Myanmar

So today I went to Myanmar. He he. I just like being able to say that I dropped by a new country today. I sound cool.
Seven of us who needed to renew our visas rented a van (and driver) and headed over to the border for the day. It's only about 4 hours over curvy, mountain roads, and it was cheaper than going to the office in town to get a visa extension. Plus, I now have two new stamps in my passport that say "Myanmar" and "walk" (because you just walk across the border) and a new country to add to my list. I'd say that's worth it.
We left at 7am after a little confusion with a driver who could say "toilet" and "okay," and who was adept at taking curves without slowing down. We slept most of the way (I actually took some dramimine and slept most of the way and way back), except for stopping at a little hot springs area near Chiang Rai. Women were selling eggs that you put in little baskets and dip into the hot springs to cook. I bought chips instead.
Crossing over the border really wasn't difficult. They kept our passports, I guess to guarentee that we'd come back. People told us that sometimes the border closes unexpectedly, but generally that is if some big world event has happened.
The other side of the border looked a lot like Thailand (after all, we were only about 100 yards away), but in some ways it reminded us more of China. Maybe it was the random, tacky items sold by all the vendors. They looked like China items. We ate lunch at a little Indian restaurant which was so small it didn't even have a menu. You could order vegetable curry....or vegetable curry. It was a little funny, eating Indian food in Myanmar, although I guess India is right next door. The family was really cute, and a little girl with big brown eyes kept dancing out into the front and being pulled back to the back by her mother. After eating, we wandered around for a few hours, bargaining and getting ripped off by the vendors. Then we crossed back over to meet our driver and came back.
Overall it was a fun trip, about 13 hours. Not too eventful, but fun to know that I've been to another country. :)

Our Own Little Subculture

I remember studying subcultures in Sociology, and I think ELI teachers definitely fit into their own subculture. It’s funny because to our students, we are typical Americans. We tell them we’re not “normal,” because after all, we are the ones who have left America and probably the typical American doesn’t do that. Still, everyone from my students to random strangers have called me an “all-American girl.”

However, I know that after teaching in China for six months or six years, we’ve adopted characteristics that the typical American would think are…weird.

For example, when we talk, we love to marvel over the deterioration of our ability to speak English. Correct verb tenses, I have found, are the first to go. Sometimes we will struggle to remember really common words – things like “important” and “persevere,” and sometimes we will make up words in forms that don’t exist. We pick up Chinglish phrases from our students, things like, “Have a try” and “We wish you happy.” We also like to use common Chinese phrases like zao ba (let’s go) and hao da (good). No idea if I spelled the pinyin correctly, by the way.

We also dress weird. We wear clothes repeatedly before washing, because washing your clothes too frequently is just frivolous. We don’t necessarily match, and we complement more on originality than on style. A lot of people have let their hair grow long because they’ve seen what happens to hair in Chinese salons. People have acquired cool bags, t-shirts, hats, and jewelry in their travels around Asia. I love being able to value uniqueness instead of just freaking out because something doesn’t exactly fit into the rules of style. I’ve realized that I’m totally going to be one of those people who lives overseas and comes back looking weird. And I’ve realized that I kind of like that. J

We love to talk about teaching, our cities, our funny stories, the Chinese food we miss, the weather we really don’t miss, the crazy habits we haven’t gotten used to, and everything that frustrates us. I love the people who are here. You know right off the bat that there is something interesting about each person, because after all, they are choosing to live on the other side of the world.

We also love to eat all the amazing foods that are found in Chiang Mai. Really this is a segue (hmm, I’ve never seen that written before) from talking about ELI people into talking about amazing food. The two are not mutually exclusive topics, however. In the past two weeks I have eaten Thai, pizza, sandwiches, Mexican, hamburgers, and Mediterranean, which is all pretty exciting when you normally can get Chinese or Chinese or possibly Korean. But last night was the best yet. I went (with ELI people – see the connection?) to Indian food. It was amazing. I mean, western food is pretty fun, but you realize after eating Asian food all the time that American settles really heavily in your stomach. There is “China full” and then “American full,” which is feeling heavy and a little sick. Indian food was delightfully filling but not heavy.
The restaurant was several tables in the front part of a home. The cabinet behind me held stacks of sweaters and winter clothes, and a small bed could be seen just behind a partition. We took off our shoes before entering the door, as is proper in any “authentic” Thai setting. There were seven of us eating together so we all ordered different dishes and shared them together. (It’s such a shame that in America everyone has to have their own servings and doesn’t get to try everything.) We all got the flat bread (I really forget what that’s called) and rice. When the dishes came out they all looked the same…like bowls of brown slop, but each had distinctive flavorings and spices. And we had the most amazing Indian tea. It was like Chai tea but with even more spices. It was almost too much goodness to absorb. Wow, I feel happy just thinking about it. We got to eat with our hands, which of course made everything taste better. The meal was slow and relaxed. I think it has to be when you are barefoot and eating with your hands.

(picture: eating amazing Indian food)

Not Really a Post

Sorry guys, I haven't been doing too well with the posting lately. Since masters classes started, I've been pretty busy with all that work. Last week I was taking a class on Principles of Development. It was a really interesting class - a topic that could take up a whole course of study rather than just one week. It's interesting compacting a class into one week. On Wednesday we had our "midterm" - a presentation and paper on a case study. On Saturday we turned in final papers - 10 page research papers that were completed in three days. That was a bit intense. So it's taken me a few days to get over my braindead state and be able to write again. This week's class is kind of the opposite - much less intense and almost no outside work. I've had other things on my mind that have distracted me from writing though. So this isn't for real - it's just a note to let you know that I will write again in the future. :)

In Foreign Foreign Country

This is my second time in Chiang Mai. Last time I came it was my first time overseas. It’s interesting to come back after spending five months in China. Thailand, though still highly Asian, seems like a little taste of the west. This time I am not as amazed by the tuk-tuks and dirt floor restaurants as I am by the numerous white foreigners, western restaurants, and people who speak English. I love Thai food, but I was equally excited to eat Baskin Robbins, Sizzler, and Mike’s burgers. Probably the strangest thing is all the foreigners. I’m used to being one of possibly a dozen in the city of Yangzhou. Now there are too many to even stare.
There are obvious, pleasant attributes I notice about Thailand. For example, everyone smiles. Random people you walk by on the street, shop keepers, taxi drivers who can’t understand what you are saying – they all greet you with a friendly smile like they are glad to see you. I don’t want to put the Chinese in a bad light, but culturally they are just pushier and less friendly. I guess the blank stare doesn’t create quite the sensation of warmth that I find in the “land of a thousand smiles.”
And then there’s the warmth. It’s winter in Thailand and still 70 degrees. Buildings are open to let in the cool breeze. Tropical flowers and lush plants and trees hide cheerful birds. Things are alive and growing! Birds are singing! And no one is wearing coats.
It’s interesting to compare other differences between Thailand and China. Though they are both Asian countries, Thailand has much more of a Southeast Asia feel. The culture is sooo laidback. No one seems to be in a hurry. In some ways, the culture seems to have a lot more western influence, perhaps because of the tourism industry. I have already commented on the number of tourists. Yet there is not the frantic desire for development and modernization as seen in China. Politically and economically, Thailand seems to be much more content with their neutral, middle-of-the-road world status. As Katrina said, they seem to be more secure in their identity.
So in some ways Thailand is less developed. Many fewer people have cell phones. But bicycles are startlingly absent with every form of mopeds and motorcycles taking their place. There are many internet bars but they seem to service the tourists much more than the locals. In dress and manner, the Thai people seem to have adopted more western-like mannerisms. The Thai people have darker skin, browner hair, rounder eyes, and taller noses. They look more similar to Pilipinos and other Pacific Islanders than Chinese, I’ve decided. Also in Thailand, the influences are Buddhism are seen everywhere. My window overlooks an elaborate Buddhist temple, one of many in the city. I’ve already seen a lot of monks and novices walking around – always kind of cool to see.
It’s weird, though, to be in a foreign country that is indeed foreign. I keep trying to talk to people in Chinese. I didn’t realize how much Chinese I spoke (believe me, it’s not much) until now! I kind of miss the familiarities of my home foreign country. I think I’d miss it more if I wasn’t aware of the fact that it’s about 40 degrees colder there!

Tropical Paradise

I'm in Thailand! Yesterday morning (at 5:30am) I was shivering in Yangzhou and right now I am sitting in sandals and a t-shirt. I love it. I've realized the past couple of weeks that I am really ready for a break. I feel like I am shedding the stress and tiredness with the layers. The sun is healing. The air is so clear that I feel healthy for breathing and the breeze is gently cooling. The very atmosphere of the culture is so relaxed. And this morning I had an amazing thai iced coffee - 25 cents at a shop right next to the WMCA. The little shop lady is going to get to know me really well. :)
Travel went well, although it was long. Our flight into Bangkok was running late so we didn't figure there was any way we could make the connection to Chiang Mai. We arrived at the airport less than 30 minutes before the Chiang Mai flight was supposed to leave, so we thought we'd be stuck in the airport all night. Amazingly, a flight assistant person was waiting for us at the gate, called and told the flight to wait, and hurried us through to get boarding passes and on to the flight. It was amazing providence.
Classes don't start until Monday, so we've got almost a week to relax, recover, and finish homework. On our to-do list:
-Watch Narnia at the movie theater
-Buy sandals and sunglasses
-Read by the pool
-Drink thai iced coffee, eat ice cream and thai food

It's going to be great. I can feel the recovery beginning already...

The Latest Health Drink

So guys, I just got some great news about coffee! I was reading in my new US News (the Dec. 19th issue...it takes a while to get here), that recent studies have shown coffee to "protect against diabetes, Parkinson's disease, gallstones, and some cancers." It is high in antioxidants - higher than even blueberries and broccoli. It also has anti-depressant effects, and contrary to popular opinion, it does not dehydrate you any more than water. To quote the article, "If its benefits continue to mount, coffee may come to be viewed as a health food." Sweet! You read things like this, and it just gives you such hope for the future. I love getting good news. And I've been inspired to go brew another pot of coffee. Anything for greater health, you know?

(Picture: Me savoring my daily health-drink.)

Aesthetics

Last night, kind of to celebrate the end of classes and partly because our favorite hot pot restaurant was full, we ate at this upscale “western” restaurant in town. It was the first time I had been there, actually the first time I had heard of it. It was western in the sense that we got salads (diced lettuce, carrots, and a piece of tomato covered with Thousand Island dressing and mayonnaise), TWO pieces of bread, plus a full set of silverware – salad and dinner forks, soup spoon, knife, everything. The menu was also in English. It was “western” in the sense that there were still frog legs, intestines, and other unrecognizable items on the menu. I had “Gordon Bleu:” a thin chicken patty with cheese and spam. It came on a huge platter with two fried pumpkin pieces, one piece of broccoli, and five French fries. The plate was big enough that nothing had to touch anything else. Anna would have liked that. It was a splurge – 58 Y ($7.25), whereas a normal Chinese meal is maybe 5-15 Y (somewhere between 50¢ and $2.00).
The food tasted fine, not amazing, but the atmosphere was beautiful. I’ve realized that aesthetics are very important to me. Sometimes I forget that until I am surrounded by beauty and realize that I’ve been craving that. Most of the places we eat would look barren and dirty compared to American standards. When I first came to China, I noticed the stained walls, dirty floors, aging furniture, and ever present mosquitoes. Now it’s become so familiar that I don’t even think about it.
But at this restaurant, there was a little arched walkway leading up to the door that was covered by sparkling white lights. Inside, I noticed that the floor was textured with green and black stone. The tables were a rich, varnished wood and there were actually sofas instead of seats! The lights were soft and noises were muffled. While we ate, someone began to play the baby grand piano by the door. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard piano music, and it made me think of my mom when she will play our piano every so often. I sat back and drank in the luxury. It was perfect, really. I was able to finally let go of some of the stress and frustration of the day and just relax.