The view from our rooftop MTS clay house
New Years: The main house in MTS - it was soo open!
The Fulbright group in the MTS for New Years
It has been awhile since I have written on my blog. This has not been due to the lack of activity in my life, but rather the lack of desire or energy to write about the past several weeks. Now seems like a perfect time to sit and reflect on the months adventures.
Christmas
It was strange experiencing my first Christmas away from home, but several of the other Fulbright and I gathered in a town about 5 hours south of me to enjoy some western tidings and joy. Since I didn’t have any time off for the holiday, I was very fortunate Christmas fell on a Saturday. That morning the four other ETAs and I gathered goodies to share over a Christmas brunch. When it was all finished we were able to feast on cheese, chocolates, pastries, Thai fruits, and cookies. Although now that I write about it the collection does not seem appetizing, but I must assure you the comforts of home were a wonderful Christmas feast. We finished the casual afternoon with Love Actually and walking by the river.
The main surprise of the evening was a baby elephant that was also enjoying a Christmas stroll by the river. He was accompanied by two young boys who were offering to let people pay to feed the elephant. I am not sure of anymore details because it is not very common to see a loose elephant walking in the city, but it is definitely an occurrence I will remember. This has happened to me once before in my hometown and from what I can gather there are people who will keep elephants while they are young and small as a way to earn money. After a couple of years the elephant will become unmanageable (they eat several hundred kilos of food a week) and will be sold to an elephant conservation, a tourism agency, or a zoo.
My school also celebrated Christmas, but the extent of their knowledge about Christmas was that 1) there is a Christmas tree with a star on top and 2) American gives gifts.
New Years
The following week the Fulbright ETAs were invited to spend the weekend in a the mountains with an Thai Alumni who had a Fulbright to America almost 20 years ago. She recently has become very involved in the Fulbright Alumni association here in Thailand and wanted to continue building the Fulbright family. Plus she is just an amazing, gracious, kind person!
We spent the weekend tucked away in a resort with the most scenic view. We were staying in the owner of the resorts unfinished guesthouse, but it was still one of the most wonderful places I have ever stayed. The building was extremely open – it has no doors or hallways, but rather seemed like a clay bungalow built into the side of a mountain. I can’t explain the feeling but will let the picture below do the talking.
For three days and two nights we spent the day relaxing in the mountains. I think the company of other westerners also makes for a very surreal experience. It is very rare I get to hang out with Westerners throughout the week, and it is very nice for a couple of hours to be able to have wonderful conversations and no cultural misunderstandings.
It has been awhile since I have written on my blog. This has not been due to the lack of activity in my life, but rather the lack of desire or energy to write about the past several weeks. Now seems like a perfect time to sit and reflect on the months adventures.
Christmas
It was strange experiencing my first Christmas away from home, but several of the other Fulbright and I gathered in a town about 5 hours south of me to enjoy some western tidings and joy. Since I didn’t have any time off for the holiday, I was very fortunate Christmas fell on a Saturday. That morning the four other ETAs and I gathered goodies to share over a Christmas brunch. When it was all finished we were able to feast on cheese, chocolates, pastries, Thai fruits, and cookies. Although now that I write about it the collection does not seem appetizing, but I must assure you the comforts of home were a wonderful Christmas feast. We finished the casual afternoon with Love Actually and walking by the river.
The main surprise of the evening was a baby elephant that was also enjoying a Christmas stroll by the river. He was accompanied by two young boys who were offering to let people pay to feed the elephant. I am not sure of anymore details because it is not very common to see a loose elephant walking in the city, but it is definitely an occurrence I will remember. This has happened to me once before in my hometown and from what I can gather there are people who will keep elephants while they are young and small as a way to earn money. After a couple of years the elephant will become unmanageable (they eat several hundred kilos of food a week) and will be sold to an elephant conservation, a tourism agency, or a zoo.
My school also celebrated Christmas, but the extent of their knowledge about Christmas was that 1) there is a Christmas tree with a star on top and 2) American gives gifts.
New Years
The following week the Fulbright ETAs were invited to spend the weekend in a the mountains with an Thai Alumni who had a Fulbright to America almost 20 years ago. She recently has become very involved in the Fulbright Alumni association here in Thailand and wanted to continue building the Fulbright family. Plus she is just an amazing, gracious, kind person!
We spent the weekend tucked away in a resort with the most scenic view. We were staying in the owner of the resorts unfinished guesthouse, but it was still one of the most wonderful places I have ever stayed. The building was extremely open – it has no doors or hallways, but rather seemed like a clay bungalow built into the side of a mountain. I can’t explain the feeling but will let the picture below do the talking.
For three days and two nights we spent the day relaxing in the mountains. I think the company of other westerners also makes for a very surreal experience. It is very rare I get to hang out with Westerners throughout the week, and it is very nice for a couple of hours to be able to have wonderful conversations and no cultural misunderstandings.
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