Chiang Rai is such a marvelous little city! Even though it is small and more of a rural setting than what I typically prefer, the air is so clean and the people are full even more full of smiles than the typical Thai population (and that is saying a lot). During our stay we engaged in many enjoyable activities. One of these events was the festival for the new year that occurred at the Lahu-Lisu village we got to spend some time in. I found one of the men who talked to us through a translator particularly interesting. He was the principal of the village school and him and his people traveled all the way from Burma to their current location, beginning a new life for themselves. The man was very intellectual and practical, while also being an expert in a life that is very simplistic and spiritual. I learned that life truly does not have to be as complicated as we like to make it in America. Family and an education–these are the essentials!

Later in the evening, we were prepared what would be my favorite meal to date. It included slow cooked-pork and various small snack foods, a pumpkin soup, and deep-fried bamboo with sticky rice. Everything was so fresh and pure and yet so packed with flavor. I could not resist going back in for more and more helpings–it got to the point where I could barely stand up, I was so full. The meal was followed by a dance performance and some enjoyable live music. We left shortly after the official opening of the festival. While on the bus, I feel that my fellow classmates and I were deeply inspired by the unity and love that we saw displayed at the festival by the Lao people. We sang and danced together passionately and immensely enjoyed each other’s company for the whole hour-long bus ride home.

The two main things I took away from the experience of the village festival were the following: I bonded with my fellow students in a way that I will probably never bond with anyone ever again, and I truly learned what it meant to be “Thai happy”. Staying grounded in one’s beliefs and knowledge while living in harmony with the people who matter most in one’s life is the truly the Thai way of achieving piece and happiness.