Talk About Farang

I notice other farang on the street. Farang like to acknowledge other farang because it's likely that they both speak English. Farang is the word for foreigner. I read in a local English paper a poll of five students on "What 'farang' means to them." One of them said it was a white tourist who goes around saying "Sawadee krap" to everyone. I'm still trying to figure if it has a negative connotation, and if so, how much. I know I'm able to go around and joke about the silly things farang do, because I fall into that category to some extent. Farang usually get charged more (a lot more) for things at the markets, taxi rides, etc. If you're like me and know the absolute difference of the average farang price and the thai price, I am able to negotiate somewhere on the margin closer to the thai price. It's science. I like to think I'm more than a farang, but always a guest. I've never felt more like a farang than last night, and I learned to embrace it like a true champion.

I met my fellow Ajaan yesterday that is Thai born and American raised (Greg). He knows a lot of locals here and we instantly hit it off. After our meetings at the University, I pointed him in a couple directions for looking for a place to live, including my baller apartment. We then went to go and get food and ice cream with his buddy Iam. By that time it was the afternoon and we had planned to go out that night, but we all needed to take naps before hitting the town. We went our separate ways and here comes farang factor #1: I don't have a cell phone. Hard to imagine, right? To be honest, in the states, my cell phone was starting to morph into a third hand and it was really refreshing to not have one for a few weeks. I think I'm getting one tomorrow. Cell phones are even more essential to your social life here in Thailand than possibly anywhere else in the world. In any case, I agreed to be outside of my apartment on the south side of Huay Kaew road at 8:30 where a silver truck would pull over and let me in. This was strange, but I agreed to it. How else was I going to go meet these guys sans cell?

Sure enough, I was swept off the curb and off to experience the restaurants and bars off the beaten path. We started at a place where we shared plates of food like raw shrimp, fried seafood, and chicken wings. Farang factor #2: I'm still getting used to the spicy food so they kindly ordered the chicken wings for yours truly. We still always eat family style and share a bottle of something rather than ordering single drinks. You're in a community for the night. I like it.

We then went to a number of other places where the guys I was with know the owner at every place. I am lucky enough to know the most popular guy in Chiang Mai. He knows everyone everywhere he goes. It's weird. In fact, I just thought of who he reminds me of, and it was bugging me all last night. If you watch the movie "Monsoon Wedding," which I recommend anyway, Iam reminds me of the wedding planner; the one who leads all the other workers. Skinny, quirky, loud, funny, googley (I know that's not a word, but it fits). In short, I met a lot of people. Here comes farang factor #3: they love to practice English with me. They like to say to me that their English is not very good and as soon as I reassure them that they speak beautiful English, they don't stop talking. It's fun. I admit I have a hard time understanding some words and I play the game in my head where I switch around some r's and l's and I can usually decipher. They like to see that light bulb go off in my head. "Do you like leggae? ...Lasta?" (long pause) "Yes, Bob Marley is the man!," I say.

A word on what Iam likes to call Thai Drinking Culture. The Thais know how to do it without overdoing it. You order a few bottles of local Thai rum and lots of soda and you sip on mixed drinks all night. There are no shots or trying to get belligerent as fast as possible. You chill out, enjoy your company, and eat and drink and talk all night. That's not to say you don't get a little 'mao.' I mean, after socializing from 9-4:30am, you're bound to get a little friendly, but it's nothing like the American Drinking Culture. We spend the time together around tables eating food and filling each others' drinks and clinking glasses hundreds of times. Smiles all around. Farang factor #4: they want me to love all things Thai. It's not hard for them to convince me. I tell them how much I love Chiang Mai and they all get so proud and tell me I should never leave. The food. Incredible. Probably a dozen plates of things like fried morning glory, barbecued pork, squid, beef intestines (not bad, really), and a fish that you eat right off the bone. I admit I didn't know it was a whole fish until I saw the bone poking out of the sauce. Delish.

Farang factor #5: Being the only female in the group, they immediately try to find out whose girlfriend I am. I've seen that Thai women like to flock in large groups of females-only, or with their boyfriends. It was funny watching every guy come up to Greg and it's the same pattern. They greet, hug/shake hands, chat a bit in Thai, he gestures to me while asking a phrase that includes the word "gik" (equivalent to shorty or wifey) and Greg says "mai mai" (no). I laugh every time. This leads me to Farang factor #6: Mia is the same as the Thai word for wife. Everyone gets a kick out of this. I say "Hi, my name is Mia" in Thai and they smile and say "wife? whose wife?" in Thai. We all laugh and then I say with a straight face in English, "I'm your dad's wife, silly." They didn't get it. Oh well.

Getting Down to Business

I've been in Thailand for two weeks now and I've been nothing but a traveling soul. It's time for me to get started with what I came to do. Yesterday and today I had my first meetings on campus for all the new Ajaans (teachers, pronounced AH-john). There are people here from all over the world. There are not only English teachers, but Ajaans for Chinese, Japanese, German and French, all from their respective countries. As for the English teachers, besides the native Thai teachers, there are many folks from the UK, a few from Austrailia, New Zealand, Switzerland, and a handful from the US. The English department staff is huge - there are nearly 200 sections of the freshman English class alone, 6000 students. I'm not sure how many teachers there are in the department, but I met the majority of them yesterday and today.

The Ajaans here are amazing people; some more charismatic, shall we say, than others. They come from all walks of life, and the Thai Ajaans are very welcoming. I fall into the category of "New Foreign Ajaan," along with four others. Basically, we all came from the states right out of college to teach for the year. I am the only one who held out for a year after graduation. The others, if you can believe it, just arrived in Chiang Mai days ago, basically catching a flight immediately after graduating college. I'm glad I waited, and I'm glad I got here early.

I am instantly intrigued by the Ajaans from the UK, and I admit, it's solely because of their accent. I'm sure they are interesting people as well, and I look forward to getting to know them. Is it bad that when I even think about the British Ajaans my thoughts mold into a British accent? I also start to think of words like bloody 'ell and knickers. I wonder what words British people associate with Americans. Probably "idiot." At least they sound good saying "idiot," and they would probably add "daft" before it, sounding even smarter.

In any case, I'm very excited to have these people to work with, and I'm excited to get started working altogether. I can tell the administration of the English Department and the University altogether is very laid back, and it seems like they've realized their downfall in being so laid back and are now trying to make up for it this year. For example, someone told me that if I have to miss a class, then I have to hold a make up class (day and time of my choosing) but I have to tell the students ahead of time. Well, yeah. Another example, we were given a handout and one of the bullet points was not to switch courses with another teacher without telling the department. Do they really think I would say to one of my coworkers, "Hey I'm supposed to teach this intro class on Mondays and Thursdays at 10, but I'd love to sleep in so do you want to just do it and I'll take your advanced class at 3? Deal?" Maybe someone has done it in the past and now they need to write it down? I don't know.

As relaxed as it all sounds, it's actually a really big deal to be doing what I'm doing. I realized this even more so in the past two days. Apparently the list of applications and resumes sent to CMU is 10 inches thick, and they only hired a dozen new Ajaans this year. Why me, you ask? I'm not sure yet.....and believe me, I've thought through it quite a bit and I am extremely fortunate and honored to be here. CMU is the top college in Northern Thailand; top three in the nation. Number one in the nation for research, and number 6 overall in Southeast Asia. Statistically, one student in each of my classes will become a leader of Thailand, whether it be a Senator, Prime Minister, etc. Being an Ajaan, you are extremely respected in the community. Ajaans are up there on the totem pole with the elderly and monks. I've already had students wai (bow) to me. I think my dream is finally coming true: I am kind of a big deal!

Mee Bahn (I have home)

I found a great place to live. Since I've decided to adopt a simpler lifestyle, I found something with only the essentials. Yes, a balcony can be considered an essential. In any case, I'm very happy with my place, and I see myself staying put for the duration of my time in Chiang Mai.

Here are a few interesting things about accommodations in Thailand. 1) Just about every place is already furnished. 2) No kitchens, especially no stoves or ovens. 3) No bathtubs, or shower curtains for that matter. 4) Ridiculously inexpensive. 5) Some fancier places have cleaning staff. I think I have a cleaning lady, but I must have scared her off when she tried to get into my room. I prefer to clean my own place anyway.

The biggest change for me is the no kitchen part. I have a refrigerator and a kitchen sink on my balcony. It's really all I need. I can prepare fresh food at my place, and anything else I can find from street vendors or restaurants. Getting a meal is an adventure everyday, and I set aside ample time to do so.

The building is brand new, and the first two floors are for hotel guests. They are constantly getting rooms ready for new residents, and sometimes it smells like fresh paint. (It makes me think of the Brookins'. That, and the smell of clean laundry.) I am on the top floor, with a view of Doi Suthep. You can kind of see it in the pictures but it's a cloudy day.

If you'd like to send mail, I confirmed with the staff and they will kindly let me know when mail arrives:

The Dome Residence
1 Soi Plub Pueng, Huay Kaew Road
Muang District, Chiang Mai 50300
Thailand

Letters, peanut butter, sour patch kids and 3M hooks definitely welcome.

Market Mania

It seems that every passing day I discover a new market to explore. I love it. Think farmers market gone wild. My favorite so far is the Sunday Walking Street. My least favorite, as I mentioned, is the Night Market. For the Sunday Walking Street they block off several streets and the market goes on and on for blocks, and just when you think you've reached the end, you look right and look left and there are another dozen blocks to stroll.

They don't haggle you like the confined tents of the Night Market; they just watch you walk along and smile and nod. As I'm writing this, I come to the realization that it's the eye contact here that really makes me feel welcome. I see a lot of faces, and when eyes meet it's always with a smile. Sounds uber romantic, but that's what I've found with my love affair with the people here.

Speaking of my relationship with the people here, let's talk about that relationship the Thai have with their king. I've had my second dose at the Sunday Market. There are lots of people at the Sunday Walking Street. Imagine a square mile of the State Fair, only less fried food and no fat people. You picture a lot of people, right? Well what if something over the intercom asked each and every one of those fair-goers to stand up and freeze in silence for two minutes? Hard to imagine. That's what happened. Each day (each day!) at 8am and 6pm they play the National Anthem and pay respects to the King. I was lucky enough to witness this for the first time at the market. It was the most bizarre moment. Everything went completely still and quiet. (stop time) ;) What was even crazier was after the anthem was finished, people went back to the hustle and bustle like nothing happened. Hit the pause button then hit fast-forward. Can you imagine that kind of devotion to our president? Hmmm.

My other favorite market is the flower market. If I could work there, I would. I can't describe it, and I didn't take any pictures of it because I was so excited picking out bunches of fresh flowers to take home. I fit as much as I could in my tote. Nearby is another market of fresh fruit and lots of other little goodies. I'm not familiar with some of the fruit here, so I picked up something that resembles hairy strawberries, and something else that resembles bananas. I guess I'll try a new fruit every time I go. I plan on getting to the flower market on a weekly basis. Shopping outdoors for flowers and fruit is the only way it should be. I feel like I've gone back in time.

Temple Tour

I decided to go for a walking tour of the temples inside the moat. The density of Wats in Chiang Mai is incredible. If you're within the moat, chances are you can see one (sometimes two) from where you're standing. Each seems to has its own defining feature, some more glitzy than others. After seeing a dozen or so, it is hard to pick them apart in my memory. I always enjoy watching the locals give their offering to the Buddha, usually flowers with a wai (bow). I also enjoy seeing monks out and about during the day. (I saw one in the mall, which made me smile). They stand out in their orange robes, and they are calm and quiet and barefoot. The younger boy monks-in-training are less calm and more smiley. I like that.

I also stopped in the Center for Arts and Culture where I learned all about the history of Chiang Mai. After the tour of the museum, there was a little room off to the side that had a small group of adults huddled on the floor. I stepped in quietly to see what they were up to. Amongst the chitter chatter in Thai, they gestured for me to come in. I took of my shoes and joined them on the floor. It was arts and crafts time! Somehow with the language barrier we were able to laugh and smile and gesture instructions. I made a little frog by weaving colorful bamboo strips. As I was heading out, the instructor gave me a swan hanging by a string on a stick as well as a flower to put in my hair. It was really sweet. They were probably just saying, "What a silly foreign girl. Just give her more toys to take home." Either way, it made my day.

I continued on my tour of the Wats and came across a group of young girls who were doing an English project and wanted to interview me. I answered simple questions like "Do I like the food here?" "Do you think Thailand is really the Land of Smiles?" (Yes, and yes.) I explained to them I was going to teach at the University and I live here now. All of their faces lit up. This is when I realized that I am going to be respected in the community and not viewed as just another tourist.

It was the third time that day I told someone that "I live here." I'm finally starting to believe myself.

To the Zoo

Chiang Mai has a pretty extensive zoo. Cath and I didn't realize this when we were cheap in purchasing our admission ticket ONLY, not paying extra for the trolley ride or the monorail. So we walked about 10 miles around the place. It was fun, we just didn't know how much work it would be, and somehow forgot it would feel like 95 degrees the whole way.

The strange thing about this zoo was that they let you get close to the animals. I mean really close. We poked our heads over the hippo pool and we were just a meter away from their heads. It was really neat seeing their huge nostrils open up to inhale. It was not so neat smelling the hot air blowing in our face when they exhaled. Uffda.

We also got close to the giraffes, which was pretty cool. One of them got really close and when we were taking pictures of it I had the instinct to put my arm around his neck and smile for the camera. I didn't for my own safety. Cath and I got a kick out of not only the wide variety of live animals, but also of the extensive collection of animal statues. We played a game to see who could look most like the statue and take pictures. Cath has most of those pictures now, unfortunately for you. They're pretty funny. Another funny moment was when we tried to hop on the trolley without a ticket. We were walking for what seemed like way too long when the open-air trolley came like a dream. We (ok, I) flagged it down, and I didn't happen to hear Cath saying "don't Mia!" and we both hop on. The driver asks to see our tickets. We sigh and say sorry and get off, and I heard chuckling from some people on the train. Laughing at someone sounds the same in any language, you know.

That evening we went on an amazing dinner cruise along the Ping. There are several of these restaurants that do dinner cruises, but I'm convinced we chose the best. Riverside Bar & Grill, which looks like a cool place to eat on land as well, but you pay a little extra to get a table on a small boat. They take your order right away so they can deliver it from the kitchen before you depart the dock. Food was great; company was wonderful. Maureen has friends from school in Chiang Mai so they joined us. I hope to hang out with them again soon. It was someone's birthday on the cruise and they brought out a cake and sang (in English) and the family cut the cake and shared a piece with everyone on the boat.

Did I mention the weather is amazing just about everyday? There are some rain showers, but only early in the morning and after dark. The best time for rain if you ask me. Most shops and restaurants are completely open air; very few have doors that actually seal off the place. So you get to breathe fresh air all day. It's fantastic. And you get used to the sweating. I figured out the Thai's best kept secret...baby powder. No wonder why the sell it in bulk everywhere.

One last thing I forgot to mention about the zoo: there was a talking bird that spoke Thai. It is hysterical. I got a video of it and I will try to post it.

Mia, meet Chiang Mai.

It's a strange feeling getting off the plane knowing that I wouldn't be leaving here anytime soon. I'd been jet-setting for the last week and I'm finally staying put. This is my new home, and I was hoping we (Chiang Mai and I) would get along ok. We have so far. A smile was glued to my face the entire ride to the guest house. We stayed at a place called Lanna House, which was rather modern and upscale. It was within the moat; the Old City. Chiang Mai is located between the mountain of Doi Suthep and the Ping River, a rather advantageous spot for the founding settlers to kick it for awhile. The heart of the city is surrounded by a moat that makes a nice square around the old city. Each side of the moat is about a mile. The river is on the east side, Doi Suthep on the west. Probably has to do with feng shui.

Our first stop was to "hike" to the Wat (temple) at the top of Doi Suthep. Once we got there we realized you have to be straight up out of your mind to actually hike it by foot. We got a cab to drive us to the top. Cabs are different here. They are called sawngthaews (pronounced song-tows), which literally means two-bench. It's basically a red pickup truck with a cover over the back and two benches to sit on. Kind of sketchy at first, but there are hundreds of them, so they have to be safe, right? It was a 40 minute curvy ride to the top (can we say "hike" again?, right.) Once we got there, we realized we weren't appropriately dressed so we felt a little awkward roaming around with our bare shoulders and shorts on. We stayed a short time, then decided to head down and across to another mountain to the Mae Sa Waterfalls. These were incredible. I wish I had more photos, but my camera died. It's a total of ten falls, each about 200m apart, so it's quite the hike. (We did do some hiking as planned).

The most interesting interaction we had was with an older American man around fall 9. He has been living in Chiang Mai for the last 6 years and gave us good advice on which mosquitoes to look out for. (The ones in the city are the worst kind). He then said that he wanted to take a picture of us to make his girlfriend jealous. He mentioned that his girlfriend was our age...or a little younger. This was weird. It's actually quite common for farang (white, foreign people... more on that term later) men to have young, very young, Thai girlfriends. I will never get used to the idea of this, and I can speak more of what I think about this type of relationship. I'm still trying to digest the whole thing.

Once we got back to the city, we went to the night market. It was better than Bangkok, but still overwhelming and tourist oriented. I'm not a huge fan. The food was incredible though.

In short, I love Chiang Mai. I think she and I will get along quite nicely. It's green and peaceful and friendly and bustling, and a feast for the senses. I'm a happy gal.

Bangkok

Bangkok was a short stay. We arrived at about 6pm and left for a 6am flight the next morning. I think 12 hours was even more than I could handle, surprisingly. My first impression on Bangkok was a great one, but that's because it was of the airport, which is architecturally stunning. The rest of the city is a lot for me to handle. I hear this happens often; your first visit to Bangkok does not give you a positive impression, but a second, third, and fourth visit will change your mind. I was only able to see the city at night, which makes it feel even more vast and uninviting.

I separated with Cath and her friends, an planned on meeting up with Cath again later that night. On the cab ride to my hostel, I experienced a strange moment that I'm sure happens much more often with children. I was alone in the cab and my jaw hit the floor. My face was practically squished against the glass window and cranking my neck as far as it would go as we drove by, my eyes unblinking. What I saw could be one of those phrases like "When pigs fly!"..."When elephants roam the highways in Bangkok!"

Because they do.

I had a great opportunity to have dinner with Chadaporn, a woman my aunt works with. This was definitely the highlight of my stay. It will be a major reason why I will return to Bangkok. I asked her about the elephants and she nonchalantly smiled and said yes, because they are running out of room for them. It's quite sad the more I think about it. Our dinner was wonderful. We ate at a little place that served Thai food and Irish beer. We ate Thai-style, which is just like family-style in America. Get a bunch of dishes that look tasty and dig in until you can't fit any food in your belly. She's about half my size and seemed surprised when I said I was full. (I think rice expands more in an American stomach). She politely stopped eating too. We then went to the night bazaar and did a lap around the market. This was overwhelming. I didn't buy anything and almost felt guilty; I definitely felt pressured by the sellers saying sweet nothings to me in English. Being an American in Thailand, especially at the markets makes you stand out like a sore dollar sign. You could be walking around naked and they would still see the money sitting in your pockets.

Traffic is another thing. I asked to head home from the night market because I told my sister I would meet her at the hostel that night, and I didn't anticipate the drive time to be so long. It took about an hour to drive not more than 10 blocks. It was raining, so apparently the traffic was extra bad. Although the rain stopped for our drive home and it was just as long. I think that's the biggest hindrance on my good impression of Bangkok. I hate traffic. Then again, I'm an American and I like to get places in a hurry. Thai people don't seem to mind. They could walk the 10 blocks, but why not take your time in an air-conditioned car? Not very eco-friendly, and the Thai are actually very good about bicycling and motor-biking everywhere. It's a mix.

I was happy to return to my hostel to find Cath there waiting for me. We had a nice evening and I didn't sleep a wink because I was so excited to get to Chiang Mai. I couldn't wait to meet my new home.

Patong Beach

Upon arriving back in Phuket town, we charted a taxi to take us to the west side of Phuket to Patong Beach. I've found that drivers like to be extra accommodating to Americans or other westerners because as soon as we started driving he put in an extra special CD just for us. It included classics from Nelly, Brittany Spears, Backstreet Boys, and other 90's American pop moguls. He kept smiling as we sang along and I'm embarrassed to say that I actually remembered the words to most of the songs. It was a beautiful drive and we found a steal of a place for $15/night, split between the four of us. We were about two blocks from the beach.

As if we weren't beached out already, we suited up and sunblocked ourselves and spent the rest of the day at Patong. This beach is what I imagine Miami Beach to be like. A little more crowded, commercialized, and sport-oriented. The tide was high enough for the surfing to commence. We opted out of surfing, but decided to take up parasailing. I have never parasailed before, and I don't know how it's done in the states, but I got such a kick out of watching the little man that goes up into the air with you to steer the parachute. He was about 4'10" and swung around like a monkey - no harness needed. Before you're about to land, he does a flip that rivals most gymnasts and wraps his little legs around your waist. (When he did this to me, he said sorry to me in English as if I may be offended at his attempt to get me to land safely). It was an amazing rush, and a wonderful view of the beach.

That evening we had a European-style dinner with pizzas and grilled cheese sandwiches, then went to an all-american cinema at an all-american mall. The moment I'll never forget happened just after the previews but before the feature. I was introduced to the King. The screen showed a picture of the King and everyone in the theater became silent and stood up. They played an anthem and showed a video montage of the King and his family. About 10 minutes prior as we were getting situated in our big reclining seats, KayMu said, "Don't get too comfortable. We'll have to stand and pledge allegiance to the King." I thought this was a joke. It was no joke. When it comes to the King, there is no joking around. The video montage was my first interaction with the affect of the King on this country. I'm sure there will be more. I am curious about this relationship the King has with it's country. It's as close to an unconditional and blinding love as I can imagine. I can't say I didn't giggle to the point where my sister had to pinch my side. I'm sure I'll feel differently after living here for awhile.

In the morning we left the beaches behind for the chaos of Bangkok. I didn't brace myself enough, and I wasn't ready to leave those peaceful places near the water.

I made it to Asia

It was an incredibly long journey. I spent half a day waiting in various airports, about 24 hours in various airplanes, and most of an afternoon at the Phuket ferry pier. Once the ferry arrived at Phi Phi island, I wandered around the island with all of my gear in search of my sister. I found her and the two days of sitting and waiting and traveling was suddenly worth every minute. We stayed at a wonderful little bungalow on stilts called Phi Phi Villa. The next two days were spent sipping mango drinks and eating rice dishes and sitting on the beach. The first night we caught the sunset from the shore and then had a fabulous meal with her travel-mates: Maureen, Kaitlin (Kay-Mu), Al and Peter. I was impressed with their Thai language skills and thrilled to hear about their time living in Isaan (Northeast Thailand).

The next morning Cath and I took a long-tail boat over to Ko Phi Phi Leh, which is an uninhabited nearby sister island. After the half hour boat ride we were teary-eyed from the saltwater splashing into our eyes, but we put on snorkeling gear and jumped ship toward the little hole in the cave that we needed to swim through to get to the island. Then we hiked a short distance and found the most amazing beach I could imagine. We call it The Beach The Beach, as it's that same beach from the movie The Beach. Right when we arrived the tour boats and tourists started to head out to have lunch so suddenly the beach was completely empty. It was like a dream.

Upon returning to the main Ko Phi Phi Island, we didn't have quite enough, so we sat on a different beach which is equally as beautiful. My favorite local on that island was a sweet old Thai woman who would stand behind her cart and yell "Yoo hoo yoo hoo yoo hoo! Pancake Pancake! Pancake!" in every tone and inflection you could possibly sqeeze into a short phrase. She fries pancake batter at her little station on the street and puts fruits and chocolate and cream (my poison of choice was bananas and chocolate) and she gives you a toothpick to eat it with. Yum.


The last morning at Ko Phi Phi Cath and I got up extra early and went for a hike to the peak; a place called View Point. It's pretty tricky to get there, and we were almost convinced we took a wrong turn. Once we passed a herd of goats and a small chicken farm, we thought we were really off track. We went just a bit further and found a small wooden sign for View Point, as well as a young man from Austrailia who was heading in the same direction. We hiked the last 200m with him and he kept pointing out monkeys in the trees. Once we got a closer look at the bushy-tailed monkey, we realized it was just a squirrel. The peak is beautiful, despite the sweaty climb. This is the spot where all the post cards are photographed, and it's also the only spot where video footage of the tsunami was taken. It's chilling and beautiful at the same time.

That was the perfect way to leave the island. Paradise doesn't have to twist my arm too hard... I'll be back very soon.