Ok. So it is March 21. Whoa. This means two things.
1) I am officially over half-way done with my semester abroad in Thailand
2) I am leaving tomorrow for my Forests class in Mae Hong Son Province in northern Thailand.
Wow, time really flies here. It’s hard for me to believe that April is only a couple weeks away-how did this happen? Haha, I think being out of Chiang Mai on our field courses makes time go by pretty quickly. So, anyways, yes. Tomorrow me and the other Nak-suk-sah are leaving via bus for the city of Mae Hong Son. We’ll spend the night there tomorrow and then on Tuesday we will officially start the expedition portion of our Forests class! Wahoo for Forests! This past week I’ve been having Thai class every morning (with the best Thai teacher in the whole world-shout out to Ajaan Wilasanee) and then in the afternoons it’s a mixture of Political Ecology class/Forest Ecology/Karen Language (Karen is a group of Thai people that we will stay with for some time during this field course, and since their first language is not Central Thai, we are attempting to learn a little Karen). So while were up in Mae Hong Son Province, each student will stay with 5 different host families over the course of 15 days. Yeah. Intense. But, sanuk maak (very fun). And the best part? Instead of driving from village to village we’ll be backpacking. ohh yeah. Pretty much, this field course is the best invention ever! Also, while we are gone, we’ll be learning about how the Karen people do agriculture (swidden agriculture) and we will also learn more about their role as “forest dwellers”- Some of the land they live on has been made ”national park” land and so the Thai government wants to relocate them. Very interesting…
Well, on a different note, this past week has been busy, but very fun. Lately I have been thinking alot about just how grateful I am that I get to live here, and have the experiences I am having. I am getting really comfortable here too. I find myself thinking of/missing home less and less, and falling more and more in love with where I am. I think part of it is because I am finally getting very comfortable with both the Thai culture, and also speaking the language. I think another part of it is just the way of life in Thailand-very sabai (ahh how do I explain sabai? low key, relaxing, fill in the blank) Haha, and if you know me at all, then these words would all describe my personality well:) Ok, well, I am off to pack! Be back in 3 weeks!
lovelovelove,
Bets
