“Do you know what I think is funny?” My mom’s voice bounces around my too-small-for-four-people blue house that we’re crammed in for this week at my site. “What?” I respond, a hint of amusement in my voice. “When people look like their dogs.” We had already said goodnight, the lights were all off – and in this home where I’d lived by myself for almost a year, the laughter of my family banished the silence.
I had been looking forward to my family visiting since the moment I stepped off the plane in Bangkok, and that excitement only grew as time went on. I would try a new snack at the market and make a mental note – my family had to try this when they visited. I would find a new, particularly beautiful spot in Chiang Mai and think “My family has to see this.” I counted down the months, days, and then mere moments until they were set to arrive, and I don’t know if I’ve ever been more excited in my life.
I’m writing this exactly a week after we said goodbye – they boarded a plane back to America, and I steeled myself for more than a year left in a different country than the people I love most in this world. It’s a weird feeling, the sensation of having so much time before you see someone next. You’re worried you’ll miss so much, you’ll change too much, or they’ll need you in their life less somehow. But the minute I saw my family, it felt like nothing had changed. There was no “haven’t seen you in a year” awkwardness, no slight social chafing as we figure out how to act in sync again. I may owe this to my parents’ devotion to our weekly skype dates, but it also led me to realize that although another 14 months is a long time before I’ll see them again, it’s maybe also not that long.
So apart from lending me a healthy amount of introspective fuel, this trip made so many memories – moments we will cherish for the rest of our lives. A peek into this Peace Corps journey, but most importantly a whirlwind tour through this culture and land that I’m calling home for this season.
So, here are the moments I want to capture, the things I’ll remember from the best family vacation (adventure) yet:
We walk into a classroom, our sixth school of the week. My family, troopers each and every one of them, agreed to do a normal Peace Corps week with me: seven schools. At this school, same as all the others, my family’s entrance caused a general commotion among my kids. At this particular school, my mom and brother had run for a quick bathroom break before their grand entrance. My dad and I entertained the kids for a few minutes, and then my mom and brother joined us in the classroom. I swear, jaws hit the floor. My kids basically rioted at the height of my family. I wish I’d captured it on video: later while we were practicing English, I asked Nathan how tall he is. When he responded that he’s 200 Centimeters tall, they lost their damn minds. One of my biggest schools and some of my sweetest kids, they were slapping their friends on the arms and repeating “song met?!?” (two meters?!) to each other in Thai. I have a picture from the end of the class with my kids standing next to Nathan, jaws on the floor.
Immediately after arriving in my community, I took my family to my weekly market. I knew it would be overwhelming for them, so I’d prepped them – but I hadn’t realized how overwhelming it would be for me. We were a spectacle, an absolute oddity; it was as if the circus had come to town. With every eye on us and everyone who knew me even remotely stopping us to ask me what was going on, we bought almost nothing but spent a good portion of our evening in the market. My family got to meet a few of my teachers, my host dad and siblings (my host dad remarked “and we thought she was tall”), and I swear every single Yai in my community. “Mother is so beautiful, like her daughter”, “Father is so handsome, looks so young!”, “Brother is so tall and handsome, smiles like his sister”. My family walked away with just a quick taste of my site and my community, but I’ll never forget their summation of the experience: “Wow, Caitlin. They love you.”
My community stepped up in every way to host my family. During our time in Chiang Mai before even making it to site, we were driven around in private vehicles by son-in-laws or people of other relations to my landlord and landlady. In Chiang Rai, my Bhalat and Tessaban gave us a free tour of Chiang Rai in addition to the ride to our hotel that I’d asked for. My host family cooked all of my favorite foods for the night that they hosted the four of us, and I would argue that it was the most delicious meal of our whole trip. My teachers & classes had prepared Christmas shows for my family, and we were included in gift exchanges and Christmas parties as well. My Tessaban had a New Year’s Party that my family got to experience – and they felt so honored, so loved, so well cared for. I had been a little worried leading up to the visit, but all of my worries were unfounded. People went out of their way to accommodate my family, and in the process I felt so, so loved.
A two-week whirl-wind of a trip, I’m so grateful that my family had the means to come visit so that they could see my new corner of the world. And although this trip was definitely so that my family could see and experience Thailand, I like to think that at least a little bit it was also me bringing a new part of the world to my classrooms, my students. Here is proof that the rest of the world is out there, waiting to be explored. People who look, think, and speak differently, this was maybe the first time my students had ever experienced another culture. I hope that meeting my family helped expand their worldview, even just a little bit.
If it didn’t, at least their visit empirically raised my cool points at every school – so I’ll be riding that wave for at least the next few months.
So, until next time (talk to you this weekend Mom & Dad). Thanks for these moments, these memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
