Who Loves Thailand, We Love Thailand

Poi:"Uh, this is...ant's egg....this is...bee's egg..and that's shrimp and that's squid. You can have one of these things in your egg."
R:"....aant's egg??"
P:"yyeah..."
R:"Um. What are you thinking?"
P:"I've never had bee's egg but it's interesting. I'd like to try."
R:"If you try, I'll try."
P:"You take ant, I'll take bee?"
R:"Yeah, that's sound good."
I was really thinking about a squid omelet in its origami banana-leaf boat container because, well, who can turn down calamari and egg for 30 cents but if Poi was going to have some, I was going to have some. It would be fun to tell my mom anyway--she'd freak out. Jordan ate some insect offspring along with with Poi and I. Good man.

It takes people to have shenanigans and a wonderful place to have them in and fortunately my people here are the folks to have them with. I can be free to buzz with anticipation when there's a group that's equally as excited as me to experience Thailand's bustling night culture, to eat things Americans would much rather leave living. Ever since the students have settled in we've been learning about each other (and watching Colbert and laughing at the stupidest tattoos up on the projector) and throwing out ideas about how we will can get the
best out of this experience. Some of us are thinking of things are on the permanent side, but that's just a little obnoxious teaser that deserves later revelation. The interns are dedicated to making it to Angkor Wat in Cambodia before the semester's out. We will see you, temple.
My mother asked me how it was to have one of my best friends, Cat, here with me to share my experience (^up^) and I feel that fantasmic would be the understatement of the century so I'll just go stick with great. It has been a series of unfortunate events and miracles that have placed our feet here together, but a comrade in all this has been invaluable. When I need someone to understand how I'm feeling by a grimace or raise of eyebrow, she's there across the room to receive it, validate it, and throw me the look back: "I have no idea what the hell this lady is talking about either." We see beautiful things every day and it feels really good to know that someone I care about is taking in the same beauty as well. I wouldn't want to consume Thai barbecue (^up^) with anyone else.
The other great parts about being here are (1) taking SongThaews to class and seeing the Thai in various forms of moped awesomeness. Songthaews are trucks with a tall covered cab in the back that carries citizens in and out of Chiang Mai city. Yellow Songthaews come to Doisaket where we are, the Red Songthaews have routes only in the city, and the white, green, and blue songthaews are a mystery to us. Our best story so far is when the epitome of Thai dreamy rode by us fast on a motorcycle, all dressed up in a rust-colored dress, tattoos and taking names. She ties with the woman who transported her furry dog in a Burberry baby-carrier. It seems like we discover an interesting shop or person or restaurant on the way to class each day. The cast of characters in the picture below [from left to right] are Bianca, Beth, and Ryan-the-intern advertising our daily travel. (2) With college students surrounding me and the nature of the classes, I really enjoy thinking about philosophical things with students and watching their thoughts about this new (and hot) context come out into questions about the world around them. What do you do with the presence of women forced by social problems in Burma to work at places that look like Karaoke/Go-Go bars and massage parlors? What do you do with all of the Western men sitting inside them? Or the white men who are led through grocery stores by their "Thai wife"? What can anyone do about faulty labor and migration laws that prop up Thailand's economy but don't extend rights?
Exclusion and Exploitation is taught on Chiang Mai's red light district in the Garden of Hope outreach building and matching our lessons with our observations on Loh Kroi road have been very challenging for us. It's been so good. We have a field trip to Burma and the Golden Triangle on Friday to ask some more hard questions that have no immediate answers. The founder of Free Burma Rangers came to speak with us about what they do, why they do it, and what the Hill tribes of Burma are up against. We left quiet and moved by the way David Eubanks and hundreds of others have chosen to live their lives; the way he looks at the Karen as his own community, come gun or land mine. It is still moving us. It may always. This is Julia! Our house mom, (kenny our house dad is unpictured) and is doing a great job helping an overwhelmed intern, facilitating the students' experiences and managing to do master's social work courses for the U of Minnesota from her laptop at 4am. The Millers have been gallivanting across this planet for a few years now so they're preparing for their move back to the US next summer so both spouses can enroll in grad school and better our world. Our new friends, Poi and Pete, have volunteered to show us around. Poi is 21 years old and majoring in hospitality and Pete is 18 and majoring in music. We love them because Poi laughs with us and makes us feel so comfortable about being different. She won't hesitate to let us know how we're viewed as foreigners and what she thinks about Thailand. She's extremely patient with our infernal questioning and loves to show us new things to eat. Geez, we love eating Thai food. Pete often just stands there smiling and mute but his hair is pretty rockin', which counts.

Anyway, here's some pictures of where we live for you to peruse.We're having a movie night &I really must go. Sorry this is all over the place. Hopefully I'll talk more about the Hill tribes of Burma & Northern Thailand, Thai culture, & my position here.

Give me some time. Lao jer gun ka! (see you later)