No excuses.

There are no excuses for my extended absence, but I will attempt a few, regardless.

Lame excuse number one:

I have been working non stop.  I worked for 26 days straight, and barely had time to sleep, let alone blog.  After my workaholic phase, I went to Laos for a long weekend.  While there, I picked up a pretty nasty eye infection which knocked me out of commission for about 5 days, and the blurry vision just cleared today.

Pathetic excuse number two:

I have attempted to blog!  Honestly, if you look at my list of posts I have seven, yes, count 'em, seven, incomplete posts.  My most recent post has been uploading a video for 13 days, and it still is not complete.  Thank you, blogspot, and poor Thai internet connections.

Meager excuse number three:

I just haven't been in the mood.  Life in Thailand has been a series of ups and downs lately, and I just haven't been motivated to blog.

But, before hitting the dreaded two month mark, I am back and posting.  I have revamped my list of potential blogs, and I'm ready to go.  Thanks for sticking with me!

And, Dad, sorry it took me so long.

 

It's raining, it's pouring!

Wait... no it's not!

I was under the impression that the rainy season began with Songkran, to the day.  Well, the person who told me that, who shall remain unnamed, was incorrect.  Since the beginning of the rainy season, I can count on one hand the number of times it has rained.  But, when it rains, it pours.

Already,  I have been stuck, waiting for the rain to pass, not wanting to drive through the torrential downpour on my motorbike.   Luckily, the few times it has happened I have been at a party or a bar, so I wasn't complaining.  Oh, and once I was out to dinner, so we just ordered dessert!

Even though the rain has not been as frequent as I expected, the sky has changed dramatically.  When I was finally adapting to the constant haze and blue-grey color of the cloudless sky, it disappeared.  The sky is bright blue.  Vibrant, Lake George blue!  It's amazing.  And the clouds are beautiful.  White, billowing clouds are scattered about every day.  It's simply amazing.

It's when the clouds turn dark, and the blue sky becomes black, that I know I won't be driving anywhere for a while.  Often, I can see the sheet of rain heading towards me.  The lightening illuminates the darkness as it shoots horizontally across the sky.  The thunder shakes the house.  The storms are unbelievable.

When I am attempting to be productive, the storms are a bit of a nuisance, but when they come at night, I'm in heaven.  Falling asleep to the rain hitting the tin roof and the rumbles of thunder, there couldn't be anything better.

Except the rainbows, those are pretty wonderful as well!

Chiang Mai

Although I already posted about my amazing time in Chiang Mai, I recently wrote about it again.  CIEE, the program I came to Thailand with, was holding an essay contest.  There were a variety of different questions, but I chose to write about my experience in Chiang Mai.  Fingers crossed for the $500 Amazon.com gift card!

I stood in the Chiang Mai airport, anxiously awaiting the arrival of my best friend, Bri.  When she finally walked through the doors from baggage claim, exactly fourteen minutes after her flight landed, I became completely overwhelmed.  There was so much I wanted to show her, so much I wanted her to experience.  There were so many people I wanted her to meet, and so much I wanted her to learn.

Over the next few days, we experienced Thailand in a way even I had never had.  We stayed in the home of a friend with about twenty other people from our hometown of Khon Kaen.  There was a great variety of people in the house, young and old, mingling in a constant state of happiness during Songkran, the festival of the Thai new year.  We ate amazing meals, something I had become accustomed to over the past six months, but something Bri reminded me not to take for granted.  The hospitality was over the top.  We never felt a pang of hunger, our glasses were never empty, and our days were never boring.

We traveled as a pack, enjoying the tourist spots of Chiang Mai.  But these were far from the tourist spots of guidebooks and western travelers.  We were seeing Chiang Mai as a Thai person would.  We went to the hot springs.  We boiled eggs in unbearably hot water, and then ate them with soy sauce while our feet dangled in less hot water.  We visited the underground temple.  We went to the river, and feasted on delectable food, delivered by a basket pulley system from a stand on the hill.  We ate while a friend stood knee deep in the water, playing his guitar and singing stereotypical American songs.  We were part of a parade!  We danced through the streets accompanying the money trees of the village to the nearby temple.   We were the only westerners wherever we went, we stuck out like sore thumbs, and we were welcomed with open arms.  And it all seemed so normal for me.  This had become my life.

After leaving Chiang Mai, Bri and I headed down south to spend some quality time on the renowned Thai beaches.  We spent hours basking in the sun, and soaking up the culture.  In the middle of one of our ongoing talks, Bri turned to me and said, “I just want you to know how awesome this is.”  I was unsure of exactly what she was referring to, and replied with, “I know.  These beaches are breathtaking.”  But I had misinterpreted.  Bri went on to explain how proud she is of me for coming to this country, completely alone, and making such an amazing life for myself.  I became shy, downplaying what I had actually accomplished, but she continued.

I walked away from the conversation, taken by what she had said.  I had no intention of proving anything to anyone.  I did not come to Thailand to be impressive to my friends and family, I did it for myself.  And months later, I am well on my way to accomplishing what I set out to do.  I have made lasting relationships.  I have learned a bit of the language, and am learning more everyday.  I have a wonderful job that I enjoy.  I have created a life for myself, and I am very happy.  The fact that Bri is impressed, is just an added bonus!

The People in Red Take Khon Kaen

I'm sure plenty of you have been watching the news carefully over the past few weeks, keeping your eyes on the red shirts of Thailand.  And yes, things became far more serious today.

The government gave the red shirts until 3pm on Monday to leave their encampment in Bangkok.  As of this morning, the military entered the encampment with armored vehicles.  And, as of this afternoon, the red shirts set fire to the city hall of Khon Kaen.  The city hall is located directly across the street from my school, and the smoke came billowing over the school as the students were quickly picked up by their parents.  I left the school after my students went home.  I came home to water the plants, and stay away from the action.  There are multiple fires throughout the city right now, but I am safe.

The red shirt leaders turned themselves into the police in Bangkok this afternoon.  Protesters are upset, but they no longer have any power.  Without the leaders and the funding, the protest is over.  There are still fires throughout Bangkok, Khon Kaen, and various other cities, but we have been told everything should be under control by tomorrow.  Bangkok and Khon Kaen have both issued curfews from 8 pm this evening until 6 am tomorrow morning.    

I am still safe.  I promise.  The teachers at school are even positive that we will have class tomorrow!  Personally, I'm hoping for a day off, but we shall see.  

If things become any more dangerous I will leave the country, but at the moment I am just fine.

I promise to keep you updated on the situation.

Love, Meaghan

PS- Only in Thailand will the vendors remain in the streets to sell snacks at a time like this!