The New Normal

My first week in Huay Pakoot, there was a lot to adjust to. Squat toilets. Bucket showers. Roosters, dogs, cats, pigs, and water buffalo wandering around. Unfamiliar tongues whispering around you. Even familiar tongues twist with unfamiliar cadences. Steep hills and strange foods.

Now, it’s been three weeks. I wake up and I unzip my mosquito tent without thinking, say hello to the family I live with in their own tongue with a practiced ease (though, admittedly, I can’t say much beyond that yet), and head to base to eat breakfast with a group of people that have become my close friends quicker than I ever thought possible. Going through new experiences with new people bonds you in a way that never seems quite as easy anywhere else. The arduous hikes create a mutual banter of complaints between strangers, which turns to a quieted awe when we finally encounter the majesty of the elephants.
I remember my frustration before I came to GVI at my fruitless stalking and research online to try to find a blog of someone I could relate to. I was so worried. Sure, these people online loved it, but were they sarcastic, admittedly at times pessimistic, or were they tree-hugging animal lovers to begin with? Each blog I read seemed to gloss over the gritty details of the experience, focusing on the positives. Now that I’m here, I understand why. Yes, the first few days are hard. I fell into bed exhausted, feeling out of shape and a little homesick in this unfamiliar place. But take it from me— the most realistic and borderline pessimistic person I know— the good far outweighs any bad. The genuine warmth you encounter from the people around you, both Thai people and foreigners alike, fills any gaps you feel from the comforts of home. The way the people embrace you, the sheer vastness of the land around you, the incredible things you learn, it all adds up to a simple word that can overcome any fears or worries: Home.