Dah BLEUH! Sawadeekha, hello!
I'm back in Chiang Mai after two weeks of life in Musekee (a Karen village about five hours north of Chiang Mai on the windiest, bumpiest roads)...we made it down here, despite the nauseating conditions and buckets of water in our faces. It's Song Kraan, which you should just google...but to give you my personal opinion: think of the biggest, most fun(nest?) water fight you've ever participated in...then multiply it times a million and apply it to an entire country...HAPPY SONG KRAAN EVERYONE! (I'll expand on this probably tomorrow.)
These last two weeks have really been awesome for a lot of reasons: I love village life. I love that my feet are permanently dyed orange from the dusty roads. I love that there is no running water and we have to "bathe" in the river every other day with the village kiddies..(my standards of cleanliness have considerably changed...). I love reading by candlelight when the electricity fails and waking up early in the morning with the roosters. I love singing and worshipping every evening with the Karen teenagers. I love sitting in lectures, having things translated from Karen to Thai to English and back. I've been picking up the flute again and experimenting with guitar. I really love learning about Karen culture and participating in their simple way of life. I've had the opportunity to visit a medicine man and a coffee farmer (awesome), go to a funeral and a wedding (the bride was FIFTEEN), and check out some local development projects. I take long walks with good friends daily and french braid hair like it's my job (because it kind of is...) Living with the Karen, more than anything else, has taught me how to slow down and do things deliberately, not rush from one thing to the next. In a place where there is so much time for thinking and being, I've been hearing a lot from God. I will also expand on this, probably tomorrow.
As much as I love the gentle people, the simple living, and the awesome sun that rises from and sinks behind purple mountain ranges in the distance, I was ready to come back to Chiang Mai. And it feels so good to be here. When we were still out of the city limits, I felt like this was sort of a homecoming, knowing full well that I have no home here. I am looking forward to visiting my host-family tomorrow and for visiting my Agape family on Sunday.
More soon...
