Thailand is a land of FOOD 6/27/09

6/27/09
Oh wow. Thailand is not too great for the waistline. I feel like all we do is eat and/or prepare food for eating. I can’t wait to start teaching on Monday so that my day will be broken up with more structured breaks of eating. Even if we have organized meals, there’s always something to “try” when walking through a market, driving and stopping for some pad thai from a street vendor.

My day started at 5:30 when I got up to run. I traipsed through rice fields, lanes of metal shacks along the Nan river, through the bustles of downtown Taphanhin. I had one memorable encounter with a Thai man down a dirt road on the way back to Supa’s house when he first stared, than smiled widely and as I ran by, exclaimed, “Hello!” and after a pause…”Good morning!”. It’s really astounding when people speak English because it is so rare for most, even in a smaller town like this. When I move to the village Phitsanulok on Sunday, I can expect even less English to be spoken and farms rather than stores and banks.

After a quick shower, it was time for breakfast which Supa was already preparing…a scrumptious brown rice with an oatmeal-y consistency which we topped with stir-fried thai veggies, fried egg with onion, and the best mushrooms with fried garlic I have ever tasted. This was (of course )accompanied by chai yen (Thai iced tea), fresh pineapple and durian. I love eating huge meals at 7 am!

Around 9 AM some of Supa’s friends came to pick us up and we went to visit some subsistence farms and local artisans. It was just nice to sit in air-conditioned cars and watch the Thai countryside fly by. It seems like there are no speed limits and/or driving rules in Thailand. It’s enough for me to get used to the wrong side of the road, but these near head-on collisions while passing are enough to throw me into cardiac arrest! We visited a farm growing fresh coconuts, jackfruit, and …frogs! Apparently Thais harvest frogs. They were HUGE. Next we went to a different farm that had more rice patties and mushroom plots. After that, we visited a local pottery studio and I bought two lovely originals for mom…well, there goes the surprise. The painting work is so intricate and even though they were painted with real gold, the Baat makes everything inexpensive.
We stopped for pad thai and other specialties on the way back. We literally unloaded on the side of the street, sat on picnic tables, and ate ourselves into oblivion…a normal occurrence! I got to help the outdoor cook hydrate the noodles in the wok! The pad thai was really good…the crushed peanuts and lime add so much flavor! Next we had spicy pad se ew with basil (it has delicious WIDE noodles) and then the infamous cleans-your-sinuses-and-makes-you-cry papaya salad. Although I need to be armed with tissues and cold beverages and a sweat rag, this is quickly becoming one of my favorites. In the car we snacked on the interesting flavors of Lays…including sweet basil, thai chile paste, extra barbeque, and nori seaweed!
Then Supa needed to get a few things at the market so I got to go with her on the motorcycle. It’s really exhilarating and freeing, though there were a few close calls in the bustle of cars, people, and other motorbikes. Learning to ride myself is a definite goal this summer! I am realizing more and more what an astounding person Supa is and how valuable a resource she is to our program. Not only is the woman willing to drop everything and cook (ha!) she is well connected and completely committed to connecting us the volunteers with the greater community and exposing us to culture. For example, we went to a Thai dress shop and watched little girls finishing up a dance class. The Thais smile with all their teeth and the little girls were so cute and graceful. We are renting Thai clothing for tomorrow, Sunday, for the farewell party and meeting of our host families.
Fun and laughs radiate from these people, honestly! At 6pm I went to a daily occurring aerobic dancing session on the docks of the Nan River. Myself, Daniel, Nhaca, Crystal, and Stacy (the LE volunteers) sweated groovy 80’s dance moves along with about 60 other Thai women of all ages. The dance was energizing and slightly ridiculous. The docks appear normal until 6 when a spandex-ed woman appears on a small wooden platform and HUGE speakers are brought out to blast Thai techno as followers bumble along the tricky routine. It was a very refreshing workout.
We hitched a motorcycle ride with some friendly townsfolk back to Supa’s house, where we had Thai coconut ice cream and learned traditional Thai dance!
This is orientation for LE, so in addition to al the fun and culture was a 5 hour planning session on the goals and mission of our trip. Because Thailand is a pilot program, much of what we do and shapes the coming year for volunteers. We see this as more than a volunteer tourism endeavor and aim to create lasting change through a sustainable service project. We want to connect these kids both locally (Taphanhin (the town, higher socioeconomics) and where I’m teaching in Phitsanulok (village and much poorer)) and also to college students from Thailand. We want kids to realize their options after high school as well as practice their English on a regular basis. Thus we are implementing letter writing campaigns from elementary kids in Phitsanulok to middle schoolers in Taphanhin and college mentors to all age groups…I’m too tired to write more on this now, but expect a lot more about teaching and service commentary I’m glad I’m here. The 7 week effects will hopefully ripple into a year long endeavor as we grow LE Thailand for next year with more volunteers and contacts!