share the next 4 months exploring the land of my ancestors with y’all. So goodbye for now, family, see ya later best friend & girlfriend, peace out friends from Richmond and New Jersey, ciao Uncle Sam, arrivederci hurricane Irene, and hasta luego Statue of Liberty (Ut oh… that last one was in Spanish… I’m in trouble.)

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Anticipation.

August 24, 2011

Summer 2011 has been the longest summer of my life. Not just because an amazing experience is waiting at the end, but quite literally. My break started in the middle of May and will last until the middle of September – a full 4 month summer. As all my friends begin returning to school and starting the new semester, I still have almost a month of summer… to endure. The pure anticipation is excruciating. I want to be there. I want the experience to start.

Having lived in Richmond for half my life, I only have a simple 10 minute drive to visit friends on campus. Some of which are returning from Europe themselves (from summer abroad programs). Hearing stories from my friend Marielle who studied German in Austria only intensified my excitement. She made great friends and traveled to amazing places. She wished her trip would not end.

When September 18th rolls around, I will FINALLY board a plane heading to Derry, Northern Ireland – which is what this blog is all about. Hi, I’m Julia, by the way. I am a junior at UR studying Business Administration (with a concentration in Marketing) and Studio Art. This is a strange combination, I know, but it has a purpose. My dream job (for now) is something in the advertising/graphic design industry. So, at the University of Ulster, I will be taking graphic design classes… hopefully. At the University of Ulster (and many other European universities) registration begins upon arrival. Having been pampered by the luxuries of BannerWeb, I am terrified to attempt registering on paper. I have a list of classes that I want to take, but we’ll see how that goes.

As for other preparations for the trip, I’m still working on that. I have made travel arrangements (including 3 connecting flights, 2 layovers, and and a 2 hour bus ride) plus I have a place to live. I will stay in an apartment in Duncreggan Student Village. I know I am living with some roommates, but I guess I will meet them when I get there. My passport and other important documents are stapled and neatly sitting in a folder ready to go. It is almost impossible to walk across my room due to the numerous piles of stuff I plan to take. I definitely need to start weeding some items out. More important, however, is my mental preparation. Right now I am fine – calmly excited. I assume the freak-out will begin when I cross the threshold of the airplane and take my seat. But for now, the wait continues…

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Cowabungaustralia

August 23, 2011

My toes were tingling. My feet were numb. The further outwards I drifted, the colder it got. But I couldn’t stop now. I laid my body flat along the board, stomach and toes pointing down, and swam forward as the grumble behind me got louder and louder. Instantly I was thrown forwards. I no longer swam at this point, now I was fighting to just stay afloat. I cupped the sides of the board and positioned myself to do a push-up, and threw my legs forward to kneel on one knee. The board rocked under the shifting of my weight and my speed hadn’t decreased at all. Still, I made the unexpected decision not to panic. That was, of course, step one and I had done it much better than I expected. As I warred and clashed against the unrelenting crystal sea and the mountain of frothy white foam that led its attack, I retaliated with my board as my weapon, and balance as my gambit. It was time. I slowly rose from my kneeling position to a very low squat. I rose, slowly. I could feel the stress on my quadriceps, calves, hamstrings and the tiny fibers they were made of. I clenched and tightened them with the movement of the waves; the sea had not given up yet. Now was not the time to panic. I rose, slower still, from my low crouch. Suddenly, my lead foot slid forward from under me. This was not part of the plan, nor conducive to my gambit of balance. My pulse quickened. I had erred and there was little time to fix it. I quickly edged my lead foot back, but I could already see the ocean water climbing to the surface of my board. The nose of the board had dipped under and cracked the glistening, seemingly crystal surface of the sea. With a single, final, assailment of anger at my mistake the sea thrust both me and my board through the crack of the ocean surface, instantly submerging us. We were railroaded by a combination of undersea currents and breaking waves on the surface. As I was tossed and flung about by the ocean currents and waves, salty ocean water seeped into my mouth through my pursed lips. Water rushed through my nose. My closed eyes were wrenched open. Suddenly, the assault stopped. I found footing on the bed of sand beneath me. I stood up slowly. The ocean waves had recessed in victory. I could see my surfboard floating as far away as the rope bound to my foot would let it go. I looked up and smiled. Then I laughed. That was my first wave. I swam out to do it all over again. This past weekend I went on a surf trip with some other students from university. It was an event hosted by a club for international and exchange students. Needless to say, it was an incredible adventure. I wish I had pictures to post but, of course, I opted to not get the waterproof camera. Instead I’ll put up a few pictures of other events that I forgot to visually represent…sporadically throughout the week because my laptop is currently out of commission due to an exhausted cooling fan that has decided to go on strike.

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Take Your Shoes Off and Wai 3 Times

August 22, 2011

So after 28 hours of travel (40 if you include time change) I arrived in Bangkok! The van ride to the hotel was filled with zoning out, but the street where the Red Shirts rioted last summer was pointed out, and it is covered in twinkle lights at night! So pretty!!! Needless to say, I went right to sleep (hopefully I’ll start sleeping through the night soon) and woke up the next morning to start the adventure.

We had a general orientation meeting, which was a nice introduction to the other students and the course. And then we were set free for lunch. Oh my goodness are the streets crazy. We are staying in the backpacking district, so there are food carts EVERYWHERE- just a matter of finding things I can eat. Luckily, there is a girl who was with us who is ethnically Thai, so she served as out translator. Veggie dumplings-YUM!

Later we walked to the Royal Palace and got a tour. I have never seen so many jeweled buildings in my life. Insane architecture mixed with a soft-spoken tour guide led to a disparity of the information I picked up. However, there are elephant gods that bring good luck, lots of respect to Buddha, and snakes with 5 heads that are protecting some of the temples. When we went into the temple to see Buddha, we had to take our shoes off outside and then enter the temple. There was holy water that you apply through a flower on your forehead and when you go in, you don’t point your feet towards Buddha. Wai is when you bring your hands to your heart and bow, and for Buddah you Wai three times all the way down till your forehead almost touches the ground. You do this again before you leave as well.

Instead of taking a cab back, we walked around Bangkok and got lost for the first time! We had the business card of our hotel so it wasn’t bad that we were wandering but there was one moment where we were in a shady fish market and next thing we knew we were behind shops in a scary alley. It all turned out fine though, got back to our block had dinner and then I crashed (to wake up 2 hours later and toss and turn). This morning we have a political lecture so needless to say I am excited. We leave Bangkok tomorrow for a week of orientation and homestay, but I’ll let you know how it goes as soon as I have access.

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Lack of Communication

August 9, 2011

So finally, I was in Australia. After making it through customs and only almost losing my passport once, I was ready to hitch a ride and go to the house I would be staying at. I was even planning on staying with my friend from Richmond who was also studying abroad in Melbourne. Now I just had to meet him, his flight from Japan would be landing within the half hour and he had already made free airport pickup reservations…for himself and I was going to try to mooch off of him. I looked up at the digitized schedule board which, fun fact, are apparently known as Solari boards (named after the display manufacturer) for an incoming flight from Japan. And of course, with my luck, out of over 20 options I couldn’t see one flight from Japan. I sat down and waited for the options to roll over, it was still early. That lasted about five minutes. I then made a much better decision to go ask where I could find an incoming flight from Japan. I walked up to the information booth patting myself on the back for my sure stroke of…rationality.

Me: “Hello? Hey, I was just wondering when the next flight from Japan was”
Information Assistant: “Oh of course, one second please”
Computer: “Beep-beep. Beep”
Information Assistant: “there aren’t any”

What was I going to do? We hadn’t exchanged flight information, nor did we have phones to call one another on. I couldn’t live in the airport! The food is overpriced and any purchase would just be economically unsound. I immediately ceased my back-patting, feeling my back no longer deserved the reward of a job well done. I was doomed.

Information Assistant: “Is it possible that it’s a domestic flight?”
Polite-Me: “No, I don’t think so. He’s flying from Japan.
Information Assistant: “To Melbourne?”
Just-Had-An-Epiphany Me: “No I’m pretty sure he’s flying to Sydney first and then to… oh…wow”
Smiling Information Assistant: “Domestic is just that way.”
Determined Me: “Thank you!”
Information Assistant: “No-”

I was already gone. It was at this point that I finally understood what people did before technology. Panicked and Ran. I quickly made my way to domestic arrivals and looked at the arrivals screen for flights from Sydney. There were about five. I decided to casually pace back and forth between the luggage conveyor belts and just smile at people, all while waiting for the next flight to arrive 20 minutes later. In hindsight, if there was ever a man who looked as if he was going to be reported for suspicious activity in an airport, this would definitely be that guy. Time was passing with no signs of my friend. Then I saw her, the woman with the highlighter yellow and lime green sign around her neck that said overseas students. I ran to her…and stood awkwardly next to her until she said something.

Driver: “Hello! Are you an international student?
Me: “YES!”
Driver: “are you attending the University of Melbourne?”
Me: “YES!”
Driver: “Ok great! What’s your name?”
Me: “…”

Ok so I hadn’t really thought this completely through. I looked at her checklist out of the side of my eye and knew I wasn’t on there. On the other hand, I knew someone who was. Still, I couldn’t just take his reservation and strand him. Plus, there was no way she’d believe that both my passport and driver’s license conveniently had typos and they just got my name wrong.

Driver: “…”
Me: “…Uh…Shohsei…Oda?”
Driver: “…Ok great! Grab your things and come with me”

Or maybe she’d just take my word for it. But I couldn’t, with good conscience, leave my friend (and housemate) without a ride. Especially since he booked it himself and I was taking it.

Me: “Wait, he’s my friend. I’m just meeting him here. We’re going to the same place so I was hoping I could just get a ride as well?”

Long story short, honesty is the best policy. We found Shohsei who had missed his Sydney to Melbourne flight because of customs and I was able to get a ride with the shuttle service. Unfortunately, the shuttle service was only free around the city, which our home was 30 minutes away from, and we both had to end up paying. Still, it wasn’t as much as a taxi and we were finally at this place that we would soon learn to call home…and people we would soon call by their first names because calling them mom and dad would just be awkward. Oh right, did I mention we were doing a home stay?

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How do you say hakuna matata in Thai?

August 1, 2011

Well, I’ve never blogged before but what better time to start than two weeks before I leave for my semester abroad. My name is Julie and I am a junior at the University of Richmond studying Leadership and Political Science.  I am from New Jersey so the adjustment from suburbia to rice paddies will surely be interesting.

As I gear up to go to Thailand, “no worries” is the most prevalent thought in my mind.  As far as my language capabilities, they are limited to a restaurant take-out menu and I am pretty sure that English is not as prevalent there.  The dress code is very different from what I am used to (no gym shorts!) And did I mention it’s near the equator? Hello eight month summer. I have a feeling I will be returning with many mosquito bites. What is an adventure without a challenge though right? (and yes, I am freaking out—but just a little..)

The country itself has been politically unstable for the last six years.  It is amazing that I will be there just after an election (they just elected their first female prime minister!), especially as a political science major-as long as more riots don’t break out.  The local communities and rural areas have become more politically active over these past years and technology is finding its way out onto the rice paddies.  As a student of political science, this is truly awesome.  I am about to embark on an adventure where I get to witness grassroots government and its founding.  The program is focused on development and globalization, so I am given the opportunity to participate in NGO workings and grassroots community development.  Having worked in my Congressman’s office this past summer, I have seen government and democracy first hand, in fact I have contributed to it.  I am both excited and a little scared to see the juxtaposition Thailand is sure to pose.

So, how does one prepare to go to such a place?  Well I am meditating more—both to calm the nerves and to experience a taste of Thai culture before I leave (or maybe its just cause my mother keeps telling me to).  I am also attempting to eliminate all expectations that I have.  I recently learned that Denmark is the happiest country in the world, and it is because they do not have expectations.  I know I am a control freak, so this is not the easiest task I have taken on, but I am going to live abroad with a no expectation and YES attitude.  A good friend who just got back from abroad told me to accept every invitation, and I fully intend to take her up on that challenge.

So for now, I am packing, finishing out my internship, and learning as much about my future home as possible.  So hakuna matata in Thai—still no worries.  I plan to live every day, study hard, but explore more.   This is my greatest adventure so far, and I invite you to follow along on my journey as I truly live and let Thailand happen to me.  So all aboard, next stop Thailand.

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There’s a first for everything

July 28, 2011

If you’ve made it this far, I’d like to personally congratulate you for finding a very positive, educational and constructive way to spend your time and/or for being a good friend who I’ve asked to come read my blogging while away. With that said, in the wise words of Jay-Z, allow me to re-introduce myself. My name is Mike (MI to the K-E of course) and I am a rising junior at the University of Richmond. I’m majoring in international studies and am spending this next semester in Australia. Because this is technically the spring semester for students, I am already here. If you can believe it, I’ve actually left summer to come to an Australian winter.  But as you’ll hopefully come to understand by getting small insights into my life while in Australia, I’m banking on the hope that it will be completely worth it. Now, I’d like to take you to day one of my trip to Australia and am confident that you will stay for, and enjoy, the whole journey.

Day 1:

The entire way to the airport I’ve been secretly doing the three-part check: Wallet, keys and phone. I don’t like to panic publicly, especially in front of my family; they freak out three times more than I do and it’s always been a faux pas of mine. But this time I came up short on keys, only to remember that I won’t need house or car keys… And then I realize that I must have come up short every other time I’ve done the three part check. I soon realize that it’s not keys I should be checking for, but my passport. Finally, I come to the consensus that a mental checklist is just way too inefficient for these types of situations. I needed something visual, something concrete. Why hadn’t I thought of this before? And as I thrust my hand in my pockets in a silent fit of panic, stress and newly acquired worry-hunger, I could feel the edged corner of a folded piece of paper that was, of course, a concrete, visual checklist I had written earlier. I opened it to find housing details, contact information and even a student visa number. Responsible mike had taken care of everything for panicked, stressed and hungry mike. I liked responsible mike. I made a mental note to invite him to all of my big events in the future like finals week and job interviews. With a sigh of relief, I had avoided a recipe for a heart attack. The only problem was I consistently chose the optional “repeat if necessary” option, just to be safe and all, and went all the way back to “step 1: three-part check your pockets” every hour afterwards. Yet, after a last minute rush of panic and drawn out heart-felt see-you-laters (I like see-you-laters over goodbyes) on the security checkpoint line at the airport, I was finally on the plane, ready to relax and fall asleep to in-flight episodes of Modern Family. Australia, here I come.

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