Art Classes and Field Trips

Ok, I know I said I'd post about my internship, which I will, but this post will be about our art class! We started art last Friday, Jan 21 I believe (don't quote me on that). Usually we have one or two art lectures a week and then Friday afternoons are mostly all art. Last Friday was an all art day, so we had a long lecture, a field trip, lunch, another long lecture, and another field trip, and this past Friday was also an afternoon of field trips. No lecture though, thank goodness... my attention span can only handle so much lecturing about art... I wanna see it, and eventually try it! I'm sure my creations will be nothing in comparison to the real thing, but I am excited for some hands-on learning.

So, for our 3 field trips we've taken so far, we saw quite a few things, ranging from traditional Thai houses to museums to Buddhist wats. Here are some pics for you to enjoy:

We pay such good attention ;)

The fabric around the Jedi is to show support and at some wats, people write their wishes, hopes, dreams, etc on the fabric or paper before it goes up.

The base of this Jedi at another temple has huge elephants around it... elephants are believed to have 'magical' powers, and the little Buddha was left there on the side by a worshiper. Most of Thai Buddhism includes their elements of culture, including magic, animism, and even some Hinduism.

Inside one of the halls at another temple (either chanting or ordination hall, I can't quite tell the difference).

Bamboo.....

Lacquer-ware! A large amount of people work to turn bamboo like the above picture into items such as this... they cut/ peel the bamboo into thin strips, form the strips into the desired shape, putty the item, and then layer it with lacquer (black sap from a certain kind of tree) or just paint and then decorate it. Quite a process, but it has been used to make bowls, trays, etc, etc, for many, many, many, many, many, many years!

 We also saw a few other places with other lacquer-ware, and visited a textile museum that was too fancy to allow pictures-but it had some beautiful fabrics and a display about money and its history throughout different parts of Asia.

In other news, all of my weekends have  been spent at my family's new house. Last weekend, we had a family gathering at a grandparent's house (not too exciting for me since no one spoke English and they tried to feed me strange food!). I've quickly learned the Thai phrase, "im leew," 'I'm full!' This weekend, there was a gathering at our house and some family members (they never actually introduce anyone to me) came and brought their 1-month old baby, and I held her for like an hour!!! That completely makes up for the lack of introductions ;) She was gorgeous, and I don't remember the last time I got to hold an infant =) Other than that, though, the weekend was not too exciting. I read 2 books: one, a novel I brought with me, and the other a short book we have to read for Thai Culture called "Basic Buddhism." It was definitely interesting, and I promise one of these posts will be about my Buddhist University internship and I will do my best to tell you more about Buddhism as a religion as well.

That's all for now, be blessed! O, and if you're one of those unfortunate ones in a wintry wonderland, I'll leave you with this: my little sister, Ning, told me the other day, "I want to see snow, and eat it, and run through it with no clothes on!" I know the snow seems dreary, cold, and never-ending, but Spring is on its way!! And, there are people here who've never been 'blessed' by it! Enjoy!

Some more about my host family =)

I can never believe how exhausted I am at the end of each day! Let's see, things have been going pretty well. My family situation resembles a roller coaster! My khun mee (age 45) and nong-saaw (younger sister, age 13) are the people I see the most. My nong-chaay (younger brother, age 20, but still younger than me I believe) is a student at the University of Technology which is where my khun paa (age 47) is an ajaan (professor) of engineering, and khun mee works at the post office at the university. My brother has never said more than his name to me and that was on the first day I met him so I don't remember it! Oops! But he always smiles when he sees me and there are usually 2 or more friends of his (who also introduced themselves the first time I met them) and they always smile too! Their house here in the city (on the university's campus) is very small and simple, 2 bedrooms (1 of which is mine), a bathroom, living room, dining room, and a kitchen outside. The other morning when I was showering I decided to count the spiders I could see from the shower (8, in case you were wondering!). O, the wonders of Thailand! There are also a lot of ants EVERYWHERE (luckily not in my bedroom!)... but, they may be someone's ancestor now in their next life so we better not kill them! There is usually someone sleeping on the couch, and there are often a few of my brother's friends asleep on the floor or sitting on their computers at all hours of the day.

My little buddy! He usually  hangs out outside my window just like that! ;)

During the week, I don't see khun paa as he stays at the new house that my family is in the process of building. It's a huge, gorgeous house in the middle of lots of rice paddies and fields of other crops. The people who work the fields (likely immigrants from Laos or Cambodia or villagers from the north) live nearby in very small, simple houses. I get the feeling that my family is very well off since their new house is so large and beautiful! I was having a bit of a struggle in my mind to understand how they can live in the huge, gorgeous house and sit and watch other people, struggling to live, work their fields and build their home. I'm going to leave it at being a cultural difference and accept the fact that they are providing them with a way of living that is better than nothing! Status has high value here in Thailand and it seems my family has worked hard to gain their high status. I also know that generally when a family has workers such as my family they provide them with necessities and are required by law to treat them fairly. A lot of other students in the program have families with maids who usually live in their houses also (some even have drivers). These families usually want to host students so that their young children can practice English with a native speaker.

The university is right across the street from Chiang Mai University which is super convenient because I can walk to class every day! Here are some pictures from my daily walk =) Enjoy!

Pretty pathway =)



The elephant! Chiang Mai University's 'mascot' is the Elephant... this one is located right inside the front gate as you enter campus.



This reservoir is where CMU gets all of their water, and the mountain is Doi Suthep, the one we climbed last week! I love walking by everyday!

This is from my walk home, just outside the gate. The purple fence surrounds most of campus. The red, blue and white flag is Thailand's national flag... not sure about the yellow one.

Sorry about the crooked-ness ;) This is the main street I cross on my walk home. The overpass/banner thing at the end has lots of pics of the king of Thailand, taken when he was young of course, he's now in his 90's lying in a hospital bed in Bangkok =( There are pics of him everywhere though! There's even one of him as a monk above the bed in my room =)

Well, that's all for now, the overwhelming exhaustion is setting in! I'll do a post with more info on my internship soon!

Have a blessed day my friends!!

Changes, changes, changes!

So, let's see... Saturday was an awesome day! Climbing Doi Suthep Mountain produced sore legs, tired bodies, breathtaking views, and overwhelming peace. The first half was super easy and the second half was super challenging! At the half way point there's a small temple and a neat waterfall area. At the top, there were a lot of little vendors and a huge temple with a ginormous Jedi (symbol of Buddhism). After the drive back down and lunch back on campus we had a short break and then a 2 hour Thai massage! These 2 events of the day are definitely still fighting for my favorite. The massage was super relaxing.... and my legs appreciated it after the climb! Saturday night we celebrated the January birthdays in our group at Ajaan Mike's.... There was a lot of good food, great conversation, and yummy cake!

Did I mention breathtaking views?

And overwhelming peace?

And exhaustion? ;)

"Today is better than two tomorrows," so live in the moment, seize the day!!



Sunshine and a part of a temple, what more could ya want from a cool photo taken at the top of a mountain?



Chiang Mai from the top of Doi Suthep! I'm somewhere down there right now ;)

How on earth could I resist!?

Do you see that face? I know, I was supposed to be taking pictures of the temple and jedi, but you know me!

People write their wishes/prayers/dreams etc on these little gold leaves and hang them all around the temple and such.

Sunday was the day I have been SO nervous for... I met my host family! They were about an hour late to pick me up because, as I found out later, they didn't think I was coming until the 26th.... oops! Surprise, a Ruth! So, we left the school where everyone met their families, drove to their little place near campus and they showed me pictures of the previous students they've hosted. Then they said something about a new house they are building and that sometimes we would stay there instead of the current house. Then, we drove to their new, in process house. We sat and sort of talked (they don't know much English and I know WAY less thai) and then we had lunch. Then I ended up just kinda sitting in a room for about 3 or so hours (I'm not really sure what everyone else was doing!). Then we went back to their other house, then out to dinner, then did a little shopping, and came back. By that time it was 8, I was exhausted, frustrated, and completely NOT excited about the whole homestay concept. I shared my frustrations on Monday morning, and my Monday evening with the family went a little better, I kinda forced myself to spend more time with them and I continued to smile a lot =) Tuesday night was a little rough again, I'm still not always sure what to do with myself! Tonight, however, it was a lot quieter around the house so I forced myself out of my hiding place and my Thai mother was very happy to help me with my Thai lessons, and I showed her some pics of my family-- she seemed pretty pleased =)

Monday we also began our Thai culture class... The class includes a few lectures a week, two exams, and two papers, one of which is an ethnography on our host family, o, and the week-long field trip we will take will allow us to see a lot of the sights we are learning about (that happens about the middle of March).

Monday was just a jam-packed day because we also started our internships! We had one more place to scout out on Monday, Grandma's Place. It's a really cool organization that works with kids, empowers grandmothers, and is really holistic, but not really the right place for us since we will only be available a few hours a day. I would love to work for that type of organization at some point in my life though!

SO, I have chosen Wat Suan Dok, the Buddhist University to do my internship. That actually started for me on Tuesday. We will sit in a class in either English or Sociology each day from 1-3 and then we will be available for "Farang (foreigner) Chat" from 3-5. I really enjoyed it on Tuesday, the monks seem really open to us sharing our ideas with them in their classes and we had about 5 or so stop by to chat with us afterward. Overall, I'm sure I will learn a lot about culture, religion, and myself from interacting with them. I can't wait to go back tomorrow! We usually go Monday through Thursday, but I didn't go Monday and today was a Buddhist Holiday so they didn't hold an classes. We shall see how tomorrow goes!

Things are looking up and I will be sure to share more about my family and my internship soon. Thanks for continuing to read my musings.... I miss you all and pray you have a blessed week!!

LONG week!

Only a week and I'm already not posting too often! Sorry! This week has been CRAZY busy. Every day, I've been getting up around 6:30, breakfast at 7:30, and then class starts between 8 & 8:30 (Thai professors are not know for their punctuality ;) ). Class goes until about 11:30 when lunchtime rolls around and then class again from 1 to 2. At 2, we've been travelling to the different internship possibilities to scope them out and see what interests us. Monday was the Buddhist University, which is one of my top choices. While there, we would be discussion leaders with 3rd and 4th year English majors, all of whom are Buddhist monks. In past years, students have loved this internship because it gives more insight into the mainly Buddhist culture here in Thailand and allows for you to get new insights from someone with a completely different cultural background and perspective. My other top choice is to teach English at an elementary school. Usually people can team teach in pairs... it's crazy that they would let untrained students teach. They are so appreciative of us and our help though, and it would be a chance to interact with students that are from poor social situations. Most of the kids live at Baan Phonsawaan which is similar to an orphanage; they take in tribal children who end up in slums, along with other children, such as those abused or whose parents travel a lot for work and therefore the children wouldn't go to school at all. So those are my top 2 and they are completely different! I don't know how I will pick but I have to decide this weekend-prayers for guidance appreciated!

So, in addition to class and scouting out internships, we attended a traditional Thai dinner on Wednesday night. The setting was beautiful: the venue was open and had no roof, and we sat on the floor with pillows as 'chairs,' we were all dressed up in beautiful outfits and the food was delicious! There was a stage in the middle where there was a presentation of awesome dances and shows. Our Thai buddies also attended so it was a great opportunity to get to know them better-they are so kind and patient!



Some of the girls got the 'princess' outfit-- beautiful!




AH! Knives




Cool decorations!




Diana and me in our Thai outfits ready to eat!!


Other evenings this week have been spent exploring and trying more delicious food! I've come to love the real pad thai and I've also had a lot of other dishes I've enjoyed: pot sua (noodles with chicken and veggies), som tam (papaya salad), and tons of stuff with rice and some with sticky rice. The fruit is always tasty and amazingly fresh! I can't wait for mango season which starts in February sometime.... yum!

Tomorrow we are hiking to the top of a mountain near our hotel and visiting a temple at the top. It is tradition for all first year Chiang Mai University students to hike it so we are glad to join the initiation! We will also have a 2 hour Thai massage which will be MUCH appreciated after the exhaustion of the week. Learning another language really takes a lot out of ya! We'll end the night with a celebration of our director's birthday- Ajaan Mike. Sunday we meet our host families!! Prayers for all of our nerves for that also appreciated.

I hope everything is well your way-- let me know how life's going for you!

Thanks again for your support my friends! Have a peaceful and joyous day =)

First Day of Class!!

So yesterday (Sunday), we went to church. It is a Catholic Church, but considering only about 1% of the Thai population is Christian, it is very ecumenical and accepting, as well as one of the very few options available for Christians to worship together! I enjoyed the service, it was completely in English so that was a huge help! The people were happy and smiling as usual and we felt so welcome =)

After church was lunch and then shopping. We went to quite a few places: The biggest jewelry store in the world, a place where traditional Asian umbrellas are made and sold, a Thai silk factory/store, and a Lacquer factory/store. Each place had either an instructional video or a person talking to us who told us about their product and how it was made. I learned a few things, for instance, did you know that sapphires and rubies are the same stone just different colors? The jewelry store really was HUGE and it was amazing to see all the different things they come up with for jewels! At the umbrella place, it was sort of a marketplace set-up and there were artists there who would paint things like flowers, elephants, dragons, etc. onto anything. People had clothing, shoes, journals, bags, and other stuff painted; I had a very pretty plumeria flower painted onto my Bible, I'm very pleased with it (and everything is so inexpensive, it was under $2!). I wasn't a huge fan of the Thai silk factory because in the instructional video they said that they basically kill the worms before they come out of their cocoon to get the silk--call me a humanitarian, but I wasn't a fan, even though the silk was beautiful! Then we learned about lacquer which is thick black sap from trees that they make into vases, bowls, animal figurines, etc, and then paint or decorate with gold overlay... it was very pretty! In our Thai art class we will be doing something with lacquer, I'm sure it won't be as beautiful, but it should be fun! So, Sunday was a packed and tourist-y day, and quite exhausting!

Today, we finally started our class!! This morning was a lecture about our internships from 8-9 and then our first Thai language lecture from 9-11. Then we were free for lunch, etc. until 1, when we had another hour of Thai while in smaller sections and with different professors. I really enjoyed the lectures, but my memory is failing me and I don't feel I learned much!! With time, I'm sure I'll retain it better (I hope) =)

Then, we went to the American Consulate and talked with two of the diplomats there. They talked about their jobs there and then opened up for questions. Most of our questions were about their job with the state department and the other posts they have held in other countries-- it was pretty interesting overall. After that, we went to the day market where we had to search for a traditional Thai outfit to wear to a dinner event we will be attending on Wednesday. I found a really pretty skirt and a nice shirt. Some of the girls got really gorgeous formal dresses... I'll share pictures after the dinner on Wednesday!

Tomorrow, we will have more classes and then we will begin visiting some of the internship sites to begin to choose one. Today, we went around and everyone shared what internship they were most interested in and I was the only one with absolutely no clue!! I hate to exclude any of them because they all seem so great, but I will have to pick one eventually... prayers for my decision making appreciated =)

Sorry this is kinda long, that's all for now,

Be blessed!!

Elephants, Rafts, Orchids & Butterflies

This morning we woke up early and drove about an hour to The Elephants Training Center in Chiang-Dao, Chiang Mai. There we partnered up and rode elephants, don't worry there's a picture below ;) After that, we watched the elephants bathe and they did a little show for us... very impressive the things they can do with their trunks! Then we rode down the river on bamboo rafts, it was so peaceful and the scenery is gorgeous, I just can't get enough!

 

This is actually a picture of a picture, so excuse the poor quality... but it's still me, riding an elephant!

I took this looking down from on top of the elephant!



Kitty and I on the raft!



Then we drove to an orchid farm. They have a restaurant there outside among the breathtaking flowers where we ate our lunch. We did some exploring and I took about a thousand pictures of all the orchids and a few in the butterfly farm! The rest of our day has been pretty free, so we are relaxing together and will venture out for dinner soon. Buying food without someone to help with translation is a bit of a challenge, but soon it will get easier (I hope) ;)

Diana and I at the orchid farm!








That's all for now, tomorrow will be church and some afternoon shopping and exploring. Have a glorious day!

The Land of Smiles =)

I know it's been a few days that I've been here and not posted, so here it is finally! We arrived safely on Thursday (which was probably your Wednesday). It is so great just to be off an airplane and to finally be warm!! The weather is gorgeous, there are beautiful flowers everywhere, the food smells and tastes delicious, and every Thai person has a huge smile on their face! Chiang Mai is known as the Rose of the North of Thailand, which is known as the Land of Smiles! We were greeted at the airport with warm smiles and Jasmine flower Leis from our Thai buddies, and they have also been a Godsend the whole time we've been here, helping us to buy cell phones and inviting us to have meals with them and such. They are all Chiang Mai University students, as we all are now, too! We are staying in a hotel until next Sunday, which is when we meet our host families!

Friday, we had tours and meetings.... we met the dean of the Faculty of Humanities and the President of the University. We haven't had too much down time, but I have been able to explore some and I am loving it here. I'm so excited to learn the language and become more comfortable and at home in this new, exciting setting.

Today, I will face one of my hugest fears which will be amplified.... I will be riding an ELEPHANT! As some of you may know, I am terrified of horses, so riding an elephant will definitely be a challenge. BUT, I'm up for it =) I'll post tonight or tomorrow morning letting you know how it goes (and, yes, I will try to get a picture for all you who are dying to see me on an elephant ;) )!!

Have a blessed day my friends!

Love in Christ,

Ruth

Anchorage!

Hello again!! I have had safe and on time flights thus far, and I am now in Anchorage, Alaska while our plane re-fuels.... it's very cold here ;) From here we will fly to Taipei and then to Thailand. I'm not totally sure what day/time I will arrive. Until then, thanks for your support!! I appreciate your prayers as I and a few of my fellow classmates take this journey to Thailand =)

I'll post the next chance I have, until then have a blessed day my friends!

Thailand Tomorrow (Wait... Today!)

I'm a procrastinator at heart, so here I am at 12:30 the night before I leave for Thailand, starting my blog!! Have fun following my adventures around the world, beginning with my Spring semester in Thailand!!

I'll post more later... have a blessed day my friends!