The End of a Wonderful Journey

And so I arrived back at home. It's been a while since my last blog post because the last week got insanely busy but I will provide a quick recap.

Wednesday June 19, 2013

Since it was my last week at the school, the teachers decided to make this week very special and wanted to dress Kati, Danielle, and I up into traditional Rama V costumes full blown with tights, pants, shirts, and make up!  It was ridiculously hard to put on tights in 100 degree weather, but we all somehow managed to get them on and then all of the picture taking ensued. We took pictures with a lot of the teachers and the students and then went out to lunch for some delicious Thai food.  The day was spent getting to know the teachers more and eating out with them was definitely a lot of fun.

After the work day, we went on our cultural activity which consisted of visiting the Temple of Dawn.  It isn't exactly a stuppa or a pagoda, but it is very tall and the neat part about this temple is the fact that you can climb it up to a certain level.  The stairs were insanely steep but it offered a great view of the river and Bangkok and the breeze up there felt rather nice too!

This part is out of order, but a group of the volunteers also ended up going to the sky bar one of the nights in Bangkok.  For those of you who don't know, Sky Bar was featured in the Hangover II and is found in Bangkok at the hotel Lebua which offers the WORLD's highest open air bar.  (It is on the 63rd floor).  The views from here were absolutely amazing and it was definitely a super classy place and definitely had the high prices to match, but it was absolutely well worth the view and the bragging rights to say... I've been to the Sky Bar :D 

Thursday June 20, 2013

Today was the real last day at the volunteer placement and it was one of the saddest yet happiest days. On this day, the school held an assembly for Teacher Appreciation Day.  This happens once a year and is a huge huge deal.  The school spends the whole week preparing for this assembly because they want to make sure it goes perfectly.  The assembly started out in the beginning of the day with a visit from 5 monks who sat on the stage and chanted for one whole hour.  The students and teachers chimed in when they knew the chant but we all had to hold our hands in the "wai" position (hands together in front of the chest) for that whole hour.  After the chanting, the teachers spoke a few words and then the students in pairs went up to the stage with intricate flower arrangements and offered them to the teachers on the stage. You had to crawl on your knees and then bow to the teachers, and I found it really cool because the students were paying respect to their teachers for all that they do (which is a lot!) and the teachers reciprocated full of love and smiles.  We even got to go up on the stage too! 

After everyone showed their appreciation for the teachers... the school director called all three of us up onto the stage and then announced that today was my last day.  They brought up some gifts for me (an elephant stuffed animal which I was ecstatic about!) and then they  made me say a speech on the spot in front of the school.  I don't exactly know why, but I got so emotional as in I cried on stage in front of the whole entire school- it was so embarrassing but at the same time it wasn't.  It wasn't embarrassing because these kids made such a big impact on my life.  Coming here from Monday to Thursday for three weeks may not seem like a lot of time, and in reality it isn't one bit a lot of time.  But in that time, these kids revealed a whole new side to me.  I never really "liked" kids because in all honestly they kind of scared me, but holy cow my mind has changed so much.  These kids were so full of love and just wanted to be loved.  They wanted to swim and dance and talk and play.  We were there to help them feel loved.  I felt such sadness in leaving them because I remember that even on the second day, they remembered who we were when we entered the school in the morning.  They knew our names and gave us hugs every morning.  One teacher in particular teared up when I was leaving as well probably because I was being such a nut case and crying saying good bye to her.  After the assembly, we all went outside for snacks and it was time for the final goodbyes.  Tons of pictures were taken and more crying happened.  I never thought in a million years that the good bye would be so emotional, but after three weeks these kids have the ability to capture your heart as well as the whole country of Thailand in itself.  I absolutely fell in love.  I want to say thank you for CCS for giving me the opportunity to volunteer, words cannot express how grateful I am for the fellowship and how coming home this year to the College of Lake County offered me this amazing opportunity. 

The Hospital and some Music

I feel so repetitive when I keep writing this day was the best day in my life and then the next day I say literally this day is the best day in my life... well just a warning, I am saying it again.  Today was another best day of my life kind of moment.  The new volunteers arrived at home base over this weekend (18 new people for a total of 22!) Surprisingly, everyone fits very nicely and it doesn't feel too crowded except at dinner when everyone is ready to eat and in line for food but other than that it's actually pretty neat meeting all of these new people! The age range varies from 11 up to 46 and there are also two families here as well so there is a ton of variety in this group (as compared to the first two weekers which made the 10 of us all in our 20s).

Usually when we go to our placement Kati and I swim a lot and work with the kids as well teaching them a few English phrases and tossing the basketball around.  However, today (which is Tuesday) was a day out of the ordinary because A) the new volunteer Danielle who is super sweet joined us and B) we went to play a concert for a public hospital in Bangkok.  My goodness... this hospital was HUGE! We walked in and it looked like a hotel.  It had a lot of different waiting rooms in different sections and multiple buildings along with a food court.  It was funny walking in because we were all carrying in different instruments through the hallways. It was a group of about 20 kids that came with for the concert and they have rehearsed songs and dances to perform on the main floor in part of the lobby.  The hospital workers set up a stage for the children to play their instruments on.  The kids perform at hospitals twice every month for the fun of it and for donations to support the school.

Kati, Danielle, and I all sat close to the stage and watched as the students began their show.  The teachers introduced the school and each student got a chance to speak in the microphone to introduce themselves and then the show began!  They played numerous songs and the group watching the grew immensely.  People of all ages were sitting and standing all watching these children.  The hospital was huge and there were about four stories in the building that we were in so if you looked up you could see people peering over the edges looking and listening. I can't even explain the emotions we all felt seeing all of the people just taking time out of their day to enjoy a performance in the middle of the hospital.

There was this one older lady who was having a ball and dancing around smiling ear to ear.  Little children were hopping around and twirling around as well.  I don't know why but it was one of those moments where I was so overcome with emotion at the beauty of it.  At the end of a song or dance people would flock to the donation box to donate money to the school.  Kati and I couldn't help it, we teared up and cried trying to hide it from the crowd because these people were so willing to give, so willing to support these children with disabilities and just filled with love.  It was so touching because they wanted to stay and watch, sure they may have had places to go but they gave some time out of their day to just enjoy and be in the moment with these kids.  It was amazing.  I am tearing up about it now just thinking about it. It's one of those things where no matter how much I explain how wonderful this moment was, you had to be there to feel the emotion and understand exactly how inspiring it was.

The children sang songs and had choreographed dances.  One of the girls who leads most of the dances even made Kati, Danielle and I to come up and perform in front of all these people!  It was so nerve wrecking because we had noooo idea what we were doing, we simply followed her lead and performed some Thai dance.  It was absolutely exhilarating not to mention I was probably shaking the whole time which is horrible because Thai dance is extremely graceful and slow.  Regardless, it was awesome and I wish I could experience something like this again.  Also, it is amazing how little one actually has to speak in order to understand something.  So much can be said with little to no words.  A smile can convey everything.  There were moments where you would make eye contact with someone, a student or someone in the crowd and sure we speak different languages but one would smile and the other would reciprocate and it was such a beautiful moment just knowing that everyone was in the same boat, feeling the same energy and enjoying what was happening around us.  It was truly an awesome day :)

Island of Koh Samet

So the second weekend and last weekend of Thailand has come to an end and each week just keeps getting better and better.  I just don't ever want to leave, I really don't.  One of the greatest things (and hardest thing) to get used to is the Thai sense of time.  In essence, time does not exist. It is just a continuous thing that happens and if you are late to school or work it doesn't really affect anyone.  People don't get upset they just go with the flow.  One of the most commonly phrases is "mai pen rai" which basically means no worries or hakuna matata. In America we are so time obsessed and it has been ingrained in us since a very young age. My biggest pet peeve is being late and in Thailand being late doesn't matter. It is actually really cool because people aren't as stressed about time in general; not being concerned about time doesn't make people lazy either, it is simply a more relaxed life style and I am definitely beginning to like it :)

This weekend Kati, Lexi, Allie and I decided to go to the island of Koh Samet which is known as the Bangkok getaway for locals.  It isn't a tourist island and is actually a national park so there are no hotels, only little resorts and bungalows/villas on the island. In order to get to the island we literally took every mode of transportation, minus an airplane.  We left on Friday morning at around 10 am to take the subway which was then followed by an hour in the sky train.  After the sky train, we took a four hour bus ride to a pier off of Thailand where we proceeded to take a ferry to the island of Koh Samet and arrived at around 7 pm.  It was definitely a long day of traveling but it was definitely worth it because once we got there it was literally like a jungle and our mode of transportation was a pick up taxi!!

It was nuts because it is rainy season so the roads are dirt roads just flooded with water and pot holes everywhere, not to mention we got POURED on once again.  Dang rainy season, doesn't stop for anything! But it was still an awesome experience.  We arrived at the Ao Chao Grandview Resort and got to stay in an awesome ocean front villa.. and best part was that it was only 30 bucks per night for each of us.  Money goes very far here.  We went out to dinner the first night and explored around a bit and of course just hung out by the ocean. On Saturday we simply relaxed on the beach. The only bad part was that it is rainy season so the sun didn't really shine that much, although the sun did peak out from behind the clouds every so often.  It also rained multiple times during the day but it worked out perfectly since we were already in swim suits.

And then we decided to go banana boating in the rain!! Allie- silly Allie- told us that the banana boat wouldn't tip over because of the shape of it, so of course we are holding on because the ride is a little bumpy and then all of a sudden the boat pulling us starts going in circles and zig zagging all over the place so OF COURSE we get tossed off like no body's business and it was the funniest thing ever because no one was expecting to fall off.  It definitely hurt too! Got water up the nose and in the ear... it was not very pleasant but we continued on the banana boat and got tossed off a few more times but it went much better because we knew what was coming. The last time he tried to flip us over we held on and didn't get tossed off so he tried again and then we all just jumped off.  Actually Kati knew that you fall off banana boats but she didn't tell us because she wanted to see our reactions which were filled of laughter because we were banana boating in Thailand in the pouring rain. It was the best.  We continued on relaxing for the rest of the night and oh wait I totally forgot to mention...

THE GIANT RING OF FIRE (and limbo!).  At night time we walked along the beach and ran into a restaurant.  We thought we saw fire in the distance so of course we were drawn to it because we thought people were juggling with fire as a show... little did we know that when we arrived at the spot there was FIRE LIMBO!!! It was INSANE!!! There were the Thai guys running it who would also carry people through it.  Lexi and Allie did the limbo which was AWESOME!! and then and then.... they brought out the giant ring of fire!!! and so Lexi and Allie both jumped through it but me being a little scardey cat got carried through the ring of fire :) which actually might have been worse because the guy so knew that I was freaking out and went INCREDIBLY slow.  The heat was insane around you, you could feel it on your face but the feeling was amazing. I can't even remember if I looked, I am pretty sure my eyes were closed because it was so hot- blind faith I guess! It was one of the greatest moments ever... going through that giant ring of fire. We then just hung out on the beach all night and finally Sunday morning came around and it was time to come back home.  Tomorrow the last week starts and in 6 days I will be back in the U.S. I can't help but say it over and over again, but it's crazy how time flies.

A whole week and one Monk

So I feel like it's been quite a while since I've blogged and I am pretty sure that statement is accurate because it's already Thursday and another whole week has gone by.  I literally have never felt this busy in my entire life.  I wake up at 6:45 get to work by 8:30 leave at 1 and then continue on to cultural activities and finally dinner and home base which ends up being 6 pm  usually but yesterday we didn't even get home till 9:30 pm!  I will try to give a day by day account of what has happened this week and the highlights.

Monday June 10, 2013 
Of course the day started out with volunteering.  Our new schedule sometimes makes Kati and I swim for the whole time that we are there!  We help out three swimming classes and for the third class we walk down a block to a rec center that has an olympic sized swimming pool that's situated on the roof of the building overlooking a beautiful track field. Swimming feels amazing in this heat and it the kids really enjoy the water although sometimes it is a struggle.  After work we had two mentors come and teach as Thai massage!  We learned a whole bunch of pressure points that are supposed to relieve tension headaches so if you get a headache Thai massage can definitely help!

Tuesday June 11, 2013
Once again the day was full of swimming at the volunteer placement. We have had a class as small as 3 and as large as 10 that was held at the small swimming pool.  I sometimes feel bad that the majority of the time spent at my placement is at the pool because since we speak English I feel as if teaching English would be a good thing to expose the children to.  However, since the children have certain disabilities and trouble with the Thai language, swimming actually is a very important part of their daily routine moreso than teaching them English.  We still teach them some English such as the ABC's and the numbers as well as simple words, but a lot of our emphasis is on making sure the kids get attention and the care and respect they deserve.  They also love to give hugs which is the sweetest thing and greatest feeling ever when you walk into the school in the morning and are greeted with hugs from all sides :) Who knew I would be teaching swimming and volunteering here in Thailand?  Funny how life works out! I wouldn't change any part of this trip that's for sure.

After volunteering we went to a place called the Artist House where various paintings are and free puppet shows are performed.  The sad news about this is that we missed the puppet shows... and guess why.. hmm... the traffic!! About half of our day this day was spent in the van.  Rainy season has begun and once the rain pours the traffic just gets worse and worse. We missed the puppet show but still got to go on a boat ride through the canals of Bangkok and passed various places such as the Grand Palace by boat.  After  a three hour van ride we finally arrived home.  After Bangkok traffic I will never ever, ever complain about traffic on 120 or Chicago because at least in that traffic you can inch up a little bit every so often, here... you are literally at a standstill for hours practically.



Wednesday June 14, 2013
Quite possibly the BEST DAY ever in Thailand because today we got to have a private discussion with.. dun dun dun... A MONK!!!! fjdioasjfiosdjf seriously amazing. hands down. one of the greatest experiences ever.    I'll start from the beginning...

The day started out as usual with our volunteer placements.  After everyone was picked up by the van we were headed off to a temple to see a monk named Dr. Anil Sakya. We arrived early and so decided to get some ice cream at a few blocks away and of course we forgot that rainy season had begun!  As soon as we were ready to leave to meet the monk at 4 o'clock the sky opened and down poured like nothing I have ever seen before.  We didn't have umbrellas and not exaggerating everyone was soaked from head to toe, clothes drenched in torrential downpour.  We felt so bad entering the monk's living space in sopping wet clothes and sitting on wooden chairs. He just laughed and gave us towels to dry off and sit on.  And so we entered the monk's home at the temple.

(Just a notice: I am trying to keep my paraphrasing as close to the direct quotations as possible so if something is wrong please forgive me since "religion" can be a touchy subject)

The format of the meeting was a discussion and very open ended. We were able to ask any question we wanted and the conversation spun off from there.  As soon as we entered the living room I could see the walls lined with books and figures of different Buddha images.  The monk in his dark yellow robe sat on a chair across from us who were situated in a sort of half circle.  He welcomed us and we gave him a gift for allowing us to take time out of his day to talk with us.  He asked if we had any questions and of course I raised my hand and felt at this time that it was the appropriate time to ask "What is Buddhism?  How would you describe it?".  I wanted to get a general notion of what Buddhism meant to this monk and how he could explain it to us in simple terms.  His answer gave me chills the whole time he was explaining it.

He didn't exactly know where to start but then he began explaining things that it was not.  He said that sometimes people think of Buddhism as a way of life, but it is not that. Sometimes Buddhism is considered as ethics based on the rules it has prescribed, but it is not that either.  Most people see Buddhism as a religion, but this is wrong as well.  Buddhism can be each and every one of those things, but it is none of those things as a whole.  He described it as an education for knowing the truth (whatever the truth may be).  There are no gods because there is no way to know if a god exists. If a god exists, than that is alright but we are currently here on this planet as humans so we should concern ourselves with our humanly life here on this planet.

(Some parts of my memory are fuzzy, so once again I apologize if things are incorrect.  I wish I had taken down notes but we were all so caught up in the moment and lost in his gaze that it did not seem appropriate to take notes- but rather listen with open hearts and open souls.)

A question was then asked about all the Buddha figures and images that we see surrounding us and the ornate temples.  Are these Buddha images sacred and don't they represent the godly essence of Buddha?  What the monk said I could never have imagined in a million years.  He said that there is in fact no real image of the Buddha. All of the images that we see are representations of the Buddha but no one knows the "real" image of the Buddha.  There are so many different figures, positions, and kinds of Buddhas because each one represents different teachings and different virtues. When people pray and bow on their knees to these statues they are not honoring the Buddha but rather being reminded of his teachings so that they can live a virtuous life. Usually Buddha images are sitting in the lotus position with their back straight and eyes closed.  The back straight symbolizes to not be lazy while the half closed eyes are meant to signify for people to not be distracted by what they see. Also, if a Buddha image was destroyed the monk said so what, it would not matter because more could be created.  However, in other religions if "sacred" images were to be destroyed wars break out and unrest between nations and religions occurs.

He also went on to talk about that there are three virtues including loving-kindness, purity, and the third one slips my mind. He also went into a lot of detail about the mind and meditation. One of the things that struck me most was when he used this comparison.  "Our bodies need rest and so we sleep, but does our mind ever rest? For when we sleep we dream and this is not rest.  Meditation is a way to give our mind this rest."   WOW.  All I can say is WOW.  I mean this makes SO much sense and I have never truly thought about it before.  Of course I've thought about meditation and tried it out a few times, but never did I think of it as rest for our mind.  And in fact, this makes complete sense.  Of course there are a lot of meditations, but one of the main goals of meditation is to simply let things be and let your mind not attach to any idea and let it  continue on in a stream of consciousness not becoming too attached to any thoughts. This is a very basic meditation but when we are able to do this, we allow our mind to rest because it flows freely and naturally devoid of all attachments.

There was so much about the monk and what happened this day that I want to share it all so that in the future I can go back and read over this if I ever need to remember certain things.  We sat in his tiny living room for two and a half hours and we wanted to stay for longer but it was getting late.  There were so many moments when I wanted to cry, the monks eyes peered into my soul and I felt pure joy and happiness.  Everyone was feeling it- it was so intense yet so simple.  That was the beauty in it. We were asking all of these questions when in reality the teachings and the lessons that are found in Buddhism are really simple.

Another important quote the monk said that truly hit home was "having less and needing less gives me the freedom FROM choices, not freedom OF choices". What he meant by this is that we have so many choices in life that it ends up creating a source of stress for us.  When you think about it in simple terms...there are so many types of milk: fat free, 2%, whole.  Why do we need all of these different kinds of milk?  Choices give us the illusion that we are free and free to choose as we please, but in reality having all of these choices produces stress for us.  Instead, having less choices allows your life to be more simple allowing it to be in fact more free.  For example, the monk only eats once a day before noon and only the food that he has been offered by people as alms.  He does not need any more food than this and he is content with this.  He does not need to worry about what food he is going to eat and choosing from all different kinds, he eats what he is given and it is as simple as that.  His teacher is actually turning 100 years old very soon- so clearly this diet regimen is working for staying healthy!

I wanted to ask so many questions, but there was so little time.  There was no way to cover all of Buddhism in this short session and no topic was covered in depth.  I asked about Nirvana and what it is supposed to be.  The monk said he has never been there and but when he does figure out what it is, he will be sure to get a plane! (On top of being very well educated he had a phenomenal sense of humor along with a great big smile.)  We also asked about women monks and he even made up the clever name of a "nunk" (nun and monk combined.. see there is the sense of humor again!) and becoming a woman monk is more common now but they have to be at their own temple because one of the precepts is a vow of celibacy which is hard to keep if men and women were mixed and faced with temptation.

If I think of anything else the monk talked to us about then I will be sure to include it in my other posts because there was so much that was brought up. Abortion is frowned upon because one of the precepts is no killing (along with no stealing).  This day was absolutely amazing.  Even though we were dripping wet drenched from all the rain, the monk didn't care.  We were all there to learn, to open our hearts and our minds to a new way of thinking and I took away so much from that day.  I took a class on Buddhism back at Augie, but nothing could have prepared me for the day with the monk and all of the emotions and learning that took place this day.  

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment -Buddha

Chiang Mai and The Elephants

Friday morning seven out of the group of ten flew to Chiang Mai, the second biggest city in Thailand found towards the North of Thailand.  Four of us flew on Nok Air which was an awesome airline!! It was around $70 one way and we got free snacks and drinks on the airplane, not to mention the flight was only around 45 minutes from Bangkok.  Once we landed we were greeted by the the spectacular lush green covered hills. The city was not very big at all in comparison to Bangkok.  We stayed at a hostel called Thailandwow in a dorm of ten for two nights and it was not bad at all- the bathrooms were decent and the beds were just bunk beds.  Not bad for only spending about 5$ per night! We arrived around 1 PM so we decided to go out to eat and visit a temple.  Once again, it was beautiful full of gold and red intricate details and monks chanting and praying in one section of the temple.

It also had a forest full of plaques on the trees with quotes such as: "Read not only books but man" and "peace is the highest bliss". After the temples we went to the most famous night bazaar in Chiang Mai and I definitely got most of my souvenir shopping done.  It had some interesting trinkets, lots of jewelry, and a lot a lot of food.  I have decided that once I get back home I am learning how to carve wood because that is one of the things that "speaks" to me while I am here. I keep on noticing the intricate wood work and just all the little detail that goes into things.  I want to become really really good at something and creating wood carvings with my own hands is going to be an amazing feat.  While at the night bazaar we also decided to get Thai massages because they are one of the things you must experience while you are here so we paid 100 Baht (which is basically 3.5$) for 30 minutes.  It was definitely well worth it and we continued shopping around for the rest of the night.

Day Two: Ride Bicycles Not Elephants
One of the things that I wanted most to do in Thailand was to see or ride an elephant.  I am obsessed with elephants and Chiang Mai is known for its elephants and trekking through the mountains.  However, two girls in my group convinced me to go the Elephant Nature Park which was an hour drive from Chiang Mai.  They told me it was a sanctuary and that it was highly recommended by a friend (5 stars on tripadvisor) and that it would be a life changing experience.  Of course I was a little skeptical because it wasn't exactly what I was looking for and a tad bit expensive but I went with it because it did still sound like fun and six of us were going.  Little did I know, this might and actually probably is the best part of my trip.

A little background on elephants.  Elephants are a huge part of Thailand culture.  Not only are they depicted as deities and are significant in religion, but they also were a huge part of the logging business as well as tourism.  In the last ten years the elephant population has declined significantly from 100,000 to as little as 5,000.  Using elephants for logging is strictly illegal but they are still used significantly for tourism and rides.  This sounds all great and dandy, I mean who doesn't want to ride an elephant?  But little does the general population know about how elephants come to know how to give rides to people.  When the elephants are young, it has been a traditional ritual to put an elephant into a crusher cage which literally is supposed to crush their hopes so that they become a submissive animal.  They are poked and prodded with sticks and nails, beaten, and taught how to lift their feet on command all from beatings and instilled fear.  Here is a link depicted what happens to elephants (20 seconds to 40 seconds will give you enough to know how brutal their training is): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcvGGe-zpIA.  I 100% cried when watching this at the Nature Park because it is unfathomable for me to believe that people can do this.  But since this is an ancient tradition, it has been passed down generation to generation.  However, due to new awareness about this common practice and our movement towards humane treatment of animals has led people to save the elephants from these kinds of practices.

Elephant Nature Park is an animal rescue and rehabilitation center where there are 35 rescued elephants that roam free throughout the park. Some are blind, some have healed broken legs, and each has their own mahut which is a trainer who solely works with the elephants through positive reinforcement.  At this elephant park we were able to walk around where the elephants roamed and were introduced to many for the first part of the day.  It was crazy being so close to them.  I mean, they could seriously charge at us at any moment in time if they wanted to! We got to feed them and touch them of course with certain rules such as never stand behind them or startle them.  It was literally the most amazing day.  Their skin was hairy and thick and rough with some parts smooth.  Some had different colorings with spots that even looked like a cheetah.  At the main platform is where we were able to feed them! They are vegetarian and eat a lot of watermelon and bananas... yummyyummy!  Our lunch was also vegetarian (buffet style) and it was the best meal I've had here and I am pretty sure that when I get back home I am going vegetarian. Its definitely a moral philosophical issue that I've been battling with, but I think this trip has made the decision more clear and I hope I can stick with it.  After our lunch we got to bathe the elephants in the river by splashing them with buckets of water!!

It was the coolest thing!! To cool off elephants bathe in water and then roll around in dirt because it keeps them cool and acts as a sunscreen.  Being literally a foot away from these beautiful giants and getting to touch them was indescribable.  They are extremely intelligent creatures, huge, but they have the kindest hearts.  Of course they are dangerous and especially protective over their little ones but with love these elephants are healing and you can practically see them smile at this park where they roam free.  Only the front of the park is enclosed- the elephants could roam free towards the mountains if they so wished.  It was a beautiful day. And elephants are truly beautiful creatures.

 I can't believe that I got to experience this wonderful day. I was overcome by such joy, love, and compassion that I had to hold back tears through most of the day so people wouldn't see but deep down this was one of the most touching moments of my life.  I'm tearing up just thinking back to it right now ha (ahh such a softie).  If you want to learn more about the elephants and The Elephant Nature Park check out http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/aboutus.htm. I want to share this information because so often times we think about how cool something sounds aka riding an elephant but little do we know what goes into how they are able to do so.  I want to help spread the word about what happens to the elephants so that as possible tourists one day you too can make an educated decision on the choices you make while visiting other countries such as Thailand.  I hope that maybe one day too you will be a part of saving the elephants movement :)

The elephant park concluded our Saturday fun. We relaxed for the rest of the day and hung out at the hostel playing games and on Sunday we left in the morning to arrive back to home base by noon.  This weekend was literally the best and I am so happy I was able to go to Chiang Mai. I hope to return one day and maybe volunteer at an elephant sanctuary later in my life- or perhaps open one of my own.

End of Week 1. AHHH

Where does time go?!?!??!!? I can't handle it; it's going by so fast that I literally cannot wrap my brain around it.  I think part of the reason is that CCS keeps us so busy and there is so much to do here in Thailand. It's been two days since my last post so a lot has happened since then, so day by day account lets begin

Wednesday June 5, 2013
This was the first day of volunteer work and it didn't end up going as planned because our boss was sick and  so Kati and I stayed in one classroom for the majority of the day.  It was a tad bit difficult because we weren't prepared for a full day of activities that we had to do and plan so we simply improvised and played jenga, basketball, flashcards with the alphabet and numbers and other games along those lines. The kids loved it and the day was still super fun and exciting! After the day at the work site we left for our cultural activities which included an interactive museum to learn about the history of Thailand and the Golden Mount which houses a pagoda and holds a relic of the Lord Buddha. The views from the top offered a 360 degree view of Bangkok.  After those two activities, we left for a group dinner at a restaurant which was delicious although the meals at the house are equally just as delicious! I love Thai food! The combination of spices in every meal just adds so much to the flavor of all the food that you eat.

                                                     The view of Bangkok from the top

Thursday June 6, 2013

Once again it was an early morning waking up at 7 AM to get to the school by 8:30 (the traffic is insane... its less than 5 miles away and literally takes about 45 to get there).  Our boss was still out due to illness but he left a schedule so that we would be able to go about our day in a more structured way and know where the most help was needed.  We started with an exercise lesson in front of the whole school.  There is a courtyard in the middle of the school which can be seen from every part of the school.   We taught the kids the word "family" today and get to bring in pictures of our family next week when we teach them "mom, dad, brother, etc".  After that we had to help the swimming instructor out in the pool for two hours (so two classes of 10 students each).  We helped the students kick and splash around for muscle movement and guide them on how to swim. It was definitely a work out because we would be directing movements such as kicking and holding kids up, etc but it felt extremely nice because Thailand is so so so so so hot and humid that there is no comparison for me to even explain to you how hot it is... its just sweltering heat all day every day.  After swimming we helped out in one of the classes and played basketball, did flash cards, and made bracelets.  Lunch came and then we helped out some more and were off to the home base. We had another language lesson and the language is still extremely hard because it is based on tones; there are five tones and saying a word with a different intonation completely changes the meaning of the word.  There are no tenses, but rather cue words to imply the tenses. Today was a relaxing day because tomorrow the weekend begins!

Nine out of the ten people are flying out tomorrow to Chaing Mai which is in the north of Thailand before noon.  The plane ride is only 50 minutes and then we will be there over the weekend for Friday and Saturday night and leaving Sunday morning to come back to Bangkok.  We all decided to go here because there are fantastic elephant sanctuaries where you can ride elephants, swim with them, wash them, everything basically! And the best part is that they are humane and treat the elephants well.  I am SO UNBELIEVABLY excited because I finally get to be with my elephants!!!! jfidajfidjfiasjfs (If you didn't know already, I have a serious obsession with elephants).  Plane tickets were relatively cheap.. 70$ one way.  We tried to book an overnight train ride which was cheaper but it was all sold out, so we had no other option.  We are all staying in a hostel and rented out a dorm style room for 10 people so this will definitely be an experience since we are all literally sleeping in the same room!  (Oh and the hostel is 6$ per night, not bad eh?!) Anyways, I literally cannot wait.  Sorry Mom and Dad, I feel like I am spending more money that I had originally planned, but who knows if I will ever be back and I will be working for the rest of my life so I am sure I will be able to pay you back some day soon.  Overall, I don't think I have spent too much for being away for 5 weeks.  I love you guys :) I will also not be bringing my laptop with me so I will definitely blog about Chiang Mai when I get back on Sunday when I come back with all my elephant stories that will be very well documented by camera!

Placement begins

Oh my goodness!! There is so much to write and so little time and I never knew that SO much could happen in one day.  All of the days are blending together with a mesh of eating, working, and exploring something new every day.  So today was my first day at the placement where Kati and I work with children with disabilities. I was SO impressed with the school.  We arrived early in the morning at 8:30 and were shown around the school which is three stories high.  Classrooms are separated by grades, Down's syndrome, and autism as well as a music room, a ball room (imagine a mini Chuck-E-Cheese), a great dining hall with stage, art room, and plenty more.  Each classroom had 5-7 kids and was extremely intimate with wonderful teacher to student interactions. We were introduced to many of the teachers and a good amount spoke some English which made the communication barrier a little less of a barrier.  It was a beautiful school with a waterfall in the front and overall upbeat joyful feel to it.

Tomorrow Kati and I will begin our true volunteer work.  We start out with morning announcements where we will teach all the kids a word of the day.  Then, we will be teaching swimming for two hours every morning at the little swimming pool in the front and letting the kids splash around.  Then, we will help out in the classroom wherever we are needed (aka crafts/dancing/etc).  This will be followed by lunch and then dancing and karaoke. Our schedule is very open here and our main purpose is to teach a bit of English but mostly involve ourselves with the students and make them feel loved and cared about as a normal part of our society.  One of the best things about this school is that they hire their own graduates as the cooks, helpers, and other jobs at the school.

Our day here was truly amazing.  It was all smiles all day and we felt so welcomed and loved. We already learned some Thai dance as well as learned how to cook pad thai from one of the teachers there! We danced with the students and sang some karaoke before we had to leave the placement in the afternoon. I literally cannot wait to go back.  The school is incredibly well organized and the students are getting a great education that they deserve.  There is also a classroom dedicated to teaching the students technical skills (such as making dish soap) so that they can become a part of society as fully functioning adults.  It is a truly awesome school, I could not have been happier with my placement :)

After my placement we went on a mass transit tour and visited the subways, the sky train (which is an above ground train through Bangkok), the ferry, and finally walked to an interactive museum displaying a little bit of Thai history.  We passed the Grand Palace and Reclining Buddha which we plan on visiting later on this week!  Also, while on the mass transit tour... you think traffic in Chicago is bad... think again. The traffic in Thailand is insane because it is crowded with cars but also because there is a lot of construction going on because new lines to the subways are being built and the sky train might be expanding as well (don't quote me on that last part). Anyways, public transit is the way to go and of course you can always try a tuk tuk! 

On a side note, a few things I have noticed in comparison to China is the smoking policies.  In China, smoking was everywhere... on the other hand, in Thailand smoking is less common with packages of cigarettes not even visible to customers (you must ask if you want to purchase some).  They also depict the horrible graphic photos of lung cancer.  I am not a smoker but I think the differences are so greatly drastic.  Also, if you leave a cigarette butt on the ground apparently cops like to fine foreigners for littering!  Thailand is also more clean in terms of garbage that you see on the streets. I have seen recycling as well here. Also, the temples are very different. Here, gold and intricate design work seen on temples and the little spirit houses that are around everywhere are absolutely mesmerizing. There is so much work and talent that has gone into these buildings. Of course the temples in China were beautiful as well, but the feel to these have a more "regal" feel and are simply stunning.  I have yet to visit one but plan to ASAP. 

Also, in pictures you might notice a common color.  This is because in Thailand every day is a specific color (today was pink) and the reason behind this is that it increases your aura and gives you good energy.  I am so glad Kati and I wore pink to our first day because not only did we match with the other teachers, but they noticed that we were integrating ourselves with Thai culture by wearing the color of the week and bringing a good fresh start with lots of luck to our placement.  There are also three words in Thai that pertain to the working environment.  At a job the most important thing is to have FUN.  The second is food (I like this one) and the third one is work.  I think this is amazing and an interesting philosophy in regards to work because I feel as if in America it is polar opposite. We focus so much on getting work done and succeeding that people often times forget to have fun while at work.  I mean when we think of work- the first thought that comes to mind is usually not fun.  But here, fun is at the forefront.  

I am truly learning so much from this experience and being able to volunteer is something extremely special because we are not only sight seeing and experiencing Thai culture from an outside perspective, but rather we are integrating ourselves with the people on a day to day basis.  I love it.  The only bad part is well... learning the language. My god, is that hard! But I am getting some good phrases down and know the numbers to haggle. I think it will come together soon enough the more I am exposed to that language.  Well, that's all for tonight.  Let another day on this wondersome journey continue!

Thailand: The Land of Smiles

                                                      Sawadee ka!  (for hello in Thai)

Today is the third day at the Home Base in Bangkok, Thailand and we have a little bit of catching up to do!  I’m going to organize this post by background information and a day by day account of what has happened so far… unfortunately there is so much to write about but I don’t want to bore you with my long winded paragraph, so I’ll do my best to try to keep it short.  So here we go!

 CCS Home Base

Background Information: I am here in Thailand thanks to Cross Cultural Solutions which is a volunteer organization that strives to integrate volunteer work with cultural learning activities.  They are a nonprofit organization with no political or religions affiliations and have home bases all around the world where volunteers stay at for an allotted amount of time.  The volunteers can come from all over the world and some of the main volunteer opportunities involve teaching English, caring for the elderly and people with disabilities, as well as reaching out to people with HIV/AIDS. Here in Thailand I will be working at a school for children with disabilities with my new friend Kati! It starts tomorrow and I am very excited for this new experience.  If you want to learn more about CCS and their programs check out their website at www.crossculturalsolutions.org!

Bangkok- huge and skyline looks like Chicago

Day 1: I arrived in Thailand at 1 AM on June 1st and was met by Jack- one of the staff members at the CCS Thailand home base after a long hectic day at the Beijing aiport.  Back in Beijing, something was incorrect with my confirmation numbers on my electronic ticket and it was the most terrifying experience because Keith had already left on his flight and I was all alone (granted very safe at an airport).  My flight was scheduled to leave at 8:15 pm and they began check in at 5:40.  Thankfully, I got there so early I was the second person to check in and then the long tumultuous journey of phone calls began.  The staff at the Beijing airport was very helpful and it took two hours to figure out my ticket situation and get me a correct electronic ticket number.  It was the scariest thing because A) I thought I was going to miss my flight because I got the ticket at 7:45 and was running around the airport like crazy trying to make it to the gate B) I had no phone/laptop was dead so no means of communication with anyone C) didn’t really know much Chinese to get around and D) I had no back up plan… I guess I would take the next flight but that wasn’t until the next day and I couldn‘t communicate with people back at CCS.  It was all very frustrating and scary but THANKFULLY I got on the plane just in time and flew into Bangkok safely.

CCS friends! yay!

Once I arrived, I got settled and went to bed.  The first day was very relaxing- getting accustomed to our beautiful home here in Thailand and watching the other volunteers trickle in.  There are 10 of us here: 8 girls and 2 guys.  It’s surprising because a lot of us are actually from the Midwest, 2 people from Canada, and one person from China.  We are all in our 20s and have been getting along great!  I love my roommates Kati, Allie, and Lexi; there are two bunk beds in each room.  It’s so great getting to know everyone and hearing their life stories.  The way I think of it as is the “Real World…. Volunteer Style” haha.  (I make myself laugh sometimes/think I cane be pretty witty at times but in reality it probably fails most of the time lol).  Anyways, so to sum up the first day- much relaxing and getting to know everyone!

Day 2:
Day two started with breakfast and a brief orientation followed by an AWESOME activity.  We were split

Baby sloth at the floating market, it grabbed my hand!!

up into pairs and had to go exploring around Bangkok. Some pairs had a destination within walking distance, but Amy and I had to go to the “wood work” street by taxi which is full of shops with intricate wood carvings, panels, etc.  The wood work was absolutely beautiful because it was so detailed and intricate- I am definitely bringing some home with me. It was so fun getting to flag down a taxi and try to explain where we were going (we have a laminated card with our home address and phone numbers just in case for the taxi drivers to know where the home base is).  We then had lunch and went to a floating market where there were so many different kinds of foods you just had to pick something and go for it.  OMGOSH I totally forgot to mention this… but on the first night I ate a scorpion!!!!!  The whole group went out to the backpackers district in Bangkok where all the travelers and tourists go to hang out and shop with all street vendors and there are several streets all with different feels.  Techno music is blasting on one side and then smaller music venues with guitar players a few steps away.  Oh and the scorpion tasted like a French fry, so if you ever want to try it… I would highly recommend it just for the experience!

Day 3:

We had orientation today as well and it was super super informative.  We learned a little bit about the history, the culture, the religion, and we have a language lesson later on during the day although my handy dandy pocket phrase book has been very helpful! Here is a picture of a spirit house.  You can find these little shrines everywhere and houses also can have their own.  It is used to make offerings to the spirits so that your house is safe and so that the spirits protect you in a way. You can find water, food, and incense is lit as well when making an offering. I also learned today that there is a swimming pool at my placement which is awesome because it is SOOOOOO humid and hot that swimming every day is going to be the greatest feeling in the world. I am also super impressed with CCS- everything is extremely well organized, we have meals cooked for us daily, and cultural activities planned.  I feel as if I am truly getting the most out of this experience already and its only day three! I literally cannot wait for every minute of every single day.

Well this has been a long post… but I also just wanted to mention the feet! Oh my goodness the feet. Because it is so hot and humid everyones feet are swollen and it’s the strangest thing because they just feel so heavy and definitely look puffy.  Ice and elevating the feet seem to be the most helpful solution though.  The food is delicious, the people so friendly.  I guess it’s true- I have arrived in the land of smiles  : )

The end of China and the beginning of Thailand

My trip to China came to an end yesterday.  I feel like it ended all too abruptly, I don't feel as if I gave China the proper goodbye.  I truly enjoyed my time there and wish I had more time to travel around to difference provinces: there is just so much to see and explore, but as is always the case- not enough time.  I would definitely go back and visit if I was able to.  During my time there I feel as if I learned enough Chinese to get around.  I learned common phrases and learning the numbers 1-10 allows you know any number 1-99.  This was extremely helpful when haggling for souvenirs because they definitely over price things for foreigners.  I bought a coin for my dad which originally was selling for 200 yuan.. and I got it for 10.  Haggling was a very very helpful thing, and you have to walk away and then come back, it's like a game and you have to be persistent in getting the price that you want!  

A few things I took away from China were:

1) The history such as the Great Wall and all the temples that I saw

2) The food- the staple noodle dishes and finally getting used to a bit of spice in my life!

and

 3) most importantly the sense of community

The major differences I noticed were little things such as the bathrooms, the garbage on the streets, a lot of home style restaurants on every street, and the vast difference of style of life within China in itself (country life vs. city life).  But overall, these differences are small variances in culture between nations. I guess I like to generalize and I feel as if the purpose of life everywhere is the same- to do what makes you happy while cultivating relationships with people.  Now, I am finally in Thailand and ready to begin a new adventure during these upcoming three weeks :) 

Last days in Beijing

So I only have about 2 and a half days left in China.  Where does time fly by so quickly?! These past few days have been more relaxing, since we have been situated in Beijing for quite some time now.  Keith and I have visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and a bunch of parks/temples… oh and how could I forget.. The Great Wall!!!! (my favorite absolute favorite part of the whole trip easily thus far)


The Great Wall was absolutely fjdaiofjsdijfas awesome. I can’t even describe it.  We went to a section called Mutianyu which was very nicely restored from towers 1 to about 22. After that, the Great Wall was in its original shape- broken down with bricks crumbling off the sides of the mountain, but nevertheless a little path could be found with overgrown with bushes that you had to push through.  We got to tower 28 which was completely run down and wanted to continue forward (we like the less touristy areas),but we were with a tourist group and time was quickly running out.  We had to turn back and we miraculously made the whole entire trek back within about an hour and a half (and only were about 30 min late).

            At the Great Wall they also have cable cars to take you up to tower 14 to begin your trek there; however, it costs extra money that Keith and I don’t really have… so we had to trek up the hard way by intense stairs which was A okay with me, legs are just a tad bit sore now lol. There is also a toboggan ride down from one of the towers, which apparently is extremely fun, but on the day that we went it was closed.  Also, although the visibility was poor at times, I could not have envisioned any other better weather.  It was cool and misty which felt wonderful while trekking along the Great Wall.  We talked to a few friends we made at the hostel who went when it was sunny and hot, and they definitely were sweating gallons.  The Great Wall was truly amazing, I wish I had more time to explore and go further through the parts that were unrestored.  If I ever come back to China, I would try to go on the Great Wall without a tour group, so that way I could spend even more time up in the mountains :)

Forbidden City

I guess being on this trip has made me realize I don’t exactly like to do the necessary “touristy” things.  Of course I feel compelled to see certain things such as the Great Wall, Forbidden city, Temple of Heaven, etc. because these are monumental historical spots that have so much history behind them and reveal so much about the culture, but for me I personally like the not so “sight-seeing” parts of the trip.  My favorite so far has been the Great Wall, but what I loved doing as well was walking to parks and interacting with the people there.  At the parks, older men and women play board games (I can’t remember the name of the specific one I am thinking about), they  sing together and bring their instruments out to play for the fun of it.  They have huddles in the middle of the paths discussing deep philosophical ideas.  They teach ballroom dancing to others- Keith and I got invited to dance with a few locals and they taught us a few steps, just out in the park on a sunny day.  It’s this community feeling that I feel is missing from the States.

 It might be the area that I live in, but when I think of for example Independence Grove I see people running with their headphones in concentrated on what they are doing.  There are families as well, but do we see families who are strangers interacting with one another?  I’m pretty sure it is very uncommon to see that.  Fathers play badminton with their sons, even grandpas are out flying their kites watching them soar through the sky here.  Even though I have only been here for two weeks and couldn't even possibly grasp the culture here in this time, I still think I have seen something that is missing for me back at home- simply the sense of community between neighbors, between families, between everyone as a whole. Of course ways of life are different everywhere you go, but I think love, family, and friends are the most important we have.

Sunset at Summer Palace

Back to Beijing

The days are flying by so quick, it’s hard to keep track of everything that has happened even with this blog.  I think part of the reason is because a lot of the time spent here has been traveling from place to place.  We got into Beijing yesterday after a 5 hour bus ride which didn’t exactly take us to the place in Beijing where we wanted to be, so we had to subway hop about 3 different lines.  One thing that I am SUPER impressed with in China is the transportation system.  No matter where you are, there is always a way to find some mode of transportation.  The subway system in Beijing is exceptional and I already feel like a pro- hopping from one line to the next, being aggressive so that you actually get into the subway, and simply navigating your way around the stations.  Trains are plenty and there are loads of bus stations as well.

Today Keith and I went to the Olympic Stadium in Beijing followed by a street nicknamed “Ghost Street” which is a street full of life, color, and FOOD! Barbeques, hot pots… you name it, this street has got it! It was really nice too because the hostel that we are staying at was only two blocks away.  The Olympic Green was full of people and we waited until it got dark to see all of the buildings be lit up.  It was definitely a sight to see!  There is also the “cube” which has a water park in it, which we might check out later in the week because it is extremely hot and humid these past couple of days.

 (THE CUBE)

Ghost Street

I can’t believe I have less than a week here in Beijing.  I feel as if by the time I come home it is going to feel like a dream.  Thankfully I’ll have all my pictures and this blog to read through so that it can bring me back.

Since I have been here I don’t think I ever really went through “culture shock”.   Certain things are very different from what I know, for example the bathrooms, but other than that life is very similar to back at home.  The main aspects of life such as work, family, friends and even faith are all the same.  The only differences are the small ways in which we live our lives.  The interesting thing about China is that it is also similar to the U.S. because of how vast it is.  In the U.S. the culture of the west, Midwest, south all have regional differences.  The same goes for China.  Different regions have specific dialects, different foods, and overall slightly different cultures from one another.

I guess another reason why I don’t think I have experienced “culture shock” is because of the media.  Watching tv, movies, and browsing the internet has exposed all of us to different cultures.  Even having friends of different backgrounds has prepared each and every one of us to be open to seeing other ways of life that are different from our own.  Seeing these things first hand simply brings another piece of the puzzle together in shaping how I see and experience the world.  I feel very lucky and blessed that this opportunity came about :)

I also had a little "epiphany" while on the bus headed to Beijing. Kate if you're reading this... this is for you. We HAVE to become ecologists/environmentalists.  Sure, America is doing a great job of going green and being environmentally conscious, but we are only one small part of this world.  I don't think a lot of people realize and truly grasp how many people there are on this planet and how our actions affect the earth. Traveling has made me see that we are so infinitely small as one person, but as a whole people, there is so much we can achieve.  Becoming environmentally friendly and "saving the planet" truly has to be a GLOBAL effort.  Education is key. Collecting data and sharing that information with the world and doing something about it fueled by passion and a desire to change has to occur on a grand scale in order for a change to take place. Sorry for the little rant... I guess this was mostly fueled by the smog that I saw in Beijing and fear about what can happen if we don't start making great global efforts.

*Oh and everyone loves kites here.  Alex- I'm getting you a giant kite and we're going to fly them back at home :)

...But maybe not as big as this one!

Anyways, lots to see in Beijing this last week and then off to Thailand!