Monday, January 21, 2013

all the little details

I've taken so many pictures here, and though they're worth a thousand words, I still don't think it'd be enough to truly convey life in this world away from home. People watching is one of my absolute favorite activities (the hours and days of layovers in airports my whole life have been well spent), and being able to observe this new culture for a year has been one of the greatest highlights of my life. It's like the epitome of people watching. But beyond just watching, I've done my best to try some Thai shoes on for size and walk in them a while. Experiencing has been a far better treat than observing. I've collected several little details for you (as they come to me) that I think you'll find interesting. Excuse the disorganization that is my brain.

it's perfectly normal to see 4 people on one motorbike.
it's also perfectly normal for 2 of those people to be under the age of 4 months old.
it's also perfectly normal for the driver to be under 13 years old.
it's also perfectly normal for dogs to be balancing on the motorbike as well.
look, just go ahead and picture a circus act on two wheels. that's perfectly normal.

health codes? what are those? if you come to this country expecting cleanliness and health ratings posted on the walls of each establishment (if you're posh enough to be eating in a restaurant with walls), you won't eat.

dogs are everywhere. some are nice, some will attack you, all are dirty. (i have the scars to prove the aggressive ones)

it's impolite to cross your legs (and as i type this, i'm reminded to uncross my legs--still haven't been able to commit that rule to memory).

i never know what's going on. there's never a point in the day that i'm absolutely sure that what i'm doing is what i'm supposed to be doing, or where i am is where i'm supposed to be, or if i'm being "rip roi"--polite.

however, this doesn't seem to be an issue because i don't think i'm the only one. people live a go-with-the-flow lifestyle here. "mai pen rai" was the first phrase i learned, and it means "no worries." that sums  it all up completely.

nothing is private. people come knock on our door all the time with no warning. one morning, a teacher friend needed her daughter's medical school research paper proofread. this was at 7am. in another instance, we were taking an afternoon snooze when our friend knocked on our door. "were you sleeping?" he asked. "well, yes," we answered. "well, wake up! we're going to find some fun," he replied. (i'm glad we woke up. it was a beautiful day)

shoes are expected to be taken off before entry to any and all shops. feet are considered to be the lowliest body part.

i've never fully witnessed respect until seeing the way Thai people respect their King. these people love their King and their country. every day, the national anthem is played at 8am and 6pm. during those times, people stand up and have a moment of silence. the King's song is played before each movie shown in theaters. i've only been to a couple of movies, and i've cried both times because it's that touching.

at markets, or really anywhere, there are boiling vats of oil (they deep fry EVERYTHING here) barely balanced on an open flame or gas tank. every time i pass them, my anxiety skyrockets, as i'm sure i'll bump one and have it burn straight through to my bones.

they're not too keen on public displays of affection between couples. no hand holding, and definitely no kissing. however, between friends or family, it's always shown. i've never crossed the street with a Thai without my hand being held.

people decorate like crazy. for what? the hundreds of festivals always going on to celebrate one thing or another. they do it up big (and then take it down surprisingly fast, i assume to start decorating for the next celebration). however, once you've seen one, you've seen them all. the same vendors attend each festival and sell the same things they always do...but the people never tire of it!

"delicious" snack food here (according to Thais) consists of sheets of dried fish, dried seaweed, milk flavored tablet candy, dried (or sometimes not) fermented thin sheets of rice paste (tastes much like shower curtain--not that i've ever snacked on one before), any thing in jelly form, foreign objects wrapped in banana leaves, shredded pork (think of cotton candy consistency, though), octopus on a stick, and a wide variety of bugs ranging in size, taste, and crunchiness. i'm not ashamed to say i've tried everything i've just mentioned (most of it for the first and last time). hey, YOL(in Thailand)O, right?!

also, as mentioned before, they love a good deep fried dish. let's take fish, for instance. while most of us would filet it real nice like, Thais don't waste time. they stick the whole dad gum thing down in the frier. eyeballs, fins, bones, and all. don't like fish? we can do you up a nice chicken. why yes, the beak is included!

they love the slapstick comedy. all of their shows come with sound effects of the "BOIOIOIOING!" "WHOOOOP!" and the sad, but always popular "whah-whah-whah" varieties.

ice cream comes in a piece of bread instead of a cone. you can add a number of toppings, such as sticky rice (my favorite), pumpkin, black beans, corn, or different flavors of jelled things.

beverages are served in little plastic bags.

straws come with everything.

students have class ALL day. after school, they have extra lessons. on the weekends, they have extra lessons. they are always always always in school. in addition, everyone wears uniforms. even the college students.

dogs wander into classrooms. mai pen rai.

all buildings are open air. this is because of rainy season when it rains at least once a day.

hot dogs are sold everywhere. all kinds, all shapes, all sizes. off the side of a motorbike, off the side of a bicycle, in shops, or anywhere else you can manage to sell them.

if you can read Thai, then you will be golden. if not, you will rely on pictures. when shopping for doctors (there's a whole street full of doctors offices--picture an open garage with a doctor in it), we go by pictures or customers. after passing by an office full of children, expectant mothers, and one with toothpaste, we finally found our general practitioner.

no issue is taboo. i hear "what the f$*#" from my elementary school kids (although they have no idea what they're saying), i get "shot" by little boys playing with their invisible guns, and students of all ages tell me i don't have a boyfriend because i'm fat.

your personal information is not your personal information. it is everyone's information. how much you have in your bank account, how much you spent on your motorbike, how much your raise was (if only people had a reason to ask me this!), how much you weigh, where you're going, how old you are, or any other personal question (i imagine they'd be much more in depth to me if people spoke more English) never divulged in America.

if you know basic greetings in English, i imagine you could be offered a job anywhere in the more rural areas of the country.

being an air hostess (flight attendant) is the most glamorous job in the world.

people here eat all the livelong day. they have meals, but they have snacks that come before meals, and meals that come after regular meals and snacks that come after that. and then they have dessert and coffee drinks. how they all weigh less than 100 pounds is beyond me. in fact, a greeting equivalent to "how are you?" is "have you eaten?" i get asked this most.

they dance all on, around, and betwixt the gender lines leaving us unsure of how to address most anyone.

karaoke is HUGE. and you don't have to be good at it. there are actually karaoke buses that thump their way down the road if you're up for a more entertaining 8 hour ride to Bangkok.

you can't buy moisturizer here without a "whitening" agent in it. as much as Americans long to be tan and sun kissed, Thais long to be pale. they go to any lengths to prevent the sun from touching their skin. a fellow teacher and i ran an errand, and before we hopped on her motorbike, she put on a sweater, jacket, and gloves before topping the ensemble off with her helmet. all in 95 degree weather, mind you. i asked her if she was cold, and she replied "i don't want the sun to hurt me!"

people take naps anywhere, anytime.

it's ok not to match. at all.

picture taking is a constant. everywhere we go, everywhere we do, it's documented in pictures. never in my life have i posed with so many people for so many different combinations of pictures. the worst is at yoga classes--i'm far from my loveliest in the most unflattering positions imaginable, and there next to me is someone playing photographer. i'm delighted to smile for the camera 99% of the time. yoga is not included in that percentage.

as mentioned before, people are always eating. but they are also always offering. this shows a fraction of their loving spirits. if they're eating and i'm not, they invite me to sit down and share their meal whether they know me or not. it's so beautiful to me.

people are always staring at me. i have learned to live while constantly being watched. at first, it made me self-conscious. now, i don't even notice it. and in fact, when i see a farang i've never seen before or go to a big city and see some, i stare just the same.

driving is hilarious. first of all, of course it's on the other side of the road. i thought i'd never get used to it, but now i'm afraid to drive when i come home. when i watch a movie set in america, i wonder why they drive on the right side (and then remember i'll have to relearn that). second, there are no rules except one: do what you gotta do. i've had little to no road rage here on the motorbike because that bad boy can weave nicely in and out of traffic. i've never stopped at a stop sign. stop lights are mostly just a suggestion. the only must is wearing a helmet, but that's only when the sun is out. after dark, the police go home and the stop lights go off, and it's a free for all--don't worry, mothers. we wear our helmets anyway.

it's not rude for people to talk while another person is speaking. this drives me insane!

my youngest prathom students (age 5-6) have a routine of putting baby powder on their face every day after lunch to prevent heat rash. i then have 55 ghost-looking babies, and it's about the cutest looking thing you've ever seen.

air conditioning and hot water are luxuries.

squatty-potties. thailand's gift to the bathroom world and also the most miserable form of a toilet ever created. i didn't understand them, i don't understand them, and i never will understand squatty potties.

the bathrooms here are created to where the shower head is over the toilet (very small and compact like--think of a camper maybe?) and the entire bathroom floor is one big shower with a drain.


There are so many more details that I've forgotten (but am sure to remember as soon as I post this), but you get the point. Some of these may sound like complaints, but I promise I love this country all the more for each one. The most important one of all is that even though the shoes in which I've been walking in are so very different, they're beautiful just the same. Before I left, a person ignorantly cautioned me that I would hate it because it wasn't going to just be "an easy life full of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup" (among a few other rude comments conveying his heavy disapproval). I didn't come here to live an easy life. I didn't come here hoping it would be anything like America. I came here to explore another culture, and ended up falling in love with it. Although I can't say I won't be found sipping queso dip from a straw when I get home (Thailand's not much for cheese), it was the smallest, no actually, it wasn't even a price to pay for the life I've gotten to live here. I certainly hope you, my Fabulous Five, never let the absence of a grilled cheese sandwich and an excess of ignorance stop you from doing something that brings you as much joy, happiness, and love that Thailand has brought me.







Tuesday, January 1, 2013

sawatdee be mai

SAWATDEE BE MAI! (Happy New Year!) The year 2012 really set the bar high for the rest of my years to come. I've never had a year that I was happy to see go, but I've always welcomed the next and willed it to be better. 2013 has a lot of work to do.

Here's what's been happening in my neck of the jungle...

 English teachers in our "Santies" the Friday before Christmas during our morning assembly
 elf and reindeer
all my happy kiddos

When the holidays rolled around here in Thailand, I knew challenges would arise. I've done the whole solo Thanksgiving before, and having so much to be thankful for almost completely stifled the longing to be home with my family (not that I didn't think about you guys all day!). I was hoping to get at least Christmas day off, but when I made my request, I was denied with a simple shrug, wince, and an "Ummmmm...I don't think so." At first, I was upset. Not so much that I couldn't have Christmas off (I had already prepared myself for this before I came to Buddhist country), but that my religious holiday couldn't be acknowledged even a little when we've had at least 8 Buddhist holidays so far this school year. You guys can't slide me one little teensy itsy bitsy day? No? Nothing?

I found out later the reason I wasn't able to be granted a holiday: Several prathom (elementary) students and teachers were traveling to Chiang Mai for sports competitions. It just so happened that every teacher from my office was going except me. That's cool. I didn't want to go to Chiang Mai anyway. Oh, and also I was expected to teach all of the English classes for the 3 days they were gone. Why sure, I'd love to have the workload of 5 teachers combined on the week of Christmas!

I arrived to school on Christmas Eve morning, having dragged my feet the whole way there. I was in no mood to be dealing with children by myself (don't get me wrong, I love these children whole-heartedly. But when you have 55 students-yes, that many in every single classroom-from ages 5 to 11 yelling questions in a seemingly impossible language and treating you like a human jungle gym, it takes a bit to psych yourself up to face the day). For some reason, it was eerily quiet as I turned the corner into the main assembly area. By that time, I would already have been ambushed by the masses and screams of "TEACHA COW-SEE!" But alas, all was quiet. As I continued on to sign in, I saw my mathayom (high school) students playing soccer in the courtyard, but not a single prathom student was in sight. A few minutes later I was informed that the prathom grades had no school for the next 3 days, and all I was responsible for were the mathayoms. This is a perfect example of Thai life for a foreign teacher. I NEVER KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. Ever. Sometimes this works out in my favor, sometimes it doesn't. Thankfully this time was the former!

I still had to work on Christmas Eve and Day, but I got to spend some quality time with my older students who sometimes get the shaft because I'm busy giving piggy-back rides 4 students at a time. My Crow Mother sent me a box full of Christmas things for the kids, and since I teach over 1,500 students, there wouldn't have been enough candy canes for everyone. BUT there were enough for every single one of the mathayom students, and I was so loved that day.

My gratefulness for Skype will be never-ending. I was able to talk with my family on their Christmas Eve and Day, and it almost almost felt like I was there. Meredith's sweet grandmother sent us a box full of wrapped gifts and a little tree back in November, and we were able to open the gifts while listening to Christmas carols and watching the fire crackle (compliments of the really neat DVD that Crow Mom sent which simulates a cozy fireplace). Plus, I had just gotten packages from both Big Lynn and my bestie Ashley Bass, both of which contents were so perfectly "me" you'd think I'd hand selected each item myself. I'm not ashamed to say I jumped up and down like a child. That afternoon, we joined our other farang friends for a very festive celebration. On Christmas night, our favorite Thai, Off, took us out to eat and around town. We stumbled upon a Christmas tree of lights, and everyone was gathered around taking pictures. We parked and began to do the same, and since I was in my super festive "Santy" (as my teachers call it) outfit, we stayed for the next hour having my photo taken with what seemed like every little boy and girl in town. I was elated.

 visiting our friends in the local shops
can you believe this little angel? his name is Archie!

Thankfully, we were rewarded with two days off for New Year's Eve and Day. We caught the next bus to Chiang Mai, our go-to town for long weekends. We frequented The Olive Tree, the tastiest Greek restaurant in Thailand (because I crave variety the most living here), Starbucks, and I even got an egg and cheese bagel for breakfast one morning. CHEESE! It's always the little things.

 a coffee shop we found near home

As for our New Year's Eve celebration, there's nowhere I'd rather have been. We met up with some of our Thai friends and proceeded to dance the night away. It was wonderful to be around a few people we love and tons we'd never met but love anyway. My favorite moments were counting down to the new year in Thai, and also watching thousands of lanterns being released in the sky. It's those moments that I stop and smile to myself. We live in a beautiful world!

before we went out dancing under the lantern-lit sky. neither one of us wanted to be responsible for the camera, so this is the only photo taken on nye.

I hope that you all made peace with 2012, and were able to welcome 2013 with open arms. Today I'll be teaching my students about new year's resolutions, however I don't plan on making any of my own. For now, I'm just focused on soaking up every possible thing Thailand has to offer me because guess what? I'll be home soon! Only a few short months to go. I can't wait to see you lovelies!