Ordinary Days

       As I sat down to write, I had a realization. As my day progressed, I thought that it was pleasantly routine and that nothing especially out of the ordinary was happening that I should write about. Then it occured to me that when "ordinary" has become riding elephants all day in Thailand, my perspective of real life may be a tad off.
       I have reached the point where being home right now would feel stranger than being here. This has happened to me before. It's usually the point where I run out of American shampoo or accept the fact that I won't find a Dunkin Donuts or a place that serves nachos until I get home. Well, maybe I never actually come to that place of acceptance. Let's face it, I do love donuts and coffee an absurd amount.
       The point is, I've established a comfortable routine. Certain things still surprise me, of course. If nothing ever did, why would I bother to leave home? The key is that I've learned how to act in new situations. I know how to get around. I've made friends. This makes traveling far from home far from stressful, and I highly recommend it. Just bring a donut.

Eating bananas

She's super greedy.

What's with all the babies everywhere?



A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

UPDATE: It's been a few days, and she still thinks my hand is food. She is so adorable that it doesn't matter in the least.

We took an exciting, impromptu field trip to visit temples in the afternoon.

The temples are incredible structures.

I was dressed to ride elephants. Needless to say, I did not "dress accknees ordingly" for the temple.

Students, the postcards you made are stamped, addressed, and on their way! Now we just cross our fingers that they make it!



A Bug's Life, Invading Mine

June 26, 2012

Dear Students,

       In the reading corner and number corner, did I ever tell you that you were sitting like you had ants in your pants? It seems like I may have, but I don't remember my specific wording. In any case, I can now tell you, with certainty, exactly what it looks and feels like to literally have ants in your pants. It's not the best feeling in the world. I'd put it up there with having a cold or dropping your ice cream cone on the ground.

       Boonme loves to eat from the trees where the ants live and where it was that I was convinced against my better judgement to taste one. Elephants' skin is an inch thick in some places, so tree branches and ants don't bother them. Humans, on the other hand? It takes all my concentration to stay put while trying to bat away branches. Then add in the fact that Boonme has basically paraded me into the ants' home without their permission and given them full access to me.

       Having ants in your pants is a desperate situation, especially when you are wearing long pants and can start to feel pinpricks of ant bites on your knees. Lucky for me, I was wearing those super cool, stylish hiking pants that unzip at the knee to become shorts. I was able to make the transformation, balanced atop an elephant, all while being eaten alive. For that, I am pretty sure that I should be in the pant company's next advertising campaign. Also, I hereby give you permission from this point on, in any reading corner, to be fidgety and restless if you do in fact have ants in your pants.

Sincerely,

Miss Ross

P.S. You may be disappointed to know that I have no intention of eating any more insects.

Baby Elephants Have Learning Curves Too

       Some of you may have noticed that I did not write yesterday. If you were looking for pictures or tales of exciting adventures, I apologize and offer here a detailed account of the day's events:

1. I read a couple of historical novels.
2. I found a tiny lizard in my bedroom.

       That about wraps it up, so we'll just move onto today. Today, I met a different baby elephant, this one a month old. She was a little more in control of her limbs than the first baby elephant, and she eagerly explored her surroundings with her trunk. Elephants have very poor visibility. They can barely see, and my elephant is even blind in her right eye. However, as this baby is learning, sight means very little when you have the sense of smell and hearing that elephants have. They can communicate with sounds that humans cannot detect. They can feel vibrations in their feet from miles away, receiving messages from other elephants. With their trunks, they can find food from incredible distances and sense if an enemy is near. This baby is learning this from mom and from personal experience.
       She also has a little ways to go with the sensing food skill. See, she attempted to eat my hand. As she chomped away at it, I was thankful that baby elephants have only four small molars and that my fingers seemed to stay away from them. I can only assume that she was highly disappointed in her find. She tried several times to find some sort of food there, but each time wandered back to get milk from mom. I hope that as time progresses, she learns the difference between the nutritional value of grass versus human hand.
      

Tell me this is not one of the most precious things you've ever seen. See? You can't say it.

Making friends

Tryng to eat my hand

Going back to mom

In the Heat

       Yesterday, I experienced a Thai night market in Pattaya. The sun set, and people came out of the woodwork to browse and buy among the maze of stalls selling inexpensive goods. I can show you the pictures, but I can't possibly convey to you the smells. It was a mixture of cooking meat, fruit, flowers, heat, and people packed together in tight spaces. It felt exotic and exciting. As I wandered, in awe of my surroundings, I was mistaken as one of the many Russian tourists several times. I think it was the blonde braid.
       Today, I was ferried to an island off the coast of Pattaya. The blue-green water and white sand beaches reminded me that I was in a tropical paradise. Parasailing was offered, and as much fun as it looked, I observed safely from land (You're welcome Mom.). I paid 40 baht, a little more than a dollar, for a beach chair and umbrella, and the shade was well worth it. The clear water was like a hot tub in places, making the air feel actually cold when we walked back up on the sand. Feeling cold is so rare here that it has become a feeling I cherish when I can. During this coming winter, I am sure I will remember the sweltering heat with longing. I will look back on these pictures and imagine myself back in the midst of crowds of people, still debating which stall looks less appealing, the squid or the oysters.

      

Picture This

Fresh coconut, straight from the tree.

"Two roads diverged in a green wood. And I, I took the one on the left, and I don't think it really made all that much of a difference." -Robert Frost

Or something like that. Look it up.

Climbing Mt. Everest

The less glamorous side to working with elephants.

The glamorous side to working with elephants.

Queen of Cute

       Today, I crowned the new champion of "Awwwww!" when I met a baby elephant, not yet seven hours old. At 3:00 in the morning, the mother elephant ended her - moms out there, brace yourselves - 22 month pregnancy by bringing a stumbling, tottering mass of gray wrinkles into the world. This baby stays close to her mom, awkwardly raising her legs, trying to figure out what on earth she's supposed to do with them. Her tiny trunk explores her surroundings and searches for milk. We threw bananas to mom, our way of congratulating her on creating this masterpiece of cuteness. If we wished to walk away in one piece, we dared not approach while her mahout was away. Tomorrow, with him present, we hope to touch her, hug her, and take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime photo-op.
       A little overshadowed by the arrival of this baby, but still worth noting, was the trek to the beach in Bang Saray. I walked through the village, passing stalls of fruit and cooking meat, trying to avoid being run over by a speeding motorbike. The heat was oppressive, but the promise of a shaded spot in the sand kept me going. The harbor sat on the left, Pattaya's skyline loomed on the right, and rain obscured the islands ahead. A mat was brought, and a Coke paid for in halting Thainglish, my new word for basic usage of Thai numbers and greetings mixed with English phrases. The walk back was thankfully cloudy, and the billowing gray clouds reminded me of this one baby elephant that I know.

"Hey mom!" 

Hiding

Life is Good.