Can New Places Truly Feel Like "Home"?

As soon as I had slightly established this thing bearing resemblance to a routine in Bangkok, my time was up.  I had to depressingly remind myself why I was here in Thailand.  This was no vacation; I was here to work.  Amidst the new stimuli, I lost sight of that fact .  So off to the small town of Sakon Nakhon I went.  In the Esan (or Isan or Essan) region of Northeast Thailand, Sakon Nakhon is a rural province located near the Laos border.  Imagine a move from New York City to Luling, Louisiana.  This was a much greater disparity than that.  But I'm hoping that what Sakon Nakhon lacks in a contemporary art and music scene, trendy restaurants, and convenient public transportation, it more than makes up for by providing a glimpse of authentic Thai life, a chance to truly help students in need, and a culture steeped in history.

Here's what I've discovered about my new home so far...Sakon Nakhon is just a hair over 400 miles from Bangkok and has an area of 3,700 square kilometers.  Most of the area lies in the Phu Phan mountain range.  Currently a Buddhist town with five Stupas (sacred buildings which house the remains of the holiest of monks) and several temples, Sakon Nakhon has been inhabited for the past 3,000 years.  Originally named Nongharn, this region was settled by the Khmer in the 11th century according to lore.  The Khmer lost their power to the Laotian Kingdom (or Lanxang at that time) and with the town under this new rule, it was renamed Muang Chiang Mai Nongharn.  The settlement later joined what was at the time, Siam, and was renamed again to Sakon Thavapi.  In 1830, during the reign of King Rama III, it was renamed Sakon Nakhon.

The Sakon Nakhon Region On A Map Of Thailand

Unlike the dialects spoken in Bangkok (Central Thai) and Phucket (Southern Thai), a blend of Thai and Lao is spoken in Sakon Nakhon and throughout the Esan region.  The most notable difference that I've been able to dial in on is the lack of pronouncing the "R" sound.  In the Central and Southern regions of Thailand, "Thank you" is pronouced "Korb Koon Krup".  However, here in the Northeast, it would be pronounced as "Kawp Koon Kup".  General differences in regional dialect are nothing new (think New Orleans vs. Houma), but I've counted it as an achievement that I was able to pick up on it.

An Extremely Large Entrance Monument Located On The Only Highway Into Town

More information to come shortly, likely in the form of photographs from my initial explorations around town.  Stay tuned.