New classes and a new travel itinerary

August 8, 2011: Monday

Yesterday was yet another wonderful day in Bangkok. Although my coffee is instant, I’m perfecting, or rather – a continuing student of optimism, and have grown to appreciate the instant gratification of instant coffee. Rather than waking and grinding, boiling, and pressing my java in my (still) beloved French Press (fully deserving capitals, obviously), I wake, warm water, and stir. This new routine also tests my restraint: because I have no intention of keeping water warmed and because I lack a microwave, I’ve managed my mornings with a single cup. Pride fills my heart.

…and then comes the afternoon coffee purchase….

Yesterday I visited Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn with a fellow UCSC peer. I strolled over to her place (about 20 minutes by foot), observed a mother tending to her son’s head of lice in a grassy intersection, retrieved some proper Thammasat uniform attire as well as temple clothes, and off we went. The temples as well as the grand palace require that shoulders and thighs be completely covered. Wat Arun wasn’t terribly large, but was terribly gorgeous. The depth of the steps leading up the side of the temple confessed I was an amateur – the rails were put to good use as tourists of many languages became more aware of their own shoe size in relation to the Thais.

The temple boasted the acquisition of jade, stories of stratified societies, and spirituality for local visitors entranced before the feet of monks. The views from the temple made me small – and by no means do I feel large.

The evening climaxed as a number of us gathered around a table for Indian Food in Phahurat (Little India). Although the Thais are expertly trained in the craft of tasty nourishing, the daal, the naan, the raita, and the roti left my tongue dancing and my tummy comatose. Mission accomplished?

We finished the night with plans to visit Chiang Mai.

August 9, 2001: Tuesday

A late night and an early morning. We woke and rushed to the train station to buy THIRD class seats to Chiang Mai. Although a 14 hour train ride, we spent just $15 dollars for round trip tickets. I’m wondering if these bench seats are made of spikes – perhaps spiked warmed by coals and tainted with budget-travelers poison. Fifteen dollars for nearly 1,000 miles of travel – how is it possible?

The train station was a success, despite the Queens birthday inspiring daunting numbers of travelers to traverse the country, we walked out with tickets in hand. For tonight. We leave in four hours and will be gone for 6 days. Chaing Mai is located in Northern Thailand near Burma and hosts the largest mountain peak in Thailand. Cooking classes, elephant rides, tiger petting, yoga classes, and a break from Bangkok are on my list of Things to Do.

With travel plans looming just hours away, I almost forgot to mention the most significant task on my day’s agenda: start school. Today I sat through my first two classes at Thammasat. Dolled up appropriately so in my uniform, I was introduced to Thai Traditional Medicine and Buddhism in Thailand. And that was it. The first week of school and already I have more free time than I had while in Santa Cruz over the course of two years; Monday no classes, today classes, tomorrow is TU graduation and campus is closed, Thursday classes have been cancelled, and Friday is the Queen's birthday (known as Mother’s Day in Thailand) tough, eh?

I’m psyched on my classes, stoked to visit the North, and filled with gratitude for the hospitality of this country, the strength of my heart, the goodness of those that I have met over the last week, and the knowledge I have been granted over the last few days. I feel as though the world is mine – of course figuratively; I am most amazed by the soul searchers and knowledge seekers (even if not self-identified) and love that I share this world with many, but trust in myself enough to feel It is mine.

I’ll report back when I return from my travels and wish everyone a well week.

With Love,

Jessie