Best week Yet

Standing at the very edge of Thailand. You can see Laos!

I wasn't looking forward to the trip. At the time, I blamed it on an upset stomach and a nagging fever. In hindsight, I know it was mainly because I was annoyed at my site placement. That I had to add a 12 hour trip to another province I did not care for before visiting the province I did not want to be in in the first place only compounded things (hindsight also shows me how ridiculously absurd my reasoning was and how bratty I was acting. I had never been to Thailand and yet, somehow, I could actually decide what provinces I cared for and which ones I didn't? I should have had someone punch me on the spot)

But I went (with a heavy heart) and now I'm back in Sa Kaeo and all I can really say is:THIS WAS THE BEST WEEK THUS FAR OF MY YOUNG PEACE CORPS CAREER.

I got a glimpse of a day in the life of a Peace Corps volunteer; I had a beer and french fries by the Mekong; I stood between two countries...literally; I was a source of bewilderment for the people of rural Thailand (see my post, "But you are Asian"); I hung out with a mayor who offered to drive me to mass every Sunday; I got in a car with Heineken loving school principals; saw things sold in a market that I hope I will never have to eat; stood beside one of the tallest Buddha statues in the world; had a sundae that took 3 people 3 minutes to make, and I fell in love with the village that I will call home for the next 2 years (see post, "Love at First Site")

And oh yeah, I had a fun night in Bangkok with my friends to kick off the week! We should all be so lucky.

Live baby frogs in the marketDriving laws are not too strict in ThailandWith baby Fifa (his dad is a huge soccer fan)Brian's house. He's a volunteer who has been in Thailand for a year.Brian and I had to leave his village early coz there was only one bus that left. This is at 5 AMI thought I would regret ordering this sundae since no one seemed to know how to make it (I picked it out from a picture in the menu) But voila, 3 minutes later (and alot of frantic talking in the phone) the 3 people working on it met some success.A cheers to Laos!French fries never tasted so good. And they actually had ketchup!I'm standing on the Mekong river ( a dried up part of it anyway) between 2 countries! Surreal.Some college kids taking advantage of the dry season and drinking right on the Mekong.One of the tallest Buddha statues in the world!

Love at First "Site"

Two things stuck out as we drove into the province of Roi Et: It suddenly became hotter and it was a bit greener than what I had seen during my 6 hour bus ride from Nakhom Phanom. But there was nothing extra special that stuck out. Nothing that made me feel all warm and fuzzy about spending the next 2 years of my life in this province. Motorcycles made their ways through a busy crowd of people as stray, malnourished dogs either napped or wrestled each other to the ground. Monks, in their saffron colored robes sipped on fantas by little eateries on the side of the road. "This is it", I thought to myself, "the closest thing to a major city I will have over the next two years...whoopee!"

That Roi Et had one of the biggest Buddha images inthe world and a pretty lake in the city center did help but I knew I did not have much to work with. That is until we hit the actual village that I would call home for the next 2 years.

Cattle walked around leisurely as an old man in a straw hat led them though little dirt roads between old homes. Mothers and grandmothers sat by patches of grass talking as their children and grandchildren ran around chasing baby chickens. The men of the village sat by wooden benches sharing a communal glass of Thai whisky mixed with "soda water." Three eight year old boys on one motorcycle passed by waving to their friends who were kicking a basketball around, dribbling a volleyball and using a soccer ball as a chair.A middle aged lady, face wrapped in a ski mask (it was only 90 degrees after all) carried a basket of string beans and young girls, in their school uniforms, walked home under the watchful eyes of the older ladies. All the while, a shirtless grandmother lay, her breasts sagging beside her, on a bamboo bed outside a dilapidated shack.

And I fell in love.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't with the shirtless grandma, or with the fact that neither the basketball, volleyvball, or soccer ball were used correctly, or with the lady who thought suffering in the heat was a price worth paying to avoid getting a few shades darker.

I did not fall in love with the dung dropping cattle or the chicken chasing babies.

I fell in love with all of them together-- this great hodgepodge of activity that made up life in my little village.

I know love is such a stong word and can easily be used in place of infatuation but as the car pulled into the village, I just knew that I was entering something special. The feelings of unease (and to some extent, bitterness) that I originally felt at being placed in this province did not just disappear but rather, evolved into a feeling of this is the right place for me. I guess it's akin to the feeling one gets upon visiting a college or university for the first time and just knowing that it is the right place to be in for the next 4 (in some cases, 5) years of one's life.

When I got out of the car, my host family walked me around and I was amazed even more. There was a beautiful lake in the middle of the village right beside an old wat. I was told that there were old Khmer ruins around and that this town itself was a Khmer sanctuary dating back to the 11th century (I got to see the ruins a few days later and I was like a kid in a candy store!). We walked to the market where many of my future students were hanging out, playing tag and sipping on iced fruit drinks. Everyone was just so friendly and the energy about the village was amazing. I have about one more month of training and I know I will miss Sa Kaeo and the host family I have lived with for the past month and a half. I know I will miss being close in proximity to all the other trainees but I also know that when I leave Sa Kaeo and move to Roi Et, that a beautiful little village waits for me and I look forward to calling it home.

"But you are Asian"

Thailand has beffudled, confused, perplexed and flabbergasted me many a time during this past month. But I guess such feelings are to be expected when one is immersing oneself in a new culture. What is funny is that in this past week, during my site visit, I have had some payback. In this one week, I have caused jaws to drop and heads to turn. Because of me, people have gone speechless and I have seen more people scratch their heads in 7 days than I have in my whole life. I have beffudled, confused, perplexed, and flabbergasted so many people from rural Thailand and their beffudlement, confusion, perplexedness (is that even a word?) and flabbergastedness (I am creating new words as I go) have manifested themselves in these 4 words: BUT YOU ARE ASIAN

Yes, I am Asian. Filipino, to be exact. But I am also American and I've spent the past 5 years of my life living in California and while I am very Filipino, I am also very Californian. I also happen to be a Peace Corps volunteer which means I sort of work for the United States Government. None of what I wrote above would be a source of confusion for people living in the United States or for anyone who has had experience with American diversity. But for the people of rural Thailand, I am an anomaly!
To the people of rural Thailand, I am:

a "farang" who does not have blond hair or blue eyes.

an Asian looking man (they all think I am Thai...or Chinese...or Japanese...or Korean) who does not speak Thai, Chinese, Japanese, or Korean.

an English speaking Asian looking man who wears farang clothes who does not speak Thai but loves rice but does not drink beer out of a straw.

a Farang who looks like a Thai man because I am darker than a white man but I am also lighter skinned than a Thai man so therefore I am Chinese but I speak English so therefore I am American but I have black hair (not blond) so I am Thai but I am......

You get the picture.

Traditionally, the only contact people from very rural Thailand have had with farangs have been with the older white men who have married women from their villages. So when they heard that they would be receiving a visitor from the United States, I can only imagine the images that danced in their heads--tall, white skin, blond hair, blue eyes...

And of course they got me!

And thus the ensuing confusion (and the fun of it all):

Brian, a current serving volunteer who hosted me for 2 days was called a liar by a person in his village for introducing me as an American; Brian's principal was little more polite and did a decent job of masking his disbelief; the person who met me in the bus station at my village told me I did not look American; I heard "mungkan kon Thai" (same as Thai) echo through the mouths of my city hall's staff when I arrived to meet the mayor; and the supervisor of my Education Service Area Office gave me the "I have a meeting with an American in a couple of minutes, what can I do for you?" look.

I once heard the Peace Corps experience described as being akin to putting on a big, purple bunny suit and dancing up to people telling them you are there to help. Being an Asian American volunteer in rural in Thailand is like putting on the big, purple, bunny suit and dancing up to people as well...only that all the other people are also wearing big, purple, bunny suits and dancing. The difference is that while they are doing the Macarena, you are doing the Roger Rabbit.

Another current volunteer who is also Asian American and has been in Thailand for one year told me that the situation has been difficult for him and at times, has even caused him to be bitter. This past week has shown me where the bitterness can come in--its never easy seeing people get diasppointed because of the color of your skin--but its also shown me how, with a good sense of humor, the situation can be a source of great stories.
The looks of confusion that replaced the original looks of doubt when I started introducing myself in English were priceless. Even funnier was how amazed the Thais were when I took off my watch and they saw the difference between my skin tones (biking 20 k a day under the sun for a month will make you dark!) And when I showed them my legs--which are as pasty a white as any other legs you will ever see--I had the Thai people doubled up and rolling in laughter.

So while the disappointed and doubting faces can be difficult to deal with at first, the idea of being able to educate people about the diversity that exists in this world (and the fun that comes out of it) can be such a great experience. Plus, as I spent more time in my village and laughed and joked around with the people, I sensed the happiness they had with their new visitor...even if I wasn't what they had expected in the first place.

Site Placement

*Alot of time has passed since site placement and I've since been able to read up on my site and visit it. I am actually very excited to begin working in my community and I think it is the perfect fit for me. But for whatever it's worth, I thought I'd post this little entry I wrote right after site placement anyway. Looking back, it's pretty funny seeing how I felt that day.

It could have been the 4 Am wake up calls by my community rooster, or the head-splitting Thai language lessons, or maybe all the Thai beer I've consumed, or maybe a combination of all these things but for whatever reason, I actually believed--expected even--that I would live either in a beach resort, a mountain villa, or close enough to Bangkok for the duration of my 2 years as a Peace Corps volunteer. Well, I exaggerate. I was well aware that the Peace Corps life would not be a posh vacation nor would it be defined by my actual site placement (the slogan "it's about the people and not the landscape" danced in my mind) but a big part of me did want to be placed either in the South, Central Plains or the North of Thailand so when I needed a little break from it all, the beach, Bangkok, or the mountains weren't too far away. The one place I was NOT too keen about being placed in was Isan, the North East region of Thailand. Why I did not want to be placed there, I don't even know but somehow, everything I had heard about Isan was exactly what one of the 3 other places was not: it was hot (the north of Thailand was supposed to have better weather coz of the mountains) it was dry and the scenery wasn't too exciting (again the north would be better in this department plus the south had all the pretty beaches) and it wasn't close to the two major cities everyone talked about (placement in the central region of Thailand would mean frequent trips to Bangkok while Changmai was the place to be in the North)

So of course site placement day comes around and everyone is anxious to hear where the next 2 years of our lives will be spent. I spent the previous day turning the wonderful Thai phrases "Aray Gaday" (whatever) and "Mai Bpen Rai" (its all ok) into a personal mantra (though I definitely had my wish list). We walk into the room and there is a giant outline of Thailand on the floor. Beginning with the South and moving up, various provinces are called out along with the names of the lucky (though lucky in this case was very relative) volunteers.

"The South..." I'm all excited....
"Tina! Vince! Guy!" Nope, no mention of my name. Its ok. I'm ready for Bangkok.
"Central!..." Here we go baby, good times in Bangkok.
"Sheila, Jeremy" Still no Anton. Mai Bpen Rai. The North was my first choice anyway. Bangkok is a bit too polluted.
"North!..." Oh yeah, I'll be busting out the hoodie.
"8 volunteers by ChangMai province...." oh boy, mountains, waterfalls, occasional trips to old hill tribes
"Garret, Mike,......... Gabe!" Still no Anton. At this point my heart starts to sink a bit. But its ok. Nan is still up north. Ill need a sweater along with my hoodie. Plus the waterfalls are beautiful I've been told.
"Tara, John" Omg, this is not good.

We move south again but this time in the east.

"Chantaburi!..." We were just there for the AIDS conference. It was beautiful. I didnt even know some people would be placed there. This is it!
"Only one volunteer in Chantaburi..." It's me! it's me!
"Melissa!" No way!

Now we start moving up entering into Isan territory.

"PraChanaburri!" That's close to Sa Kaeo where we currently are. I like Sa Kaeo. I've become close to my host family. Sa Kaeo would be a nice place to chill during the weekends. Maybe visit my family for home cooked meals.
"Sadie, Juliana!" There goes my home cooked meals.
"Surin!..." Surin has elephants. I could use their ears for shade or as a giant fan! I want Surin!
"Maria!" At this point i didnt even want to hear my name.

And so of course...

"Roi Et!..." She is smiling at me...
"Anton" Oh boy...

So of course I walk over to my spot in the map and there, right smack in the middle of Isan, far away from the south, far away from the north, and a decent distance from Bangkok is the beating heart of Isan: Roi Et. I muttered Mai Bpen Rai and Aray Gaday a couple of times under my breath but I knew I did not feel okay. In fact I was a little frustrated...annoyed even. I looked around me and saw people huddled together in their provinces, all fairly close to one another and there I was in Roi Et, the only volunteer in my province. A bunch of us had joked around earlier that site placement day should be called Black Tuesday. It most definitely felt that way for me...

Fun in the Sun

On Friday, we all headed south to Chantaburi province for an AIDS conference. While Peace Corps Thailand does not have a specific project for AIDS work, volunteers are encouraged to involve themselves with projects related to AIDS education and outreach. While I still have much to learn about the technical aspects of such work, I definitely am interested in doing related projects and I will make it a point to find resources to increase my education on the subject. I learned alot over the weekend about the AIDS situation in the country and about sex and gender issues specific to Thailand which will come in handy as I look into what I can do to help my future community. I'm sure I'll be writing more on this as I begin my actual work in site.

The rest of the weekend was a great chance to spend some quality time with each other (since were pretty much half way through training and our time together as a big group is limited) and just enjoy being in the beach. Highlight of the weekend was the first ever Peace Corps Thailand "Coco Bowl" where a bunch of us played American Football in the water using a coconut for a football. I'll post the pictures from the game as soon as I get them from Garret's camera. Here are some pics from the beach!

Mangrove Forrest

Before heading back to Sa Kaeo, we stopped by a Royal Thai Government Project. His Majesty, the King of Thailand has started some pretty awesome development projects for the people of Thailand and we got to visit one of the projects aimed at providing economic development to a fishing/prawn farming community. SInce time was limited, we did not get to see the actual prawn farms (though we had great sea food for lunch) but we got to talk around the mangrove forrest.

Jam Night at the Jam House

This past week was one of the more intense weeks of training. We had our mock language proficiency interviews last Thursday and alot of preparation was done for that. Plus I think we've all moved past the "honeymoon" stage of being in Thailand and have started experiencing the initial stages of culture shock...and the frustration of still not being able to fully communicate with our host families. The weather this past week has also been pretty rough--the previous weeks were actually pretty nice and cold-- but this last week was HOT. I got sick and I know a couple of the other trainees weren't feeling too well either.

Because we were heading to another province the next day for an AIDS conference, we got to stay in the hotel on Thursday night after our interviews. Most of us headed to this local place called the Jam House and it was exactly what we needed! Drinks; good, lighthearted conversation (because we've been divided into smaller groups for language, hub nights are the only time we all get to be together and catch up); and ALOT of dancing and singing. It was the perfect way to cap an intense, busy week and kick off the weekend! Peter, Garret and AntonEj, John, Sheila, Tara and MelanieSinging "We are the Champions"Still singing "We are the Champions"Y-M-C-ASome happy (and fairly "tipsy") volunteers

Pangsida Park

Two Saturdays ago, the trainees got to take a break and enjoy "Sports Day" at Pangsida National park. We were divided up into teams and played games in the morning and in the afternoon, we all got to go on a little nature walk. Fun times! The Red Team--we rocked!
Collin, James and I by the top of the waterfall

The Jungle Taking a break

Rehydrating after a long day

Bath Time Reflection #1

Some people think most clearly when going for a hike, or meditating in a temple, or during a nice long drive. I think most clearly when I am in the shower. It hasn't been so easy however in Thailand, since its kindda hard to relax and let your mind wander during a cold bucket shower. But last night I had a sudden thought and I just ran away with it. And its funny because the thing that inspired it was the very thing that has made my bath time reflections a little more challenging: the bucket shower.

The Peace Corps is like a bucket shower.
You are hot and sticky and know that a bucket shower is something you want.
It gets to a point that you know it is something you NEED
and you know it would refresh you in the
way you want and need to be refreshed.
Some people just jump right in.
Some people decide that while its a good idea, they'll wait for the nice warm shower
that SHOULD come one day. After all, there is always deoderant.
Some decide to bend over and just wet their hair...it will make them look like they took the shower.
For those who do decide to take the shower, it usually takes a process.
First, you wet your hair a bit
Splash some water on your feet
Pat your back a little bit with wet hands and maybe your neck
Put some water behind the knees
Just getting ready...for the big one.
And finally, you jump right in!
You take a huge scoop of water and BAM!...you let it just drop on you.
At that moment, time seems to stop. Your heart beats faster and faster. You are freezing!
You are already wet so you figure, "what the heck" and BAM, another big one and yet another.
You'd figure three big ones in that it should feel easier and alot less cold but no...
each one still sets you shivering.
Then another one and another one....
and you begin to feel the difference...
Its NOT necessarily less cold nor is it easier but you feel GOOD and you feel more AWAKE and more FRESH.
You start lathering up the soap and rubbing the shampoo on your hair and at this point you know you are almost done.
Maybe at this time you actually look at the water and notice that its not the cleanest water in the world.
A few bugs floating around...maybe a few strands of hair that clearly are not yours...and it can be pretty gross.
You know you could stop there...maybe throw one more bucket or two to wash out the soap and shampoo.
Or, you could choose to realize that millions of people bathe in even dirtier water.
You could realize that millions of people don't even get the chance to take a bucket shower.
You could realize that millions of people who DO have the opportunity for a bucket shower decide to stick to the deodorant.
And when you think this way, you might realize that while bugs and hair in the water kindda suck, they won't kill you (and you also sort of begin to admit to yourself that the water feels pretty damn good)
So you throw in another one and now the soap and shampoo are gone and you could end the shower but now you REALLY like the water--you like how ALIVE each new splash makes you feel so you throw a few more before finally reaching for the towel.
As you dry yourself, you realize the shower actually went by so quickly.
You probably spent more time getting ready for the first big splash than you did the entire shower.
And as you dry off you can't stop noticing how refreshed you feel.
And while deoderant may have made you smell just as nice without having to go through the shower...YOU KNOW IT WOULD NOT HAVE FELT QUITE AS GOOD.