Time flies when you’re having fun

June 4, 2012

It’s been a while since you all last read about my adventure in the Netherlands so I’ll start this post by quickly summarizing what I’ve been up to for the past two weeks.  Since Queen’s Day I have spent a weekend in Paris and I fell in love.  I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews about Paris, but after going and seeing it for myself I gained an appreciation for its rich culture, famous sites and history.  My favorite place was the Eiffel Tower.

I spent the following weekend in Belgium.  If you recall from a previous post I went on a trip called Discover Holland (I went to six cities in two days).  This was similar; Discover Belgium was four cities in two days.  It was a lot of fun.  Good waffles and chocolate, but it reminded me a lot of the Netherlands, so I personally was a little disappointed.

During my last weekend, I spent time studying and writing papers since it was our exam week.  Today was the last day so I am done with my two papers, one take home exam and one group paper/final negotiation which means that I am officially a senior!  My study abroad experience went by really quickly and it’s strange to think that I’m leaving Maastricht soon.  It’s  stranger knowing that I’m graduating next year, but I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds.

Even though I’m done with classes I’ll be staying in Europe for another week before coming back to the U.S.  My mom arrived today and we’re going to Italy and Switzerland to celebrate her birthday and the end of my study abroad experience.  The next time you hear from me my study abroad will officially be over and I’ll be back in the U.S.  I’m looking forward to going back home and back to the University of Richmond.  I’m curious to see how I’ll readjust to being home, and if I’ll have any moments of “reverse culture shock.”  Well, I guess time will tell.  Until next time, I hope everyone is having a great summer!

Below is a picture from Drielandenpunt (means three countries in English).  This is the point where the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany touch.  I took a day trip there with a friend before exam week started.  In the picture I have one hand in Germany, my body is in The Netherlands and my other hand is in Germany!  I thought this was so cool so I wanted to share it with all of you.

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Back in the USA

May 30, 2012

I am back in the U.S. and it feels surreal to think that I just spent five months living in Bangkok.  After my traveling this year, it scares me a bit how easily I move between locations and stages of life–since August 28th when I left my hometown for my first travel experience my schedule has been: Boston, Amsterdam, Kenya, Tanzania, Kenya, Amsterdam, Germany, Amsterdam, Boston, Thailand, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Thailand, India, Thailand, London, Brussels, London, Boston, and soon onto DC.  I haven’t had the “ah ha, I was in Thailand” moment, which I think will come once I start going through all of my pictures.

After leaving Bangkok I spent a week and a half traveling in London and Belgium visiting my family.  I had my “oh my gosh  I’m not in Bangkok anymore” moment, when I got caught at Buckingham Palace in the freezing cold, in the midst of a ceremony practice for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.  Red coats, black fuzzy hats and all, I was surely not in Bangkok anymore.

Throughout this time, however, and since catching up with friends at home, I am constantly asked “so how has this year, or this semester changed you?”  I can’t put it into grand and poetic terms, so I will keep it simple:

1.  I got home, and was embarrassed and appalled at how many clothes I had in my closet. So I cleaned out the whole thing and since then have given two bags of clothes to Goodwill.

2.  Before this year, I had every intention of moving to London after graduation to pursue some sort of career there.  Now I think more likely that I would move to Bangkok or somewhere in Africa.

3.  I want to learn: read books, travel, talk to people as much as I can to learn as many different things as possible.

4.  I will never ever complain that 85 degree weather in Massachusetts is “hot.”

5.  “May pen ray” is my new favorite motto.  It’s the Thai version of “hakuna matata,” meaning no worries, take it easy, everything is okay, no sweat.  It is Thailand’s slogan, and truly governs the Thai lifestyle.  And despite being extremely organized, and a very Type A personality, this is something I have really embodied this year. Just go with the flow.  It doesn’t matter. No worries. Take it easy. Adapt to the situation. Love every minute of it.  Don’t think too too much about “what if.”  Just relax, and enjoy it.

I just hope once I am back in the grind at Richmond, or even working on my internship this summer, that I can continue to keep “may pen ray” in mind. It really is a great way of living!

 

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Barbados, Week 14: Reggae on the Hill

May 23, 2012

It’s exam time at UWI, and the blocks have become pretty quiet now that everyone is holed up inside studying.  However, not even exams could stop me from buying a ticket to one of Barbados’ biggest days in music, Reggae on the Hill.  I’m not going to pretend like I know the history of the concert or when it started, but if I had to compare, I’d say it was like a Barbados-sized Woodstock.  Obviously I’ve never been to Woodstock either, so I suppose I’m going out on a bit of a limb there too.  Point is, there was a ton of hype about the all-day concert, and when some friends and I cabbed over we started hitting traffic miles down the road from Farley Hill National Park, where the concert was taking place.  Some of the biggest names in Reggae music were scheduled to perform that afternoon, but I only recognized one artist, Chris Martin, winner of 2005’s “Digicel’s Rising Stars” (think Caribbean version of American Idol).

Security was pretty tight for an event of this scale, and I was a little surprised when I encountered a TSA-like pat-down before being allowed entry into the park.  Speaking of which, they couldn’t have picked a better spot for the concert:  the park was covered with huge trees providing cover from sun and rain, with a comfortable lawn perfect for spreading out a chair or blanket for the 8 hour show.  Knowing that the hill would get progressively  packed as the night went on (naturally, Bajans would be expected to arrive on “Bajan” time) we decided to take advantage of the myriad of different food vendors set up on the outskirts of the park.  Fish, chicken sandwiches, and hamburgers abounded and, unlike concerts in America, they didn’t even jack up the prices just because they knew they could.

Reggae has come a long way from its beginnings in 1960s, but the spirit for which the music stands was still evident in the crowd at Farley Hill.  From its birthplace in Trenchtown in Kingston, Jamaica, it has taken over the Caribbean and disseminated to every corner of the globe.  The genre was heavily influenced by Rastafari such as the legendary Bob Marley, and many people in the crowd were waving the Rasta Flag, a triple layered green, yellow, and red flag with the Lion of Judah in the center.  The audience, although clearly excited for each artist, was notably more laid back than a typical American concert in which some of the most popular musical artists of the year were present.  There was no pushing, shoving, or raucous jumping up and down, but rather everyone gave each other sufficient space to actually breath and enjoy the concert in their own space.  Below I have included a YouTube video of one of my favorite songs of the concert, enjoy:

Jah Cure – Call On Me

If you’re a Marley fan, it’s not a guarantee you’ll dig these tunes as well, but it’s catchy, contemporary reggae at its finest and an interesting example of how far the genre has come in 50 or so years of innovation and development.  I will admit, I missed American rock, rap, and top 40 for a good month or so after I arrived in the Caribbean and refused to embrace these types of songs until much longer than my exchange counterparts.  I ignorantly insisted that “they all sound exactly the same” and couldn’t even understand a word of the lyrics.  However, there came a point where I found myself bobbing my head and tapping my foot to the beat as I realized that as much as I tried to convince myself that I didn’t like the music, it had seeped into the part of my brain that overruled cultural attachment.

The sun set behind the hill, it started to pour rain, and the line-up of reggae artists continued to perform their sets with exuberant energy.  I looked back at the hill that had been dotted with people only hours before and saw that the hill was absolutely packed.  The young, married, and old alike had taken out their umbrellas and were determined to fight the downpour in order to finish out the most celebrated concert of the year.  I think that’s what struck me most about the concert. The fact that, while concerts in America are generally populated with a homogenous crowd, its demographic depending on the band playing, Reggae on the Hill was able to bring together Rastas, students, couples, and older people alike to enjoy the concert.  I may have been slightly more stressed the first day or two of studying for exams, but it was one hundred percent worth it for the experience.

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Leaving Bangkok

May 21, 2012

I am writing now sitting at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, waiting to board my flight to London.  I have finished my exams, I have said my “see you soon’s” I have done the absolute impossible (only thanks to my fantastic roommate) and have fit 5 months worth of purchases and clothing into only one checked bag (I am not pleased with my airline about this), and I took my last look at the beautiful Bangkok skyline from my bedroom window.

Yesterday and today, ironically, I had the best Thai food of this entire semester, food which I will definitely miss.  I am off to London now to spend a week traveling within Europe to visit family, and while I cannot WAIT to see my family, I am absolutely sad that I am already leaving Bangkok.  It is an incredible city that very quickly came to feel like home, and I could have easily continued on living here without hesitation.  It is very rare that a city can offer so much, from incredible food and cheap amenities, to fantastic weather and the kindest people you will ever encounter.  It will certainly be interesting, after this year of travel, to go back to the “real world.”

Once I am home back in US I will do one last blog post on how the readjusting is going.  Until then, for those who have never been to Thailand before, I highly recommend researching how you could make a trip to Thailand possible. Thailand has everything to offer, and is absolutely worth the trip half way around the world!

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Koninginnedag

May 3, 2012

For those of you who don’t speak Dutch that means Queen’s Day.  Queen’s Day is a national holiday celebrated in the Netherlands and that meant I didn’t have classes.  It’s celebrated April 30 every year (unless it falls on a Sunday) and it’s to celebrate the Queen’s birthday, but not the current Queen Beatrix’s.  Queen Beatrix’s birthday is in January; Koninginnedag is meant to celebrate her mother’s birthday, Queen Juliana. At first, I was a bit weary at the thought of celebrating Queen’s Day because it sounded like there would be a massive amount of people dressed in orange stuffed in the trains on the way to and from Amsterdam, kind of like Carnival, but this time everyone would be wearing the same color and instead of going to Maastricht, people would be going to Amsterdam.

After hearing several exaggerated stories, I was pleasantly surprised at how tame things were in Maastricht.  It was shocking that not a lot of people were wearing orange, but it’s always nice to see how supportive Dutch people are of their national holidays.  The day was nice (about 65 degrees and sunny) and the majority of people convened in the park for the vrijmarkt.  Luckily, I’ve become quite fluent in Dutch and can tell you that vrijmarkt is a flea market.  It was the biggest flea market I had ever seen in my life.  People apparently got there around 7 a.m. to get a good spot to sell their things.  There was something for everyone. You could literally buy anything and everything there.

People were everywhere!  It was a lot of fun.  My friends and I walked around for a while before sitting down and relaxing with some of our other friends who were selling things.  According to my Dutch friend, the flea market is such a big deal since there are very strict laws about selling things in the Netherlands.  The laws are quite simple and straightforward: you can’t sell anything anywhere without a permit (and yes, that means you couldn’t have a yard sale at your home either).  Koninginnedag is the only day that people are allowed to sell things without a permit, hence the large crowd of sellers.  It was a nice breath of fresh air from my daily routine and it was definitely nice to relax and learn a little bit more about the history of the country I now call home.

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The Finer Things in Thai Life

April 30, 2012

Thai people like to enjoy the finer things in life–those things come cheaper here than in the US, and after reflecting on the whole semester, I have realized that those small things that make life just a little bit more comfortable, really are available everywhere-and its difficult not to get hooked.  It is guaranteed that when you look around walking on the street, most people you see have some drink, some plastic bag, some coffee drink, or some food in hand.  Some of the most delicious food I have ever had in my life is at your fingertips on the streets at any time of night, clothing stalls fill the markets and streets all around the city providing cheap and very stylish clothing (which for the most part none of us foreigners fit into because Thais are tiny), and there is always some shake, or some delicious drink available within minutes.

This fact is particularly emulated in an area of the city called Siam.  Siam is the hub for shopping in Bangkok, for foreigners and Thais alike.  There are four or five huge malls, some connected, all within a block or two of one another.  Most of the malls contain every chain restaurant and type of food you can imagine, as well as every brand name shop you could imagine.  “The Pride of Bangkok,” as it is literally tag-lined, is Siam Paragon. Paragon boasts fountains, and waterfalls, music, and ushers opening doors for you, as well as some of the most expensive brands available in Thailand.  As soon as you walk into one of Paragon’s eight floors, you just think “glam.” So going to the movies there last week was quite an experience! We went to the 4DX movie theater, a concept that is now all the rage in Asia. The newest movie to come out in 4DX is Titanic, and let me tell you it was a crazy experience! The 4DX experience is just like seeing a movie at universal studios–bursts of air when there were bullets, sprays of water in your face when the ship was going down, seats shaking all over the place, as well as 3D glasses–amazing!  You literally feel like you are in the movie at times.  All the facilities are incredibly clean, and for Thai people it seems that going to see a movie there is really a glamorous event. There is no shortage of expensive food and Thai popcorn flavors, and certainly no shortage of well-dressed Thais.  To give you a better sense of the ambiance there, I would have felt under dressed in jeans!

Another amazing aspect of living in Bangkok is the endless number of food options–literally every type of international food you could imagine can be found here: Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, International, American, French–the list goes on! Often the best part of the dining experience is the view that you have–whether its the skyline of Bangkok, a little side street in which you have found a hidden gem, or a beautiful view over the Chao Phraya river and the surrounding temples.  Thais have become so accustomed to this consumer lifestyle, which is so normal for so many in Thailand, that they don’t realize that this type of accessible luxury isn’t commonplace worldwide, not even in the US.  After almost four months here I have certainly become accustomed to the lifestyle here! I can get an entire mango, or an entire pineapple completely cut and peeled on the street for $1.  I can find any type of smoothie, at any time of day, for less than a dollar. Street food is often better than restaurant food, and there is always something new to try!  I will definitely miss the food here in Thailand! Included are some pictures of my food adventures this week–enjoy!

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Reflection week part 2: Cheese & Delftware

April 30, 2012

Hello everyone.  So as I told you last week, I spent the first part of my reflection week in Berlin with one of my Sorority sisters.  We had a nice few days and it was really hard to say goodbye and get on separate planes.  I don’t think I realized just how much I missed my friends and family until I had to say goodbye in the airport.  After parting ways I went back home to Maastricht to relax for a few days and mentally prepare for period 5 (the second part of the semester and my new classes).  The day after I got home a friend asked me if I wanted to go to Alkmaar and Delft with her for a day trip.  I said “why not”, so we got up early and headed up north (still in The Netherlands) to Alkmaar.  Alkmaar is known for its traditional cheese markets.  They open in April and we were going on the first day they were open to see the cheese markets in action.  People were dressed in what seemed to be traditional clothes.  Two men ran back and forth across the market carrying cheese on what looked like a sled (see picture below).

It’s funny because before I left to come to The Netherlands, I stumbled across a TV show that was about traveling around The Netherlands (specifically Holland, which is a province in the north).  One of the places they went was Alkmaar.  These TV shows were a little dated, but the cheese market looked the same.  It was kind of cool visiting a place you’d seen on TV since that doesn’t happen very often; at least not for me.

After tasting a variety of some of the best cheese I’ve had in my entire life we got back on the train and headed to Delft.  On the way to Delft my friend and I literally jumped out of our seats and moved to the seats across from us because saw tulips!  So many colors and there fields of them everywhere!  It was so pretty.  Since the weather was just starting to warm up, most plants hadn’t bloomed yet so it was nice seeing all the colors.

After the fields of tulips, we made it to Delft, is known for its blue and white Delftware.  It’s pretty funny because during orientation at UCM, one of the speakers told us how the majority of the things The Netherlands are known for don’t actually come from here.  One of the examples was tulips which are apparently Turkish.  Another example was the Delftware pottery which he said is from China.  I figured since I can’t go to China, I’ll go to Delft.  They have several museums dedicated to showcasing the Delftware and of course just about all of the souvenir shops claim to have “The Best Delftware” or to be “The original Delftware”.  I took a picture of a variety of it so you have an idea of what it looks like and what types of things are made.

My favorite place was probably Alkmaar for the simple fact that you could taste cheese (for those of you who don’t know me very well, I absolutely love cheese).  After a very long trip, we made it home.  For the next two days I relaxed and started preparing for the next period’s classes.  This period I’m taking Theorizing Terrorism: A Philosophical Approach, Rights of the Child, and Strategy and Negotiation Skills.  So far, and it feels really weird saying this, but I really like my Theorizing Terrorism course; I think it may be my favorite.  Although we have deep discussions and terrorism isn’t a light, fluffy subject to talk about I’m learning a lot from this course.  For example, as an American, my idea of what/who is a terrorist is heavily defined by 9/11, but this course is causing me to think outside of that isolated incident and look at terrorism from different angles in order to shape my personal definition of terrorism.

Ok well I guess I should end on a lighter note than terrorism so with that being said, I recommend a trip to Alkmaar; cheese and music everywhere!

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Happy Thai New Year!

April 23, 2012

This past weekend I celebrated Songkran, the official Thai New Year (Thais observe the Buddhist calendar).  Students were given two days off from school forming a nice four-day weekend, so of course in true exchange-student style, this only meant an opportunity to travel.  The plan had been to go to Laos, but last minute travel changes, and completely sold out tickets for all of the days surrounding Songkran, instead sent me to Koh Tao, a small island off of the east coast of the Thailand.  Songkran is the most important holiday for Thai’s, so most locals leave Bangkok to go back to their “hometown,” wherever that may be.  We were disappointed we weren’t able to go to Laos, but Koh Tao was not a bad second choice!

Songkran itself is often described as one, huge, non-stop waterfight: and that is EXACTLY what it is.  We left from Khao San road on Thursday evening, the night before the official day of celebration.  Khao San is the official backpacker haven, so Thursday night the Songkran festivities had already begun.  We had a short walk on the actual Khao San road, but little did we know what was in store for us: one BIG water fight.  Involving baby powder.  What? Yeah, that’s what we thought too.  But part of the Songkran fun is mixing baby powder with water to create a nice white paste that you smear all over yourself, and strangers.  Let me try and set the scene for you: loud music…waterguns…buckets of water…young Thais and foreigners (but mostly Thais) jumping up and down in the streets throwing water everywhere…store owners and their children outside their shops throwing water on everyone…small children with squirt guns…small plastic pouches around each persons neck protecting valuables…hoards of people running through the streets…I’m walking, I’m hoping that people will take pity on a dry girl clearly prepared for travel, but no luck: squirt gun in the back, slap on the cheek smearing baby powder all over my face, shoved in all directions; no mercy.  Needless to say, in a country where the locals are so kind, normally shy and very conservative, this was a side of Thailand I had never seen before. (and because of the water….sadly I have no pictures of the whole event).

Koh Tao (a seven hour bus ride, and a two hour boat ride away) was also crazy the day we arrived, the official Songkran holiday.  Imagine there being no social rules about pouring water onto strangers, or drenching them with a water gun.  Everyone we walked by had a water gun in hand, many of them with a water supply on their back.  It was hilarious.  Those riding on motorbikes, small children, families: no one was spared.  Needless to say after Songkran was over things quieted down a lot –  and from there on we enjoyed an amazingly relaxing weekend: lying on the beach, enjoying the INCREDIBLE views, venturing over to a nearby island with an amazing viewpoint, and snorkeling.  We had delicious meals on the beach, and saw some of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen!  Koh Tao is known for its scuba diving, and  while we didn’t have the time or the money to scuba dive, the snorkeling was breathtaking: just two feet off-shore on my first venture into the water and there was a school of about twenty rainbow fish: neon orange, yellow, pink, green, and blue: truly magnificent!

Enjoy the pictures from my trip!

Koh Tao

Samantha in Koh Tao

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Two Unforgettable Weeks

April 23, 2012

Five cities.  Two sunrises.  The Lowest Point on Earth.  One mud bath. Two Passover Seders.  Two rooftop hostel gardens.  A 5 a.m. mountain climb.  Seven long bus rides and one train ride.  Old friends and new friends.  Dancing across Israel.  Life advice from 71 year old Peggy, a dorm mate in a hostel in Jerusalem.  The best hummus in Israel.  The best hot chocolate in the world.  A literary café in Jerusalem. Spying on a wedding reception in Tel Aviv. Burning leavened bread in Be’er Sheva in preparation for Passover.  A shepherd with his flock next to the Sea of Galilee. Coming home to Haifa.

It is hard to know how to begin to describe my spring break.  Just as my friends and I thought as we were planning the trip, where do you begin a whirlwind tour of a country that has so much to offer?  All I know is I am convinced more than ever that studying in Israel was the right decision.  There are moments here that are hard and confusing, such as when I witnessed a young man hissing at an Israeli soldier in the Old City of Jerusalem. At times like these, I wonder what I have gotten myself into.  Who am I to be a cheerful, curious tourist when the reality of the situation in Israel is very serious for so many people?  But it is this confrontation with a human experience so different from my own that makes studying in Israel so incredible.

Another occasion in the past two weeks that showed me the high intensity of life in Israel was when my friend and I had Shabbat dinner with a lovely, generous Orthodox Jewish family in Jerusalem. They had an eighteen year old daughter named Shlomiya who was preparing to begin her army service in a few weeks.  Army service is mandatory in Israel, women serve for two years and men for three.  Observing Shlomiya and the mature, thoughtful way she spoke and acted throughout the evening, I thought of myself when I was eighteen, and how the most important thing on my mind was my next Spanish test.  Constantly living on edge, young Israelis must mature quickly as they are faced with challenges that never crossed the minds of me and my American friends as we were growing up.

I spent the majority of my break with my friends Emma and Heather, fellow international students who attend Brandeis University in the U.S.  I met Heather during the intensive Hebrew Ulpan at Haifa University at the beginning of the semester, but she is now doing a complete Hebrew immersion program at Ben Gurion University in Be’er Sheva, during which she is not permitted to speak in English.  To be completely honest, after the first day we spent together I did not have a very good attitude toward the situation.  What was I thinking, spending my spring break with someone I can’t even have a normal conversation with?  But within a couple of days, I was amazed by how Hebrew really started clicking for me.  I had always thought I learned almost exclusively from reading and writing, but I was proved wrong as I learned more from a few days of conversations than I had in weeks of classes.

This semester has held some challenges for Heather.  On top of the difficulties of having to speak Hebrew all the time, several weeks ago she had to run to the bomb shelter in her dorm several times as over ninety rockets were fired at Be’er Sheva from the Gaza Strip over the course of a few days.  She said the Israelis in the shelter with her would sit and count the booms as the Iron Dome, Israel’s missile defense system, destroyed many of the rockets in mid-air.

I accomplished a lot of bucket list items over break – climbing to see the sunrise on the desert mountain fortress of Masada where almost one thousand Jewish rebels committed mass suicide rather than be taken by the Roman army, floating effortlessly on the buoyant salty water of the Dead Sea, and seeing the sun rise over the Sea of Galilee and set over the Mediterranean in the same day.  Most importantly, though, I had a lot of time for reflection, and when new thoughts to ponder came my way I was able to soak them in, trying to expand my understanding of what it really means to live in Israel.

Sunrise over Masada

Standing on Masada

Sunrise over Sea of Galilee

Mud bath at Dead Sea

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Cooking with Poo and Thai Massage

April 23, 2012

What a FANTASTIC weekend! I checked two things off my Thai bucket list that I have been wanting to do since arriving in Bangkok: a cooking class, and a Thai massage.

This morning I cooked with Poo and it was fantastic! Poo is an incredible Thai woman living in one of Bangkok’s slums, Khlong Toei.  She was given a microfinance loan through the “Helping Hands” organization, and using that loan she has become incredibly successful operating her cooking school.  The morning started off with a small tour of Klong Toei’s market.  It is an extensive market with everything and anything you could imagine.  We started by going through what Poo called the “Issan” area.  Issan is a Northeastern province in Thailand, and the food there is quite different than the food in Bangkok.  That row of the market has everything and anything strange you could imagine: live frogs, skinned frogs with hearts still beating, an endless assortment of bugs, eels, catfish, cow innards, skinned chickens etc… I did not once breathe in through my nose that entire walk. The rest of the market contained more “normal” items – beef, vegetables, and every possible exotic fruit.  Poo explained that most stall owners start work at 2am, and don’t stop until 6pm, they only way they can scrape by to make a living.  This market is incredibly cheap and has a wide variety of foods.  As a result it is the source of product for many of the street vendors and many of the hotels in Bangkok.  What an experience!

market

The second portion of the morning was the actual cooking.  The class is not meant to transform you into a Thai chef, but it gives a nice introduction to basic Thai dishes and lets you cook your own portion each time.  We cooked three dishes: Som Tham (papaya salad), Tom Yam (a delicious spicy soup with many different flavors), and Pad Thai.  The food was delicious, and now that we know how easy it is to make these foods it is definitely something I will take back to the US with me.  The only obstacle in the US: trying to find all of the ingredients.  What was most fascinating to me, is realizing what goes into the dishes I have been eating all semester.  For example, one of the strongest flavors in Tom Yam soup, comes from lime leaves.  Before putting the lime leaves into the pot, we broke the leaves apart which emitted the strongest and most delicious smell.  All the taste from this dish comes from breaking a green leaf apart–AMAZING!  Part of the fun of the experience was Poo herself.  She is a hilarious and kind woman, with completely broken English, yet she is sweet, enthusiastic, and eager to share her story, and the story of Klong Toei.  She explained to us that following her great success, she has also seen a change in the people in her community, and deliberately tries to uplift them as well.  For example, some of the ingredients we used to cook were handed to us in small cups made of banana leaves.  Poo said she purchased these from a woman in her community who is very sick and strapped for cash, so she thought she could help her by buying her product.  For each need of her business, Poo employs a member of her community, and tries to evenly distribute where she buys things so that as many people in the community can benefit from her success.  It truly is an incredible project.

The other event of the weekend was getting a Thai Massage: two hours for $12.  Yes, really, it’s that cheap.  But my goodness, that was a massage like nothing I have ever experienced.  First of all, I was in pain the first 45 minutes.  My masseuse literally dug her feet/fingers/hands into ever inch of my leg, almost as if she was trying to separate every muscle fiber.  Because the massage is two hours, the women can thoroughly cover every part of your body.  They also stretch you in every which way which was quite intense, because they completely ignore whether you are flexible or not.  They are also very hands on – you are lying on a mattress, and they sometimes use their whole bodies, for example contorting you around them to stretch you.  Not necessarily relaxing in the same way as a typical massage, but I certainly feel like I had a work out! Our fantastic evening massage ended with some Thai tea, before heading home.  I have to say I feel so content after such a fantastic long weekend.  Yes, some people may complain that Bangkok is crowded, or that the city is too dirty and smells bad, but I love the fact that there is never a dull moment in Bangkok: there is always something new to do, something to learn, and something incredible to experience, and I LOVE it!

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