The people you meet when you travel by yourself! Before I write my entry all about the packed weekend I experienced, I must first put down the story of my Saturday night with possibly the, for lack of a better word, craziest man I've ever had a long conversation with. It started out quite normally. I had come back from a busy Saturday of sightseeing and entered an internet cafe. While I attempted, and failed, to use the internet, an American walked in and started telling the Thai worker, an obvious friend, about the latest news about his missing ATM card. When I told the Thai worker that the internet was not working, the American struck up a conversation and asked if I would like to get a cup of coffee. I accepted, since I had no other plan for the evening, and it's always nice to talk to a native English speaker.

We set off for the cafe, and I learned that he was from Santa Cruz and had been stuck in Krabi for 4 weeks now because his bank refused to send him another ATM card. I asked him to tell me the story about how he lost it, and then he really started talking. Although I was quite clear- headed and I could understand every single word he said, I found myself entirely lost. His sentences didn't seem to connect, somehow, and I just kept hearing random interesting words and phrases. He would be talking about a woman that he was in love with and then suddenly start discussing astrology. He asked me early on what my sign was, and then proceeded to tell me all about myself. Some of it included details that I had already told him about myself. But he also said that I had a younger brother. I told him that I didn't, and he looked at me genuinely surprised and concerned, "Well, where is he then?" This was I realized that he was not playing around. He was quite serious that a white cat had played a large role in my childhood and that my mother was greatly jealous of my father's love for me.

Despite the unbelievable statements that he made, some pieces of interesting information did come out of his mouth. He was clearly a very educated man, and--if you believe all that he told me, which I tend to do--he came from a very well-to-do, intellectual family and went to Harvard before dropping out. The rest of his life came out in patches. He became very religious, and started going on religious journeys and vision quests, etc. Then it came out that he has a 12-year-old son who lives in Sweden. Tragedy was certainly a big player in his life, and he confessed that the love of his life died a year ago with his child. The conversation was quite fascinating in the randomness of its course and the diversity of its content.

And I haven't even started telling of his out-of-this-world experiences! Oh, yes, he has been abducted. But he would rather like to call them "family" rather than "aliens," because their purposes were peaceful. They take people from the world in order to remind them of their humanity, which I thought was quite ironic but also deep. He could write a very interesting book someday, but he'd need someone to tie the ideas together a bit.

In the end, I really did not know what to make of him. At first I passed him off as just a strung- out, druggie, but he later told me that he didn't do drugs. Perhaps the amount of pain in his life loosened something in his brain. I don't know, but I nursed his fantasies until about 11 pm, when I finally offered to walk him to the Buddhist temple where he was staying. I must admit that I really enjoyed talking with him. He was open and natural, if a little unstable. But, after spending 4 weeks with a person who is rigidly and artificially stable, it was refreshing to talk with someone who delighted in every ridiculous topic I brought up. His freedom of expression made me feel comfortable verbalizing any absurd statement that came to me. It's not often that you meet someone like that.

Now that I am the only volunteer here at the school, I find my life to be eternally wonderful. Not that Kara was a horrible person, but it's really hard to eat, sleep (in the same room), live, and work with the same person. And since the situation was unnavoidable, I drew myself in, stepped and spoke tentatively--trying to make peace last somehow. I didn't realize how much I had contained myself until now, when I can actually act like my happy self. The weekend served to cleanse me, and I think Sommai will be surprised to experience a very different Erin for the next two weeks--the real Erin, which is a lot more interesting (I like to think).

Some classic examples of Sommai's easy-going way with life:

Sunday night Sommai picked us up from our resort in Khao Lak to take us home. On the way up the curvy, mountain road, we had a close call with a bus. The lines on the road in Thailand are clearly "suggested," and the bus had moved entirely into our lane to pass a truck/motorbike. I don't know how, but somehow Sommai sensed the bus around the bend and moved into the break-down lane. Kara and I gasped in horror, but Sommai didn't even flinch. We made a few exlamations that he probably didn't understand, but his only comment was, "You know fun park? Just like here. But we don't have to pay!"

Then last night on the way home from dinner, in the dark, we saw a motorbiker who did not have any lights--NO lights! After listening to Kara and I comment about how crazy the driver was, Sommai stated, "No, he is more clever. We need lights. He does not need. He sees in the dark. Very clever. Like a bat."

Oh, Sommai, if only we all could see life in such an optimistic light!

My life in Thailand is rough, eh? In all truth, I came to Thailand to get out of my comfort zone, but I'll be the first to admit that I feel quite at home. I must attribute much of my happiness to my caretaker teacher, Sommai. From the first day he was a vigilant protector. As is typical of Thai people, he is extremely sensitive to our needs. (On Friday, a seven-year-old brought me a chair when she saw me kneeling by the desk of another student. When can I brag that my 15-year-old, American students are that considerate!) When we are eating, I can feel Sommai watching as I eat my food, and it is not uncommon for him to put a few more pieces of meat on my plate if he thinks I haven't had enough.

Although his watchfulness can sometimes be too much, he makes it feel familial with his humor. It's no wonder that Thai folk are known to smile often--they have a fabulous sense of humor! By the second day he was teasing me like an uncle would. On Monday, when I got up 15 minutes later than usual, he looked up at me and said, "Good afternoon!" When we pass a hose that is shooting water up in the air, he'll smile at us devilishly and say, "Look! Geyser!" Sometimes I don't even realize that he is joking until later. One time I asked Sommai what the green pots on the side of the road were. He told me that people use them to boil chickens. I didn't even question his statement until I started seeing the green pots were full of trash. . . I guess he thought my question was pretty silly and gave me an equally ridiculous answer.

Kara and I wondered for the first week whether this single, 47-year-old man was seeing anyone, and at this point we don't think it's a possibility. He spends all of his time at school or with us! I felt badly for him at first--how can he really be satisfied when his life is entirely devoted to school (where, even he admits, he is simply a disciplinary figure for the TV-watching students) and the myriad volunteers who ask him silly questions about Thailand. But, after three weeks of living with him, I think he is a happy man. In the morning, he is always doing little household chores while whistling or even singing outloud. It's such a heart-warming sound to hear. He lives a quite simple life, and he takes a great deal of joy from it. . . a lot more joy than many people who are overloaded with people, things, and responisibilities.

I came to Thailand to try to help the people in a 3rd world country, but who am I to teach these people how to live? They are happy! What more could they want; what more can I give them? I almost feel like I am tainting their lives by bringing in my iPod, laptop, and digital camera. I almost want to keep them a secret, hide them away. They don't need these things, these desires to clutter up their lives.

Some photos from the last couple weekends! From top to bottom (I don't know why I can't figure out how to do captions!)
A. From two weekends ago, here's a photo of Ashley, me, and Mansi right before we snorkel...Classic froggy shot.
B. Last Saturday we took a long-tail boat tour to see some of the natural wonders of the area. The rain managed to hold off during the actual boat ride, and we got to see some cave paintings, a floating village, lovely limestone cliffs, as well as the famous James Bond Island. Although I don't think I've ever seen the movie, it was still a beautiful spot. Very touristy, but they let me climb around on the rocks so I was rather pleased. This is one shot from the island.
C. After we delved a bit into the natural wonders of Thailand, we stopped off at a Buddhist sculpture park. This wasn't like the sculpture park in NongKhai. . .this sculpture park depicted heaven and hell . . . in all its gruesomeness. I don't actually have any photos of heaven, because we were so engrossed in hell that we ran out of time. In this photo, the maniacal child is warning you what your fate will be in hell. If you put money into his head, there are gruesome sound effects to go along with the sculpture.
D. After being tourists on Saturday, we all met up on Sunday at a nice resort for some R&R. Here we are will our new friend Craig, who we met up with on the long-tail boat tour.

I have been considering lately how Thailand is a place full of contradictions. For instance, the Thai people are known to hate confrontations and avoid arguments at all costs. They do not want, above all, to displease others. I have heard that if you ask a Thai person, "Does the bus leave at 5?" he will say yes because he doesn't want to disappoint you, even if it does not actually leave until 6. But, despite the fact that they hate to cause turmoil, when you shop locally, it is characteristic for people to bargain, which is to me a very confrontational activity. At first, I was hesitant to take part in this practice. I mean, it is true that I am quite rich in comparison to most of these people, so is it really justifiable for me to argue about the price! But, over the last few weeks, I must admit that I've become more accustomed to the bargaining culture here. Who am I to go against Thailand's ways, particularly if it means I get a beautiful pair of shoes for $5!

The contradictions follow me into my daily life here in the village. Although the living conditions are simple--there is no running water in the house, I sleep on a thin pad on the floor, the Thai toilets are a badmitten field away from the house, and I shower out of a plastic trash can full of yellow water--I was astonished to discover that there is a TV with cable in my bedroom! And not even a small TV. This TV is about twice the size of the one I have in Vermont!

It was so strange, Kara and I were hesitant to turn it on. But we finally did yesterday when we heard about the bombings in Lebanon and were desperate for some world news. There are only a few English-speaking channels, but we found a decent news outlet in Russia Today. But now I sort of wish we hadn't turned the rest of the world back on. When I left the US, I was rather looking forward to abandoning all of the tragic NPR stories that I invariably hear every day. I was anticipating the joys obliviousness. But, from what I heard yesterday, it does seem like the world is just coming apart. And now with the new earthquakes and tsunamis in Indonesia! I think I'll just unplug that TV right now.

PS. Just in case you are the worrying type, I am not in a tsunami-threatened area of Thailand. The last tsunami of '04 did not affect this area. (But don't tell the Habitat for Humanity and World Vision volunteers, because they have been doing tsunami relief efforts here over the last two years! Oh these tricky Thai folk--happy to oblige the foreignors with a smile!)

From top to bottom:
A. My three lovely travel companions. At left, Mansi, a beautiful young woman who will begin graduate school at the University of Chicago this fall to get a degree in business. At right, Ashley, a lovely young woman who teaching fundamental reading in San Francisco. And in the middle, Kara, my teaching companion at the Ban Tha Din Dang School.
B. Some of the amazing rocky islands that we saw on a boat ride to Kho Phi Phi.
C. Is it fruitless to claim that this was taken when the truck was not moving? Whether you like it or not, this is one of the most common ways for Thai people to travel.
D. The living/eating room in my lovely little treehouse/cabin.

Have I mentioned the food here? Oh my goodness. . . When I went to Switzerland, I practically starved for the first week, because they didn't seem to realize that I didn't know where/how to get food. But here! Whooo!

Yesterday was a classic food day. It was the day after we had returned to our little village in Southern Thailand, and, instead of teaching, the headmaster took us to the local high school where his good friend works. Kara and I were a little unclear about why we were going, but we knew that the government was coming to evaluate the school. Once we got there, it was clear that they wanted us to mingle with the English class and, if the government asked, tell them that we were teaching English here. Kara and I weren't so enthused about this facade, but we played along. We are guests, afterall.

After the government officials had come through our area, one of the teachers took us down to the cafeteria to eat lunch with the students--a quite simple but delicious yellow curry with rice noodles and fresh pineapple, beans, and cucumbers. Afterward we toured some of the science displays and then were led into a large stadium. We were shown to a seat next to our headmaster and then served another meal. This time there was a selection of soup, curried meats, noodles, and rice. The food was too good to resist, despite the fact that we weren't the least bit hungry.

That night Somai took us to eat at his family's little roadside eatery. Roadside eateries are not like the ones in the USA--cheap, quick food. It's often here and in the little markets that you find the best (and cheapest!) food. Somai's family brought out some deliciously marinated pork, a big bowl of greens, as well as a metal contraption with coals in the bottom. There was a dome over the coals and then a little moat in a circle around the edge. We took the sliced pork and draped it onto the dome to cook. Then we poured water into the moat, and it was soon bowling. The greens went into the moat, the water being marinated by the pork drippings! Ohhhh my goodness, it was my favorite meal yet. We ate and ate and put more and more pork on.

But then, just as I was getting full, they brought out more food! I couldn't believe it! And then, of course, no meal would be complete without the fresh fruit that is simply bursting from the trees. I don't think I'm going to be able to eat fruit in the states for awhile after I come home. I'm just too spoiled here.

So, in any case, you don't need to worry about me losing weight here. The last volunteer said that she gained 5 kilos during her 4 weeks. It's not hard to believe. My caretakers here are always worried that the food is going to be too spicy for me, but I've actually found everything quite bearable...well, more than bearable!

Finally some photos!














From top to bottom:
A. This is the staff and volunteers of Openmindprojects right before we take off for our various placments
B. The welcome sign.
C. One piece in a Buddhist sculpture park we visited in NongKhai.
D. My home in Ban Tha Ding Dang. Our caretaker teacher, Somai, is wrestling down some coconuts for our lunch.

Teaching went very well this week. Our primary school serves the local village and therefore only has 50 kids. The 50 kids are broken into five classes, and we teach each class about four times a week. The kids love English class. They beg us to teach their class next; it feels very different from teaching in Vermont. Their love of our classes isn't surprising however, because their other subjects are taught almost entirely using a TV--history, math, etc. When we leave, the children are training to simply turn on the TV. I have no idea if they pay attention, take notes, or are assessed on the material. But it is very clear that the teachers in our school do very little teaching as we think of it.

The other Openmindprojects volunteer who is working with me is named Kara. She is a 33-year-old American who has been teaching math for the last three years in Spain. She is actually Vientamese, so many of the people here think that she is Thai. When we arrived at our school, we met the previous English volunteer whose name is Sally. She left the day after we arrived, but it was great to be able to ask her questions.

The people here continue to amaze me. It is clear that the teacher we live with, Somai, is sort of our adopted parent and guide. Each day after school he has a new place to take us to. The first day we arrived, after eating the coconuts on the canal, Somai as well as the headmaster took us to a local waterfall. I asked Sally if we needed to wear clothes in the water, as Thai people are very modest and I thought Muslim Thais might be even more, but she said that she thought bathing suits would be fine. So the three of us put on our bathing suits under our clothes and drove to the waterfall. When we got there, we saw that all of the people swimming were fully clothed. . . oops. But we were so hot, we decided to just jump in wearing everything. When we came back up to the car, the headmaster was sitting at a table where there was a little food cart. He had a bottle of wine there and began to order various kinds of food for us. We were totally soaked, but we sat and drank and ate with him for about an hour anyway. What were we to do!

We have only been here a few days, but Somai has already taken us to the town that was worst hit by the tsunami. We saw the massive reconstruction effort as well as a police boat that was beached 1 km from the coast. It is amazing and scary, but also inspiring to see how life has sprung back to life here. The town we are living in was actually not very effected by the tsunami physically, but most people know at least one person that died.

Kara, who is a self-proclaimed city person, had the idea that we meet up with two other volunteers and go to a resort on Koh Kho Khao Island. I was up for anything, so we met up with the two other volunteers and are now staying in two bungalow. I feel like a queen here! When we got off the little shuttle, there was a man with a tray of matinis for us! Our room is equiped with slippers, robes, and umbrellas! Today we are planning to just sit by the pool and enjoy the sound of the ocean.

This Monday and Tuesday are actually Buddhist Lent, so there is no school. We are planning to go to an island off of Phuket for those two days. Thanks to everyone who is sending me e-mails. It is so nice to get little messages from home.

I've arrived at my placement! When we flew into Krabi, I knew that I had chosen the right placement area. The south of Thailand is very different from the north. There are forests of tropical trees with bulbous rocks that jut upward (great for rock climbing!). The earth is often very red, and the limestone is stained beautiful colors. I felt immediately comfortable in this forested, more mountainous area.

We did not get into Krabi until Monday evening, so we stayed in a guest house overnight. We met the openmindprojects contact person, Mue, for dinner. She told us all about our placements and, in the morning, we road in the back of her truck for about 3 hours to get here. It was gorgeous. I just can't even explain how beautiful I find this place. There are forests of gum trees that are tapped--not unlike the tapping we do in VT!

So now about my new home! The school facilities are actually quite impressive. There is a new computer room that was provided by World Vision, so it looks like I will have easy internet access. Besides this, however, it is quite primitive. I think Kara is a little bit taken aback, but I am SO happy. We are way out in the country, and our little village of about 300 is 98 percent Muslim. (This was a surprise, but I think it should be very interesting.) We met some of the children in the afternoon, and they are just adorable. The other teachers are very friendly. The 6th level teacher, Kai, took Kara and I to his friend's house near the school. His friend lives right on the canal (the ocean being about 1 KM away, I think). There is a little dock that goes out into the water with numerous boats docked. Then Kai had his friend pluck two fresh coconuts from his trees and opened them up so we could drink the water and eat the fruit. Wow. Another teacher joined us on the deck, and we sat eating fruit for about an hour. Their English is not bad, and they are very eager to learn. Perhaps teaching the teachers is even more important than the one I had originally anticipated with the children.

I reached Thailand on Friday about 5 minutes past the time that I had predicted. I flew over the polar ice caps, had a brief stop-off in South Korea, and then landed in Bangkok at 11:45 pm on (their) Thursday night. Not knowing that there is a motel connected to the airport (which you can stay in on an hourly basis), I stayed awake on the fourth floor in a pub for 4 hours waiting for my next flight to Udon Thani. All of my flights went off on time and without a hitch, and I managed to sleep for a total of 4 hours . . . over two nights.

On the final bus ride to Openmindprojects, I finally got to actually see the countryside. It was definitely a little scary, because the poverty is so clearly evident and widespread. This was not a surprise to me, as this is exactly the reason I came to Thailand. What was surprising to me was that everything looked so classically Thai--yaks walking right down the side of the road with no fences, pick-ups packed with people/meat/fruit flying down the road, and even bent-backed farmers knee-deep in water with traditional straw hats. The motorbikers are crazy. Although apparently it's illegal in Thailand, many many people do not wear helmets. But that's not even the worst. They fly between trucks, pedestrians, and tuk tuks while talking on a phone or smoking a cigarette with no thought. Whole families pile onto bikes; I saw more than one child, no more than 2 yrs old, who were sitting in front of their father, with their tiny hands fiercly gripping the handlebars. It is a bit shocking. But I certainly believe the guidebooks that told me that the most dangerous thing about Thailand is the traffic!

Over the last few days I've been practicing Thai, learning about the culture, and doing a little sightseeing around the area. There are 10 other volunteers who arrived this week, and it's been quite exciting to explore the city together. So far I've taken the opportunity to try a few exotic foods--octopus, silk worms, and yes, even chicken feet (very very gross--I don't recommend it). I've taken some good photos, but unfortunately these computers don't have the capacity to upload them. But I will try to get them onto the internet next week.

My volunteering plans have actually changed. Originally, the organization had advised me to teach in NongKhai for 2 weeks so that I could get used to the culture and language. When I got here, however, I found out that the one other woman who is working in my town is going down this Monday. We thought it would make more sense to move south together so that we can experience the challenges together. The organizations said this would be fine, so I booked my flight for Monday morning tonight. I'm quite excited that I will actually be in the field for 6 weeks now. I hope it will give me a real chance to connect with the children.

So, I'm not sure what will be available in my new town. I am going to be working at the Ban Tha Din Dang school in Thaimuang, Phang-Nga province. Find it on the map!