On the weekend, we had a farewell party for the host families. It was at a lovely hotel, with delicious food. The students were encouraged to perform something they learned from their host families. My performance was a little different, in that I taught my host sister (nong Indy) a short ballet and performed it with her. Matching skirts and all. I felt a little silly, but she was loving the opportunity to perform, so it was great.
Saturday morning was the last morning with my host family. We went to nong Indy's ballet class, and then had lunch at an Issan restaurant for lunch. Issan is where I will be heading on my rivers course (the eastern region of Thailand, and most of Laos), so it was a good precursor to what I will be eating a lot of over the next three weeks. After lunch we headed to the apartments. My host family stuck around for awhile to make sure I was settled. Then we said an extended goodbye...I miss them already! After they left, I stood for a minute, reveling in my first taste of freedom since coming to Thailand. I could do whatever I wanted. I ended up going to the mall with a couple other newly free students to purchase some apartment supplies such as hangers, toilet paper, etc. We later went to a market, where I bought sheets...in time for my first night sleeping on my bed with my overstuffed pillow.
Sunday morning I ate breakfast at a coffee shop, took a nap, and went to a really cool place called free bird cafe. They had used clothes and bags under the shop, and tasty eats on top. I made a mental note to go back soon.
Monday morning Thai class started an hour later...ahhh. We can walk to school now, which is really nice. In the afternoon we started rivers lecture class. It is very interesting material, mostly focused on dams. But, we have been receiving a lot of homework, which is one of the reasons we moved into apartments. So that we had the ability to stay up later and focus on homework.
We leave for Issan Sunday afternoon. Tonight I have to work on an essay due for tomorrow, and over the weekend we have to prepare our belongings to head out on the first field course!
I am excited and nervous, and I have no idea what to expect from these next 3 weeks. I do know that we will be canoeing down the Mekong river, into Laos. We will be staying with host families in the villages along the way, and visiting a dam.
Just as I get settled into the apartments, we pack up and move out! I have gotten used staying on my toes here. Sunday we head out into the unknown!
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