Assimilation 101

Ah, Thailand. What a country. Even though our guest lecturer told us that we're all still in the "honeymoon phase" of our experience and that culture shock with inevitably set in, I will remain in my blissful bubble until then. This place seems to have it all - and while I'm not blind to the challenges that Thailand surely faces, it is a wonderful place with so much to do, eat, try and learn.

Yesterday, seven of us explored the vast monster of JJ Market. It's one of the largest markets in Asia (35 acres), and we spent hours roaming through the stalls that held everything from puppies to shoes, furniture to neon signs, quails' eggs to house plants. I felt like a child on Christmas! Buying anything was so overwhelming - how do you settle on something when there are thousands of vendors? We also got a great lunch at this little dive where we were the only farangs (foreigners) in sight.

Friday we went to this cultural performance and elephant show that was planned for our Loyola group in a botanical garden/resort complex. Can't say it was the highlight of my Thai experience. (Photo: why are hula hooping elephants in our budget?  Tourist much?)  But then! We all went to a hotel in Pattaya and spend the afternoon at the beach and pool. Dinner was served overlooking the ocean, and it was a great way to relax and bond as a group.


Last night we celebrated my birthday at a bar, then a nightclub - with techno, live percussion and just a wee bit too much tequila. Is it possible to reject shots that people buy for you? I have yet to be successful in this regard. Everyone was so nice and made my birthday night really special, with cake, well-wishes and love. Due to the craziness ofyesterday, my actual birthday (today!) was a pretty chill one, but definitely cool to be spent in Thailand.

Some other thoughts:

Motorcycle taxi is my new favorite activity. I've started looking for reasons to take them because they are just unbelievably awesome. The coolest moment of my life to date occurred aboard one of these fabulous contraptions, riding back from the night market about 15 minutes away. Here I am in my ABAC uniform, riding side-saddle (necessary with the pencil skirt!), eating a tray of papaya salad, while zipping through traffic, side-streets and walkways. Literally the closest I've ever been to being in a movie - if only there was a soundtrack!

Learning Thai has been an interesting experience, especially trying to practice with the local Thais. Some of the sounds don't even exist in English, which makes it a bit difficult, along with the different vowel tones within words. I've been making a noble attempt to use phrases whenever I can, but people just laugh at me. If it wasn't a common experience for the Loyola crowd then I would feel offended, but it's been happening constantly - not exactly the most encouraging reaction! I've noticed, though, that they don't seem to be laughing at us but with us - and trying to "save face" is a big thing here. It's more like "Oh, look at this poor girl pronouncing everything wrong: let's just laugh it off together!" ....or at least I hope so?

Beware: Thai massages may transform you into a new person. We got them for 150 baht for 1 hour - about 5 US dollars - and it was a nice balance between gentle and deep tissue. It's going to be very hard not to get them too frequently - I could very easily slip into a regular massage schedule.

I've become sooo cheap here, and now I've started to think about prices in baht. If we all thought in US prices, we would end up buying everything - the exchange rate is incredibly in our favor. To get an idea, you can get a fabulous meal for a little over 1 US dollar, and shoes from the market are about 3. An hour-long cab ride is less than 10, and 1 liter of filtered water is 3 cents. Going back to the states is going to be depressing, and I can't imagine how much I used to pay for everyday things at home.

That's it for now!  I'll probably stick to the Sunday night posting schedule since it's been working out so far.  Back to class in the morning - woot woot!  I need to wake up bright and early to be at BangNa campus by 8:45.

May your day be less humid than mine, but with an equal dose of adventure~