Leaving Lampang

April 8th marks the last day in our apartment in Lampang. How well this room has treated us. From our window we have a view of the city and a temple. Sitting in our window sill over-looking the city and mountains…just watching life exist…a life that is different than my own. Irreplaceable.

I never experienced culture shock in Thailand like I did in India or Cambodia, but there are so many things that are different…so many things that are both wonderful and almost strange…

...driving on the other side of the road… doing laundry by hand and hanging it to dry…businessmen drinking whiskey at lunch…people drinking beer in food courts…bringing your own alcohol to bars and clubs…straws given for every beverage purchased…instead of “how are you,” people ask, “Have you eaten recently? What did you eat?”…a “go first, look later” mentality while driving…seafood flavored chips and crackers…double pork burger with cheese flavored chips…no public displays of affection…people always wanting to know what you’re carrying in your bag(s)…the worship of nature…building roads and structures around trees…tile flooring everywhere…showers having no stalls (you can shower while on the toilet if you wished!)…no bathtubs…temples of immense intricacies……deep respect for elders…people wai-ing each other…wai-ing trees and mountains…little Saturday…a love for holidays and festivals… people smiling at each other…all the time…finding value in happiness…a disinterest in foreign cuisines, resulting in their own cuisine’s decadence…everyone stopping what they are doing at 6PM to listen to a song in honor of His Majesty the King...

The list could continue. This is a wonderful country and I understand why so many people “get stuck” here. While Monte and I are excited for the next steps that lie ahead, Lampang will be missed. Packing up our apartment was bittersweet. It was our first apartment in a foreign country, our home away from home.

Our next step? Wednesday we will stay at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center to take park in the homestay program. We’re doing an evaluation on the program and will get to play with elephants too :) Then it’s up to Chiang Mai for Songkran, Thai New Year, where it’s customary to throw water on all individuals you see for three days straight…Then? We’ll get our PADI open water diving certificates on Koh Tao, then head to Malaysia for a couple weeks, then we’ll fly home on May 20th!

Feelings of excitement, reminiscence, happiness, and sadness surround us…