I have now had a week in Chiang Mai and Ifeel like I have settled in nicely. On Sunday I met up with my lovely colleaguePlaii who showed me loads of places I could stay in Chiang Mai, for areasonable price. I ended up renting a studio flat/room in a condominium calledCentral Hill Place, only a ten minute bike ride away from the MMN office and 20min from the city centre. My room is quite big with an en suite bathroom and abalcony. Although it seems very bare and empty at the moment I am sure that itwill become more of a home with time. I have already bought an orchid from theflower market to break with the rest of the cream coloured room.
As mentioned I have now been here for aweek and it is safe to say that the highlight of my week has been working atthe MMN office and meeting my colleagues. At the moment the MMN is preparingfor a symposium at the end of February with the theme ‘living together’,focusing on integration and social cohesion. So my work this week has been inpreparation for the symposium. My main task has been to research integrationand social cohesion policies in other regions, such as the EU, ASEAN, Australia/Pacific and in Latin America. I have found the work very interesting and inonly one week I have learned so much. My colleagues, Plaii and Jess have alsotaught me loads this week. They have been telling me about migration in theMekong region, especially in Chiang Mai, about issues faced by many migrantsarriving in Thailand, about laws and regulations affecting migrants’ lives, aboutthe work that the MMN does, as well as other pressing human rights issues inthe Mekong region. This week has been a great start to my 12 week placementwith the MMN and I am very excited about what the next couple of weeks will belike.
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| My room |
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| The view from my room |
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| Suthep Road |
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| Plaii getting coffee at the coffee van |
