Titles Have To Do With The Content

It's May in Yasothorn, but it is almost June and you know what that means?  That means that June is going to be a lot like May.  It is most likely going to be hot with a chance of rain at night time which means there is a chance of 2,000 flying ants to enter my room at night.  It also means that I have experienced one more month in this beautiful country going on several vacations, some of them unintended, and I have also spent more time getting to know how to live and work successfully in a place where all things different.  So this is where my post starts, right here sitting in my office where the teachers are all wondering why I haven't said an English word for three hours but I am supposed to be an English co-teacher...If anyone knows how to say "I just want to observe for the first two weeks" that is more effective than this thai transliteration:  "Pom yak ja do chuei chuei atit nung gap atit song, gaw pom chuay soon pasa Engrit", please let me know.  Ahhh, now that you are all impressed by my Thai skills let me show you how terrible my English has become by writing several paragraphs of grammatically incorrect blog content.

So my last blog I of course updated you on how awesome I am:), but I also left you after saying that I was headed to Ayuthaya, which is my original home here in Thailand.  The vacation was fantastic and much needed.  I will give you a brief rundown on the things I received/the things I was taken to do because it is ridiculous how much love I feel when I go back to stay with my host mom:
1.  They mowed my name in their yard
2.  They served me all the food and drink I could ever want
3.  Bought me pizza
4.  Bought me FRIED CHICKEN (4 straight days of delicious fried chicken)
5.  Took me to the Grand Palace in Bangkok (and bought me lunch and dinner again)
6.  Took me a party at the temple (and almost made me be the "angel" in a buddhist play)
7.  Took me to buy peanut butter
8.  My host mom rented a pesonal van to send me 8 hours back to Yasothorn and she rode 8 hours back to Ayuthaya the same night after buying me 16 cartons of milk, some ramen noodles and 30 eggs to gain some weight.
9.  1 week later I received a package with 5 new short sleeve shirts, 3 sets of bed sheets and 4 pairs of boxer shorts
10.  A call later to see if I wanted to go to China on vacation in a few months

All in all, my host mother is a ridiculously nice person.  If you told me I was going to have a person stay in my house from another country for 3 months, you didn't tell me anything about them and you told me that they would not speak my language, I would have told you that you were crazy to think we'd be as close as we are.  To say the very least the visit was great and overwhelming!

I got back to my house where things were just the way I left them, I love my little house here in Issan, my hammock especially.....And as I sat there in my hammock I got a call Friday night from my supervisor at the local education ministry.  She explained that she had a party for me to attend close to her house.  I obliged, not knowing what this "party" was going to consist of.  In the end I attended a dance party on a stage, a traditional Thai dance show, a Thai concert, and finally, Boon Bang Fie (which translates to Rocket Festival) where there were large rockets being shot off every twenty minutes or so, people being thrown in a pond and others with mud being slung all over their bodies (me included, everyone wants to get the farang).  Little did I know that after this Rocket Festival there was going to be another Rocket Festival in my village followed by another one in the village next to mine...all in all 3 Rocket Festivals and they are not yet finished.

After the trip to Sai Mun I realized that after 2 straight months of being with only Thai speakers that it might be good to see if I could still speak English.  I know when I talk to friends and family on skype it is hard for me to communicate, not to communicate but just to be myself.  I wasn't sure if this was because my English language speaking skills had gone out the window or if I was always around Thai people so I was scared to talk into a computer screen, worried about what they might think or do.  It seems like there are one of two reactions to skype.  They either run away from my screen or they won't stop staring into it.

Back on track;  So I thought spending some quality time with Peace Corps volunteers would not only give me a break from the daily grind but also give me a chance to practice my English with some other native speakers.  I had the chance to do this in a place called Mukdahan, which is on the border of Thailand and Laos.  It is the most happening place close to all of us in Issan so we made it a group gathering.   At first it was my mission to get a big juicy burger, maybe some fried chicken and a giant order of french fries and ice cream, but after all of that stuff and a fairly painful stomachache I realized all I wanted was some Dtom Yum (Thai Soup), some Som Tam (Papaya Salad with Fermented Fish Sauce) and some delicious Kao Neow (sticky rice);.... maybe I am not fully integrated, but I am getting there!  The Mook was a blast and I got the chance to watch the Barcelona vs. Man U game at 2 o-clock in the morning with the band that was playing at a local pub...little did I know I was going to go to Mukdahan to hang out with more Thai people!

All is well on the home front, I am so fortunate to be in such a beautiful place.  School is starting which I though would stress me out considering I haven't really had to work at all. I don't know if it is something they put in the water or if I am just a changed man, but I am virtually stress free...what a wonderful feeling.  Life is good.

I will attempt to put up some pictures on the blog but in case that does not work please see facebook for some pretty sick vids and some other good pics of all of my happenings on.

Also congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Mattiza....Got some pretty frat video updates at the reception...I would like to give a shout out to my boy Grant for absolutely dominating the dance floor and to TJ for sporting that sick cowboy hat all night!  Proud of you guys and I can't wait to see you functioning as a married couple when I get back home....In the meantime I will be busy beating Mattiza in fantasy baseball!  Halla!

Exceptional

Hello blog...
I love you and the way you let me write in your window of composition.  I like the fact that you have three options on the bottom of the composition screen that allow me the choice to "publish post", "save now" and "preview".  But does anyone really "preview" because the writer has already "viewed".  Technically you cannot preview because that would mean you were predicting the future.  Only T9 on your 1999 Nokia cellular telephonic device can predict the future.

I have settled into my new house and I knew that if history were to repeat itself (and in fact, it does...sometimes...but not exactly because nothing can be EXACTLY replicated...and other philosophical thoughts...but in this case history proved to kind of repeat itself, I mean the historical events and prior knowledge gave me a hint as to what was to come) I was going to be in for a few more adjustments in my journey.  The house that I was given the option to live in is close to one of the schools that I work at but it had not been lived in in over two years.  Of course it smelled, looked and had everything living in it that you can imagine a house that had not been lived in for two years would have.  The first few nights were a ferocious battle of man vs. insect, reptile and mammal.  The man brought out some of his favorite fighting weapons in the form of rat bait, shoes, brooms, aerosol cans containing any kind of liquid that might be deadly to insects, bathroom cleaners that might kill things and ect.  The fact is the king of the other animals sent too many troops and they have unlimited supplies.  It is a battle that cannot be won by either side.  Unless of course the king of the animals sends some sort of poisonous beetle or another dangerous weapon that gets to man while he is sleeping, doubtful.  Man has set up a fortress in the form of a net, nothing can touch him!

So all literary genius aside, (because I am obviously such a talent) I am living in a house that has a lot of bugs and stuff.  I have decided I cannot win and that living with them in a non-social but interactive manner is best for me and my living partners.  So when Thai people ask me if I am living on my own I am no longer going to answer yes.  I am going to tell them that I live with ants, beetles, lizards, mice and cats to name a few.  Then they are going to respond, "why are you living with all of that food in your house".  Then I will respond "where I am from it is not considered food".  Then they will respond "oh...".  Then they will ask me how I can live on my own without going crazy from all of the ghosts that must be living in the confines of my household.  Above anything else, Thai people are the most afraid of ghosts.  You could throw some kind of poisonous snake at their face and they would not flinch, but ghosts, yes ghosts exist everywhere and they are obviously very harmful as they have caused several deaths in the last few days (this is what we call in the English language "sarcasm").

Anyways....School has started up at one of my two schools.  It feels great to be back in the classroom and around kids and students again.  There are a lot of things that are different in Thai schools than that of America.  There is obviously a very different structure, there are different activities as well as social norms and language.  The language barrier is one that is hard to hurdle.  I cannot get a feel for how kids are, their personality ect. and they cannot read me either.  This is a challenge that is immediately recognizable but I have faith and hope that with time we will reach mutual knowledge of each other.  I am just observing for now, getting a feel for how the classroom operates, what is expected of Thai students and what is expected of Thai teachers.  It is tough because obvious general school rules in America may or may not exist in Thailand.  For example one of the teachers bought a new car. He wanted to treat the local government officials as well as the principal and his co-teachers to lunch in order to create merit and a blessing for his new car.  So, in true Thai fashion, he ordered in the raw meat (side note, the raw meat seems to be a regularly occurring thing for special events, you know the ones they always invite me to; lucky me), the whiskey, the rice whiskey and the beer and some vegetables and other stuff.  Wouldn't you know they had lunch right there in the school cafeteria...the preschoolers, the kindergardners, the first graders and of course the adults pouring each other shots of bourbon.  I found myself in a rather odd social and cultural situation.  Drinking in front of children and especially at school is not something I condone nor would I usually participate in but when offered adult beverages especially from local officials it is culturally insensitive not to accept.  And now you may or may not have interest in what my decision was but I am not going to tell you either way....it was just an odd situation to deal with and I thought you might be interested.

Another thing I found different about Thai culture that is different from what I am used to is that everyone shares what would be very confidential information in the U.S.  I have a the very least three instances.

1.  Teachers at the school share and laugh at each other about the amount of debt they have accrued.
2.  Teachers know everyone's salary that works at the school.
3.  Students' names, grades and test scores are posted publicly for the whole community to see.

The list potentially goes on but these are a few.  I also have realized that exceptional students are often treated very differently from the other students.  It has been pointed out to me that at least three students are mentally disabled which is something that usually isn't directly pointed out in the states.  There is also one little boy that I myself, without being able to speak the language, could diagnose as autistic.  I am not sure if people here have studied or know about how to assist the students that have these differences.

All in all life is good!  I have now eaten 10-15 fruits I have never seen nor tasted, I meet at least three new people everyday and I learn a new aspect of beautiful Thai culture everyday.  My host family here has invited me to be a part of there family and help on the farm on a daily basis.  The community has started to accept me more an more which is very exciting and helps me to feel like a normal person, not just the only American.  I also have the opportunity to see my host family in Ayuthaya in a couple of days which should be exciting.  They have planned a party in advance for my return...Thai people; too generous!

Pom Yak Ja Hai Kwam Suk Mak Mak,

Luke

Mi-LO and Dr. Dre

It was a like a revolution happened over night.  My host mother asked me the other day over my quite delicious and refreshing cup of “Milo” or, if you are Thai, “My-Low”(A rather nice chocolaty drink with, what I gathered from the picture and my host father’s explanation, “veet-a-meens”) that if I had time she wanted to learn English.  I kind of giggled which I think offended her.  The giggle was not meant to have been at her expense it just made me happy to think that the relationship we have means something to her, so much so that she would like to learn to speak my native tongue!  After the giggle, I told her that if I was at the house I would gladly attempt teaching her English.  Little did I know she spent what I can only imagine to be hours on writing over six pages of Thai words that she wanted translated to English so she could study during her free time.  I sat down and we began.  The problem is the word has to be translated three times, I have to be able to understand the Thai, then I have to write the correct English word down, then she has to hear it correctly enough to transliterate the word to Thai.  To make a long story short, we finished what we could.  After a long day on the farm she came home and sat down to watch the family favorite soap opera.  A baby appeared on the screen and proudly my host mother states, “naa-rak” (the Thai word for cute) followed by what she presumed to be the English word for cute, “eat”….

My English teaching ability is obviously awesome….Thank you very much as I bow, “I will be here all night and all month and all year and the year after that”.

I also got my first “village” hair-cut.  What is interesting about a “village” haircut is nothing.  But when a foreigner gets a “village” haircut it can be interesting…I guess…at least it was to the ten people outside the shop watching and talking about it for a good thirty minutes.  The barber was careful to be precise when cutting every piece of hair on my head.  The fact that I chose his house to get my haircut he thought was a nice gesture and of course I needed the cut fairly bad.  The bad news is, if you know about me and my barber shop/salon experience I do not have any.  For some reason when I go to the salon or barber in the States I freeze up, like they are speaking a foreign language.  I say what I think is correct in salon language, “taper the sides, thin the top, they usually use the razor guard #8”, ect. Ect.  Then I stop talking.  It is uncomfortable I can feel it, I know they feel it too.  The person cutting my hair must think I am a mute as I answer all the usual salon questions with one word and a smile.  I cringe with each snip of hair because I know what the end result will be no matter what I say.  No matter what, I come out looking like a 12 year-old boy that has his fresh new hair cut and his ball cap with his piece of bubble gum in his mouth that he got for sitting so still in that big scary chair. 

Hopefully you know where I am going with this.  If not, just wait longer (dumb and dumber reference anyone….yes, no, is this thing on?).  So I am scared of the barber, scared of requesting, scared of talking, scared of the end result.  A “village” haircut was so easy…  I walked to the house, I asked in broken Thai, “is that guy who cuts hair here?” and he said, “I am that guy” then I sat down and he cut my hair.  He did not ask what I wanted, he did not ask where I was from, he did not ask what I studied in college or what I did for work.  He just wanted to cut and let me tell you, cut he did.  He cut until I was Thai….and now, Thai I am, shaved sides and goofy top.  But all is good.

I also had a fishing experience that brought some memories back of when I was little and me and my best buddy Donnie Crawford would got to the pond with our bb guns, our fishing poles, a bucket-o-worms and our 4-wheeler.  Man did we get up to no good, but it was always a good time.  I was invited to go fishing with a man from the convenient store just up the road; the convenient store is generally a house and the residents sell things.  I had to of course explain that I could not ride a motorcycle (peace corps policy), so he loaded up the truck with all of the essentials…energy drinks and fishing equipment…and we were off.  Once again I felt like I was incapable of doing even the things I was capable of doing back in the states.  The man I was with pulled at least 10 fish out of the river compared to my 0.  I felt like I was back at home, 9 years old, and my buddy Donnie Ray tied on a lure that had broken hooks so he would easily beat me in our competition.  I began to think what could possibly be the difference (because surely it was not the operator, I mean I am awesome J).  I looked at the rod, the reel, the lure, the hooks, all the same.  I began to lose hope.  I figured if I did not catch a fish before the sun went down I would surely not be invited back, something I desperately wanted, fishing is great stress relief for me.  At last I pulled out 1 fish.  Just in time.  It felt so good, the fight of a fish and the excitement of finally catching one is something that, for me, cannot be compared to anything.  The sun had gone down and we loaded up the truck, we shared laughs although I do not know what they were about and when we arrived back in the village my new fishing buddy gave me five fish and an ice cold beverage that may or may not have contained alcohol.  The wrap up is, I did not feel like the only American person in the village for one day.  It was refreshing, I felt comfortable and I hope that continues. 

Also and update on the eating because that is always an experience and people generally like to hear about it…

Dinner with some teachers from the school:

Stir Fried Veggies

Fish Soup

Cow Brains

Baby Chicks….Somewhere in the explanation of what I was eating they asked me what we call them in English.  They explained to me that they were not quite chicks but they were not eggs either…”Fetus”, I said, “you are eating a chicken fetus”…and they went right along “ChiCK-Hen Fee Tuuu”….yes chicken fetus…

I also saw that Dr. Dre is making a comeback…It looked scary and gangster and stuff

I listed some things that I would love from back home if one was to make a care package.  I hear some people wanted to do so and for that I am very gracious and thankful.

                                                                                      

Songkran: A Thesis...and stuff with research

Once one inherits a farm or decides to be a farmer there are a lot of things one must prepare in order to obtain yield from one’s crops or livestock.  One must buy food, spend hours giving the plants water and build structures to house livestock and plant seedlings.  An outsider would look at an organic farm and smile.  Most likely the afternoon air is still and clean, one feels alone with the land, the beautiful and serene landscape.  One can pick delicious as well as gorgeous fruits and harvest succulent vegetables from the trees and the ground.  But what one does not realize until one has attempted farming is that one must deal, hourly, with feces.  One must be willing to step in feces, be willing to clean manure from the structures one has spent hours building and from the shoes one has spent upwards of 100 dollars buying.  Handling droppings of multiple origins is also a must while planting. 

I have written this just because I, myself, did not know just how much farmers have to deal with poop until now.  I have tended to several pigs over the last week, I give them water, I give them food, I shower them and they shake their heads and the stench from the drops of water that go flying from their pink bodies fills my clothes, similar to the way a dog shakes after have been given a bath.  I have also attempted to herd cattle, three of them.  In addition to hitting my hand with a mallet whilst trying to pound a stake into the ground, I also had to chase one of them for more than a mile through dried up rice fields, trees and many Thai laughs.  I have also fed the chickens and attempted to herd them to boot, after I accidentally let them get into the barn and consume the majority of their food supply; feathers did fly, as did curse words.  I also “learned” how to “catch” fish with a net.  While my host brother pulled nets full of huge fish out of the pond, my host mother applauded me when I pulled out anything that was not mud and sticks. 

BUT,

 At the end of the week, after tending to the farm, it was time to celebrate the Thai New Year:  Songkran.  It was an absolute blast and man did I need it after all that #2.  Everyone in the village got out their ceramic pots, filled them with water, and sacrificed their version of toilet paper in the form of water and a small bowl to celebrate by throwing the water in the faces of motorcycle riders as well as walkers alike (similar to previous posts, yes throwing water in the faces of motorcycle riders is the safest option I could think of too).  Through the five days of my baby powdered face, my prickly-heated neck and my soaked from head-to-toe body I could not help but ponder as to why we do not celebrate such a wonderful holiday in the states.  Then it hit me in the face again like Thai toilet paper during Songkran.  I am going to start the tradition as soon as I return home, bet your bottom dollar…..or your top one…I am not sure really what the difference is…I would need my mom’s “phrase origins” book that is located on the upper end of the toilet in the guest bathroom back home…If you have been to my parents house you know what I am talking about, that bright yellow book gleams at you like a unblemished jewel and you cannot help but read.  It is like the ring in Lord of the Rings…and stuff 

Basically what I am trying to say here is that there is a little bit of a parallel with my life right now as I know it.  I think I am going to have some hard work ahead.  Things are not going to come easy.  There are some days where I am going to have to step in some cow, chicken, pig or all of the above, dung. There are some days when I will have to plant seeds with doodoo in order to harvest a better quality veggie.

 It is harder than I thought it would be to be in another place, get to know people that speak another language and have an entirely different culture.  The days are filled with wondering if I really understand or if I am assuming the totally opposite meaning.  For example the other day I thought my host mom said that I could go to the market when she answered my question with “dai leei” but in fact, she said “dtie leei” which meant that she did not want me to go because she thought I would die (from the heat). I digress…They are also filled with repeating the last couple words of the other person’s sentence and then putting on a really cheesy smile as if to say “I obviously do not understand but I am going to smile and hope you at the very least think I am a good-hearted person that does not understand”. 

And for the love of all that is holy if anyone knows a song that is easy to Karaoke that Thai people have in English on these dang machines please let me know…I would rather crap the bed than sing “If Tomorrow Never Comes” by Garth Brooks one more time.

BUT

At the end of the week all of this muck does not mean a thing because there is always Thai toilet paper ready to clean it all up!  There is also baby powder to make you smell all better and usually there is a smile or two that make you helpless but to smile back.  And in a few months the rain and the sunshine comes to the aide and those vegetables you planted start to grow and there are no worries…”Mai Pen Rai”

I am proud to say that throughout this post, counting #2 as word, I did use eight different words for feces…

BUT

I am not sure if “doodoo” counts because Word gave it one of those annoying red squiggly lines.  If this was the public school system in the United States they would do away with that red color because of the damage it could do to one’s self-esteem.  I have to say I agree, my feelings are hurt.  Until next time!

Good Love,

Luke

Kii Moat DIZZANG...that hurts

Success, I am now an official Peace Corps Volunteer.  I passed the language proficiency exam with flying colors and gave the once impending speech.  I stayed in a hotel for a counterpart conference and said many sad goodbyes to my new family in Ayuthaya (my host mother calls me 3 times a day to talk. I can answer three questions and the rest is history) as well as new friends in the form of fellow volunteers. 

I am currently living at my site with my brand new host family in Yasothorn.  Amazingly, they are just as nice and giving as the host family in Ayuthaya. Communicating is not easy, they speak a different dialect and my central Thai is not good enough for them or me to understand much at all.  I will have to settle for using my hands and playing charades all over again. 

Like I mentioned last post, the food is a little different from the food in Central Thailand and the way of life is quite different as well.  Essan people are very easy going; they remind me of the southern part of the United States.  I say this because of the following:  “I will take you fishing and then I will teach you how to shoot birds from a motorcycle”, which happens to be a direct quote from one of my co-workers at the school.  If that isn’t Arkansas I don’t know what is!  Of course I had to let him know that I could not ride or drive a motorcycle in which case he replied, “Can you ride your bike with one hand?” 

Volunteer life, even though I have experienced very little of it, is quite different from Pre-Service Training.  During PST I felt like I was in school again, my whole day was planned, I felt like I was learning a lot and things came fairly easy.  Site presents a different dynamic.  Thai schools are currently on “bidtum”, which I am fairly sure is the Thai word for “midterm”, same as “ice cream” and “icateam”….(another quick side bar, if one were to pronounce the Thai word “icateam” incorrectly Thai people are quick to point it out to you, what is up with that?  I am not 100% positive but I believe that ice cream is an English language original). 

Back on track, Thai schools are on midterm.  My current primary role as a volunteer is to work with a Thai counterpart in the school in order to enhance his/her English language skills and participatory teaching ability.  Because school is closed and I just arrived, I have absolutely nothing to do.  There are positives about having nothing to do but there are also negatives.  The positives:  Sleep, Freedom and Time, The negatives:  Sleep, Freedom and Time. 

Sleep:  You could potentially sleep all day, but sleeping all day does not fly in Thai culture.  Thai people are always working and they always find something to do.  Sooooo, I wake up and act like I am doing things all day.  One may ask what that entails and no I am not going to tell, mostly because it is…nothing.

Freedom:  What is freedom? and then this blog post turned into a political campaign.  I need your help Kees.

Time:  I have all the time in the world to do everything.  I don’t have anything to do with all the time I have.

The food is delicious; the people are STILL nice (and curious).  The other day I went to the family farm with my new mother here in Yasothorn and she taught me how to get red ant eggs out of the mango tree.  It was impressive and I was excited until she stuck her hand in the collection basket and acted like nothing happened.  Being the "man" I am, I decided it would be a good idea to share in the culture a bit and give it a go.  I stuck my hand in to remove as many red ants as I could and got a little more than I bargained for.  Those little buggers were all over me in a matter of seconds and I most likely sounded like a 4 year old girl (no offense Lynlee) and my mom continued to point and hysterically laugh at me....Classic...the end of the story is we ate the ant eggs and sold the rest in the market for 50 baht...I received about 1000 ant bites for the equivalent of 1.35 U.S. Dollars.

 Yasothorn is great and I am looking forward to my first experience with the Thai New Year celebration “SongKran” which occurs in April.  I have a feeling that my next blog post will come shortly after the celebration as any Thai celebration ranging from weddings to funerals to 2 year funeral memorials, is usually worth writing about.

I also had the opportunity to speak with my brother Pat and sister-in-law Sarah which was great! I know that she probably already is but if she is not, please include her in your prayers as she embarks on yet another journey.

Juug gone krap,

Luke

Site Visit, Ect.

After viewing this page I have realized I need some pictures to document some of the wild and crazy stuff I have been getting up to (I only kid), but seriously I need some pictures.  I am not a huge fan of pictures so supplying pictures relevant to these posts may be a challenge.  Pictures are great sources of information because they allow the audience the ability to reflect the image in their minds with the actual picture.  Pictures come in many varieties…………Alright finished……

Last post I stated that I would be heading to Yasothorn province for a visit.  The group of 123 volunteers was able to head to Bangkok for train/bus rides to our respective villages.  I took a bus.  This is the first time I have taken a Thai tour bus and fortunately it will not be the last.  I slept the entire way to my Peace Corps Volunteer site visit near the Cambodian border, slept again from there to Yasothorn and slept from Yasothorn back to Bangkok (a grand total of approx. 16 hours).  My head must have hit the window at least a thousand times and I am sure that the Thai natives next to me were tired of receiving good old fashion American drool on their shoulders. 

I guess my point is I went to Yasothorn.  I did not know when to get off the bus because the stops were said once in Thai, Thai people got off the bus while I sat and pondered on how far past my stop I actually was.  Somehow, some way, I landed only 10 kilometers past my “site”.  I called my Thai counterpart on the phone and somehow between static and language barriers communicated I needed to be picked up.  I could not describe my location because there were not many landmarks.  My attempt was, “I am close to the rice field” (I am so helpful). 

My Thai counterpart somehow found me and my visit was underway.  I was taken into the village by truck, I sat in the front and the kids, ages 4 and 8, sat in the bed (I know what you are thinking, and yes that is the safest option I could think of as well).  Through dried up rice fields and many dirt roads I arrived at my counterpart’s house.  A beautiful wooden thai style house with an organic garden and ponds for raising cat-fish.  That night, I chatted with my counterpart and her husband.  They informed me of local cuisine, not all of which I necessarily wanted to hear and I want to list a few of the rather different ones:  crickets, grasshoppers, fermented fish, grounded lizard with peppers, hardened chicken blood (not a new one), chicken foot soup (ate that for dinner), bamboo worms and the list might go on.  In Issan the people used to eat these things out of necessity.  The people have found ways to include these things to supply the family with a healthy and balanced diet and they add enough spice and organic Thai herbs to make anything delicious (don’t knock it til you try it).

In the morning I was treated to breakfast.  I was then taken into the village to explore and meet the wonderful new people, the village leaders, the students, the two schools, the “government office”, my new host family and my potential new home.  I was required to introduce myself in front of the students, teachers and paw aw (principal) and of course I had to do it in Thai.  So there I was in front of 100 plus people and I absolutely butchered every Thai word I know, classic Luke.  They all got a good laugh anyway right? 

So all in all I know I will be busy at my site in the province of Yasothorn.  I have two wonderful schools I will be working with, a provincial education office, a health center and wonderful counterparts as well. 

All of this being said, I have two weeks of pre-service training left.  I am both excited and sad to be leaving our training site.  I will most definitely miss being around all of the people I have met throughout the whole experience and I will miss my host family a lot!  I still have some work cut out for me.  I will be taking the Language Proficiency Exam on Saturday of this week and must receive a Novice High grade.  I also must give a speech in Thai in front of the group’s Thai counterparts and community leaders as well as the Ambassador of Thailand from the United States, our Thai adjaans (teachers) and the Country Director for the Peace Corps (no pressure).  Anyone who has seen me play NCAA Football 2011 knows I do not crack under pressure….last second, game winning field goals are my specialty (okay, aim the marker with the left joystick, watch the wind and remember it is raining a little, press X, X)…….Bollinger, Joe, Smith and especially Sherman know what I am talking about…cool man…

Everything is still going well.  I took some time the other night to think about what all I have gotten used to in just 2 months.  I came up with a list of things that are normal now that were not when I had just arrived in Thailand and here it is:

Lizards living in my house

Showering with a bucket

5 people on one moped (the razorback football team cannot do that; frat guys, maybe) Eating dinner for breakfast

Riding on the left side of the road

More than 20 animals living in my house

10 Roosters under my bed

Pretending I understand Thai

Doing laundry with buckets  

Rain falling in the middle of my house

Sweating from every pore in my body….even my knees sweat, don’t ask me why

Not sitting on porcelain when using the bathroom but standing on it instead

Not having toilet paper

Eating fruits right off of trees

Not wearing shoes

No chairs

Being given some kind of gift every day

The list goes on and I am sure I will add to it but it is amazing the kinds of things I have adjusted to seeing.  I hope I will have the chance to update again when I get to my site.  Some schools have internet connections so if I get lucky I will be able to update regularly.

  

Aside from all that whoopla,

Lastly and most importantly,

I am elated to post that my sister-in-law is done with surgery and doing well!  I know they appreciated all of the thoughts and prayers!  I have been updated that several people had a hand in everything from yard work to a living room makeover.  The people back home are amazing as well. Thank you family for keeping me updated.  It is not easy to be far away from you in times like these but it is easier now that recovery is in process.

Choke Dii Krap,

Luke

The Knowing

It has been a few weeks…

Quite frankly I have nothing really new to update the ol’ blog with.  Since my journal writing skills are sub-par I figured I better write something on the blog so I will at least have some memory of the events that have occurred over the past couple of weeks written down somewhere. 

We had the chance to do some teaching in the schools over the past couple weeks.  I taught with my Peace Corps friend and colleague named Carl.  Carl is an amazingly positive and fantastic human being.  He just turned 70 while here in Thailand; just awesome!  We taught 10 days at a local school teaching 5^th grade.  The children and our Thai co-teacher were absolutely incredible.  We were treated to desserts and assorted beverages before teaching and after teaching we were given, on separate dates, the following:  Pad Thai, Pizza (Thai Style), Fried Rice, Ma Muang, Pad See Ew, Fried Chicken and other assorted dishes, it was ridiculous.  After all of this, the nine days of teaching, the students made us cards for our departure. Carl and I each received 34 cards and probably just as many hugs from the students (I would share some tidbits but I have no clue what the cards say, for all I know they could say some terrible things but the covers seemed nice so I doubt it J).  We later received specialized portraits, drawn by the students to take with us on our travels.  Once again, Thais are ridiculously generous people.  

The potential of stomach issues has finally turned into a reality.  After weeks of bragging and “knocking on wood” after telling everyone how healthy I am, my luck has run out.  I have had my first bout with the “tong-sia” and it has been quite a large one.  I have found that it is very hard to be sick in Thailand not only because it is 100 degrees and humid but also because everyone wants to help.  You may think this is a good thing. The fact of the matter is when the last thing you want is another fried meal with rice and your neighbors bring in fried fish and rice paste it makes you want to vomit even more.  It does not show a very positive light on your manners when they offer and immediately thereafter you give a nice dry heave to show your appreciation! 

Anyway, my host mother was very helpful aside from waking me up every hour on the hour to show her friends and family how terrible I looked and felt.  Everyone is curious to see the foreigner in “it’s” bed; I only kid, the people are lovely but they do love seeing what you are up to all the time!  I probably had at least 5 people come check on me in a day, all five of them asking me something in Thai that I could not comprehend and most likely had to do with eating something (No clue who any of them were, they definitely do not live in my house).

I will find out where I will be living for the next two years next week and I will be headed there for a week long visit.  I am really excited and equally nervous.  It seems like training has become routine and family has become comfortable and now it is time to pack up and do everything all over again.  I suppose it is all a part of the adventure of which I signed up for, I must oblige. 

Side Note:  I am headed to Issan!  I will be spending my two years in Kud Chum, Yasothorn Thailand!

Sooo…A month and a couple of weeks into this gig, the pressure and the thoughts of home have built up a little more.  I have missed my mother’s, my brother’s, my other brother’s, my grandfathers, my cousin’s and my nephew’s respective birthdays for the first time in my life which is not fun.  For this I would like to say an ostentatious “Happy Birthday!” to all who celebrated in my absence this month.

I also gathered news soon after my last post on this thing that my family received some somewhat negative news (depending on one’s outlook see friesfamilyfour@blogspot.com) regarding the status of my sister-in-law’s migraines.  I am not sure the extent to which they would like me to post about the situation but I believe that my sister-in-law and my brother are remarkable people.  My brother has been an inspiration to me since we were little and my sister-in-law has made a great positive impact on my life as well (one smile and/or belly laugh and you are infected!). With the support of our respective families and of course the power of prayer, I have the utmost faith and confidence that she will get through everything safely and without complication.  Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they will consistently and constantly be in mine.  

Thank you and until next time,

Luke