Here is what we have been dealing with...
Now going through our 2nd burning season here, this is what we have learned about why there is a burning season and why we live with smoke in the air.
1. Here in Thailand (and surrounding countries) they use the slash and burn method to clear their farms. Although this process of clearing fields IS illegal, there is NO policing of this law...so it continues.
2. The burning in not in the city Chiang Mai, but in surrounding areas, but because Chiang Mai is in a valley the smoke settles here, until the rain comes to clear the atmosphere.
3. As with almost anything, money is a driving factor... because after they burn their farm and then rain comes, a certain type of mushroom grows that is worth a lot of money on the market.
So there you have it...unfortunately money wins over health.
Something I have had on my mind to share is one area in my life that has grown leaps and bounds in the last, yes almost 2 years of living overseas. My cooking ability. Growing up I was what Americans have termed a "latch-key kid", meaning my mom was a single working mom so I would go home to a usually empty house. Since my mom worked we usually cooked and ate easy to prepare meals, and I never really learned about baking or cooking. It wasn't until after I was married that I realized that my Grandmother DOES know a lot about cooking and baking. And then it wasn't until during my mom's recent visit to Thailand that I realized that she doesn't really enjoy cooking and baking. So there you go...my Grandma's skills were not passed down.
The couple things I have learned is that there are different levels to being a good cook and some people enjoy it while others don't...and that is okay. A couple of weeks ago I made pizza for dinner completely from scratch...yes, the dough, the sauce and all the toppings were fresh. I thought to myself "this would never have happened so easily a couple of years ago". Part of being good in the kitchen is just getting in there and becoming comfortable with ingredients, amounts, substituting, temperatures, timing, etc. Before trying to make something from scratch would stress me out because I wasn't familiar and comfortable with even being in the kitchen.
Being in a foreign country as a stay at home wife and mother to 3 growing girls has really forced me to go outside what I knew before about preparing food, and it has all been for the better. Last year I posted about our Thanksgiving meal, this was one of my greatest cooking accomplishments, along with Christmas dinner too. A few other things I have learned to make from scratch are pancakes/waffles, tortillas, salsa, french dips, soups, pretzels, pizza dough, breakfast sausage, spaghetti sauce, mac-n-cheese, doughnuts, corn dogs, enchilada sauce (this one thanks to my mom!), dill pickles, and even now I make my ranch and taco seasoning by mixing spices together instead of buying the packages.
Although 2 years ago I really thought I knew how to cook because I could make spaghetti by opening a bottle of sauce and adding it to cooked noodles and browned beef...and it was okay like that, but now I have grown to a new level of ability. I look forward to continuing to grow and learn in the kitchen and in life.
So the funny ending to this story about my growth in the kitchen involves my husband. Obviously knowing how to cook and making sure dinner is on the table every night was not one of my strong skills in the first years of our marriage, and he was quick to point it out. But now even he has been fully aware of how much I have grown in this area and gives me some credit.
On the other hand, I learned early in our marriage that I did not marry a Mr. Fix-It by any stretch of the imagination I've never been a wife to make a "honey-do list" because I know it would NEVER get done. BUT...for the past couple weeks our sink was drip-drip-dripping, and yesterday (with the help of a neighbor) Sheraz replaced our sink faucet! At first seeing him under the sink, I was a little concerned...but I put that aside and said a prayer. Now I'm even regretting that I didn't take a photo of him getting the job done.
Later in the day I told him how proud of him I was and questioned his ability and confidence... His answer? "Well, you have grown your abilities in the kitchen, so too I am growing my abilities!"
LOVE THIS MAN!
Jennifer
