Homestay Fun - And Other Things

I have been in Thailand a month now and can say that it has been a series of peaks and valleys, struggles and triumphs, questions and answers, and homesickness and feeling completely at home. My homestay experience continues to be one which I will always look back upon with warm and kind thoughts. They ask me everyday if I miss home and am going to return to the states before my two year commitment here ends. I reassure them that I am in this for the long haul and they laugh and tell me that the Thai in me already has too strong a hold to let me go – their exact words are then “Abby will endure and if she doesn’t she will scream for help and we will make her stay.” They are the kind of people my parents taught me to be.

We are without a car and the Peace Corps prohibits any volunteer from riding on, or operating a motorcycle; so my neighbor and the head of my tambon has taken me under his wing. He comes over every evening for dinner with his beautiful granddaughter Satang (4 years old) and asks me what I want to do on Sunday. Last Sunday he took me, my sister, my host mom, Satang, and his grandsons to the waterfall just outside of town to play in the cold water and have a picnic. It was a great afternoon – the waterfall is more of a watering hole than a true waterfall, but that made it more fun to play in. I walked around with Phat and Pi Ying for about two hours taking pictures. Thai’s love to have their pictures taken and then to look at them over and over and over again. So we walked to every single photo worthy inch of that waterfall and took picture after picture after picture. When the photo-op ended I took Satang and her little brother to a calm pool and we played for the rest of the afternoon. It is SO hot here, that being cool is a true treasure. It was the kind of day that leaves one feeling completely at peace with where they are in life.

Weera, my neighbor, also took me and my Fam to a big dinner and show on Wednesday evening. There is a huge field in town that they use for Saturday night, night markets and they turned it into a huge stage and tables and we had a 12 course meal and watched cross-dressers dance and sing for hours. It was a taste of Thai culture that I was not expecting; usually things around here are extremely conservative, but no one batted an eye in regards to the half naked men trouncing around as though they were as feminine as could be. I needed a break from the rigid expectations of this society and sincerely enjoyed the experience.

Aside from Weera and Satang the rest of the neighborhood has taken an equal interest in my well being and safety. Each morning and afternoon they expect to see me pass their homes and so lock their dogs inside to ensure I am not chased. They also stand along the street and shout hello and good morning as I bike by. It is a one woman parade each day! One afternoon I decided to go with Dennis to run a few errands and I was a half hour later than usual returning home . . . there were 12 people out on their motorcycles looking for me when I started down my road. Needless to say I do a lot of calling and checking in now – I don’t need the neighborhood watch out for me every time I get held up. I thought this kind of thing would stop, get old, or just become something I took for granted, but I feel an overwhelming sense of love and joy when I turn onto my street and begin my daily hellos . . . the kindness I feel here never falters and my appreciation for it never seems to diminish.

I was also exposed to the Thai version of a BBQ this week when my whole family came over for a meal. They have these portable fire pits that have a pot that sits on top of them – there is a broth that is cooked in the bottom portion with noodles and veggies and the top is used to grill meat. We sit outside on a mat on the ground and cook our own dinner. It was really fun and the food was delicious. Nothing here tastes anything but heavenly – and I’m even getting a little tougher in terms of spice. Pi Ying is slowly adding peppers to things to build my tolerance; she thinks I’ll be at five when I leave her . . . I’m struggling with one and a half, so I’m not so sure I agree.

While my homestay is full of fun and love, training is much more serious and daunting. The schedule never lightens up for a second. After seven lessons I completed my practice teaching this week and will now move on to plan an English camp with 10 other trainees. Teaching here was wonderful – the students were so full of energy and joy that I couldn’t help but be swept up in their tornado of excitement. The last day was full of picture taking, hugging, laughing, and the usual swarm of little Thai boys following me all around the school yelling “hello” and “good morning” (regardless of the time of day). They are adorable. I am sad to be done with this part of training, but am eagerly anticipating the remaining tasks. We will put on an English camp, which I have never done and am excited to learn more about, and then we move on to plan a teacher training workshop. Often I feel like we forget that our purpose here, as volunteers, is to teach the teachers the skills they need to become successful instructors of English. Our mission is to create something sustainable long after we are gone – I feel that the teacher training workshop will be the thing that regains that focus and I am looking forward to it.

I continue to spend between 12 and 16 hours a week in language classes and am progressing rapidly. I can’t believe the speed at which I have retained the information. I am already able to have a simple, but complete conversation with my host family. They know what I do each day, what I eat, how I feel, and when and where I will be going the next day. It is almost more impressive that I know the same about them. The language acquisition has been the most rewarding portion of training and I think I will hire a tutor (at the Peace Corp’s expense) when I am placed at my site to continue the progress – it has been deeply satisfying and reaffirmed my belief in the art and meaning of communication.
I am still melting, as the weather gets continuously hotter and feel frustrated with my lack of access to internet. I would love to be in contact with my old life on a more regular basis, but the amenities here simply do not allow for such pleasures. With that being said there are very few moments when I am anything but thankful I am here. I can’t wait to get home and take my cold bucket showers in the afternoon; I eagerly anticipate helping Pi Ying cook dinner and sitting with Phat to practice what I learned in language during the day; I devour my language lessons, and soak up all the cultural lessons they throw my way. I have a heart open to those who would like to share in connecting with another soul and have found a street full of individuals excited to take me up on the offer and willingly give the same in return. I can’t begin to express how different life is here – some things I absolutely refuse to adapt to and others I have gladly adopted as a part of my being, but at the end of each day I have a long list of things to be grateful for and very few about which to complain.

Short Even in Thailand . . . Truly the Land of Smiles

I am no longer living in the comfort of the Ronram (Hotel); I miss the hot shower everyday (or running water at all for that matter), air conditioning, cushy bed, and internet access at any whim. However, my homestay experience has been truly superior in every way. I was placed with a lovely family and am truly living life as a Thai. Most people in my Tambon (village) have never seen a foreigner, especially a blond haired, blue eyed one – so I am quite the trophy and they all do their share of toting me around. My Thai family consists of a grandmother and grandfather, a mother, husband, daughter/sister, and various aunts, uncles, cousins, and animals. We live in what I would call a small compound with five houses in my yard. The house I actually live in is the center of all activity and the family gathering place – needless to say, I am never lonely. My Thai sister is 14, her name is Phatsara and she is adorable; she makes me jewelry and buys us matching key chains and things on a daily basis – plus she knows just enough English to save me when the communication barrier gets to be too large a hurdle to concur. There are not many moments when I allow myself to consider abandoning my mission here, but on the rare occasion I give in to my homesickness and lack of Thai vocabulary she is the kind spirit that lifts me up and reminds me why I traveled across the world; she is the first heart to touch mine and it has made every beat here vital.

Aside from Phat I spend my time with Pi Ying, my Thai mom; she makes pastries that are heavenly and sells them at the market – she is also a fabulously talented cook and teaches me her tricks each evening when I return home from training. I will be well equipped to create my own meals when I am forced to part from her inviting kitchen. My vocabulary at this point consists of all words relating to food . . . and I like it that way.
I was also very fortunate to have been placed with a very strong woman. Thailand is a little bit like living in the 50’s – women cook, clean, raise children, and make sure their men are well taken care of . . . In my house Pi Ying makes the money and the decisions and sets that example for Phat – I am thankful for her strength and pride everyday; she makes me feel empowered in an oppressive system.
Pi Ying and her husband Lu Yang are very patient people; they are kind and generous, and a perfect match for this little melting Coloradoan. With that being said, they are also VERY protective of their new child and worry about me constantly. One of the Ajaans (teachers) from the Peace Corps had a meeting with them to make sure they understood that they didn’t have to take me to school everyday and their reply was, “she is just too small to be alone – we will take her.” (Taking me to school consists of following behind my bicycle, while they ride a motorcycle) I thought I was coming to a country of little people, that I would fit right in, but even here I am a shorty. Phat is only 14 and is a good foot taller than me. I would complain, but there are homeless, hungry, and angry dogs all over this country and they fear motorized vehicles and love the smell of my American blood – so their company offers a feeling safety that I deeply appreciate.
Each Sunday morning Meow (my cousin) and Pi Ying begin making the Kanom, which they will sell at market. We have two kitchens, one is inside and the other is outside under the stilted portion of the house. The house I live in is well equipped with luxuries as far as life here is concerned and my family is cleaner than clean. We sweep, mop, do dishes, and shower a minimum of three times a day. It is beautiful. The home is in two parts, a stilted portion, which is in front, and a ground level which is the living space, kitchen, and bathroom. Thai houses don’t have individual rooms like American homes do and they are almost completely without furniture. We eat, gather, sleep, study, and watch T.V. in a big open room, on the floor. I bathe from a huge water trough with a bucket and use a squat toilet to take care of business. I sleep on a mattress on the floor with a mosquito net around me and my family on either side.

There is a sense of community here that is both tender, warm, and inviting – while overwhelming, overbearing, and without privacy. I find myself being pulled by both sides – I enjoy the company and it absolutely helps with the language acquisition, but there are times when I simply need to be alone.
Aside from my homestay things have been extremely busy and overwhelming. I spend four hours a day in language lessons with a group of four. We attend language classes at our village school, Nikom Lam Nari, where I get to teach three classes a week to a group of fifth graders. They are beyond adorable and love to have a native speaker in the classroom. It is wild and frustrating to watch someone teach a language they are completely unable to speak – which is the case in terms of English instruction in most of the country. It is hopeful in terms of feeling like I have a needed skill to offer, but will be a struggle creating techniques in which my Thai Counteparts will be able to sustain the practices after I come home to all of you. Teachers here are greatly respected, however, and like always in this land of smiling faces I am treated like royalty.
Every morning I meet two of the other members of my language and teaching group and we bike to the school. We attend language instruction until noon and then have lunch; after lunch we are able to teach a class for two hours two days a week. On days that we aren’t teaching we bike back to the “HUB” which is where we meet with all fifty of the Peace Corps Trainees and we are given cultural lessons and taught strategies specific to our jobs. It is nice to see everyone, but a long ride one my extremely hard bike seat. We are given an hour and a half for lunch and a group of us have found a cute little corner of the market that make great Pad Thai and Thai Tea, so we go everyday and get a meal for three for 35 bat (One American Dollar). We live this life from Monday to Saturday and then are given a day off – each day feels like a week and Sunday feels like an hour. It is crazy to think I have only been here three weeks with all that has happened, but each day there is a moment of confirmation that I am in the right place. Something was calling me here, and I am glad I answered.

Sawati Ka (Hello From Thailand)

After all of the preparation, goodbyes, and anticipation I am finally here in Thailand. It was an eleven hour flight to Tokyo (I didn't sleep for a single second) and then an eight hour flight to Bangkok (I slept through dinner). Once we landed we were greeted by the Thailand Peace Corps Staff who hung beautiful lays of purple and white flowers around our necks. We then headed out into the night and were loaded on to two double Decker buses. There was a three hour ride awaiting us and once we were finally to Chai Badan in the Lopburi Province here we were ushered to our rooms and allowed to sleep for a whole three hours before this whole thing began. We have spent every minute of each day in meetings, language lessons, bike training classes, and eating. It is exhausting and yet nice - the business keep the homesickness at bay.

I am amazed at the speed with which they have been able to teach us the language and am loving my bike. It is grey and new and beautiful - I love her!!!! I have already made a few good friends and am enjoying the time they are giving us here at the hotel, where we get to spend our days and night among other American volunteers. On Feb. 3rd we will be leaving the comfort of this place and heading to our homestays. It will be ten weeks of living in a village away from the other volunteers and with a Thai family. We bike each morning to what they call the Hub sight. I have a feeling that this is when the whole thing becomes truly "real." I have only been here four days and already it feels like months. They keep us busy and well fed - it's sort of a dream right now.

The weather is unreal. It has been between 85 and 90 degrees each day and "dry" - this is the dry and cool season. I can only imagine what the hot and wet seasons are like - I'm a little afraid; it feel really humid and hot here already to me. But I guess that's life in Thailand.

We were give time to go the an open air market today and shop a bit. I rode my bike there with a few of the other volunteers and found it interesting to see the Thai people's reaction to a blond haired, blue eyed, little American. Little kids were following me through the rows of exotic fruit, fired bugs, and piles of fish and meat wanting to have their picture taken with me and touch my golden locks. Vendors were pointing and smiling and everyone would stop and take me in. I was quite the anomaly. One of the children lead me to a vendor who made Pan Thai and I had my first experience with this Thai staple of a meal. It was supposed to be mild and still I had tears streaming down my cheeks. I guess my taste buds have some adjusting to do still . . . I think I'll make it work. So far it truly has been the land of smiles and I have to say Thai people are kind and generous. I think this will be a semi easy place to make home for a while . . . I guess we'll have to see.

Celebrations Galore!!!

Between Graduation, my Birthday, Christmas gatherings, the New Year, and Cody's Birthday I have been shuffling from one celebration to the next for weeks now. My parents, being the fabulous hosts they are, threw me a party I will be sure to tuck within my heart and pack along for the journey of a life time. It was so incredible to spend an evening surrounded by so many wonderful people - my accomplishments and pursuits are all a reflection of the individuals who have been a presence in my life. The gathering was a perfect representation of the sincere friends, loyal family members, and young souls that make up the foundation of my world. I felt deeply honored and supported to be among such generous, lively, and loving company.

Christmas was a plethora of dinners with family and friends, time spent with loved ones, movie watching, gift giving, and good eating. In my family this is not a one-day-affair - we have Christmas for a solid week and surprisingly it doesn't get old. There is something wonderfully comforting about spending time with people who always have your best interests in mind and want nothing more than to remain connected on a meaningful level. But the party didn't stop there!!!

I raced back to Fort Collins after all the graduation, b-day, and Christmas celebrations came to an end and packed up all of my belongings. I was shocked to see how much stuff I had collected over the past four years and found myself absolutely overwhelmed by the prospect of getting it all organized and hauled back home. It took hours, lots of help, heaps of love, and many reminders to keep breathing to get it all done; now I'm back and forth between Fort Collins and Fort Lupton and I'm living out of a duffel bag . . . I guess the adventure begins long before my bags are packed and my plane takes off.

With the moving taken care of I was free to bring in the New Year with enthusiasm for my journey, appreciation for the blessings of the last twelve months, and wonder for what is to come. Cody's birthday was a light-hearted celebration of the fun-loving character he has become. It's easy to enjoy acknowledging someone so willing to engage in the fun life has to offer.

Now I'm spending my days tying up lose ends, saying goodbyes, and reading. I'm excited to pursue my dreams of being a Peace Corps Volunteer, to travel the world, to share the love that overwhelms my heart, and to contribute to the education of all children - and in the very same breath I am apprehensive about the future and heartbroken with each goodbye. I have three weeks and I fully intend to spend them in a continuation of the celebration I have been living in for the last month; the celebration of my life thus far, the accomplishments of those around me, and the relationships that have lead me to this moment and this absolutely thrilling decision.

Saying Goodbye

I am getting ready to finish student teaching, and I'm finding it harder than I ever imagined to say goodbye to my students and co-workers. This has been one of the best experiences of my life and I can't imagine what my days will look like without it. I don't know anyone who goes into student teaching feeling confident and well prepared; I certainly didn't!!! However, it didn't take long at all to feel like I was exactly where I belonged. Life is full of opportunities to discover one's passions, but I think it is rare for that passion to be so apparent and so all consuming. Education is my drug of choice - I sincerely believe it has the power to foster a global community of peace, trust, and communication, and I'm excited that I found such an empowering path to lead the rest of my life.

I spent the last four months of my life surrounded by ninth graders. This is an experience all people should have; it would make us all more empathetic, less guarded, and light hearted. They have a way of disarming a person; they see to the heart of a matter, regardless of one's efforts to to mask a mood, a true intention, or insecurity. They are ruthless little people!!! There isn't a bump, blemish, spelling error, mispronunciation, or little white lie they don't call you on - and every time I was faced with one of these encounters I realized how small their lives really are, how basic their needs, and how sincerely and deeply they feel everything they can't help but wear on their sleeves. There isn't a single day I pack up my bags, lock my room, and head for home that my heart doesn't race a little faster looking back on a witty comment, appreciating an un-prompted complement, encouraging exemplary efforts, or anticipating the excitement that will land itself on my desk the following day. It is like being a detective - I am in constant investigation mode; probing their brains for what makes sense, searching their souls for the clues that lead to their passions, and devouring any evidence that sheds light on making education an empowering experience. And as hard as I tried to change my 100 ninth-grader's lives over the course of these past four months, there is only one absolute conclusion I have been able to draw - One life was absolutely changed, and will forever be . . . mine.

I feel supported by a nest of co-workers and friends; people who share my passion for reaching students. I feel excited about the prospect of living this life forever; attempting to implement every new idea, devouring creative curriculum, and embracing a community of people who foster that desire. I feel thankful to have been placed in a town I could easily call my home, with a cooperating teacher I feel proud to know, and a group of friends I will cherish forever. I feel scared to say goodbye to any of it. I feel sad that finding my passion meant a journey that would rip me from this deep comfort; and I feel really excited to chase this new found love all over the world.