Thursday, June 30, 2005
off to training
Tomorrow I head off to the big city of Groong-Tiep ('Bangkok' spoken like a Thai) then to Ayyuthai, which is the old capital of Siam. We have training for 10 days so I will be w all my fellow PC volunteers. FUN!! It promises to be a very busy time, so I don't know how much I'll get to my blog or to email. Be back soon....
Monday, June 27, 2005
Instant celebrity (just add water)
My friend says being in Thailand is like being the millionth customer- every day. I think it's more like being a celebrity. Thais just want to be near white people. They are gracious to everyone, but overwhelmingly so to foreigners.
Last week I spent a day at the city hall. I have learnt quickly Thais are much more interested in how you do something than what you do or the end product. Therefore so much of what I am doing these first few months in town is hanging out, getting to know people, being gracious, making jokes. Peace Corps calls it "Intentional Relationship Building." Basically it's making friends. In Thailand just sitting next to a person without talking means so much. Like I said they like to just be near whites.
So last week at city hall I hung out w the assitant mayor. Altho I just met him, numerous times throughout the day he told me if I am ever hungry to come by and he will take me out to lunch, if I ever want to go anywhere he can take me and my friends, and when my parents come in a few months they can stay at his house! But the kicker was that when he saw me eating a Thai Guava he asked if I liked them and immeduately took a 45 minute trip to his friends farm to get me a bagful of the fruit!
Last week I spent a day at the city hall. I have learnt quickly Thais are much more interested in how you do something than what you do or the end product. Therefore so much of what I am doing these first few months in town is hanging out, getting to know people, being gracious, making jokes. Peace Corps calls it "Intentional Relationship Building." Basically it's making friends. In Thailand just sitting next to a person without talking means so much. Like I said they like to just be near whites.
So last week at city hall I hung out w the assitant mayor. Altho I just met him, numerous times throughout the day he told me if I am ever hungry to come by and he will take me out to lunch, if I ever want to go anywhere he can take me and my friends, and when my parents come in a few months they can stay at his house! But the kicker was that when he saw me eating a Thai Guava he asked if I liked them and immeduately took a 45 minute trip to his friends farm to get me a bagful of the fruit!
Monday, June 20, 2005
http://www.jobpredictor.com/
Rachel Bobruff, Your ideal job is a drag queen.
Somehow they must know I'm in Thailand. Dressing in drag is HUGE here. A huge portion of the gay male community dress as women all the time. There is a reason Bangkok does more sex change operations than anywhere else in the world.
Somehow they must know I'm in Thailand. Dressing in drag is HUGE here. A huge portion of the gay male community dress as women all the time. There is a reason Bangkok does more sex change operations than anywhere else in the world.
Bangkok weekend
I just got back from a weekend in Bangkok. I find myself there every 3 weeks-ish. That's where I go for doctors appointments and I am currently having a little hip problem. Everything should be fine with a little rest, heat, and streching.
So to get to bangkok I go to a van stop in my town and when the van is full it leaves. That's the schedule. It usually takes about 3 hours (but can be up to an hour or more with traffic). I really look forward to the trip to relax with my IPOD and whatever book I'm on. The bangkok stop is at a pretty central location so depending where I'm staying I can get right on the sky train, or get a bus. I am pretty proud to say I have mastered both modes of transportation in Bangkok and often get random phone calls from friends who are in bangkok and need help with travel.
Bangkok is bigger than any city I have ever been in. Or at least it feels that way. It has about 6-9 million people, depending how you count. And it has the longest name of any city in the world. It is around 70 words long. The short version that Thais call it is "Greung Tep." It is a crowded, smoggy, humid, smelly city with a huge traffic problem. You can find almost anything you want or could need in Bangkok, but finding where and getting there could take forever. And after living in a rural area, Bangkok is pretty expensive too. But partly I spend more money there because I want to get my fix of western food. I love to get sushi, or go to Subway for a turkey sandwich, or to get a western salad somewhere.
And I have yet to do all the touristy stuff in Bangkok because when I'm there I usually spend some time shopping for things I can't get where I live and often I head to the movies at some point. Usually I head dancing with friends at some point. We have a couple clubs we frequent. One is in the backpakers strip and is full of foreigners. That area is called Khao San Road. A really fun atmosphere. Lots of tourists from all over the world on a road that is practically, but not officially, cut off to traffic because so many people are walking there. Loads of shirt, jewelery, books, Thai crafts, beauty salons, email shops, open air restraunts, copied CDs, and nock off sneakers, jeans, and sunglasses. Oh, and loads of little carts selling noodles, egg rolls, orange juice, fruit, fried rice.... There are always people walking around selling some wear too. People carry hammocks, maps, balloons, and there are people in hill tribe wear selling jewlery from Northern Thailand. I love to get a street side seat on Khao San and watch it all go by.
So to get to bangkok I go to a van stop in my town and when the van is full it leaves. That's the schedule. It usually takes about 3 hours (but can be up to an hour or more with traffic). I really look forward to the trip to relax with my IPOD and whatever book I'm on. The bangkok stop is at a pretty central location so depending where I'm staying I can get right on the sky train, or get a bus. I am pretty proud to say I have mastered both modes of transportation in Bangkok and often get random phone calls from friends who are in bangkok and need help with travel.
Bangkok is bigger than any city I have ever been in. Or at least it feels that way. It has about 6-9 million people, depending how you count. And it has the longest name of any city in the world. It is around 70 words long. The short version that Thais call it is "Greung Tep." It is a crowded, smoggy, humid, smelly city with a huge traffic problem. You can find almost anything you want or could need in Bangkok, but finding where and getting there could take forever. And after living in a rural area, Bangkok is pretty expensive too. But partly I spend more money there because I want to get my fix of western food. I love to get sushi, or go to Subway for a turkey sandwich, or to get a western salad somewhere.
And I have yet to do all the touristy stuff in Bangkok because when I'm there I usually spend some time shopping for things I can't get where I live and often I head to the movies at some point. Usually I head dancing with friends at some point. We have a couple clubs we frequent. One is in the backpakers strip and is full of foreigners. That area is called Khao San Road. A really fun atmosphere. Lots of tourists from all over the world on a road that is practically, but not officially, cut off to traffic because so many people are walking there. Loads of shirt, jewelery, books, Thai crafts, beauty salons, email shops, open air restraunts, copied CDs, and nock off sneakers, jeans, and sunglasses. Oh, and loads of little carts selling noodles, egg rolls, orange juice, fruit, fried rice.... There are always people walking around selling some wear too. People carry hammocks, maps, balloons, and there are people in hill tribe wear selling jewlery from Northern Thailand. I love to get a street side seat on Khao San and watch it all go by.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
addendum to being a superstar
Yesterday I was asked for my autograph about 40 times. I'm totally serious!
US Government's dime
I hear the US Government spends more money on uniforms for the Army's marching band than on the Peace Corps worldwide.
Rainy Season
I was really looking forward to the rainy season in Thailand as that meant the end of the hot season. But what I have realized is that the rainy season means it rains most days for an hour or two in the late afternoon AND it's damn hot.
In reality Thailand has three seasons. Hot, Hotter, and Hottest.
In reality Thailand has three seasons. Hot, Hotter, and Hottest.
Monday, June 13, 2005
"I love yoooo"
Besides for "Falang" and "Hello" Thais love to yell "I love you" to me and other white skinned folks. All people love to yell this. Men and women of all ages. It's not a come-on line, but still this has always irritated me. I have come to see the light.
I recently had my friends Jeeda and 'Wendy' over for a dinner party to show off my new Thai cooking skills. Somehow the subject of yelling after foreigners came up and I explained to them how that is "mai suppap" which basically means 'not polite.' They were shocked and asked me in all honesty what should they yell to show how much they love falangs.
And I realized how it is so true. They really do love falangs. So often I have parents getting their little babies to bow to me when we meet on the street. I generally get a lot of stares wherever I go in rural Thailand. People are always interested to see what I am doing. It can feel invasive, but it certainly is fun to be a bit of a superstar while in Thailand.
I recently had my friends Jeeda and 'Wendy' over for a dinner party to show off my new Thai cooking skills. Somehow the subject of yelling after foreigners came up and I explained to them how that is "mai suppap" which basically means 'not polite.' They were shocked and asked me in all honesty what should they yell to show how much they love falangs.
And I realized how it is so true. They really do love falangs. So often I have parents getting their little babies to bow to me when we meet on the street. I generally get a lot of stares wherever I go in rural Thailand. People are always interested to see what I am doing. It can feel invasive, but it certainly is fun to be a bit of a superstar while in Thailand.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Only in Thailand
Only in Thailand do I pack my high heels on top of my mosquito net for a weekend get-a-way. And only in Thailand is that weekend get-a-way mean staying in a bungalow on the waters edge for $4 a night.
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