Happy New Year!

There has been so much going on recently that the past few weeks have gone by in a blur, and now I have less than a week left here, which I am not very happy about at all.

Firstly, happy Songkran (from Thailand), and happy Thingyan (from Burma), or, in English, happy New Year! This last weekend marked the New Year here, and what a way to mark it. Both countries partake in the biggest, most elaborate nation-wide water fight you’ve ever seen in your life. It is difficult to accurately describe the mayhem that takes over Burma and Thailand during this incredible holiday. There is parting and dancing in the streets and water being thrown from passing pick-up trucks, as well as people roaming the streets with water guns and manning enormous barrels of water to throw at everyone and anyone.  Other than monks, very very young babies, some elderly people and street workers, absolutely no one is immune, and there is no mercy: if you are out in the streets, you will be saturated for the entire time you are outside. There is food and drinks being shared with everyone on the streets, and a paste made of talcum powder and water being lovingly smeared on everyone’s face.

Did I mention that this party goes on for more than four days? After day three I had blisters on my water gun trigger finger, and a developing ear infection from having so much water forced into it. This is seriously the absolute best national holiday I have ever had the pleasure to take part in. I really cannot think of a better way to celebrate anything. Everyone was so happy, Burmese, Thai and farang (foreign) people were dancing and celebrating exuberantly together, small children were elated over what was going on (really, some unbelievably joyous faces, it was beautiful to see), and the elderly, while taking on a much gentler water sprinkling technique, were also having the time of their lives drenching everyone and being drenched in return. 

Aside from wild water parties, in these past couple of weeks I’ve gone camping in a national park, gone back to Burma for the day, gone to Chiang Mai, and on Monday I spent the day visiting waterfalls with one of my local colleagues and her family. In between all this I have also been frantically trying to finish writing our 2011 Annual Report, and unfortunately I don’t think will be done before I go. It’s been a really fantastic few weeks, and I am now very unsure why on earth I am leaving, and the date is drawing rapidly nearer. 

My final week here will be filled with more frantic work, eating as much delicious food as possible, cheap haircuts, lots of cleaning of my house for my friend to move in, culling and packing, parting with all my amazing friends here, and most sadly, saying goodbye.

The world's best way to eat a potato?

Getting as good as I gave.