Same Same But Different IV

Same Same but Different III should be coming hopefully soon...but I have been extra busy these last few weeks but none other than school!
After Kelly and Brian left I began a three week intensive class on Politics, Religion and Society in Maritime (Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines) Southeast Asia. It was just with the other five girls from UNC. We were spending approximately 12 hours a day at school between class time and working on our final papers....not the most fun but we definitely made up for it with several going away parties for our friends who left in the meantime.
It was really hard to see everyone go...I have met some of the most amazing people in Thailand and was really sad to see them leave! The countless goodbyes though made leaving Bangkok far easier for me and the rest of the UNC girls given we were the only exchange students left.
Now we are in Malaysia! A whole different world from Thailand. We are currently traveling with a professor from the UNC School of Public Health studying social inequalities in health care. My first impressions were it looks like Southern California meets Hawaii, being far more developed than I had imagined. We first flew into Penang on the Northwest coast and spent 3 days there. We toured the city one day and spent the rest of our time meeting with NGOs and some professors and students from the local university.
We then traveled to Kaula Lumpur, the capital, which is about 5 hours South of Penang. We spent the majority of our time working with NGOs but we spent the weekend touring KL and city on the coast called, Malacca. In KL, we went to a dinner theater, where all types of traditional Malay dance was performed. They even invited us on stage to learn a few moves...really perfected my heel-toe step in the process. The entire show felt somewhat like I was at a character show at Disneyland...the last song was called "Malaysia, Truly Asia"....please emjoy the video I have posted...its at the bottom.
The picture may appear as though we are preparing for our trip to Hogwarts but we are actually at the National Mosque in KL. It was really cool to see the mosque but the visit was short lived as it was quite toasty inside the robes!
Moving right along in my travels...Now I am in Brisbane, Australia, which is much the "same same" as home! Its the third largest city in Australia located on the central East coast. Its a really cool city on the Brisbane River and about an hour and a half train ride from the coast. THe city is really trendy and artsy. I went salsa dancing on Friday night in front of the public library, something that goes on every week and went running through the expansive botanical gardens. It's really a beautiful place!
The biggest shocker about being back in the western world is the prices!!! The amount of money I have spent in the past six days is what I would be spending in a month in Thailand. Although, it has been nice not to stand out all the time and not to feel like a giant...I went to the Queensland Museum the other day and stood next to the world's tallest women...she is actually American and it made me feel normal again!
Also, went to the world-famous Steve Erwin's Australia Zoo. Sooo coool and so much fun! Saw tons of crocs, including a crocidile show. One crocidile cage we stopped at, he approached the fence and just opened his mouth...uh I think not! Took me back to our trip to Hilton Head years ago when Sara made my lay down maybe 20 ft. from an alligator and then angled the camera to make me look like I was lying right next to it...can't believe I fell for that one!
I also got to pet the kangaroos and koalas...which made me feel like a kid again at a petting zoo and like I was having the true Australian experience.
Also, hit up the Brisbane casino and took a brewery tour...both things I look forward to be doing in the US now that I am 21!
I am planning to take a surfing class on Friday to top off the Aussie experience and then back to Bangkok I go for two more nights before I head home Monday, June 1st!
My experiences have been amazing and I can't wait to be home to share them with all of you face-to-face and show you pictures!

Same Same but Different II

In the last two month I have spent more time outside Thailand than I have in the country...my travels have been wonderful but are bittersweet as I realize I have less than two weeks!
I spent 17 days traveling in Laos and Vietnam in early April. Followed by a wonderful visit from Kelly and Brian and the celebration of Songkran (Thai new year).
Laos was a beautiful country but reminded me a lot of my travels in Northern Thailand. We were on the go the entire 6 days in the country...biking around the capital, Vientiane, exploring the mysterious Plain of Jars on foot in Phonsovan and riding elephants along Nam Khan river in Luang Prabang.
The Plain of Jars are large stone jars, some the size of me, that are found in clusters on the hillsides near Phonsovan (kinda like Stonehenge). Their age and purpose are unknown, and their mysterious and somewhat errie nature matched that of the town. The three sights that are open to the public are really fascinating and offer spectacular views. The sixteen hour trip was well worth it as the sights are scattered among small villages...the ride out to the Jars was an awesome way to see the way traditional Lao people live.
Thirty-six hours on buses later we arrived in central Vietnam in a quaint-beach town called Hoi An. After our unexpectedly long journey it was wonderful to relax on the beach and take advantage of one tailor shop after another. Almost needed to buy another bag to leave the town.
Heading south, I crawled through the Vietcong tunnels outside of Ho Chi Mihn City and took a boat tour of the Mekong Delta.
Ho Chi Mihn City was such a lively and vibrant city! There are parks throughout the city that are occupied by locals at all hours of the day...women doing aerobics at the crack of dawn, men drinking ice coffees (the best I have ever had!) during lunch and young couples sitting on their motorbikes and hanging out at night.
I attended Easter Vigil Mass at the cathedral...the place was packed! We all held candles...which was beautiful...except for the fact that they would then turn off ALL the fans when the candles were lite and there is no AC! 500 people + no AC + 85 degree weather = my Easter sacrifice.
Definitely a really cool experience but I prefer the traditional McKellogg/Miller family Easter egg hunt and arriving at Easter Sunday church a hour and a half early to claim our seats in the air-conditioned splendor that we call St. Leos.
Kelly and Brian arrived the Easter Sunday...the same day I returned...and with them came the Thai New Year! Celebrated for three days straight, Thai people of all ages throw water on each all day everyday. We all had lots of fun celebrating considering everywhere you went you had to be prepared to get water poured on you! Kelly found it less than amusing by day 3! I had a fabulous time showing them around Bangkok and surrounding areas and was sad to see them go after 4 short days...they headed to the Phuket and I back to school!

Same Same but Different

Everything in Southeast Asia is referred to as "Same Same but Different" Why? We are all still trying to figure out..and not sure if anyone really knows...but in a lot of ways many things are the same same but also different!

A few weeks ago I made my first journey out of Thailand to visit their eastern neighbor, Cambodia. I loved it!!! I loved the bakeries on every corner, I loved the traditional Khmer food(much like Thai but not as spicy) and the people were wonderful! I went with my friends Jill(New Jersey) and Christoph(Germany). We flew to the capital of Phnom Penh enjoyed dinner in one of the restaurants on the Mekong River and then woke up the next morning to catch an early bus to Siem Reap to visit Angkor (ancient temple ruins of the old Khmer kingdom...also known as the the place where they filmed Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie).

We arrived in the heat of the day to several tuk-tuk(motorcycles with sidecars attached = taxi) drivers waiting to give us the "best deal." Difference #1: bargaining is way easier in Cambodia --(turn around and take two steps in the other direction and they will come running over and give you the price you want!) Our tuk-tuk driver became our best friend...We must have been looking really hot and miserable in the 95 degree weather so being his clever self he took us to a guest house with a beautiful pool! We immediately said YES! May have been one of the best splurges I have made since I have been here. After a quick swim in the irrestible pool our tuk-tuk driver returned to take us to watch the sunset at a Hindu temple at Angkor. The sunset was beautiful and the temple was unbelievable! Every wall is carved out and tells a story...I could only wonder who had the patience to create such uniform and magnificent artwork!
After having traditional Khmer food for dinner nothing seemed more appropriate then heading to one of the many bakeries (in typical JulieAnn fashion) where I indulged in a nice large brownie sundae!!! Difference #2: There are NO bakeries/good ice cream places that I have found in Thailand! So it was well deserved...since I have comed to accept 7-11 pre-packaged ice cream as my substitute for good ice cream!
Before heading back to Angkor the next day for a day-long tour of the temples, we had baugettes and omelettes for breakfast at our guest house! Difference #3: Bread!!!! and French colonization. The French influence in Cambodia is evident everywhere. From the architecture to the food even the road signs. The combination of traditional Khmer architecture, which is much like Thailand, and that of the French makes for very interesting yet beautiful cities. The bakeries as already mentioned are everywhere and baugettes come with everything! Since Thailand was never colonized seeing colonial influence was something very different.
We spent the entire next day exploring Angkor which our loyal tuk-tuk driver...who brought his brother along to drive so he could sit in the back with us and give us a little history! He also had a few questions for us...for example: "Do lots of people say 'whats up dude in America?'", "what about 'whats hanging?'" and the grand finale "do you know that song 'I like to move it, move it'?" After a little cultural exchange on both ends we headed back to the guest house to make sure we got our money's worth on the pool!
That night we had an interesting experience at the night market...markets very same same as Thailand but the foot massage was very different! We all got massages from "Dr. Fish." We sat around a jacuzzi filled with fish and let them eat the dead skin off our feet....after paying for it I freaked out and the man working the stand had to force my legs into the water! It was a bizarre feeling...little mouths nibbling at your feet. Needless to say the man did not have to tell me twice to take my feet out after my 15 minutes were up. He also shared with us that he submerges his entire body in the pool of fish each day...you couldn't pay me!
The rest of our Cambodian adventure took place back in Phnom Penh where we visited their genocide museum and the "Killing Fields." It was a very enlightening experiences given I knew nothing about the Khmer Rouge and the genocide that occured there in the late 1970s. It made me really reflect on my Cambodian experience and the perseverence of the people given that each person living there today in some way had to have been directly effected since it happened so recently and since 1/4 of the population was killed. Difference #4: There was far more begging and we saw far more children working. We sat in a restaurant our last night in Phnom Penh talking to a 13-year-old boy who was selling books. He said he gets up at 5am and goes to school at 6:30-12 and then home for lunch before going back to school until 5 and then work from 6-11. We saw him riding a bike in front of the same restaurant the next day before we left...so not sure if he was taking the day off from school or if he made up the story...but either way he was such a strong and vibrant child given his life as a child selling books on the street. And Difference #5: So many people speak English...far more than in Thailand! We stayed in pretty touristy areas which always makes a difference...but even more than in the touristy areas of Thailand. Nice for us considering we knew none of the language.
Cambodia was amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone heading this way!
It was then back to Thailand to finish up exams and head to the Andaman coast for a few days rest before I started on my next and most recent adventure!
Laos and Vietnam. Stay tuned for "Same Same but Different II."
Coming VERY soon!
(Sorry for the lack of pictures...I am at an internet cafe in Vietnam...also Sara I worked on controlling my enthusiasm and use of exclamation points...hope you weren't as exhausted when you finished reading this post!!!!)

Feelin' Hot, Hot, Hot!!!

While most of you are at home enjoying the snowy weather...I am enjoying the perks of living in a country where the "cold season" temperature averages 80 degrees! But with the heat, comes laziness and the desire to move as fast as you can between air conditioned buildings...apparently the recent weather as been far warmer than it normally is at this time of year...can't wait for April (the hottest month in Thailand)!
Three weekends ago I ventured to the Bangkok Zoo. It is located right in the center of the city around this beautiful lake! They had all kinds of animals and much to my dismay lots of snakes...which I was forced to see and I realized I dislike snake houses...or whatever you call the
building with snakes... just as much as I dislike aquariums. It was still pretty warm in early February and when I went to buy a water...I ordered ice and the woman stared at me for a good ten seconds like I was an idiot! For some reason the Thai food words are not sticking in my mind...which I know is rather shocking since we all know my relationship with food!!!
Two weekends ago, I went with a group of friends to a beach on the Gulf of Thailand called Hua Hin. It is a cute town...but is extremely Westernized to accommodate their largest clientele...older German tourists...who unfortunately believe it is still Ok to be wearing speedos and going topless! The weather was beautiful considering we were laying on the beach...not as beautiful on the three hour non air-conditioned train we took to get there...I was wringing my clothes out when I arrived at the hotel!
The best part about the weekend was the real mexican restaurant that we found!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is owned by an American and actually smells like a Mexican restaurant when you walk in!!!!!!!!! I had a margarita that was normal size...not the size of a shot glass like all drinks here --- portions of everything are WAY smaller.... and an awesome burrito that if I had wanted could have been made into the "giant" size...I resisted!!!!!!!! If the cravings get to strong I might have to make another weekend trip back just for the food!!!
This past weekend I spent hanging around Green Park, my dorm, and going to the pool down the street! Watch out...for all of you who have always been tanner than me...I am getting a four month head start and you might not recognize me and my bronze skin when I return!!!!!!!!!!!
And today was the FIRST rain storm that I have seen since being in Thailand...only two other times have I seen it sprinkle...it was pouring or seemed to be since I haven't seen rain in two months!!! But the rainy season is quickly approaching so I better get used to it....finally my raincoat will come in handy!!!
Although I will be tan and I do love warm weather...I am a little sad that the rain today wasn't snow...the coldest thing I have come in contact with is the ice cream I get on a nightly basis from the 7-11 in front of my dorm:)
Take pictures for me!!!
And I am working on albums with all pictures...I will be sure to post the link as soon as I finish them!

Learning to Wok

So its been a while mostly because I have been extremely busy the past few weeks turning 21, taking midterms, writing papers and traveling! I have visited both the Gulf of Thailand and the mountains in northern Thailand...both which are stunning!
My birthday was wonderful...all my new friends here made it really special!!! They made me a poster they all signed and hung it in the dorm! Then we all went to an awesome Italian restaurent for dinner! The next morning we left to spend the weekend in the Gulf of Thailand on an island called Koh Samet. We stayed right on the beach and spent all day in the same spot -- food delivered to us and all! It was so relaxing and a wonderful way to spend my birthday! But my birthday also would not have been nearly as nice without hearing from all you!!! So thank you...it made it the best!
Last weekend we had a long weekend because of a Buddhist holiday on Monday...so I went with four other friends on an overnight bus to Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand and the most popular place in the north. From there we took a city bus to Pai, which is 3 hours and 762 curves around a mountain away....the way there was miserable because it was freezing and no one was prepared!!! It was an open-air bus and the bus driver I think found it somewhat amusing how unprepared and miserable we all were -- Thai people never complain so we tried to just suck it up! The ride home was the exact opposite -- we were in a van and the driver was taking the curves a little quick -- unfortunately there was no fresh air and I had a little trouble keeping breakfast down -- whoops! Fortunately their was a guy dancing and singing the entire way to the hip-hop CD the driver had put on which kept it very amusing --- even though it was 8am!!! The ride however was completely worth it!!!!
Pai is beautiful! It is on a river up in the mountains...the weather is perfect and it has a small-town feel. It is very hippie but is slowly becoming very popular with Thai people as well. Our big adventure there was a cooking class...probably one of the best things I have done here! Life here is definitely defined here in a large part by the food....which is more than fine by me!!!! It was really fun and much easier than I expected learning how to cook Thai food. Almost all dishes are cooked in a wok...hence the name of this post and the name of the cooking school -- "Woking with Tee." We went in the morning learned how to make curry paste and made 6 different kinds of curry for lunch. Took a break and went for bike rides around Pai to work up another appetite. We came back for dinner and made several kinds of stir-fry, salads and soups. I got a cookbook and will hopefully be able to recreate some of these foods when I get home!
Learning how to cook the food was a great way to learn what I am eating everyday! I can now order something besides my usual chicken friend rice, not only because I know what I am getting but also because I just learned the names of most Thai dishes in my language and culture class. My pronunciation though is questionable so I never know what I may be getting...the other day I accidentally ordered ice instead of water! Oops!!!

The food though is amazing...everywhere...even at the free buffet we stopped for on the overnight bus to Chiang Mai! I eat from street vendors or small family restaurants almost every night...and they are by far the best!!! There are at least 6 places within 300ft of our dorm! I think I have eaten more noodles and rice in the past 6 weeks than I have eaten in my entire life. All the food is so fresh...which makes me believe I am eating healthy even though I know I am not because it is all fried!!! One big adjustment has been to how spicy everything is...key phrase "my pet" which means little spice! Once you learn how to say that...life is far more pleasant! Although they take one look at my "farang" or foreign face and automatically make it ten times less spicy...it still comes out sometimes and is nearly unbearable! My taste buds are quickly adapting now and I find myself adding spice to almost everything! They also have the world's best smoothies and make them everywhere...the fruit is unreal and better than I have ever had (Sorry Pops!!!).
For those times when Thai food just isn't doing it for me...which is happening more and more these days..there is one place up the street called Black Canyon, which is an attempt at western food. Then there is always the 7-11, which the people in my dorm keep in business, which is 100ft from my door and where they are happy to grill up a nice ham and cheese sandwich for only 22 baht which equals about 65 cents! There is also a nice restaurant on the top floor of my university that serves good American food for the days that I want to splurge and maybe spend $5 on a meal!
Thats the other best part about the food...I normally eat on less than $3 a day!!!
The best discovery in food in recent weeks was bagels in Pai...bagels are my livelihood at home and I have been missing them desperately!!! Having one in Pai was kinda a tease but I am hoping to maybe find some at this western grocery store that I have yet to visit!
After our cooking class, we returned to Chiang Mai, where spent all day Monday trekking up a mountain overlooking the city. We were literally crawling through the jungle and zig-zagging across this river for two hours. It was the best workout I have had since I got here and so much fun! I looked back to tell my friend how much fun this was just about the time we started crawling through the thicket for literally ten minutes --- not as much fun but really awesome when we came out on the other side and saw this beautiful waterfall! I made it with few scraps and only one fall in the river...where I fortunately saved my camera! Sticking to the food theme...our tour guide actually caught his dinner while we were hiking! He used my empty water bottle and filled it with small fish and minos. I on the other hand was on the other side of the rocks helping a fish...who could have potentially been dinner....get back to safety! This is the dry season and the river in some spots was almost nonexistent...the poor fish got beached!!!
I on the other hand have been food to the mosquitos and bed bugs which are infesting my bed! I can not go outside without bug spray...one night I made the mistake and as my friend put it, "It looks like the mosquitos had a buffet on your legs"...lovely! The bed bugs on the other hand, I thought I had gotten rid of about a week ago only to wake up last night to more bitting me...I am actually off to school to figure out what they can do so that I can actually sleep at night and not get eaten alive....literally!
I hope all is well with all of you...I miss everyone so much and hope to hear from you all soon!!!!

Big Foot

After being here for over three weeks....I can finally say the biggest challenge I have had being here is finding shoes...should have brought more! There are no shoes in this country that fit my feet!
Last Thursday, the International Relations Office at school took us to a traditional Thai puppet show. It was really was fabulous! Each puppet required three puppeteers at once...one moving one arm, another moving the feet and the third moving the other arm and the head. The puppeteers all moved their bodies in sync with the puppet while another person narrated!
Here is a picture of my friend Jill and I in with one of the puppets!
The entire thing was in Thai but they had giant screens that would say in English what was going on!
Before the show began and at every movie/entertainment event, they play a slideshow of the King and everyone has to stand! Pictures of the King are everywhere...billboards with his picture are all over the place! The people here really like him because the royal family apparently does a lot of good things for the people...they seem to be the only stable thing right now considering all the political unrest they have dealt with over the past few years!
Also, the King's picture is on all the money and if you drop it and step on it...well its bad news!
Feet in general here are viewed as dirty...everywhere you go you take off your shoes!!! Restaurants, stores, temples, my dorm and public bathrooms(yes...its true...I usually try to sneak around it so I don't have to wear the sandals they provide -- bathrooms are interesting!). The only place we can wear them really is school! So I guess my shoe problem is not that big of deal considering I don't wear shoes half the time. But I have continued to look for shoes for the times I do need them...after we went to the puppet show we were shopping a night market across the street. I found a shoe store that looked like they had some western shoes...so I stopped in and of course size 40 is the biggest they come and I need a 41 or 42! As I was leaving I looked over and finally found a pair of flip-flops that might just fit...check out the picture of me and my new kicks!!!
Needless to say they were a little much and I decided to pass...there is one last hope...a mall that has some western stores...hopefully I will find success there otherwise I could be waiting for another month to get some shipped from home!
This past weekend we went to a place called Ayutthaya a hour and a half north. I took my first train ever to get there! It cost 15 baht...which is around 30 cents!
Thailand is the place to come if you are on a budget!!! I just read that it was voted "Best Value For Traveling." I can eat for less than $3 a day!
In Ayutthaya, we rented bikes and rode around the ruins the city is built around. It was previously the capital of Thailand before the Burmese attacked the city in the 16th century.
It was really cool because it is not very touristy and there were lots of Thai people vacationing there!
On Sunday, we took the train an hour north of Ayutthaya to a place called Lopburi. The place is infested with monkeys...it was unreal and a little disgusting! They were crazy and were everywhere just in this one area...I have no idea why they are there or why there are in just that one area but it was bizarre! They are really aggressive too in trying to take your things! One just grabbed my friend's drink, finished the drink, put the bottle down and walked away!
Anyway off to practice counting in Thai!!! Have my first quiz tomorrow!!!

First Week

Sa-wutdee-kha from Thailand!!!

I am finally getting settled in...I started school Monday at Mahidol University (make sure to check out the pictures of me in my school uniform...it's taking me back to my Catholic school days). I am attending the international college which is an extension of the university. It is very small compared to UNC and feels more like high school. We take a Mahidol shuttle bus to school in the mornings and either a taxi or a bus home in the afternoon. I am taking four classes, including a Thai language and culture class...which should be entertaining. We spent two hours today learning how to introduce ourselves!!!
I am living in a dorm about ten minutes from school with about fifty other international students. For the most part it is American and Canadian students, but there are also students from Bangladesh, Nepal, China, Korea, France, Switzerland, Australia, Great Britain and Germany. Almost all the rooms are doubles and there are two rooms to a bathroom. When I first arrived after my 26 hrs of traveling and losing my luggage, I opened my bathroom door to find nothing but broken tiles and dust....after a week of constant hammering into my wall in the early morning hours of course they have finally finished the renovations. I am very happy knowing I have a bathroom and peace and quiet!!!
After spending a few days wearing the same clothes over and over and with a few new purchases from the Tesco Lotus (aka Thailand Wal Mart), my bags arrived!
For all of those concerned about my safety...my dorm has a 24-hour security guards at the entrance to our complex and a guard at the door of the dorm...and double locks on the door of my room for the times when I have found the guard checking the back of his eyelids on the job!
I rang in 2009 on Khao San Road in Bangkok with thousands of people...there was no countdown but rather people yelling happy new year over and over somewhere around 12am. It was definitely not the traditional way but was really fun and exciting!!! Khao San is a popular hang out for backpackers and is all street vendors and restaurants/bars!!! Most of the souvenirs you all will be receiving will probably be coming from there!

On New Years Days a big group of us took a bus to Kanchanaburi, which is about an hour and half northwest of Bangkok. We stayed in rooms that were floating on the River Kwai! We went to a WWII museum and visited the famous River Kwai Bridge. We then traveled up into the mountains to a place called Erwan waterfalls, which was beautiful! People were swimming in the falls and families were picnicking on these little platforms that are built all along the bank of the river.

Our last day we visited a place call the Tiger Temple, which is a conservation project headed
by Buddhist monks. It was kind of a bizarre place...it was a little like a petting school because there were all kinds of animals walking around...like cows, chickens, buffaloes, goats and pigs. First people followed as the monks walked the tiger to a gathering area with 10 other tigers. Then everyone got in line with their cameras and a Tiger Temple volunteer came and took each person by the hand and guided them from one sleeping tiger to another and to take their picture! It was not what I was expecting and was kinda sad!
Kanchanaburi though was such a nice place to escape to from Bangkok. It has everything Bangkok has but on a much smaller scale, which was really nice! It was far less overwhelming!!!
But I am learning to love Bangkok as well after spending all day Sunday shopping at the largest mall I have ever seen!!! I was also fortunate enough to catch the concert of the popular Thai boyband "Smash" while shopping!!!!!
We also have visited the Royal Grand Palace and Wat Pao, which is a place with tons of temples and the home the Reclining Buddha, in downtown Bangkok.

I love Bangkok even more after finding Mexican restaurant with the help of a friend who has lived here for six years. It was not quite La Carreta or El Rodeo but it will do for the next five months!!!
But don't worry I will describe the food in its own post!!!
Off to read about women in Southeast Asia!!!
Happy New Year to everyone!!!