Week 1
complete! I’m starting
to settle in from travel and constant moving to being still and just
being in life. Days have been
full, and have been flying by. My typical
day includes getting up early for a
morning practice before breakfast. Luckily my guesthouse has a space to do yoga, and a place to prepare
food. The only downside is having
to share these spaces with the mosquitoes. From here, I wait outside to be picked up by the school bus
(feels like I’m in elementary school). There’s a pretty structured schedule once we arrive at school, and once
we got the first day down (which felt a bit overwhelming and unnerving . . .
now I know how ESL students felt on the first day of classes for orientation
day! Piddy, there was even what I
assume was the canned speech by the director “Thai people are shy people” 😄) we knew what to do
and where to go. We arrive at
school after about a 20 min bus ride, have some time for tea before we change
into our pj’s (the Thai massage version of scrubs), classes consist of
lectures, videos or hands on demonstration and practice. Lunch is from 11:45 to 1:00 where we stay
in our pjs and go to the market across the street. After lunch is the same until 4:00 with a short 15 min break
at 2:45. At about 10 minutes
before 4:00, we have to clean up the room, change the sheets on the bed and are
basically hurriedly scooted out of there. When B-Rod and I were in Bangkok, as we were getting off one of the
water taxis, there was a guy on the dock with a megaphone shouting “GET OFF,
GET OFF, GET OFF.” That’s kind of
how I feel at the end of the school day. They really want us out of there! Back on the bus and a 20 min ride in the exhaust fumes of traffic, and
I’m back at home. Evenings have
been pretty chill. Giving and
getting treatments multiple times a day actually really takes a lot out of
you. Mostly I’ve just had time to
eat, and catch up on some reading
before it’s time for bed.
I am part of
the i5 program which means we are staying for 5 weeks. There are 12 people in our program,
with a few others who just finished their week 3, and will join us in a couple
of weeks in week 4 and 5. We’ve
been split into two groups of six, so I’ve only really gotten to know half of
my class. Apparently we change
groups and teachers every week. My
group for this week has been great, and from the limited contact I’ve had with
the other group, it seems like we have a pretty good mix of people. Group dynamics and meeting new people
is usually what makes me nervous when doing things like this, but so far so
good. All 12 of us are from
different countries, so I think that makes a difference as well.
In Chiang Mai, red shared taxis/trucks called songthaew are used to get around the city. This is what is used for my school bus.
Here comes the bus!
Off to school!
We're actually not supposed to bring cameras or cell phones into the classroom. We have been told that we are to concentrate on learning, and they will come by to take pictures at some point. They haven't so far (except for a group shot), so a few of us have been sneaking picture opportunities throughout the week! This week I was in the Apple room. It could be a different one next week.
Walk way to the school. The school is outside of Chiang Mai, and I thought it would be in the countryside. It seems to be like the lower mainland though . . . cities just meld into each other.
My group this week consisted of Karlijn (Holland), Hector (Spain but currently lives in Canada), Noemie (France), Vivia (Greece), and Eri (Japan).
I had two teachers this week . . . Dao (pictured below who has taught there the longest of all the teachers - 14 years) and Ao. I couldn't catch Ao before they booted me out though!
Yesterday a
group of us took an outing to Doi Suthep. It’s the super busy temple on the mountain that B-Rod and I went
to. Even though I’ve been there
before, I thought it would be nice to get slightly out of the city and into the
mountains for some fresh air. We went earlier in the morning, so it wasn’t
quite as busy. We also made our way up the mountain a bit further to Bhubing Palace which is
the winter residence for the Royal family. You aren’t permitted to enter any of
the residences, so it was mainly the gardens to wander around. It was a sprawling place with not very
many people (we seemed to be some of the few whitey’s there). I’m not
usually really into flowers, but it was so calm and peaceful and quiet compared
to Doi Suthep and the city below that it was a nice escape.
Back on a songthaew to make our way up the mountain. Claire is the smart one with her mask . . . sitting in the exhaust of traffic is really gross!
Not quite as busy this time around!
Up at the top
This time around I circled the pagoda. There is a paper with the English pronunciation for the mantra you recite silently as you circle it three times. Despite the crowds of people around, this part was actually quite quiet and calming.
I thought I'd try my hand at another fortune. Better this time . . . if I were a man . . . . or maybe if I wanted an infant inside . . . . and I wanted said infant to be a boy!
One of my classmates pointed out how even the "not so clean" parts are decorated nicely.
Just below the temple are a few quiet spots.
And not so quiet spots.
Bhubing Palace . . . maybe this is the palace? The buildings weren't really marked. There were markings for the flowers, and the places where you couldn't go, and lots of security around telling you when your clothes had become inappropriate.
My mom would love this rose garden!
Nature and no crowds . . . that's better!
Tonight a few of us headed over to the Sunday night market. We got there just in time to see a special dedication to the king. 999 women dancers of various ages. It was pretty incredible!
Tomorrow it all starts again. Here we go week 2 :)
