Be the change you want to see in the world -Gandhi

I'm back home again and having a quick trip to the internet despite my exhaustion. I taught 2 classes this morning after an overnight bus (slept relatively well) following all day at the Chiang Mai flower festival yesterday with P Noot and her brother P Sert. It was beautiful (pictures to come). Haven't been home in 10 days and I was happy to walk through my door. Granted, I only get to spend three nights in my own bed before I'm off to Buri Ram province to help with a drama camp (the one that was canceled due to the coup d'etat a couple of months ago) but three nights is better than nothing.

On the note of exhaustion. I have to give a shout out to the extreme amount of patience maintained by my friend Christina during our time in the country. I came here thinking that I had a lot of patience, but there is just nobody like Christina. As we waited in the Chaiyaphum bus station at 5:30 this morning (after having been on a bus from Chiang Mai since the night before) to head home, we were bombarded by the usual questions from the male Thai taxi drivers sitting around in the station.

"WHERE YOU GO?" (I did reply to the first person who asked this)

"WHERE YOU COME FROM?"

by this time, they usually figure out we speak Thai..

"Tam Arai Ti Ni?" (What are you doing here)

This one is usually followed by some others of them offering up plausible (in their minds) explanations such as studying (who in their right mind.... Sorry....) teaching English or having a Thai boyfriend. I don't appreciate these explanations not only because I don't feel the need for every perfectly strange.... Oh, I mean perfect stranger...in this country to know why I have voluntarily chosen to sacrifice 2 years of my life but also because they NEVER get it right.

I chose the mute route as to attempt to refrain from saying anything rude. Christina - every the perfectly Thai lady - proceeded to answer all their questions (INCLUDING the one about how much money she must make.... "OH, YOU GET LOTS OF MONEY! AMERICAN DOLLARS!" ... No, no, we're volunteers (my thoughts - have you EVERY heard that word? Do you know the definition? ARE YOU LISTENING or just running your mouth???...... Her: Oh no, we live the same as Thai people. It's not really a salary because we're volunteers. No, really, the same as Thai people. We only get a little money for house and food). She's a saint I tell you.

About this point they notice that I'm not speaking.

"Khao poot pasah Thai mai dai LUH?" (Oh, she doesn't speak Thai, huh?)

At which point, though I secretly wish she'll lie so they won't talk to me (but saints can't lie) tells them that I do in fact speak Thai well.

Unfortunately, this causes them to turn their verbal mumbo jumbo my way. As I am not the saint and long ago lost the patience I thought I had and because I've answered these same questions at least 234,513 time, I reply

"Poot DIE, deh MAI CHOP poot ti welah norn!" ( I CAN speak, but I DON'T LIKE to speak during the time one should be SLEEPING!"

Sorry, that was just the nicest thing I could think of at 5:45AM after 11 hours on a night bus and a full day in the sun before that.

Eventually, after she assured me that she didn't mind, I abandoned her for a seat in the (at that point) empty bus. Oh well. Another day started...

On another note. Here are more pictures from my time at Sean's site. (Will get to the Chiang Mai ones next time.)

A grandpa in Sean's town wishes us good luck and blessings by tying white strings around our wrists and offering kind words. (This is a lovely traditional Thai practice.)