February: End of the Month Report

I can't believe it's already the end of February! As per my reporting requirements and the undying interest of my loyal readers, I've put together a summary of my time here in Thailand thus far, as well as a short update of my activities since my last post.

So far, I've been adapting to both Thai culture, and my new job at the Prem Magic Eyes Barge Program. The Barge Program takes 4th and 5th grade classes out on the Chao Phraya River on a renovated rice paddy barge that boasts a large wooden deck, dormitory, showers, kitchen, toilets, and sinks, as well as a small library and a whole host of teaching materials. Our trips usually last 2-3 days, and include a wide range of activites that introduce the children to watershed management, conservation ideologies and practices, and basic ecology. Working with this age group of children really has taught me a lot about myself. The kids are so impressionable, and are constantly checking for approval. I remember those feelings, and remember how some teachers or instructors made me feel when they used sarcasm or were apathetic toward things that were important to me. I work hard not to impart those same feelings on the kids I work with, but, it's hard sometimes. It's a great lesson in patience and humility, as well as a reflection of how I react in situations where there the filter of experience doesn't exist.

I've learned to do just about all of the activities that the barge program offers to the primary age group, and my last couple of weeks spent in the office have been an exercise in some of the logistical work that supports the programs on the barge. Thus far I've been putting together some journals for upcoming trips (the kids work through a journal during their trip to help them capture ideas and synthesize information) and writing menus. On days where immediate assignments aren't pressing, I've been slowly researching and designing my own activities that will be showcased on a one-day trip in late May or early June that focuses around climate change. I'll be leading the trip for the most part, and I'm excited to see how well some of our activities will work and if the kids will understand the material. Thankfully, I got to choose my own age group, and so we will be inviting an 8th or 9th grade class to take the trip. I'm hoping the older age group will have a wide enough view that they can conceptualize the atmosphere, invisible gasses, and molecules that are too small for them to see.

As for my living arrangements, I am quite happy. I have a small apartment about a 10-15 minute walk from my office. I live in a very Thai neighborhood, and so am constantly a novelty to many of the residents of my street. As most of my readers know, I also don't really speak any Thai, so it's been hard to be friendly and outgoing without being able to communicate verbally. Thankfully, my smile seems to do the trick. As the residents on my street have gotten used to me and I've adjusted to their daily routines, I've made friends (of sorts) with some of the vendors I frequent and they now wave and say hello whenever I walk by. I'm especially grateful to have Thai co-workers who are willing to call my building manager and request things like air-con(ditioning), why my water isn't working, etc. The night watchman for my building always tries to strike up conversation, and even the children around my neighborhood have stopped being afraid of the giant "farang" (Thai word for white westerner), and will wave or smile as I pass by.

All in all, I'm feeling pretty comfortable in my placement here, even if there have been rough moments. Last Sunday I had my first major breakdown complete with uncontrollable sobbing, self-pity, desperate skyping to my very patient boyfriend, and devouring of remaining Valentine's Day chocolate. It was entirely expected as I've been warned that the "culture shock" experience of most ex-pats is shaped like a W. Getting here is great, but things very slowly slide downhill until you hit rock bottom (which is fairly close to my experience thus far). Then, things improve for a while, then you retreat back into those original feelings of unhappiness, and then things improve steadily until you leave. It's nice to be aware that I'm not the only ex-pat that has ever felt lonely, homesick, etc., but it really doesn't help to rationalize it all when you're really bummed out and teary-eyed. Anyway, I'm very thankful for my strong friends and wonderful family who have continued to support me both mentally and emotionally (and my chocolate habit) while I've been away. Thank you!
Adjusting to working in an international office hasn't been too difficult, though it has given me a whole new appreciation for my own country. The freedoms that I have as a woman and simply as a citizen are really quite astounding, and I find myself more and more thankful for having grown up in such a privileged environment. Please note that when I say this, it isn't because I grew up with hot, clean water or more money or anything like that. Personally, I find living simply and without emphasis on financial status (as most Thai people in my neighborhood do) is very agreeable and pleasant. More, I like that in my country, I can say whatever I want. As a woman (and I generalize), I can really work whatever job I'd like, and feel confident that my family will never sell me into prostitution to make their own ends meet. Especially as an Alaskan, my wages are high and give me the freedom to travel. My horizons are broad, my native language is coveted, and my educational background gives me endless opportunities. For all these things I have my family to thank (way to go, Mom and Dad!), but I also have those Americans who, way back when, decided that they wanted some freedom to go with those taxes. Maybe it's the Alaskan spirit in me that really makes me identify with the freedoms we have as Americans, but let me just say that even when America has got its laces in a knot, I believe that fundamentally we really had our stuff together when we wrote our founding documents.

That last bit may seem a little out of the blue, so let me give some examples. Today, I had a conversation with Te, my Thai co-worker. He met my friend Jill (visiting for the week; read below) and when I described her travels to him, he asked how she was affording to do such a long and broad trip at such a young age (she’s 19). I explained that the dollar is much stronger than most Asian currencies, and so it is much more affordable for us to travel here than in other parts of the world. We then talked for a while about fisheries management in Alaska, and it was sad to hear him relate it to his home fishing village where he described the fishermen of having an attitude of “more fish = more money”. Unfortunately, I think this is probably the case in most developing countries. It is my hope that the work that I’m doing will help raise a new generation of Thais that will look past the immediate present and think about the future as we try to do with our fisheries in Alaska.

Te also mentioned how he found it unusual for a woman to be doing such hard work as fishing. I told him that while it wasn’t entirely common in Alaska or other parts of the United States, it wasn’t terribly rare either. The way he spoke about it, I was given the impression that perhaps women in Thailand aren’t as encouraged as they are in America to break out of the mold and do whatever job they want/can. Either way, when the conversation ended, I was glad that my dad let me fish with him, and that ADF&G values my work just as much as they would that of a male counterpart.

Anyway, moving on. The last couple weeks have been, as I mentioned, a little emotionally trying, but I've done some new things and have a visitor this week! Last Sunday I finally mustered up the courage to go bumble my way around the local wat. I was nervous about accidentally walking into somewhere I wasn't supposed to be (either because I'm a woman or a westerner), but was pleasantly surprised to get invited in to pay my respects to a giant shrine by a very nice monk. He didn't really say much to me, but invited me to kneel, wai (the Thai gesture of respect and greeting), and light some incense and candles. I was really thrilled to be allowed to take part in the process, and even remembered to take off my shoes before entering the building.

This week, the red shirt movement has been hosting protests in Bangkok which for me has just caused extra delays in Bangkok's already horendous traffic. I won't go too deeply into this issue because it is so contentious, but I would encourage you to read up on the red and yellow shirt movements in Thailand, and its long history of political corruption. Long story short, a very politically charged trial is coming out with its verdict today (Friday, the 25th), and it is expected that there will be large and possibly violent protests all across Thailand's large cities starting tonight. Needless to say, I'm carefully making my weekend plans to purposefully avoid all of this business. Hopefully everything will be resolved without any violence.

Finally, I have a very special apartment guest this weekend! Jill, my sister's best friend from Homer, AK, has been spending her first year after graduating from high school traveling around Asia. She spent a month in Thailand last fall, and then moved on to spend a month in Nepal, two weeks in Cambodia, and two weeks in Laos. Now, she's in Bangkok for the week before flying off to spend time in Indonesia (starting with Bali). I think afterwards, she planning a long stint in Australia before flying home to work next summer. She's an awesome gal, and it's been great having someone to do things with and stay with me. Sometimes you don't know you're lonely until you have a new friend! We're planning some fun excursions for the weekend before she flys out monday, and I can already tell that I'm going to miss her when she leaves.

Anyway, that's the news from Thailand. Stay tuned for more posts after this weekend, and as you leave, enjoy your daily dose of cuteness!

It's a sugar glider! My co-workers new pet.

Samed In Love - Update 3 of 3

Stan was kind enough to let Maura and myself tag along with her to the beautiful Thai island of Ko Samed (also spelled Samet, depending on what one reads) for the weekend. We were there to enjoy a giant environmental awareness concert with many big-name Thai bands headlining. I wasn't too familiar with any of the bands, but loved the theme of the concert and we had a magical weekend anyway. I won't go into much detail, as the description of our very inexpensive accommodations would worry my mother, and everything else would just make you, dear reader, spring feverish with jealousy. Instead, I'm just going to photojournal this entry, and let you daydream. Feel free to steal pictures for backgrounds on your desktop.

All made out of plastic bottles!

Happy Valentine's Day!

No Children Allowed - Update Part 2 of 3

Last week, we did a four day trip on the barge with a class of 21 5th graders from an international school in Cambodia. They flew over on Tuesday morning, and we met them at the airport and drove as a group to the barge. The drive took about half an hour, and by the time we got there, I already had a good idea of who was going to be taking up most of my energy over the next few days.
We did a few new things on this trip that I really enjoyed. First, we visited a new site where we taught the kids about traditional brick making (as I've mentioned in previous posts). However, this particular site had a beautiful temple built by a previous king of Thailand. We were allowed to walk around and actually go inside the wat and visit with the resident monk. This temple was unique for several reasons. In particular, it appears from the outside to be a traditional Christian church complete with stained glass and European architecture. On the inside, however, it's like a traditional Thai temple. From what I understand, this was the King's and Thailand's way of saying, "We can build our temples just as well as you can, AND in your style!". I have a feeling it kind of asserted Thailand's status as a developed and worldly country, rather than a backwater nation in need of European "civilization". The temple also hosts a novice dharma school (a school where young boys go to learn about Buddhism and become monks), so the area had many youngsters running around doing chores in their bright orange and yellow robes. Very charming and fascinating to my western eyes. The temple was lovely inside, and the monk was very kind and asked all of us where we were from, especially those of us with very light or very dark skin. He then offered us all a blessing, and somehow knew which kids could use a good thwack on the head with the bundle of sticks he blessed us with.
Thai blessings are given by a monk using a bundle of sticks to flick water from a bowl onto the heads of those receiving the blessing. He speaks in Thai during the short and rather informal ceremony, and those being blessed kneel and hold the wai position (head bowed, hands in a straight-fingered prayer). Afterward, Maura remarked to me how neat it was that the monk was so conversational and relaxed. I agree with her, and have some theories as to why this might be.

In Thailand, most men spend some portion of their lives as monks. Most only do it for a few days to a few weeks, but some dedicate their lives to the role. Often, monks have tattoos all across their upper body, wear glasses, use cell phones, and live fairly regular lives outside of their wats. And, while everyone respects and loves them (they are the only individuals that even the King will bow to), they aren't superstars in everyday life. Buddhism is such an ingrained part of life in Thailand that I don't think monks (or nuns, who wear white instead of orange robes) feel that they have to change their behavior or act particularly different from that of an everyday person. Yes, being a monk or nun requires particular behaviors in accordance to their "job" (such as shaving their heads at each full moon), but they are funny, charming, and very friendly people happy to have a conversation with a bunch of kids one minute, and bless them the next. I think that is just so cool! I feel like in the West, we treat people of religious significance with a sort of reverence that separates them from us, and in turn, separates us from our faith in some way. Like it isn't part of us, but rather something that we have to be part of. This may be how some people view it, and I don't hold that against them. Personally, I believe that faith should be something that comes from the inside rather than the outside, and I find that to be how Buddhism is largely practiced in Thailand. It is a part of the culture, rather than something you opt-in to. I feel like I'm not doing a very good job describing it, but I find religion in Thailand to be beautiful, non-invasive, and a part of who the Thai people are. I don't feel that I can say the same for Western society. Then again, to each their own, and my opinions are simply that.

Where was I? Oh, right, our trip! Anyhow, we also visited the small island of Ko Kret, which is about an hour and a half (by boat) north of Bangkok. Way back in the day, the Mon people of what is now Burma took refuge in Thailand to escape the wars that frequented that area (and still do). The then-King of Ayuttuya was a nice guy, so he told the Mon people that they could live on the island of Ko Kret as long as whatever occupations they took up didn't compete with the Thai people. So, the Mon people began to make and sell pottery, and over time became well known for their exquisite craftstmenship and beautiful designs. We walked the kids around the islands in small subject groups, with each group focusing on observing examples of environment, culture, or economy on Ko Kret. I was with Maura in the environment group, and we saw many awesome examples of how the Ko Kret residents reuse their broken pottery, use natural fertilizers for their tiny "gardens", and use found materials (aka: trash) to make fences, containers, and walk-ways. For example, one fence we walked beside was made of that cooregated roofing material, and the screws were held in place by "washers" made of old Coke bottle caps. Very creative, cheap, and a good way to keep trash out of the river! Still, even with these measures, the place had refuse heaped everywhere, and I was reminded of how far Thailand still has to go to being more visibly environmentally conscious (not like America is any better, but the point remains).

We also paid a visit to a "bird watching area", which really turned out to be a strange sort of zoo full of rescued critters that were supposedly being rehabilitated for release at a later date. There were all sorts of beautiful birds, along with a few strange creatures. Apparently Thailand has porcupines, which I was not aware of until we came around the corner and saw a very spikey beast sniffing at his cage. Their quills are HUGE, and if there is anything I'd like to meet on a dark evening less than an Alaskan porcupine, it's one of these guys. But, with a steel cage between me and the critter, he was pretty cute and seemed happy to have visitors. I even had one of those "seriously?" moments when someone warned me to stay back, or else I would get shot by the porcupine's quills. I rather incredulously had to explain that porcupines do not have the ability to shoot quills, and even after much insisting on my part, I think some of the kids still didn't believe me. I tell ya, some people's kids! Aside from debunking urban myths, I was really impressed by all the exotic birds, especially the Rhinocerous Hornbill. When heads got passed out, this guy really got the short end of the stick. Their beaks are HUGE, and to top it off, their big beak-y protrusions have their own big beaky protrusions! They're like the Dahl Sheep of the bird family, and could probably win in a head-butting contest. The zoo also had a number of beautiful peacocks, all of whom were very cooperative in showing the kids their beautiful feathery displays as we walked through the area. Very cool.

On the last night, we stopped at a grassy field along the river bank, and the kids all enjoyed a bonfire and roasting marshmallows. Definitely a great time for me, as I grew up doing the very same thing with my family and friends on the beach during the summers. It was fun to teach the kids to roast over the coals rather than the flame, and how NOT to flight magma-like marshmallow goo all over their neighbors when their treat catches on fire. Fun times!

Overall, the trip was fun, if very tiring. It seems that by the end of a trip like this, the kids have picked at my very last nerve and I'm ready to toss them all in the river and yell "Nah nah nah nah!" as we sail away. But, just as they're about to leave and we're all trying to hold on to our last strand of patience, they always stand up and thank us in such a sweet manner that I'm in love with them all over again. I hate how kids can do that! One minute, little minions from Hell, and the next, the sweetest angels. Must be a survival tactic. Either way, I was glad to see them go and move on to the well-earned weekend.

Our Little Future - Update Part 1 of 3

Last Friday I had my first one-day trip with a kindergarten class.
Spending half a day out on the water with kids that barely
came up to my waist was so much FUN! It was a totally new
experience for me, as most of my teaching experience in the past has always been with older students (middle and high school). They are so full of love, awe, wonder, and haven't developed attitudes or become aware that they come from wealthy families. They still view the world as a big, wondrous place where adults are to be trusted, other kids are your friends, and everything is new and interesting. Spending the day with these little guys really warmed my heart, and I think that if I were ever to pursue a teaching certificate to teach full time in Alaska, I would probably want to teach the lower grades. As much as I like being able to help students understand actual concepts rather than just reminding them not to eat the crayons, older students can really bring you down. I would rather spend my days helping students develop their first memories of the world than trying to coax their bad habits out of them.

I was especially enchanted by the curiosity of the very young. One girl named Hamy was particularly enthralled by the pants I was wearing, which would flutter in the breeze. She also just couldn't get enough of being held, tossed, and spun around by the big, white giant I must have seemed to be. I know that 5-year-olds are small to begin with, but these children seemed
particularly tiny. It was fun to be, in addition to
teacher, also protector, tour guide of the barge,
and coach as they colored, looked at all the beautiful temples we sailed past, and tried to figure out which end of the binoculars to look through. Most of all, it was just heart melting to have a little kid attempt to hug you by wrapping their arms around your waist.

All my teaching training up until this point has been very focused on helping kids understand big concepts in simple ways. All of that was thrown on its head when it came to working with kids who couldn't spell their own names. Suddenly, you have to re-examine the world from a simpler, brighter, and shorter point of view. I think the kindergarten and early childhood years are really important, as that's when we learn many things that stick with us for the rest of our lives (hopefully). I know it's cliche, the "All I Ever Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" thing, but really, didn't we? My kindergarten teacher was Mrs. Kirby - a wonderful Peruvian woman who spoke with an accent and loved children. I remember learning words in Spanish, that a little was enough and a lot was too much, and that sharing was important, bragging isn't okay, and that a classmate's tooth left in a bottle of Coke all night will disappear by morning (and people wonder why I don't drink soda...). I can only hope that these kids may someday look back fondly on their day on the barge the way do on my elementary years and feel some connection to the river that runs through their country. I think we really underestimate how much our emotional selves drive our decision making. How often do we look at an issue, and feel torn between our rational minds and emotional gut feeling? The foundation we grow with from our parents, teachers, families, etc. surely helps to shape the way that gut feeling speaks to us; maybe our kindergarten really are the most powerful people we know.














Anyway, long story short, I had a great time, and am really looking forward to our next young kiddo trip next Monday!

Stranger in a Strange Land

Being in Thailand is both isolating and uniting for me. I feel very "one with others" here, certainly more-so than I ever did in America. I think being in a new culture and surrounded by people who are very different from me has forced me to look for the things that make me similar to other people, rather than different or unique. In Fairbanks, I'm pretty average as far as physical appearance goes. Average height, average weight, and pretty average skin color. Here, I am an anomaly, especially in my very Thai neighborhood. For this post, I'd like to talk a bit about what it's like to be white, woman, and...lingual? What is the word to describe the ability to only speak one language? American? (just kidding!)

As I've mentioned, I am very, very white. Even in Alaska, I'm considered pretty pale. Like, translucently white. And here in Thailand, I constantly sweat. So, shiny and translucent white. Check out the picture if you're in doubt! I think you get the idea. Well, as irony would have it, in Asia where most of the population is a very healthy-looking brown, white is the new black (bad and confusing joke).

To be pale in Thailand means to have lived a life of privilege, of being able to stay inside out of the hot sun (and presumably the rice paddies) and pay other people to do your hard labor. As the quest for true beauty blooms eternal, Thai people are enthusiastic consumers of "whitening cream" (also in powder form!). I heard about this cream before I ever came over, but assumed it was just sunblock to keep dark skin from getting any darker. Turns out, whitening cream actually DOES make your skin whiter. How so, you ask? Simple: bleach. Yes, this cream has honest-to-God bleach in it, and it seems that everyone, even poorer families, use it. I've even seen it on infants as the lay in their shaded strollers. The desire to be white, or at least a paler shade of brown leads many people, especially women, to wear white powder foundations under their make-up, giving them a strange ghostly look. Quite often when I buy food from street vendors, the seller will comment on my skin and tell me that I am very beautiful. I'm come to the conclusion that my "beauty" has nothing to do with how I look, and everything to do with the color of my skin.

The girl in this picture is high school aged, and looks very stereotypically Thai both in color and features.

While on that subject, making comments about potentially embarrassing features of someone's appearance doesn't have nearly the stigma in Thailand that it does in America. I've always been particularly careful about commenting on other people's appearance, as you just never know what will really bother someone. Asking about a new haircut is generally about all my comfort level can handle. In Thailand, it is perfectly acceptable to comment about people's weight (and not necessarily weight lost), skin color, skin clarity (as was asked much to the mortification of my western co-worker, "why you have big pimple on your face?"), and other topics that I have always left alone. At first, it made me very self-conscious to have people constantly be commenting on my appearance, especially since their comments were aimed at a feature that really made me different from everyone else. It can be especially unnerving the way people will stare at me as I walk down the street, and little kids will touch my legs and rub my skin, as if expecting the whiteness to wear off. I constantly feel as if I'm being watched, though in recent weeks I've become more accustomed to it and now try to take it as a compliment when people gawk.

Asian people, especially Thais, tend to have very flattened noses. Some people have almost no bridge to speak of, with their nose disappearing into the plane of their face before reappearing between their eyes. Apparently, having a high nose is a sign of beauty (I haven't figured out the reasoning behind this. I think it's more of a "the grass is greener" situation), and women here actually get nose surgery to make their noses bigger and give them a more distinct bridge. For those of you who know me (and especially those of you who know my dad), large noses run in the family. Our profiles tend to be rather parrot-like, and in Thailand, my nose is apparently all the rage. When shopping with co-workers the other day, I had my friend Pa tell me how much she wished for a nose like mine. I couldn't believe it! I tried to explain to her that I was teased as a kid for my nose, and that women in American tend to always want smaller noses, rather than larger ones. She didn't understand, and insisted that my nose was beautiful and even showed me a picture of her friend who had undergone surgery to have one just like mine! While it is beyond bizarre how turned the tables are in Thailand in terms of western beauty ideals, it's somewhat nice to suddenly be strange and beautiful in this new country.

Another thing I've observed in Thailand is the great respect people have for one another. Perhaps it's because my inability to speak Thai shields me from overhearing any negative comments or gossip, but in general, Thai people have never been anything but kind, patient, and welcoming to me. If they speak any English at all, they always try to use it to communicate with me. If they don't speak any English, they at least try to gesture and use hand signals to help me along. I don't feel that being a woman puts me at any disadvantage here, though that may be because I'm white and am an exception to some Thai expectations for women. Being white and western aside, however, I feel that my age is the only thing that makes me more or less than someone else. Thais have a very strict hierarchy when it comes to age, and when an elderly person gets on a bus, a younger person will immediately stand up and give them their seat. No questions asked. People frequently offer to hold other people's bags on busses if the original bag-bearer is standing, and even the crazy green buses from Hell will come to a complete stop if an older person needs an extra second to get on board.

The one thing I do notice, I suppose, is that Thais are impressively more modest than Americans. Part of this is wanting to shield their skin from the sun to prevent tanning, and part of it is that Thais are used to hot weather and feel cold even when I'm in danger of sweating to death, but mostly I feel that they are just very conservative. Every now and again you'll see a woman in short shorts or a lower-cut top, but even the prostitutes on the streets in skeevier parts of town manage to look classy and beautiful rather than skanky. I have always been a pretty conservative dresser, but here I sometimes feel that even I push the envelope. I think part of it is that my blinding whiteness really stands out against the traditional skin tones of my neighborhood, but I also make sure to change into pants (or at least capris) after visiting the gym. Because of the heat, I usually wear tank tops everywhere with thick-ish straps, but even then I'll sometimes feel that my arms show too much skin, and will wish for a tee-shirt. Strange, especially coming from a country where people of all shapes and sizes will show just about anything (or everything), but at the same time, I like the conservative feel.

I've also noticed that Thai people tend to be very loving toward each other, as is reflected in their pop culture. I constantly am seeing t-shirts, pants, buttons, etc. that have sayings reflecting a national feeling of love and acceptance toward others. Most of them are written in broken English, but seeing that their frequently sold in Thai markets rather than touristy areas suggests to me that they are aimed at the Thai population rather than visiting foreigners. I really like that attitude in clothing, and am finding myself shocked to visit white areas of town and see shirts with a picture of a hand flipping the bird, a naked woman, or other profane images.

In other news, Maura (western co-worker/friend) went out this weekend to Khao San Road and has a really wonderful time. There's something very special about travelers. A overwhelming majority of the travelers I have met are outgoing, friendly people who are excited to meet people from other countries. I know that's certainly how I feel, and Maura and I were fortunate to meet a dozen different people this weekend who all felt the same. We met people from Australia, England, Scotland, South Africa, Canada, Tonga, Sweden, France, Ireland, Norway, and New Zealand. And those are just the countries I remember! It was really fantastic to sit at a table and at any point in time hear up to five other tongues. Thankfully, laughter and a love for beer are universal languages, and we all had a great time even if we couldn't completely understand each other. On an unimportant but related note, my ability to speak French is greatly improved by a couple of Blue Lagoons!

Anyway, thanks for reading, and look for my next post around this time next week!

Three week update

Yesterday marks three weeks of living in Thailand. I just returned yesterday from another trip with the NIST school, and am working in the office for the next four work days before another four-day trip next week. I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but it's actually kind of NICE to be back in the office (especially with temperatures at 93 degrees plus outside) and not out on another trip. The trips are fun but tiring, and though I love working with the kids, 24 hours a day with 20+ 10 year olds is something I'm happy to take a short break from!

In very exciting, happy news, I'm feeling a little more socially acclimated to Thailand. Maura, one of the other American girls working for Magic Eyes, and I have teamed up to be "weekend buddies", and explore Bangkok. Maura is one of those kind souls who just doesn't have a bad thing to say about anyone, sees the world in a positive, yet realistic light, and is excellent with making children feel respected. I really admire her teaching style, and have been looking forward to getting to know her a bit more. Stan, my Australian supervisor, has also been kind enough to take us along to a Thai concert series two weekends from now on the island of Ko Samet. I'm very excited to go do something out of Bangkok for a weekend, hear some Thai music (music is a universal language, right?), and in general enjoy some fun in the sun on a white sand beach!
I must say, after years of being in my comfortable Alaskan social support network surrounded constantly by friends, family, professors, etc., it's weird and rather lonely to be in a place where few people understand you, and those who know your language don't necessarily understand your perspective. I realize now that this is exactly what traveling forces you to overcome (since I refuse to wimp out), and while it's a good experience, the learning curve is steep and the process can be very socially isolating. I never realized it up until now (though my friends would probably say "duh!" to this), but I really LIKE having a broad and vibrant social community, and suddenly being without one is...well, a culture shock! Needless to say, I am now quite excited to have these new social engagements to look forward to, and new friends to do some exploring with.

Speaking of exploring... transportation in Thailand comes in a variety of forms. My personal favorite thus far is taking the buses that whiz about town. From my soi (street), I can take the 203 bus (fondly know as "the insane green bus of near-death experience") down to Khao San Road (the backpacker's lane) for a weekend massage (yes, they are just as excellent as they are reputed to be) or nice western meal when I can't stand any more fried food. The buses, as their non-numerical name might suggest, are driven with the wild, reckless abandon of a convict on the getaway. They don't ever fully stop to let people on or off, so after much observation and many missed buses, I've determined that the best way to mount or dismount is with a running start. I am not alone in this method, and it is not uncommon to see people in full business or evening attire running along the street in the hopes of intersecting a bus that has slowed just enough to hop on board.

The staff on the buses consist of a maniacal driver, and an individual who lurches up and down the aisle collecting bus fares. They are incredibly fast as doling out change, ripping off tickets, and remember who has just gotten on at every stop, which can be quite a challenge with the high rate of traffic during rush hour. As I live in a very Thai part of town, and most whites seem to take taxis anyway, my arrival onto a bus (or, as the case may be, breathless lunge for a foothold as I scramble on board) usually results in many turned heads and staring as I find a seat, or sway along with the lurching ride when all the seats are taken. As I have mentioned in previous posts, my 5'7" stature puts me in the "tall" range in Thailand. This is particular evident when riding a bus, as my head nearly brushes the ceiling. I'm really looking forward to my 6'1" father attempting this form of travel!

Besides being a cheap means for transportation (a one-way ride costs 6.50 baht, or $0.19), riding the bus also lets me see some of the sights that are otherwise difficult to see from the low stance of a taxi seat. The 203 bus drives right by the Grand Palace on my way home from Khao San Road, and it is truly a sight! I'm hoping to visit something this weekend, or the weekend after I return from Ko Samet. The buildings are so exquisitely detailed, and every aspect of the roofs (which is pretty much all I can really see over the giant white walls surrounding the palace) seems to have been handcrafted with beautiful, vibrant colors and great respect to the royal family. To enter the palace, you must have your ankles, wrists, and everything in between covered. I hear this is especially enforced with foreigners, so I will have to find a long sleeved shirt. As you can imagine, all I brought with me are tank tops with the occasional tee-shirt. How Thai women manage to survive in the heat with long sleeved shirts made of heavy fabrics is beyond me!

On a final note, I'm already starting to tempt my Thai friend Pa (pronounced with the "A" sound used in "bah!", and with a sort of P-B combination, as in when you say hip-bag) to come to Alaska and visit. Pictures like this (taken by my dad a few years ago from our living room window in Homer) seem to work wonders!

I'll cut this post a little short since I'll be able to post more frequently in the coming weeks, and would like to have the right pictures to accompany the writing! Upcoming posts will include a few words about the Royal Family, the lives of animals in Thailand, and hopefully any exciting anecdotes from this week/end. Thanks for reading!

P.S. Feel free to comment on my posts, or email me if you have questions that you'd like to see addressed in further posts! I appreciate any and all feedback, especially if you spot a typo or spelling error.