On May 12th, my group headed up to Chiang Mai,
Thailand. Most Thai people
use the phrase “land of the free” to express pride in the fact that Thailand is
the only country in Southeast Asia never colonized by a European power. But today Thailand has become a
European and Western travel zone.
Thailand has become a popular place to visit and is becoming a place for
Europeans to retire. Since the
people in Thailand were use to the common tourist, it was nice not to be looked
at as the center of attention or get the common the stare. There were many times I felt accepted and
at peace during my stay.
Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand, with
Bangkok being the first. During
our time in Chiang Mai we were able to explore the local outdoor markets, visit
one of the popular Buddhist Temples, learn about the culture, food and some
struggling issues.
The national religion is Theravada Buddhism. Thai Buddhism ranks one of the highest
in the world (according to the census 2000, of 94% of the total population are
Buddhist of the Theravada tradition).
Muslims are the second largest religious group in Thailand at about
4.6%.
The Thai culture has been shaped and influenced over the
years by the Indian, Lao, Burmese, Cambodian and Chinese cultures. Bhumibol Adulyadej is the King of
Thailand. He has been serving as
king since 1946; he is the world’s longest-serving current head of state and
the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. He is very well respected by his people and just recently
celebrated his 84th birthday.
Elephants are looked at a symbol for Thailand, when I asked ‘why’ I was
told that during the war, Thai people used Elephants for transportation and
during battle. When I looked it up
on ‘Google’, I found this: “Elephants
have been revered in Thailand for many centuries. Famous as the strongest
beasts of burden, in Thailand they were important in battle, with kings mounted
on Elephants fighting the Burmese to defend Thailand on many occasions. They
have also been noted for their intelligence, memory and pleasant nature. A Thai
legend has it that a marriage is like an elephant-- the husband is the front
legs, that choose the direction, the wife the back legs, providing the power!” I will have to say, I do enjoy
legends :). We also learned that the
white elephants (which are not white, but have pale spots on them) are looked
at as the highest honors and are only bestowed for the King. We were able to visit an Elephant
Nature Park while in Chiang Mai and I will say their intelligence and artistic
abilities did surprise me.
We were also introduced to Thai food, which I loved. Thai food is a blend of five
fundamental tastes: sweet, spicy, sour, bitter and salty. Some common
ingredients used in Thai cuisine include garlic, chillies, lime juice, lemon
grass, and fish sauce. Another
popular dish that was usually served with your cuisine was sticky rice. A popular sweet dish was sticky rice
with mango and coconut milk. I
enjoyed the spicy and sour soups as well as the famous ‘Pad Thai’. For fun I also tried cooked grasshopper and cockroach...surprisingly it wasn't that bad :)
We were able to visit a ‘Life Center’ that helps provide
education, a safe living environment and citizenship advocacy for ‘human
trafficking and exploitative labor’ in Southeast Asia. This struggle brought
anger, frustration and sadness. At
times many of us forget the challenges and issues that still take place in this
world. I think there are times
that I forget to tell the story as to why I am here. My pictures bring joy and peace and let's face it some of you keep asking me when I will get back from my vacation and stop goofying around. One of the main reasons I am here is to learn, not just about the culture and the food, but the challenges. These challenges help
me open up my eyes to reality because as much as I wish the world was about good food and
artistic elephants, it’s not.
There are challenges all around the world, and we can’t say that one
struggle is worse than the next, but I do want to share a struggle I learned in Thailand and how it relates to my time here in Malaysia.
This information is
wrote directly from the brochure of the ‘Life Center’ we visited, it says: “There
are approximately two million tribal people living in Thailand. Ethnic minorities are not guaranteed
legal Thai citizenship. This lack
of status, coupled with a growing decline in their ability to sustain their
traditionally nomadic lifestyle, has left tribal people highly
exploitation. Each year, a number
of tribal girls leave their homes under false pretenses and end up in
exploitative labor situations”. We
learned that there are millions of tribal ethnic groups located in and near
Thailand that have no status, it’s like these people do not exist, no country
will claim them. This unknown
identification is happening here in Malaysia as well. Many children struggle with the fact that they were born
into this world and they have no birth certification, no…nothing. With that comes poverty, lack of
education and exploitative labor. These children are working at a young
age to save their families from poverty, these children are working at a young
age because the schools will not take them, the communities around them will
not acknowledge them. This world
still exists today and this is why I am here. I know I can’t change the world, but I can educate the
world, I can tell my stories and try to motivate others to tell theirs. I might be looked at as just one
person, with one small voice, but we all have to start from the beginning and
hope for the best and that is what I plan to do.
