Michael Aiello, 2L
International Justice Mission, Thailand
Another
couple of weeks have come and gone. I have done some pretty crazy things
(riding an ostrich for one), and I can't believe my time here is already halfway
over.
A couple
weekends ago the other interns and I went to a full day cooking class! It is
really popular among foreigners and I can see why. The organization, Asia
Scenic, picked us up and brought us to their city location where we chose our
menu. I chose to cook pad thai, spring rolls, khao soi, tom yam, and mango
sticky rice (I posted the recipe on the previous blog). They then brought us to
a traditional market in Mae Rim to purchase some of the ingredients. I never
knew there were so many different kinds of rice! Afterwards we drove to their
organic farm. Situated in the front part of their property was the outdoor
cooking pavilion. There were a couple of large dining tables, food prepping
tables, and two cooking stations with seven stoves each. Everything was well
organized and very clean. At the end of the day we all received a cook book in
addition to some pretty good food. If anyone wants a recipe let me know!
Church
life! Although less than 1% of Thailand's population is Christian (the vast
majority, 95ish%, is Buddhist), Northern Thailand has a vibrant church life.
I've only been to two different churches, but the first one, the local Acts
Church, left such a good impression on me that I'm calling it my church home
for the summer. The congregation is predominately Thai, but there are enough
ex-pats to warrant a simultaneous English broadcast. It is actually pretty
cool. During the service, a guy sits in the back of the church and translates
the sermon which is then broadcasted via a small radio transmitter. They hand out
radios and headphones for people to tune in. Worship is sung in Thai and the
lyrics are projected in both Thai and English. The service is two hours. The
first 45 minutes is a western-style worship. Next comes announcements &
testimonies. Then all the children go up front for a blessing before being
dismissed for Sunday school. The pastor then leads us in Bible reading and
delivers his sermon. So far he has been spot on. I really feel the spirit
moving there. People sing with their arms raised and some of the children even
dance in the aisles!
One of my side missions this summer is to discover the best
coffee in town. My rules are simple. Drink it black and form an opinion. The
best tasting coffee does not need to be masked behind sugar, cream, or
artificial flavors. Its attributes must stand out on their own and be a
pleasure to drink. So far I have been amazed by the coffee here.
Coffee is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when
you think about Thailand, but it is the life blood of the north. I am not
exaggerating when I say there is a cafe on almost every block. They are almost
always privately owned and have a unique flare. One of my favorite coffee
atmospheres is a cafe called Into the Woods. Any musical fan will
absolutely love it. The entire place is based off the Stephen Sondheim's
production that mashed together all the classic western fairy tales.
If you are looking for the best tasting coffee, may I recommend
either Hillkoff or Akah Ama. Both are produced by hill tribes and are
completely organic. If you find yourself at Hillkoff, I recommend the Homlamai
and Black Thai. Homlamai is a bold and complex yet surprisingly smooth
peaberry. Black Thai is an expert balance of sweet, acidic, and bitter tastes
with an initial subtle sour kiss. Akah Ama offers a wide variety of roasts and
you cannot go wrong with any of them. That being said, my favorite thus far is
grown by one of my coworkers! His family grows about 1,300 kilos of organic
Arabica beans. Nothing complements doing law research quite as nicely as a
fresh and great tasting cup of coffee.
Speaking of research I'm about neck deep in it now. I'm
currently summarizing the Thai Penal Code on child sexual assault and hill
tribe citizenship rights. I also got to attend a NGO meeting hosted by the US.
Consulate Office that focused on the Trafficking in Persons Report. Some of you
may know that Thailand was just downgraded to tier three—the lowest grade—by the U.S. State Department. That being said, I have to say the
NGO community here is very professional and works well together.
Completely changing the topic and foregoing an elegant
transitional sentence...I rode an ostrich last weekend. Yep! No joke. Don't
believe me, take a look at the picture. Try to photoshop that. There is an
ostrich farm in Chiang Rai. They have a variety of animals and attractions, but
the main event are the ostriches. For 150 Baht you can hop on an ostrich for
about 5 minutes. In order to stay on you have to squeeze with your legs and
hold on to its wings. My ostrich, KC, was a wee bit on the crazy side. She liked
to run around in a circle and then come to an abrupt halt in front of the on
lookers. Either she was trying to get me to fall flat on my
face or just liked
to be photographed. I think it was a little bit of both.
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