TukTuk Time & Suggestions for the next victims

Well, Monday was my last day teaching. But, I had the rest of last week and now the rest of this week to spend with the students, so I'm going to soak it all in while I can here.

In a tuktuk

On Tuesday, the students and the school staff went to the ECHO network NGO to learn about how they practice sustainable agriculture. Started in Florida, ECHO is a Christian organization that works to help create networks among local farmers so that they can share information and help each other out. At the Thailand location, ECHO also works as a seed bank, meaning that they take seeds given to them by local farmers, grow and develop them to harvest more seeds, store them, and then sell them to farmers who need it. They told us about how they do research to discover eco-friendly ways to use the leftover parts of the plant as fire-starters and look for new organic pesticides. They also look into different ways to store seeds that won't break the bank. They showed us their solution: putting seeds into a glass jar, poke a hole in the lid, and then use a reverse bike pump to pull the air out of the jar, then seal the hole. That easy! It was a pretty cool experience to walk around their farm and look at their seed storage facility. 

Even though Annika and I are done teaching English class, the students still had some time at the school. This is because once this semester ends, they will each embark on a 6-week period where they will do independent research on a subject of their choice in their home country. So, they are using this time to learn more about research methods and create a research proposal. Each of the school staff is working with a student, so this upcoming week I will be working with Phong to help her develop her research proposal.

Because this weekend was my last full weekend here at Mitharsuu, I lived it up as much as I could. The students, Billy, Annika and I all hung out on Friday night in the Sala, the porch area just outside of the main building. We spent the night talking about the randomest things. Billy told us about how he met his wife in the circus, and how his dream is to grow old driving an RV across the USA once he finally moves back. It was a nice Friday night!

Thai McDonalds

On Saturday, Annika and Istarted off the day by trying Thai McDonalds, which has fried chicken! While similar to McDonalds at home, the flavors were different. We then had a tuk tuk ride! At night, we took advantage of the low prices that Thailand offers and had a fancy hotel stay at Le Meridian Marriott hotel in the city near the Old Town. We figured that we probably won't be able to get such a fancy stay at a hotel anytime soon due to prices in the US, so we just went for it! We spent some time in the pool overlooking the city and lounged in our hotel beds. Later that night, we went to Ram Bar, the local gay bar, to watch their drag show. Thailand is known for these shows, where ladyboys perform. A ladyboy is when a man dresses up as a women (essentially a drag queen), but has had top surgery done, and they still identify as a man. Of course, gender is fluid and they self-identify however they want, but that's my understanding of it. Anyways, the performers were gorgeous and had some awesome lip-synching skills.

Lobby of Le Meridian

Performers at Ram Bar

The next morning, I took full advantage of the fancy hotel breakfast. I had cheese for the first time in like 7 weeks! It was glorious. Later that day, Annika and I went to the Sunday Walking Street so I could get last minute souvenirs, as I probably won't get another chance too. As expected, it was crazy busy, with people moving shoulder to shoulder, as slow as molasses. But, I got gifts for all the people that I needed too, so that's a plus.

The rest of this blog is dedicated to those who are lucky enough to embark on this journey next year! I am excited for you, and you will have such a great experience!

Here's some things that I think you should definitely pack:

• 2 weeks of clothing- I'd suggest a few long pairs of loose/breathable pants, some nice shirts that cover your shoulders and are modest, a few t-shirts, and a pair of shorts or two. You can do laundry as often as you want, and you'll likely buy clothes when you're here too
• flip flops/slides! You'll be constantly taking your shoes on and off here because of the culture, so it's better to have shoes that are easy to take on and off to wear daily
• a water bottle
• raincoat/poncho- you're here during rainy season, so I'd come prepared for that
• shower shoes- the bathroom is a communal one, and you might not want to have your shower shoes be the same as the ones you wear everyday
• a notebook- you might want to journal or take notes during the field trips, because you'll be taking in a lot of great info!
• bath towel- the sheets, blanket, a pillow, and hangers are provided, but any towel that you'll need won't be. I brought some microfiber quick-dry towels, and they worked like a charm!
• tennis shoes- the students play sports every day after class, and you'll do some trekking on the field trips
• laptop- of course, needed to write blogs
• headphones & phone charger
• a starter kit for the first week- you might not go to the mall right away to buy necessary things, so definitely bring at least a small amount of toiletries (including bug spray and itch cream)
• a backpack/day pack- you'll take lots of day trips, so bring a bag that can you don't mind lugging around all day
• for my lady friends- the feminine products here are mostly limited to pads, so keep that in mind when considering your options for that time of the month

Here's some things that aren't totally necessary, but you might need them!

• bobby pins/headbands- Annika has bangs, and I think they've given her some trouble! plus the humidity here is definitely going to make your hair poof city, so be ready for that 
• clothes to lounge around in- you'll have downtime at night, so might as well bring at least a pair of comfy clothes! I'm content with wearing my day clothes around, but this is something Annika wish she had.
• swimsuit- I love to swim, so whenever I got the chance to I did! There's a local pool that you can go to for a small fee
• a book- reading is good sometimes!
• a fanny pack- definitely not necessary, but I used it when I didn't want to bring my day pack 
• a deck of cards
• a map of Chiang Mai- the city is huge and can get confusing, but I used my map to understand the layout 
• snacks from home- you're not going to get American food unless you go out of your way to get it, so bringing some from home may make the transition easier
• travel neck pillow- it's a long flight there and you do end up taking a 5 hour car ride for a field trip, I used mine for sure

Here's some things that I packed, but didn't actually need:

• a day pack AND a backpack- I only really used my day pack, I didn't need both
• a long sleeve dry-fit shirt- I thought I was going to use this when hiking to prevent lots of mosquito bites, but I've learned to accept the bites and never wore the long sleeve because it was too hot
• 2 long skirts- I only really wore one, but that's my personal preference

Some additional tips and tricks:

• Get to know the students and staff! You will learn so much from the students, and the staff are super friendly. Take advantage of that!
• Go out and explore the city! It's full of different things to do. A few of my suggestions: visit a night market (or 2, or 3, or 10), get a Thai massage, talk with monks at the monk chat, go sight-seeing and look at different wats
• If you want Wifi in your room, then go to the mall and get a Sim card and unlimited data plan for cheap! It cost me about $15 per month, and I was able to have data in my room and avoid all of the bugs in the lobby. This, of course, is a personal preference. Annika found that she didn't need one! But, you'll need to always be with someone who has data when exploring the city, for ordering Grabs and such
• Utilize Grab (the Uber equivalent here) and the red trucks, it's the easiest way to get around town. I just pinned right outside Mitharsuu as the "home" location because it's easier than trying to tell the driver where to go
• Bring toilet paper and hand sanitizer with you when you go out into the city- public bathrooms aren't always supplied
• Chances are, you'll have to use the squatter toilet at some point. Don't be afraid to find a student that you're comfortable with and just ask how to use it. I know I did!

And please don't be afraid to reach out and ask me any questions you may have! I have loved my experience here and will likely talk about it all of the time, so if you want to chat just reach out! :)