Sorry for being so late to post this month, it’s been a very busy 3 weeks! I just finished the first few weeks of the semester, and have had lots of special events/ holidays!

Week 1: Loy Kratong

I have a new school schedule for this semester! I really like my cooking class and volleyball. This week, we learned how to cook Laab Isan, which is a dish created by the Isan tribe from northeastern Thailand and Laos. It was kind of gross to cook , though, because I had to wash and cut a raw pig kidney. Despite this, it was pretty delicious and had a little bit of spice to it.

I’ve been very active this week also! After volleyball class, the coach asked if I would like to start practicing with the volleyball team! I had my first practice this week, and it was lots of fun. I also went swimming again this week, and I swam 1 kilometer in 24 minutes, which is a 6 minute drop from last week!

In one of my Thai dance classes, we learned how to put our hair up like Thai dancers.

On Wednesday, it was a big holiday in Thailand called Loy Krathong, which translates to “floating baskets”. It’s a holiday on the first full moon of November to celebrate and thank the rivers for providing so much for Thailand’s agriculture. We got to wear traditional northern Thai skirts, watch my city’s parade, and release kratongs and lanterns.

A kratong is a small float that is made of banana leaves, flowers, and candles. We released them into the river for good luck and thanks.

Then, I had the magical experience of releasing a lantern into the sky. This was such a beautiful holiday, and I’m so grateful to experience it.

My Thai language skills are coming together quickly! This week, I was able to memorize 10 Thai letters and order ice cream after school all by myself! My favorite ice cream in Thailand is coconut milk flavor. They also put peanuts and condensed milk on coconut ice cream, as well. It sounds like an odd combination, but it’s seriously delicious. It’s still crazy to me that I’ve picked up enough Thai to order something on the street with zero fear! I’m very excited to see my progress in 7 months.

Week 2: The Flu

This weekend, I got the flu, but I’m starting to get better already! I went to the doctor and had a very restful weekend so that I could improve quicker. It’s also been very rainy (so the perfect sick weather), as there was a tropical storm that hit Vietnam on Saturday. Thailand wasn’t affected, except for some thunderstorms. There was even a rainbow in the evening, sending good vibes for me to feel better.

I finally went back to school on Wednesday! School has been pretty uneventful, but it’s been fun to hang out with my school friends.

Over the weekend, my host family taught me how to make fried bananas. They were sooo delicious and fresh. They even grow their own bananas in the garden. On Saturday night, I went to a party for Marie’s host family’s business. We got to have lots of fun with karaoke.

Week 3: Sports Day

This week, my school had a large competition called “Sports Day”. In Thailand, it’s taken very seriously by all schools, and students spend months preparing. My school was divided into 6 color teams, mine was pink. Each team picks a theme to design a parade and a cheerleading routine. Our theme was “Alice in Wonderland”, and I got to be Alice in the parade! I even had to do a dance hahaha (I wasn’t too excited about that part 😉

After all of these festivities, they did have running races, but the focus was on the parade and cheering. Here’s the video of my team’s cheer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MUJimLst9A

On Saturday, I volunteered at a rotary event. We gave out glasses and pizza to some rural villages nearby. I also went to a night market in my town and saw lots of indigo dyed clothes– Phrae’s specialty.

Another big milestone is that I officially spent 100 days in Thailand, last Sunday! I made this video to showcase my first 100 days.

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See y’all next time! I think I’ll be switching to posts every 2-3 weeks now, as life is getting busier here!

Love,

Emma Kate

P.S. pls save me some green bean casserole and sweet potatoes with marshmallows for me this week 😘