It’s officially been the start of summer break! We finally started feeling the true temperatures of Thailand– it breaks 100º almost everyday already. Which is crazy cause the peak summer heat isn’t until mid April! Everyone carries small fans everywhere to stay cool.

I’ve been off school since February 28. It’s been a mix of being very busy, and taking it slow. I haven’t done a whole lot, but here are some of the things I’ve been doing these past few weeks.

Last Day of School

I had my last day of the semester, and had to say bye to my friend Miu, who is from Japan. She went home in early March because she’s in Thailand through another program. It was sad, but luckily she will come back in April with her family to see Songkran! Marie and I celebrated our last day with mango sticky rice blizzards and a photo booth.

Helping my Host Family

My host family just opened a new resort/hotel, so I’ve been helping them get the rooms ready. I help with watering the plants and playing with my host sisters while the adults work around the place.

We’ve also harvested lots of fruits from my family’s trees. Right now, it is Mayomchit season ( translates to Marian plum, but I’ve never eaten them before), and lots of bananas. Mayomchit is so

I’m also learning how to cook lots of Thai food! The oddest thing I made was an ant egg ceviche. In Thailand, red ant eggs are a delicacy (30$ for 1 kg). Instead of buying them, I helped my family harvest the eggs from an ant nest in our mango tree. We basically just kept hitting the nest with a pole and bag, making the eggs fall into the bag. We all got lots of bug bites haha. The eggs were okay, the texture was like popping boba, but there wasn’t much taste to them, except the chilis and limes used to season it. We also made jumbo river shrimp.

Another Chiang Mai Trip

My host family took us to Chiang Mai again! My family’s cousins are staying with us for the whole month, while they’re off from school. Peem (10) and TD (14) are from Bangkok, they love getting to stay in the North. In Chiang Mai, we went to an underground temple, a night market, and tried fried dough that’s in the shape of an elephant! I also saw lots of cute cats.

Rotary Conference + Exciting News

2 weekends ago, I went to Chiang Rai, a city in the “Golden Triangle” of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos. We didn’t get to explore the city, but I got to spend lots of time with my exchange student friends, and the Thai students that will be starting their exchange in August. We all ordered lots of late night snacks using Grab( like DoorDash), for the first time, so we’re officially Thai 😜. We got roti, which is like a tortilla with many toppings. We had a Nutella and banana one, a mozzarella one, and an egg and banana roti. They were all so delicious, especially when warm, and at midnight.

We ended up doing a Thai dance for all of the rotarians in northern Thailand, which included getting our hair, makeup, and outfits done in traditional Lanna (northern thai) style. It was really funny because they made my eyebrows orange hahah.

I also really liked getting to take photos of my friends with my camera. These are some of my favorites.

This weekend, I also had to take a thai language test, so that rotary could see how much I learned this year. I’ve been working super hard to learn speaking, writing, and reading, and it paid off. I ended up getting 1st place out of all the exchange students in the north, and I got a 90%! I was so excited and proud. I really shined on speaking, I got 24/25 points!

Visiting Nan

Last weekend, I visited my host grandma’s sister in Nan, a province 2 hours east of Phrae. She lived in a very rural village, but it was so cool to see other ways of life here! You could walk everywhere, and all the neighbors helped each other out. I also got string wrapped around my hands, which is a blessing from a Buddhist Monk for good luck and protection. I wear it until it falls off, which means I no longer need protection.

Songkran- Thai New Year!

This past week was the biggest celebration in Thailand. To celebrate the new year, everyone comes together to have water gun fights in the street. Getting water splashed on you is a way of cleansing bad luck for the new year. People also put powder on your face to wish good luck. This was my absolute favorite day of exchange! It was so fun and refreshing to see the entire town come together and celebrate.

Needlepointing

To pass all of my free time during the day, I’ve begun a needlepoint pillow. I designed the pillow myself, handprinted the pattern onto the canvas, and am now working on actually needlepointing. It’s going to be a pillow for my dorm room!

I still have 1 more month of summer break– I don’t start school again until May 18. It’s crazy though because I only have 2 months left here. I’m definitely ready to inhale a whole bowl of queso and to sleep with Zoey snuggles, but it’s such a bittersweet time to be so close to the end. I guess it’s true what they say: all good things must come to an end.

Still sweating & still smiling,

Emma Kate