Adventures in Working 'til the Cows Come Home...

Sitting on my balcony this evening, I was enjoying a beautiful sunset and a lightly cooling breeze ... and working industriously on my linguistics projects.  Just as the world slipped into the magic moment that only lasts for about 10 minutes, and only on the very best of summer nights, I heard the tinkling of bells.  For a moment, I thought it was the ice cream truck (well, the ice cream motorcycle with a chilly side car to be precise).  Since I had just encountered my very first freshly made coconut ice cream on Sunday, I was prepared to skip downstairs and have another.  Looking up, I saw it wasn't the ice cream-o-cycle after all: it was the cows coming home.  The small herd of cattle that moves from field to field near my apartment was making its way around the traffic circle and heading for the lane.  Something about watching those cows heading home in the twilight after a long days grazing made me feel very peaceful and content.  It also made me realize I've been sitting here typing for too long.  I'm going to find some ice cream.

Adventures in Sheepish Confessions...

My plans last night fell through, so instead of going out, I stayed in.  I sat for a while listening to the pouring rain, the croaking frogs and the chirping crickets...then I got bored listening to the rain, frogs and crickets, and I let my mind wander.  When left to its own devices, there are a few well worn paths down which it wanders.  The History Path is one of them, and that's where we found ourselves last night.  After finding some rather ghastly information regarding health care and childbirth in the 19th Century, I eventually stumbled upon a decidedly less horrific subject: how women managed to get all those curly tendrils without the use of hot irons. The secret?  Brown paper!

I just happened to have a pile of brown paper hanging around doing nothing, since I had forgiven my orchids (see the previous post) and bought them a proper vase - wrapped in brown paper.  "Hmmmm", I thought to myself, "maybe I could..." I hesitated though; after the disastrous results of my 1940s hairstyle reproduction attempt, I had vowed to avoid any further ...ahem ...entanglements. However, the rain, frogs and crickets had lulled me into a bit of a dozy trance, and I thought I could handle it.  Half an hour later, I was desperately hoping that there would be no reason to evacuate the building during the night, because I looked like this:  

 After a good night's sleep, I pulled out the papers this morning, curious to see what was atop my noggin.  I tried coaxing the curls into a passable Regency era coiffure, but the result would have mortified Jane Austen, and I won't even post the picture here it was so bad. Once I shook out the historical horror though, the curls actually weren't so bad.  While the experiment failed miserably as an 1810 'do, it was passable as a 2010 one:

 There you have it...I sheepishly confess that this is what I do when left to my own devices for an evening. 

Adventures in Airing Dirty Laundry...

 I mean the title of this post quite literally.  At 4:30 this afternoon, I aired my dirty laundry.   If you want to know why, I should back up a few hours...

  I had a fantastic lunch with my friend Britte-Catherine. (I had a grilled chicken, avocado and salsa sandwich on 7-grain bread, in case you wanted to know.)   Afterward, we spent a few minutes sniffing lovely lotions and shampoos in the drug store (yes, I'm a girl), until I accidentally squirted one up my nose, after which everything smelled like jasmine and cocoa hand cream (but now I have a very soft nostril, in case you wanted to know.)  While Britte-Catherine was still sniffing, I realized we were close to the flower market, and since I cleaned my apartment yesterday, all my tabletops were looking bare and neglected without their towers of books and lacy coating of dust.  I also have a great moldible-flexible plastic vase that has been sad and empty for quite some time.  Putting all these things together in my mind, (while trying to discreetly empty my nose of lotion - unsuccessfully, in case you wanted to know), I thought it would be a great idea to pick up some fresh cut flowers on the way home.


 I bought a gorgeous bunch of red and orange orchidy kind of looking things and carefully unwrapped them when I got back to my apartment.  I pulled out my vase and cheerfully arranged the flowers in it.  However, they wouldn't all fit, so I just arranged a few and put them on my bedroom dresser.  I turned my back for a moment, and when I looked again, the vase had toppled over and soaked the cat's carpet covered scratching post, so I spent 20 minutes scrubbing the hairy thing dry.  


  When I was finished, I tried again - but with fewer flowers in the vase.  It looked sturdy, so I came out here to tell you all about my pretty flowers.  Moments later, I heard the unmistakable sound of pouring water...the vase had toppled again. This time, it spewed all its water directly into my laundry hamper.  Muttering under my breath, I hauled out my soaking dirty laundry and started hanging it up on the drying rack.  I felt a little ridiculous pinning up dirty clothes. 


  Since I've had the vase for a long time, and have always liked it, and since the flowers are quite new, and I don't know them very well at all, I have naturally blamed the flowers for both disasters.  As a result, the whole lot of them are now sitting ignominiously in my mop bucket. 

Eventually, I'll forgive them, and go find them a bigger vase.



 

Adventures in Colossal Understatements...

By reading my recent posts, my reader(s) might be inclined to think that all I do here is eat, study and interact with lizards.  While that's not an entirely inaccurate synopsis of most days, I do try and learn about things going on in this corner of the world.  On occasion, my university holds events that are quite helpful in that regard.  Last week, there was a panel discussion relating to migrant workers from Burma.  The panel included representatives from legal, economic, educational and first-hand perspectives.

The panel discussion was timed to correspond with a photographic exhibition at the school by photographer John Hume. You can see some of his incredibly communicative photos here:  In Search of a Job, Any Job 

There are between 3 and 4 million migrant workers from Burma in Thailand, and they compose about 7% of the labour force.  Like migrant workers everywhere, they tend to be viewed as simultaneously essential and disposable.  The folks from Burma usually find themselves doing jobs that are dirty, dangerous, difficult and degrading.  Factory owners often confiscate workers' documents, and have workers deported for demanding safer working conditions or minimum wage.  It's frustrating, unfair, heartbreaking ... and a ubiquitous rung on the economic ladder. I doubt there is a single country in the world that can lay claim to an economic and industrial history that's free of widespread exploitation and abuse.  Even today, Americans need only look as far as Arizona, while Canadians don't have to go any further than Toronto's garment district.

I wasn't surprised that an emerging economy is exploiting the labour force of its neighbour's ruined economy.  It happens.  Everywhere.  Everyday.  After listening to stories of people working in deplorable conditions for12+ hours/day for around $1.60/day, I was angry, frustrated, seething and heart-heavy: not surprised.  What did surprise me were the gentle words coming from the young migrant worker with the brilliant smile who had come to speak with us.  While my mind was whirling with angry adjectives and vitriolic verbs to describe the stories I was hearing, this young man related his experience and softly summed it up with, "The salary's not good and it's a little bit hard job."  What an understatement.

Adventures in Zombie Lizards...

Early this morning, (well, to be accurate, it was only early-ish) I was preparing a nice cup of oolong tea and unwrapping the remains of last night's calzone.  My plan was to sit out on my balcony and enjoy the leisurely pace of a holiday morning breakfast before hunkering down with my phonology.

As I approached my patio door, I saw a lifeless lizard with only 1/2 a face on my balcony.  I thought to myself, 'poor lizard', 'oh gross that's going to spoil my calzone', and 'where's it's face?' all at the same time.  I put my calzone and tea cup back on the counter and went to fetch my broom.  Moments later, I returned with the broom ready to sweep the poor critter up; the poor critter was gone!  I opened the door and looked all over the balcony - walls, floor, ceiling - there was no faceless lizard to be seen.  I figured a bird must have swooped in and picked up an early morning happy meal to go.  I returned the broom to the cupboard, returned my tea and calzone to my hands, opened the balcony door...and nearly stepped on the faceless lizard!  It was back, and in a different location.  Slightly creeped out, I went for the broom again, only to discover that the lizard was gone: again.  

Honestly - how far and how fast can a lifeless faceless lizard move!!??  I was starting to think I may have been mistaken about the lifeless, but the faceless part was tough to miss.  I finally concluded that I had a zombie lizard on my balcony, and if s/he wanted to stay there, that was fine with me - but I was going to have my breakfast indoors.

During the course of the day, I'd peek out and sometimes I'd see the zombie lizard and sometimes I wouldn't.  I never did  see it move.  Eventually, late in the afternoon, I did see it, surrounded by a gathering swarm of industrious ants.  That time, when I went for the broom, s/he didn't disappear.  

I learned two things today.  1. Dead things, even little lizards, make me sad.  2. The only way to crush a zombie rebellion is with ants - lots and lots of ants.

Adventures in S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y...

Since today is Saturday, neither school nor church was going to get me out of my house, so I had to come up with another plan. With no scheduled demands on my time, I was free to fill my day as I saw fit.

I spent the morning cleaning my apartment and doing laundry. Most of my laundry I take to have washed and ironed by a young woman down the street. Some things I prefer to wash on my own, so I take them to the laundromat downstairs. It's not the kind of laundromat we have in Canada. As you can see from the photo, it's just a row of washing machines lined up outside a cell-phone store.

After everything was clean and tidy,


I headed off to my favourite coffee shop to get some more school work done. I hunkered down in there for two hours, until my laptop battery died.



At that point, I packed up and tried out the Fish Foot Spa.

My plan was to read/study while little fishies were working hard to make my feet soft and smooooooth. The first five minutes were ticklish and prickly and squirmy and terrible. Eventually my frightened little nerve endings calmed down and I was able to relax for the rest of the hour. I did get some reading done, but I was facing a plate glass window that looked out onto the market street. Eventually, I put my book down and watched the street come to life as vendors arrived and set up their stalls.

The fish finished their work around 6pm, just in time for me to head out into the market and find myself some dinner. This is where I usually forage for my food on Friday and Saturday nights. Tonight, I opted for some of the Pad Thai and a bit of Northern Thai sausage.

I brought everything home and sat out on my balcony watching the clouds roll in over the mountain as I enjoyed my dinner. There are some lovely sunset views from this vantage point when it's not overcast. Oh, and that's the roof of the laundromat you can see in the foreground.

Adventures in Good Days...

Today was a good day. After class, I spent a couple of hours in a lovely coffee shop sipping hot chocolate and diving into an assignment that's interesting, but challenging. It's a phonological examination of S'gaw Karen, a Tibeto-Burman language. Most of what I did on it today went smoothly, but I did come across a few sounds that were unrecognizable to my ears, and I just couldn't figure out how to transcribe them. I'll have another go at it tomorrow.

After tucking my work away for the day, I hopped on my bike and headed out on the open road to run a few errands. By the time I got home, the sun was just thinking about setting behind the mountain, and the night market near my place was in full swing. I wandered through and found some new (and deliciously spicy) things to try for dinner, AND a vendor selling my Korean snacky nemesis: the fiendishly deceptive red-bean fish. It's a little cake shaped like a fish, and the cake is hot and delicious, and the aroma is divine...but when you bite into it, it's full of nasty, purple, thick red-bean paste. However, the vendor here at my market didn't just stop at bean paste - he offered chocolate, vanilla, blueberry and strawberry fillings!! What a sweet surprise.

After making my way home with dinner (and chocolate fish) in tow, I settled in to catch up on some new videos posted to BoingBoing.net and laughed out loud at the Swedish Chef (of muppet fame) making popcorn shrimp. While I was watching the videos, Thai and Prairie time zones eventually came into propitious alignment and I called my folks. I had a nice chat with Mom, Dad and Gramma, and now that I've told you all about my day, it's bedtime.

G'night.

Adventures in Thai Shads...

Riding home from the gym tonight, circumstances dredged up a memory from the ol' memory bank.

Brockville, 1990: Shadflies, harmless fluttering insects, about the size of the tip of your little finger, make their way down the St.Lawrence River every year in the late Spring/early Summer. For a few days, upon stepping out of doors, I got shad flies in my face, up my nose, sprinkling my ice cream cone, and carpeting the grill of my car. In response to the sudden influx in flying insects, local residents collected as many of the bugs as they could. They scraped them off their windshields, put them in jars and took them home...because the local radio station was running a contest to see who could collect the most dead shadflies.

Chiang Mai, 2010: Flying termites (I've been told that's what they are, but I don't know for sure), harmless fluttering insects, about the size of the tip of your thumb, descend on Chiang Mai every year. For a few days, upon stepping out of doors, I get bugs in my face, in my hair, in my helmet, and plastering themselves on the front of my motorbike. In response to the the sudden influx in flying insects, local residents collect as many bugs as they can. They remove the tough wings, put them in jars and take them home...to fry them...because they're delicious. (So I've been told.)

Adventures in Options...

I've been mulling over 2 different pros/cons scenarios today.

1. Skirts vs. Pants. In keeping with Thai tradition, my university has a dress code. As a result, I have to wear a skirt to class every day. With the exception of mid-late 19th Century hoop skirts, I would usually choose pants 99.9% of the time. I've discovered lately that I actually like wearing skirts - even ones without hoops. It's the pantyhose I dislike. I'm actually quite happy wearing skirts every day here...except when I'm walking near the ditch and worry that a lizard will scurry past and mistake my leg for a tree. I like my little house lizards, but the thought of one tickling the back of my knee gives me the squirmies. So far, that hasn't happened yet. My Skirts vs. Pants scale has tipped in favour of skirts.

2. Motorbike vs. Car. Great thing about motorbikes: they're just awesome. Great thing about cars: when an angry dog is barking and running along right beside you, you don't have to worry that he might bite you. I had to make my ferocious angry shouting noise tonight to deter the large canine that ran after/alongside me. My Motorbike vs. Car scale is still tipped in favour of motorbikes, but I wish they had dog deterring, leg protecting side panels. :-)

Adventures in Wai Kru...

Today we celebrated Wai Kru day at the university. Wai Kru means 'paying respect to teachers'. Part of the ceremony involved students from all departments presenting elaborate flower arrangements to the teachers. Here are a couple of examples I took pictures of before the ceremony began. The pictures are lousy, but it gives an idea of what the arrangements looked like:

The ceremony also included the following choral chant type thing. It was in Thai, but my phonology professor gave us a translated copy. To all you teachers out there, this Wai Kru's for You...

I wish to respectfully greet and honour
my teachers who have enriched my life through learning
who are bestowing knowledge and instilling morality in my life.

I wish to express my deepest respect and acknowledge your abounding goodness.

With heartfelt admiration I wish to express my deepest gratitude
through diligence and discerning wisdom
to complete my studies and live a full life
being a good moral example
to bring honor and glory
and great benefit for my people and country.

Adventures in Anthems

It happened again tonight.

Imagine yourself in this scene: You're in a department store, browsing through the aisle dedicated to cleaning supplies. You're examining a particularly functional bucket when suddenly, the muzak changes to something with a little more pomp, and is no longer providing background noise to the steady hum of shoppers... because the steady hum of shoppers has ceased. You stop humming the Milli Vanilli song that was in your head and look up from your bucket as you realize that except for the ceremonious strains of music coming through the speakers, all movement around you has stopped. The other shoppers in your aisle who were, just a moment ago, chatting as they examined mops and sponges, are now silent and standing stalk still. Just as you're taking all this in, and wondering if perhaps Voldemort has cast a Petrificus Totalus spell on the entire store, the song ends, everyone bows a little and resumes their chatting/shopping as though nothing happened.


In Chiang Mai, department stores and markets play the national anthem every night at 6p.m. Everyone stops what they're doing and stands respectfully as the anthem is played. (If you're on the escalator, you can step off and move a little bit out of the way so you don't cause a pile up.) It still catches me by surprise, but I think it's interesting, and makes me thing of flash mobs. I also try to picture the same scene taking place at Tim Horton's to the strains of O Canada.

Adventures in Being Pick-up-able...

Thais don't walk. I've been told this by Thais and foreigners alike. Apparently, it's so unusual to walk places, that in the past 2 weeks, as I've either been walking to school (10 minutes) or to Carrefour (8 minutes) I've had 4 people stop and offer me rides. Maybe I look lost. Maybe I look pick-upable.

Nowadays, even though I don't have to walk everywhere because I bought a motorbike, I still like to get at least some exercise now and again.
I always wear a helmet, but my spare one is a little too big for the cat.

As for the areas of my life that don't pertain to vehicles:

I did well in my Grammar course, and discovered that I may have actually enjoyed myself a little bit. I especially enjoyed the units on morphology.

I found a teaching job (3hrs/week), that fits nicely with my own study schedule. Ironically, 3/5 of my students are Korean. Really, what were the odds of that?

My final 3 boxes of books and photos finally arrived from Korea on the very day that I was about to start calling every post office I could find and try to track them down.

I've also learned a great timing trick. Now that the rainy season has started, I wait until the wind picks up and the sky darkens in the afternoon before I leave for Carrefour. That gives me just enough time to get there before it starts to rain, and by the time I'm finished my shopping, the rain has stopped and it's 8 degrees cooler for my walk home!

It's hard to believe I've been here almost 2 months already - how did that happen? Honestly, I woke up this morning, and before opening my eyes, I had to do a mental check to try and remember where I was: Korea? Regina? Trenton? Montreal? Victoria? Vancouver? Chiang Mai? It's all a blur! Later in the day, I wanted to ask a shopkeeper a question, and was frustrated, because I could ask my question in English, French, Korean and even remembered that particular question in Chinese...but didn't know where to begin in Thai. Even my trusty body language failed me completely. With 44 consonants, 32 vowels and 4 tone markers, learning Thai is going to take a while.

Adventures in Definitely NOT Daily Life...

Since arriving in Chiang Mai, I've been trying to avoid mentioning the protests in Bangkok. I've been hearing about them, thinking about them and praying about them; however, this blog is generally about boring stuff I do during the day, not about events on the world's stage.

Yesterday, since I had a front row seat when the world's stage raised its curtain, I'll share my experience with you. It was an interesting day. I spent about an hour in the morning watching live breaking news as the military's armored vehicles broke through the Red Shirt barricades and started securing the protest area in Bangkok. I was hopeful that things might finally be resolved - or at least settled for a while.

Around 11am, I went to meet some friends for lunch down by the river. After lunch, I had some errands to run on the other side of the bridge. As I was crossing the bridge, things seemed...odd. My spidey senses were tingling, so instead of crossing the street where I had planned, I continued walking and thought I'd take a more circuitous route to my destination. Along the way, I ran into 2 other students in my program, and joined them on a short detour to the flower market (lovely!). About 20 minutes later, I turned back to finish my original errand, but when I got back to the bridge, police were setting up barricades, and protesters were burning a pile of tires in the middle of the bridge (where things had seemed odd to me earlier). I had my camera with me, but I didn't think about taking a picture, I just got in the first songtaew I could find and headed for home. By the time I got home, I heard that the major shopping centers in Chiang Mai were closing, a curfew had been ordered for the night, and a firetruck near the bridge was burning.

On another front, when I woke up yesterday morning, there was a tiny dead lizard in my bedroom being assaulted by ants. Instead of inviting a row of ants to invade my bedroom, I scooped him up in my dustpan and deposited him in the hall outside my door. When I left for lunch, the ants had already carried him (and his detached tail) 1/2 way up the wall to their 'home crack'. I DID take a video of that, which is why I had my camera with me to not take pictures of the tire fire with. (?) I remember thinking "They'll never fit him through that crack." 4 hours later, when I got home, it was just in time to see the ants execute a 3-point turn with the lizard and then disappear with him into the crack. Amazing little critters.

Now, having said all that, things in my out-of-the-way neighbourhood are quiet as usual, and if I hadn't have been on the bridge yesterday, I would have had no idea that something was awry. Even last night, the protesters ignored the curfew, and many banks and buildings in Chiang Mai were damaged - but I didn't hear or see a thing from this part of town. We'll see what happens over the next few days, but I still feel safe in this area.

Adventures in Daily Life...

I thought I'd take some pictures of my daily routine, before everything starts to look ... well, routine. I have class 4 mornings / week, so these are some pictures from what I do on schooldays.

When I leave my apartment, this is the road I walk down. The university is at the very end.
There is a baseball / cattle field on either side of the road.


As I get closer to the university, there's a cluster of snack carts and restaurants. Sometimes I get fresh fruit or an omelet here, and carry it to campus.

Just past the snack carts is the bridge that leads onto the campus:
I walk past green spaces and wet spaces before I get to my breakfast space.

I usually sit at a picnic table, enjoy the view, and either eat my fruit, omelet, or if I'm really hungry, pork & rice wrapped in a banana leaf:

After class, I have lunch with my friends from the Philippines. (One friend is missing, since she's taking the photo).
After lunch, I go home and rest. Sometimes, my mini lizard (who likes to play hide-and-seek) will have found a particularly clever place from which to surprise me.
After my heat-of-the-afternoon rest, I usually start my homework before heading out to find some dinner when it gets cooler.

There you have it. My daily routine.

Adventures in Bare Digs...

Here are some pictures of my new apartment. As I mentioned earlier, it's bare, beige and bland. After I get a little bit of personality injected into it, I'll post some more pictures. For now though, this is what I'll be calling home:

This is the living room.

*Note how comfortable the park bench/church pew sofa looks! I'm getting a perkier sofabed delivered on Wednesday. You're welcome to come visit anytime after that.
The Pseudo-Kitchen

My blue tiled bathroom

The bright sunny bedroom, and view from my bedroom balcony



And finally, a quick shot from my daily walk to campus

Adventures in Epic Battles

I've just been watching a battle between the cat and the lizard. Usually, the lizard stays up near the ceiling, and the cat chills out on the floor, and all they do is eye each other. A few moments ago, the lizard descended, and poor sot chose to descend into the cat's scratchin'n'relaxin' corner. Some sniffing, scuffling and scurrying ensued, and resulted in the lizard climbing 1/2 way back up the wall, and the cat jumping up on the dresser to staunchly defend her assets.

I've also been waging my own battles with illiteracy in restaurants. I have no cooking facilities in my apartment, so breakfast is usually fresh fruit from a vendor on my way to school, and lunch is always at the same eatery whose proprietress is always bang-on with her suggestions. That leaves me to fend for myself for dinner. Since I have yet to meet a Thai dish I don't like, it makes the random point-and-order method of choosing a meal relatively catastrophe free. I have run into a few problems along the way though. A few nights ago, I tried to order from a restaurant I've had good success with so far. Unfortunately, I pointed to something on the menu that was just underneath what I'd previously ordered. The man must have thought I had mis-pointed, and brought me what I had ordered (and enjoyed) the last time. Although it tasted great, there really is only so much stir-fried kale and crackly pork rinds on rice a person can handle in a week. My second mishap was this evening at a new restaurant. I thought I was just pointing to the menu and asking what things were...apparently the woman thought I was actually ordering more than one entree. I thought I was getting some sort of beef soup...which I did, along with a huge plate of curry fried rice, a chicken thigh, and some pickles. I ended up paying double what I expected to pay, but $1.80 for a dinner-for-two (even though it was just dinner for one), isn't a bad deal at all. At least now I know that the chicken and rice there is really good, while the beef soup is just pretty good.

Oh, the cat now has her back turned, and the lizard has taken this opportunity to creep over to the doorway and make mocking faces. I do believe the little fella is actually sticking out his tongue at the ferocious feline.

Adventures in Night Bazaars

Before I talk about my day, I thought I'd include some pictures of my modes of transportation in Chiang Mai. If I'm not walking, I'm most often taking a Seong Taew (Red Cab), a tuk tuk, or catching a ride on the back of a friend's motorbike (with a helmet, of course!)



Tonight, my friends and I took a Seong Taew to the Night Bazaar. We browsed through all the Thai touristy trinkets you can dream of, on a hot breezy night, surrounded by the sounds of chirping birds and geckos. In fact, I can hear a gecko now, but I'm not sure if s/he's in my apartment or on the outside of my screen door. I don't mind if s/he's inside though, since they are lovely harmless little things that eat bugs. Hooray for lizards!

Ah, I wasn't intending to type about lizards, I just got sidetracked. Back to the Bazaar: I was looking for some small table lamps to light up a dark corner of my apartment, and a skirt. (Students at the university here have to wear a uniform. Fortunately, grad students are exempt, but we are expected to wear skirts to class.) I found both...and spent a grand total of $12. I found a lot of other great things too, but I didn't buy 'em. I'm learning to shop from a list!

I'm finding it a little strange living on my own. I know that sounds odd, since I haven't had room mates for most of the last decade, but I've always had good friends close by. I spend a lot of time alone, but so far it hasn't bothered me. In some ways, it's good since it forces me to go out and do things in the community...and do my homework. I thought I would watch a lot of TV, especially before I got my computer, but the only English channels I get are Fox News and Aljazeera. So, I watch Fox for entertainment (it kind of gives me horror-movie chills), Aljazeera for news, and the French channel for documentaries (and a sitcom from Quebec that has French subtitles, so the rest of the francophone world can understand what they're saying!)

Bon Soir!

Adventures in Getting Settled

I can't believe that I'm already feeling at least slightly settled now! After my exciting arrival on the first night, the subsequent days have passed much more rationally! I'm sorry, there still aren't any pictures - but there will be soon, I promise. I did want to mention a few items of interest before I forget - or before they become normal, and therefore no longer interesting.

I've moved into my new apartment, and am starting to get settled in. It's awfully beige, but a little TLC in the decor department should help. It's also airy and bright, which is nice. My university is within walking distance, as is a Carrefour department store , so I've been there often. (Almost daily, actually, since it's where I need to go to catch transportation into the city proper.) One evening, I was shopping for a mop and bucket - so you can forget about images of me strolling through exotic markets buying teak and silk trinkets - and suddenly, things got very still. I looked up from the bucket I was examining, and realized everyone had frozen in their tracks. Then I remembered; every evening, the national anthem is played at 6pm. Everyone within earshot stops what they're doing, stands quietly while the anthem plays, then does a little bow at the end of the anthem and continues on their respective ways.

In the Carrefour complex, there is also a McDonald's...that has a Sweet Chili Sauce dispenser next to the Ketchup dispenser, AND a spinach pie on the menu instead of an apple pie. Oh, and their breakfast sandwiches come on hamburger buns, not English muffins. The tragic irony: Korea now stocks English muffins. Thailand does not. Happily, there are a ton of local eateries around, so McDonald's will never be high on my dining list. (I will get a spinach pie at some point when I have my camera with me though - purely for your benefit, dear reader). Local meals are absolutely delicious, and delightfully inexpensive (standard price for most meals is between 75 - 90 cents). The interesting thing about Thai cuisine is that it doesn't actually taste any better if you pay more for it. It's usually just ambiance and fancy decor you pay for at pricier places - the food's the same. Lately, I've taking to going to a nearby restaurant, pointing at some random item on the menu, and waiting to be surprised. Last night, I wound up with crackly pork and kale on rice: very tasty, not so healthy.

That's all for now. I'm sure there will be more later, along with some pictures.

Adventures on My First Night in Chiang Mai...

For all those who have been wondering about my first night in Chiang Mai...here are the details!

Catticus did very well on the trains and flight - I was really impressed with her. She was pretty scared, but handled herself well.

It's funny - my biggest stresses came from worrying about what problems I could face before getting to Chiang Mai (Cat freaking out, cat being too heavy to take onboard, cat not having the right vaccines) and spent the entire, turbulent, unpleasant flight telling myself, "by 1am, you'll be tucked in bed and can start fresh tomorrow". HA!!! I really don't know if you want to know what I was doing at 1am!!

Our flight was late, Catticus had to clear customs, and then the customs officer and I had to run around the airport looking for change for 1000 bhat (the import fee was 100 bhat - about $3). By this time, it was 12:45, the airport officially closes at 11:30, and there was nobody from the guest house there to meet me. Since I was so much later than the other passengers, I guessed they had figured I wasn't on the plane and left. I called and called the number for the guest house, and there was no answer, so there I was with the customs officer and 4 immigration officers trying to figure out what to do with me. We tried calling taxis, and even tried the possibility of sharing a ride with the woman from the information desk. In the end (close your eyes for this part Mom, and thank you for praying hard!) one of the immigration officers dropped me off at the guest house...on his motorbike. There I was, exactly when I told myself I'd be safely tucked into bed, with one arm around an immigraion officer, trying to keep my luggage tag from flapping in his face, the other arm clinging to the cat carrier, as he got me safely (with 2 stops at police boxes to ask for directions) to my guest house. ... which, despite the e-mail confirmations, had forgotten I was coming. So, the security guard at the guest house stood outside the managers bedroom window calling softly and repeatedly until the manager woke up and let me into a room.

Today, I was thinking about the only people who go out in the mid-day sun: mad dogs, Englishmen...and people with no toilet paper. I went for a short walk around the neighbourhood looking for necessities, and since it's Songkran, young people and children constantly approached me with buckets of water, said, "I'm sorry," then poured the water all over me, smiled broadly, and wished me a Happy Songkran. It was actually very refreshing, and lots of fun. :-) However, after that, it was the heatesty heat of the afternoon, so I went back to my room, stuck a cold cloth on my head and slept for a few hours.

I'm meeting my faculty advisor's wife tomorrow morning, and she's going to show me around the university and the surrounding area.

Remembrance Day 2009

Since it's Remembrance Day, I thought I'd share a picture with you that always makes me cry a little, if I really let myself think about it.

Canadians departing for active service in Europe during the Second World War, 1940. (National Archives of Canada C-38723)