Happy Water-Fighting!

Thai New Year has just ended. Called Songkran, this festival is unlike any other I have experienced. After the religious obligations have been fulfilled (if you are one of those wat-going Buddhists), the entire rest of the week is devoted to a country-wide water-fight. People camp out around the moat, outside their houses or stores, in the back of pickup trucks - anywhere really - with buckets, squirtguns, hoses, tubs and bags of water.  It's insane and so much fun, as long as you properly prepare - ie everything in plastic bags, no white clothes, etc. 

Unfortunately for me, I was sick with a stomach bug (as best as I can tell, some combo of traveller's diarrheah and/or giardia?) for almost all of Songkran. I never made it to the moat, which is where most of the action is.  I did however manage on the last two days to venture around Nimmanhaimin a little bit, which was nice.  I had a "cultural exchange" as Emily likes to call it, with a small boy who had to struggle between his wish to drench/bless everyone who passed his parents shop and his concern that he shouldn't splash the farang girl.  Since he was hesitating I turned around and smiled at him over my shoulder, which he correctly took to mean "Splash me already!" So he threw a bucket of water at my face.  *smile* It kinda made my day. 

Other than Songkran and getting well, my time back in Chiang Mai has been filled with work - independent study, human rights class, and a couple other papers to finish before graduation, studying for the Praxis tests (for my life post-asia), setting up teaching observations (also for life post-asia), and finishing those booklets for AIDSNet... oy. Emily and I have found time to go to the Night Bazaar and the Sunday Market, but no getting lost and having asian adventures. 

I hope to be posting pictures later this week, if I can afford internet.  I'll keep you posted.