Goodbye again

Happy Halloween! I hope you are all celebrating since over here, there is a serious lack of pumpkins, masks, and candy corn. But there is still a festive mood here. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday is one of the biggest festivals of the year. It is dedicated to paying respect for the river. At school yesterday, we got to make little floats out of a piece banana trunk and intricately decorate them with banana leaves, lots and lots of flowers, and a candle. Thousands and thousands of these floats will be let go down the river. At the same time, thousands and thousands of paper bag lanterns will be let off into the sky. So it should be quite the sight. Unfortunately, we will only get to celebrate on Sunday because on Monday...we're off!

We are leaving for our second field course, the political ecology of forests. It takes place in the Northwest corner of Thailand in an area called Mae Hong Song. We will be backpacking through the forests in the mountains from village to village. At some villages we'll stay for only a day but at some we will be around for several days. And everywhere we go, we will be living with host families- which always makes for some unique experiences and good stories. I can't wait!

The past week has been spent in the city. We were back in the classroom everyday which was quite the change of pace. Last Sunday, my Chiang Mai host family picked me up at my apartment and took me out to...Pizza Hut. I didn't think I was craving American food but oh. my. god. Its not even good pizza but that cheese, that salad, and that salad dressing? It hit the spot. And it was so good to see my family again. They were excited to hear about my trip and were excited to test my Thai language skills. After we ate, we did some Barbie window shopping and played some air hockey before they dropped me back off. I also visited my host mom from Mae Ta, with the other student who lived with me there, on Wednesday morning before school at the market where she sells her produce. She was so cute, she just lit up when she saw us. We had printed off a couple of pictures of us with the family and of their fields to give to her. She showed them off to her friends and customers. And of course she showered us with delicious food and the infamous Mae Ta sticky rice.

Thats about all that I have. But I'll be back in about three weeks with another update. So until then, Sa Wat Dii Kha!