Postcard From Chiang Mai

Friends:

I have been derelict in my blogging duties. Thus, I offer you a brief update - perhaps with more in-depth explorations of various events to come later - of the past two weeks or so. As I am in Chiang Mai, I have limited internet access, so I have about 25 minutes until I will have to pay another 10 baht for this comp time. Cliff notes, forthwith...

USA vs. Ghana, 22/6: Myself and the other two American interns at our NGO watched this match at our office. The American to Burmese ratio was about 1:5. They were really into it. We projected the match onto a big white wall, which was quite successful. However, as you know, the US team was less successful. After the game, we attempted to finish the rice whiskey I'd purchased, but the Burmese people - one in particular - warned against it. It cost less than $1. He said, "No! No!" Then he made some crazy hand motions and said, "Jungle bumpy road. Bumpy road!" Instead, we toasted a few Beer Changs with small, whole, fried frogs - legs, head, and everything, into the mouth all at once. Very tasty. A great night.

Saturday, 24/6: After a low-key Burmese wedding reception for one of the staff of the NGO, I went with my supervisor on the back of her motorbike - along with two other Burmese girls and my supervisor's very little son - to a pagoda just outside of Mae Sot. It is up on the side of a small mountain. In order to get there, we had to climb this mountain by way of an incredibly lengthy staircase. There must have been thousands of stairs. The forest was very green and peaceful - teak and bamboo, almost exclusively. The sun, a rare commodity these days, filtered through the leaves. The pagoda was breathtaking, purchased as it was on a rock outcropping overlooking the valley. There was also a Buddha footstep: apparently Buddha was, like, 30 feet tall, judging by the size of his footprint.

Tuesday, 26/6: Myself and (), the other American intern - we went outside into the pouring monsoon rain after work (about 6pm) to join the various football matches that always take place on a big field behind our office. There were puddles easily knee deep, and I had my glasses on, which was a problem with the rain. It was ridiculously fun, though. We played a small 4 vs. 4. Most the other players, as far as I could tell, were Burmese Muslims. They were quite surprised to hear I am both Burmese *and* American. Within a few minutes, my sneakers became utterly pointless, so I played barefoot, along with () and most of the other players. One quite skilled player had cleats, which afforded him quite an advantage. I was dressed in mud by the time darkness ended the game. Mud? Cows and goats graze in the field for most of the day...

Saturday, 1/7 - Sunday, 2/7: Bangkok is best reached in the back of a pick-up truck, in some slight rain, with a crazy Canadian girl to keep you company. An 8 hr ride, and I even managed to get sunburned, which is rare. She and I spent the night on Khao San Rd., rightfully described by her as "the tourist armpit of the earth." Very touristy, lots of white folk, but all in all definitely a good time. I wore my French jersey and cheered loudly - at 4 am - when they (we?) beat Brazil. A British guy bought me a drink: "Well get on with it won't ya?!" Sunday was tame. We visited a wat - a temple, to the uninitiated - before hitting Siam Square, just to remind ourselves that while shopping malls may be indigenous to the US, they are, as well, a dangerous export. Then we went to Chet Ta Chet market (excuse my spelling error(s)), which is apparently one of the biggest markets in the world: 37 acres. Just as we got there, a cloud blacker than I'd ever seen rolled in. We wondered to each other, Is there a fire nearby? An explosion? And people just started making for the exits like crazy. Cabs pulled up, food stalls shut in seconds, and suddenly everyone had an umbrella. She and I took refuge in an indoor part of the market. I looked outside to see the heaviest rain I've ever seen in my life. By this time, I had to get to the bus terminal, so I made a break for a tuk tuk. About 50 ft. later, I turned around, tail between my legs. I waited about 15 minutes, then gave it another go, finally scoring a driver who would take me. Overnight VIP bus back to Mae Sot = mmmm gooood.

Tuesday, 4/7: I had to renew my visa, so I crossed, for the first time ever, into Burma. All it took was crossing the so-called "Friendship Bridge" over the swirling Moei River. I didn't have much time, so I didn't actually enter the small town of Myawaddy on the other side. I simply renewed my visa and came back. I did, however, rub some dirt from Burma between my fingers to see if I would feel anything. Alas, no. I need time to meditate on this event of great resonance, which - thanks to the date on the calendar - carried even more weight than it might have the day before. I spent the day interviewing other Americans in Mae Sot about what their Americanness - to use a crude word - means to them as people who have chosen to live abroad. Look for the piece this week on www.campusprogress.org. A July Fourth I will never forget, for sure.

Saturday, 8/7-9/7: Chiang Mai is, so far, beautiful. I haven't been here for long, though. I'm meeting with a few other people from Mae Sot who are here for a bit. With an Austrian doctor, I'm in a guest house in the "old city," which is full of flowering vines and mountain views. Tonight, we plan to catch the 3rd place World Cup match. Tomorrow we'll hit another market and then I'll book it back to Mae Sot so I don't miss the World Cup final.

My time is up!!! Gotta run.

Flowers, mountains, books, rain, France, Thailand, and AMAZING food - Later.