Bpai Tiao: One Day Must See Chiang Mai

January 21, 2014

In Thailand, a bpai tiao is a trip of any length. I’ve written about some of my more significant bpai tiaos to tourist destinations here, to be used as travel ideas and tips.

I finally made it up to the northern city of Chiang Mai, a place that other volunteers regularly rave about. But this wasn’t just any bpai tiao, I went to Chiang Mai to attend the 34th Annual Thailand TESOL International Conference along with two other Peace Corps volunteers, my counterpart Kruu Ning and five other counterparts. Kruu Ning had also never been to Chiang Mai, so we arrived early in the morning the day before the conference started to give us a chance to tour around to some of the highlights of the area.

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Possibly the Most Thai Video Ever

January 19, 2014

Thailand seems to constantly have music playing. One of the really popular songs right now is called ผมรักเมืองไทย (pom rak mueng thai), which mean “I Love Thailand.” This is not the official music video for this song, but it very much encapsulates Thailand – he ends up dancing in front of a 7-11. Check it out!

Selected Sentences from My First Year in Thailand

January 14, 2014

I’m terrible at journaling. I usually only do it when I’m having a really difficult time and so I rarely have any recording of when I’m feeling really good. But, I bought a Moleskine planner that has lines for each day, not a lot, but enough to write a short paragraph, and set the goal for myself to write at least one sentence or something to sum up each day. I’m proud to say that I was able to do it for the whole last year, and so I looked back over what I wrote as I reflected on my last year in Thailand. I wanted to share some of them here with you, to share with you what a year in Thailand feels like at the end of each day.

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Preparing for the Thai Youth Theatre Festival

January 10, 2014

Ten years ago, some Peace Corps Thailand volunteers in tandem with some British volunteers recognized the benefit of learning and confidence building through the performing arts. They worked with their Thai counterparts and students to adapt a Shakespearean play to be performed in their local communities. After the success of the local performances, they came together for the Bangkok Shakespeare Festival. That initial festival was such a success that they decided to make it an annual event and the Thai Youth Theatre Project was founded.

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New Elections Scheduled for February

January 7, 2014

Nearly a month ago, Thailand’s government dissolved as a response to ongoing protests in Bangkok. The crown issued a decree for new elections to be held.

The election date has been set for February 2 and registration for the election has taken place. The Democrat Party, which is in support of the protests calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and an appointment of a “people’s council”, has vowed to boycott the elections. The Democrat Party has not won an election since 1992 and the common analysis is that Yingluck’s Puea Thai Party will win in the new election, as it has won every election since 2001.

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GLOW Camp Comes to Thailand

January 5, 2014

Recently some of my fellow Peace Corps volunteers held the first Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) Camp in Thailand. GLOW started with some Peace Corps volunteers in Romania, where they saw that there was a specific need for girls to be encouraged and supported. Since then, it has spread like wildfire throughout Peace Corps countries. Check out this video of what the young girls did!

Bpai Tiao: New Year’s on Koh Mak

January 3, 2014

In Thailand, a bpai tiao is a trip of any length. I’ve written about some of my more significant bpai tiaos to tourist destinations here, to be used as travel ideas and tips.

I am fortunate enough to be serving in Peace Corps in a country that has several locations that consistently find their way onto lists with names like “Top Places to Visit Before You Die” or “Best Beach Getaways.” This means that my holiday travels are often jam packed with everyone going to the same place, which tips the scale on the stress factor.

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