Plan

Hey all,

Today i got to skype with tor for the 1st time in 5-6 weeks! It sounds like Ecuador is really, really, really, fun. I can't wait to come visit! Talking to him reminded me of all the things i miss back home, and made me miss his LOADS. *sigh* the only down side of making contact is it reminds us of everything back home...

Today we had a test in reading/tones/spelling in Thai. I was super freaked out because our class only found out about it yestderday. We hadn't done any practice and have barely barely barely done ANY reading or writing in class, AT ALL. I talked to Ajaan Pongsowet and he agreed that we could spend the day of class before the test studying and practicing reading, writing, and slight differences between different words for the test. (We know at least 6 ways to say and spell the word "cow". Rice, White, He/her, News, Knee, Enter.) I think everybody found that very helpful (and fun too, a break from the normal swing of class. I spent the ENTIRE day before studying (with a break to go out for sushi dinner). The test went O.K. When its not extremely overwhelming, reading and writing is kind of fun, its like solving a puzzle.

I might not get a chance to post again before i leave so i want to say Bye and I love you! to everyone. I'll be leaving monday, for Mae Hong Song, a province in the north. We will be studying Political Ecology of Forests (which basically mean the interactions between people who are trying to deal the environmental issues. Specifically, we are focusing of parks and protected areas, and what to do with the people who lived/live/were kicked out from them. We are also learning about swidden agriculture (also called slash-and-burn) where people cut down forests farm for a while and then move to a new area (soil degredation and weeds get too bad), and the old farmland recovers in the mientime, (often they rotate through several areas). We will also be learning about mountian jungle ecology.

We will be backpacking from village to village, (following old trails, and old trails turned to roads) and living with host families at each one.

I will be gone for three weeks and i think come back on Thursday 20th? if that is a day. Anyway the thrusday closest to the 20th. If you want to send me a package or a letter for me to recieve upon my return! *wink wink* you can send it to

letters:

ISDSI - Gigi Leet
PO BOX 222, Phrasingh, Muang
Chiang Mai , 50205
Thailand

packages:
ISDSI - Gigi Leet
48/1 Chiangmai - Lampang Rd.,
Changpuak, Muang
Chiang Mai 50300

Take care! and good luck and health on your adventures or work!

Love, gigi