Factory Tours

Hi!

On Saturday we went on tours of several different factories in Chiang Mai.  A huge tourist bus picked us up from Uniserv (where we are staying) and drove us out to each of the factories.   

The first one we visited was a pottery factory and it was my favorite.  We got to see people actually doing each of the different steps to make a piece of pottery.  Afterward we went into the pottery store and I bought a few things from there.  

The next place we went to was a gemstone factory where we watched a video about how they harvested the gems from Chanthaburi in southeastern Thailand and then shipped them all over Thailand and the world to be sold.  We got to see a room where some people were working on refining the stones and carving them into different shapes to make figurines and jewelry, but there was only one person doing each job so I figured the real factory part where they mass produced them was some where else.  Then we went into a show room floor where they had cases and cases of all kinds of jewelry.  Unfortunately they were all high end and regular priced, one girl on our trip tried on a ring that she later found out cost $25,000!  There were a lot of signs saying that we couldn't take pictures so that's why I don't have any from this factory.

Afterward we went to a gold-leafing factory where we got to see the process of plating different items in gold.  There was also a shop where they sold some of the things they made but everything was expensive there too so I didn't buy anything there either.  The ladies who worked there were fascinated by us for some reason and asked if they could take pictures of us with our CMU (Chiang Mai University) bags so that was pretty funny.  

Then we went to a silver factory, but to me it didn't really seem like a silver factory because we didn't get to see any of the production part of it.  A lady just talked to us about what they do and then we were just led into another expensive show room.  There were a lot of pretty pieces in there though and I got to take pictures of them. 

 

The last factory we visited was a silk factory and I liked this one a lot too.  We got see all the stages of making a silk item, all the way from raising the silk worms to spinning the silk to weaving the fabric.  Then we walked around the silk store that had a lot of beautiful things but also very expensive.  I want to get some silk items but I will probably get them from one of the night markets instead.  

I was glad that these factory tours were planned into the study abroad trip because I don't think we would have thought to see all of these places on our own.  Okay I have to go get ready for my Thai language class so that's all for now.  Talk to you later!

Michelle <3

Wat Doi Suthep

Hi Everyone!

Another fun thing that we did this week was visit Wat Doi Suthep.  "Wats" are Buddhist temples and this one is known for being exceptionally beautiful, however it is very high up in the mountains so we had to pay a songtao driver to drive us up the windy road, wait for us, and then drive us back.  Once we got to the site of temple we had to walk up a huge staircase before getting to the actual wat.

 













Once we got to the wat we had to take off our shoes before going inside and be very quiet.  We went during sunset so it was awesome to see everything all lit up at night.  There a lot monks sitting in rooms with Buddha statues and chanting songs.  We saw other monks walking around the wat as well.  You can tell that they are monks because they wear bright orange robes with orange or yellow sashes.  It is different than being a priest or a minister though because a man can be a monk for essentially as long as he wants and then stop and be able to get married and have a family and everything.




 










This was the first wat that I visited but sometime soon we are going to go to Wat Suan Dok which is closer to where we are and probably a few more in Bangkok. 

I don't think I've said this before but if you have any questions about anything or would like to see pictures about anything in particular feel free to ask me!  Love,

Michelle <3

Chiang Mai Night Market

Hello again!

I apologize for how long it has taken me to get back on my blog but I will have many updates for you tonight!  First off are some pictures from the Chiang Mai Night Market.  Brittany, Kelly and I went last Tuesday night to walk around and do some shopping.  We saw a lot of interesting things being sold like puppies and pink fruits that I think might be dragon berries. 

We also saw some popular fast food chains from the U.S. - Burger King and McDonald's!  We didn't eat there but we walked inside of McDonalds to look around and see what was different.  In the picture Ronald McDonald is doing the traditional Thai greeting.  Instead of waving and saying "Hi how are you?" people from Thailand do something called the wai.  This is done by pressing your palms together in a prayer-like fashion and slightly bowing while saying "sa-wat-dee-kha" (สวัสดี) or "sa-wat-dee-khrap" if you are male.

The night market was right by the Mae Ping River so I got some nice pictures of the lights on the water.  When we were done shopping we rode home in a tuk tuk which is a small motorized car.  They're fun to ride in but they're a little more expensive than the songtao red trucks so we only take them every once in a while and this time we got a good deal. 

 It is so fun exploring all of the markets at night because the weather has cooled down some what and it feels like the whole city is gathered there to shop or sell their goods.  I will definitely miss this nightlife when I go back home but at least there are farmer's markets at least once or twice a week.  Okay now onto my next post!  Talk to you soon!

Michelle <3

Some More Adventures in Thailand

Hi Everyone!

Today was my first official day of classes and I really enjoyed them.  I had an Environmental Psychology class with one of the Cal Poly professors on the trip and today we talked about different factors that influence culture, particularly American and Thai cultures.  Then I had my first Thai class and where we began learning the basics of how to greet people and introduce ourselves.  The text book is written in the Thai language and also phonetics so that helps out a lot with learning how to pronounce words.  This is a picture of me next to the fountain near the canteen (that's what they call the cafeteria) and the university's book store.

This is a picture of Brittany and I eating at the canteen. The food has been really good, the first day I got fried rice and today I got this chicken noodle dish called Pad Se Ew (pad-sue-eee) and Pad Thai for dinner. 

Here we are going on a bus tour of Chiang Mai University (Darcy, me, Brittany and Sam).  We got to see all of the buildings for the different colleges, the student union, gym and pool, and there is even a lake on campus!

There are so many motor bikes every where!  I would say more people drive motor bikes than cars.  The other picture is the view from our Environmental Psychology class on the seventh floor.

This is a group of us walking to the entrance of one of the shopping malls in Chiang Mai.  It is more of a combination of mall and out door market because the halls are filled with vendors.  There is also a movie theater and bowling alley inside. 

Last night night Brittany, Kelly and I caved and got American food - Pizza Hut :]  To our surprise it wasn't a take out/fast food place, but an actual restaurant!  We were greeted by a hostess, seated by a waitress, given full menus to order from.  It was totally decorated and they were even playing soft rock music in the background.  It was so funny how different of an experience it was from the Pizza Huts at home that I had to get a picture.

That's all I have for now, talk to you later!

Michelle <3

Thailand Day 1!

This first few hours in Thailand have been a whirlwind!  I flew in on a 14 hour, red eye flight to Taiwan and it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  I slept on and off for about nine hours and watched some movies and TV shows, it was so cool we each had our own personal TVs!  Dad let me borrow his noise-canceling headphones and it made all the difference, I never want to fly without some again! 

We had a three hour layover in Taiwan and then went on another four hour flight to Chiang Mai, Thailand.  The first thing I noticed when we were flying in was how green everything was and that there were many farms that seemed to be growing trees or large bushes, I'm not sure what those are yet.  I also noticed how oddly the buildings were spaced, there would be a condensed area of houses or stores then just open fields and farms.  I wish I could have gotten a picture but we weren’t allowed to have any electronics on during the landing.

Once we arrived in Chiang Mai we were greeted by our university correspondent and then rode in red truck taxis to our housing.  They were so fun and it was nice to have the open windows since it was so hot and humid out already.

From there I barely put my stuff down when we left to go get cell phones.  I didn’t buy one because my uncle had already bought me one and my aunt is shipping it up to me tomorrow, but I wanted to go where everyone else was going.  We ended up in this mall/department store place that had a grocery store, banks, clothing stores, and even a Dunkin' Donuts!  There was just about everything that you could need.  Once everyone got their phones we went into the grocery store and bought big containers of water since we can’t drink the tap water here, it’s not filtered enough.

When I got back I got on the internet to contact my family to let them know that I had arrived and right after that we left to go to the Chiang Mai night market.  It runs every Saturday and Sunday night and it is huge and I mean HUGE!  Streets and streets full of vendors and performers and food and people walking around, it felt like the whole city of Chiang Mai was there.  I saw a lot of interesting things but I waited on buying anything, we’ll go again next week.  Afterwards we took a taxi back to our place and I’ve been working on unpacking and getting settled in ever since.  Now I am going to go to bed and get a full night’s sleep before our orientation and first day of school tomorrow.  Goodnight!

Michelle <3

T-Minus One Day!

Twenty-four hours from now, I will be on a plane making my way to Thailand!  I can't believe it is already that close, time has gone by so quickly.  I have spent most of my spring break cleaning, packing, and getting ready for the trip.  This is a picture of the outfits I have planned out.  It was definitely a challenge to find cute collared shirts and skirts that were long enough, but eventually I pieced together a trendy yet modest wardrobe. 

During my time abroad I hope to become a more flexible, go-with-the-flow person, learn a lot about the Thai culture, and expand my views and perspectives on life in general.  Most of all I want to have a lot of fun and have the adventure of a lifetime!

Talk to you in Thailand!

Michelle <3

Winter Quarter is Coming to an End

Things have still been coming along well for Thailand trip since I last blogged.  Last Friday we had Thailand study abroad potluck which was really fun.  One of the girls going on the trip was kind enough to host it at her house and about 20 of us were able to come and we ate and got to know each other a little bit.  Everyone was really nice and I think we are going to have a really great time :)  It seems like most people are Business majors, a few Psychology majors, and then some random ones like I am a Liberal Studies major and I remember another girl was a Nutrition major.  I am a little nervous because there is no one going on the trip that I know really well, but I am also kind of excited about it because I think it will be a great opportunity to get to know a lot of new people and force myself out of my comfort zone.

I also picked up my passport with my Thailand visa from the trip coordinator earlier this week and I have an appointment this Friday to get my Typhoid fever immunization.   I am still looking into getting some noise-canceling headphones, a weather-proof backpack, a Klean Kanteen water bottle, and a light water-proof jacket before going on the trip but other than that I think I have everything.  However the other night I dreamed that I hung out with my friend for too long and only had ten minutes to pack for the trip!  haha so I am glad that that was just a dream. 

 
 This week I have said goodbye to my Homework Lab students, used the last of my Plus Dollars on lunch, and spent the rest of the money on my laundry card.  I have six more assignments to do, three more class sessions, and two finals and then winter quarter will be over.  Everything is happening so quickly it doesn't even feel like it's real.   I am just trying to take everything one day at a time and not get too ahead of myself and stressed out.  There are still a lot of wonderful things to come before I even leave for Thailand!

Michelle