Sunday, January 22, 2012

Re-cap....

So, we've been here for about two weeks. Time is a bit of a squishy concept when you consider that we travelled for about 24 hours straight to get here, crossed 14 timezones in total, and arrived at about 3 am local time, only to be in orientation at 9 am the next day. So you'll understand we're still not quite clear on when we arrived. :)

Below, find what we were thinking when we were en route here:

Josh: We are now about seven hours into our flight to Narita airport, Tokyo. Our flight, which was scheduled to leave Detroit Metro, or McNamara airport, at 12:45, did not get airborn until about 1:30. Still better than a month by boat or whatever the common mode predecessor to the 747 was.

So far, I have seen the movie Moneyball, listened to most of the Black Violin album I acquired the day before we left Albuquerque, read 1.5 chapters of the final book in the girl with the dragon tattoo series, slept for two hours, read half of the Delta airlines brand Sky magazine, went through the duty free in flight catalog once and the menu for in flight meals three times, had my first airplane food, drank two free Heinekens, and pee'd once. I have a lot of music and the latest film version of Jane Eyre just started but i am already suffering some internet withdrawl. The thought just crossed my mind now that we are probably over half way there now and the world again, through modern technology, has been made to feel like a pretty small place...Tell that to the next six hours. OK, snack just arrived.

Back; OJ instead of Heineken this time. Time to start trying to figure out the time difference between Tokyo and Albuquerque (which is still the time on my watch, hey, MST is as good as any at this point, right?). This is going to involve that thing we did before everyone got a smart phone and data plan: thinking...I'm gonna need a minute.

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Erin: Erin now. We have three or four more hours to go on this flight and then another two hours in tokyo before we board the seven hour flight to Bangkok. We'll have to find a world map soon so we can figure out what the route was; currently we're flying over mountains that seem to go on forever, a completely snow covered range that also includes a substantial frozen river...

Now for a gross generalization borne out of a lack of sleep and a detest for the airlines' sardine-seating policy. Asians have a distinct advantage when it comes to sleeping on airplanes, I've decided. I haven't slept a wink (Josh has the aisle seat) but I'm presently and jealously observing the old Japanese woman who has been comfortably curled in her seat, sleeping restfully forat least ninety percent of the preceding ten hours.

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Back to the present, our second Sunday with our host families. We finally managed to find an internet cafe in the market in Bang Rachan, which is in Sing Buri province, and about 6 or 7 km away from where we're staying.

(Erin) Our host family consists of our paa (father), Boonlert, who is 66 years old, and lives alone. He is part of the local village council, though, and his house is a hub for business and socializing at most times in the day. His niece, Koong, lives next door, and speaks very good English, although we still have plenty of miscommunications. She's been instrumental in helping us to integrate and to understand what we should be donig and why. She and Boonlert picked us up at the hotel in Sing Buri where we spent our first 5 days, and brought us home by car. Since then, however, we haven't ridden in a vehicle. My biking skills are improving every day, almost to the point where I can keep up with Josh.

Every morning we get up between 5 and 6 (depending on how late the rooster sleeps). We try to make it to the shower and then outside to the back alley in time to feed the monk, who comes every morning at 6:15 to receive his alms. Boonlert goes to the market to buy food, and we scoop the first portion of rice into his large silver bowl every day. Everyone squats on their feet with their hands raised in prayer position, touching thumbs to forehead, while he gives a blessing after he's received all the food.

It's still dark then, or just barely getting light, so we'll go back inside to eat or wait until the sun comes up and the mosquitoes dissapate. By that time, we'll have had coffee (3-in-1 instant coffee, sugar, and milk....) and fried dough--a little like doughnuts--and then Boonlert will try to feed us rice, eggs, meat, and fruit. And then we leave for 4 hours of language training, each in separate places.

Erin's language class meets in a school next to a wat (Buddhist temple), and Josh's has so far been held at the home of one of the other volunteers. The language instruction is divided by program, so Josh meets with other volunteers in the Community Based Organizational Development group, while Erin meets with other teachers. Each class is taught entirely in Thai, with a lot of miming and gesturing, pictures, and various other types of guesswork, repetition, and reinforcement. At home, we each try to compare notes, and then practice what we've learned.

We have an hour and a half for lunch, and then we meet back in Bang Rachan at the city's municiple building for technical training. Biking in the 12 pm heat and humidity is INTENSE! However, the sights and the smiles from everyone make it worth it. This area is sustained by rice farming and fishing, and there are canals, the River Noi, and green, green fields everywhere you look. The pollution on the roads is something to get used to, especially while biking, though.

Check out the album for a few of the sights we're enjoying: https://picasaweb.google.com/107357616020283224778/Thailand?authkey=Gv1sRgCLC5nOKq5fSEeg&feat=email#

Sa-wat-dii-ka!

1 comment:

  1. :) Thanks for including me in your blog 'list'. You guys are in for a great couple years. Yippee! - Eric Toolson

    ReplyDelete