This blogl comes from Marta Johnson, senior English Major fromWestmont College. Marta comes from Litchfield, IL (near St. Louis, MO.).
On behalf of everyone here in Chiang Mai connected to you, dear familyand friends, I send the warmest greetings (and they are, indeed,getting warmer by the day as temperatures continue to rise),We have finally hit the 6 week point for SST 2007. This means a numberof things.
a.) The students of our program have blossomed from cluelessforeigners into street savvy locals (well, almost, anyway). We aremaking progress daily when it comes to crossing the street withconfidence in the face of oncoming traffic. We are no longer justsilly farang (white people,) uninformed Westerners--an accomplishment,to be sure.
b.) Our Thai Culture midterm was last Thursday. We were each requiredto answer one essay question on the topic of Buddhism, and one questionon the topic of Thai history.
Additionally, we were asked to locate anumber of South East Asian cities, rivers, and countries on a map.(Say, Ajarn Mike, where is Luang Prabang, anyway?) And while not allof us will get by without seeing red markings in our blue books, I can say with certainty that we all know more about the Eight Fold Path andKing Rama V than we ever had before.
c.) Our language skills have improved dramatically, particularly sincemoving in with our host families just 4 short weeks ago. (A fewphrases that have been essential: "Please speak slowly." "Is itspicy?" "No, thank you, I am very full already. Very, very full.").and so forth...
Last Tuesday afternoon we enjoyed a fantastic buffet lunch at a CMUcamps restaurant in celebration of Valentine's Day. We were each givena handcrafted valentine, dark chocolate mint Kit Kat bars, and flowers.The meal was good (spring rolls, pad see yu, etc.), but the real gem was dessert--mangoes and sticky rice. It was a welcomed reminder that we are nearing the dawn of Thailand's prime mango season. Good news,truly. (Special thanks go out to Aj. Mike, Aj. Ann, and Phii Christina for ensuring that it was such a fun, special event--even the single among us were feeling the love.)
As this past weekend was the first of the semester that we did not have a group activity planned, it served, for many of us, as an opportunity for much concentrated quality time and excitement with our host families. As the Chinese New Year was observed over the weekend, and because the percentage of Thai citizens of Chinese descent is relatively high (an exact figure, I do not know,) a number of SST students were able to join their host families in C.N.Y. holiday festivities. My own Thai family did not specifically celebrate theChinese New Year. However, we did enjoy a full weekend of activity, including a day long visit from Grandpa and Grandma (Khun Yaay and KhunDa) who came up from Lampang on Sunday (about an hour and a half drivefrom Chiang Mai.) I was able to witness the universality of the following principle: Grandchildren exist in order that they may be spoiled by their grandparents--to everyone's great delight, naturally.The host families we are staying with now are so kind and caring, generally speaking--more than generous. They have really adopted us as sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, extended family members. To illustrate: In the car one morning as we were driving to school, I told my host dad that I was thinking about the possibility of returning toThailand someday to teach English. His reply, "Yes, that is a good idea. And you know that you will always have your family here in Chiang Mai." And this weekend my Thai grandmother, whom I had just met that day, said during dinner, "You are all the same", as she gazed lovingly from across the table at her two 11 year old granddaughters and the blonde headed 21 year old farang (meaning "white person" inThai). Somehow in the course of that one day, I had become a part ofher family.
As we have learned from the monks, "The world is our classroom, everyperson in it, our teacher. Each moment is an opportunity to learn something new." Here in Thailand, this unfamiliar context, there are so many opportunities each day to see the world through a new set of eyes, to hear truth with a new set of ears. We are discovering what it means to be human from she, from he, who is often so different--yet no less worthy, no less good--than the human we know.
But enough philosophical musings for now...I think I see sliced pineapple on the kitchen table begging for an audience.We thank you for your prayers; we continue to witness God's goodnessand faithfulness daily here in Chiang Mai. We also give thanks for restoring health and good humor to our friend Shawn. Wishing you peace and, if it is possible, a bowl of mangoes and sticky rice from your nearest local Thai restaurant (if not for health, at least for the sake of cultural understanding),
Marta Johnson and SST 2007
For pictures go to: http://www.webshots.com/user/ajarnmike100
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
This blog comes from Blythe Cherney, sophomore Sociology Major from California Lutheran University. Blythe comes from Visalia, CA.
Dear friends and family,Happy Valentine’s Day!! This update finds our group full of religiousmusings. As we have begun to prepare for this week's mid-term examination,we have all delved deeply into the study of Thailand's major religion:Buddhism. From the classroom to the wat (temple), we are learning moreand more about the religion that our host country reveres, and with eachlesson, we are discovering the amazing amount of similarities it holds toour Christian faith.Friday's culture class was arguably the most exciting yet, as it took us ona tour of five major wats around Chiang Mai, including both city and foresttemples. The beauties of the temples are second to none; the sacredness ofthe grounds is clearly felt, regardless of the throngs of tourists. Afterour tour we stopped for lunch at Krua Sawatdee (a buffet and Karokerestaurant). We really enjoyed singing our own songs and listening toChiang Mai's version of Tony Bennet (an amazing singer and the owner ofthe restaurant).
Saturday morning, we disembarked for a weekend of continued study and fun.We drove south to Lampoon, visiting two temples on the way. A highlight ofthe journey was the chance to explore an impressive cave, complete withhundreds of bats. By late afternoon we arrived at our final destination:the forest temple, Wat Doi Long Tham (The temple on the mountain behindthe cave).The grounds were stunning; truly a retreat from the business of everydaylife. That evening, we were participated in our first lessons in sitting,standing, and walking meditation. The only complaint was that it was tooshort. We were extremely fortunate to have two Buddhist monks from ChiangMai as our traveling companions, translators, and meditation leaders. (Both were interns in the English Department at Buddhist Universitylocated Wat Suan Dok where I am doing my internship.)Sunday morning, the group woke up at the unforgiving hour of 5:30am, inorder to go to the local market to buy food and give alms to the templemonks. Upon our return to the temple, we were able to offer the food tothe monks, and then enjoyed the plentiful leftovers for one of the bestbreakfast buffets in Thailand.The weekend stay finished off with another meditation class followed by anherbal sauna at the temple. Our time there had truly been full of, as PhraGabe would say, "body and mind food."
We send this week’s e-mail with best wishes to everyone we hold dear. Aswe hold you in our thoughts and prayers, please continue to keep ourstudents in yours, as we each deal with our own personal challenges andtriumphs.Mindfully yours,Blythe Cherney and SST 2007
See all of the pictures of this past week athttp://travel.webshots.com/album/557544127dUGPMd for Wat Tour and Lunch http://travel.webshots.com/album/557574208vBsIUW for Meditation
P.S. Shawn Livingston continues to improve. Today he opened one eye and tried to get out of bed. His mother was here to seethis miracle. He has a long way to go but every journey must begin with asingle step. Please keep him, his family, and our group in your thoughtsand prayers.
Dear friends and family,Happy Valentine’s Day!! This update finds our group full of religiousmusings. As we have begun to prepare for this week's mid-term examination,we have all delved deeply into the study of Thailand's major religion:Buddhism. From the classroom to the wat (temple), we are learning moreand more about the religion that our host country reveres, and with eachlesson, we are discovering the amazing amount of similarities it holds toour Christian faith.Friday's culture class was arguably the most exciting yet, as it took us ona tour of five major wats around Chiang Mai, including both city and foresttemples. The beauties of the temples are second to none; the sacredness ofthe grounds is clearly felt, regardless of the throngs of tourists. Afterour tour we stopped for lunch at Krua Sawatdee (a buffet and Karokerestaurant). We really enjoyed singing our own songs and listening toChiang Mai's version of Tony Bennet (an amazing singer and the owner ofthe restaurant).
Saturday morning, we disembarked for a weekend of continued study and fun.We drove south to Lampoon, visiting two temples on the way. A highlight ofthe journey was the chance to explore an impressive cave, complete withhundreds of bats. By late afternoon we arrived at our final destination:the forest temple, Wat Doi Long Tham (The temple on the mountain behindthe cave).The grounds were stunning; truly a retreat from the business of everydaylife. That evening, we were participated in our first lessons in sitting,standing, and walking meditation. The only complaint was that it was tooshort. We were extremely fortunate to have two Buddhist monks from ChiangMai as our traveling companions, translators, and meditation leaders. (Both were interns in the English Department at Buddhist Universitylocated Wat Suan Dok where I am doing my internship.)Sunday morning, the group woke up at the unforgiving hour of 5:30am, inorder to go to the local market to buy food and give alms to the templemonks. Upon our return to the temple, we were able to offer the food tothe monks, and then enjoyed the plentiful leftovers for one of the bestbreakfast buffets in Thailand.The weekend stay finished off with another meditation class followed by anherbal sauna at the temple. Our time there had truly been full of, as PhraGabe would say, "body and mind food."
We send this week’s e-mail with best wishes to everyone we hold dear. Aswe hold you in our thoughts and prayers, please continue to keep ourstudents in yours, as we each deal with our own personal challenges andtriumphs.Mindfully yours,Blythe Cherney and SST 2007
See all of the pictures of this past week athttp://travel.webshots.com/album/557544127dUGPMd for Wat Tour and Lunch http://travel.webshots.com/album/557574208vBsIUW for Meditation
P.S. Shawn Livingston continues to improve. Today he opened one eye and tried to get out of bed. His mother was here to seethis miracle. He has a long way to go but every journey must begin with asingle step. Please keep him, his family, and our group in your thoughtsand prayers.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Can you call this class?
Here are photos from class activities we've participated in... hiking up Suthep Mountain, learning how to cook Thai food and some shots from when we're in class.
Can you call this class?
If you would like to see the images individually, please click the link above
Can you call this class?
If you would like to see the images individually, please click the link above
Courtney's Big Win, Blythe's Birtday, and Shopping at Sangkampangn
Courtney’s Big Win, Blythe’s Birtday, and Shopping at Sangkampangn
If you would like to see the images individually, click on the link above
Update #4
This fourth e-mail comes from Elizabeth Gray, junior Sociology Major from Messiah College. Beth comes from Honey Grove, PA.
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Greetings from Thailand!
We have just started our 4th week of our amazing experience here in Thailand. Time is going by so quickly! We have been busy learning more Thai language, learning about Buddhism (the dominant religion in Thailand), learning more about the culture, and trying to spend time with our Thai host families. Our days are packed with Thai language and culture classes in the morning, followed by a quick lunch break, internships in the afternoon, and then we head home to be with our host families. The time spent with our host families continues to be that of varied emotions. The language barrier still remains a challenge for some of us, but then again, it gives us a great chance to practice our Thai. However, we are still in bonding mode with our families and I'm sure that the 4 short weeks we have left with the families will not be enough.
Despite our busy days, we have had time to spend together as a group. Last Friday evening, three ladies in our SST group had a chance to compete in the Miss International Flower Bloom Competition, which was part of the Flower Festival Celebration (see our pictures at www.community.webshots.com/user/ajarnmike100). The contest was for women who were not citizens of Thailand, but wanted to represent their respective countries. We had three representatives from our group: Sarah Cunliff, Sarah Brown, and Marta Johnson. The group gathered to watch our friends compete. The contestants introduced themselves to the crowd and had the chance to share a small talent if they wished. We were all so proud of the three that represented our group and the USA. The competition was fierce, and even though none of our ladies made it to the final three contestants, they're all winners in our eyes. :)
Saturday, the group gathered again to watch the flower parade, an amazing display of the beautiful flowers that are in Thailand. We were all impressed with the magnificent colors and grandeur of it all. After the parade there were many opportunities to practice our bartering skills with the local vendors. Some of the group even found a Mexican restaurant and fixed all those cravings for something that reminded us of home.
Since the weekend was off to amazing start, it had to finish off just as amazing! At six o’clock in the morning, Courtney Connors, ran a 13 K race from Chiang Mai University to the top of Doi Suthep Mountain. Courtney is a cross-country runner at Westmont College but her family decided that she should run the race and win a trophy for herself. Wow, that is pressure!!
Well, Courtney outdid herself. She took first in the 18 - 25 year old female runners and second for women overall. It was a race of 200 runners so this was an amazing feat.
After the race, some of the group met early to go to church. When we all gathered later that morning (11:00 AM), it was in honor of Blythe's birthday and we were going to celebrate her birthday and Courtney's big win! Ajarns Mike and Ann took us all to the Empress Hotel, one of the more elite hotels in Chiang Mai, for lunch. Lunch was an incredible buffet with food ranging from traditional Thai dishes like spring rolls and som tom (spicy papaya salad), to sushi, to something that reminded us of home:
pasta and mashed potatoes! And if lunch itself wasn't enough to satisfy us, we had an equally delicious dessert buffet as well. Homemade waffles, homemade ice cream, shaved ice with different flavors, cakes, and fresh fruits were on the buffet menu. I think it's safe to say that everyone stuffed themselves that day. With some difficulty with walking, we headed off to a local gem factory, where we watched a short video on gems, and then had the chance to browse the selection of beautiful jewelry and even buy some if we wished.
After spending some time checking out the jewelry, we went to an umbrella shop, where we had a chance to purchase beautiful umbrellas and even have items of clothing, bags, camera cases, even cameras hand-painted with different designs. Our last two stops were at hand crafted pottery shops.
The pottery and handicrafts were unique and beautiful.
Overall, we have been having a wonderful time with our Thai host families and with our friends and we look forward to this weekend's Wat stay. We hope that you are all doing well!
Sincerely,
Beth Gray
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greetings from Thailand!
We have just started our 4th week of our amazing experience here in Thailand. Time is going by so quickly! We have been busy learning more Thai language, learning about Buddhism (the dominant religion in Thailand), learning more about the culture, and trying to spend time with our Thai host families. Our days are packed with Thai language and culture classes in the morning, followed by a quick lunch break, internships in the afternoon, and then we head home to be with our host families. The time spent with our host families continues to be that of varied emotions. The language barrier still remains a challenge for some of us, but then again, it gives us a great chance to practice our Thai. However, we are still in bonding mode with our families and I'm sure that the 4 short weeks we have left with the families will not be enough.
Despite our busy days, we have had time to spend together as a group. Last Friday evening, three ladies in our SST group had a chance to compete in the Miss International Flower Bloom Competition, which was part of the Flower Festival Celebration (see our pictures at www.community.webshots.com/user/ajarnmike100). The contest was for women who were not citizens of Thailand, but wanted to represent their respective countries. We had three representatives from our group: Sarah Cunliff, Sarah Brown, and Marta Johnson. The group gathered to watch our friends compete. The contestants introduced themselves to the crowd and had the chance to share a small talent if they wished. We were all so proud of the three that represented our group and the USA. The competition was fierce, and even though none of our ladies made it to the final three contestants, they're all winners in our eyes. :)
Saturday, the group gathered again to watch the flower parade, an amazing display of the beautiful flowers that are in Thailand. We were all impressed with the magnificent colors and grandeur of it all. After the parade there were many opportunities to practice our bartering skills with the local vendors. Some of the group even found a Mexican restaurant and fixed all those cravings for something that reminded us of home.
Since the weekend was off to amazing start, it had to finish off just as amazing! At six o’clock in the morning, Courtney Connors, ran a 13 K race from Chiang Mai University to the top of Doi Suthep Mountain. Courtney is a cross-country runner at Westmont College but her family decided that she should run the race and win a trophy for herself. Wow, that is pressure!!
Well, Courtney outdid herself. She took first in the 18 - 25 year old female runners and second for women overall. It was a race of 200 runners so this was an amazing feat.
After the race, some of the group met early to go to church. When we all gathered later that morning (11:00 AM), it was in honor of Blythe's birthday and we were going to celebrate her birthday and Courtney's big win! Ajarns Mike and Ann took us all to the Empress Hotel, one of the more elite hotels in Chiang Mai, for lunch. Lunch was an incredible buffet with food ranging from traditional Thai dishes like spring rolls and som tom (spicy papaya salad), to sushi, to something that reminded us of home:
pasta and mashed potatoes! And if lunch itself wasn't enough to satisfy us, we had an equally delicious dessert buffet as well. Homemade waffles, homemade ice cream, shaved ice with different flavors, cakes, and fresh fruits were on the buffet menu. I think it's safe to say that everyone stuffed themselves that day. With some difficulty with walking, we headed off to a local gem factory, where we watched a short video on gems, and then had the chance to browse the selection of beautiful jewelry and even buy some if we wished.
After spending some time checking out the jewelry, we went to an umbrella shop, where we had a chance to purchase beautiful umbrellas and even have items of clothing, bags, camera cases, even cameras hand-painted with different designs. Our last two stops were at hand crafted pottery shops.
The pottery and handicrafts were unique and beautiful.
Overall, we have been having a wonderful time with our Thai host families and with our friends and we look forward to this weekend's Wat stay. We hope that you are all doing well!
Sincerely,
Beth Gray
Friday, February 2, 2007
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