Yesterday morning we visited a youth prison in the outskirts of Chiang Mai. The prison holds over 600 youth from ages 7 to 17, who are all living there either because they have been charged with commiting a crime or are waiting to go to court. We met about 60 youth and only 4 of them were girls (part of an experimental program). The youth we met with were there for 45 days, at which point they would go to trial. Along with some theology students at Payap University, we sang many songs and played games with the youth. Most of the songs were in Thai, but the Wooster group taught everyone how to sing "head, shoulders, knees, and toes" as well.
We were surprised at how aesthetically pleasing the prison was. It felt more like a nice school than a prison, with a very sunny courtyard in the middle with nice plants and grass. There also appeared to be very little security, unlike a prison in the U.S. We wonder how this affects the behavior of those who are living in this prison compared to if they were living in a "gloomy" physical setting.
After our prison visit we went to lunch. Lunch of course included our new favorite activity, karaoke. Some of the Wooster students even sang with the Thai Payap University students. Heidi and Ana sang "Twist and Shout" and Erin sang "Way Back Into Love" with two Thai students. It was a big hit.
The afternoon comprised of our first official Thai massage, where we all spent 2 full hours in pure bliss (although sometimes painful bliss!) for what would be just a few American dollars. Some of us had very unique and fun experiences communicating with our masseuse via hand gestures and laughter. We also found out which members of our group are ticklish.
We then spent the end of the afternoon in group reflection and dinner. After dinner we headed into town to visit the Can Do bar, which we tried to visit a few days ago but was closed. The Can Do bar is owned and managed by sex workers from Empower, a sex workers union. It began in 2006 as a cooperative to support sex workers, but is also just a fun place to hang out and have a nice time. A number of us tried drinks such as "Sex on the Beach" and "Miss Can Do".
We spent the end of our day at Chiang Mai's night bazaar market, looking for gifts for family members and friends. It was a good chance to practice our haggling skills.
Hope everyone is having a nice January in the States or wherever you are in the world.
-Erika & Annie
We were surprised at how aesthetically pleasing the prison was. It felt more like a nice school than a prison, with a very sunny courtyard in the middle with nice plants and grass. There also appeared to be very little security, unlike a prison in the U.S. We wonder how this affects the behavior of those who are living in this prison compared to if they were living in a "gloomy" physical setting.
After our prison visit we went to lunch. Lunch of course included our new favorite activity, karaoke. Some of the Wooster students even sang with the Thai Payap University students. Heidi and Ana sang "Twist and Shout" and Erin sang "Way Back Into Love" with two Thai students. It was a big hit.
The afternoon comprised of our first official Thai massage, where we all spent 2 full hours in pure bliss (although sometimes painful bliss!) for what would be just a few American dollars. Some of us had very unique and fun experiences communicating with our masseuse via hand gestures and laughter. We also found out which members of our group are ticklish.
We then spent the end of the afternoon in group reflection and dinner. After dinner we headed into town to visit the Can Do bar, which we tried to visit a few days ago but was closed. The Can Do bar is owned and managed by sex workers from Empower, a sex workers union. It began in 2006 as a cooperative to support sex workers, but is also just a fun place to hang out and have a nice time. A number of us tried drinks such as "Sex on the Beach" and "Miss Can Do".
We spent the end of our day at Chiang Mai's night bazaar market, looking for gifts for family members and friends. It was a good chance to practice our haggling skills.
Hope everyone is having a nice January in the States or wherever you are in the world.
-Erika & Annie
In my Underground Economy class where we talk about prostitution and other types of sexual services, we like to split up our understanding of the market for sexual services into demand side and supply side considerations (obviously because I am an Economist). So the Can Do Bar and the Lusty Lady in San Francisco is a good example of the suppliers of sexual services taking control of their own labor. When we focus on these models however, it seems the issue becomes about labor practices and safety (both important issues that should not be minimized).
ReplyDeleteBut when we talk about sexual services, should we also not discuss the demand side? I say this because here is an interesting article I found that discussed some aspects of the demand side (http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=1637). Just because something is produced with "fair-labor standards" and safety in mind, does this make our consumption of the product better? A similar debate seems to be going-on in other cultures that are more permissive about sexual services and prostitution.
Great post!