Chiang Rai or Bust!

This blogging thing has become much more difficult than previously anticipated as much more seems to be occurring in my life than I have time to update. But I think that I will take that as a great sign and a wonderful thing.

After long weeks of teaching and running around with little ones at the foundation, it is no secret that the volunteers are thrilled for the weekends. When three o'clock hits on Saturday afternoons, excitement is buzzing, and we are not slow to pack up our backpacks, climb into the back of a Songtao, and make our way into the city. Finally: we can wear shirts that don't cover our shoulders and shorts that are shorter than our knees! Sad part is, we usually wear these things as they are all that we brought with us. Oh well, at least we know that we could if we wanted to. Freedom.

We usually head into Chiang Rai and stay at the lovely Boon Ban Dan hostel at the center of the city, but this weekend we decided to mix it up a tad and grab a bus down to Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is about a three hour bus ride south and a major hotspot for tourists and backpackers. Upon arriving at roughly 9:30 on Saturday night, I immediately fell in love. The city was reminiscent of many major cities at home while maintaining an authentic Thai atmosphere. After a couple weeks of being denied certain homely pleasures, the ability to go out to a nice bar and speak a bit of English with some fellow travelers was amazing. The town was crawling with backpackers who were either stopping in for the evening or traveling through to their next destination- which I believe added to the aura of adventure that surrounded me. It was thrilling to look around and know that most of these people have taken the risk to explore just as I have (and could probably teach me a thing or two.) Chang Mai was not only beautiful, but it gave me the taste of home that I was unaware I missed so much. Our nights were spent dancing at nearby bars, running around the city, and enjoying 4am Pad Thai. It was a lovely weekend.

And then things got interesting. As we packed to head home, we were very cautious of gathering the group in a timely fashion to be sure that we did not miss our bus. I don't think anything has ever been organized so poorly as we left late, lost various people on the way, and got stuck in gridlock traffic. We saw that our Songtao was moving about five feet in ten minutes, so we took it upon ourselves to grab our huge backpacks and sprint through the city. Sweat falling off of our faces, we continued to tell ourselves that surely the bus will be late and things will be just fine. I think we all secretly knew otherwise.

We missed our bus by three minutes and, as that was the last bus of the evening, were effectively stranded in the city. With the locations of many of our group members unknown, we carried on and decided that hitch hiking was the only option. Signs made, thumbs out, here we go.

I'd like to tell you that a long distance food truck pulled over and drove us all to freedom, but that was not the case. We ended up paying a fair amount to be practically taxi'd three hours away with our plethora of camera bags, backpacks, and personal belongings surrounding us. We laughed the entire way. I've always believed that the greatest of stories are made when things do not go according to plan but instead challenge and excite us. The thrill of sprinting through the foreign city and coming together with my volunteer family was an experience I will never forget. This place never fails to surprise me.

"Volunteers Finally Beautiful!"

With the past few days of slight homesickness looming over me, I fully anticipated to have a not-so-special birthday away from my family and friends. I am not a crazy birthday person to begin with, so I assumed that perhaps this year's festivities could simply be a non-existent. Maybe I could close my eyes, cover my ears, and let it sneakishly slip past as I hum an innocent song and look in the opposite direction. Well, I was wrong.

I was immediately awoken the morning of by hugs and well wishes from the girls who stay in my "dorm." People at breakfast surprised me with a board of "Happy Birthday Maegan" in several languages and I even received a cake, balloons, and beautifully created card at lunch. Let me tell you, cake is not something we easily just come by down here. I know that the effort to get it was not slight but was rather an exhaustive effort that required a taxi and plenty of time. But the reward was well worth it. We were all so excited to have even a single slice of something sugary and delicious. It was incredible.

Most of the volunteers are at a home stay this week, meaning that they are off at surrounding villages and helping them with whatever assistance they need for the week (I go in two weeks!). So, it is safe to say it is very empty around here. That did not stop the five remaining girls who are here from attempting to show me an unforgettable time. We got dressed up (hello, make-up, haven't seen you in weeks), ordered a little "taxi" to drive us into town, and enjoyed a lovely meal in a beautiful setting. Before we left, Katoon, one of the volunteer directors, saw us in "regular" clothes and make-up and immediately shouted "volunteers finally beautiful!" Well thank you, Katoon, yes we do not always look like crazy jungle women. Only 99.5% of the time.

While we were enjoying dinner and live music outside, my friend Yvonne immediately (and secretly) went up and asked them to sing happy birthday to me. You could probably see my blushing cheeks from space, but I was truly grateful.  It is just amazing to me how people who have known me for such a short time are willing to go out of their way to make sure that I have the time of my life. We sat in the back of the truck on the way home singing cheesy songs at the top of our lungs and feeling wildly carefree. I remember looking right at the stars as the wind was blowing past my face and thinking , "this is what it's all about."

 My birthdays have always consisted of the same friends and family that I hold so dear- the ones who I could not imagine spending a birthday without. However, this year was special. This year involved a foreign country, a huge step, and faces that I knew I would probably never celebrate with again. These girls, this setting, this time. They all transformed the day into a moment in time that will never and could never be exactly recreated.  I thought that would make it worse- the fact that it was so different. I had no idea that that's exactly what would make it one of the best I've had.

Thank you to everyone!

Well, here goes.

I'd like to preface this entry by saying thank you, Corinne. You truly are a geisha goddess for creating such a lovely blog for me to compile my updates. This one will be lengthy as I have a lot to catch up on.

As I sit in this non-airconditioned room and attempt to gather my thousands of thoughts, one thing jumpts to mind first: why oh why did I not begin this blog at the beginning of my stay in Chiang Rai? It would surely help me in attempting to compile the stories and adventures that have blessed me, surprised me, and challenged me this past week and a half. However, here I am, sweaty, covered in bug bites, and excited to disclose what this experience has taught me thus far.

For those who don't know, last Saturday, the 13th, I nervously jumped onto a plane to head off into what I knew would be one of the greatest adventures of my life. Thankfully Corinne joined me a few days earlier to help me keep my head on straight and grasp what was actually about to happen as I could not seem to understand it myself. I was heading to my new home in Chiang Rai, Thailand where I am currently located and will be teaching English for the next eight weeks. Once my time here is done, I will be travelling through some other parts of Southeast Asia as well as Australia (if time allows) for a few additional months. Leaving my friends and loved ones behind has been the most challenging part of this undertaking, but my experiences have completely dominated any homesick feelings that fleetingly cross my mind. All it takes is a glance into the beautiful green hills that surround me to remember how truly lucky I am.

Currently, I am located at a small village named the Mirror Foundation which lies just outside of Chiang Rai. Located deep into the hills, the fact that I occasionally get wifi is nothing short of a miracle. I am not kidding, open up a page of any National Geographic magazine and you can maybe get a glimpse into the life that I am currently living. My body is absolutely covered in mosquito bites ("mossies" as my Australian and British friends call them), I gather my own fruit most mornings, I have recognized shoes as unnecessary, I see toilet paper as a luxury, and remember hot water for showering as only a distant, far off memory. But do not let these statements fool you: I am loving every single solitary thing. Each discomfort has challenged me to not only adapt, but to relish in the fact that although I did not see it, I have led a luxurious and regal life thus far. Without the comforts of home surrounding me, people as well as posessions, I have already learned to rely on myself more than I ever have.

That goes for meeting people as well- being thrown into a situation where you know not a single person really makes you evaluate not only the person you portray yourself as, but the person that you aspire to be. For the past week and a half I have been surrounded by people of all kinds, and yet none of them truly know me. How could they? In such a short time we have only just begun to disclose even the slightest bits of intimate details, and I quickly recognized the fact that these people do not know my quirks. They do not know my fears, my past, my ticklish spots, or my list of favorites. Only I know myself, and that has really been one of the most eye-opening parts of this experience. I can sit aside and surrender to shyness, or march up to each person individually and introduce myself. I choose the latter.

With that said, these people are absolutely beautiful. Both the people that I volunteer with as well as the people of this country are simply remarkable. The volunteers come from all over the world; we laugh about the funny ways we say things, the differences in our hometowns, and our stories of far off places. These people have some of the most beautiful stories, goals, and dreams that I have ever heard, and they have all given their time, just as I have, to make a difference. As for the Thais...my God. They were not exaggerating when they said that this is the land of smiles. I have seen countless orphans play with a single toy for hours straight, laughing incessantly and never losing a smile. And by toy...I mean a straw. They can make games out of everything and anything and they are absolutely fearless. I small girl saw that I was sad that I had left my book next to a swarm of bees so she instantly ran to go grab it for me. My heart about stopped, but it really showed me that, even as children, they are completely selfless.

My days have been composed of teaching children, teaching monks, arts and craftsing with ill children in hospitals, and playing with children at the orphanages. The smiles around me have never stopped, and I am both amazed and inspired. Everyone is so thankful for the opportunity to learn and recieve the help that they need and absoutely nothing seems to be taken for granted. In days like today and yesterday, where the homesickness creeps in, it's easy to remember that this opportunity is the biggest blessing that I have had thus far- I am the one who will be taking nothing for granted.

I could go on for days as to what I have seen in this past week and a half, but I am sure that this is long enough for my first post. I will be in touch...so long as someone doesn't sneeze and make us lose wifi for a week.

Thinking of you all on the other side of the world. :)