Category: Civic Semester Thailand

by Vorleak, Michela and Amos

Where I [Vorleak] call home is situated close to the equator line, leaning more towards the Southeast of Asia, to name Cambodia. Home for me [Michela] is 20 miles north of Boston in Massachusetts suburbia. For me [Amos], from Narok, Kenya, the beauty of a place lies in how comfortable you are in it.

Chiang Mai is new to us, not so familiar as our hometowns and home countries, but so many of the sights and smells we interact with bring us back.

For me, [Michela], it is the plants along all the streets we wander through—the purple ones I grow in my living room, ivy growing up different restaurant fronts, bamboo shoots along the side of our program house. It’s being in the kitchen in the mornings, prepping breakfasts with each other and doing the dishes, and sharing meals at a big table which always has leftovers. We are less than a week in, but the language is already beginning to sound familiar—we greet & thank people without stumbling over our words.

For me, [Vorleak], Chiang Mai has reminded me of home through the good mornings and good nights I say to people whenever I enter or exit my room. It’s the smiles on the faces of my peers and instructors I see first thing in the morning that remind me of my parents and siblings. Being able to be in the kitchen and using the condiments we’ve picked up at the markets that smell exactly like home transport me back in ways I could not have imagined.

For me, [Amos], stepping into the program house for the first time, I was scared with how the future would unfold, but still held onto the hope of making worthwhile connections with my peers and finding comfort around them. Looking back a week later, I feel like it’s more than what I expected. I am very much appreciative of every single little moment we have with one another, because every day is a step closer to finding our nirvana.

No matter where our origins lie, we are creating new homes every day. So grateful to be here with these people in this place at this time. We look forward to our many tomorrows.

Love,

Vorleak, Michela, and Amos

Originally posted here.

by Dani, Jake and Nicolly

The vivid Chiang Mai city welcomed us with its warmth; both from its people and temperature (especially its humidity). No matter where we walk, as soon as we step out of the house, it is sweat-galore. Between signing up to for gym, walking 15,000 steps a day and the amount of water we drink, there is no way that the freshman fifteen will get to us. We wouldn’t have it any other way!

The food. We could write a love letter just about the amazing, incredible food we’ve had so far. From Pad Thai to Pad See Ew and many others, our cohort are delighted by the food. As we walk to get lunch or dinner, at the house or out and about, we have one certainty: it’s gonna be bangin!

You can always count on Chiang Mai to surprise you everyday, be it with beautiful architecture, the cute little cafes (they are everyone!) or the unpredictable traffic – we can’t wait to see what the next coming week holds for us. How the weather is gonna change, all the new dishes we will try, the people we will meet and the new sites we will see.

With love from Chiang Mai,

Nicolly, Jake and Dani

Originally posted here.