Monday, 6/9/53
Monday classes [Buddhism and Gender] passed as they always do, and in the evening a group of us went out to a market I hadn't visited yet, the Chiang Mai University [CMU] market. We shopped around for quite some time, and I haggled to get myself a cute new dress. It's a coral and beige number that is on the shorter end, but too cute to resist! I was quite proud of having negotiating the cost completely in Thai, and having been so successful! After the market we had an American moment and went for McDonalds/BK/Subway [they are all right next to each other at the night bazaar] before heading home.
Tuesday, 7/9/53
Buddhism again, and then Thai language classes ruled my morning schedule. It was a nice and relaxing day, I didn't really have anything to do, which is always nice! Thai class is going very well, and I'm progressing at a fairly quick rate. Ajan Ray, our teacher, is really a great teacher, and has made it really easy for me to remember words through the number of times she repeats the vocabulary. The evening held nothing special, some homework and hanging out with friends before bed!
Wednesday, 8/9/53
My only class on Wednesdays in Economic Development, so I took the afternoon to do laundry and nap/read before dinner, when the others joined from dance class. After dinner, I hung out with my roommate and her friends while I did homework, and there was a crazy thunderstorm. The power went out while I was in the computer lab, so I headed back up to the room, where it was hot, hot, hot!! The fans, obviously, go out with the power, so there was no source of cool air. There was a lot of lightning out, so we went to the balcony to watch, a bolt every 2 seconds! Burgundy called to see if I wanted to hang out, so we went outside on our way to the covered area [Kairos Square], and found a couple Thai Studies kids sitting on the stairs watching the show. We sat with them [thank goodness I brought my blanket, cuz it was Cold!!!! The show was even better out here, as the bolts were more defined than from my room, which faces the opposite direction. The sights were INSANE! Lightning spiderwebbed across the skies, illuminating the heavens. Zeus was showing off, and no matter who for, it worked!
Thursday, 9/9/53
Thursday was a bit more of a somber day. Immediately after class, Skylar and I went to the hospital with our friend. Out of respect for him and his family, I won't say much, but it was a sad day. I'm glad we could be there for him when he needed someone, although the circumstances were definitely not ideal. Dinner was pizza hut - on crack. Our pizza was Hawaiian, but the spin was a second layer underneath, which was tuna, a white creamy substance, and I'm pretty sure it was imitation crab. We didn't know you're supposed to eat them separately, so I ate them together. Definitely interesting. After we left we went to a milk place for treats. I got chocolate milk [their version, not toooo bad] and a mini sundae, Skylar got a milkshake, our friend got milk with something in it, and we all split warm toast with this green substance on top [YUM] and a volcano-esque shaped concoction involving cold bread covered in condensed milk mixed with ice and dye...weird.
Friday, 10/9/53
Friday I was lucky enough to get to sleep in! After lunch I had Thai language class, and after was my audition for Payap's Got Talent, the talent show here. I was nervous as everything, yet still managed to somehow open my big mouth and agree to go first! My parents always said to think before I spoke! I did go first, and it wasn't so bad! As many, if not all, of you know, my favorite home hobby is Egyptian Bellydancing. I had known about this show before I came, so I brought my hip scarf planning on going out for it. I was shaking from nervousness, but did my dance and got very positive feedback, as well as 3/3 votes to move on!! I was so excited, and ran offstage with the blanket around me. Since I didn't have time to buy cloth for a veil, I had used Skylar's blanket...which the judge definitely called me out for! I didn't mind, though, I was through! And even the judge that generally makes people want to cry said I had a lot of talent!! Tim and Gina went as well, and both got through with 3/3 votes as well-looks like America's Got Talent! Friday night was an in-night, because we all had to be up early Saturday for volunteering!
Saturday, 11/9/53
This morning was not only the anniversary of September 11, but community outreach program at Payap. What better way to commemorate those who died for their country and beliefs than by aiding those whom are often neglected? In my case, children who are born with HIV, or whose parents have HIV. Agape Home takes in children newborn-18, and takes care of them regardless of parental status. Many children have parents who don't want them, and they find a loving home here at Agape. It's really a great place [for more information, visit http://www.nikkisplace.org/index.html ]. There were other places for people to go to as well, including the Lanna Dog Rescue, Free Burma Rangers, other orphanages, etc. At Agape, we helped them sort and count pencil bags that the children had made themselves. Agape participates in a project called Samaritan's Purse, which involves a shoebox full of goodies for poor children in Africa, India, and Cambodia, among other countries. The contents are a mixture of school supplies and fun things, such as jump ropes that the children make, so the pencil cases go in, and the shoebox [which is really a Christmas box] is put in a schoolbag, also made by the Agape children. Through making the bags and jump ropes, the children are able to make a little money, and to learn responsibility. They can save up their money to buy personal things, like a computer or a camera [they love cameras!]. Some of our students also helped the children make jump ropes, and they kids got to keep the profit as if they had made the ropes. After work time was lunch time - noodle soup [gwai dee-ow] - with the children. In the process of slurpin' my noodles up, I felt a poke in my back and turned around to find a new friend. She smiled at me, climbed up next to me and spent the rest of lunch just hanging out. After lunch, she had me throw away the rest of her ice cream [she was done], and then I became her toy. She dragged me ALL over the playground, doing everything imaginable! I have to admit it was fun to be back on the 'ground, although by the end of it i was exhausted! There was a demi-pop star there, and we sat on the climbing cage and watched as he went around to every part of the playground and had a photo shoot. My little buddy borrowed my camera to take pictures of everything [including us], and then another girl borrowed it and followed Mark [the "star] around and took super up-close pictures of him. After a while I recovered my camera before we hit up the swings, and then after back-bends in the grass [the kids were quite impressed with my skillz] I escaped to go inside and out of the hot sun. We went to the temporary arcade that Dr. Tom had set up, and watched the kids play Guitar Hero while we talked to one of the Australian girls who worked there, and learned a bit more about the adoption process in Thailand and about the children. One of the boys had been in really bad condition when he went to Agape and 4 funerals planned for him before he was even ten. Now he's a pain in the butt, but doing much better, and that is what is ultimately important. Next was the baby zone! We had been waiting to play with the babies all day, and here was our opportunity! We mostly played with Naomi, a 5 month old who's 14 year old mother was HIV positive [luckily Naomi isn't], and who couldn't take care of her. Even more unfortunately, her mother hasn't given Agape her paperwork, so she can't be put up for adoption unless her grandmother comes and signs her over to Agape. The other children weren't as fond of farang, but that was okay. Before we were ready it was time to go back to school. We were sad, but also quite tired, so a nice shower and rest was nice before we went to Reggie's [an American-student-owned sandwich shop which hosted us with a spread of yummy food for super cheap] to present our pictures and see about other peoples' experiences. The others did more with yard work and such, but they all had fun and made new friends, all in all a successful day!
*PICTURES!
**NOTE: it may be confusing as to why I end my date with '53', however the answer is simple: The Buddhist calendar lists the year as 2553, so I'm not ~12 hours ahead of you, but really 43 years and 12 hours.
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