I haven’t really updated this in a while, but here is a
short list of things I’ve done over the last few weeks:
1. I secured one-on-one tutoring. It’s been very helpful with my speaking and
my reading, and my teacher, Aj. Patcharee, has helped both translate and
sharpen the focus of the questions I plan to ask monks when I return to Samut
Prakan sometime either late July or early August. My lessons twice a week for two hours each
session. However, the lessons take place
in the early mornings on Saturdays and Sundays, so my weekend nights consist of
rocking out by going to bed early.
2. If I come back
from this trip destitute, blame Thai massages.
I’ve had back problems since I was 13 (one of the lovely parting gifts from
Texas schools) and the beds here are harder than I am used to, which on some
days cause my back to stiffen. Since my
schedule is flexible, I sometimes get a massage in the afternoon, which costs
all of $10. Wikipedia has a good
description, but it is basically a mixture deep muscle massage that focuses on
the arms, legs, and back that also includes stretches.
3. Both my family
and my friends said that I will lose a lot of weight while I am here. I doubt that is true, mostly due to gaiyang,
or grilled chicken. It is delectable, it
is oily, it clogs my arteries, and most importantly, I eat it way too
much of it.
4. The EFEO (École française d'Extrême-Orient) Library
is pretty awesome. It has a small, but
for me, useful collection of books in both English and Thai. Unfortunately, I cannot check them out, but it
is still nice to go there when I feel I’ve overstayed my welcome at one of the
few coffee shops I frequent.
5. It turns out that I did not get all my
paperwork in order before I left, so I came here without a Visa, which means I
can only stay in Thailand for thirty days.
To remedy that, I am taking a trip to Malaysia for a few days as an
“actual” vacation. Ever since I have come
to Chiang Mai, I have worked every day except for one. So on Thursday, I am flying to Kuala Lumpur
and plan to do nothing productive, except for seeing the sights. So far, that includes going to the Islamic
Arts Museum, the Aquarium, and a Hindu temple called Sri
Mahamariamman. When I fly back to Chiang
Mai on the following Monday, I will have another 30 days in Thailand, which
will last me the rest of my trip.
mmmm gaiyang :)
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