January 18th - Day Thirteen in Thailand

---

We started our day by heading to the elderly club at Sanmeung Temple. I was feeling introverted when I woke up, so I was having a hard time working up excitement to go. When we got there, I tried to stay busy and find things to do so that I wouldn’t have to make small talk, so I helped set up chairs and take vitals on the elderly women when they arrived to the temple. Soon after I went to help Mary which led to talking with some of the social work students, which was actually very fun and insightful. The one girl was a Catholic. Her Christian name was Anna, and she was from a poorer, rural part of the country. She had been converted from buddhism by Italian Christians. It was interesting to hear a little bit of her story and how she handles experiences such as the one we were currently experiencing. She offered for us to come visit her family if we ever came back to Thailand so of course we added her on Facebook so that we could stay in touch.

Next we sat down with all of the elderly women. The monk was at a different temple that day, so books with texts were given to read out loud. They offered songs for a very long time, all of which were memorized. After doing some research on Buddhism this week, I’ve been very confused about the actions I’ve seen. Despite just following Buddha as a wise teacher, he seems to be treated as almost god-like, as they bow down to statues and monuments for him. They offer him flowers, money, treats, and so forth. It definitely seems like Buddha is worshipped rather than just highly respected. Our time was finished with some Messiah lead exercise time which was of course adorable. They could stretch and move around like nobody’s business. I definitely need to keep doing my yoga so that I can be that flexible in my 80s and 90s! Right before we left they sad goodbye to their director since she was moving to a different province. They all tied white string around her wrist and shed tears. These women all saw her as their daughter and felt a deep loss. It was the first time I had seen a Thai man or woman shed tears but it was so wonderful to visibly see their love for her. We had to head back to BCNC for sports day, but we left feeling well loved as we were covered in kisses and hugs from each Thai grandma.

Next we headed back for sport day with BCNC. I had to work up my energy because I had definitely hit my introvert wall and I was very hot. As soon as I saw my buddies, I knew I needed to perk up because I couldn’t miss time with them. They’re so wonderful. We played such silly games like swinging a cucumber like vegetable from out hips to hit a ball and running around a chair with granny panties over our pants. I sometimes found myself on the ground because I was laughing so hard. We also learned some of their dances and cheers. Let’s just say the “collected, straight faced” Thai does not apply here. It was absolutely crazy. So much hip swinging and booty popping. We ended our time with volleyball — Messiah against BCNC. You can guess who won because we all had to play whereas BCNC got to choose their team. We tried, but we definitely looked absolutely exhausted the whole time. During this time I was reminded of how competitive I am in sports. I found myself irritated by poor passes and missed volleys, but I had to remind myself that this was for fun. After that I began to pass around a little more and relax even though it made me a little bit of a worse player. I can’t take myself too seriously so much.

We finished out our day by going to the Central Plaza bazaar/shopping center. I really wanted to get off campus and explore more of Chiang Mai with other students from Messiah who were visiting in the area. I guess you can say I’m a little bit of a busy body. I like to constantly be moving and doing stuff. I don’t like to sit around for too long, especially when I am in a place that is calling to be explored. It has definitely been hard to be so group oriented on this trip and be extra cautious of rules. I love to explore and often take risks in the process because I usually think that it is worth it. I value experiences and risk taking more than comfort and fear of the unknown. I’ve also come to appreciate my experience in Rwanda more. I know that I am looking for a little bit more of a balance. I want to be able to go out and explore more and be more independent in another country, but I also appreciate having someone to check in with and someone who is willing to help me figure things out especially logistically. I really want to come back and explore more of Chiang Mai on my own time. I think it is such a a wonderful, beautiful city.

---