Traditional Thai outfit (King 5 era) for the town parade

Making friends

I spend most of my afternoons at a silk screening shop in town. It's basically the house of my friends Weena and "Jean." I help them screen, or get a lesson in cooking from their mom. Today we made fried noodles and veggies. They are so welcoming and I feel so comfortable there. In fact after I told them I needed a new place to live they immediatly suggested I live w them. But I would have a bench in a room that is really like a living room/ dining room/ hallway from the shop to the kitchen (which is also the back yard). It's no more then 7 feet by 12 and their mom already sleeps there. For the Thais that's how they live. Everyone and everything all on top of each other. But I am not ready to acclimate that much to their way of living.

Sleepless in Uthai Thani

Another very sleepless night. Homesickness is getting the better of me. I am distraught that I will be missing both the Amherst and Mountain School reunions this summer, as well as Anna's wedding and other chances to be with friends.

School is on summer break so I am busy "IRB"ing or Intentional Relationship Building with people in the community. Lots of hanging out and trying to communicate. It doesn't feel that productive. And I have to move houses again.

That means I've basically been living out of my suitcase since last July. I just want to unpack my toiletry kit. At some hour last night I counted that I've spent the night in over 85 different beds in the past year....

rockin on stage in my chiquita banana outfit.

Water fights at New Years

"Should I buy this?"

Chiquita Banana outfit for New Years

chiquita banana rock star

Thai New Year is celebrated in April and called Song Gran. This holiday may even beat passover and halloween in my book!!! During the hottest month of the year when temps easily reach 100 and are still in the upper 80s at night the entire country has a water fight for 3 days straight!!!

I met up w 7 other PC Volunteers in Kong Kaen, a big city in the NE. After leaving the hotel we woud last about 30 seconds before someone on the street or a passing vehicle threw water on us. Pick-up trucks roamed the streets with about 8 people and big barrels of water in the back. They were throwing water on all the people on the street. And every store front or house had barrels set up to throw at the people in the trucks!! Everyone was out on the street and the place was just packed. Another big tradition is puting baby powder on each others faces. Of course everyone especially loved getting the foreigners, so we were white and soaking all day. SO MUCH FUN.

We made friends with some Thais who had an electronics store and each day we went back to their shop and threw water from their buckets at the passerbyers. When night fell we would all hit "Kow Nee-ow St" where the trafic was blocked and there were bands playing.

Here is a picture of me rockin on stage w the band in my chicquita banana outfit.

I knew it would happen

After seeing hundreds of Yankees hats on the heads and in the shops of Asians it finally happened.

I was on my last mile of a gorgeous 10 mile run through green rice paddies near my friend Brians house in Kong Kaen when I saw a man sitting on his front porch in... A RED SOX HAT!!

comfortable being uncomfortable

Thai culture is very conservative w their clothing. Yesterday my co-teacher was wearing black cordorroy pants and a black v-neck sweater and it had to be over 100 degrees. W the humidity it feels over 110 most days. And it's still getting hotter.... I just want my tanktop and shorts. But that would be immodest.

It is a tough balance between integrating into Thai culture and playing the "I'm an American" card. Two of my friends got in a lot of trouble in training for holding hands and showing affection in public. You can't even get a Thai husband to put his arm around his wife for a photo. And the other funny thing about photos is that, even though this is the Land of Smiles, when a camera is brought out faces go dead-pan. No smiles in photos for some reason. Haven't figured that out yet....

suitcase living

I dreamt about SF last night. Dreamt I was up on twin peaks showing someone around. I have 2 friends moving to SF soon, and one returning after a year of travel and I couldn't be more jealous of them. I feel strongly that I will be back in SF to live sometime.

I am in a new transition, which is always hard for me. Last Friday I was sworn in as a Volunteer by the US ambassador and after a weekend w all my friends in Bangkok we all seperated to different parts of the country. So I am in Uthai Thani living out of my suitcase again. Hopefully today I can move into my house and start to get settled in. That will feel so so good. Everyone has been so so kind and generous to me. Taking me out to eat and carting me all over the place to see the sights. Yesterday we went to this crazy town over run by monkeys. Dozens of them on every street corner.

I am pretty down on Peace Corps right now. Am trying to focus on learning Thai language. I am very tempted to quit, but want to give it a fair chance. Will at least stay 3 months w them and reasses then.