Popping my blogging cherry

OK, this is my first time, so be gentle. I've now been here in Chaing Mai for one week, and I'm seriously loving it. I'm interning at this Thai org. called The Life Skills Development Foundation (TLSDF), and I found out about it through this American NGO called Cultural Canvas Thailand (CCT). So I live at the CCT volunteer house, currently with 2 other girls. This awesome Aussie who is also getting her MPH and is interning at TLSDF with me for 6 months, and this super sweet/funny Scottish girl who is an art therapist working at CCT for 2 months. We have a maid who cleans and cooks super delic. Thai food, and a driver who takes us to work everyday, aka, we are rolling in style. We all have our own rooms for now, but I'm told that may change in a few months depending on how many volunteers appply to CCT. I also have the master bedroom, which is sweet for now, but means I will probby be the first to have to share my room. Seriously though, I could do at least 5 cartwheels in there, it's massive.

The org. I'm working at is all about enhancing life skills for underpriveleged children in Northern Thailand, through 2 different types of projects. One focus is on early childhood development, and the other has to do with improving the quality of life for orphaned and vulnerable children. Considering my background, I'll be working on the OVC projects. Between the language barrier and the fact that everyone here runs on Thai Time (read: slower than slow), I'm not 100% clear on what I'll be doing. But I'll be working in the Lamphun province, which is just about 30 km's (see how quickly I'm adapting?) southeast of Chaing Mai. I think they just finished up one project, so I will help them with writing thier final analysis in the next few weeks after we get the reports back from the independent evaluators. After that, we will be starting a new project so I will be going on site to help write the situation analysis, I'm pretty excited to check it out.

I'm def starting to learn my way around Chiang Mai, which is awesome. The old city is kept in by a moat, and it's a perfect square. It's about 8 km along the border, so it's a pretty sweet run. Have only really been out twice so far, and nothing crazy yet. There is one part of town along the West side of the moat where all the touristy bars are, and another part of town outside the moat on the east near the University that is more popular among the Thais. The farang (foreign) bars are fun, but I'll probby go to the Thai places more often. At the Thai bars, you can bring in your own liquor, which I still can't fathom. The one time we went out there, it was serioulsy hilarious. Thai people are so friendly, and seemingly love farang's, as they would just come up and cheers with you and give you a thumbs up as if you were a mute 5 year old. And from what I saw, NO ONE dances up on tables, stages, pool tables, et al, even though the dance floor is so ridiculously packed, so for those of you who know me, you know what a challenge this will prove...But it's cool, I'm a "grown-up" now. Or something...

Anyways, this awesome dude we work with is taking us out dancing tonight, and our plan is to go out on Saturday and visit some temples/do some touristy stuff, so I'll make sure to take some pix and post them up. In the meantime, hit me up and let me know you haven't forgotten about me <3

xoxo
Rae