Songkran!

Songkran is Thai New Year and is celebrated the 13-15th of April in most places. Basically, it consists of a giant water fight and tons of people going around Chiang Mai with giant drums of water in the back of their trucks and dousing the other cars stuck in traffic. It is a whole lot of fun as long as you don't think about the fact that a lot of them are using water from the town moat (EW!). The water is supposed to be about purifying for the new year but I'm pretty sure I came out dirtier that went I went in!

Songkran technically starts on the 13th but I unfortunately farang (Thai word for foreigners) who come to Chiang Mai just for the holiday like to start earlier...even when you are carrying things like your luggage or your computer...there was this one particularly creepy oldish white man who i literally saw 3 times and was only ever pouring water on young girls with a dopey grin on his face...SKETCH. But despite the weird foreigner aspect, Songrkan was pretty awesome! I celebrated it with a gaggle of ETAs and some of their families who were in town. Gina's family put us up in a swanky hotel (for which I am eternally grateful!) and it was soo nice to relax and get clean after hiking around Malaysia.

This picture was taken on the way to the moat (around which the festivities center) with Josh and Brianna, who are the husband and oldest daughter of the Fulbrighter I interned with during the month of March.

That's all for now as I'm back to teaching and have to run to class...up next, Korea!