Items

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  2022-10-01

  Chan Yak Ja Pbai (I Want To Leave)

  Unfortunately, I have not been able to travel since the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. The last two years of my undergraduate were affected by the pandemic, and initially, I was planning to study abroad during my senior year. Unfortunately, that was not possible and I was barely able to complete my student teaching placement for my Secondary Education Minor as the program was constantly under revision to ensure student safety. Now, as a graduate student, if I could go anywhere it would easily be Thailand as that is where my personal historical focus is. While my Thai is far from fluent, I have been steadily learning the language for about a year now as I hope to have an opportunity to complete an extended stay for scholarly or leisurely purposes. In terms of specifics, I would first like to travel to Chiang Rai, Sukhothai, or across Isan as Northern and Eastern Thailand have some of the richest historical and cultural sites, combined with the fact that individuals who I am very close to are from these areas as well. I have worked part-time at a Thai restaurant in Houston for a significant amount of time which helps considerably with practicing the language. As I am one of the only foreigners that works for the restaurant, the owners, my co-workers, and the individuals I have been introduced to through them have become like a second family to me, and I am very grateful for their generosity, inclusivity, and willingness to teach me as an outsider to the culture. Thus, I would love to be able to visit the areas that have meaning to them as well as fulfill my own historical ambitions. Two of my closest co-workers and I discussed traveling to Thailand and Laos together, and we agreed it would be interesting if we started a vlog to document the process. Not every temple or historical landmark allows photography or video to be taken, but I do think a vlog would be a great way to capture the moment as I am not the best at actively documenting things through social media. Video documentation also has the advantage of directly capturing the emotions and excitement of traveling as opposed to journaling or even photography. The photo I chose is of my co-worker and me at an event for the restaurant promoting Northern Thai cuisine in the traditional "Mo Hom", or the shirts worn by rice farmers.
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  2020-08-19

  Wild Goats Wander into Town Amidst COVID-19 Lockdown

  This photo, specifically taken in a town in Wales, shows that there are so little people and cars out on the streets that the goats find it safe to wander them. Apparently the goats are very cautious around humans so this is one of the only times they’ve even dared to come into the town. Artifacts like these are important to remember because they show the lighter side of things during the pandemic. Other animals such as coyotes in California and monkeys in Thailand have also been seen making their way into cities amidst the lockdown.
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  2020-08-29

  Strange Times

  ​When the covid-19 crisis began I was living in Bangkok, Thailand. My work visa was due to expire on April 7th and I had a flight to Australia booked on that date, but at the time the Australian Government was urging all citizens to return as quickly as possible because they feared that flights would be grounded. I called the Australian Embassy and asked what would happen if I became stranded without a valid visa and the man on the phone told me to change my flight to the next available one out, as things were changing by the minute and he couldn’t give me a certain answer. ​One option I considered was crossing the border to get a tourist visa, but then I saw on the news that many expats had crossed over into Laos to do just that, and had become stranded there because Thailand had suddenly closed its borders to all but its own citizens. Expats with homes, families, and jobs in Thailand were not allowed back into the country even though they’d acquired valid visas. My flight on April the 7th was cancelled so I rebooked for March 31st. An announcement was made that all flights to Australia would cease on the 25th of March, so I cancelled that flight and managed to find another one on the 21st, which was on the following day. I had no time to pack up my apartment properly or get my affairs in order. I left my fiancé in Bangkok thinking that I would be able to return to her in a month or so, but it’s now the end of August and it doesn’t seem as though Australia is going to let anyone out anytime soon. Throughout the covid-19 crisis I have been documenting my experiences. The diary focuses on my trip to India in early March, where I nearly didn’t get out in time, as well as my escape from Bangkok and the everyday life in lockdown I’ve been going through ever since. I send the entries to my fiancé via email each week. My hope is that the diary will end with our reunion, but my fear is that life will lead us along a different path.
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  2020-03-19

  Indigenous People of Thailand Revive Traditional Practice of "Kroh Yee" (Village Closure) to Fight COVID-19

  “Karen people in a number of highland communities begin to shut-down their villages one by one, not to allow entering nor getting out at all times. These village shut-downs were announced in conjunction with the revival of the ancient ritual called, “Kroh Yee” (or village closure). It was found that this ritual was used seventy years ago when there was an outbreak of cholera. Local knowledge holders believe that there would be enough food for annual consumption if a pandemic occurs and the village needs to be blockaded, but the town’s people may run away to the forest for their survival.” #IndigenousStories
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  2020-02-20T23:00:00

  A shop owner stands outside his restaraunt in Chinag Mai's Night Bazaar: There are no customers for him to serve.

  On Friday night, I went looking to find optimistic stories and found none. Shop owners without customers, Tuk tuk drivers without fares, a boxing stadium without any visitors, security guards with nothing to guard.
• 
  2020-03-19

  Akha Ama coffee gently requesting that visitors use hand gel before entering their shop.

  Thailand has seen a recent spike in coronavirus infections. Unlike other countries, regular citizens taking this threat very seriously- a single infection from Coronavirus kicked off a complete near-failure of the tourism economy. In a place like Chiang Mai where the livelihood of nearly a million people hangs in the balance, no one wants to own the shop where Covid-19 spread.