Wow! I can’t believe that I have spent a week in Thailand. It only feels like yesterday that my flight landed in Thailand. So far, I have been enjoying my time in Thailand from learning the language to going to markets. Plus, the food culture here is so healthy and delicious. Well, I decided for this blog post, I will illustrate on the main highlights of each day on my first week in Thailand.
Day 1
Today, we went on a tour at the Chiang Mai University. The campus is huge and amazing. There were a lot of architectural building and a beautiful white and red temple. There were two Thai students that came with us on the tour. They tired in communicating with us in English, but I wish I was able to speak Thai, so it would be easy to communicate with them. I connected with one of the student, Nobby, through our love for Korean culture. WOW! K-pop and K-drama are drawing people around the global. We were talking about our favorite K-pop groups and the different dramas we have watched. Plus, she is taking Korean classes like me!
We also went hiking to a waterfall near the school. This was my first time going hiking and I love every minute of it. When I saw my other friends going higher, I was like I'm not going to go higher, but I realize that I need to push myself past my limits. I was able to convince myself to climb a little higher and I didn't regret it at all. The scenery was beautiful and I finally climbed a waterfall, which was surreal!
There were three things that I noticed today. One thing was when we were at the temple in the Chiang Mai university,I noticed that people would do a little bow in front of the temple and continue to go where they want to go. I think this must have been a a way to show respect toward the religion or the temple was seen as a part of their spiritual life. The second thing I noticed was the picture of the King around the Chiang Mai. The third thing I noticed was the mini shrines that were around the street. As you walk around the streets, you would see little shrines that are for the spirits.
DAY 2
The highlight of my day was going to Chiang Mai Sunday Night Market. The market was very huge and had so many beautiful things like soap carving, scarves, clothes, wood artwork, and jewelry. Also, there were live music performances. The market reminded me of the markets in Lagos, Nigeria with the structure and the traditional things sold at the market. I noticed that there were a lot of tourists at the market, which shows that the market must receive a lot of tourism attraction. Although, I haven’t learn any Thai, I didn’t have a tough time communicating with the vendors. Some of them could speak and understand English very well. Also, they would use a calculator to type the price of the item in case you aren’t able to understand them. If you bargain right, they are willing to lower the price for you. The market was a great place to get a taste of Thai culture through the business and artwork.
DAY 3
This was our first day of Thai language and culture studies, which we had to take for a week, at ISDSI (International Sustainable Development Studies Institute). The ISDI office was made out of shipping container! I was shocked to see this because I didn't think shipping container had other usage. Â
Thai language class was very overwhelming. The language was very tonal compare to the other languages that I have learned. The teacher (Ajaan) didn’t like to say the direct meaning, instead he would describe it through his body language. This was a little confusing for me, but later on I was able to pick it up. During class, we learned about vowels, greeting, and introduction. I can now say that I am able to introduce myself in Thai! The good thing about learning the language now is I will be able to apply it quickly and practice it more. Also, Thai people appreciate it if you try your best to speak Thai to them because it shows you have interest in their culture.
After our language class, we had a culture class on Thailand and South East Asia, which talked about the history. I learned a lot of things that I didn’t know about South East Asia and Thailand. For example, I didn’t know that Hindu and India played a role in flourishing many South East Asian countries.
Day 4
Today was my birthday! I had a great time celebrating my birthday with my cohort. They are so amazing. Also, the birthday messages I received from my friends was great. For my birthday, we went to an amazing restaurant that was near the riverbed for dinner. The place was beautiful. They had a band playing and different countries flag were flying around. The food was great and I was glad to celebrate my birthday with these group of people. They even had the band play the Happy Birthday song for me, but I missed it because I was in the bathroom. Oops! After that, the waitresses took our picture and put it into a card that's shape as a camera. This is a birthday dinner I will never forget!
DAY 5
We learned how to cook pad thai and papaya salad. We went to the food market with Ajaan Thongchal to acquire the ingredients that we need to cook the food. Since we went in the morning, there wasn't a lot of people at the market. I tried some of the traditional snacks and fruits such as rice cakes, doughnuts made from beans, and nok. Entering that market, it felt like I was transported back to the food markets I went to in Nigeria. There are a lot of similarities between Nigeria and Thailand. After buying the food items, we went back to ISDSI to start preparing the food. We were divided into two group; one group prepared Pad Thai, while the other made papaya salad. I helped with making pad thai. The preparation was tedious because we had to to cook for about 30 people. However, out teacher was helping us every step of the way. The pad thai turned out great and it was delicious. If I remember the recipe, I plan on making it at home.
DAY 6
We had our Thai language class and went for an excursion to Doi Sutap Temple. This is a very sacred temple in Thailand located on the mountain in Chiang Mai. The temple is freaking beautiful and amazing. I was in awe with the architecture and the design of the temple. On the outside of the temple, there was a statue of a white elephant and different shrines. Once you go inside, you will see a big golden stupa surrounded with different statues of Buddha. Also, there was little houses that contained different shrines and monks. As I was there, I saw people walking around the stupa saying prayers to Buddha. There was a lot of Chinese tourists that came to the temple either to see it or offer prayers. Being able to go to this temple, it has given me a glimpse of Buddhism that you will not found in textbooks. I was able to watch how people were praying to Buddha and see the influence Buddha has in Thai culture.
DAY 7
Wow! Today is my last Thai language and culture class before I leave for Chiang Rai. I really enjoyed taking these classes because I was able to learn the language. Hopefully, I will be able to learn more as I'm here.
After class, we went to an umbrella market, which had different color umbrellas hanging from above. The market was filled with different things such as decorative pillows, clothes, bags, jewelry and much more. Also, we went to a rooftop bar with an amazing view and the music was good.
Well, that is all that occurred in my first week in Thailand!! Tune in next week to hear/read more about my time abroad.