Day 1: And the journey begins

Vegetations, mountains and houses stretched out across miles and miles of roads. Every moment is seemingly different, every blink of an eye presents you with a new view. I am glad I managed to catch a few beautiful scenes during the bus trip to Chiang Rai amidst the snippets of naps I took. I have always found long bus rides oddly comforting. Gazing out of the window, letting your brain soak in the flashing scenery before your eyes, with your earphones plugged in, it always brings me a kind of serenity and peace within and I am happy to have this sort of calm before we reached Mae Fah Luang University (MFU).

It was big and scenic and had a different kind of atmosphere as compared to the universities in Singapore. It somehow seemed less commercialized and structured and for the lack of a better word, more ‘friendly’ and less stressful. This difference however, could possibly be attributed to it being a school holiday which really makes me curious about how the university would be like on a normal school day; would it be as lively as what I imagined it to be? Or would it be filled with students massively studying everywhere?

Excited yet nervous, we kick started our research with an interview with Professor Chirada NaSuwan from MFU School of Social Innovation. Later on, we managed to conduct an unplanned short interview with Professor Yuki, a professor of gender studies. Although the information provided by both professors was far from what we expected which thrown us back a little, they brought out a few relevant pointers that got us thinking deeper into our topic and highlighted certain loopholes that we had previously overlooked.

 

Admittedly, we were not off to the best start and it definitely messed with our moods at least temporarily. We were confused and doubted our choice of research topic. Although a lot of ownership was given to us on this trip when it comes to various aspects such as the research methodology like what I mentioned in my pre-trip projections, I am thankful that our professors are always around to fine-tune our ideas and support us which makes this a more valuable learning experience as after all, we are still amateurs when it comes to conducting research.

Today, we had to learn things the hard way. Today, we learnt that no full amount of preparation can ever prepare us for what would really happen in real time. Today, we were faced with disappointments. However, it was really comforting when Prof Geraldine shared with us how having things not go our way was a common occurrence when it comes to conducting research on the ground and hence, we need not be so disheartened. Our moods were slightly elevated as we realigned our goals and plans for the next day before heading off for the night market near our hotel.

I really love the vibes that these night markets give off. Rows and rows of shops selling all sorts of things ranging from small to big items, with pretty light decorations draped across the short buildings and high intensity light bulbs illuminating each store. It was nighttime and yet everything around me seemed so bright and lively and maybe, the night is really still young. I walked around with a few others as the occasional cool winds blew against our faces. Undoubtedly, the pace of life over here in Chiang Rai was slower than that in Chiang Mai. People strolled around the night market which was pretty empty and quiet as compared to the one we visited the night before in Chiang Mai where throngs of crowds were moving around everywhere and there was barely any empty space along all the streets.

One of the most interesting events of the night would be when we witnessed a huge crowd surrounding one of the food stalls and we soon discovered that there were celebrities present. We were all unsure of who they were but the Thais were thoroughly thrilled to see the stars and they were all chirpy and excited, with their mobile phones whipped out in front of their faces to get footages of the celebrities. It was my first time having such an up close encounter with a celebrity. The mass of people moved as the celebrities moved as if a magnet was holding them together and this excitement level was definitely a stark contrast to the other sides of the night market as storeowners were packing up for the night. I guess ‘fangirling’ is an international trend among youths.

Walking around the night bazaar served as a great end after a whole afternoon’s worth of work. It was a day filled with both ups and downs but it was still a pretty interesting start to the trip 🙂