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!
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