Visiting an orphanage in Khon Kaen. Many of the children here do have parents, who are away working in Bangkok. The parents will not sign adoption papers, and prefer to have their children waiting in limbo, never seeing them, than be taken away by new caregivers.
At the Tree Ordaining Ceremony in the Northern Hill Tribes. The orange sash worn by monks is wrapped around the trees of this protected forest; an "ordained" tree receives the same respect we give to monks, and cannot be cut down.
Fundraising for ENGAGE
Yummy grilled squid at an outdoor market!
One weekend I took a solo excursion to the Khon Kaen museum, which has many archaeological finds. Here is a Bodishava on a Garuda, one of my favorite mystical creatures.
THIS is khao niao (see dang). Red sticky rice. In Isaan, food is placed on many dishes in a circle, and you use your fingers and a wad of sticky rice to pick up the food (vegetables, fish, meats, curries, soups, noodles). This particular batch of khao niao is organic red rice, a rare and healthy strain of sticky rice grown in Yasothon province. Khao niao is... incredible. (It also comes in white, yellow, black, and white/brown).
This is artwork from the famous CAN-DO bar, the home of the organization EMPOWER. EMPOWER works to change the view of sex work, seeing themselves not as victims, but as mothers, wives, students, breadwinners, skilled workers, friends, etc. They are more than their work, and their identities are powerful. They seek decriminalization of sex work, as it ought to be like any other job: an exchange of money for a service that requires skill. They seek proper health codes for their workplaces, legal rights for assault cases, education and schooling for their workers, and overall empowerment. They are not drowning, they are waving! They are "sweet, strong, smart, and sexy" and are seeking basic human rights when it comes to their profession. We got to exchange with some incredibly sweet, strong, smart, and sexy women, who enlightened us on their perspective.
I'm incredibly sorry to my readers, it's been so long! There have been so many ups and downs in the past few weeks that I hope I can express in this one blog post. I am also committing to getting back on track with this blog. One large idea that I have been thinking about lately is how my experience here in Thailand is truly a solitary one; additionally, due to the long(ish) stretch of time that I have here, I experience the ups and downs of any regular semester, as well as monotony and daily routine! Despite being in Thailand, I have my own personal developments and schoolwork that consume my thought-life, more than simply absorbing Thai culture and having adventures. This is an important concept that I wanted to share. How do you explain the past 2 months of your life? Sometimes I can only feel the impact of a single day or week, let alone half a semester. So this blog post can serve as the response to “How is Thailand?!” (don't get me wrong: I love this question and feel genuinely cared about when it is asked!).
I am a very solitary person, and I have created a solitary Jenna's world here in Khon Kaen. I am beginning to feel like the initial shock of being in a brand new place is developing into a deeper connection with where I live. I am transitioning from an outsider looking in, to an outsider who has absorbed a new way of life. “Thailand” itself has so many connotations and images tied to it, and the nature of my study has me completely turning those preconceived notions upside-down. My program is home-stay based, and includes an intensive language component. Not to mention, we are positioned in the Isaan region (a non-tourist area). We also study topics such as the Agricultural system, Thai Politics, Forest and Land issues, Tourism, the Sex Industry, and Gender. All of this has allowed me to gain a perspective that I never could have gotten from simply traveling to Thailand without this educational opportunity. I have developed a life here, where I have interests and favorite places and daily routines and side projects of my own. I have created Jenna's world here in a different country, carrying my beliefs and passions with me as I explore my surroundings and myself.
The question of “How is Thailand?” is truly asking “how are you?” because my daily life continues even amidst the strange and lovely new experiences. For instance, I am still seeking to uncover the mysteries of human consciousness, play far too many computer games, and talk about Math in my free time. I am running every day, exploring the trails of Khon Kaen and ending up under beautiful sunrises and being chased by wild dogs. I am practicing Thai passionately, because the ability to communicate guides how I create myself in the universe. Also, I love noodle soup.
I have reflected upon the idea of how this experience is truly my own. When I return, the only account I can give is my own, and that is the only account you may ever receive. So what will I make of my time here? I try to consciously spend a portion of my time living for the people I love. Looking for things that others would enjoy, so that I might bring back a message that halfway around the world, others enjoy it too! Part of this program involves photography; a skill I am particularly lacking. My sisters would love the kind of photo journalism I am doing here. I often think of my friends and family and professors and role models and think “What would they want to experience here? How can I collect experiences to share?”. This has been an important part of my time here.
And of course, there is the constant question of what I want to create of myself here. Every opportunity I receive is an opportunity to better myself. In the midst of so much change and often frustration, it's easy to lose sight of the opportunities within my grasp. Especially in the beginning, it was easy to allow these to slip by me as I watched my own experiences unfold, from the outside. Allowing external forces to push me along in the current of confusion and a new culture. But I can happily say that I am regaining my grasp over choosing my own opportunities. Creating my own currents and designing my own projects (even if they are just mental). Shifting my experience to cater to my own desires to challenge myself, find more passions, and become a better me.
For the sake of “catch up”, I would like to comment on some of the experiences I have been having. Something that has consumed some of my time is my work with the grassroots organization ENGAGE. ENGAGE consists of CIEE alumni and current students (expect it is just me..., so “student” singular). It supports efforts to counteract human rights violations around the globe. Currently, we are working on a campaign to help Dao Din, the Thai student activists, travel to Oaxaca Mexico in order to participate in an international human rights conference focusing on mining issues. Here in Thailand, we are working with a community called Na Nong Bong, who have been violated by the introduction of a mine on their land. Their water is poisoned, their people are sick. The government refuses to take responsibility, and the community is attempting to fight for justice. But they do not have the capacity or knowledge to properly address this issue. We will be sending community members and Dao Din students to the international conference so that they might build resistance strategies and bring back knowledge on how to combat this issue. I never knew anything about mining before, but I do know that one of the most important things that you can do is facilitate communication across the globe; to connect effective people with effective people; to support the exchange of ideas and solutions between people of all walks of life. To give the opportunity of education. I will be posting a link to our fundraising page soon (be on the lookout for the video, I have a small part in it!). I am not one to haggle for money, but I am able to experience cross-cultural exchange and education simply because I can afford it. Thais from Isaan can rarely afford the plane ticket alone. Why do I get the opportunity, and they do not?
Another small rant: I recently got to view the tourist industry more closely. In Isaan, me and about 20 others are pretty much the only farang in the city. Much of the economy functions on a local level; street vendors, local markets, small businesses. We recently went on a unit to Chiang Mai, a tourist center of Thailand. You know those images of tigers and elephants and funky pants when you think “Thailand”? Well, it's Thailand alright. Tourist Thailand. The city was crawling with backpackers, young people trying to explore Southeast Asia. However, due to language barriers and lack of proper connections, they become restricted to the tourist areas of Thailand. How would I know to visit a little coffee shop in Khon Kaen if it was not in any guide book? I wouldn't. And if I didn't have the language, how could I ask? This of course is my positive spin on the tourists we saw in Chiang Mai. Initially, I felt very negatively towards the foreigners who were claiming to be “experiencing Thailand” when all they could order was Pad Thai and they were going on elephant tours with abused elephants (that industry is completely awful in my opinion). I witnessed blatant disregard for Thai culture (inappropriate clothing that would make Thais uncomfortable, public drunkenness, public displays of affection, disrespect in Temples, etc). I did not meet anyone in Chiang Mai who spoke any Thai, despite many of them having been on month-long excursions. It made me proud to know some conversational Thai, but even more proud to be aware of cultural differences and practices. I did not feel like I was invading the culture quite as much as some of the other foreigners I saw, and I actively attempted to have casual conversations with the Thais I was privileged to meet. This came as a shock to them, which is somewhat unfortunate, seeing as we are in their country. I have respect for anyone who wants to venture off in the world and try to travel and experience new cultures, but my advice to backpackers would be to truly try to immerse yourself if you see the opportunity. Do not follow the tourist roads, meet people, try to learn the language as best you can, and do as the Thais do (try your best to be culturally sensitive and appropriate). Perhaps someday, when you have established a real life in Thailand, you can choose your own way of living (as people should be allowed to do), but in the beginning, try to learn from the culture you are surrounded by. Try to assimilate first, then assert your own creation of life later (all the while trying to remain conscious of other beliefs and practices). This was my takeaway from seeing tourism in Chiang Mai. For our next Unit, we will actually be studying the effects of tourism on the environment, culture, and development. I am in for a lot of thinking, and hopefully reflecting on this blog!
In some other news, I am so overjoyed to announce that I will be working in a Cognition Lab this summer! I will be participating in computational modeling projects for the Cantlon Lab at the University of Rochester (this lab actually works with macaque monkey cognition!). This is an absolute dream come true for me; I plan to go into the field of computational neuro-modeling, and here will be my first real application of the skills I have learned thus far. I will have some liberty over the projects I will be doing, and that is the greatest gift I could ever ask for! My life back home is certainly calling my name... the people I love and miss, my wonderful rugby team and the sport itself, Cognitive Science and Computer Science coursework, my two hometowns Buffalo and Rochester, etc. But I know that when I return, I will have gained perspective and new understanding that I can carry with me into daily life, and perhaps contribute in a meaningful way to the developments and ideas around me.
Thank you for reading this hefty post; I hope it clears up some of the aspects of the internal world I have been experiencing while halfway across the world.
Yeeehhh. Super jealous homie. Sounds like you're absolutely killing it on this trip. Keep it up. Also what kind of noodles are in noodle soup? Guessing probably rice but wondering if there is much gluten in Thai diet. Also, please make friends with an elephant for me
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Dad
3/28/2015 02:58:16 am
Nicely written Jenna. Has substance. Love, Dad
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This blog documents my study abroad experience in Khon Kaen, Thailand Spring 2015