Happy feet

My love for Chiang Mai originated a couple of years ago when I decided to quit my oh-so-hideous! job and study Thai massage. I had heard in my first trip to Thailand that one could get certified by the Thai government to give people this amazing alternative therapy. The idea stuck in my mind and the only way to free it was to do it.

Quitting a job that I hated and moving to a charming place to give and receive massage all day for five weeks and meet some of the most wonderful people in this planet was probably the best present I gave myself. In Chiang Mai I cried three times: two from outburst of happiness and gratefulness, and the other when I had to leave.

I promised to myself that I would return to Chiang Mai one day and also to my beloved massage school, the Thai Massage School of Chiang Mai, or TMC. Therefore, finally back in the city of Happiness, in the last couple of days I got certified to do Reflexology, aka foot massage.

Coming back to school was very moving. The same driver that took us to school every day, Khun Ni, picked me up at my hotel in his Red Taxi #1. The ride to school was shorter than I remembered, possibly because it was a weekend day. The school looked the same and many of my old teachers were there and received me cheerfully. I had bael tea in one of the numbered mugs and a banana from the tray, then got into the uniform the teachers had prepared in a basket for me. At lunch time I went to the supermarket to buy some food and remembered how many times we had walked the same path with my friends from the course.

Spinal twist to David

Everything looked the same, except that this time everything was really quiet: no Gunita, no Massimo, no Monica, no David, no Bruna, no Sharon, none of the good old friends were there…

My teacher for the course was Ms. Ratree, who had been my favorite teacher before. She made me promise that I would come back, so I will. Some day.