Thai Visa Renewal

Tourist visas for Thailand are free, and last for thirty days. If you overstay your visa, you get charged 500 Thai Baht per day and are required to pay before you can leave the country.
On Saturday, I borrowed one of the community bikes (motorcycles) and rode to Laos for lunch, and to get my visa renewed upon re-entry into Thailand.
It's about an hour and thirty minutes to the border, and mostly highway driving. This was my first ride outside of the village where I've been practicing.
I left the bike in a parking lot on the Thai side of the border and rode a bus across the Thai/Laos Friendship Bridge, which goes over the Mekong River. After Lunch, I made my way back across the border and went back to Udon Thani. Traffic was pretty heavy on the way back through Udon, and while it may seem chaotic and dangerous, I think I would feel more comfortable on a motorcycle in Thailand than in America. Drivers here are more aware, probably because there are so many bikes here. I've not seen one accident since my arrival.

Tutoring high school students

Before I talk about the picture, I should bring you all up to speed on what I've actually been doing.
I am one of the leaders for the English tutoring community service program. I run this program with several other rustic pathways staff members.
The other western staff member with me is Galen. He's thirty years old and is from San Francisco. He has tutored English before, most notably in Barcelona. He's also a trained massage therapist (and gives massage classes here at the base!).
Every program has both western staff and Thai staff. With tutoring we have Chat, Gyfsy, Bpa, Ta and Jupe. These are of course their nicknames.
They are fairly proficient in English, and are critical to the success of the tutoring program, as well as Rustic Pathways in general. They are perfect examples of how being multilingual can really raise the ceiling for you, no matter where you are.
Jupe is a pivotal player in the organization of the tutoring program. He and I go out to the schools to meet with the Director and/or the English teacher to explain what we are trying to do and to structure the tutoring sessions. Not only are Jupe's language skills important, he understands the needs of everyone involved and is good at anticipating problems.
The picture posted above is of the 10th grade class we tutored this afternoon. Jupe and I set this up late last week. The teacher's (nick)name is Sue, and she was very excited to have us.
Sue is a good English teacher, and is quite proficient with the language. She definitely recognizes the value of having native speakers to converse with.
The title is a link to a short video taken in the classroom.

Thai Cotton Candy Tacos

I think the bread is called Roti. It's thinner than a crepe. I'm not quite sure what kind of flour it's made from.

The filling is very much like cotton candy, but a bit coarser. We can't figure out if it's made in the same way as cotton candy, or if it's super finely shredded sugar cane.

Whatever it is, it's delicious.

More about Buddhism and Monks in Thailand

Pee Maha ( "Pee" means older brother, and is attached to the front of the name of someone older to show respect) is one of the managers of the Rice Fields Service Base. Pee Maha was ordained as a Buddhist monk when he was 11 years old.

On the way back from the orphanage (see last post) Pee Maha and I talked about both my time in the Marine Corps, and his time in the Monkhood. I found many parallels in our experience.
while the Buddhist Monkhood is fundamentally different than the Marine Corps, Our reasons for joining were similar. A sense of duty and service drives much of it.

Pee Maha explained that a young Thai will join the Monkhood to show gratitude to his parents, especially his mother who cannot ever become a monk, for providing for all of his needs while growing up.

The life of a Buddhist Monk in Thailand is very austere. Thailand follows the Theravada Buddhist school, which according to Pee Maha, observes more of the "old ways."
What I gathered from the conversation was that it is more "Orthodox".
The Monks may only eat one meal a day, lunch, and it is whatever the village prepares and donates to the temple. They may not wear jackets when it is cold, etc.

These rules aren't too extreme, but they are designed to create some discomfort.

Suffering teaches grattitude.

Working with orphans in the Udon Thani area

Every Saturday, all of the students and staff at the Rice Fields service base goes to an orphanage in the Udon Thani area. We play with the children, help them do maintenance work, cook their lunch, and teach them English.

The Rustic Pathways students are given an opportunity to buy various things to donate. Things like toiletries, school materials, etc. I designed the schedule for this summers Orphanage program with the underlying theme of language learning and imparting useful knowledge to the children.
No matter what specific project the kids might be working on, the Rustic pathways staff should be helping them absorb English.

Once the children turn 18, they must leave the orphanage. The orphanage tries to place them in jobs, but this may not always be easy. I know its really important to laugh and play with these children, they are hungry for that kind of attention, and the staff of the orphanage simply isn't capable of providing it for everyone.

But I think one of the best things we could give these kids is practice with the English language, which can help give them access to a much larger world, and greater earning potential.

Tings Parade

This is at the end of Ting's parade, where we have arrived at the temple. The parade continues around the temple for some time, and then the ceremony moves inside. My apologies for not posting the videos in chronological order.

Where I am

For those who are interested in where I am, and not satisfied with just "rural Thailand", here is my exact location to within ten meters of where I am typing this:


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