It's pretty hard to starve in Thailand. I once heard some friends debating how long one could last in Thailand without paying for food. Months surely. Especially since we're Farang (aka Superstars!!). Basically everywhere you go people offer snacks or genuinelly invite you to join a meal. I often get invited to join a meal in progress when I'm out on a run.
The other night I was at the evening market with no real plans, so when my friend who sells coconut desserts invited me to eat dinner with her I said, "Surely." Except that I spoke in Thai and it sounded more like, "Dai, ka."
I really enjoy eating with this friend and her family because they live right at the market, so as we eat dinner and sit at (well on, really) the big table in front of their house we can watch everything going on. She's also a great cook and teaches me as we go. She cooks everything over coals, as many Thai families do.
As I was sitting at this dinner the other night I realized when food was offered to me that I didn't want I felt comfortable decining and they were ok with my answers. When I first got to Thailand I was practically force fed. If I declined food it was taken as an insult and I was offered food every 5 minutes. The frustrating thing was I would see Thais declining food, or not being offered food every 5 minutes.
Well, now, as the Blog title says, I'm thai. I have mastered all the culturally appropriate ways to decline food and not send insults. As well, they know me, and so they don't have to 'take-care' and give me food every 5 minutes.
Aaaah. I have arrived.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Monday, July 17, 2006
"I love being clean" project
Robert F. Kennedy noted, "Few will have the greatness to bend history; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation."
Today was a big day at school. Teaching went as usual with my co-teacher in the morning. We taught the sixth graders about phone numbers and taught the fifth grade about amount words like 'some, few, most, all.' For lunch we had coconut chicken soup, and a cucumber, egg, and pork dish. With rice of course.
After lunch we did part of a small hygiene project. Last week we had some of the health volunteers (remember the training I did for them in March?) come and teach the sixth graders about hand washing and tooth brushing . With lots of fun games too. And then they taught 4 sixth graders to be able to teach the rest of the school in a fun interactive way. So today the 6th graders presented and we gave all 349 students toothbrushes, two tubes of toothpaste. And we had 8 bars of soap for every classroom. This project was funded by a grant by the Friends or Thailand, a group for PCVs from Thailand who have finished service.
On Wednesday I'm accepting submissions for a poster contest about hygiene from the students. The winning poster will run in the provincial newspaper for a month. I can't wait to see the results. Oh, and for the rest of the week those 4 6th graders are going to other local schools to teach about general hygiene.
Today was a big day at school. Teaching went as usual with my co-teacher in the morning. We taught the sixth graders about phone numbers and taught the fifth grade about amount words like 'some, few, most, all.' For lunch we had coconut chicken soup, and a cucumber, egg, and pork dish. With rice of course.
After lunch we did part of a small hygiene project. Last week we had some of the health volunteers (remember the training I did for them in March?) come and teach the sixth graders about hand washing and tooth brushing . With lots of fun games too. And then they taught 4 sixth graders to be able to teach the rest of the school in a fun interactive way. So today the 6th graders presented and we gave all 349 students toothbrushes, two tubes of toothpaste. And we had 8 bars of soap for every classroom. This project was funded by a grant by the Friends or Thailand, a group for PCVs from Thailand who have finished service.
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| learning hand washing techniques |
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| the importance of teeth brushing |
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| look at my new toothpaste and tooth brush!! |
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| 6th graders with their health posters |
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| close up of a poster |
thinking about home
Thousand things rushing through my mind. Just got off the phone with Tara, a fellow PCV. She has been thinking about the next step and going home. She was talking about all the things you give up as a PCV. She said the last time she made a new real friends was a year and half ago- when we all arrived. Romantic relationships are all but impossible. I give credit to PCVs who can have relationships with Thais- for me the language barrier would be too hard to take it for real. And with other volunteers it's certainly going to be long distance- up to 20 hours away from each other. Tara and I both agreed we have many Thai friends in our towns we love dearly, but it's still a little different from a friendship in America. We're not making lots of money, or able to store up much in the way of a nest egg here. And our friends and family in America are all together and we're not able to see them.
And all this is true. And for all these reasons I am so excited to go home. But I can't help but be sad about leaving too.
This morning I sat at the noodle soup stall on the street eating my breakfast and chatting with the noodle seller. Frequently i'd nod my head politely or 'wai' to someone I knew passing by. The noodle seller was telling me how great my thai was, as all Thais do to anyone who can speak three words in the language. But I couldn't help but be happy about being about the ease at which i can have conversations in Thai now, at all the friends I have in my town, and at how I live my life like a Thai in Uthai Thani.
I have my routine here. I know how life works. And I love it.
I am scared to make a whole new routine in America. I am scared that I will become more 'ji rawn' [which means 'hot hearted', or uptight] when my heart has really cooled out here and i've relaxed out in so many ways. I'm scared for how expensive things will be. I'm scared for overwelcoming my stay or doing other things that are culturally different in Thailand. I'm scared for how much I'll miss my lazy days of walking to the market to get my veggies and fruit, and chatting with everyone along the way. i'm scared for hearing about other PC friends who are still in Thailand and hitting up the blue water beaches or gathering for a party night in Bangkok.
These things will be hard whenever I go home, even if I stayed here for 5 years. I know I am coming home, so while I am trying to soak up every amazing minute of life in Thailand, I am also so excited to go home.
Transistions are always hard, but I'm trying to start a new page with this one and not agonize over it. Once I get home I will throw myself into school and life with Americans and only look to Thailand to see how much I loved it when I was here, and to contact my friends here, but not to wonder 'what if' about staying longer.
And all this is true. And for all these reasons I am so excited to go home. But I can't help but be sad about leaving too.
This morning I sat at the noodle soup stall on the street eating my breakfast and chatting with the noodle seller. Frequently i'd nod my head politely or 'wai' to someone I knew passing by. The noodle seller was telling me how great my thai was, as all Thais do to anyone who can speak three words in the language. But I couldn't help but be happy about being about the ease at which i can have conversations in Thai now, at all the friends I have in my town, and at how I live my life like a Thai in Uthai Thani.
I have my routine here. I know how life works. And I love it.
I am scared to make a whole new routine in America. I am scared that I will become more 'ji rawn' [which means 'hot hearted', or uptight] when my heart has really cooled out here and i've relaxed out in so many ways. I'm scared for how expensive things will be. I'm scared for overwelcoming my stay or doing other things that are culturally different in Thailand. I'm scared for how much I'll miss my lazy days of walking to the market to get my veggies and fruit, and chatting with everyone along the way. i'm scared for hearing about other PC friends who are still in Thailand and hitting up the blue water beaches or gathering for a party night in Bangkok.
These things will be hard whenever I go home, even if I stayed here for 5 years. I know I am coming home, so while I am trying to soak up every amazing minute of life in Thailand, I am also so excited to go home.
Transistions are always hard, but I'm trying to start a new page with this one and not agonize over it. Once I get home I will throw myself into school and life with Americans and only look to Thailand to see how much I loved it when I was here, and to contact my friends here, but not to wonder 'what if' about staying longer.
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