Confessions of a Jungle Barbie

KARBI BARBIE!

2009-08-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

LIFE IS A PARTY!!

HOME SWEET BUNGALOW!

THE BATHROOM IS NOT SO SWEET!! THERE WAS ZERO WATER PRESSURE IN THE SHOWER SO I HAD TO USE THE BUTT SPRAYER, TRULY A HORRIBLE SITUATION!!

KIMI IS SO CUTE!!

KIMI AND I BROKE THE RULES AND GOT A MOTOR BIKE. IT WAS VERY FUN BUZZIN' AROUND TOWN! GAS STATIONS ARE SO FUNNY! THEY KEEP GASOLINA IN LITER COKE BOTTLES....

RAILY ISLAND: MY FAVORITE ISLAND EVER!!

The viewpoint hike and lagoon hike was amazingly difficult! Hiking into the lagoon was very hard because I had to climb down three cliffs. I can not believe I made it out alive! It was very difficult not to get my swim suit dirty with the red clay dirt but some how I didn't get my top dirty!! The Laos and Raily hikes were so challenging but I think the coolest thing I have done thus far in my life!!

JOY! We stayed at Joy's guest house and it was the best accommodations thus far! Joy (left) and her sister went skinny dippin with us but they were not drunk enough so they took us to the club and we danced the night away!! I was loving the girls night!

SONDRA! My favorite girl ever!! I love her!!

KHMER BARBIE

2009-08-05T18:34:00.000-07:00

KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA:

ANGKOR WAT:

The great temples of Angkor Wat are situated in the province of Siem Reap. This area is considered the biggest temple complex of the world and revealed itself after being hidden in the Jungle for many years.The whole area is about 400 km that also includes the surrounding forest

This boy sold me 10 bracelets. The children told me that they go to school Monday thur Saturday from 8am-11am. They spend the rest of their day selling at the temple. They may not have a lot of time in school but they sure are good at business.

ELEPHANT TERRACE: Dates back to the late 12th century with 13th century additions.

I am amazed at how the women can balance goods on their heads, I wish I had their talent for balancing.

Angelina Jolie Temple or should I say Lara Croft?? I need to see that movie.

This baby's mother tried to sell me him for $5 US dollars. I said yes but the transaction never happened. I thought my mom would not approve of me bring a baby home but she told me that she wants an Asian baby! I fear getting peed on because non of the children wear diapers!

The bus ride to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia was horrible! The driver honked at every person, truck and dog along the way. They make way to many stops along the way in hopes that we will buy from the people. The particular stop had girls wearing tarantula and selling deep-fried tarantulas... so gross! I am sorry but I would never kiss anyone eats spiders!! Stanley, Nate and Kimi all ate the spiders and I wanted to vomit!!

The Cambodian genocide of 1975-1979, in which approximately 1.7 million people lost their lives (21% of the country's population), was one of the worst human tragedies of the last century. The Khmer Rouge regime headed by Pol Pot combined extremist ideology with ethnic animosity and disregard for human life to produce repression, misery, and murder on a massive scale.
I would recommend the book ' Surviving the Killing Fields'; despite the depressing nature of the book it is inspirational and contains a story about how love can conquer all.

TUOL SLENG MUSEUM: In 1975,Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot's security force and turned into a prison known as Security Prison 21 (S-21) It soon became the largest such centre of detention and torture in the country. Over 17,000 people held at S-21 were taken to the extermination camp at Choeung Ek to be executed; detainees who die during torture were buried in mass graves in the prison grounds.

CHEUNG EK KILLING FIELD: Between 1975 and 1978, about 20,000 men, women, children and infants (including nine westerners), detained and tortured at S-21 prison or Tuol Sleng Museum, were transported to the killing fields and murdered. To avoid wasting precious bullets the people were beaten with bamboo or metal weapons. The killing fields were 'hidden' in an old Chinese cemetery to avoid detection. The smell of thousands of decaying bodies did not keep it a secrete for long.

The whole day was so depressing and the tears continuously rolled down my checks; I kept asking myself how humans could be so careless to destroy other living beings.

The sunken pits of the mass graves. The graves were much smaller and shallower than I expected. I can not believe that the small pits were the resting areas of hundreds of malnourished bodies.

An old Chinese grave marker.

Human bones

This grave probably contained many important people because non could be identified because they were all head less.

Phnom Penh

Too many naked babies to count!

Phonm Penh is located where three rivers - the Mekong, the Bassac and Tonle Sap flow together. The city is divided into three sections - the north, an attractive residential area; the south or the French part of the city with its ministries, banks and colonial houses; and the centre or the heart with its narrow lanes, markets, foods stalls and shops.

The red creatures are bats the others are gross terminates and bugs!! Soooooo Gross!!

Look! The interns pretending to be friends!

The little boys in the red are performing for the children and a small audience. I have not seen many break dancers in SEA but they were very street and even spun on their heads on the cement!

The city by American standards is dirty.

lok lac beef!! The best part of Cambodia! I had it for dinner two nights!!

The View from the Royal Princess Hotel! One of the better places were stayed.

BARBIES LOST IN CHIANG MAI!!

2009-08-03T22:44:00.000-07:00

I LOVE THE FAMILY!!

FLIGHT OF THE GIBBONS!!

My little sister is so cute and so is her Booty!! She is single!! Her number is 801- 699-94**

Katey, remember when you told me " I don't have time to read your blog"... Well I guess I will post your booty!

How old are you mama?? You are acting so young!!

I have never understood the saying 'Tree Huger' I do understand 'Tree Kisser"!!

Debi, your hair was impossible!! I am so glad no one from the ward saw it lookin like a HOT MESS!! You cougar you!!

The Monk Retreat was just what the glamorous barbies needed after Phuket!! Although, It was too hard to remain silent for 24 hours... Katey is so loud!! And my monk friends told me "they are not allowed to remember me"... I guess I understand.

Not quite like a monk; Debi has a naughty monkey mind!!

Where is Debi in the group photo?? Oh yes! She missed it to take a shower and put make up on!!

Buak Khang School: my favorite day!

Balloon pop was a huge success and even Pinton played!

I love my students so much! They are so adorable!!

Thai students know what the word respect means.

The girls danced for my mom and Katey. I love traditional Thai dancing. I wish I had more time to learn.

The next pictures are very scary!! I hate the snake show but we had to go! My mom started freaking out when they threw a snake on her. Debi's feet were above her head and she was screaming like a school girl!! It was so funny!!

I loved watching my mom with the monkey! She was so happy!

Let's be honest, Katey was afraid of this little baby!

"don't touch the monkey, he may pee on you" I thought Debi was going to pee because she was so excited!

I LOVE TIGER KINGDOM! The first time I went all of the tigers were sleeping. This time we were the last people at the park and all of the tigers were so active and wild. I was a little nervous to get in the cage with them.

I LOVE THE SIKH TEMPLE! I KINDA LOVE THE SACRAMENT TOO.

PING RIVER

My all time favorite market! I spell it Waorraloa Market!

The markets have lots of lotus and jasmine for the Wats and Monks!

I love taxis! It is to HOT to walk!

My all time favorite food! Moo Namtak!! So spicy so yummy!!

SanKamphaeng Saturday Market!! I love my Village!

BEACH BARBIE: LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS!!

2009-08-03T00:13:00.001-07:00

We had so much fun in Phuket!

Debi's best friend Beyonce!! She was kissing on her the whole day and even paid her some money at the end of the day... When Debi was asked if she needed a partner she replied "Nope, I've got Beyonce!"

My Friends may seem like they don't like the sun but really it is for religious reasons that they stay covered up. I like to pray with them on Fridays at 1pm. Muslims are really wonderful people. The Muslim grandmas were very nice to Katey when she was not allowed into the prayer room.

MAYA BAY: 'The Beach' staring Leonard DiCaprio was filmed in this bay.

Some people say that I am the most vain in the family of Barbies but I must argue that Katey loves to have her photo taken more... You should have seen her at Tiger Kingdom!

Once again Debi and Beyonce!

If anyone Thai ever offers you 'Clear Soup' run away!! This cave is the place where clear soup gets it's main ingredient...bird saliva! Bird saliva makes people healthy, happy and strong... DUH!

I LOVE PHI PHI DON ISLAND!!

EGG ISLAND! I love Egg Island the most out of the dozen islands that I have visited. It is cute, small and no one lives on the island! The sand feels soooo soft!

I JUST LOVE ELEPHANTS! THEY ARE SO SWEET AND CUTE! I ALWAYS NAME MY ELEPHANTS DOLLY!

Debi and Katey are pretty good at riding elephants but they were screaming a lot! "I am going to fall! It's so high! Butterfly, Butterfly, Butterfly....AHHHAHHHAHAHHH SPIDER!! GET ME OUT OF THE JUNGLE!!" LOL I was watching and laughing but cried when I saw all the spiders!!

One of the less glamorous homes in Phuket's jungles. The overlook was amazing! We did not stay in this bay but we stayed in the one to the right and the one to the left. I must say that I love the beaches but I was excited to get home to Chiang Mai to the 'real' Thai culture with good honest people.

I really want to kiss Chase at this viewpoint.... One day!

I loved our taxi driver!! He was awesome! After an hour, we became good friends and he had a hard time charging us. I lost my mind in Phuket but he reminded me about the Temple dress code. At that moment I knew he was a really good guy.

KATEY!! YOU OWE ME $MONEY$!! I went to the pearl farm to be supportive!! I think I am addicted to shopping. I think I am materialistic, I think I really needed those pearls!! Katey remember to have my box open when I get home but only 30 minutes before I arrive; I don't want dust on them!!!

We took a speed boat to Phi Phi Don but decided that he had to spend a night!

RICH AND FAMOUS HOTEL!! IT COST 5,000 PER NIGHT!! BIG SPENDERS!!.... 5,000 BAHT!

One of the really cute massage salons!
We got a few massages... My favorite memory was when we did our first oil massage.
I thought Katey was going to kill me! I think Debi was a little nervous about the
guy next to her!!

I thought Debi was going to steal the monkey!
I have never seen her so happy... I wonder if she loves monkeys more
than me....

SUGAR PALM!! I LOVE THIS HOTEL SO MUCH!! I WANT TO LIVE THERE!!!

One day when I grow up, I am going to get my hair wet when I swim with my kids.

FIRST MANGO STICKY RICE WITH COCONUT MILK!!

ORIGINAL BARBIE, BARBIE & SKIPPER!!

2009-08-02T23:41:00.000-07:00

I LOVE MY FAMILY SO MUCH!! I HAD SO MUCH FUN SHOWING THEM AROUND BEAUTIFUL THAILAND.

We enjoyed a massage less than an hour after them arriving. Original Barbie kept saying "OMG! I can't believe I am in Thailand getting massaged and the walls are made of grass!" I was thinking Duh! This is my life! (I think I will get a massage today...) We went to Doi Suthrep and the Night Safari!

I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY ELEPHANTS FOLLOW ME EVERYWHERE I GO... I MUST SMELL GOOD!! ELEPHANTS LOVE TO KISS ME AND I LOVE TO KISS ELEPHANTS!!

LAOS: A COUNTRY FULL OF INTERNATIONAL BARBIE EMERGENCIES!!

2009-08-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

The guest house on the boarder of Laos and Thailand was super adorable!! I love the mosquitoes nets but hate the mosquitoes!! Malaria anyone??

So sad, Kimi was left on the beach as all of us got on your 6 hour speed boat! I wanted to cry for her but luckily we just went across the Mekong River into Laos! We waited for an hour before the speed boats showed up and then the international Barbie emergency happened!!... uggggghhhh it was horrible

The speed boat was amazing but the monsoon was not as amazing! The speed boat was about 4 inches above the water. Sondra and I sat with our backs against a board in a 3 feet by 2 feet section with our knees to our chest for 6 hours!

Saturday Buddha is by far the coolest and I was lucky enough to be born on Saturday!

I LOVE MONKS! Stanley and I released a bird on the top of the Wat. It was one of the many amazing experiences!

Hiking to the top of this waterfall was one of the hardest things I have ever done! I had to dig my fingernails into the dirt!! I was sweating and so dirty but it was the cheapest workout and possible the COOLEST thing I have ever done in my life!! I was super proud of myself!

Don't be fooled by the happy people below, they almost died getting into that lagoon! I would know cuz I climbed down the cliff! Coming out was very hard and I keep thinking of all the curse words Ralph was going to say to me when he found out where Sondra and I wondered off to....

THE LAGOON!

GREAT MARKETS!

FRENCH INFLUENCE

CUTE KID; BETTER SALESMAN! LOTTIE, I HOPE YOU LIKE YOUR NEW JEWELRY.

HELLE, SOME MANY WORDS TO DESCRIBE HER SO LITTLE TIME. I LOVE HELLE!

4th of JULY BARBIE!!

2009-07-06T03:20:00.000-07:00

I LOVE THE 4th OF JULY!!!!

BARBIE MIXED UP THE VENUE AND WENT TO 700 YEAR STADIUM!! DUHHHHH!!

I LOVE KIMI!!

SONDRA IS MY NUMBER ONE GIRL!!! I LOVE HER!!

EGG IN THE FACE... HMMMMM VERY AMERICAN!!

WATERMELON EATING CONTEST!! WAY FUN!! I WAS A LOSER CUZ I ATE REAL REAL SLOW!!

PIE EATING CONTEST!!! I ATE THE WHIP CREAM!!!

I DON'T THINK IT IS FAIR THAT HE WON!! HIS HAIR WAS EATIN' JUST AS MUCH PIE AS HIM!!

SONDRA, WHY DIDN'T YOU GET KISSY-KISSY WITH THAT HOT RUSSIAN?????

SONDRA, DID YOU SMILE AT HIM AND MAKE EYE CONTACT??

AMERICAN PIGS!! LOL JUST KIDDING EATIN' RIBS IS FINE BUT I THINK THEY ARE TOOOO BONE!!

TREKKIN' BARBIE!!

2009-07-06T01:23:00.001-07:00

This day will always been known as the day I pushed a Monk in the mud!!... Am I a bad person??

Every day of my life is unique and I wish I could live more ‘normal’ days in my village but luckily Ralph has us running around the country! Bright and early Saturday morning we started the longish journey to the hill tribes. About one hour outside of Chiang Mai is the most amazing waterfall on this planet… okay we will see what happens in Phuket in 2 weeks. Anywooo, Our mode of transportation was a rod-cow, white truck, so I got an amazing view of Thailand’s beauty. We turned on to a remoteish road that was surrounded with red dirt. I have yet to see red dirt in Thailand. As we drove we passed a few local kids, so naturally we motioned for them to keep up with us on their bikes. They did a really good job riding fast. We met them in the parking lot and they toured us around the waterfalls. We walked down a few stairs to the base of the waterfall. We slowly started exploring the magnificent sight in front of us. I was in the heart of the jungle and feeling very at home. I started climbing on the rocks up the waterfall and was shocked at the texture of the rocks. The waterfall almost looked like it had been covered by a white cement. It was not slippery to climb. I easily made my way around in the water and rocks without the fear of falling and breaking my nose. It was the oddest most delightful feeling on my feet. I climbed up steep portions of the waterfall with fairly swift currents. The kids showed us the way to the top. There were several moments when I looked behind me and saw a thick creature filled jungle. It was truly a surreal experience. I ask myself almost every day, what did I do to get here??... I must have had excellent Karma in my pass life. I enjoyed every moment of the cool water running over my feet. At the top of the waterfall is a small pond, so naturally I started a small water fight with my new friends. The park has an amazing overlook of the jungle. I wish I had a camera that could capture just 10% of the beautiful before me. The kids somehow led us away from the overlook and took us down a path. We ran into a really cool vine. I of course was timid about jumping on the thing so naturally my photo shoot was the most memorable for the interns and yield the ‘best’ pictures. We shortly discovered that the kids were taking us to the spring where the waterfall starts. The spring has a lot of spirit house surrounding the area. It also conveniently has two buckets that are attached to poles so one can drink from the pure spring. I was apprehensive about drinking the water but the thought of getting a parasite to eat all of my fat, allowed me to drink more than I probably should have…LOL Thank Buddha I didn’t get the KNOT in the village!! The kids motioned for us to wash our face with the water and make a wish. I naturally wished that I discovered the spring to eternal beauty. After hanging out in the amazing clearing, we hiked our way back to the truck so we continue the next leg of our journey. After riding the white truck an hour longer, we arrived at a hill tribe village for lunch.

The women saw us coming and pushed all of their junky jewelry on us. After escaping the wild herd of Hill tribe women, we from refuge at the lunch table. The women surrounded the exit and watched us eat. I had the strongest tactic, avoid eye contact. We were attacked for 20 minutes until everyone except me purchased for the desperate women. We walked down a remarkable road and I absorbed the jungle and farm land that surround me. It was the most incredible landscape I have ever seen. As we walked through the village many women approached us to purchase their goods. Sondra was a sucker and bought a lot of gifts for her family and friends. We continued trekking down a remote dirt road. I cannot get over the beauty that engulfed my imagination of wanting the exact opposite things out of life that I have been working so hard to achieve.

GUESS WHO???????

I was trapped in Hill tribe hell and wish I was in the ‘luxurious’ home at the Hmong village. I was dreading leaving the hut because waiting outside was money hunger women selling all the items that I didn’t want. Sondra and I braved the women and I found turtles for my American Mom. She is collecting turtle while she is in Thailand. I also found a sling shot for Chasey boy… I hope he still likes me. He has not written me in 10 days and all of my adventures are not distracting me enough to not be heartbroken. I thought the Sgt. MP could use another weapon to annoy all the naughty solider boys.

Sondra and I wondered away from the village. Once again the road and scenery was unbelievable. I was thinking we should turn back when we heard voices in the distance. We followed the road to a school, where we found Monks and local boys playing soccer. We started talking to them but I was afraid of touching them so I was trying to convince Sondra to run away. Sondra invited us to play fotbal with the Monks. I was thinking that it was a really BAD idea; MONKS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TOUCH WOMEN!! The Monks were young teenage boys; they were at home and comfortable enough to alter their robes to reflect some sort of Thai warrior wearing little to cover themselves. The smallest Monk was probably 12 years old and his robe was folded so low I could see the top of his butt crack. One of the older Monks had a ‘love’ tattoo. Another Monk had a keloid scar resembling a heart; I think it was self induced. We played soccer for over an hour and the game got a little competitive. In Mexico, on my Kaiizen adventures I learned that a volunteer has the right to kick a soccer ball in the face of an orphan. Somewhere across the Pacific Ocean, I lost my mind and unconsciously decide that I was capable of pushing a Monk in the mud. June 19, 2009(2553 Thai year) will always been known as the day I pushed a Monk in the mud and kicked soccer balls at their faces. I don’t know what is wrong with me… I would blame my mother but she is pretty much perfect so …. I guess I will blame my brother. The soccer game was so much fun. It could possible me the most enjoyable moment in Thailand thus far.

After the game, we did an extended photo shoot with Sondra and I cameras and the Monks had one cell phone that they snapped more photos then Sondra and I combined. We learned that the Monks are from the village and go home every weekend but live in Chiang Mai during the week. A lot of poor families send their young teen sons into the Monkhood so they can receive an education. Having a Monk in the family is a very prestigious honor. They young Monks are allowed to see their families but the older Monks often times live far away from home. Monks can leave the Monkhood and return about three times but the Buddhism religion does not have rules. I am learning that Buddhism is a eastern philosophy and westerners, like myself try to label it a religion and give it the same characteristics I give western religions. On the mountain across from the school was a deserted apartment looking building. It was a little mysterious and seemed like a place kids would get into trouble; naturally we asked the kids to take us. Upon closer inspection we found an amazing Buddha shrine in a cave. I forgot about the building and was completely consumed by this hidden treasure. I followed the young boys led and bowed to the Buddha three times… Thank Buddha for Monk meditation.

On the way down to the road, we crossed a river so naturally the only logical course of action would be to jump into it!! I love Thailand. After a 10 minute cool down, we walked home but not before a Monk caught a fish with his bare hands! I love my Monk friends. A truck came along and gave us a ride home. Nate and Kimi were waiting for us and I think Alex and Stanley were missing us. We arrived home as dinner was being served. We had a semi delicious potato curry (flight of the gibbons was way better) and a snake that someone caught… I was not even going to pretend to try the snake, GROSS!! I have learned that in America I eat for fun and pleasure. Eating in Thailand is usually unpleasant; the food taste okay just long enough for one’s hungry pains to subside. The tribe girls put on an excellent song n’ dance show. The smallest girl had the most explosive personality. She was very fun to watch. They girls invited us to sing and dance with them. They local boys wanted in on the fun so they did a magic trick. The show ended way to early and we were forced into our hut. I played my own custom Barbie game of intern truth or dare. I was cracking myself up with all the ridiculous dares and truth questions.

BLOGGIN BARBIE STYLE...

2009-06-28T23:20:00.000-07:00

JUNGLE BARBIE NEEDS A VACATION... IF YOU THOUGHT I WAS ON A VACATION, YOU ARE WRONG!! I AM A HARD WORKING INTERN FOR HINCKLEY INSTITUTE OF POLITICS. THIS WEEK I AM GOING TO LAOS TO STUDY THEN I HAVE TO TRAVEL TO PHUKET ON AN EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT.... HEHEHE ANYWOOO, I SIMPLY DON'T HAVE TIME TO WRITE A BLOG ABOUT MY WEEKEND. AS ANY BLONDE BARBIE, SOME TIMES I GET CONFUSED ABOUT MY EXACT LOCATION IN THAILAND. AND ITS OKAY NOT TO KNOW WHAT CITY I VISITED OR WHERE THE HECK I WAS IN THE COUNTRY.... AFTER DRIVING FOR 6 HOURS I DISCOVERED THAT AFTER A SHORT BIKE RIDE AROUND A TOWN (THE OLD CAPITAL OF THAILAND) I WAS GOING TO BE DRIVING ANOTHER 4 HOURS. I WAS AN HOUR OUTSIDE OF BANGKOK!!!!! WTF!!! I WOULD HAVE RATHER STAYED IN BANGKOK BUT THIS IS THE JUNGLE AND I DON'T ALWAYS GET MY WAY BECAUSE I HAVE YET TO BECOME QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE....

Anywoooo, any time there is an intern in my photo, I posted the picture to prove that some interns can be extremely rude and just jump into my photo shoot and I would never steal the spot light from anyone... not even Stanley!!

I HOPE YOU MAKE A GREAT STORY TO GO ALONG WITH MY PHOTO BLOG....

SWINE FLU IS BAD.... I FEEL ASIAN MOST DAYS

LIONS N' TIGERS N' SNAKES N' BARBIE..... OH MY!!!

2009-06-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

The same day as the Sikh Temple the interns experienced the snake farm and Tiger Kingdom. We first headed to the best bakery in Chiang Mai. Not only do they serve the most delicious treats, they have a lot of American goods such as peanut butter, jelly and bread! I got a delicious coconut cake and coconut roll. We ate our snacks on the way to the snake show. Pam and her 6 year old twins are Ralph’s neighbor at the apartment building. The twins are gorgeous girls. Pam, is the most amazing human alive, I am truly so jealous of this woman and aspire to be like her. She is working on a second Masters at Duke University and is studying mental illness in Thailand for the summer. I learned that she was a Ford’s model, went to Georgetown and worked on Wall Street.

I was filled with anxiety and fear for an hour before we arrived to the stupid snake farm. We arrived moments before the show started and I bravely sat on the second row. Alex and Nate convinced me to sit on the front row, which I did. Before the show started I moved back to the second row. The whole snake show belongs on a Will Farrell movie. It was the shadiest show on earth and I am surprised that I didn’t get bitten by ‘Asia dangerous snake’… ‘most danger all Asia’… ‘very bad for hand’… ‘bad for eye’ The snake host’s English was easing my fear because it was so funny. The show first introduced two cobras. The snake charms played and danced around as the snakes were striking at them. Then the snake charms picked up the snake and while holding their tails lunged them into the audience. I was screaming!! Then they kissed the snakes on the top of their heads; while the host was say ‘sentences’ like ‘oh baby, you beautiful, you so sexy, I want you honey, come home with me’ and other ridiculous statements. They then milked the poison from the fangs into a plastic cup.

The snake charmers put the cobras away so they could open a large brown sack that contained a python. It was large and soooooo scary! It was scarier when it got into the audience!! I was screaming which meant naturally I was forced to put the damn thing around my neck… I was freaking out but lucky for Ralph, he was getting the worse pictures of me ever!! It was a horrible experience that turned worse when they hit my leg with its tail and I thought it was its enormous mouth!!

I ran back to my old seat but elected to upgrade to the third row. The snake charmers then announced the jumping snakes as they throw one into the crowd. I was really screaming at this point… luckily it turned out to be a rope. The jumping snakes were extremely creepy!! The charmers caught one in his left hand, then one in his right hand, and then we grabbed the third snake with his mouth… I was ready to vomit!! Luckily the show ended and I was so happy!!

Best part of the Snake Farm

We walked around the snake farm and I actively looked for the snakes that had escaped from their cages. I walked the wrong way and a python was out of his cage. My desperation for Chase’s approval led me to irrational put the 40lbs thing around my neck!! The things I will do for Chase… Never before in the history of my life would I ever do something so stupid for a guy. Chase better think I am the coolest girlfriend ever!! The snake would have made a better wallet with matching boots but I refrained from thinking those thoughts until the massive slithers was off. Life was instantly better when we left that horrible shady establishment… I am truly surprised no one died!!

A short while later, we arrived at Tiger Kingdom; which once again could be the craziest, most dangerous business in the world. For $40 dollars one can play with large cats, medium cats, baby tigers and lion cubs and this price include INSURANCE!!! The internship paid for us to play with the baby tigers. From the payment area, I watched a trainer play with a huge tiger. He had a big mop-like toy. He was putting it into the air so the cat would jump up and attack it. The cat would land in his swimming pool and then do the trick again. There were people standing yards away watching the magnificent animal play. I was a little nervous because the fence caging these deadly animals was only a small chain linked fence with some wires.

I was so excited to share 4 baby tigers with our small group of 10 people. We had a short wait so I visited the local camel. He was camelious.

We hurried back to the tiger cage after we feed the camel all of the food we bought. When we got back to the tiger cage; some Thai words were flying. Basically, a group with the expensive package was cutting line and going into the cage with us. There were 15 people and 4 baby tigers. The tigers were just as mad as the people; someone was bound to get hurt… ended up being Ralph. Ralph got bit hard on the back by a furious tiger!! OMG I got a little nervous! The thought occurred to me that I was not playing with a big house kitty. Everyone was fighting over the cats. I was trying to be polite and took dozens of pictures for other interns. I also took three videos for a certain intern. Every time I asked someone to take a picture for me they sat there and didn’t even move an inch to get a good angle. This experience was amazing but at the same time it was a little frustrating.

We got kicked out of the tiger cage so quickly so naturally we did what any warm blooded American would do, we complained!! I was trying not to complain but I was so grateful for Alex because he got us access to the lion cubs and a discount on the buffet. The lion cubs were amazing!! They mostly slept during our photo shoot. Every time a wild kitty moves quickly, the human response is to back off. The cubs let me get up close and personal. I got all of the pictures I wanted and I was so happy!! We spent a lot of time with the cubs and my universe was filled with zen. I also got up close and personal with the big cats with the chain linked fence between us and I was scared watching the people in their ‘cages’.

The lunch buffet was excellent Thai food. When Thai food is done right there is nothing better to eat. When Thai food is bad, I lose weigh, which I don’t mind. I took advantage of Thailand’s fine fruit. I ate slowly but was anxious to get out with the tigers again. I played with tigers through the fence; I would put my fingers in and pet their paws and soft fur. It was hard to build trust with these destructive animals but from my observation the bigger the cat the more mellow. The small kitty kats were way more wild then the medium or large kats. I didn’t want the day to end with my new friends. I was sad to leave the wild kings of the jungle but as a jungle Barbie it is my duty to return and show my family…. More to come in three weeks!!

After taming the wild tigers and lions, I tamed the wild markets of Chiang Mai and settled their uneasy money woes with some hard earned American money… Gotta love a discount and to barter with prices!! God bless Thailand! I love this wild country!!

BARBIE GOES SIKH

2009-06-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

One of the most amazing day occurred June 13, 2009. Ralph invited us to the Sikh Temple in Chiang Mai. Sikhism was started in India in 1604A.D. The religion has 9 Gurus (prophets) from which the religion's teachings and doctrine is founded upon. The Guru Granth Sahib, which is the holy book is the tenth and finally Guru. This scripture is the only one in the world which has been compiled by the founders of a faith during their own life time. Sikhism accounts for 2% of India’s population.

In normal Thai style we arrived 45 minutes late to the temple. We were graciously greeted at the entrance. We took off our shoes and placed them in a cabinet. We did not explore the first floor because we were late to breakfast. Every Saturday, it is the Sikh Temples’ responsibility to feed whoever comes to breakfast. The breakfast is a vegetarian style meal. The prophet was waiting for us in the dining hall. We skipped the meal in order to hear as much of the private sermon as possible with our limited amount of time.

Sikhism is a practical religion- a faith of hope and optimism. Its ideals form a large part of the more progressive elements in humanity today. It shows mankind how to lead a worth and useful life in the world; which elevates it to the status of Universal World Faith. The word “Skikh” means a disciple. A Sikh is a person who believes in Waheguru and teachings of the Ten Gurus enshrined in the Guru Granth Sahib.

Since we arrived late we missed the Holy book being awakened. The Holy Book is put to rest at night and awoken in the morning; this is done because it is a living book. At the Harmandir Sabib in Amritsar the Holy Book is read 24 hours a day. I am going back to the Sikh Temple with my mom and sister to see this ceremony.

A lovely Sikh woman escorted us to the third floor. Before entering the holy room the ladies put a scarf around our hair and the boys put a bandana on their heads. We entered the room and sat on the floor. During the last year the Temple has undergone renovations. The room was beautifully accented with a lot of gold. The Indian woman quickly taught us about the 5 ‘K’. She spoke excellent English but at times the accent was thick. She was wearing a beautiful green outfit and her hair touched her butt. Kesh is one rule in Sikhism, men and women are not allowed to cut their hair, any of their hair. I thought that the assistant to the prophet had a short beard but upon closer inspection, he had it neatly combed under his chin. “Keeping hair is the most important symbol. Living in harmony with the will of God; shaving of hair may construed as interference in nature’s way and consider oneself wiser than God.” Kangha is a comb; Sikh must always keep hair clean and tidy. Kachehra is an undergarment that symbolizes chastity. Kirpan is a sword that symbolizes courage and self-respect. Kara is a steel bracelet and is a symbol of restraint and gentility. I want a steel bracelet now!

After the lecture with the woman, we gathered on the floor around the podium. The prophet and his assistant lectured about the history of Sikhism. They shared a lot of information and spiritual wisdom. They invited us to ask questions. They gave us a nice book with a plethora of information on Sikhism. As Ralph reminded them of our time constraint; they began to speak very quickly. Their accents became very thick the faster they spoke. At times it was difficult to understand everything that was being explained; I think it was a combination of some words cannot be translated and the fast speech. We graciously said our goodbyes but not without some lovely pictures. I really enjoyed the scarf on my head and it was the perfect accessory to my outfit that day!!.. and my scarf matched my eyeshadow... I don't know I manage to be so fashion forward in the toughest of circumstances!!

One of the most moving moments at the Temple occurred once we walked out the door. The opening to a Buddhist Wat is in the small parking lot of the Sikh Temple. It is truly amazing to see all of the diversity and acceptance of religion. I wish that Utah had more options than LDS… Every religion is true and inspirational to its followers. I decide as I entered the Wat gates to start collection world religion books. I think by studying the world’s religions, I will inherently understand and come to love all of God’s creation. I have enjoyed reading my Buddha book, the Koran and now I am looking forward to reading the Guru Granth Sahib.

BUAKKHANG SCHOOL MASCOT

2009-06-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

I DON'T KNOW HOW I MANAGED TO FORGET TO POST THE SCHOOL MASCOT!! I WISH IT WOULD LET ME TAKE A PICTURE OF HIS MASSIVE UTTERS!!
He is truly the fuglyiest dog ever!!
He is very kind and likes to visit me at lunch... I swear he speaks English cuz every time, every single time I make fun of him, he comes over to bug me!!

TEACHER BARBIE

2009-06-17T23:38:00.001-07:00

I DEDICATE THIS PICTURE TO THOSE SPECIAL PEOPLE
WHO HAVE TOUCHED MY LIFE:
I HOPE YOU READ THIS ANGEE BRATFACE BATES
TO MY FRIENDS THAT HAVE SEEN THE PICTURE OF ME OPENING MY EYES...
AND TO THE ORIGINAL EYE OPENER DREW BEAR... I MISS YOU!!

BUAKKHANG SCHOOL

WHY IS UTAH CRYING OVER A LIL' RAIN??
SA-WAT-DEE-CA!!! I LIVE IN A JUNGLE DURING MONSOON SEASON!!
GEEEEEZE DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT THE HUMIDITY DOES TO MY LION MANE??

THE FAMOUS LIBRARY

I LOVE THE STUDENTS AND THEIR UNIFORMS!!

CUTEST BOY SCOUTS AND GIRL SCOUT!!

WAIT! THE PRINCIPAL LOOKS REALLY SNAZZEY IN HIS BOYSCOUT UNIFORM!

Two days before I left home, I got an email from Ralph stating; I was no longer staying in the dorms at Maejo University or teaching English to the undergraduate students. I was a little disappointed by this news but I was very excited to live with a host family. My mom and I are both English teachers at Buakkhang, it’s a government school. I did not know my mom spoke English until learning about her position (several days after I arrived) at the school; once we start talking her English comes out.

My first week of school, I learned how much I can’t explain English and just how difficult teaching a foreign language can be. I felt completely comfortable teaching at West Jordan High School and lecturing my business class of 100 undergrad students at the UofU. Most days I speak English well (or is it good) but trying to explain why and how words should be use is difficult. I decided to work with the younger students and Stanley, who speaks a lot more Thai words, teaches the older students. I teach classes 1-6, my students range from 5 to 11. The first day was very difficult because I did not receive any help or assistance from the teachers. I cannot understand anything the students say and they can barely understand simple English words. It may sound so lazy but Teaching more than 3 or 4 classes a day is exhausting… I blame the heat.

Once again I am constantly sweating; luckily my students love me so much that they bring me tissue to damp my face and neck and lots of water. My students and the teachers tell me I’m beautiful every time I walk pass them… I feel vain but I don’t want to come home cuz I LOVE this attention!! I also get a lot a heart origami that says “I love you” in English on the front and back. I also get love notes from some of my younger boy students. They all want to hold my hand and give me hugs when they see me. The students also like to put their arm against mine but before we touch, they pull away every quickly. They don’t like to see how dark their skin is compared to mine. SO I WILL NOT BE COMING HOME WITH A TAN!!

The second week of school, I developed lessons and class structure for the 6 classes. All of the students can say and write the alphabet but most letters they cannot recognize if they are out of order. The students parrot everything I say. When I ask them “say A” I get back “say A”; so I decide to start teaching basic conversation. I start every class by having two students hold a greeting conversation. They have a hard time answering ‘how are you doing?’ I get the response ‘how are you doing’ or ‘how are you dong? I am fine.’ I review the alphabet and have the students practice writing each letters 10 times. I have a few girl students in every class that are way more advance than the other students. I always turn to them to help to get the class started with any assignments or projects. I started finding that the teachers would always leave 10 minutes after I started teaching. This would have been fine but I often need simple words translated into Thai because I honestly think that the students forget what hello means! The students quickly became comfortable with me and started getting out of their chairs to give me hugs and origami. I tried not to develop favorites but some of the kids have the cutest faces and most polite personalities!! I really want a Thai baby one day!! I quickly learned that Thai students are way more obedient that American brats!!

The third week of school got boring for me. I got sick of teaching the same thing every day and the students were not picking up conversation as quickly as I wanted. I had to reevaluate the situation. Luckily, the thought occurred to me that my teaching effectiveness is not to blame for the students learning English. It is going to take the students a life time to speak perfect English and they are not going to understand the fundamentals of English in 4 weeks or 12 weeks. It took me three weeks to learn that there is one English teacher for the younger students and I have replaced her. She gets paid to come to school and socialize. The other teachers are the students homeroom teachers so they get the time off while I teach. The teacher I replaced just comes in long enough to strike a child that is acting out and answer her cell phone and leave. It is very difficult to see children being hit. In Stanley’s classes they have a hitting stick. In my classes they do not hit the children hard but when the child cries, it is all that I can do not to cry. I have to turn away from the teachers so they don’t see me get emotional. I developed unkind feelings for my co-teacher. I got very angry because I need her help translating but I decided I would rather her not be in my classroom.

Week four, I was given a teaching curriculum. It was written on scratch paper and was 4 words; greeting, body, animal, and about me. I wanted to laugh, I just decide to take the paper as validation that I had correctly guessed the right lesson plans. I thought it was amazing it took month to get me the list but I am just taking this as a South East Asia efficiency thing. I decide to have my students write a book about themselves. I bought the materials at supply store in Chiang Mai, my school doesn’t even have the paper to support my book project. I was told to have the students bring paper from home. I want the students to be proud of their work. I want to use the books to help the students practice the words and sentences I have taught them over the last month. When the books are completed I am inviting the principal into the classrooms to listen to the students read. I also forgave the English teacher in my heart, I thought that she didn’t like me but she has been very kind to me and the students. The teachers enjoyed a ‘teacher appreciation day’ and receive elaborate flower arrangements made by the students. The assembly was definitely a cultural experience. The principal conducted a respectful offering and lighting of candles on the Buddha shrine. (The Buddha shrine is on the stage, every home and business has a shrine.) The teachers bowed to the Buddha. The teachers sat on the stage, and two students from each class bowed to the Buddha before walking on their knees to deliver their flower arrangement. There was one older girl student on the stage to place the flowers in an ascetically pleasing arrangement on the edge of the stage. Stanley and I were invited to sit on the stage but the Thai student teachers were not invited so we declined the offer 20 times from 10 different teachers.

Week five has been the best week of teaching thus far. I started the book project and the students LOVE making their books. I live on the opposite side of the world; I often forget how far I am from home. Then little moments happen I am shocked by the cultural differences. When I passed out the heavy paper for the book covers, the students said ‘thank you’ and Yed me. In America I don’t think any student takes a piece of paper and is even grateful for the nice facilities they have to facilitate learning. The difference in the education systems is a whole another post. I must confess I say hello to all of the students constantly just so they will Y me. It is the cutest thing in the world when children bow their heads to you and put their hands up to their heart. I gave them plenty of time to draw a picture of themselves, color and decorate. The Thai students are excellent at drawing and art work J Teaching has been so easy and enjoyable because I easily keep the students attention and have lots of work for them to accomplish.

Lunch is usually very gross, its bland or too spicy to eat. I have decided that Thais have no taste buds left and that is how they eat the spicy and grossness so well. I found a specialty bakery in Chiang Mai, I bought peanut butter, jelly and bread!! Hahahah I made my favorite, most missed food and FORCED the teachers to eat my yummy sandwich!! I loved every moment!! I think they hated it because before it touched their tongue they said it was delicious but they did not even have time to taste it!! I only had 4 sandwiches; Pinton and I shared one before lunch, and Stanley was a fatty and ate his own. The other 2 sandwiches were shared between 10 teachers. LOL Thai people eat the weirdest food!! Stanley and I enjoy internet access during our breaks between classes. I usually have 10 emails, I love all the attention but it takes me hours to respond back. I love this blog because everything is so different I want to share the unique experience with everyone.

Stanley and I became friends with the computer teacher very quickly. Pinton is 24 years old and I thought he was a nice guy even when he calls me fat or put spiders in my hand. All the ladies seemed particularly interested in making us boyfriend/ girlfriend.

On this particular day, Pinton had a computer class with some of the younger students, but decide to play his guitar. I'm not sure why the older boys were not in class but I guess they didn't feel like going... I guess slutting happens in High School but I think they are a bit young to start this bad habit... but then again who am I to talk? I missed class to go to the mall way to often... Oh the days without responsibility.

I wrote Chase, told him the bad news about my new boyfriend Pinton. I told him to write me a love note (actually said undying admiration note); this is one of my brainwashing tactics… Luckily for me Chase told me I didn’t have to brainwash him because he already feels the same for me as I do for him. I hope he know what that means!... He is going to be shocked when I bombard him with a lot of attention and energy; some may say I am extremely high strung when it comes to Chase and they are probably right. It’s not my fault that in business school you have to go to extreme lengths to get attention; so I am very good at knowing how to work hard to get what I want. I think this story overlapped another blog but whenever possible I am going to talk about Chase!! Stanley does not let me talk about him enough but all of the students like to look at Chases’ pictures!

THE FANCY SQUATTY POTTIE!! you use the bucket next to it to flush your pee (not my 5yr old baby pee) down!

THE FANCY BUTT SPRAYER... INSTEAD OF TOILET PAPER. I ONCE TURNED IT ON AND IT SPRAYED THE WHOLE ROOM!! OFTEN TIMES THE WHOLE FLOOR IS WET INCLUDING THE COMMUNITY FLIP FLOPS. one day at lunch I learned you can use your hand to double check if the sprayer actually cleaned your butt.... I ALSO LEARNED THAT THE DOCTORS HERE TELL THE PEOPLE THAT TOILET PAPER CAUSE CANCER... I STOPPED EATING AFTER THIS NEWS!!

THE SAME BAR OF SOAP FROM A MONTH AGO... YES WITH ALL OF MY FREE TIME I MONITOR THE SOAP USAGE IN THAILAND.... WHAT THEY ARE MAKING MY FOOD!! AND MY MOM WONDERS WHY I GET THE STOMACH FLU A LOT!!!... MY THAI MOM BLAMES THE WEATHER!!!

THAILAND EDUCATION: I'm not sure what this poster is promoting!! but it makes me giggle!

BARBIE GOES DANCING!!

2009-06-17T00:31:00.000-07:00

The world's greatest Traditional Chinese Dance Teacher

My second day at school I was invited to traditional Chinese dance class with one of the teachers that has taken a particular interest in me. My mom asked about 100 questions and consulted with Pinton for about 30 minutes before we worked out a ride arrangement. My mom likes to make sure I am taken care of. My mom told me in Thailand “men are strong, women are weak” so basically I have a 10:30 curfew and can’t go for a walk alone in my village. Pinton was in charge of taking me home on his scooter after dance class.

Anywooo, after school I went home with the teacher. She took me to her home to change and collect her things for dance. Her home is a puppy farm!! She had about 30 puppies or dogs at her home. When asked if I wanted water, I felt bad but I had to tell her I was not thirsty, complete lie! She has 6 brand new Pomeranian and the dad pom is so cute! She has 2 brand new Chihuahua Puppies. She also had Shih Tzus.

I played with the puppies until dance class. Stanley and Pinton accompanied me at dance class. The class consisted of 10 grandmas and very slow Chinese moves. At first, I thought that it was going to be a very long hour but I quickly discovered the slow yogaish moves were enlightening. I probably throw the word enlightenment around way to much! There is one particular move that makes the whole hour so worth the sweat; the grandmas shake their hips. Stanley and I started laughing until we were crying. At one point Stanley and I looked at Pinton and his robotic moves made us laugh so hard that nothing came out. My abs have not been in that much pain since the time my mom kicked her friend in the butt before I pulled the wax out of Ronda’s armpit. I love Chinese Dance class!

The second day at dance class, there were 20 grandmas and a photographer. We only danced for about 40 minutes because the photo shoot took so long. The photographer took pictures throughout the class and we did a lot of group pictures. I love all of the grandmas! They made me miss my grandma; I think she would have enjoyed dancing with me! All the grandmas started giving me high fives once they saw me slap Pinton’s hand. Side note: Thais do not do high fives so I have taught everyone and all my students think its way cool; I don’t even give high fives at home. I also received my dance button and Stanley only got to borrow his buttom, I think it is still a sore subject. The dancing grandmas motto is earth, galaxy and universe… it is up to interoperate whether the galaxy is in the universe or vise versa. There are 12 dances on the tape (not a CD). The last few dances are extremely slow but very enjoyable. I don’t know how the slow dances make me sweat more than I sweat during a spinning class or run at home… Oh wait it’s because its 90 degrees plus 100% humidity!!

After dance class, Pinton took me and Stanley to the market for a sweet treat. He bought us two snacks; one was a delicious pastry and the other was lord chung. Hehe I totally didn’t spell lord chung right but it is how it sounds to my American ears. Lord chung is this liquid with a few noodles in a bag and another bag that is dumped into the larger bag. Then you tie it with a rubber band and bit off a corner of the plastic and suck it out from the bag. As we sat at the Wat in the cooler weather as the sun set, I was loving my life!! It was one of the many moments when I just think to myself there is no were else in the world that I would rather be. I fell in love with dance class more after this evening.

The next day at school, the teacher invited me to look at the pictures. She was in the middle of teaching the oldest students but in Thailand there are NO rules! There are especially no rules when it comes to driving. The class stopped and a student managed to get them projected onto an old TV from the 80’s. I was almost mortified that I was in every single picture!! Normally, I would love the attention but something about being in every picture was just too extreme. What can I say the Asians love my whiteness!

So after several dance classes, making local friends and after running into Pinton at the Saturday San Kampheang market; I got the phone call. Actually I didn’t get the phone call, Stanley got the phone call that Alex received from the Thai facilitator, who got the call from the Principal at my school, who got yelled at by Pinton’s girlfriend earlier that morning…. I hope that last run-on sentence did NOT make sense so you know how I felt when I received the information that destroyed my self esteem. Basically, my mom can not take me to dance class because she has to take care of her children so I was now forbidden from attending dance class. I also could not attend dance class because Pinton’s girlfriend is wildly jealous of me. So after de-coding the message, I learned my mother had nothing to do with me attending dance class. Pinton lives with his girlfriend at his parent’s house and even tho they are not engaged they may become engaged soon… if I don’t destroy the skinny brat’s life. So after all of this drama I was sad!! Needless to say no one informed Pinton that he was no longer allowed to flirt with me. No one informed the teachers at the school that he can not LOVE me. That day all of the teachers went to a fancy dinner… you guessed it FISH. Anywooo, at dinner the conversation turned to the subject of Pinton’s LOVE for me…. Hmmmmm My one question about the chain of phone calls was “who was notified first the Thai facilitator or Pinton”??? just wondering!! Don’t feel bad for me some good came from this drama!!... I told chase to write me the undying admiration letter!!... heheheheh My mom always says Chase is going to be scared of me but I think he is brave enough to handle lil’ old me!!

BARBIE MEDITATION

2009-06-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

Tuesday June 10^TH I was invited to a Monk Meditation Retreat!! I was super excited to be with the Monks and learn about meditation. I got checked out of school early by Alex and we headed to a Wat in Chiang Mai. There were about 20 people at our retreat from 7 different countries. We listened to a Monk lecture for 2 hours before taking off to the retreat location. I love learning about Buddhism. I was lucky enough to listen to a Monk lecture a few days before after being peer pressured into listening to a horrible LDS Sunday school lesson. I really want to tell the LDS lady that she is the devil for making assumptions about the fate of the Jews! Anywooo, this is about the Monks. I am interested in the 8 Fold Path and the 4 Noble Truths. I enjoy the calming voices of the Monks, the lecture was filled with simple wisdom which invoked deep thinking. The 4 Noble Truths are; suffering, cost of suffering, truth to ending suffering and the path that leads away from suffering. Before becoming completely consumed by my Buddha book, I would have never thought about the effects of suffering. Buddhism is about cause and effect. Monks lectured about being responsible for one’s life. A clear concentrated mind can solve problems and end suffering; this is done by the Law of action. My most memorable moment at the lecture was when the Monk mocked churches that proselytize by going door to door. His voice was priceless and the boys just hung their heads… I was laughing with Ralph!

We took rod-dangs about 20km outside of the city, the retreat is near Chiang Mai University. The land was donated and all of the buildings and details of the program are covered by donations. The payment for the overnight retreat is done by donations. The internship program covered the retreat and the very cool all white pants and shirt. The retreat was interesting for a plethora of reasons. Not the most intriguing aspect of the retreat but an interesting observation was watching people act like lemmings. I like all the other people were out of our element and I think feared offending any Monk thus we took a long time to react to any request. At times it was difficult to understand the Monks even though they have excellent English. The retreat attracted a diverse group of individuals but the bonding was incredible. The bond was done in an interesting form since we were not allowed to talk once we arrived. We were completely SILENT for almost 24 hours. There were two people to a room and the opposite members of sex are not allowed to share rooms, even married couples. I was luckily enough to get my own room. I want to take the retreat as serious as possible so I elected to ditch Sondra and Kimi.

After showering and changing into my new clothes, I started to read a Buddha book. The first meditation / Monk-like activity was dinner. When the gong sounded the lemmings followed each other into the dining hall. We listened to the instructions before serving ourselves stir-fry (which I don’t believe is a meal) and we picked up a chanting card. A Monk led the chant and we repeated the words in English. I cannot remember all of the chants, first the Monks must contemplate their food. They cannot eat for beauty, attraction or in a gluttonous manner. They must only eat to remove hunger pains for a short while. The food is for simplicity and health. The food is for nourishment of the body. There are about 12 ideologies to follow. I had been very sick for the last 4 days so I took a small portion of food and the idea of wasting even one piece of rice was very stressful. I ate all of my food and desperately wanted more but I was afraid of looking greedy.

After Dinner, We headed into the meditation building and I began a new lifestyle. We learned the four positions of meditation; sitting, laying, standing and walking. We began the session with chanting and paying respect to the Buddha, Dharma and the Sutka. This involved bowing and touching our forehead slowly to the ground. Several days ago I was wondering why it is a commandment not to worship statues?? If anyone knows the answer I would like to know… I kinda feel like it is simply to disprove the Buddhist religion. Anywoo, we learned that we are NOT worshipping the Buddha simply paying respect to the great teacher. Buddha is not a God, he was the first MAN to reach enlightment. Anyone can reach enlightment but it is a private manner and the monks do not reveal if they have or have not reached this state of mind. We began by sitting on mats and learning the different floor sits. In general, all of the body positions have the right crossing the left, this is true of all the Buddha statues I have observed. We learned about breathing and counting techniques. The Monk’s calming voice sent my body and mind into a different realm than where my monkey mind usually resides. Monks refer to our minds as monkey minds because our thoughts are constantly jumping to a new thought before we finish the previous thoughts. We learned the importance of exercising our mind. We exercise our body and feed our body but we rarely take the time to do the same for your mind. We meditated on the floor for over an hour before going outside to meditate while walking and standing. I must admit I wanted to laugh at all of us walking. Walking is done by saying these simple words; “right goes thus, left goes thus.” The exercise starts with the words “standing, standing intending to walk” then “right goes thus”… the foot rises on ‘right’, the foot is in air on ‘goes’, and the foot steps down on’ thus’. It is important not to raise the heal of the left foot until the word ‘left’ is spoken. Everyone was having a difficult time moving slowly and balancing on their foot while the word ‘goes’ was being said. After walking, we finished the meditation by practicing laying meditation. Once we were done meditating, we chanted to the Buddha. Before bed, we got cookies and they were so delicious! Side note: I am unsure of how food actually taste because I am usually starving so anything and everything taste good.

I was so ready for bed. I have never felt so relaxed. I immediately went to sleep and like the Monk promised it was the most restful night I can remember. I was confused by the sound of the gong. It was dark and I had not been asleep long enough for morning. When I finally woke up and checked my phone it was 5am… I got up, brushed my teeth and curled my eyelashes. Like I promised Ralph, I will always have time to freshen up with a little bit of make up!! I made it to the meditation room before anyone else. I took the front mat. We chanted to Buddha and began a 30 minutes meditation exercise. It followed with a Monk exercise, they have a 14 step hand movement exercise. Stanley, Sondra, Kimi and Nate all showed up 40 minutes late and it took all of my mind concentration not to let it effect me. I didn’t want to focus my energy on them. A very lovely woman from Hawaii instructed the yoga portion of the meditation. I loved every minute of it but my leg was killing me so I was suffering!! I cannot wait to do more yoga!! I already emailed Chase and he promised that he would go to yoga class with me … you know in a year when he finally comes home!! After yoga and more meditation, we went to breakfast. The Monks’ only possessions are those that they beg for this includes food. We gave the Monks rice to eat. We said our chants and I ATE 4 SLICES OF WHITE BREAD WITH BUTTER!!! I WAS LOVING THE MONKS!! I try to never eat butter at home but after 4 weeks, I needed a lot of butter on my toast!! After Breakfast we had more meditation practice and a discussion. I enjoyed the discussion and enjoy learning from the Monk and other 10 people in my group. We learned how to use the rosemary beads for concentration. I bought some of the beads. We then changed and left for civilization….

I want to make meditation part of my lifestyle and practice yoga. Monks use yoga as a mind exercise to increase learning retention and memory. I LOVE THAILAND!!

BARBIE GOES TRIBAL

2009-06-14T23:05:00.000-07:00

COMMUNITY VOICES

The racism and violence of “nature conservation” as imposed by Thailand’s Royal Forest Department (RFD) erupted in the Hmong community of Pa Klang on 21 August 2000. On that day, RFD officials and police, passively watched as a mob of lowland Thais cut down the fruit orchards and burned houses of the Hmong people. Increasingly, ethnic Hmong communities living in the watershed uplands of northern Thailand are threatened with violence and forced eviction from their homelands.

“This is like dying while still alive”

Approximately 150 years ago, the Hmong people migrated
into Nan, Thailand, by crossing the Mekong River from Laos.
However, the official recognition of the Pa Klang community
settlement came only in 1932. Our livelihoods relied on
agriculture such as cultivating rice, vegetables and opium.
At that time opium growing was allowed because it served as
income for the state. In 1963, when the Communist Party of Thailand (CPT)
developed a strong base in Nan province. At that time, the government gave 10
rai [1.6 hectares] of farmland to each family in the new
settlement area. However, these lands
were provided without considering the
quality of the land. Most of the land could
not be farmed because it was on steep
slopes or the soil was infertile. At that time, the military
officers made an agreement with Hmong
people that once the fight with the
Communists was over, they would provide
new land for us or allow us to return to
our original settlement. However, it never
happened as they promised. Presently, most of the Hmong in
Pa Klang have farmlands in Chiang Klang district, but our
village is located in Pua district, with about 6,200 people. We
have 14 square kilometers of land. We paid the land tax (Phortoh-
boh 5) to Chiang Klang district for using the land.
However, we still have no legal ownership of the land.
Watershed Vol. 6 No. 2 November 2000 – February 2001 Page 4

Ralph’s Friend Jacob has been studying the Hmong People for approximately one year. In the fall he will live in St. Paul, Minneosta; where a community of Hmong people migrated. He rents a vacation home with his wife and 15 month old son. Jacob is a PHD student at the University of Chicago; Jacob moved from New York to Utah when he was a teen. We were lucky enough to stay with them and have Jacob facilitate our study of the Hmong. I read three articles on the Hmong, each had a different objective and view of the Hmong. My Thai mother told me that “Hmong are bad. The men take multiple wives and make them work so they can be lazy.” Alex had to convince a driver to take us on our trek; the driver made up several excuses of why he could not go to the hills. The drive said his bus would not make it up the hills and the people were to backwards to associate with. I found this racial discrimination very odd. I could not understand how people who look almost identical, speak the same language and have a long history, could be seen as different. The small amount of information made me fascinated with the Hmong. Once arriving in Nan, we settled into our new living quarters, and explored the Wednesday market. As usual I was the most excited to shop at the market. The market was small but there were a lot of unique and cheap items. I found a beautiful shirt! I love it so much! I found a few snacks and enjoyed a yummy coconut donut recommended by a very nice man. Ralph bought me long gloves… I didn’t tell him they were fugly!

After the market we played volleyball with 20 locals… I don’t like volleyball but found the most adorable group of girls! The girls had the cutest faces and even tho I couldn’t understand them I think they were very sassy! The girls and kids were very shy. I t took most of the night to get them to warm up. Once it got dark we departed for home. Jacob prepared a traditional Hmong dinner. Special Hmong fancy grass with a side of bone in a yummy broth. It was good but apparently they eat it about 10 times a week and in that case I would be a very skinny grouchy lady!

The following morning was a turning point in my 4 weeks in Thailand; I ate American pancakes with bananas and a normal fried egg. I was in food heaven!! It tasted so good and for the first time in a long time I felt completely full! Three cultural boundaries were broken at breakfast. The drivers never eat with their passengers but our driver came in for breakfast. The driver, who hates Hmongs sat next to Jacob’s Hmong assistant. And I can’t remember the third… hmmmmm I will have to ask Stanley. After breakfast we set out to visit a “famous” salt mine. I wish words could describe the beauty that I observed from the bus.

We traveled for approximately 6 hours to visit Nan and the drive to the salt mine was 80 minutes. We were 10km away from Laos but at one point we were on top of a mountain and on the left was Thailand and the right was Laos. We were driving on a road that went straight up into the clouds. I wish my pictures could capture the magnitude of the beauty. We stop at several stops to observed a mini Wat and the “oldest tree ever” (not sure if I believe that). There was talk of visiting the Thai Princess’s projects so when we arrived at the salt mine I thought we were at a small community project. After I saw two people working and the small hole in the ground, I hear we were at the salt mine. I was astonished at the size and the conditions of the factory.

The river which the salt is derived from...

The factory

The famous salt mine!

Salt not snow... don't be fooled... it is hotter than you know where!!... Mom, I didn't say you know what...

The salt mine was pretty boring so luckily Kimi’s foot kissed by a leech!! It was the most disgusting thing ever! A lot of bleed came out of the leech and poor Kimi was a little panicked. After leaving the salt mine we drove a different direction home and stopped at one of two of the Princess’s projects. One was closed so we didn’t get to visit the project. The second project was so beautiful! The princess has an agriculture project that employees the community and children and teens have access to a free education which in return gives the project higher educated employees.

The heat almost killed me before the food we ate at a beautiful waterfall. We ate at a vendor and if I have to look at fish or eat papaya salad one more time I will vomit on the nearest dirty dog!!! That is a promise, that I can’t keep or I would be vomiting every meal. L I just hate looking a flies eating my meal before me and looking into the charcoaled eyes of dead animals… I would be a vegetarian but even Nicole Richie has a little meat on her bones these days! The waterfalls were exactly what I wanted! I need some cold water to cool myself down. I was also glad the driver was able to take a bath and wash his hair since he refused to come in the house to even use the toilet. As usual the boys had to dunk me in the water so my “pineapple” would get wet. Stanley lovingly refers to my hair as the pineapple. I would not have mind but I was not planning on washing my hair until I got home. Regardless of my hair I didn’t care that Ralph was splashing me the most. We played on the rocks and hike up the waterfall until we felt it was to dangerous to go any further.

At the nightly volleyball game I was instantly best friends with my girls from the night before. The girls and I danced to music and they liked touching my white skin. I enjoyed tickling them and making them giggle. One of the girls gave me the tiniest baby to hold. I thought he was going to slip out of my sweaty arms. I held him most of the night and when a lady stole him away I reached my hands out and he came back to me! That moment will forever be in my mind; I got the approval of the local women and that baby made me feel so special. After volleyball, my gang of girls took me down the street and away from the bus… I thought I would surely be sleeping in a wooden home but Ralph made me leave my girls behind. I was very sad. Jacob picked up a 300 buht dinner from a restaurant which is the traditional way of consuming meals. The food is so cheap that NO one cooks! Everyone buys all of their meals at a market; 300 buht is about $9 US dollars and feed 12 people and a baby. After showers, all the interns watched Crash, great movie that exposes stereotyping. Everyone should watch that movie often!!

Friday morning, we went to a morning market that opens at 3am and last until 8am… of course we didn’t arrive until 9am and it was closing. We headed to one of the best Thailand bakeries. I enjoyed a delicious sweet bread that was filled with chocolate. I also got some chocolate puffs but shared them with the group because I want to be skinny for my Phuket trip! After breakfast we visited with a Hmong family that Brenda and baby Thomas spend a lot of time with. The homes were the wooden huts, I would guess that about half of the homes I saw were wooden huts and the others were cement. The “family” was spread into about 6 homes. The father has two wives; Brenda explained that the first wife is economically independent of her husband. The son of the first wives takes care of his Mother. The two wives have about 3 feet of dirt separating their homes. The first home we saw had three married couples living in the different corners. I was shocked and grateful for my house at home… I hope that is not judgmental but I would not like that living situation.

One corner of the hut; this is one married couples bedroom.

They cook and make fires in the wooden hut so they are completely black inside.... hmmmmm i hope their lungs are not as black! I don’t know how everyone is related in the area. I visited with a paralyzed woman. We played dress up in the clothes she makes. I bought the blue Hmong skirt for 1000 buht which was a huge antiques discount because Brenda’s cost 3200 buht. We stayed with the people all morning. I loved the Hmong people! We said our goodbyes and hit the road at about 1pm…

We made it to Chiang Mai in time to accompany Ralph to Terminator… I didn’t mind it but the beginning battle scenes made me think about Chase and I wanted to cry because I am afraid for Chase!!! I wish Obama would bring our troops home and make the “change” he said he would!!!!

TARZAN BARBIE WITH THE GIBBONS

2009-06-11T01:34:00.000-07:00

Our third weekend excursion was completely amazing and covered by the program! All the interns got picked up by a Flight of the Gibbon’s van at 7am… well actually it was 7:40am but that was practically on time according to Thai time. Thais have a funny way of being an hour late; it makes my 15 minute lateness seem appropriate. The Flight of the Gibbon’s is about an hour from Chiang Mai and transportation is part of the service. Once we arrived, we got suited up in our harness gear. For some reason it was a very amusing experience for all the interns. I was worried that the harness was unflattering on my booty. The boys were worried about other problems. We were given wooden breaks; I was worried that it was not enough break to keep me from crashing into a tree. Champ and Crash took us to the first of 18 platforms. I was feeling extremely confident with the appropriately named tour guides.

The first platform was a warm-up run but it was definitely the scariest. When I got to the second platform my legs were weak from fear and the small platform felt like it was swaying. The platforms barely held the 6 interns, 1 professor and 2 guides. The ground is a 100 feet below and I was not sure how much fun I was having! The second platform was far and showed the most amazing jungle floor. I really enjoyed screaming and flying in the air. I let go of the harness and put my arms in the air like I just didn’t care!! I then crashed into Crash and hugged the platform tree for dear life. We then walked a bridge to the high edge on the mountain.

We hiked a little to the next platform; I took in the incredible jungle, it always amazes me. The next several platforms were fun and with new confidence Crash felt it necessary to jump on the cable and let me bounce through the air, once I was on the platform I would realize how much fun I was having. We had to repel down to lower platforms and that was really fun! I enjoyed doing a ballerina poses in the air. It took about 2 hours to complete all the platforms. The last platform was in the most amazing tree. We then had to repel down 50 meters to the jungle floor. I enjoyed the journey down, they would drop me really fast and then stop me and then release me and I was sad that our adventure was over.

The flight of the Gibbon’s included a delicious lunch. We were served jasmine rice with a yummy Muslim curry. We had scrumptious fruit for dessert. All the interns and Ralph hiked to a near by waterfall. It was extremely steep getting to the trail head. Once on the trail I thought for sure I was going to slip and fall. It was straight up and while observing the waterfall was just asking for an accident. At one point there is stairs that are so steep I was nervous to come down. We made it to the top and took our shoes off and enjoyed the cool water. Once again I was sweating like crazy! Alex decide to splash my pants so I had to get him back… Yes, he is the grown-up in charge of the interns… scary I know! We played on a vine and the boys pretended to be Tarzan, I was secretly hoping it would break but luckily it never did.

Going down the mountain was not as bad as I imagined but I kept Nate in front of me so his big back would break my fall. Once we reached the base of the waterfall, we were served a delicious red Gibbon juice. All the interns were scared to drink the possible poisonous tea but I thought it was refreshing and Bishop Ralph didn’t seem concerned. After cooling off with a cold hand towel, compliments of the Flight of the Gibbons, we decide to head back to the base camp. The towel was exactly what I wanted but my mind could not help but drift to the cleaning techniques of the Thais. I’m sure they just dipped my “clean” towel in the cold water that contained lemongrass and passed it out to the next person. I ‘m pretty sure that I was the first to use my clean towel.

I was tired when I arrived home so I took a nap with my Thai babies; it was a delightful afternoon. My starving belly was thankful for the “good” food. The evening finished with Thai TV. I love Thai TV; I don’t know what they are saying put the plots are so dang funny. I think if the same series played in America, less people would watch TV!! I think that would be a good thing!! Thai TV cannot show violence and the shows always have a happy ending… I enjoyed my refreshing cold shower but as always my mind drifts to thoughts and memories of what a warm shower would feel like…. I never imagine a HOT shower but I bet one day I will think about that… AS ALWAYS LIFE IN THAILAND IS AMAZING!! MY INTERNAL UNIVERSE AND GALLAXY IS AT PEACE… IF ONLY THE REST OF THE WORLD LIVED LIFE LIKE ME….

Farmer Barbie

2009-06-10T23:32:00.000-07:00

My second weekend excursion was buffalo riding. We arrived at a rice farm somewhere outside of Chiang Mai. The Thai farmers showed us the three ways to mount a buffalo. The first is to climb up by pushing one’s foot against the neck area of the animal. The second way is to train the buffalo to sit down; which looked the easiest. The third way is done by running towards the beast’s butt and jump at the last second and avoid touching it's poop. As dumb as it may sound I was so nervous to mount the beast. I made everyone go before me. Everyone jumped the animal just fine and all I could think about was hitting it’s poopy butt and falling on the ground. Out of peer pressure, I did the impossible and mounted the stupid animal. Thanks to all the interns I have a bunch of great pictures to document the astonishing moment. These photos will not been seen unless the other interns cruelly post them for me.

The second activity was tilling a wet rice patty with a water buffalo. From what I hear the water was hot and felt discussing. I woulda, shoulda, coulda done it but after Nate started bleeding and the lack of clean water in Thailand to clean off the mud, I elected to watch from the sidelines. I don’t have to prove myself to anyone; I am a farmers’ daughter and I don’t have to get dirty to prove it! The buffalo was struggling to pull the till through the mud. I felt bad for the animal and all the farmers; it is really hard work. Next we planted rice in the mud; I will never know how they manage to plant perfect rows. It creates the most beautiful landscape.

All the interns learned the steps to harvesting the rice. After the rice is cut, a bundle of rice is smashed into a very large wooden basket to abstract the rice. The seeds are then placed on a plastic tarp and fanned. The fanning makes the casing of the rice fly off the tarp and only the rice seeds remain. The rice is then put into a cement thingy and a funny machine continues to de-shelled the rice. The rice was then placed on a wooden tray. There are several types of rice; jasmine, red, black, green and gross American rice.

I like jasmine rice a lot and it’s a good thing cuz it the only thing I eat! I totally don’t have an eating disorder just because I’m on a rice only diet… or do I?? Side note: two weeks after I was a Thai farmer, I made a horrible, most heinous gesture at dinner I was served fried rice for dinner and when I was going to grab sticky rice, I got the most disturbing looks from my mom and grandma. Apparently, when eating fried rice one is NEVER allowed to eat sticky rice. Or maybe I am so large and in charge in Thailand that my family has put me on a more restricted diet and I didn’t get the memo. Anywoo, we were showed how brown sugar is abstracted from sugar cane using a water buffalo. The brown sugar cubes were very sweet and delicious!

Finally, we got to use a platform to mount a nice tame buffalo and ride it in a circle. The experience was similar to child’s birthday party with pony rides; the animal was slow and the farmer never let go of the rope. Luckily for the buffalo there were not as many flies as I imagined so he didn’t get slapped and I didn’t fall off its extremely mal-nourished boney back.

The interns spent the rest of the afternoon hiking up to a gorgeous waterfall. I was dying of sweat more than normal because we decide to race up the jungle instead of observing the beauty of Thailand’s jungles. Once we reached the top my clothes were already off and I climbed on to a high rock and let the water cool me down. It was an amazing moment. I felt so refreshed and I took several minutes to embrace the moment and repeat in my head “I Love My Life!” I contemplated about all of my life experiences that led up to that moment. There have been few moments when I have felt so vindicated for all the long hours and sleepless nights of endless labor I have endured for the last 5 years. The boys and I splashed around in the water and had a great time. I must say Sondra had a breakdown and I thought it was hilarious but I wasn’t the one getting screamed at for jumping off rocks. I played in the water until I was cold and we hiked down the jungle at a slow pace.

We went to the Sam Kanpang Saturday street market. I love the street markets! We hunted for food and found lots of yummy snacks! We had flat scones with condensed milk (everything has condensed milk on it). We found some delicious spicy meat balls and some other kind of deep-fried meat. I of course found myself my daily fruit smoothie; this one had gummies in it and they tasted great! I found two adorable skirts! And then the most dramatic event in Thailand’s history happened… I ran into Pinton! Pinton is the 24 year old computer teacher at my school. All of the lady teachers want Pinton to be my boyfriend. Stanley and I spend a lot of time with him because we are always working on our laptops in the computer room; we have become good friends with him. PINTON had his mystery GIRLFRIEND at the market and she HATES my whiteness Barbie self!!

The First of Many Weekend Adventures

2009-05-31T23:44:00.000-07:00

My first weekend excursion was amazing!! All the interns rode in a rod-deng, which is a little old red truck with two benches in the bed and has a covered top. It is perfectly safe to ride outside of the truck and hang on to the back; this how Ralph likes to roll.

We enjoyed the company of new friends; a graduate student from Duke University with her 6 year old twin girls, a Duke Philosophy Professor and a South African woman with red curly hair. We shared a great lunch at Banana Leaves; Alex ordered great food and we all shared the entries. I enjoyed a delicious chocolate/banana smoothie… I now need one everyday but at 70 cents a pop, why the heck not??

We made our way to Doi Suthep; which is the most famous Wat in Northern Thailand. The Wat is high-up in the jungle and has a remarkable view of Chiang Mai. I live by the mountain clear out to the west or is it east? Anywooo I live 30km out of the city. The ancient story tells of an elephant that carried the Buddha’s shoulder bone on its back and traveled the forest until it reached the area on which the temple now resides.

The Temple has about 100 long steps up to the base of the Wat with amazing dragons coming down the staircase. When we made it to the top, we took off our shoes and explored as much of the complex Wat as possible.

There are several sets of Buddha’s that are organized according to the days of the week. Each day has a Buddha in a different position; the day of the week that one is born is how it is determined which individual Buddha represents them. I was born on a Saturday; my Buddha is the one with 7 serpents. Ralph informed me that Buddhism is one of the only religions that have serpents serve as protection. I am now in search for a Saturday Buddha pendent with a delicate gold chain.

The Wat cannot be described by pictures or words; it was a very moving, spiritual temple. There were several people worshiping and lighting insence at the Way. There are two rooms with massive shrines of several Buddha statues in all different sizes and stones. They have several different elements to the shrine and there are several pictures of the King and Queen. As I sat on my ankles, the proper way of sitting, I said a sincere pray with my palms together, bent over and touched my head to the floor. When it was my turn, I turned to my left and sat in front of a Monk. He started a beautiful chant, the language barrier made the words even more intriguing. He picked up a bamboo stick that contained several shoots, dipped into the wholly water and then splashed it on my face and hair. This is how I received the most sincere blessing from a Monk I may never see again. I have been contemplating my views and beliefs about religion since this experience.

I wondered around the Wat and took a lot pictures. I am reading a book titled, Buddha. I have several questions and I am lucky enough to have Ralph to ask, this was the perfect time to learn more about this ancient religion. This semester in Thailand, I am writing my research paper on religious influences on politics. I find this topic extremely intriguing. The first pilgrim setters came to America for religious freedom; we have “complete separation of church and state” except in Utah. Buddhism is inescapable in Thailand; school, business, homes it is virtually everywhere one looks. Thailand has the ultimate respect for their King and Queen; pictures can be observed in every home, business, signs on the side of the road and at every Wat. All of the calendars observed thus far have been of the King or Buddha.

Wat kitty, skinny little thing!

After the Wat, we went to the Chiang Mai Zoo and Aquarium. It was fun to see all the fish and animals but the heat made it difficult to enjoy. The constant flow of sweat running down my body makes it hard to concentrate. The animals were a little more alert than at home but basically it was no different from American zoos. We dropped our friends off at the apartment building they share with Ralph and headed to the market. We went to a lovely market that sells every imaginable animal part. We found some delicious meat on a skewer. My first personal rule in Thailand, NEVER under any circumstance ask what kind of meat you are eating while eating!! My second personal rule in Thailand, ALWAYS ask interns as many questions about shady food to avoid!! It is the only way to survive! I find it amazing what I eat when I have been eating about 800 calories a day since Monday and there is no sign that my calorie intake will increase in the near future. The meat was tasty and the sticky rice was not boring. We got dried fruit to share and I got a fresh pineapple juice, so yummy. At this market, I experienced my first Durian aka I wanna throw up cuz it smells like rotten garlic, onions, soaking in dirty socks from my HOT boyfriend in Iraq. Sorry Chase but it’s probably true, you probably have funky socks! The fruit is so gross and it’s slimy!! Side note: I later found out it’s my Thai Mom's favorite fruit and makes her so happy. She loves her children more than Drainan but she may possibly love it more that her husband!! Pukey fruit!

We ate in the back of the rod-deng; it was so fun and refreshing. It was one of the many moments when I start smiling and say I love my life!! I cannot believe I am in South East Asia and experiencing so many simple experiences that are changing my views about my life and the world I thought I knew.

We arrived at the Night Safari in Chiang Mai and were immediately approached by the prettiest baby tiger. The tiger, I like to call him Kitty Kat, was on a chain leash and was biting a stick. His master was nice enough to let us pet the Kitty Kat and he rolled around on the grass. Stanley, got bit by a fish at the aquamarine and got swatted by the tiger!! It was an intense moment but luckily his man purse protected him from the little ol’ baby’s massive paw! Once again, I got this smile on my face and was loving my life!! My internship paid the high price of 250bu ($7US dollars) to get me into the park.

This attraction is truly better than the happiest place on earth Disneyland! Immediately we ran into a baby elephant wearing a beautiful zebra outfit. The elephant did tricks for us and we got to sit on this leg. I was loving this massive creature!! As most already know the elephant’s name is Dolly. We got a special kiss from Dolly! We then walked around a small lake and saw all different kinds of wild life. The most memorable exhibit was the turtles! They were making funny noises and were rockin each other! Alex was particularly amused by these creatures! I could have spent a lot more time observing the creatures and animals but we had to get back to ride the safari bus. As luck would have it, we missed the bus and got to see an amazing laser light show over the lake. I am so glad we missed the bus because we got to stay 2 hours longer to wait for the next bus. There are 2 safari bus rides; the first has less fierce animals. The buses are open on the sides and the darkness of the night made it feel like Jurassic park. The animals are just yards away from the bus or roaming in front of it. The man killing animals are behind an invisible electric fence and are almost too close for comfort. Two huge tigers started fighting on their back paws as we drove pass; it was the highlight of the bus ride. I was worried about getting home late to my family because I have a curfew of 10:30pm and my babies don’t like to sleep until I get home.

Sunday, I was up and ready for church at 7:30, getting up that early feels natural and the rosters in my yard makes it hard to sleep. Stanley and I rode the rod-deng into Chiang Mai. We met the other interns at the church. The church was not different from the church at home except the language barrier. We have the option of wearing headphones to hear the missionaries translate the words into English. I preferred to listen in Thai. We went to an English Sunday school lesson; there was about 10 American’s in the class. Relief Society, at home is so boring and true for Thailand as well. The most passive American woman I have ever seen taught the most boring lesson but maybe she was just nervous. I was laughing because her object lesson back fired. Anywoo, we met with the branch president afterwards and I told him I do best in primary.

We enjoyed another delicious lunch and it cost 20bu haha I love this place! We then found a delicious bakery so I bought my babies some treats and enjoyed a sweet cake. I then saved Stanley’s life by punching him in the gut while he was choking and he never has said thank you… kinda rude! I then enjoyed an internet café for 2 hours and barely had time to check and respond to all of my emails. After that, Stanley, Kimi, Sondra and I then explored Chiang Mai. It was about 5pm and we were waiting for the Sunday market to start, when we used a restroom and found out it was a Thai massage business. we negotiated a price of 250bu (about$7US) and I have never experienced a better massage! Kimi and I were in the same room, we took turns showering. The shower and AC in the building was worth the $7 dollars. We put on these comfortable, huge pants that tied at the waist and a light cotton shirt. The Thai women then came into the room and got on the bed and proceeded to use her whole body to massage and twist mine. I LOVE Thai Massages!! After the massage, the Sunday market was in full swing. All of the items are handmade by Thai people. I didn’t purchase a lot because I want to see everything before I start buying special gifts for myself, family and friends. I did buy my second waffle snack; its waffle batter mixed with different fillings or fruit cooked in different shaped irons. I ate a banana waffle on a stick at Doi Suthrep. At the market I enjoyed a fish with chocolate filling for 5bu. After the market I hurried home, so I wouldn't upset my mom and so I could be well rested for school.

MY NEW LIFE!

2009-05-31T22:25:00.000-07:00

Stanley’s new home was the first stop after Ralph’s apartment. If it was any indication of my new home I was getting nervous and the potential bug bites were making me itch. When I saw my new home for the first time, I feel in love! I live in the most beautiful Thai home.

This is our spirit house. Everyday we give it offerings of water, food and flowers. The spirit house is the home of the spirits that reside on the property. My mom grew up in an old house that was tore down once her parents died. She built a new home and continues to reside on this beautiful plot of land. The family wants to keep all the spirit happy! No wonder nothing bad ever happens here...

The home has two beautiful patios; they are connected by the stairs. I enjoy writing in my journal or reading my book in the evenings. I love watching the kids run around and get in water fights and splash my feet!

My new Thai family is so fabulous! My new siblings; Poo (8) is a wild big brother and made me laugh the second I met him. Pee (5) is the cutest Thai boy ever and is my monkey cuz he immediately started hanging on me, and the baby Pim (3) is the next Miss Universe; she is gorgeous. They are extraordinary cute kids and very well behaved and polite!!... At least that day.

My mom’s name is Ma Tu and she is the most petite thing I have ever seen. The Pa works in Bangkok as a police officer and only comes home every few months. My Ma’s grandma lives in the house and mostly we laugh at each other because we can‘t use words to communicate. The Pa’s grandpa lives at the house but he has a way of never being around. The Grandma’s brother lives on the property in Ma Tu’s parents’ old house. The family has 4 dogs, 2 skinny cats, about 4-20 lizards that live on the walls (mostly in the kitchen, family room, and upstairs bathrooms) and we also have a chicken farm in the yard.

My bedroom is unbelievable!! I live upstairs and have the most amazing view of the untamed jungle. Originally, my only furniture was my bed, which made my room more furnished than Stanley’s (he thought he would be sleeping on a mat). The first night at my new home was relaxing, comfortable and exactly where I want to be this summer. I knew I was placed in the perfect country, in the perfect village, and in the perfect home with the perfect bedroom. I woke up several times in the night my first week; I loved the quite sound of frogs and creatures outside of my window. I wake just in time to see the sunrise and I arrived at my own level of Zen.

The first weekend I woke up at 7:30am to the sound of Poo opening the curtains and sweeping the floor. When I am ready to get out of bed, he takes me downstairs to the table and serves me breakfast. Without asking, he gets me water, I decided, I must get my hands on a Thai baby! Poo is the perfect little boy until his brother Pee enters the room and they usually began to fight. My room is the best room to hang out in. The kids play on my laptop while I stared out my window and write in my journal. The last few days have been the most relaxing mornings I can remember in the history of my life. I have forgotten how I got out of bed in America. No offense Katey but I am sick of having you not treat me like a princess every single day!

The uncle Nikro, took me to lunch the day after I arrived. I didn’t want to leave the kids but decided exploring my village was more enticing then babysitting. We went to a restaurant in San Kamphang, I live outside of this village. The place had no front wall, had not been sanitized with cleaning supplies ever and it was very sketchy!! Luckily, my Mexico adventures helped me relax and just enjoy whatever parasites I would be encountering. The food was really good but I took it slow because I have one fear while in Thailand… THE KNOT!! Side note: I do not feel comfortable sharing THE KNOT just yet… it is the graphically disgusting portion of the blog that must wait until I feel more comfortable… some of the readers may already know about THE KNOT. I avoided the ice and totally got called out by the uncle, who speaks English. After lunch, we went to a convenience store. I needed a razor ASAP and had no money of worth. When the uncle offered to buy me some items I asked for a razor and I thought he would never stop laughing after discovering it was for my legs not my face. Apparently, Thai women don’t grow hair on their body but American woman grow hair on their face… well partial true, I do make a living waxing women’s faces. At the store the uncle asked if we could stop and see his friends for a half an hour. Naturally I had no choice but to say yes and I didn’t mind. He bought me sticky rice w/mango w/coconut milk. When we arrived at the friend’s house, there were 10 men waiting outside that immediately started hollering when they saw me. Turns out we were at a pool hall. I enjoyed the most delicious food put on this earth while they played for 2 hours. I was not bored because I was enjoying the breeze and contemplating why I have never taken a Thursday afternoon off just to chillax with my friends. The pool hall changed my life! I no longer want to live my stressed-out crazy busy life; I want more chillaxin time with friends and to enjoy life more! The whole day made me fall in love with Thailand; they may not have all the necessary luxuries that Americans treasure, but they enjoy life. I think the secret to life is happiness, not collecting worldly possessions. Northern Thailand has a slow economy that sees little impact from the current global recession; this is purely based on my observations thus far. I will probably go off on more of these tangents because I will be conducting research for my internship paper on a related topic.

My children at home called to see where I was and to whine about how the uncle should have just bought food from the lady on the motorcycle that stops by the house every day. Truth be told, I was starting to miss my new babies after being separated for 2 hours.

Hi Ho! Hi Ho! It's off to South East Asia I Go

2009-05-25T01:35:00.000-07:00

My journey to South East Asia begins in the unruly jungle of Salt Lake City, Utah. I worked my way up the food chain @ the University of Utah to become a prestigious Hinckley Institute of Politics intern. I thrived in Washington DC and was granted my wish of an exotic adventure across the world. I was paired with the most fabulous mate Stanley! Together we had to concur five airports; SLC, LAX, Taipei Taiwan, Bangkok and finally Chiang Mai. The journey was long! The outfit choice was extremely important for many reasons. I had to wear the same outfit for three days! Ugggggh wearing the same outfit for three days goes against every personal rule I have made for myself! Secondly, I usually change my outfit at least twice a day and some days I change four times a day! Thirdly, my new family first impression was ultra important! I decide to wear my white n pink cowgirl boots cuz I'm totally a cowgirl contrary to popular belief! I then wore my favorite traveling purple skirt paired with a black peace shirt and my white poncho!! I actually wore the perfect outfit but what can I say this usually always happens!!

I have been working so hard I promised myself for the last month that I could sleep when I got onto the plane. The flight from SLC to LAX was short and sweet and I was out before we took off :) I was awake long enough to enjoy a Delta airline “cookie” tasted and looked more like a dog treat. If I only knew what I know now, I would have taken 10 cookies to last me the rest of the flights! Arriving in LAX was the most cultural shock I experienced during the journey. Changing gates was complicated and finding the right building was kinda hard! When Stanley and I entered the Bradley Terminal, we were surrounded by a sea of Asians; definitely in the right spot! The line was so long to check into China Air; Stanley and I decided to develop a traveling tactic, play dumb American. When we made it to our gate we got hassled by the most beautiful Chinese woman. We were supposed to check in downstairs and get new boarding passes but the line made that not an option! The worse part of the traveling was waiting for the 1am flight; I was up at 8am and did 20 last minute errands before my SLC flight.

When boarding the flight to Taiwan I was under the impression the flight was 6 hours because that is what I read on the itinerary. Once again I feel asleep before we left the gate! I was exhausted!! At one point during the flight I heard the most disturbing news about the length of the flight. I had no idea that I was riding a 13 hour flight to Taiwan. I was completely disoriented! I had no watch, no concept of time, how long I had been flying or sleeping or how much longer the flight would take. This feeling of being completely clueless happens more than I like to admit and frightens most that know me! I failed to read the most important part of the itinerary; Monday night turned to Wednesday morning! Stanley had to inform me about the day change; I was very upset because Tuesday May 12, 2009 never happened!! I was served chicken n’ rice with a side of worm! Uggggh I was not in America anymore; the plane food was spicy!! I kinda ate my dinner but it was sooooo gross. I keep sleeping, waking up long enough to reposition the head rest and fall asleep again. I was awakened by the flight attendant taking orders for breakfast. I could barely understand her. I decided Chinese plane eggs sounded dangerous and the girl next to me got rice soup so I ordered rice soup. Without a doubt the most disgusting thing I have ever eaten!! Once again, if I only knew then what I know now… At least the soup did not contain a worm just shrimp (possibly worse than the worm but that will never be determined)! The only reason I amused myself with these meals was utter boredom!

The Taipei airport had internet access and it made me so happy! I had been gone a day, possibly 2 days… I am still a little confused about the missing day and I had 16 emails. I was feeling the love and it took the entire lay-over to respond. I met a friend on the flight into Bangkok! He

helped pass the time and made my trip seem completely organized. He had no place to live in Bangkok and started work in the morning! At least I had a home in Chiang Mai. My living situation changed two days before my departure which makes flying across the world slightly more scary! Once again I fell asleep on the flight; in hind sight all the sleeping helped me avoid jet lag. Before the plane descended into the Bangkok, I had to fill out transfer paper work. It can be worrisome if you are unsure of most of the answers on the questionnaire. Anywho I guessed right on most of them and got to transfer J The Bangkok airport is massive! Stanley and I were nervous about the immigration process. Turns out the immigration process was quick and easy. Our fourth security check, however, was HORRIBLE!! I almost got in a huge fight! The dumb Thai man stole my expensive facial sunscreen, facial moisturizer and body lotion!! I tried to reason with him but to no avail. He laughed as he stole it; uggggh I will never forgive him! Stan and I easily found the tallest white man at the airport, Ralph. Ralph could easily make Barbara Walter’s Top 10 most interesting people in 2009 list. He is amazing and I am so glad that he is helping us navigate S.E.A.!! Ralph is very wise and helps me understand a lot about the cultural differences that seem backwards. Ralph is a high roller and treated us to lunch! He must have spent $2.50 for the three of us to have a delicious Thai meal, including two drinks each! I had the most amazing chocolate milky drink which was not too sweet and a green soda that was bubble gum flavored. We had fatty chicken with rice which was amazing, also a total false advertising for some of the food to come…

I swear that whoever designed the branding for Thai airplanes was my twin sister or ladybrother! I love the color scheme!! The prettiest pink, purple and yellow plane with matching Thai flight attendants! The flight was an hour and once again the tired Barbie fell asleep. Arriving in Chiang Mai was glorious! It took about 10 minutes to walk to baggage claim and find our bags. I was so grateful to see my bag. I had mentally prepped myself for having my bag lost. Alex and Nate picked up Stanley and me. Before they dropped us off at our host families though, we had to drop off Ralph at his apartment. Ralph lives in a fancy apartment which offers airport pick-up. I love his building and his rent is only $300 per month. To become a exceptional jungle Barbie I need to live in Ralph’s building for one year of my life…now deciding what year.