Katie and Nicole . . .Thailand 2007/2008

There isn't any way to describe all that has happened since we last wrote. The idea of writing about anything in detail is far too overwhelming for me and makes me want to avoid writing at all, but.....I'll just see what comes out!

Every morning (by choice), I rise at 6:30 am in order to walk up a grassy hill for yoga or tai chi and meditation, which begins at 6:45. It is a wonderful way to start the day, although it is a bit challenging for me to meditate and silence my busy mind. It takes practice so hopefully after 2 1/2 months of doing this, it may become easier. The site we do this at overlooks greenery of all sorts and a few baan (houses). It is so gorgeous in the morning, sometimes foggy and chilly, sometimes clear and crisp. Wow.

Our days here have consisted of learning, learning and more learning. I have been so saturated with new experiences and information, I feel like the smartest person in the world. What have my days here consisted of?

planting seeds making garden beds eating all sorts of bitter and interesting veggies off the vine observation using composting toilets and learning how it all works drinking rice wine conversing with lovely and dynamic people from all around the world getting my toe run over by a motorcycle eating fruits and veggies and rice galore learning how to samba enjoying nature playing with the kids around here watering gardens going to bed before 10 every night learning lots of Thai and using it

participating in a big Thai holiday called Loi Gratong (where we make little boats made from banana tree stalks/flowers/candles and send them down the river to ask forgiveness from the water goddess)

making wood vinegar living in an AMAZING earth house along with many ching choks (geckos) and a very large alligator-ish iguana making new friends hanging my mosquito net nightly grafting for propagation learning about water catchment systems getting a silly rash studying permaculture visiting a few wats (temples) playing music reading about globalization/localization getting dirty loving life living simply learning how to be SELF-RELIANT!

I wish that I could communicate how exciting and wonderful and empowering Pun Pun has been for me already. The other 10 interns besides Katie and I are kind and intelligent people. The instructors have diverse knowledge and are all about us being hands-on. So much can be accomplished so quickly if people just decide to DO SOMETHING, even when they don't know exactly how. That is a common thought around here. Anyone can grow things. Anyone can build their own house. (almost anyone! I cannot wait (well, yes I can!) to be back in Portland to experiment and play with all the things I've already learned. Yipppeee!

This may not be a very interesting blog because I can't very well explain what I'm doing. Soon, my initial excitement may subside and then I can describe more eloquently the life here! Hopefully, our pics can give you a little window into our days here!

Love you and will write more when able,
Nicole

We've been living and learning at Pun Pun for one week now. There's so much to explain I'm not quite sure where to begin. I keep trying to find some organized way to explain my experiences so far but none seem to work so this remains a jumble of whatever falls from my brain right now:

The weather has been beautiful. Hot and sunny during the day, but very cool at night. We start our day early in the morning doing yoga or tai chi, and then meditation on the hillside with a view of the sunrise. I have always resisted yoga, but am finding that I actually like it. Strange how new places can give you a new perspective on things.

Amazing fruit is growing everywhere: bananas, papayas (bigger than my head), passion fruit ( I have eaten more in the past week than in the rest of my life combined), berries that taste like captain crunch berries (seriously), and many other fruits that don't seem to have a name in english. The food we eat during our meals comes mostly from the land. Lots of vegetables and rice, fruit and soymilk. The last few days we have benefited from a cooking class that was happening at Pun Pun and had several curries and other thai dishes. YUM.

I have not had a hot shower since we've been at Pun Pun, yet somehow standing in the sun behind a grassy curtain and a shield of banana trees, throwing buckets of freezing pond water on myself while scrubbing with soap made from limes is equally satisfying.

Although I miss time spent with my little niece, Violet (and her new baby sister), there are several young boys that live here at Pun Pun and I am able to get my fix of "playtime"

Nicole and are living in what is called the VIP house (go figure). It is beautiful building made using earth brick construction (adobe) during one of the past workshops. Passionfruit grows on trellises right outside our door, and our windows open to some of the vegetable gardens that we've been planting with melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, radishes, and whatever various seeds we find in the seed center.

Days are filled with learning: learning about the land, myself, eachother, the world . . . I am so grateful for all the learning.

Everyday is an adventure. Always something new, always something surprising, always something delicious! This place is so inspiring! I can't wait to share my stories, ideas, and learning with everyone back home. I love you!

P.S. Jodi, you would just die over all this amazing fruit and veggies!

Katie

Hello folks,
We thought we'd add one last short entry before we head off to Pun Pun (www.punpunthailand.org) for our internship later today, which is located about an hour northish of Chiang Mai. We aren't sure how often we'll have access to email once we are in a more rural area (maybe once a week?).

Yesterday, after many hours of well-needed rest, we sat and watched the rain while we sipped drinks and chatted at an outdoor cafe. It was interesting seeing all the young tourists walking by, solo or in huge groups, speaking French and German. And even more interesting was watching Thai people hold umbrellas while speeding past on their motorcycles/scooters. Even though it was WET, we hopped in a tuk tuk (a scooter dressed as a car-sort of a fancy golf cart) and headed to the Night Bazaar. This was Katie's first tuk tuk ride, and she was convinced that she might topple out the side during a sharp turn. Of course she didn't and we made it safely (though a little wet) to the eerily empty Night Bazaar. Every time Nicole had come here before, it was jam packed with tourists and Thais, hot and bustling with life. This time it was early in the evening, raining and devoid of the busy-ness we'd expected. It was fun anyway, bargaining with the smiling Thais and eating sweet roti (crepe-like treat with bananas and sweetened condensed milk). Mmmmmm After a brief visit to the bazaar, we rode back to our guesthouse and ended up chatting and playing guitar with a bunch of Thai folks and a couple from Montana. They kept requesting REM songs and "Don't Cry" by Guns 'n Roses, neither of which are Nicole's specialty. We settled on the Eagles and sang "Take It Easy" while we cheered our drinks together about 10 times. The folks convinced us to wander down the street and play pool so we came over for awhile, but found that our eyes were too dry and our heads too tired to stay out any later.

Our guesthouse (which is extremely comfortable and quaint) sits in the middle of a very touristy area full of bars (themed for Westerners: Irish Pubs, Saloons, Italian food etc.) other guesthouses, internet cafes and coffee shops. About 4 live bands played music late into the evening within close proximity of our open windows. I think we fell asleep to "Zombie" by the Cranberries, "People are Strange" by the Doors and something by Bob Marley, all intertwining into a cacaphony that thankfully did not keep us awake for long.

We are now getting ready for the next phase of our adventure. Six days have passed here in Thailand and we're finally about to start our internship!!! We will meet the other Pun Pun folks today and venture off to begin our studies. Full of anticipation, we are eager to live and learn from the land here.

We give THANKS to each and every one of you for being a part of our lives. Today, we are missing our first holiday back home (they'll be a few!) and are thinking fondly of you all.

Peace be with you, Nicole and Katie

So, here we are...in the Northern capital city of Thailand, Chiang Mai. We planned on bussing down here two evenings ago, but a huge thunderstorm took over Bangkok, and we didn't want to end up sliding into a ditch during the windy 10 hour busride so we delayed our trip by one day. The storm was amazing and sudden. It didn't rain once the last time I was here, and it was incredible to watch the lightning fill up the dark, smoggy sky and listen to the intense rain beating on the roof of my family's home.

After our last blog entry together, Katie and I ended up going out again in the evening at almost 10 pm even though we were dead tired. We went over to the karaoke bar/piano bar that my Uncle (Na Sadit) owns and proceeded to sing karaoke, drink and eat fries/ salty teeny little fish for hours. They really liked the old classics there so I sang a little Carpenters and "I Will Survive" and other silly songs that I know well. Every time we turned our heads, the staff had refilled our glasses (me: wine cooler/ Katie: Thai beer) out of politeness so we may have drank a little more than we needed to. It is hard to tell Thai people "no." The wonderful evening consisted of singing, laughing and communicating as best we could with broken Thai and English, the clinking of glasses, smiles and hugs.

Yesterday it was cloudy-ish and we took a cab to Chok Chai 4 (a market, but also the name of a street). I didn't think I had to give explicit directions to the cab driver that it was the market, not the street, so we ended up at the end of Chok Chai 4 (the street) when the cab driver looked at us like, "Don't you wanna get out here!?" Dammit, we were lost. Thinking quickly and desperately, I called my mom at home in the States and had her speak to the driver in Thai because he and I were definitely not communicating well. It costs a lot of money to call home, but it was worth it. He found his way to the market, laughing, and we got out to enjoy the colors, smells and sounds. I had been there a few times before and thought I could lead Katie and I there confidently. Ha! We ended up spending double the cab fare once we made it.

After the market, we rested and played cards at home and then Pe Oy and my cousin Lily drove us to the crowded bus terminal. My aunt (Pe Oy) helped us purchase our bus tickets and we boarded our bus for Chiang Mai, which left 45 minutes late. Katie and I were convinced that there wasn't a bathroom on the bus and were paranoid about what to do if we had to go. Hours later, when the bus stopped so we could eat, Katie spied the tiny door marked with that universal symbol of stick figures. Our paranoia subsided and of course, we never had to use it anyway. We slept on and off with kinked up necks and finally made it to Chiang Mai at 6 AM (the only passengers left on the bus?). My family member, Pe Dtu (who brought his English-speaking friend Pe Jeep to help translate) were waiting for us at the rainy bus station. They drove us to Your House Guest House, where we will stay tonight, in a beatiful teak wood room. I stayed at this guest house before and was pleased to recognize a few faces, who also recognized me from three years ago. Wow. I guess leuk-kreung farangs (half-Thai/ half "foreigner/white") really stick out.

It is very strange being here in Thailand again, almost exactly three years later. Some things that I expected to be the same are and some are not at all. When I was last here, right off the bat I noticed alot of interesting cultural differences that had to do with gender and behavior (What do you expect? I studied it in college!) But this time I am noticing more about the natural (and unnatural) surroundings. I think this is because I have been learning so much more about the environment/plants/hazardous waste/recycling etc. back at my job in Portland at Metro. Thailand is a beautiful country in so many ways, but the pollution/waste here is truly frightening.

My last trip here, I arrived with my mother, (who is native to Thailand) and I was able to be slightly passive because my mom (the knowing one) led me (the unknowing one) everywhere. It is interesting to now feel that I have to act as that leader, seeing that Katie does not speak Thai at all and has never been here. Being forced to lead, to be sure when you may not really be sure, is a good exercise in learning and risk-taking. The situation has pushed me to step out of my shy Cancerian bubble and to trust that I can participate confidentally in Thai culture and make good decisons for the both of us. It has been a little hard trying to speak Thai and be the sole communicator, but I am feeling pretty happy about it. I haven't done anything to utterly embarass or shame us......yet! hee hee

We miss you all, but I must admit that I am not homesick quite yet.

Love from the land of smiles,
nicole

Well, we've been in Thailand for a few days now and I'm settling in well. I think I have finally caught up on my sleep despite a late night at uncle Sadit's karaoke bar the other night. The weather has been pretty mild actually; warm and humid, but not too hot. The room that we are staying in at Nicole's family's house has air conditioning so we have been spoiled.

My experience here in Bangkok has been pretty interesting. The streets are crazy with life all the time- from early morning to late at night. A kind of life that fills the city in a way I haven't often seen back home. The traffic is incredible: buses, taxis, cars, scooters, tuktuks, bicycles, and pedestrians mingle in a sort of dance that seems always on the brink of disaster, but somehow never is. "lanes" are irrelevant and honking is used to signal "i think I might be hitting you". To say the least, i'm just glad neither of us is doing the driving. The food has been amazing (for all of you who are wondering it agrees with my stomach very well so far) and I had the best thai iced tea of my life the other day at the market (they use that really small ice here that you can only seem to get in the US at ice skating rinks and Oaks Park). Nicole's family has been great-- helping us when we need it and leaving us to venture out on our own too. Communication is sometimes difficult but uncle Sadit speaks english very well and has been great to talk to. The area of Bangkok we are staying in is not at all touristy so it has been interesting to be the only farang (foreigner) around. I know only enough Thai to be polite and am hoping to learn a lot from our lessons at Pun Pun (we will have daily thai language lessons during our internship) so that I can communicate better with people. All and All it has been a wonderful begining to an exciting trip.

Love to all
Katie