Christmas etc.

February already??? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? End of placement preparations are beginning, I've now officially purchased an airplane ticket which should mean I arrive home on May 13th.

I'm anticipating a dark first few weeks. I'm told 'reverse culture shock' is quite the ride. But lets wait to cross that bridge when we reach it.

I'm still quite busy with everything but I suppose I'd be complaining far louder if I was sitting around twiddling my thumbs.


Now, to go over my Christmas break in a bit more detail.

About ten days before my family arrived, I went down south to the island of Koh Wai with Ying. In Thailand it's not actually considered to be a 'southern' island because it's slightly south, and a fair distance east of Bangkok, right by the border between Thailand and Cambodia. Ying suggested it because neither of us really felt like battling crowds of tourists in the heart of the high season, we were both really just looking for someplace to go and relax. And that's exactly what we got.

The island is really really small, just off the much larger and more touristy island of Koh Chang. It's about 3 kilometres long and 1.5km wide. There are 4 guesthouses on the entire island, no roads, and the electricity only runs between 6pm and 11pm. It was awesome. We had a tiny one room bungalow on a small cove with a rocky beach. We'd wake up every night as the tide came in and washed against the steps of our house. I spent many a lazy afternoon reading on the porch dangling my feet off the edge over the water. It was amazing. Ying didn't know how to swim, but I was told there was really good snorkeling on the island so the first two days in the sea she spent a lot of time learning. All those years of swimming lessons and instructor courses finally came in handy in some capacity (I never actually worked as a swimming instructor or lifeguard).
Anyway, on the third day, we rented snorkels and flippers (and a life jacket for Ying to be on the safe side) and headed out. There was a reef about 50 metres from the beach on one side of the island that basically went from one end of the island to the other, and it was really really fun. Lots of tropical fish, sea cucumbers and coral. One morning looking out our window we also saw a green sea turtle swimming past our bedroom through the foamy surf.

Another day we went out in the kayak and spent about 3 hours paddling around the whole island, which was nice because there is a lot of it that you can't really get to overland very easily, and neither of us had brought hiking boots. All in all, a fantastic little vacation (also, the room: 300b per night, which is the equivalent of about 10 dollars, spit between the two of us.

Sunsets were phenomenal, but they were on the opposite side of the island to where we were staying so we had to hike to see them. So worth it.

Just off screen was my book, and a bag of sesame snacks. Set for the afternoon. (also notice the snorkel mask)

Taken during an afternoon exploring the island. I never quite got over the color of the water...Kool Aid anyone?

There was a sea turtle hatchery on the island as well, I assume that's where the turtle we saw in the ocean came from, but you can't be sure.

Our room was the one on the right. Unfortunately at this time of year the tide is in during the day so there weren't many white sandy beaches, but walks on the beach at night aren't the most terrible things in the world either.

A little before sunset, note the tide going out. That's our room again on the right. If you compare this picture with the previous on you can kind of see that the rocky beach we were on was pretty isolated. There were random Russian and German tourists from the larger islands nearby who came during the day on snorkeling trips, but none of them ever really did much more than pass by our beach, likely because of all the rocks. It really made for a quiet stay though, which was nice.

I really like the gaudy paint jobs on the fishing boats. They would go out every night and come back every morning laden with fish and seafood for the two guesthouse restaurants on the island. Fresh seafood anyone?

Anyway, we stayed there 6 nights after which time we went back to Bangkok three days before I was to meet my family who would be flying in on the 21st. It was my first time back in BKK since I arrived and all I have to say is whoa! It's huge, bustling, and kind of overwhelming. I guess I'm especially lucky to live where I do. You can get all the same things you can in the city (sushi, indian food, live music, bars, clubs, galleries, cafes, etc) but the inner city is maybe 4 square kilometres. I mean, there's a lot of sprawl so it extends much farther than that, but it's still relatively small and easy to get around. 20 minutes on a bicycle will get you anywhere in Chiang Mai.

After three days in the city I finally figured out the public transport system in Bangkok. The buses, skytrain and subway system, while incredibly confusing,are generally very cheap and efficient ways to get around.

Then came the family. Jennifer arrived a day before everyone else and there we the tearful hello at the airport arrival area. I feel like that would be a neat place to hang out, just because you're constantly seeing people who are seeing each other again for the firs time in a long time. Lots of tears, lots of hugs. My sister, Ying and I spent the day touring Bangkok. The next night, Ying left to go back to Chiang Mai and the rest of the family arrived. We spent the next morning looking around Bangkok, visited one of the big temples and then waited in the train station for a few hours because of a mix-up with the tickets. On arriving in Chiang Mai after the 13 hour train ride (the fact that we got beds for the night took the edge off), we headed to the hotel. The next 5 days were spent basically hanging out as a family and touring Northern Thailand. We went to an elephant camp, the night safari (which was a lot like African Lion Safari, but at night, and in Thailand) a big national park, visited some hot springs. It was really beautiful, Northern Thailand is really a side of thailand a lot of tourists who just go to the south miss. Mountains, valleys and rice paddies. Very rural.

Here's the proof:

This is a monument in downtown Bangkok commemorating bloody student clashes in the...80s? The date's not important, what IS important is that basically high school and university students ended up going head to head in bloody clashes with the military and the government because they felt that the government wasn't one that fairly represented the people. Students, fighting for democrating government. There were many many casualities. In an effort to suppress the student uprising, the military was authorized to fire upon the crowd and basically things escalated from there. There were 3 or 4 days when the street the monument was located on, and the area outside the government buildings was basically a war zone. What really drove it home for me was the fact that they had lots of pictures, and much of the conflict occurred on the street just outside where the monument was (it's one of the biggest streets in bangkok, maybe 8 lanes? Huge.) Anyway, in the picture, the road had been completely closed and was filled with thousands and thousands of students demonstrating. Why did I never learn about this in history class? It was really sobering to think about the sacrifices so many young people made in the name of democracy.

I'm not one of those who will try to tell you that democracy is the perfect form of government, in fact I think it's riddled with flaws. What gets me though, is the fact that people were ready and willing to fight and to die to work toward the system of government we in the West don't think twice about most of the time. Get out and vote kids. It's a privaledge. Anyway, that's my voting PSA. Moving on.

This was taken at Doi Inthanon National Park, the highest point in Thailand. My brother is obviously too cool for school.

Guess why they call this area "The Golden Triangle"?

Taking a river boat up the Mekong.

Early morning in Ta Thon

Yeah I drive ox-carts. Who doesnt?

Yes they're bugs, yes I've tried them. Next question.

We're all either coming or going when you think about it.

The skytrain sure beats sitting in traffic.

The white temple in Chiang Rai. The picture really doesn't do it justice.

Cool statues at a temple in Bankok

Oh! and Christmas, we can't forget about that. On Christmas morning, most people didn't really want to go to church so only I went with my mom and dad to a church we'd seen somewhat near my house. Unfortunately it was closed (which, as we were told later made a lot of sense since Christmas was a Wednesday and most of the congregation would likely have been at work), so we decided to walk to another one somewhat nearby and if that was closed to we'd give up and go home. After having to ask a few people how to find the place, we finally got there and to our surprise the door was open and the sound of Christmas carols could be heard wafting out the door. We went inside to find a group of maybe 20 young people, led by a pastor practicing Christmas carols (all of which were translated into Thai). They didn't mind us being there but explained why there were no services, and then proceeded to give us a private recital of all their Christmas carols. So there we were, my mother, my father and I sitting in three chairs being sung to in Thai on Christmas morning. It was surreal yet incredibly uplifting. They did 'We wish you a merry Chrismas' (Koh hai mii kwaam suk wan khrit maat), Oh Holy night, and two other ones I can't remember. After practicing they were all going to go to a seniors residence in Chiang Mai to sing for the seniors (because many of them don't get many visitors) but we politely declined as we had plans for the afternoon.

I was also lucky enough to get to watch all four of my grandparents use skype for the first time over the holidays. When you consider how much technology has changed over their lifetime I think they both deserve to be highly commended for how well they've kept up.

Unfortunately it couldn't last forever and the day before new years they had to pack up to go home in order to have a few days to sleep of the jet lag before school was back in session. Since then I've been doing more thesis research, writing my thesis proposal, finding for more resources to include in the curriculum manual, finishing up two pieces I've been working on which will be published in the NEED Journal 'Natural Light' and trying to keep my head on straight.

Last Saturday there was a one day ultimate tournament in Chiang Mai. Lots of fun was had by all, we had people come up from Bangkok, and one guy even flew in from Hong Kong. I've also signed up for a weekend long ultimate frisbee tournament in Bankok at the end of February, which is going to be MUCH begger, but I'm very very excited about it. I hear the team from Singapore is AMAZING.

Right, I think that just about covers it. I'm sorry again for taking so long with my response, I hope the length and detail make up for my tardiness.

I forgot to mention, January 10 was Children's Day in Thialand. All over the country there were activities set up for kids, like letting them ride in fire trucks, or fighter jet flying exhibitions, magic shows, etc. I know there's a children's day in Canada but it's not really a holiday and doesn't get mentioned much, but I thought it was neat that here it was such a big thing. And, everyone goes around wishing each other a happy children's day (suksan wan dek). The traffic was terrible though.

Lets see...what else have I been up to lately.

Oh! A while ago there was this...I suppose one would call it an 'event'. 11,000 monks gathered on this street near my house at 5 in the morning, and thousands of people came to say prayers and give offerings. It was SO surreal.


Work is also still going well, we've now officially finished the new training facility at the farm. I thought about it the other day and realized that I've been able to observe the ENTIRE process, from designing the building to applying for funding to construction (and associated difficulties). I suppose all that's left to do now is begin to use it. The new students have started to arrive and are moving in on the farm, training is set to begin with an orientation week Feb 16. Still working hard folks.

Although you'd never guess from the picture below. I took it at last week's staff meeting.

Oh, and I'm also starting to miss home...it's taken long enough to set in, and it's not the best feeling. I suppose I'll be back soon enough.