After a couple days in Chiang Mai

I love you all sooooooo much!!!! I’m sorry I haven’t been very connected while I’ve been away but the Internet here has been pretty shitty. Every other day the Internet is down in the hotel and we’re still trying to access Internet at the University. Anyways…

I’ve had a blast since I’ve been here. The past couple days have been amazing in Chiang Mai. The city and the people here are unlike anything you can experience in the states. This place reminds me a little bit of SF. There’s always so much going on.  The main difference here is that people move much slower and are 20 times friendlier. Even though there is a lot of poverty here the quality of life is much better. People here aren’t identified by their property. They identify with their religion and of course their beloved King. Religion is such a huge part of life here. There are probably 50 Wats (temples) within the city gates alone and they are all SOOOOO  BEAUTIFUL!!! I’ll send you pictures when I can but I’m telling this, pictures do not do the Wats justice.

The King, as I mentioned before, is also one of their primary forms of identity in life. Everyone here, and I do mean “Everyone”, is absolutely in love with the king. It’s very strange coming from a place that is so critical of politics to this country where no body ever doubts his decisions and depend on him and only him to make the right choices. When people share love for these two major aspects in life the society becomes much closer. There are no political parties and very few controversies over religion.

Other than that, the people on the trip are all super cool. I don’t know why I didn’t do this earlier. My roommate, Garret, and I are getting along really well and have taken it upon ourselves to help manage the group. It’s pretty fun having a partner in crime. HA!! We all eat at least 4 times a day seeing as the food is so cheap and because of all the walking we do. Even though the streets here aren’t very pedestrian friendly it’s still fun to walk around town to check out all the different street vendors. There are hundreds of different places to eat. The best part is ALL THE FOOD HERE IS AMAZING!!! The little food stands littering the streets are all absolutely great. I haven’t tried anything I didn’t like yet. I even had BBQ catfish on a stick and believe it or not it was delicious. I have pictures to prove it.

Me personally, I’ve been doing very well and have made a ton of really close friends. I’m feeling great and loving my experience here. I wake up every morning before school and go for a quick jog. We usually stay up pretty late so a 30-40 minute run is about all I’m good for. Going for the morning jog is one of my favorite parts of the day. Even at 6 in the morning the streets are so alive and so busy. The street vendors are all out and bless the city with the smell of their delicious and authentic food. I usually grab at least a little snack on my way back to the hotel just to try something new. Today I tried spicy pork meatballs on a stick for 30 cents and nearly messed my pants. It was sooo good!!!

Thanks for reading everybody. Love you all!!!