L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.

I wrote this on Monday, but am just now getting around to posting it.  Sorry... it's been a busy week.

This morning, I skyped with my parents for the first time in weeks, I think.  To be honest, I had been avoiding it.  It's really hard to see my mom, dad, dog, the kitchen I grew up in no doubt filled with yummy American food, the comfortable furniture, etc, without getting really sad.  I feel bad about that, but that's just the way it is.  So, I avoid it.  Sometimes I avoid things that make me sad.  And sometimes I run away from them.  Why do you think I'm in Thailand?  Just kidding... sort of.

In fact, I'd kind of taken an Internet break this past week and weekend.  And I hate to admit it, but it was nice.  And it gave me a chance to start attaching to people and things here.  Here's what happened while I was away:

Songkran

Weekend before last was Songkran.  I posted a little about the "opening ceremonies" but now it's time to get down to the nitty gritty.  Songkran is the Thai New Year.  It's also a time to wash away the crap of last year and move forward into a new, clean year.  (To be honest, my last year was kind of amazing.  Although I was single, lost my job, turned 30, moved back to Ohio and in with my parents, and my dog was diagnosed with Diabetes, it was pretty much one of the best years of my life.  I loved almost every minute of it, save for that week in the Carribean, and the day I had a break down and crawled under a co-workers desk to cry, but well, stuff happens.)  Typically, even-numbered years aren't favorable for me.  Good thing I moved to Thailand where it's actually the year 2555.  Thai time rocks! 

Early in the morning on the Saturday of Songkran (April 14) one of my co-workers popped into my bedroom unexpectedly.  I was alseep in my underwear because it was so hot.  So much for modesty.  Now that the first embarrassment of the day was over, she told me to get up because we were going on a bpai tiao to a Songkran festival in Sukothai (a province Southwest of my own.)  I got dressed and walked down the stairs to where her family was waiting in the truck.  Husband driving, kids in the back armed with giant water guns, buckets, and a giant, industrial trash can filled with water. 

I put my iPhone in a ziplock and braced myself for the day.  I'm a foreigner so I knew I would be targeted and doused with water at some point.  It was inevitable.  However, for the drive at least, I was safely tucked into the cab of the truck, where I would stay dry despite hundreds of people throwing water at my window and smearing baby powder all over the windshield.  Along the hour drive to Sukothai we encountered mass amounts of people armed with their own industrial-sized, water-filled trash cans throwing water at passing vehicles and motorcycles. 

My view from the passenger seat: 

After we arrived in Sukothai, we became entangled in a two-hour long traffic jam... caused by a massive water war.  It was awesome.  I desperately wanted to get in the back of the truck, but PC would have frowned upon that.  Plus, I didn't bring a change of clothes, so I wanted to stay semi-dry.  The two lane highway became three lanes in one direction, and one lane in the opposite direction.  And crowds of people weaved in and out of traffic the entire time.

My view for about two hours.   

Sometimes people would see me and yell "Farang" then throw water or baby powder at my window. I had glass and locked doors to protect me, so I felt safe laughing at them. The rest of the day was pretty great.  Once we managed our way through traffic, we stopped at the Sukothai Historical Park for lunch, shopping, and touring some ruins. 

And then I ran into some other Assasamaks! (That means other Peace Corps Volunteers in Thai)  This was by far the best part of my day.  Being able to speak English!  It was like the flood gates opened and all the words I had been trying to search for in my Thai Dictionary came pouring out in a massive wave, which I thought was quite appropriate given the water holiday.  It also made me hopeful that my co-worker was now aware that I actually wasn't deaf and mute.  And that maybe, just maybe she'd share this information with the rest of the office.



Oh, and if you haven't noticed, I'm trying to put the song associated with title of my posts at the end.  Sometime fun to do, I guess.