weekend #2

Another interesting weekend in Thailand...
On Friday we went rock climbing and caving with school. It rained, and I got all muddy and my host mom was NOT happy when I got home. She made me wash alllll the mud off my shoes till they were squeaky clean. The climbing was really fun, though! I took some pictures that I will post once I figure out how...I'm a little slow and confused with this whole blogging thing. The caving part was cool, but SO terrifying, I think I may now have an ulcer from all the stress. We had to zipline about 75 feet across to a stalactite that was about 150 or 175 feet in the air and then slide down on a rope. We were harnessed in and it was very safe, but it was still terrifying. I lived through it though, and it was fun!
On Saturday, Franchi and I had to go to a 7 hour meeting with our host families. We still don't know what the meeting was for, and just sat there and talked the whole time because it was so mind numbingly boring. There was some Thai dancing involved, and 3 entire meals were served. I wish I had brought some reading to do, but I wasn't aware that it was going to be 7 hours long. Oh well...now I know to bring a book with me wherever I go.
On Sunday, my host mom showed me how to go to school using public transportation...which is basically a pickup truck with benches in the back and a roof-type thing over the top. It costs 30 baht round trip, which is equal to less than a dollar. Got to love Thailand :). After that, we met up with Angela and Franchi's families and went to a snake show (SO scary), then the botanical gardens. After that I ironed my clothes, ate a little dinner, and went to bed early.
(Last week when my host mom was helping me iron my school uniform, I was doing it so poorly that she asked if we had irons in America...woops. MOM--you really dropped the ball on that one!)
Thai class is going alright, but I'm pretty sure I'm in the slow class. I think after 15 years of French, I'm a little over learning new languages. It's getting frustrating though because my host mom keeps yelling at me to speak Thai, but I don't know how yet!! Oh well, everyday I learn a little more.
This coming weekend, we're going on a retreat up in the mountains with school. I'm not sure exactly what that entails, but we'll see I guess! The weekend after that, I think my host family is taking me to see the baby panda at the Chiang Mai zoo which should be fun!
The funniest part about the homestays so far, is hearing 20 and 21 year olds talking about how they have to ask their moms if they can do something, or saying that their moms are going to be so mad at them for some small little thing. Parents in Thailand are veryyyy involved in their kids' lives, and tend to be very controlling. For instance, my mom usually picks out my clothes for me. Also, usually Franchi and I have no idea where we're going but our moms push us where we should go, or make us get in the car to go whenever they want us to and take us wherever they want us to go. We generally feel very helpless because we're being told what to do and how to do it almost all the time. I'm already kind of irritated with that, and I'm guessing it's only going to get worse as the weeks go on. I'm excited for this homestay to be over, I think we'll have a lot more freedom then and get to explore what we want to explore, and go where we want to go. Until this homestay is over, we've been told not to go off on our own or go against what our host parents tell us to do. It's not "Riep Roy" which is the Thai word for respectful, acceptable, and kind. I'm trying to make the best of it, though. Hopefully it will get better as I learn more and more of the language.
I'll write again soon--Hannah