Welcome to Thailand

Note: I wrote this last week Thursday, but for some reason, it didn't post. I'll update again soon!

I've been in Sisaket (the province) for about 5 days, and they've been the best 5 days since I left the U.S.

I'm living in a traditional village called Somboi. I am definitely going to stay here for the next 4 months. My new job entails a lot of teaching English, which is something that I never had any interest in doing, until now. I am so excited for my first class next Wednesday! Aside from teaching English, I'm helping with some computer stuff (including teaching the administrative office how to make a website!), and there are half a dozen other things I can do if I feel like it.

I'm living in a village of about 600 people. It's so very different from any place I ever knew existed, and I don't know how to begin to explain it. Some pictures will help, but they won't do it justice. I am completely in love with Somboi and the people and my life here.

Here are a couple pictures...

(There will be more to come, but I've been concentrating on living here, not documenting yet.)

My host uncle and I (we're standing in Thailand, and that's Laos across the river!):

He is super funny and nice, and I like him a lot.

My host mom and I, at a temple:

Leia Mais…

It's about time

The past couple of weeks have been a little crazy. My mood has faltered a bit, mostly because of my host family. Finally, though, I'm seeing a solution.

I never wanted to live in Bangkok, but I'm not sad about the time I've spent here. It's too Westernized, too many people speak English, it's dirty and busy. I love it here and I know this area better than any tourist, but I wanted to see the real Thailand. I talk to AFS about this, and they completely understood. It took a few weeks, but I think I'm moving to a small province in northeastern Thailand.

Here's the plan as it stands now:

On Saturday I'm going to Si sa ket for a few weeks. There is a teacher there who can host me for that short time. Then I'll come back here to Bangkok and talk to AFS. If I like it out there, I can go back for the rest of the time. It sounds like I'll be doing a combination of teaching English and working in a hospital.

I'm so excited, in a masochistic sort of way. I've never wanted to teach, and working in a hospital will probably be a nightmare-come-true. But hey, I wanted a challenge!

The people are Rachawadee have been great, and the director was really understanding when I talked to her about all of this today. I'm sad to leave my boys, but she said I'm welcome back anytime. I know I'll come visit them when I'm back in this area.

I don't know what my internet access will be like in this new location, but I will do my best to keep all my devoted readers informed!

Love,

Alex

My boys (they're twins):

My favorite one (Bang):

Leia Mais…

Change of Heart

Since my family has taken to excluding me from pretty much everything, I think I'm going to have to change my approach to living here.

Tonight is the 4th night in a row (and there were other instances before that) my family has left or not come home without telling me anything about what they're doing. I suppose I could ask them, but there is never any warning. Suddenly the house is empty.

So I have been eating dinner by myself, with one of the maids nearby. This has been somewhat awkward, and it makes it difficult to keep my distance from her. This is the maid that has a history of trespassing on foreign property in the house. I think I'm going to have to take my chances, because if I don't talk to her, I'm not talking to anyone, and that's no fun.

Just a side note, I absolutely loathe having maids here. I don't know how it is the Western world, but here there is such an implied inferior-superior relationship, and I hate it. I hate being served like that, and the language barrier makes it even worse. I feel like such a spoiled, stuck-up white girl, and it is very difficult to show them that I'm not.

Anyway, my new plan is to gradually get to know Lek. I also told her that I want to learn to cook Thai food. This is true, but my main motivation is to remove that last area where the server-served relationship is overwhelming.

Love,

Alex

Leia Mais…

A Great Day

Our microwave is finally working, so I started my day with a cup of delicious Thai tea. Unfortunately my breakfast is still a little strange; this morning I had bread with a seasoned mayonnaise-like spread... It's not even Thai! It's what Thai people think a typical Western breakfast is like.

Around 8:00 they play the national anthem in my neighborhood, and that is my cue to walk to the bus. It's a little bit of walk, but I don't mind. It gives me a chance to really get to know the area where I'm living. I don't take a traditional bus, but more of a covered pick-up truck with a bench on each side. It fits maybe 15-20 people. It costs 7 baht, or about 20 cents.

After the 7 or 8 minutes on the bus, and a 10-minute walk from the main road to Ban Rachawadee, I went to the physical therapy building. There weren't as many kids or workers as there usually are, and later I found out that some of them went to Northern Thailand for a sort of special olympics.

I sat and talked with 3 of the boys for a while and we looked at pictures, then I took 2 of them for a walk. I try to do that regularly because the boys spend most of their time in their beds or the workers will sit them in high chair-like seats. It's sad because they are always so happy when I let them wander around. In Thailand, it is considered highly offensive to make direct suggestions to superiors, so I'm hoping they will see what I'm doing and see how much the boys like it, then they can pretend that it was their own idea!

I finished for the morning at 11:00 and I didn't have to be back until 1:00, so after lunch I decided to do some exploring on my own. I've done a lot of this within Rachawadee but today was the first time I've walked in the area around the Home. There wasn't a lot to see, but I ended up in an area that I actually recognized, so that was exciting. My mental map of that area expanded a lot by seeing how the two areas connected. By that time, though, I was too far away to walk back and be back on time.

Everywhere you go around Bangkok you can see people (men, mostly) with red or green vests and motorcycles. They are basically a cheaper taxi, and they're way more fun! And I know it isn't the safest way to ride, but I love that I don't have to wear a helmet. You can really feel the speed. For 20 baht, I got my ride back to Rachawadee. I think I was overcharged a little bit, but I was in such a great mood that I didn't care. I had to explain to the driver where he had to go, which I did all in Thai!!

In the afternoon, there was a sort of party for the boys, but I'm not sure what it was for. I took three boys who weren't "invited" (they would have stayed in bed otherwise) to see some of the festivities, and they had a great time!

U-M people: Welcome back! I hope you had a good spring break, and good luck with the last stretch of the semester! Go blue!

Love,

Alex

Leia Mais…