The Basics

While many of you have heard some of the basics about my trip, some updates have come in the meantime and I thought I would once again share the basics with you all.

The first portion of my trip will be spent in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I will be working with Bridges Across Borders in Southeast Asia (aka BABSEA), which is a non-profit group in SE Asia that works with various grassroots organizations in the area and local law student interns. The first two weeks of my trip spent in Chiang Mai will be orientation and introduction by BABSEA. I just received the agenda two days ago for this period and I will be BUSY! Our days are scheduled from 7 am (when we start with Yoga) to 6:30 pm (when we end with Thai language lessons). Even our weekends are booked, although they are filled with fun, such as a hike in the local mountains, a visit to a night market downtown, etc. Chiang Mai is supposed to be a beautiful city, with amazing people. The population is primarily Buddhist (something like 98% Buddhist) and very friendly with outsiders. Chiang Mai is a cultural center of northern Thailand, filled with temples and history (and none of the political turmoil that is ravaging Bangkok).

My third week in Thailand will be spent with a local indigenous family. I will be living with a family outside of Chiang Mai for one week, working, eating, and sleeping the way they do. It should be quite the experience! After we return to BABSEA house at the end of the week we travel to our jobs. So far, I have been scheduled to work in the neighboring country of Laos (pronounced Lao; when the French colonized the area and unified the inhabitants into one cohesive country they tacked an "s" onto the end of the people's name, essentially renaming the country "Laos"; however, local inhabitants still refer to themselves in the singular). I will be working in the capital city, Vientiane, which is located right across the border from Thailand, along the River that forms the border between the two countries. For seven weeks I will be working with Village Focus International (VFI) on law relating to the environment, natural resources, and local land use. It should be an amazing experience and will give me the chance to study international law and various approaches to local law and its' effects on the community and environment.

After that, I will be heading back to Chiang Mai for my "debriefing" session by BABSEA and will, hopefully, be given some time to explore and act the part of the tourist.

And there you have it. I will be in SE Asia for 3 months. Surrounded by good food, interesting people, and monsoons. Can you really think of anything better?