Volunteer Spirit

The group is constantly changing but we have all still made our friendly connection here and there. You may have heard me mention Shelley a time or two. We are by far the most similar, in so many ways; American... California transplants, travels and hobbies. She is far quieter than I (most people are), but we complement each other well and spend most of our free time together. She is just as, if not more outdoorsy than I am and we find somewhere to hike or run most days. This week we started a circuits group, which was much needed with all the rice eating we do here. We have been faithful daily but the others come and go. Ironically Shelley and I are on a similar travel route, she came from Kenya and that is my next destination. I love that she can give me lots of tips on great things to do... and a few of what not to do. We are planning a quick trip to Burma this next weekend and then to Laos the following, not places that I would have thought I would go but am excited to experience them with a friend. Shelley has a bit more experience in SE Asia than I do, as she just finished a project in Cambodia. 

Most of the boys here are British and have bonded well (funny how that worked out). We banter constantly but always have a good time. They have been informed in the past that Americans don’t have a sense of humor and continuously tell me they don’t understand mine. After almost everything I say they ask, “are you serious or joking”. I really didn’t think it was that different than dry British humor, but apparently so. They keep life fun and entertaining. The boys don’t enjoy the peace and quiet of our village much and often are creating the funniest of activities, in which we have elected one of them to be the events coordinator. This week we had a bon fire, game night and quiz night, embarrassing me on my worldly knowledge. 

The eldest of our group and some of my favorites left last week. Pat, 70, and Shelley, 53, kept up with the pack without any problems. They were good humored, related well to everyone and fed off the youthful energy. Always offering great advice about life or simply just the moment. Above all else they provided inspiration to so many of us that hope to be doing similar things when we are of that age. 

As so many people come and go, myself included, I hope to keep the volunteer spirit alive where ever I may be, by taking the very best that people have to offer. 

Akha Village Home-stay

At different periods of our time at Mirror, we go into a hill-tribe village, stay with a local family and help the community with a current project. Last week our entire group went to  an Akha village to build a water system. 

The job consisted of lugging a large amount of sand and rocks used to make cement, literally; over the river, through the woods and up the hill. Hoeing a trench to lay piping and building a water tank. The amount of manual labor and time put into this project is unbelievable. Many people had some culture shock challenges during this project, knowing more efficient and productive ways to get the job done. But when coming into someone else’s domain, it is important to respect their methods. It is a serious obstacle we all face, coming from such a productive crazy world, we want to give and do so much, but the goal is to lend a had and help them learn from us, not change their ways, as they need to develop in their own time. It is such an incredibly hard thing to accept when you feel you have so little time with them. But it would be just as shocking to them and possibly damaging to the essence of who they are if we tried to do all of these projects in our modernized form. 

I was very eager to work outside, be apart of a big group project and excited to do something physically demanding. However, I did not last long on the project, after only a  few trips to the top of the hill, on the afternoon of the first day of work I bizarrely got a stick stuck in my foot. As we were hiking through a jungly forest I heard a snap and felt a quick jab. Continuing to hike a bit further not wanting to loose my grip on my load of sand, until I crossed paths with Shelley, and she thought it looked far worse than I had imagined. I have no recollection of the pain but as we sat down and she was pressing on the top of my foot to pull the stick out, she realized that her fingers were actually on the stick inside my foot, well over an inch in horizontally along the vein of my foot. We debated a bit about what to do and then Shelley gave a good tug, it didn’t come out, so I did the same and once again it didn’t come out... After a little pow wow, I told her to give a give it another try, thankfully it was a successful one. Out came the stick along with a lot of blood. Keeping my cool through the whole show, I thought I was fine, but getting up and walking was a different story. I was immediately sick to my stomach, light headed and found myself aiming for the bushes. It took a while to collect myself, by that time I had the support of our entire group, which was so kind, and finally made it back to the village. 

I knew I was out of commission for a bit, but really didn’t know how painful it was going to be after the shock wore off. I was feeling extremely guilty for not being able to help as that is what I came for, but ended up really enjoying some of the Akha hill-tribe women. I was getting very antsy just laying on the bamboo platform on a very hot afternoon, when they brought out some of their handy-craft projects. Bags, jackets, hats with so many traditional artistic designs embroidered and beaded. They showed me some of their tricks of the trade and let me do a little myself. 

The following day my foot was extremely swollen, red and hot. The villagers were very worried about it and with in a few hours they had put together everything needed to do a small tribal surgery. It was painful to say the least. I had a large audience intrigued by the situation and a fellow volunteer who video recorded it hoping to send it to the Discovery Channel or somewhere interesting, most likely just my family. After opening the wound and cleaning it out thoroughly, my foot was wrapped in warm herbs and cloth. The herbs burned for a few hours, but for some reason I trusted their remedy. These people have been coping with injuries and illness for many years with out modernized western medicine, and they are all looking just fine. I left the herbs on for 8 hours, continuing with my day. I helped with what I could, brushing dried corn off of the cobs to feed the chickens, playing with the kids and reading when I was bored. 

The following morning my foot was close to its normal size again and far less painful. I still wasn’t able to help with the project but was happy to be up and about again. Sitting still isn’t really my thing. It was hard to be there and feel like I took more away than I gave but at the same time I felt so lucky to experience so much kindness and generosity. It seems like, to us, that they have so little but they were willing to give anything to make (me particularly) us feel comfortable and welcome.

Picture taken the day after tribal surgery. No one should ever post their feet that are as filthy dirty and worn as mine are, they look disgusting, but thought you needed a quick view ;) 

$$$$

Yes, as you  may have heard or already know, Thailand is a very inexpensive place to be. The U.S dollar goes a long way, it is 30 baht to 1$. On average I may spend $30 max to live and really enjoy anything I want for a week. I feel quite spoiled here. An average hotel that we may get on the weekend is 250 baht. A dinner out, 50 to 100 baht.   There are so many great Thai dishes, my favorite usually consist of coconut and pineapple. 

After finding out that I may have been partially taken advantage of on my first Thai massage I was persuaded to try another... in a group setting. It was far better this time and indeed an experience everyone should have. It is deep tissue (which can hurt seriously) with a mixture of stretching the body in positions most would never think of. An hour of rehabilitation and finishing with tea and cookies is only 150 baht, equal to $4.50. 

Shopping through the markets, I generally feast off of the fruits. A bag of fruit is 10 baht, equal to 30 cents. They have all natural fruit smoothies for 15 baht, that are absolutely fantastic! It blows my mind to think of ever buying a $4 Jomba Juice again. I also have an awesome friend, Shelley, that is very adventurous and gets me to try so many local treats that I would probably never go for but have really liked. Luckily she is a vegetarian and doesn’t go for any of the mystery meats or bugs. 

A bus trip to travel around the surrounding areas are under 200 baht, so for $4 to $6 I can go adventure out into other cities. Last weekend a friend and I rented bicycle to ride around Chiang Mai, for only 30 baht. We got to see all the views, temples, and museums on our own little tour.

These are only a few of the perks of Thailand.

Life in Thailand

Such a beautiful peaceful place. In my last blog, I may have made things sound a bit scant, but that is hardly the case. Our daily life in our village is very primitive but that is only one side of it. The elements that we may never thought about living without seem so insignificant. 

One piece of life that has really intrigued me is the Buddhist religion. So much of it focuses around peace of mind and kindness toward others. I’m sure it that plays a huge role in the surrounding environment that generally feels very safe, giving, and accepting. As it is the dominating religion by 96% it is obvious that most Thai are faithful to the religion and take it very seriously. 

Some of the very first things I was taught when I arrived in Thailand were the rules not to offend or dishonor anyone. The human chain starts with Monks at the very top, then eldest to youngest. When greeting someone it is important to address them appropriately based on their status. Some that are a little harder for me to adapt to are watching the way you sit, making sure your feet are never pointing towards anyone, as they are thought of as the lowest part of the body... when in fact... they are. Pointing, I have never thought about how much I point my finger to show something or get someones attention, but it is thought of as very rude here. The top of the head is very sacred, so no matter the age touching the head is very inappropriate... even when playing “Duck Duck Goose”. My least favorite, of coarse, is taking your shoes off EVERYWHERE. It is very impolite to wear shoes indoors, so whether your at a house, school or public place such as a temple, restaurant, or hotel, it is customary to leave your shoes at the door. All I can think of is how many nasty feet have been on that floor, but I kindly obey. 

It is a slight challenge to learn as much as you want here with such a huge language barrier, but I take in as much as I can. Although we are learning Thai phrases a little bit at a time the language is based on tones. There are 5 different tones and what you want to be saying could easily be interpreted very differently based on the tone. I try to use it as much as I can around our village and some with the kids, but find it quite intimidating to take other places.

If you are a nature lover, the vegetation is unbelievably beautiful. Everywhere you turn there is a jungle rolling on hills and mountains far into the distance. Rice paddies stand out in the midst of the jungle in the most vibrant green I have every seen. In the mid day, when the paddies are flooded it is as if they almost glow when the sunlight reflects off of the water. At any point and time it is easy to find a spot that you can only hear the the whispers of the incest and rustling of leaves. Whether it is to take time to think, or enjoy not thinking at all the peace is rejuvenating. 

The Mirror Foundation

I did not know a lot about the project that I signed up for but am so glad that I did. I’m learning so much about the history of Thailand and feel that this is admirable cause. The  Mirror Foundation was originally created to support hill-tribe people in northern Thailand. The hill-tribe people have migrated from surrounding countries over the past few centuries. Although by this time most to all hill-tribe people have been born in Thailand, they do not have Thai citizenship. With out citizenship they are not eligible for any rights or benefits such as education, healthcare, land or the right to vote. In turn, many of them end up in human trafficking for sex or drugs. As I can’t even imagine that being the result of the misfortune of where I was born, I hope to benefit the people here as much as possible with what now seems like so little time here. 

After having a few weeks to adjust to life at Mirror I am feeling quite settled. I stay very busy during my work week, teaching at the schools and temples, working with the E-bonnok store (hill tribe made goods), and learning Thai. We have Sunday and Monday off to leave the village and enjoy a larger variety of foods, sleep on actual beds, take showers, and tour surrounding areas. 

As  you may get the gist, life is very simple in our village. There are very few luxuries here. We sleep in a dorm style room, with boards on bunks for beds, the boys sleep on a cement block. The bathrooms have toilets but no pluming so we take water from a bucket to poor down the toilet and have a hose with a nozzle for a shower (which should only be taken mid day, when it is hot outside). The food mainly consists of white rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner, sometimes adding a broth soup or a veggie on a really good day. We also have what we call the mystery meats... in which don’t get eaten by many for obvious reasons, but I think we have all braved it at least once. ;)

It is amazing how quickly one adapts to the surroundings and accommodations. I may know the differences between the two wolds and life-styles, but I rarely miss or long for amenities I once had. 

A new home

I arrived safely at my final destination inThailand, also where I will be settling for a while.  My new program is working for the Mirror foundation, located in norther Thailand. 

Very different than I expected and also quite different from my last experience. I quickly reminded myself that having no expectations is the best frame of mind to have when going into something completely new. We have our own little village at the Mirror Foundation, about 20 minutes away from the town of Chiang Rai. Many of the local hill tribe members also live here at Mirror with us. We have the opportunity to work side by side with them and get to know them and their families. 

Who your with truly does have the ability to make it or break your experience. They are the people you will be working with living with and hanging out with most of the time, so you always have to hope for the best. So far it seems like a great group of people.

After traveling for 2 weeks, I have not seen a single American, today half of our new group is American. Not only are 8 of our volunteers from the U.S but they are all from Colorado or California, (I play both sides depending on what fits best. ;)) It really is such a small world we live in. We have a group of 20 all together, the other are a mix of Canadian, Australian and British. Fifty/ Fifty boys to girls this time as well, which is not very common. Sixteen members came in today so I was not alone in getting my bearings. 

The 4 that were already here welcomed us with open arms. They planned a bon-fire and party, bringing all sorts of treats from town; such as fruit, candy and popcorn; which is not easy to get. They quickly put our “rice for every meal menu” at ease, knowing we could find other options once we made it to town. 

The joking and chattering started immediately, nationalities bantering back and forth, exchanging past travels and projects, and getting to know each others history and personal gossip. Once again so many different people all coming together with open minds for the same purpose, reminded me why I love these projects so much and quickly made me feel like I am right were I am supposed to be. 

Pattaya

Of all the things that I have heard about Thailand, I have heard the beaches there are unbelievably amazing. As much as I like sun and the beach, I couldn’t possibly miss out on that. After having the guidance of our Thai receptionist at the hostel, I set out on my trek to the beach. Taking the train to the bus and the bus two hours south to Pattaya. If you look it up, you will understand why that was my final choice, it was the same place the the movie “Beaches” was filmed. 

Note 1: Always listen to your mother! She said to me on more than one occasion, “I’m a little concerned about the language barrier... don’t you think that will make your travel a bit difficult?” I, with my oh so optimistic attitude often shrug off the not so joyful aspects of things and focus on the positive and exciting points. I can write about this now that I am safe and sound, but my bus trip to Pattaya was one of the most nerve racking two hours of my life. Not because I felt threatened but because I was the only english speaking white girl on the bus. And as they stopped at each stop my heart raced to see something that matched my directions... but would I even know it, as most everything is in Thai with only a few signs using the alphabet. I know that I looked panicked as I looked almost in circles searching for a bit of hope, when a young Thai man speaking good english asked me if I needed help. He directed to my stop and to where a taxi would be that could take me to my hotel. Before I found a taxi I asked a security guard, knowing they usually speak english, where about my hotel was. After taking the entire group to find it on a map, he offered to take me there for a larger price than average. At the moment I didn’t think twice. Who cares if you get ripped off by a security guard, right? I was glad to find my hotel safely and unwind all the nerves. 

I spent the rest of the day at the beach. Finally catching up on a few cat naps when I was rudely awakened by a Russian that just wanted to give me a banana milkshake as a gift. That was when I thought I should call it a day. As I am unbelievably allergic to bananas I thought it had to bad juju, not to mention that most Russians can be aggressively brash and I was not in the mood. 

After many stressful hours of travel and not much sleep in the last week, I took myself back to my hotel and had my first and hopefully my last meltdown of the trip. After a good cry, a short nap and a shower, I got ready and went out on the town. I wasn’t much in the lively mood but you can’t be in new and exotic place and not take some time to see what it is all about. 

I ended my night with my first Thai massage. Its something that they say everyone should experience as it is unbelievably inexpensive, and most would say just unbelievable. However, I am not most. Some parts were indeed amazing, but I am not one that likes to be touched much by people I do not know and in general I don’t get too touchy with those I do know. So to say the least I found my massage a bit invasive for my liking. When in Rome... I guess. That is what traveling is all about. 

Bangkok

My second destination is Thailand. A drastic temperature change from London, it is the end of summer here and hot! After arriving in Bangkok, I managed to meet up with an exchange student from high school, Nymia Habitch. Quite a coincidence that we happen to be a Bangkok at the same time and both having a very narrow time window. That is one of the joys of Facebook. 

Bangkok has not been one of my favorite locations so far. However, I am not surprised, I had heard that from many people before. But I am glad I got the chance to see some of the beautiful temples and palaces, they are a sight to be seen if you can handle the madness of the city. Nymia and the friends he is traveling with are all attending school in Taiwan for the year, one Swiss and the other German. Since they have been exposed to the Asian culture for a while it was nice to have them around and give me pointers while I adjust to the culture shock. They found it quite funny that I was not prepared for the over population and filth commonly found in the eastern world. It really takes some getting used to. Air quality is something that we are more spoiled with that I had ever imagined. 

Although I didn’t enjoy fighting the even more populated crowds that normal we did have good timing as it is the Chinese New Year. They have a massive five day celebration in the Bangkok Chinatown. It was fun to see the Thai Chinese celebrate their most important holiday with concerts, shows and parades around every corner. 

This was also my first experience in a hostel. I’m sure it was one of the better first experiences one could have. It was quite clean and the travelers were all friendly and enjoyable. I was probably the worst person in there. I am suffering severally from jet lag/ time change and up most of the night, always hoping not to disturb anyone. I’m not sure why it didn’t effect me as much on my last trip to Africa, but it seemed as though I was so exhausted I slept soundly the first couple of nights and fell right into timezone. I’m hoping at some point the same happens here but for now I am only sleeping a couple hours a night from about 4am to 6am. On the positive side that leaves me with good timing to Skype the western world. I seem to be getting to chat with my parents almost everyday, I hope I can continue that consistency. I try to stay logged on when ever I am around the internet so anyone else that happens to be on feel free to say hello, its always nice to see your faces and hear your gossip ;) kristin.whinery is my skype address.

The Blog is Back!

I must start by apologizing for not keeping my blog as actively as I did on my last trip. I do hope that will change going forward as it is as good of a memory book for me as it is an active update for all of you. I could say that I’ve been slacking for many different reasons; I’ve been having so much fun that I haven’t made the time to really sit down and journal, I’ve been traveling so far, so quickly that my time change is out of control by 14 hours and I’m delirious, but... mostly I think that my lack of blogging is due to the fact that I have active internet most of the time and I know my parents aren’t lying awake at night wondering if I’m alive and well. Just a little bit of communication makes traveling a bit more peaceful.

As for everything in life, heading into the unknown can be a scary thought. My trip started off with some shaky nerves but they quickly disappeared as I put one foot in front of the other and started my journey. Starting off in London, I was welcomed by a dear friend, my bunk mate from Mozambique. Her family, all just as kind, made me feel right at home. 

Diving right into the thick of London, I saw everything there is to see in only a few days and always being home in time for family dinners at the Hakda’s. With a little help from my Indian family I conquered the rail system or “The Tube” as they would say. Having the local pointers is an invaluable gift. 

For those of you who know me well, you know that I thoroughly enjoyed the historical aspect of my sight-seeing adventure in London. It is absolutely mind boggling how old the city is and how much has occurred in its presence. Just walking down the cobblestone streets and goggling at the intricate detail on the old stone buildings is an experience in its self. My favorite sight by far was Westminster Abbey, touring a building that holds tombs of great kings, heros and artists all the way back from the 1200’s. In my mind, I often never even thought about life existing at that point in time... I mean if you asked me, I would have said it did, but I couldn’t have told you a thing about it, nor would it have even crossed reality for me. 

Another amazing point for me was the National Gallery. Seeing all the life-lines of the royal families that have existed all over Europe and reading the back history of their personal and political lives, many of which conflicted. You know I like all the juicy details.   I also saw paintings that at one point I only thought existed in history books such as Monet. To be perfectly honest once again... I never saw a Monet that I though was all that impressive... until now. The paintings were breathtaking. The amount of detail and color in such short quick strokes that created such an magnificent outcome is indeed impressive. 

Of coarse the best part of London was enjoying the company of my good friend Haseena. On the weekend she took me out and about. Hitting up the food market that is like nothing anyone from home has ever seen before. (Once again... the locals secrets) The food market is where all the great chefs of London, commercial and domestic, get their best goodies. Tastes of food from many parts of Europe and so much more. We nibbled and sampled the best of cheeses, breads, exotic fruits and veggies, meets, soups, spices and best of all desserts and pastries of all sorts. Walking it all off we window shopped the finest and most unaffordable of London that you only see in the movies. Nothing is better than spending time with a great friend and a great tour guide. Many thanks to you Haseena for making my time in London “positively brilliant” and unforgettable.