Week 3

I am now finishing the third week of my stay in Lampang and I can't believe how fast time has flown. I am so sorry that I haven't exactly kept everyone up to date. My excuse is that my experience so far has just been too difficult to put into words. Captivating, exhausting, poignant, and as always fabulous are the words I'll describe it with this time. Since my last post, I have continued school, attended my first inbound district orientation, as well as met my sponsor Rotary club.
To make things easier,
Inbound Orientation:
This was held at a hotel in my new hometown so I didn't travel far, but during those 4 days, I saw more of Lampang than ever before. All 32 of the exchange students in our district met there. USA, Brazil, France, Mexico, Canada, and Taiwan were all represented. Being able to relate with each other about our experiences was amazing and wonderful and I think that we all really needed it. By the first night, we all felt like family. Of course, when exchange students get together, things can get a little crazy.. I have to say that a break from the somewhat strict Thai culture was a blessing! Our activities included:
-Lots of Work on the Language. ( So helpful and totally needed)
-Elephant Conservation Center! (Yes, I rode one!)
-The Ceramics Factory..(I'll show y'all the one I painted when I come home!)
-Coal Mine Museum (we went sledding: Thai style..down grassy hills on cardboard)
-DANCING (Brazilian style:)
-The Lampang Night Market..It's honestly incredible. I spend as much time as possible there..live eels ready to eat, skinned frogs, fried bugs..you name it. Everything is extremely cheap too! I can also say that because of the market, I was officially lost in Thailand. <3
-Temple visiting (We offered food to the monks, which is something that many Thais do every morning because monks do not make money to feed themselves. Some monks were very young; you can actually join the brotherhood as an exchange student..much easier if you're a boy though and it takes commitment to the way of life.)
Altogether, I was very impressed with how organized and professional the exchange program of my district is. They are prepared for anything and see everything, I really feel like I'm in good (though very protective) hands! I also have made great friends from all different walks of life.

School:
Monday thru Friday, I have long and tiring days..I leave the house at 7:15 and sometimes don't get home until 6 or 7. School can be a lot of fun but I know that my "honeymoon" period is over. Because their are very few foreign people in Lampang and rarely exchange students at my school, I have somewhat of a celebrity status which can get really tiring because I constantly have to be "saving face." My schedule is not very solid which makes things even more confusing. I am currently taking Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Trigonometry, Planting, Health, Thai Cooking and Baking, Thai Dance, Art, Thai banana leaf folding, candle making, Thai music (I'm learning the Thai flute and something else that I don't know the name of), Thai Manners, Krabi Krabong (martial art), Thai Boxing, and Futsal. I sadly have not been able to join a sports team. Combined with extremely hot days, hot uniforms, and long walks class to class, this gets to be a little much but I am learning a lot! The other students are also still great though and so helpful. I have been given little games (for when I'm bored), all kinds of notes, and origami, as well as full translations of papers from class. I wish I could do more for them.
I have been asked to participate in a Thai dance performance next month which I am very excited for. My school also recently had a competition day with the nearby schools with every type of contest you can think of, from Scabble tournaments to clay moulding. Quite the day! I have to mention that there's another Rotary student at my school who I don't think I could survive without. Sarah is from Wisconsin and we're pretty much sisters.

Rotary Party:
I arrived with my family in a torrential downpour but it turned out to be a beautiful night with a full moon. Because my Thai isn't great YET, it is hard and pretty awkward to meet many people at once but I've gotten pretty used to the language barrier so I started to have fun pretty quickly. Thais seem to really like 2 things. Spicy food and karaoke. Almost everyone, good and bad singers belted it out all night. They also danced a lot but Thai social dancing is odd. Traditional Thai dance is a lot of standing pretty still and just moving your arms while rotating your wrists. When a large group of people tries to do this together, it's pretty funny! By the end of the night however, I had met even more wonderful and supportive families in Lampang.

Tomorrow, I go to the night market with friends..rumor has it that there are "Beatz" headphones for around 600 baht. Thats like $18! I also may visit a wat (temple) or two! I forgot about them: WATS ARE AMAZING. My friend and I almost knocked over a whole tray of holy water at one.. but other than that they are really stunning. Pictures will follow!
I am going to commit to blogging every Saturday. Again, I'm sorry I haven't been very good about it. Family and Friends, I love and think about you often! Good luck with the start to your school years.
All my love,
Emily