Happy New Year!

Songkran was this week and actually, I'm afraid to step outside today because while it officially ended yesterday, I've been told that some people just don't want to give up and continue the festivities for several days afterwards. I can't afford to get anymore of my clothing wet, as it's been four days now and half of my wardrobe is soaked in dirty water from the moat. The laundry lady is not open because I can't see how clothes could ever line dry with the amount of water flying around this town.

Songkran, as it is known in Thailand ("Thingyan" in Burma) is the Buddhist New Year. Traditionally celebrated by sprinkling a few drops of water on the shoulders of passersby, it has, in recent years, turned into a full on water fight. My explanation really can't do this festival justice and I definitely didn't bring my camera out to take pictures, but I'll give it a go...Chiang Mai is surrounded by a moat and for the past three days, people have been lining the moat, selling super soakers, buckets with string to be lowered and refilled in the moat, beer and food to the thousands upon thousands of Thais, ex-pats and travelers of all ages walking around the city, weaving in and out of the bumper to bumper cars and drenching their friends and complete strangers, all the while shouting "Sa wat dee pee my!" Happy New Year!

Businesses have sponsored stages, complete with booming sound systems and sprinklers, dousing the dancing crowds below. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I live about a block off of the moat and so each evening, when I've returned to my warm, dry room for a shower, some fresh water (to drink) and a change of clothes, the music is still blaring, people are screaming and I can literally hear the splashes of buckets being dumped.

On Thursday, my friend Erin and I went to say goodbye to a dear friend and fellow volunteer, Jessie, who returned to the states. No car would bring us back to my street for a near reasonable price because the traffic was completely halted. So we decided to suck it up and walk. We made our way to the moat, dodging in between the pickup trucks full of people dumping buckets and throwing white powder (baby powder, flour or laundry detergent - I was covered in them all) and finally escaped off the main street into the sois (alleys) where the water was less free flowing. We returned to my room, put our swimsuits on and grabbed our water guns. We would need them for protection, we both agreed as we set back out.

Songkran is the most genuinely fun and happy event I've ever participated in. Yes, at times I wanted to scream vicious words when I got a bucket of ice water dumped on me by an enthusiastic reveller. But I found the best solution was to shake it off, smile back and keep walking. No use getting mad because the next bucket would be waiting for you ten feet down the street.

I kept awing over the fact that this festival would never happen at home or in Europe. Fights would break out, environmentalists would be enraged at the amount of water being used and threats of "I'm going to sue you!" would ring in the air in place of the cheers of "sa wat dee pee myyyyyy!" It's reasons like this that I love Thailand. Yes, I will be slightly (okay, more than slightly) annoyed if, when I go out to get lunch in a few minutes, someone dumps a bucket of freezing cold water on me. But in the end, it really doesn't matter because my clothes will dry, my phone already has water damage anyway and Songkran in Chiang Mai has been the most fun and beautiful experience ever.