Hello, family, friends, and people my mom told to read this blog. Just a reminder, I am Annika and I am currently in Thailand.
Wonderful, now let's play two truths and a lie about last week:
1. An elephant sprayed me with water
2. Surprisingly, I did not get lost on the way up a mountain to a Wat
3. During one of our English classes, we solved a crime
And the lie is...
Number two.
Of course I got lost.
On Sunday, Angela and I hiked up Doi Suthep mountain to reach the Wat Doi Suthep. The first part of the trail leads you to Wat Pa Lat. It is frequently walked and rather easy. This wat was very peaceful. It is quite different from the other wats I have visited, which have all been in the city and crowded with people. However, even though the wat is in the mountains there was still a coffee shop for tourists to visit and relax once they reached this wat. I will get into my feelings about that later.
The rest of the trail to Wat Doi Suthep is less frequented. People tend to take a trolley up instead of subjecting themselves to the steep and sweaty path. Angela and I only saw people going down. However sweaty I became (my shirt changed a completely different color) it was well worth it to walk the same path monks do for Visakha Bucha day, a yearly celebration of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death.
The path is not clearly marked, and we had to refer to multiple blogs to figure out what we were suppose to do when we reached roads. At one point I thought we were so close because I saw this long drive. So what did I do, I decided this was the way to go. Turns out we walked up a steep private driveway to a house. I can't tell you how many times I had to keep reminding myself, everything is fine, this is great exercise.
We finally reached what later turned out to be Wat Doi Suthep. What I mean by this is, there is a long line of shops that lead you up to the wat. This is a tourist hotspot, but also a sacred religious site. I know monetizing religion is not just a Thailand thing, but it was still shocking to see. It felt strange to be in such a "holy" place, yet surrounded by signs for fruit smoothies and Chiang Mai t-shirts. We did end up getting fruit smoothies.
I will continue to work backwards on my week.
The number 1: An elephant sprayed me with water, occurred on Saturday.
Angela and I went to Happy Elephant Home, an elephant sanctuary north of Chiang Mai. They are an ethical sanctuary, meaning there is no riding elephants. Their backs are not meant for that sort of thing.
We met six elephants. My favorite, Mola, is a 49 year old elephant that is blind in her right eye from being hit as she was being ridden for over 30 years. We fed her bananas when we first arrived and she loooooovvvveddd it. Elephants eat for over 16 hours a day. Sounds like my kinda life, minus the riding.
There was one baby elephant, who was also the only male. His mom was saved from a circus and she delivered her baby at the sanctuary. Another older elephant was also blind in one eye for the same reason as Mola. They both also have permanent scar like rectangles on their backs from the seats.
After we met Mola, we changed into traditional Karen clothing so the elephants would be comfortable with us. We then cut up some sugar cane with a machete(!!!) and went out to feed and officially meet the other elephants. Since they are all domestic, they were kind to us, but that could also be because, as our guide said, "food means friends."
When the elephants got hot, they moved to a nearby mud bath area to cool off. The baby just plopped down in that mud and rolled around like a real baby.
We were all then allowed to get in and chuck mud at them. The elephants reciprocated with splashing large enough to also get us rather muddy. I felt like I was at a very active spa.
I also want to mention that the mud area you see above, usually has more water. The rainy season has not been very rainy, forcing the sanctuary to hose water onto the elephants. Climate change, anyone?
One by one, the elephants got tired of mud and walked off. This was our time to clean off and eat some lunch. We had a traditional Thai meal of noodles and chicken broth with pork balls. It was so so so so good and flavorful. I chose to add very little spice, as I did not want to risk my body having a meltdown and thus, taking me away from the elephants. Nonetheless, the food was truly delicious and we capped it off with some pineapple--aka fine-apples. It was #fresh and #everythingIhaveeverwantedinalunch.
After lunch, I suppose the elephants were hot again, so we walked down to a nearby river. On the way, the baby elephant would stop anytime he saw something he could wrap his trunk around to eat. That was every few steps. There was also the current occurrence of us having to swiftly move out of the way as the elephants are not ones to move around you or even say excuse me if you are walking in their path. It was thrilling.
When we reached the river we changed into our bathing suits and followed the elephants into the water. Like the baby in the mud, all the elephants flopped into the water. We helped get the mud off their bodies and they helped us get clean by spraying us with water from their trunks. It was basically the best shower I have ever had.
Unfortunately, it did not last forever. So, we walked back to the sanctuary and changed back into the clothes we came in and headed back to the city. It was an exceptional experience!
Once back in old town, Angela and I decided to walk around. That's when we came across Thai massages given by ex-prisoners. We were tired from our long day in the sun, so we decided this would also be a wonderful experience.
It was quite the massage. I was stretched out and rubbed down. I tried to quiet my mind and take in the whole experience, but I couldn't help thinking what the lady massaging me had been in for. And then I wondered if it was extorting her past to get more people to pay for massages. It was a long hour.
We ended our exciting day with some street food, spring rolls for me, and fried chicken for Angela. Then, we got ice cream (of course) and I bought some pineapple (fine-apple) to take back to school.
Overall, it was quite the weekend.
Another step back, takes us to the last week of formal English classes. I am writing this on Monday, after we have already had our last English class--and where we tried to solve a crime.
Before we get into was it murder or an accident, I want to talk about how my time has been teaching.
At first I was very nervous to stand in front of a room full of adults and talk about the English language. However, I quickly began to love helping the students understand things. I was able to work on explaining things clearly and concisely, while also faking the confidence of an English professor. The students are so willing to learn and take in all they can. I think that is why I enjoy it so much (and why I will never be a teacher).
Throughout our classes, we played games with vocabulary and eventually began to focus on grammar rules. Angela and I would explain a grammar concept then have them practice it in different ways. The most difficult thing was trying to explain why certain things are the way they are. The words used to describe certain tenses, like present perfect tense, are not used in my daily language and I do not think about them when I write. I just write. So, when students hit me with terms like those I was usually confused and had to reference Google to understand what they were speaking about. Not the most teacher-y thing I have done, but I tell myself a good teacher admits when they do not know something, instead of making up an answer.
The hour for our class always flew by and was filled with lots of laughter and questions. Some students know more than others, but they are also willing to help explain things and can sometimes do so better than Angela and I since English is also their third or fourth language.
Today was the last official class. We chose to do an activity to work on critical thinking and what makes good evidence. We put up a picture of a crime scene (fake and drawn). The students had to go off very limited information to decide what actually happened. They had to look at the picture and surmise clues and tell us why those clues mattered. It was right up my field and I loved it. My eighth grade science teacher did a similar thing every class and that was the only reason science class was tolerable.
Though our formal classes are ending, Angela and I will be holding Monday and Wednesday review sessions. So far we have had two. Usually we just answer any questions students have and go over grammar concepts we have already discussed. It is a more laid back atmosphere since there are less students present. I really enjoy these review sessions and I regret not starting them sooner.
After today, the students will begin working on their research proposals. It is unclear exactly what role Angela and I will play, but I am excited to do some hands on helping!
Let's play two truths and a lie again:
1. I want a hamburger
2. I am no longer sweating like I have hidden a body
3. I have a mosquito bite on my ear
And the lie is.....
Number 2. I will always sweat like I have committed a crime.
Be well,
Annika