Love at First Bite:

A delicious yet dangerous new bakery find, and, I thought, the perfect name for my long-overdue update on life in Chiang Mai.

Every day is not all glitz and glamour. I am not just a traveler with an open agenda this time; I am actually going about real life here. My alarm goes off at 5:55am sharp…and then again at 6:02. Then the really annoying one from across the room begins to shrill at 6:10, informing me that is really IS time to get out of bed and stumble through the shower, teeth, clothes routine in order to get out of the apartment around 6:35 and hit the lights right to arrive at school by 7am. I may not be a "morning person" but I really do enjoy those quiet 45 minutes in the office before anyone else arrives. Even if I am just sitting in my chair thinking about the grading I should be doing, these moments give me some time to fully wake up and collect myself before the dulcet electronic tones of "Oh my Darling Clementine" beckon me to a waiting class. I'm not sure I've really discussed my classes much, so here is the rundown. I have four classes of between 26-32 students. Two of them are mixed gender "M3" classes (which means 15-16 year olds), and two of them are M4 classes (16-17 yrs). The M4 classes are split by gender, rather than general ability, so that means I end up with a mixed level class of 31 girls, and a VERY mixed level class of 32 boys. As is true, I'm sure, of any teaching job, some of these classes are more challenging than others. However, on the whole they are all very good kids. Our schedules change every day, which means that some days I teach more than others, but this isn't really a good indicator of how tiring the day will be. It really all depends on the students. Some days are easy, and some days aren't, but every day brings new successes and new challenges, and every day is very tiring! Some days I still go to a private language school and teach a few hours one-on-one with various kids. People tell me I should just quit that job, but it isn't many hours, and I like the variation in teaching methods and practices. So there. By the time I emerge from Language Corner, my head is in a teaching stupor, and all I really want to do is eat dinner and sleep. However, being the trooper that I am, I generally resist the call of my bed and get myself out for some fun to counter my world of work. Monday's are Pub Quiz night at my favorite local expat pub, Tuesdays there is a live jam session at a small but hopping Jazz bar, Wednesdays are discount movie night (we're talking $2), or open Mike night, Thursdays are Games night at the expat bar, and Fridays are, well…Fridays! Clearly I don't do all of these things EVERY week, but it's nice to have something to look forward to at the end of a particularly grueling day - not as few and far between as I would wish.

Teaching is hard work! I have always had an appreciation for my teachers and the knowledge that they could impart, but now I appreciate them for all of the tiny things that students don't even notice! I appreciate the time it takes to plan one 45-minute lesson. I appreciate the numerous handouts, study guides, project worksheets, and grading rubrics that we received with grumbles, and I understand why there were sometimes spelling errors in their writing (something I looked upon rather derisively back then, as I recall). I know, now, why some teachers took ages to get graded work back to us, and I cannot fathom how some of my teachers managed to get everything done so quickly!Lessons which, when I was young, were something to be sat through for a brief period of time, are now these huge, multi-faceted beings that sometimes take on a life of their own! Even the most detailed plans can go up in smoke in the space of 5 minutes; you just never know. Granted, most of my teachers had years more experience than I do now, but the amount of work is still a bit staggering. Sometimes I am left at the end of the week staring at a pile of grading that needs to be done, and wondering why I am really here.

Then, I zip up my laptop, breeze past the fingerprint scanner, and hop on my motorcycle to ease my way into the Chiang Mai after-school traffic and navigate my way home.On the way, I pass by a hill-tribe crafts center, a few temples, street vendors selling amazingly simple culinary delights, and some fresh fruit stands. "Oh yeah", I think, "I'm in Thailand!" At the end of the day, or the week, I am absolutely in love with this city and the Thai way of life. I still find myself having moments of overwhelming thanks that I am not in the US. Not because I don't miss my friends, or any of you reading this blog, and not because there aren't amazing things about the US, but because I am here, living my dream, and the satisfaction of that knowledge is amazing.

And then there is the food.

I could really expound for hours on this topic, but it's probably not as exciting to you, who can't actually taste any of the things I could describe. Suffice it to say that there are so many amazing restaurants in Chiang Mai, it would take weeks of going to a different place for every meal to visit them all. The great thing is, though, that I could do that if I wanted to! The food culture here is to eat out: one, because there are no kitchens in most apartments, and two, because it is ridiculously cheap to feed yourself here. Of course some of the nicer restaurants are equivalently priced to the US, but you could have a delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner here for less than $10. Probably even less than $5 if you really tried, and didn't mind eating noodle soup for lunch and dinner. I, who enjoy going out to eat almost as much (okay more) than I enjoy cooking, am in food HEAVEN! I really was love, at first bite! Every weekend is a dining extravaganza. Should we go eat delicious curries on wild rice behind the temple, or should we hit up the $3 buffet with the fried pumpkin and creamy khao soi? Should we opt for a cheaper, yet still delicious, noodle soup for dinner, or should we splurge on an Italian-style wood-oven pizza? And in between there are so many options for fruit shakes, fresh fruit, small meat wontons, steamed buns… it's a good thing there are also lots of yoga studios!

I have been trying to do yoga a few times a week. Not only to try to counteract the effects of delicious food, but also because I love the clarity that comes when you can focus all of energy on patterns and breathing for 2 hours. My yoga studio also has these amazing evenings every other Friday where they offer a package of a yoga class, and an herbal steam sauna treatment with a body scrub and facial mask. This has become my new favorite way to spend a Friday evening, and it is much healthier than going out.

As if all that wasn't enough, Sara and I have also been trying to do some exploring on the weekends. We made it back to Pai, and she understands now why it is one of my favorite places in Thailand. We explored a forest wat (temple) near Chiang Mai, and last weekend we finally made it up to Wat Doi Suthep, which is a must-do in all the guide books. The experience reminded me why I don't trust guide books very much. It was a lovely temple, to be sure, and without the scaffolding that was up while we were there I'm sure it would be even more impressive. However, it is an extremely famous temple, and that means crowds of people, pictures that other people have taken better, and a feeling that it might all be a little over-hyped. I think my favorite part of the visit was our little side-stop for delicious barbecued chicken and sticky rice where I got to chat in Thai with the lady manning the grill. I'm looking forward to being able to hold more meaningful conversations in the near future. The ride up the mountain was also a highlight, especially because we managed to find a few hours in between the downpours.

Rainy season is here with a vengeance. It came very late, the locals say, and I guess now it is making up for lost time by dumping buckets on our heads nearly every day. Expats say this is one of the worst rainy seasons in a long time, in terms of the amount of water that comes down with surprising regularity. Sometimes it sucks, and sometimes I'd really rather it didn't start pouring right when I am going to get on my bike, but I am still new enough that it is a bit exciting all the same.

Everything is still exciting, which is, I suppose, why I am so happy and content overall.

I hope this blog finds you all feeling the same. If not, maybe it's time to re-examine your priorities (and buy a ticket to Chiang Mai!) Just kidding, but really, there is no excuse to sit around being unhappy.

Until the next update, which could be a while, take a big, juicy bite out of life, and then email me to tell me about it! I really miss getting correspondence from home. Just because you are in the same country that issued your passport doesn't mean you get out of sending updates too! It's a two-way street.

*hugs all around!*

Karissa