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and very excited to sleep for days.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Cambodge.
Well I got back last night from a long weekend in Cambodia. Talk about culture shock. It made Thailand look as wealthy as America when in reality, Thailand and Cambodia are both 3rd world countries.
First, we (Kasey and I) went to Phnom Penh. We stayed at a really cool guesthouse (hostel) right in the heart of the city and very close to a tourist restaurant/bar strip. I assumed that since Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia that it would be more developed than the other cities, but I thought wrong. Of course they had some really nice hotels for tourists and beautiful temples, but other than that, it was very poor.
On Saturday, we spent the day at the Killing Fields and then went to the Toul Slang Prison (also known as S21). The Killing Fields, which I'm sure most of you have read about, is one of the many places that Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge took Khmer people to be executed. They murdered anyone that had higher education, taught as a profession, spoke against the regime, or showed any signs of Westernization. These killing fields were the grave of over 20,000 people. And even worse--they murdered the families of the people they aimed to kill because they feared that they would one day seek revenge... babies, children, mothers, fathers, grandparents. They beheaded people, beat them to death, slit their throats, and they killed babies/children by holding them by their legs and slamming them against a tree. It was horrifying to stand on the same ground that these acts took place.
Afterward, we toured the Toul Slang Prison which is where they kept the 'prisoners' for days, weeks, or even months before transporting them to the killing field. The Khmer Rouge took over a high school in Phnom Penh and then transformed it into this prison. We saw the rooms they used for interrogation (the rooms they would torture people in for hours until they confessed to something they didn't do) and the cells that they kept them chained in. In one of the buildings, they had giant displays of the photographs of each of the prisoners--the Rouge photographed each person before imprisoning them, and even took pictures of those that didn't survive the interrogations. Those photographs, of the slaughtered and tortured people, almost made me sick to my stomach right then and there. Needless to say, Kasey and I were speechless for several hours after we toured these places.
The next day we left for Siem Reap early in the morning. It only cost $4 to take a bus between the 2 cities, a 6 hour trip. We drove through the heart of Cambodia which gave me the most immense culture shock I've felt since I've been in Asia. Our idea of a 'house' doesn't exist in Cambodia--everyone lives in stilted wooden huts with roofs made of banana leaves and hay. The people dig through trash to find food to eat and rarely have enough clothing for all of their children.
Siem Reap was a strange place. It was full of tourists coming to see Angkor Wat and fancy hotels on every street corner. White people are viewed as walking wallets, basically. Everyone wants your money and they'll do anything to get it. I can't even count how many times we were harassed by vendors or tuk tuk drivers. Every exchange of money became a moral debate for Kasey and I... we knew they were charging us too much, but at the same time we knew they needed the money. The children were the most depressing, though. Every tourist guidebook or pamphlet about Cambodia tells you to never give money or food to the children because they're most likely (9 out of 10 times) forced to beg by adults that abuse them physically, sexually, and emotionally. If you've seen Slumdog Millionaire, it isn't too different from how the children were treated in the movie. So basically, by not giving the children money or food, you're actually helping them. The more you give them, the longer the abuse will take place.
Angkor Wat was phenomenal, though. I think my favorite places around Thailand have been the ruins, and this rivaled them all. It was HUGE and beautiful. It amazes how much detail the Angkorian people put into every stone they built the temple with. I have over a hundred pictures, so those will be on Facebook sometime this week.
Okay, now I'm running out of time because I have to write a paper due tomorrow. First real homework of the entire semester! But to wrap this up--basically, Cambodia was a serious eye-opener, the epitome of an emotional roller coaster. I'm not sure I could ever bear to visit again, but I'm very glad I had the opportunity to do so while I could.
(Also: the title, "Cambodge", is actually how they spell "Cambodia" in Cambodia... The G sounds like a Y, so it's pronounced CAM-BODE-YA.)
First, we (Kasey and I) went to Phnom Penh. We stayed at a really cool guesthouse (hostel) right in the heart of the city and very close to a tourist restaurant/bar strip. I assumed that since Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia that it would be more developed than the other cities, but I thought wrong. Of course they had some really nice hotels for tourists and beautiful temples, but other than that, it was very poor.
On Saturday, we spent the day at the Killing Fields and then went to the Toul Slang Prison (also known as S21). The Killing Fields, which I'm sure most of you have read about, is one of the many places that Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge took Khmer people to be executed. They murdered anyone that had higher education, taught as a profession, spoke against the regime, or showed any signs of Westernization. These killing fields were the grave of over 20,000 people. And even worse--they murdered the families of the people they aimed to kill because they feared that they would one day seek revenge... babies, children, mothers, fathers, grandparents. They beheaded people, beat them to death, slit their throats, and they killed babies/children by holding them by their legs and slamming them against a tree. It was horrifying to stand on the same ground that these acts took place.
Afterward, we toured the Toul Slang Prison which is where they kept the 'prisoners' for days, weeks, or even months before transporting them to the killing field. The Khmer Rouge took over a high school in Phnom Penh and then transformed it into this prison. We saw the rooms they used for interrogation (the rooms they would torture people in for hours until they confessed to something they didn't do) and the cells that they kept them chained in. In one of the buildings, they had giant displays of the photographs of each of the prisoners--the Rouge photographed each person before imprisoning them, and even took pictures of those that didn't survive the interrogations. Those photographs, of the slaughtered and tortured people, almost made me sick to my stomach right then and there. Needless to say, Kasey and I were speechless for several hours after we toured these places.
The next day we left for Siem Reap early in the morning. It only cost $4 to take a bus between the 2 cities, a 6 hour trip. We drove through the heart of Cambodia which gave me the most immense culture shock I've felt since I've been in Asia. Our idea of a 'house' doesn't exist in Cambodia--everyone lives in stilted wooden huts with roofs made of banana leaves and hay. The people dig through trash to find food to eat and rarely have enough clothing for all of their children.
Siem Reap was a strange place. It was full of tourists coming to see Angkor Wat and fancy hotels on every street corner. White people are viewed as walking wallets, basically. Everyone wants your money and they'll do anything to get it. I can't even count how many times we were harassed by vendors or tuk tuk drivers. Every exchange of money became a moral debate for Kasey and I... we knew they were charging us too much, but at the same time we knew they needed the money. The children were the most depressing, though. Every tourist guidebook or pamphlet about Cambodia tells you to never give money or food to the children because they're most likely (9 out of 10 times) forced to beg by adults that abuse them physically, sexually, and emotionally. If you've seen Slumdog Millionaire, it isn't too different from how the children were treated in the movie. So basically, by not giving the children money or food, you're actually helping them. The more you give them, the longer the abuse will take place.
Angkor Wat was phenomenal, though. I think my favorite places around Thailand have been the ruins, and this rivaled them all. It was HUGE and beautiful. It amazes how much detail the Angkorian people put into every stone they built the temple with. I have over a hundred pictures, so those will be on Facebook sometime this week.
Okay, now I'm running out of time because I have to write a paper due tomorrow. First real homework of the entire semester! But to wrap this up--basically, Cambodia was a serious eye-opener, the epitome of an emotional roller coaster. I'm not sure I could ever bear to visit again, but I'm very glad I had the opportunity to do so while I could.
(Also: the title, "Cambodge", is actually how they spell "Cambodia" in Cambodia... The G sounds like a Y, so it's pronounced CAM-BODE-YA.)
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The countdown has begun. I'll be home in 20 days!
The weather has become amazingly beautiful. It's been in the high 70s and low 80s with a nice, cool breeze all the time. Of course it gets like this 3 weeks before leaving. If only the weather had been like this the whole time, I think it would have made a huuuge difference on my perspective here. That sounds weird, but honestly--when you are always soaked in sweat as we were the first 2 months, the uncomfortableness gets in the way of enjoying things to the fullest extent. Not to say that I haven't enjoyed everything--of course I have--but never feeling clean got annoying.
It's actually almost cold here today/tonight. I'm in jeans and a sweatshirt! It's strange that 75 degrees feels "cold"... Winter in Baltimore is probably going to be very hard to get used to.
In other news. Kasey and I are traveling to Cambodia next weekend. We decided to go a weekend before the rest of our program friends go because we don't want to deal with an entire group of people trying to travel together. Far too stressful by our standards. Besides, we're going to spend the extra money and fly to and from Cambodia, rather than take a bus or train. We heard that the buses and trains are very unsafe--no thank you. We'll be flying into Phnom Penh, staying there for 1-2 days, then taking a boat to Siem Reap and staying there for 2 days and flying out of there with a different airline.
I'm extremely excited to finally see Angkor Wat. We're also going to see the famous killing fields in Phnom Penh--called Choeung Ek--where almost 20,000 people were killed during the late 1970s due to genocide.
The weather has become amazingly beautiful. It's been in the high 70s and low 80s with a nice, cool breeze all the time. Of course it gets like this 3 weeks before leaving. If only the weather had been like this the whole time, I think it would have made a huuuge difference on my perspective here. That sounds weird, but honestly--when you are always soaked in sweat as we were the first 2 months, the uncomfortableness gets in the way of enjoying things to the fullest extent. Not to say that I haven't enjoyed everything--of course I have--but never feeling clean got annoying.
It's actually almost cold here today/tonight. I'm in jeans and a sweatshirt! It's strange that 75 degrees feels "cold"... Winter in Baltimore is probably going to be very hard to get used to.
In other news. Kasey and I are traveling to Cambodia next weekend. We decided to go a weekend before the rest of our program friends go because we don't want to deal with an entire group of people trying to travel together. Far too stressful by our standards. Besides, we're going to spend the extra money and fly to and from Cambodia, rather than take a bus or train. We heard that the buses and trains are very unsafe--no thank you. We'll be flying into Phnom Penh, staying there for 1-2 days, then taking a boat to Siem Reap and staying there for 2 days and flying out of there with a different airline.
I'm extremely excited to finally see Angkor Wat. We're also going to see the famous killing fields in Phnom Penh--called Choeung Ek--where almost 20,000 people were killed during the late 1970s due to genocide.
Friday, November 13, 2009
I'm sitting in the "Executive Loung" at the Millenium Hilton in Bangkok. Since dad is traveling around the southern part of Thailand this week, he let my friends and I stay in the hotel for a few nights. It's been really nice since we've been living very sparingly the past few months (at least, sparing compared to our lives at home).
Today we (Colin, Kasey, and I) treated ourselves to a MONSTROUS breakfast. We had so much food, it was unreal. Omelet, bacon, 2 orders of hasbrowns, 2 pain de chocolats, 3 croissants, 2 farm's rolls, 4 slices of bread, 2 English muffins, 2 banana muffins, a plate of pineapple, a plate of papaya, a plate of different seasonal fruits, 2 pots of coffee, 1 pot of hot chocolate, 2 pitchers of orange juice, a bowl of oatmeal, a bowl of cereal, 5 differents kinds of jelly, honey, salted and unsalted butter... and that's all I can't remember. I think there were a few more things. The best part is that we ate every single bite. It took us a good hour and a half of lengthy breaks in between, but we don't eat much western food, yet alone breakfast food, so we were in absolute heaven!
They are about to leave to go back to our apartment in Pathum Thani but I decided to stay here by myself for a night before dad gets back. They have a service at the hotel where they come draw a bath for you, and fill it with all sorts of essential oils and bath salts for only 400 Baht (which is about $12 or so)... so I've decided that I'm going to treat myself to a really nice bath, haha.
Yesterday we went to Bangkok's Chinatown for a few hours and walked around for a while. It was really overwhelming so we got very exhausted very fast. Afterwards, we went to Wat Traimit, the temple that houses the world's largest pure gold Buddha. Our travel book warned us that would be "particularly underwhelming", which it was, but I'm glad we at least took the time to see it. We also treated ourselves to a nice Italian dinner. Usually any kind of Western food doesn't taste so great in Thailand, but this dinner was delicious. It was well worth the expenses--about 190 Baht per dish, and we usually pay about 40 Baht (but 190 Baht is only $6 anyway!). Afterward, we went to one of our favorite Bangkok brew pubs called The Londoner. We found out that every Friday night when you order a glass of wine, you get another glass free, so Kasey and I ordered some expensive Sauvignon Blanc so we both got a glass.
That said, it's been a good week/weekend! And we're going to Cambodia next weekend!
Today we (Colin, Kasey, and I) treated ourselves to a MONSTROUS breakfast. We had so much food, it was unreal. Omelet, bacon, 2 orders of hasbrowns, 2 pain de chocolats, 3 croissants, 2 farm's rolls, 4 slices of bread, 2 English muffins, 2 banana muffins, a plate of pineapple, a plate of papaya, a plate of different seasonal fruits, 2 pots of coffee, 1 pot of hot chocolate, 2 pitchers of orange juice, a bowl of oatmeal, a bowl of cereal, 5 differents kinds of jelly, honey, salted and unsalted butter... and that's all I can't remember. I think there were a few more things. The best part is that we ate every single bite. It took us a good hour and a half of lengthy breaks in between, but we don't eat much western food, yet alone breakfast food, so we were in absolute heaven!
They are about to leave to go back to our apartment in Pathum Thani but I decided to stay here by myself for a night before dad gets back. They have a service at the hotel where they come draw a bath for you, and fill it with all sorts of essential oils and bath salts for only 400 Baht (which is about $12 or so)... so I've decided that I'm going to treat myself to a really nice bath, haha.
Yesterday we went to Bangkok's Chinatown for a few hours and walked around for a while. It was really overwhelming so we got very exhausted very fast. Afterwards, we went to Wat Traimit, the temple that houses the world's largest pure gold Buddha. Our travel book warned us that would be "particularly underwhelming", which it was, but I'm glad we at least took the time to see it. We also treated ourselves to a nice Italian dinner. Usually any kind of Western food doesn't taste so great in Thailand, but this dinner was delicious. It was well worth the expenses--about 190 Baht per dish, and we usually pay about 40 Baht (but 190 Baht is only $6 anyway!). Afterward, we went to one of our favorite Bangkok brew pubs called The Londoner. We found out that every Friday night when you order a glass of wine, you get another glass free, so Kasey and I ordered some expensive Sauvignon Blanc so we both got a glass.
That said, it's been a good week/weekend! And we're going to Cambodia next weekend!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Today we went to see Wat Pho, one of (if not THE) largest reclining Buddhas in the world. It was huuuge! I have a lot of pictures of it--I'll most likely upload them this coming week.
We also saw Wat Arun, one of the coolest looking old temples I've ever seen. The entire thing was made of mosaic tiles, small ones, so it was glistening in the sun and extremely colorful. Unfortunately my camera was dead at that part of the trip, though...
'Wat' means 'temple', in case you were curious.
My friends and I are planning a trip to Cambodia. All of our passports expire December 3rd, but we don't leave Thailand until December 13th. In order to get our passports stamped again, for another 30 days, we need to leave the country.
We plan on going to Siem Reap, Cambodia where Angkor Wat is. If you've never heard of it, then you should read about it. It's this crazy old temple (hundreds of years!) that's all overgrown with trees and monkeys and stuff. It's one of top ten most traveled locations, I believe. One of those things you can't miss. The city of Siem Reap also has a lot to offer, or so I've read. Tons of hostels for travelers, historical French neighborhood, etc... I'm really excited!
Okay, we're leaving for dinner soon so I'm gonna go. The restaurant has Thai dancers! It should be fun.
We also saw Wat Arun, one of the coolest looking old temples I've ever seen. The entire thing was made of mosaic tiles, small ones, so it was glistening in the sun and extremely colorful. Unfortunately my camera was dead at that part of the trip, though...
'Wat' means 'temple', in case you were curious.
My friends and I are planning a trip to Cambodia. All of our passports expire December 3rd, but we don't leave Thailand until December 13th. In order to get our passports stamped again, for another 30 days, we need to leave the country.
We plan on going to Siem Reap, Cambodia where Angkor Wat is. If you've never heard of it, then you should read about it. It's this crazy old temple (hundreds of years!) that's all overgrown with trees and monkeys and stuff. It's one of top ten most traveled locations, I believe. One of those things you can't miss. The city of Siem Reap also has a lot to offer, or so I've read. Tons of hostels for travelers, historical French neighborhood, etc... I'm really excited!
Okay, we're leaving for dinner soon so I'm gonna go. The restaurant has Thai dancers! It should be fun.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Wow this is the longest break I've taken from posting.
Anyway. Still not much to tell. Halloween was fun, though!
I actually didn't go out on Halloween night because I went out the night before--I can't handle going out twice, so I opted to stay in and get some rest. Yesterday, the 3rd, was the official Halloween party thrown by my university, Rangsit International College. They rented out a nearby club for the night, provided tons of food, alcohol, and a great DJ. It was a ton of fun, and COMPLETELY FREE! All of the faculty members came, too, and they all dressed up. It was hysterical dancing in a club next to 50 year old professors (one of whom is related to the King!)...
Other than that, the main things on my mind have been preparing things at school for when I return... choosing my classes for the Spring, figuring out housing, and making sure that I've completed/will complete all my requirements to graduate. At this point, I'm really excited about my schedule! The classes will be really fun and the times are even better.
Philosophy 217: Contemporary Philosophy (required for my major)
Philosophy 336: Heidegger (once a week seminar)
Art 285: The History of Photography (fulfills a requirement and seems interesting)
Psychology 281: The Psychology of Dreams (for fun)
Religion 212: New Religious Movements (about cults n' such, for fun)
Physical Education 180: Ballroom Dancing (fulfills a requirement, will be hysterical)
Monday
9:30-10:45
12:30-1:20
6:30-9:00
Tuesday
6:30-9:00
Wednesday
9:30-10:45
12:30-1:20
1:30-4:15
Thursday
3:00-4:15
Friday
12:30-1:20
Basically, 3 of my classes only meet once a week. One of them only twice a week. And the other 3 times a week. Definitely can't complain.
Dad departed from Nashville today and will be in Bangkok tomorrow night! I'll see him Friday. I'm really excited. Also, I'll only have a few weeks left here after he leaves, which will hopefully fly by really fast... like I've said before, although I have absolutely loved being in Thailand, I really miss Goucher, my friends, and my dogs (and my family but they've visited/are visiting).
Oh, and I'm seriously bummed about missing Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday, and although my university is having a Thanksgiving party, absolutely nothing beats the company and the meal at Aunt Kate's every year... :(
Anyway. Still not much to tell. Halloween was fun, though!
I actually didn't go out on Halloween night because I went out the night before--I can't handle going out twice, so I opted to stay in and get some rest. Yesterday, the 3rd, was the official Halloween party thrown by my university, Rangsit International College. They rented out a nearby club for the night, provided tons of food, alcohol, and a great DJ. It was a ton of fun, and COMPLETELY FREE! All of the faculty members came, too, and they all dressed up. It was hysterical dancing in a club next to 50 year old professors (one of whom is related to the King!)...
Other than that, the main things on my mind have been preparing things at school for when I return... choosing my classes for the Spring, figuring out housing, and making sure that I've completed/will complete all my requirements to graduate. At this point, I'm really excited about my schedule! The classes will be really fun and the times are even better.
Philosophy 217: Contemporary Philosophy (required for my major)
Philosophy 336: Heidegger (once a week seminar)
Art 285: The History of Photography (fulfills a requirement and seems interesting)
Psychology 281: The Psychology of Dreams (for fun)
Religion 212: New Religious Movements (about cults n' such, for fun)
Physical Education 180: Ballroom Dancing (fulfills a requirement, will be hysterical)
Monday
9:30-10:45
12:30-1:20
6:30-9:00
Tuesday
6:30-9:00
Wednesday
9:30-10:45
12:30-1:20
1:30-4:15
Thursday
3:00-4:15
Friday
12:30-1:20
Basically, 3 of my classes only meet once a week. One of them only twice a week. And the other 3 times a week. Definitely can't complain.
Dad departed from Nashville today and will be in Bangkok tomorrow night! I'll see him Friday. I'm really excited. Also, I'll only have a few weeks left here after he leaves, which will hopefully fly by really fast... like I've said before, although I have absolutely loved being in Thailand, I really miss Goucher, my friends, and my dogs (and my family but they've visited/are visiting).
Oh, and I'm seriously bummed about missing Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday, and although my university is having a Thanksgiving party, absolutely nothing beats the company and the meal at Aunt Kate's every year... :(
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
I am so annoyed that half the time I come home, there are complete strangers working on something that doesn't need to be fixed in my bedroom. They unlock it, let themselves in, move my stuff around, and never let me know where anything is or why they came into my room.
I already spoke to my landlord, and told him how uncomfortable it made me feel... and they're doing again today. It makes me feel so violated, I don't even know what to say anymore. :ADFSOIfghjaaaaa;wae8rtu3wfuhs ;JL!!
I already spoke to my landlord, and told him how uncomfortable it made me feel... and they're doing again today. It makes me feel so violated, I don't even know what to say anymore. :ADFSOIfghjaaaaa;wae8rtu3wfuhs ;JL!!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
I'd like to write a blog about lèse majesté but am too worried about having the Thai police come knockin' on my door and taking me away. If I were write anything that could come off the slightest bit negative, I could be in big trouble.
By the way, I can't access the Wikipedia page on the King because the government has blocked it. Fascinating, huh? Guess I'll have to wait almost 2 months until I'm back in the states.
By the way, I can't access the Wikipedia page on the King because the government has blocked it. Fascinating, huh? Guess I'll have to wait almost 2 months until I'm back in the states.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Mom, Molly, and Dan have been in Thailand for a week now. We were in Bangkok for a couple days when they first got here, just walking around the streets, checking out the vendors.
Then we went to Ayutthaya for 2 days and passed through my neighborhood, Pathum Thani, on the way there. With the exception of our driver who really creeped us out and kept taking photos of Molly with camera phone, it was awesome to go back to Ayutthaya. I went earlier this semester with my program, but knew that Mom would want to see all of the ruins. They really are beautiful and originate from the 14th century!
After Ayutthaya, we flew up to Chiang Mai which is where we are right now. The most exciting part of the trip for Mom, Dan, and Molly was visiting the elephant camp where they got to ride elephants, travel in an ox-pulled cart, raft on a bamboo raft, visit an indigenous tribe called the 'Long Necks', and afterward, they went to the tiger camp and played with tigers! Unfortunately, I had food poisoning that day and I was in bed for hours, so I had to miss out...
Chiang Mai has a lot of night markets and cheap vendors, so we also bought a lot of stuff for ourselves and for friends and family back home.
I would write more but I just lost interest, haha sorry! I'll write more once I'm back in Pathum Thani (since I will have to study for midterms but will need a break!).
Then we went to Ayutthaya for 2 days and passed through my neighborhood, Pathum Thani, on the way there. With the exception of our driver who really creeped us out and kept taking photos of Molly with camera phone, it was awesome to go back to Ayutthaya. I went earlier this semester with my program, but knew that Mom would want to see all of the ruins. They really are beautiful and originate from the 14th century!
After Ayutthaya, we flew up to Chiang Mai which is where we are right now. The most exciting part of the trip for Mom, Dan, and Molly was visiting the elephant camp where they got to ride elephants, travel in an ox-pulled cart, raft on a bamboo raft, visit an indigenous tribe called the 'Long Necks', and afterward, they went to the tiger camp and played with tigers! Unfortunately, I had food poisoning that day and I was in bed for hours, so I had to miss out...
Chiang Mai has a lot of night markets and cheap vendors, so we also bought a lot of stuff for ourselves and for friends and family back home.
I would write more but I just lost interest, haha sorry! I'll write more once I'm back in Pathum Thani (since I will have to study for midterms but will need a break!).
Saturday, October 17, 2009
I get to see Mom, Dan, and Molly tomorrow! Then after they leave, I have a week of midterms, then Dad and Chandelle are visiting! I'm so excited!
I guess that means I should clean my room. I haven't cleaned a single time since I've been here. Nor have I unpacked my suitcases. I hate unpacking more than anything. Almost more than loading and unloading the dishwasher, but thankfully we don't have a dishwasher (or any dishes, for that matter).
Still very itchy. I think I got bit by that bug again. More bumps are showing up.
Um. I don't really have anything to say, I'm just bored... Everyone has left for break already (Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Chang Mai, Koh Lanta--we're all over the place!) so I'm here alone. I've been watching lots of TV and I'm starting to get cabin fever. I guess I'll be productive today and clean my room, do my laundry, and go for a walk to find our smoothie lady (who makes the best watermelon and lime smoothies IN THE WORLD).
I guess that means I should clean my room. I haven't cleaned a single time since I've been here. Nor have I unpacked my suitcases. I hate unpacking more than anything. Almost more than loading and unloading the dishwasher, but thankfully we don't have a dishwasher (or any dishes, for that matter).
Still very itchy. I think I got bit by that bug again. More bumps are showing up.
Um. I don't really have anything to say, I'm just bored... Everyone has left for break already (Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Chang Mai, Koh Lanta--we're all over the place!) so I'm here alone. I've been watching lots of TV and I'm starting to get cabin fever. I guess I'll be productive today and clean my room, do my laundry, and go for a walk to find our smoothie lady (who makes the best watermelon and lime smoothies IN THE WORLD).
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
My eyes are officially opened.
As my time in Thailand has progressed, I've found that I have very mixed feelings towards this place. Perhaps it's because I always learned about Southeastern Asia through Western eyes, but I always thought it seemed like a relatively magical place with beautiful architecture, kind people, strange ways of life, and a culture that thrived on respect and tradition.
Well. Respect and tradition my ass. If I've learned anything at all, it's that America is an amazing country and I'm ashamed to have ever lost faith in it (which I did for quite some time, as if I've been alive long enough to say that).
There are so many stigmas about American culture that other countries place on us, even ones that we learn about in our classrooms at home, as if we are the root of all evil or something. We dress too casually, we're loud, girls act too provocatively, we care too much about what others think, we're obsessed with TVs and other forms of mass media... We're too this, and too that. We've lost sight of history, of reverence, of tradition... The list goes on. Layer after layer of negative stereotypes.
And even here in Thailand, in my Thai Language and Thai Civilization classes, they teach us all these rules about how to act towards the elderly, how to bow properly, how to speak formally... because God forbid we do something wrong to disgrace their culture and further shame ourselves as 'ferangs', what they call foreigners (literal translation: white person).
Guess what? Not once have I seen a Thai student treat the elderly how we are taught to treat them. Not once I have seen a Thai student treat a waiter at a restaurant like a human being. Not once have I seen a Thai student give anything to the poor or the crippled that beg on the streets. Not once have I seen a Thai student respect a professor in the classroom.
The girls dress more provocatively on a daily basis than me or any of my friends have ever dressed in our entire lives. Girls who are wider than a yard stick believe they're "fat", so they wear more make-up and higher heels to feel prettier. Every restaurant or street-side vendor has a TV on some Thai soap opera or a radio blaring Western Top-40 music. Students absolutely never listen in class, nor do they take notes, nor do they show any interest whatsoever.
That said: why have I always learned about my own culture from such a negative light when we aren't any different than the rest of them? Why do all these unfavorable stereotypes fall on our shoulders and not theirs? It isn't fair that when we travel we're told to be careful because so many people dislike us. It isn't fair that we're considered 'racist' for having slavery when I hear Thai people yell "FERANG!" at me at least twice a week.
Believe it or not, this isn't a rant against Thai culture, regardless of the harsh or negative statements. This is the first time I've put these thoughts into words, and they're things that have been frustrating me since the day I became accustomed to life here. At first I just got angry all the time, angry at how hypocritical Thai culture seems. Then I realized that the anger stemmed from a new found pride I have in being American, and I came to see that we aren't nearly as "bad" as we or others are told.
Every culture is one in the same; we just live differently. (And thank God for that or else this world would be boring as hell.)
Well. Respect and tradition my ass. If I've learned anything at all, it's that America is an amazing country and I'm ashamed to have ever lost faith in it (which I did for quite some time, as if I've been alive long enough to say that).
There are so many stigmas about American culture that other countries place on us, even ones that we learn about in our classrooms at home, as if we are the root of all evil or something. We dress too casually, we're loud, girls act too provocatively, we care too much about what others think, we're obsessed with TVs and other forms of mass media... We're too this, and too that. We've lost sight of history, of reverence, of tradition... The list goes on. Layer after layer of negative stereotypes.
And even here in Thailand, in my Thai Language and Thai Civilization classes, they teach us all these rules about how to act towards the elderly, how to bow properly, how to speak formally... because God forbid we do something wrong to disgrace their culture and further shame ourselves as 'ferangs', what they call foreigners (literal translation: white person).
Guess what? Not once have I seen a Thai student treat the elderly how we are taught to treat them. Not once I have seen a Thai student treat a waiter at a restaurant like a human being. Not once have I seen a Thai student give anything to the poor or the crippled that beg on the streets. Not once have I seen a Thai student respect a professor in the classroom.
The girls dress more provocatively on a daily basis than me or any of my friends have ever dressed in our entire lives. Girls who are wider than a yard stick believe they're "fat", so they wear more make-up and higher heels to feel prettier. Every restaurant or street-side vendor has a TV on some Thai soap opera or a radio blaring Western Top-40 music. Students absolutely never listen in class, nor do they take notes, nor do they show any interest whatsoever.
That said: why have I always learned about my own culture from such a negative light when we aren't any different than the rest of them? Why do all these unfavorable stereotypes fall on our shoulders and not theirs? It isn't fair that when we travel we're told to be careful because so many people dislike us. It isn't fair that we're considered 'racist' for having slavery when I hear Thai people yell "FERANG!" at me at least twice a week.
Believe it or not, this isn't a rant against Thai culture, regardless of the harsh or negative statements. This is the first time I've put these thoughts into words, and they're things that have been frustrating me since the day I became accustomed to life here. At first I just got angry all the time, angry at how hypocritical Thai culture seems. Then I realized that the anger stemmed from a new found pride I have in being American, and I came to see that we aren't nearly as "bad" as we or others are told.
Every culture is one in the same; we just live differently. (And thank God for that or else this world would be boring as hell.)
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Okay so I don't have Scabies. But I'm having an allergic reaction to an insect bite. I'm still extremely itchy but the doctor said it should go away within a week. Hopefully.
I found out yesterday that Thailand's rainy season will end in a couple weeks, then it will be winter. But winter just means that the temperature cools off a few degrees, but it's still fairly warm. Regardless, 75-85 degrees is far better than 80-90!
I don't really have anything to say, just wanted to say that I don't have Scabies. Yay!
I found out yesterday that Thailand's rainy season will end in a couple weeks, then it will be winter. But winter just means that the temperature cools off a few degrees, but it's still fairly warm. Regardless, 75-85 degrees is far better than 80-90!
I don't really have anything to say, just wanted to say that I don't have Scabies. Yay!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
The last few days have been pretty crazy around here.
1. Tyson went to the hospital for a day and a half because of a serious bacterial infection that was causing him to vomit a lot.
2. Arjun, Ryan, and Ian went with a guy they know to get bamboo tattoos and were pulled over by the police on the way. The guy had a warrant out for his arrest, and since my friends were with him, they got put in jail for 4-5 hours.
3. I have Scabies! I'm actually very glad that I don't have something 10 times worse, but the itching is beginning to drive me mad. My Thai friend took me to several pharmacies--no Benadryl pills to be found. But luckily, another girl on my program has Benadryl cream and I'm currently waiting for that to start working before I scratch all my skin off.
In other news, my mommy, Molly, and Dan will be here in a week!! I'm very excited.
1. Tyson went to the hospital for a day and a half because of a serious bacterial infection that was causing him to vomit a lot.
2. Arjun, Ryan, and Ian went with a guy they know to get bamboo tattoos and were pulled over by the police on the way. The guy had a warrant out for his arrest, and since my friends were with him, they got put in jail for 4-5 hours.
3. I have Scabies! I'm actually very glad that I don't have something 10 times worse, but the itching is beginning to drive me mad. My Thai friend took me to several pharmacies--no Benadryl pills to be found. But luckily, another girl on my program has Benadryl cream and I'm currently waiting for that to start working before I scratch all my skin off.
In other news, my mommy, Molly, and Dan will be here in a week!! I'm very excited.
Monday, October 5, 2009
It's amazing how quickly it can go from being beautiful and sunny, to pouring down rain. It's like clockwork. The rain is a blessing here, though, because it cools down the temperatures to a bearable level.
We've had a really nice relaxing weekend. The majority of the people at our apartments went to Koh Phangan this weekend to experience the Full Moon Party. They took an overnight bus (15 hrs long) last Thursday evening and are coming back on the same bus tonight (Monday night). I guarantee that if I had decided to go, I would have gotten there, regretted it, and been stuck for 4 days on a beach with crazy, drug-taking, alcoholic travelers. No thank you!
Saturday we spent the day at the Siam Center in Bangkok, a large area with 3-4 giant malls, malls so big that NOTHING in the United States could even compare. It was unreal! Each mall was at least 5 stories high, some had 7 stories, and were filled with expensive stores like Gucci and Coach. We wanted to go on a glass-bottom boat ride (yes, inside the mall!) at the Siam Ocean Aquarium, but it was really expensive, so we settled for a 4-D x-venture movie instead. It was a cute little film about turtles and how humans have invaded their habitats, like an interactive 3-D movie (water sprayer in our face, our chairs moved around--it was really fun). Then I had Subway for dinner! Real turkey and real cheese! It was so delicious.
Instead of taking a taxi back, which costs up to 300 Baht to get back home, we decided to figure out how to use Bangkok's public transportation. We rode the SkyTrain north to its last stop (35 Baht each), then rode the bus to Rangsit (the town we live in, 22 Baht each), then rode on the university's transportation until we reached campus (6 Baht each), and walked home from there. We saved around 30-40 Baht this way, which is how much a meal costs.
Oh yeah, last Thursday night was really fun, too. We went to Future Park, the huge mall in our province, to have dinner and see a movie. We watched "Pandorum", some new movie with Dennis Quaid, a sci-fi thriller. It was pretty good. The popcorn was funny, though... They had three flavors: original, sweet, and cheese. I got a mixture of original and cheese, only to discover that "cheese" isn't quite the same here as it at home. It tasted good, for sure, but it was like a weird mixture of spices on popcorn. We were so confused as to why it didn't taste like cheese, but then we remembered that they don't have cheese in Thailand, so they had no idea what it was supposed to taste like!
Last night we wanted to out for pizza because we've been craving Western food, but everything is closed here on Sundays, just like at home. Hopefully we'll try again tonight! It's expensive in terms of Baht, but cheap in terms of American dollars. About 160-200 Baht for a Large pizza (which is 5-7 bucks).
I'm really distracted now so I guess that's it. I've uploaded a few more photos on Facebook, check them out if you get a chance!
We've had a really nice relaxing weekend. The majority of the people at our apartments went to Koh Phangan this weekend to experience the Full Moon Party. They took an overnight bus (15 hrs long) last Thursday evening and are coming back on the same bus tonight (Monday night). I guarantee that if I had decided to go, I would have gotten there, regretted it, and been stuck for 4 days on a beach with crazy, drug-taking, alcoholic travelers. No thank you!
Saturday we spent the day at the Siam Center in Bangkok, a large area with 3-4 giant malls, malls so big that NOTHING in the United States could even compare. It was unreal! Each mall was at least 5 stories high, some had 7 stories, and were filled with expensive stores like Gucci and Coach. We wanted to go on a glass-bottom boat ride (yes, inside the mall!) at the Siam Ocean Aquarium, but it was really expensive, so we settled for a 4-D x-venture movie instead. It was a cute little film about turtles and how humans have invaded their habitats, like an interactive 3-D movie (water sprayer in our face, our chairs moved around--it was really fun). Then I had Subway for dinner! Real turkey and real cheese! It was so delicious.
Instead of taking a taxi back, which costs up to 300 Baht to get back home, we decided to figure out how to use Bangkok's public transportation. We rode the SkyTrain north to its last stop (35 Baht each), then rode the bus to Rangsit (the town we live in, 22 Baht each), then rode on the university's transportation until we reached campus (6 Baht each), and walked home from there. We saved around 30-40 Baht this way, which is how much a meal costs.
Oh yeah, last Thursday night was really fun, too. We went to Future Park, the huge mall in our province, to have dinner and see a movie. We watched "Pandorum", some new movie with Dennis Quaid, a sci-fi thriller. It was pretty good. The popcorn was funny, though... They had three flavors: original, sweet, and cheese. I got a mixture of original and cheese, only to discover that "cheese" isn't quite the same here as it at home. It tasted good, for sure, but it was like a weird mixture of spices on popcorn. We were so confused as to why it didn't taste like cheese, but then we remembered that they don't have cheese in Thailand, so they had no idea what it was supposed to taste like!
Last night we wanted to out for pizza because we've been craving Western food, but everything is closed here on Sundays, just like at home. Hopefully we'll try again tonight! It's expensive in terms of Baht, but cheap in terms of American dollars. About 160-200 Baht for a Large pizza (which is 5-7 bucks).
I'm really distracted now so I guess that's it. I've uploaded a few more photos on Facebook, check them out if you get a chance!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Howdy.
Hey, I guess it's been a little while since I last posted, but I don't really have anything to tell you. At least not anything exciting.
My friends bought a duck. Did I say that already? Well he's cute and his name is Doug. He's getting bigger day by day, so they've been looking for somewhere to take him when he's full grown. Apparently there's a monastery near campus that took our friend's rabbit last year and she was allowed to visit it whenever she wanted. We're thinking that'd be ideal because he's so freaking adorable, we just don't have the space or knowledge to keep him well.
Isn't he the cutest?!
A few people that I live with are starting to drive me nuts. I can still tolerate them with ease, but it's becoming increasingly difficult not to get frustrated every time they open their mouths. I'm not the only one that feels this way, either, so I know I'm not being irrational. They're just... not positive people. And I don't like to be around people that act like Debbie Downer's all the time.
In other news, Kasey and Colin are who I've gotten the closest to. Here's a cheesy picture of us right before we had lunch on the River Kwai:
Colin goes to UMass Amherst and is from Massachusetts, somewhere rural. Kasey is from San Diego and is transferring to Southern Oregon University this Spring. They're awesome. We've already talked about visiting each other and such.
K, I guess that's it. Colin's brother just moved to Bangkok with his girlfriend so they're here to hang out with tonight. Bye!
My friends bought a duck. Did I say that already? Well he's cute and his name is Doug. He's getting bigger day by day, so they've been looking for somewhere to take him when he's full grown. Apparently there's a monastery near campus that took our friend's rabbit last year and she was allowed to visit it whenever she wanted. We're thinking that'd be ideal because he's so freaking adorable, we just don't have the space or knowledge to keep him well.
Isn't he the cutest?!
A few people that I live with are starting to drive me nuts. I can still tolerate them with ease, but it's becoming increasingly difficult not to get frustrated every time they open their mouths. I'm not the only one that feels this way, either, so I know I'm not being irrational. They're just... not positive people. And I don't like to be around people that act like Debbie Downer's all the time.
In other news, Kasey and Colin are who I've gotten the closest to. Here's a cheesy picture of us right before we had lunch on the River Kwai:
Colin goes to UMass Amherst and is from Massachusetts, somewhere rural. Kasey is from San Diego and is transferring to Southern Oregon University this Spring. They're awesome. We've already talked about visiting each other and such.
K, I guess that's it. Colin's brother just moved to Bangkok with his girlfriend so they're here to hang out with tonight. Bye!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
ps. I officially met and hung out with Joren Van Der Sloot tonight. There were 2 birthdays tonight so everyone ended up at the local bar... sort of unavoidable. I felt overwhelmingly uncomfortable until I decided to leave. He was nice, though? (and if you don't know who he is, Google it and you'll find out instantly).
Monday, September 28, 2009
More photos from Kanchanaburi.
The Bridge Over River Kwai, also known as The Death Bridge. Built in the first several decades of the 1900s, over 160,000 workers died during it's construction. They were all prisoners of war, forced to work under horrific conditions.
There was a lot of touristy stuff around the bridge, including the opportunity to play with this little leopard cub (who was cleared being exploited for all the wrong reasons). This is my friend Novo from Mexico, he's on my program.
We also went to 2 caves that were filled with Buddhas and little worshipping areas.
The Erawan Waterfall at Erawan National Park. The water was perfectly clear, it was beautiful.
This sign is at the entrance of the trail to the waterfall. So funny! Unfortunately we didn't see any monkeys though...
There was a lot of touristy stuff around the bridge, including the opportunity to play with this little leopard cub (who was cleared being exploited for all the wrong reasons). This is my friend Novo from Mexico, he's on my program.
We also went to 2 caves that were filled with Buddhas and little worshipping areas.
The Erawan Waterfall at Erawan National Park. The water was perfectly clear, it was beautiful.
This sign is at the entrance of the trail to the waterfall. So funny! Unfortunately we didn't see any monkeys though...
Photos from Kanchanaburi
We had lunch on a floating pavilion that was pulled along by this little boat. As you can see, the scenery around us was beautiful! This is the River Kwai, by the way.
The next day, we rafter down the Riber Kwai on bamboo rafts.
The Taweechai Elephant Camp is located in the midst of the Pang Chang community, and there were several families living in huts like this. We rode through their neighborhood on the elephants!
You were supposed to pay 20 Baht to take a photo of this elephant, but I took this when the guy wasn't looking (obviously). Oops! But I don't feel bad... they'll do anything to suck the money out of foreigner's wallets.
The elephants that we rode! As you can see, each one has a guide/trainer and a bench for 2 people to sit on.
The next day, we rafter down the Riber Kwai on bamboo rafts.
The Taweechai Elephant Camp is located in the midst of the Pang Chang community, and there were several families living in huts like this. We rode through their neighborhood on the elephants!
You were supposed to pay 20 Baht to take a photo of this elephant, but I took this when the guy wasn't looking (obviously). Oops! But I don't feel bad... they'll do anything to suck the money out of foreigner's wallets.
The elephants that we rode! As you can see, each one has a guide/trainer and a bench for 2 people to sit on.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Today is the first day I've ever felt uncomfortable while walking around the town or campus. For some reason, I've noticed everyone staring more today, or saying things about us (quite obviously) then laughing with each other. I don't know why... it's really strange.
By the way, I'm going to interrupt myself for a second. Have I mentioned how unbearable it is to be in a classroom with Thai students? Believe it or not, their level of respect is so far below the standards we have at Goucher, it's a joke. Students talk with each other the entire time in class, refuse to talk when the teacher asks them a question, and barely take notes or pay attention. It drives me crazy! You could NEVER get away with that behavior in the United States, yet they preach about how respectful their culture is, how to be proper to those older and wise than you. If that was the case, I wouldn't have to shoot them the evil eye every time they distract me from taking notes.
For example, my friend Colin and I are in a computer lab on campus to check e-mail and whatnot, and there's several Thai students in here, doing some survey for an English class... or pretending to do the survey, rather, because all they're doing is watching movies and music videos until the teacher walks in, then they close those webpages and pull the survey back up like they've been working the whole time. Aren't they supposed to be in college? Isn't that something a high school student would do...?
It's just strange, and seems very hypocritical, that Thai students can get away with acting the way they do in an educational setting. I'm very grateful that two of my classes are all foreigners, all exchange students or people on my program, because I can actually hear everything the professor is saying without being distracted every 5 minutes.
By the way, I'm going to interrupt myself for a second. Have I mentioned how unbearable it is to be in a classroom with Thai students? Believe it or not, their level of respect is so far below the standards we have at Goucher, it's a joke. Students talk with each other the entire time in class, refuse to talk when the teacher asks them a question, and barely take notes or pay attention. It drives me crazy! You could NEVER get away with that behavior in the United States, yet they preach about how respectful their culture is, how to be proper to those older and wise than you. If that was the case, I wouldn't have to shoot them the evil eye every time they distract me from taking notes.
For example, my friend Colin and I are in a computer lab on campus to check e-mail and whatnot, and there's several Thai students in here, doing some survey for an English class... or pretending to do the survey, rather, because all they're doing is watching movies and music videos until the teacher walks in, then they close those webpages and pull the survey back up like they've been working the whole time. Aren't they supposed to be in college? Isn't that something a high school student would do...?
It's just strange, and seems very hypocritical, that Thai students can get away with acting the way they do in an educational setting. I'm very grateful that two of my classes are all foreigners, all exchange students or people on my program, because I can actually hear everything the professor is saying without being distracted every 5 minutes.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
a) I found my favorite dish, I think. All it says on the menu is "egg noodle in spicy sauce with chicken/pork/seafood". I get it with chicken, and the so-called 'egg noodles' are actually Top Ramen noodles, tossed in some amazing generic spicy sauce with sliced chilis and cut up green beans. It is sooo good.
b) Whenever you see the word "lemon" in Thailand, they actually mean "lime". I'm not sure why, but everyone here thinks limes are called lemons. My favorite smoothie is made of watermelon, ice, and lime juice, but of course, on the menu it says "watermelon and lemon". There's also a restaurant called "The Lemon Green Room"... I'm assuming they also mean 'lime'.
c) I might have already mentioned this, but every Thai person has an American nickname. I don't really know why, I haven't asked yet... but EVERY person I've met that's Thai has a strange nickname. For your reading pleasure, I'll list the people I've met so far: Nut, Ice, Jom, Jul, Rabbit, Fern, another Fern, Balls, Poom... and that's all I can remember. And yes, you read correctly: I met a guy named Balls.
b) Whenever you see the word "lemon" in Thailand, they actually mean "lime". I'm not sure why, but everyone here thinks limes are called lemons. My favorite smoothie is made of watermelon, ice, and lime juice, but of course, on the menu it says "watermelon and lemon". There's also a restaurant called "The Lemon Green Room"... I'm assuming they also mean 'lime'.
c) I might have already mentioned this, but every Thai person has an American nickname. I don't really know why, I haven't asked yet... but EVERY person I've met that's Thai has a strange nickname. For your reading pleasure, I'll list the people I've met so far: Nut, Ice, Jom, Jul, Rabbit, Fern, another Fern, Balls, Poom... and that's all I can remember. And yes, you read correctly: I met a guy named Balls.
Monday, September 21, 2009
I put some more pictures up on Facebook. They are of our trip to Ayutthaya, the old capital of Thailand. It was so beautiful! The rest of the pictures are from a night we all went to RCA, a street outside of Bangkok filled with really posh clubs. We went to one called Route 66 and it was a ton of fun. Usually, the cover charge is 200 Baht, which is about $6-7 in US dollars, but considered a lot of money here in Thailand... but we found out that every Thursday there's no cover charge!
Things have been good lately. School is starting to kick in-- I already have a group presentation due tomorrow (Tuesday) about contemporary Thai art. I complained at first, getting so much homework the first week, but I think it's good because it keeps us busy when we having nothing to do. We only have one Internet hook-up per apartment, and there are about 12 people in each apartment... so we can't waste time online like we do at home. Nice change of pace.
I'm still not getting used the heat. When it rains, the temperature drops about 5 degrees and the sky is very overcast-- it's still hot, but it's extremely not to have the sun beating down on you. We always talk about how we never quite feel clean here. Even after you shower and sit in the AC in your room, the second you walk out into the front room of the apartment or outside, you're sweating all over again. Laundry is quite a task, too... the machines are across the street, don't always work, and no one uses dryers here. It takes a long time to wash and dry your clothes so I don't really do it too often. I re-wear a lot of clothes until they're just downright dirty which is why I never really feel too clean.
My landlord lives in the apartment next to me with his aunt and her daughter. The aunt's name is Yupin, and I thought she was sweet and cute at first... but now she's just getting on my nerves. The Thai people have no concept of personal space or boundaries-- I'll be sitting inside on the computer, and she'll just walk in, start speaking to me in Thai, and standing over my shoulder watching what I do on the computer. She can't read any of it since she doesn't speak English, but it's still really weird and frustrating. She always calls my name and rattles of in Thai, as if I understand her... then laughs at me when I have no idea what she's saying. Yeah, she's really starting to get on my nerves. I think she's really lonely so she enjoys having us around. I've never seen her leave the house and Dan, the landlord (her nephew), is really dismissive when we talk about Yupin with him. Weird family, weird relationships.
Anyway, that's it for now. I'm going to try and find all the TV shows I watch online so I can catch up this afternoon. It's far too hot to do much this afternoon--over 90 degrees and no cloud cover whatsoever! No thank you.
Love and miss y'all! (ps. A lot of my friends have started saying "y'all" because I use it so often!)
Things have been good lately. School is starting to kick in-- I already have a group presentation due tomorrow (Tuesday) about contemporary Thai art. I complained at first, getting so much homework the first week, but I think it's good because it keeps us busy when we having nothing to do. We only have one Internet hook-up per apartment, and there are about 12 people in each apartment... so we can't waste time online like we do at home. Nice change of pace.
I'm still not getting used the heat. When it rains, the temperature drops about 5 degrees and the sky is very overcast-- it's still hot, but it's extremely not to have the sun beating down on you. We always talk about how we never quite feel clean here. Even after you shower and sit in the AC in your room, the second you walk out into the front room of the apartment or outside, you're sweating all over again. Laundry is quite a task, too... the machines are across the street, don't always work, and no one uses dryers here. It takes a long time to wash and dry your clothes so I don't really do it too often. I re-wear a lot of clothes until they're just downright dirty which is why I never really feel too clean.
My landlord lives in the apartment next to me with his aunt and her daughter. The aunt's name is Yupin, and I thought she was sweet and cute at first... but now she's just getting on my nerves. The Thai people have no concept of personal space or boundaries-- I'll be sitting inside on the computer, and she'll just walk in, start speaking to me in Thai, and standing over my shoulder watching what I do on the computer. She can't read any of it since she doesn't speak English, but it's still really weird and frustrating. She always calls my name and rattles of in Thai, as if I understand her... then laughs at me when I have no idea what she's saying. Yeah, she's really starting to get on my nerves. I think she's really lonely so she enjoys having us around. I've never seen her leave the house and Dan, the landlord (her nephew), is really dismissive when we talk about Yupin with him. Weird family, weird relationships.
Anyway, that's it for now. I'm going to try and find all the TV shows I watch online so I can catch up this afternoon. It's far too hot to do much this afternoon--over 90 degrees and no cloud cover whatsoever! No thank you.
Love and miss y'all! (ps. A lot of my friends have started saying "y'all" because I use it so often!)
Friday, September 18, 2009
No.. I mean, yes!!
This is the billionth time my toilet has gotten stopped up since I've been here. It's not my fault, it's the plumbing, and although they have had people come fix it at least 2 or 3 times now, it's still happening.
Not to mention that the 2nd time, they told me they would come at 4pm. But no, they woke me up at 7:30am. And today, they said they were coming at 9am, so I woke up early. It's almost 9:45 and they aren't here yet. It's really frustrating because I've only slept in once since I've been here, and I'm exhausted!
Thai culture is naturally really laid back. Laid back to a fault, if you ask me. Time means nothing to them. We've also learned that when asked a question, Thai people always respond with "Yes" even if they have no idea what you're talking about, even if they're lying (seriously, they do this on a daily basis--it's apparently disrespectful to say 'no', even if the answer really is 'no'). Perfect example: we went to a club last night. We asked the taxi driver in Thai and in English, "Can you get to Rangsit University? Pathum Thani?" He nodded vigorously. We were happy.
... Little did we know, he had no idea what we were talking about. It took almost 2 and a half hours to get home, when usually it takes 45 mins. The cab fare ran up to 800 Baht when it's usually $250. He did feel bad, so he completely waived the fare, but still... why lie in the first place?
Anyway. My point is... I'mma 'bout to smack some folks up in here if they don't fix my plumbing a.s.a.p. so I can sleep.
Not to mention that the 2nd time, they told me they would come at 4pm. But no, they woke me up at 7:30am. And today, they said they were coming at 9am, so I woke up early. It's almost 9:45 and they aren't here yet. It's really frustrating because I've only slept in once since I've been here, and I'm exhausted!
Thai culture is naturally really laid back. Laid back to a fault, if you ask me. Time means nothing to them. We've also learned that when asked a question, Thai people always respond with "Yes" even if they have no idea what you're talking about, even if they're lying (seriously, they do this on a daily basis--it's apparently disrespectful to say 'no', even if the answer really is 'no'). Perfect example: we went to a club last night. We asked the taxi driver in Thai and in English, "Can you get to Rangsit University? Pathum Thani?" He nodded vigorously. We were happy.
... Little did we know, he had no idea what we were talking about. It took almost 2 and a half hours to get home, when usually it takes 45 mins. The cab fare ran up to 800 Baht when it's usually $250. He did feel bad, so he completely waived the fare, but still... why lie in the first place?
Anyway. My point is... I'mma 'bout to smack some folks up in here if they don't fix my plumbing a.s.a.p. so I can sleep.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Today we went to the mall in my province. It's called "Future Park" and it is HUGE, the biggest mall I've ever been to. It has every story you could think of, spread out through 6 stories. Nearby, there's another huge building with a movie theatre, karaoke bar, and bowling alley. So we went bowling and it was really fun! It was the nicest bowling place I've ever been to, too.... They had waiters and everything.
In other news, there's a coffee shop in our neighborhood called Sawadee Cup, owned by a Danish man named Joren. Joren Van Der Sloot, to be exact. Ring any bells? He was the prime suspect in Natalee Holloway's disappearance. He's now dating this girl named Caitie--she works at my university, cute girl from California. But how crazy is that? And scary? (Okay, so we aren't 100% sure it's him, but apparently he looks just like Joren Van Der Sloot, and the real Joren Van Der Sloot has had articles about him being in Thailand... could be a coincidence, but we're not sure).
Anyway. I'm about to post some more pictures to the album on Facebook, so check 'em out.
In other news, there's a coffee shop in our neighborhood called Sawadee Cup, owned by a Danish man named Joren. Joren Van Der Sloot, to be exact. Ring any bells? He was the prime suspect in Natalee Holloway's disappearance. He's now dating this girl named Caitie--she works at my university, cute girl from California. But how crazy is that? And scary? (Okay, so we aren't 100% sure it's him, but apparently he looks just like Joren Van Der Sloot, and the real Joren Van Der Sloot has had articles about him being in Thailand... could be a coincidence, but we're not sure).
Anyway. I'm about to post some more pictures to the album on Facebook, so check 'em out.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
We had a so called "Bangkok tour" today. It wasn't much of a tour--we just went to 2 places, the first was a waste of time and the second was amazing. It was called the Grand Palace, they giant area of temples and ornate buildings that the King uses for special ceremonies.
I took a few pictures, then my camera died. But I've never seen such amazing architecture or design in my entire life. Here's a photo I found on Google:
Up close, those roofs are amazing colored shiny tiles. I can't really explain how decadent it was, so I'll try to upload some of the photos I took.
Anyway. I rode on a motorcycle tonight! Sorry mom and dad, haha. Our Thai friend Rabbit was going around the corner to the 7/11 to pick up some stuff, so I rode with her. It was a short ride, but very fun!
Um, I don't really have anything else to say right now. Bye!
I took a few pictures, then my camera died. But I've never seen such amazing architecture or design in my entire life. Here's a photo I found on Google:
Up close, those roofs are amazing colored shiny tiles. I can't really explain how decadent it was, so I'll try to upload some of the photos I took.
Anyway. I rode on a motorcycle tonight! Sorry mom and dad, haha. Our Thai friend Rabbit was going around the corner to the 7/11 to pick up some stuff, so I rode with her. It was a short ride, but very fun!
Um, I don't really have anything else to say right now. Bye!
Friday, September 11, 2009
We went to a club last night. It was a lot of fun. They had a live band play most of the night, and although I couldn't understand what they saying, they were REALLY good.
This morning I woke up to my landlord's aunt banging on my door, screaming things in Thai. My toilet is broken so she wanted to let the plumbers in, but it was early and I was still feeling a few drinks from last night... She's a really sweet woman though. I have no idea how to spell her name, but it's pronounced You-pin. Last night she told me that she's going to miss me when I leave Thailand, haha.
I've been meaning to tell y'all about this dessert/snack I eat every day. It's ice cream with white sticky rice at the bottom of the cup, then drizzled sweetended condensed milk on top. It sounds strange, but seriously-- it is INCREDIBLE, and you know how picky I am, haha. Pretty much all the food here is incredible, though.
We've made friends with a few Thai people. I already mentioned Rabbit, this adorable girl that is moving in across the street from us. She helps us out a lot when she's around and we're going to get dinner or something. Then there's Jom and Jul, twins who speak amazing English and come hang out at our apartments almost every afternoon.
I had my Buddhist Philosophy class yesterday. My teacher is a monk! He wears the orange robe and everything. Whenever he made a mistake during the lecture, he would say, "My bad, my bad...". It was hysterical. And monk life is very, very strict... he can't even touch a woman, for any reason at all, regardless of how old they are. For example, if I ever need to hand him something, he can't take it from my hand. I have to set it on a table for him to pick up, or give it to a male student to give to him. His name is Prisit, but we have to call him "Venerable Prisit".
K that's all. Bye.
This morning I woke up to my landlord's aunt banging on my door, screaming things in Thai. My toilet is broken so she wanted to let the plumbers in, but it was early and I was still feeling a few drinks from last night... She's a really sweet woman though. I have no idea how to spell her name, but it's pronounced You-pin. Last night she told me that she's going to miss me when I leave Thailand, haha.
I've been meaning to tell y'all about this dessert/snack I eat every day. It's ice cream with white sticky rice at the bottom of the cup, then drizzled sweetended condensed milk on top. It sounds strange, but seriously-- it is INCREDIBLE, and you know how picky I am, haha. Pretty much all the food here is incredible, though.
We've made friends with a few Thai people. I already mentioned Rabbit, this adorable girl that is moving in across the street from us. She helps us out a lot when she's around and we're going to get dinner or something. Then there's Jom and Jul, twins who speak amazing English and come hang out at our apartments almost every afternoon.
I had my Buddhist Philosophy class yesterday. My teacher is a monk! He wears the orange robe and everything. Whenever he made a mistake during the lecture, he would say, "My bad, my bad...". It was hysterical. And monk life is very, very strict... he can't even touch a woman, for any reason at all, regardless of how old they are. For example, if I ever need to hand him something, he can't take it from my hand. I have to set it on a table for him to pick up, or give it to a male student to give to him. His name is Prisit, but we have to call him "Venerable Prisit".
K that's all. Bye.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
I had my first Thai language class today. It's going to be really difficult to pick up on certain things. I think it's better for us to learn specific phrases than the alphabet and numbers, but we won't be learning phrases or words for several weeks. Looks like miming will have to do for now.
Today at lunch, there were these strange little white jelly dishes at the table. We asked one of our professors, who happened to be eating next to us, what it was, and it was some sort of lunch dessert made with coconut and flour. It was really good--it basically tasted like rice pudding, nothing like coconut at all.
Two days ago, we found this small market right near our apartments that has everything you can imagine... shoes, clothes, food, jewelry, massages, mini nail salons, underwear, ice cream... It's awesome. We've been going the past few nights to wander around and eat dinner. I bought Molly a really cute tank top that's black with a gold picture of Thailand, and it says "Thailand Stand Up". It's one of those funky graphic tanks that are really popular these days... even Thai people dress ultra hip if they aren't in their uniforms.
Speaking of uniforms... sooo unattractive! My skirt is a really awkward length below my knees, so I'm going to have my friend hem it. My shirt is giant and baggy, too, but oh well--it catches a nice breeze, haha. The Thai girls dress very... provacatively in their uniforms. They buy tiny, tight black miniskirts and white shirts that are way too small. They wear 4inch heels, make-up, designer bags, and pretty jewelry to school every day. We look so drab compared to them.
I've noticed my posts have been really disorganized... but that's because so many random things happen that I can't really make it all flow together.
Anyway, that's it for now. I have class in 10 minutes, Thai Civilization. The teacher is so adorable. She went to grad school at Temple University in Pennsylvania, then taught at Washington University for 4 years. Her English is impeccable, her name is Prinda, and she's just seriously the cutest woman in the world. K bye.
Today at lunch, there were these strange little white jelly dishes at the table. We asked one of our professors, who happened to be eating next to us, what it was, and it was some sort of lunch dessert made with coconut and flour. It was really good--it basically tasted like rice pudding, nothing like coconut at all.
Two days ago, we found this small market right near our apartments that has everything you can imagine... shoes, clothes, food, jewelry, massages, mini nail salons, underwear, ice cream... It's awesome. We've been going the past few nights to wander around and eat dinner. I bought Molly a really cute tank top that's black with a gold picture of Thailand, and it says "Thailand Stand Up". It's one of those funky graphic tanks that are really popular these days... even Thai people dress ultra hip if they aren't in their uniforms.
Speaking of uniforms... sooo unattractive! My skirt is a really awkward length below my knees, so I'm going to have my friend hem it. My shirt is giant and baggy, too, but oh well--it catches a nice breeze, haha. The Thai girls dress very... provacatively in their uniforms. They buy tiny, tight black miniskirts and white shirts that are way too small. They wear 4inch heels, make-up, designer bags, and pretty jewelry to school every day. We look so drab compared to them.
I've noticed my posts have been really disorganized... but that's because so many random things happen that I can't really make it all flow together.
Anyway, that's it for now. I have class in 10 minutes, Thai Civilization. The teacher is so adorable. She went to grad school at Temple University in Pennsylvania, then taught at Washington University for 4 years. Her English is impeccable, her name is Prinda, and she's just seriously the cutest woman in the world. K bye.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Settling in.
I'm stealing someone's Internet right now... it works on one little corner of my bed. YAY.
Anyway, things are getting better. I had orientation at school yesterday and we signed up for classes. I'm taking Thai Civilization, Art Appreciation (whatever that means!), Thai Language for Beginners, and Buddhist Philosophy. I have my first class, the one about art, later this afternoon. I'm really excited to see what classes are like... they're all 3.5 hours long!
I've also gotten to know a few people more, people that seem like someone I'd be friends with back home. So that's been nice.
I've only learned two phrases so far. "Sawadee Ka" is the traditional Thai greeting (women end sentences with Ka, men with Krup). It's pronounced exactly how it looks. Then to say 'thank you', it's "Kop khun Ka", pronounced cop-coon-ka. The Thai people really appreciate when you greet or thank them in their language, they respond with big smiles and then give you a "wai". "Wai" is what they call the slight bow of the head with your hands in front of your face like you're praying.
Last night, I went to a bar that's right around the corner from our apartment. There were two men playing guitars and singing for everyone... I was hoping I'd hear some Thai music, but don't worry, they decided to play Nirvana. So weird.
Oh, I also found out that they play the Thai National Anthem twice a day on loud speakers all over the country in public places, once at 8am and once at 6pm. When you hear it, you're supposed to stop whatever you're doing, stand very still, and when the song is over, you bow slightly and continue with whatever you were doing. It's considered VERY rude not to stop, and if you're foreign, they really appreciate it when you DO stop.
The money is really pretty. It's all colorful with pictures of the King when he was young. He was actually kind of good looking. They LOVE the King... he's the longest reigning king in monarchy history (or something cool like that), and I think he's over 80yrs old and has been king since around the age of 30. He isn't just a King that sits there and looks pretty like in the UK, but he actually get things done, spends time with the impoverished, and solves problems. It's against the law to say anything negative about him, and when you do, to prison you go.
Beth, to answer your questions:
- Haven't been to Bangkok yet, it's about 40 mins away. Others have gone a few times, but I'm spending the week getting settled before I 'travel'.
- The guy I traveled with, Tyson, lives in my building. Everyone who lives in my apartment is American, but the apartment next door has people from America, Sweden, Holland, Germany, and Finland. They have really funny names like Femke and Bjorn.
- Everybody is nice so far except this one girl who is just... mean. So I avoid her 'cause she sucks.
Speaking of names, a lot of Thai people have American first names, then some really long last name that you can't pronounce. There's one Thai girl who's been hanging around with us with a really long, impossible-to-pronounce first name, so she told us to call her "Rabbit". I also met a girl named "Rainbow". And some twins named Jul (Jewel) and Jom (pronounced how it looks).
My friends also met the Prince of Bhutan a few nights ago. He goes to my university. Weird.
Anyway, things are getting better. I had orientation at school yesterday and we signed up for classes. I'm taking Thai Civilization, Art Appreciation (whatever that means!), Thai Language for Beginners, and Buddhist Philosophy. I have my first class, the one about art, later this afternoon. I'm really excited to see what classes are like... they're all 3.5 hours long!
I've also gotten to know a few people more, people that seem like someone I'd be friends with back home. So that's been nice.
I've only learned two phrases so far. "Sawadee Ka" is the traditional Thai greeting (women end sentences with Ka, men with Krup). It's pronounced exactly how it looks. Then to say 'thank you', it's "Kop khun Ka", pronounced cop-coon-ka. The Thai people really appreciate when you greet or thank them in their language, they respond with big smiles and then give you a "wai". "Wai" is what they call the slight bow of the head with your hands in front of your face like you're praying.
Last night, I went to a bar that's right around the corner from our apartment. There were two men playing guitars and singing for everyone... I was hoping I'd hear some Thai music, but don't worry, they decided to play Nirvana. So weird.
Oh, I also found out that they play the Thai National Anthem twice a day on loud speakers all over the country in public places, once at 8am and once at 6pm. When you hear it, you're supposed to stop whatever you're doing, stand very still, and when the song is over, you bow slightly and continue with whatever you were doing. It's considered VERY rude not to stop, and if you're foreign, they really appreciate it when you DO stop.
The money is really pretty. It's all colorful with pictures of the King when he was young. He was actually kind of good looking. They LOVE the King... he's the longest reigning king in monarchy history (or something cool like that), and I think he's over 80yrs old and has been king since around the age of 30. He isn't just a King that sits there and looks pretty like in the UK, but he actually get things done, spends time with the impoverished, and solves problems. It's against the law to say anything negative about him, and when you do, to prison you go.
Beth, to answer your questions:
- Haven't been to Bangkok yet, it's about 40 mins away. Others have gone a few times, but I'm spending the week getting settled before I 'travel'.
- The guy I traveled with, Tyson, lives in my building. Everyone who lives in my apartment is American, but the apartment next door has people from America, Sweden, Holland, Germany, and Finland. They have really funny names like Femke and Bjorn.
- Everybody is nice so far except this one girl who is just... mean. So I avoid her 'cause she sucks.
Speaking of names, a lot of Thai people have American first names, then some really long last name that you can't pronounce. There's one Thai girl who's been hanging around with us with a really long, impossible-to-pronounce first name, so she told us to call her "Rabbit". I also met a girl named "Rainbow". And some twins named Jul (Jewel) and Jom (pronounced how it looks).
My friends also met the Prince of Bhutan a few nights ago. He goes to my university. Weird.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Thailand!
Okay so I'm already homesick. It never really hit me that I would be SO far away until I actually got here. I'm sure that once I'm really settled in and start classes, it will get a lot easier. I mean, I guess it's just like going to college all over again, so I sort of expected feeling this way for a couple weeks.
Anyway. The food is great! I was very happy to discover that Pad Thai tastes the same in Thailand as it does in America. I'm such a picky eater that I thought eating here would be difficult, but it really isn't... lots of chicken dishes, rice, and noodle soups. So far nothing has made me feel nauseous either, let's hope it stays that way.
The apartment arrangement is very strange. There's about 10 of us in one building. When you walk in from the street, you walk into our small sitting room with a TV, which is joined to our tiny TINY kitchen (sink, fridge, microwave). There's one single bedroom on the bottom floor, which is mine! I fought hard to get my own bedroom because sharing a room with a stranger does not sound apealing to me. Anyway, then there's a very long staircase that goes up 4 stories, 2 bedrooms on each floor--they're all double rooms. Shoes aren't allowed inside, you take of your sandels before going inside. You can carry them in if you want, which is what I do because I don't wnat them to get stolen.
I'm in a province called Pathum Thani, pronounced Pah-toom Taw-nee (I think?). It's supposedly a very nice suburb, upper middle class, but that means something tooootally different in Thailand... it's dirty and smelly. The nice thing is that we are about a 5min. walk from the university, and even less of a walk from a long strip of convenient stores, internet cafes, and restaurants/food stands. Basically everything I need is VERY close!
Oh, and of course it's hotter than Hades here. You walk for 2 minutes and you're drenched in sweat. Not fun! But cold showers have proved to be amazing.
I guess that's it for now... we're getting Internet in our apartment within the week and I hope to be able to share some pictures soon.
Anyway. The food is great! I was very happy to discover that Pad Thai tastes the same in Thailand as it does in America. I'm such a picky eater that I thought eating here would be difficult, but it really isn't... lots of chicken dishes, rice, and noodle soups. So far nothing has made me feel nauseous either, let's hope it stays that way.
The apartment arrangement is very strange. There's about 10 of us in one building. When you walk in from the street, you walk into our small sitting room with a TV, which is joined to our tiny TINY kitchen (sink, fridge, microwave). There's one single bedroom on the bottom floor, which is mine! I fought hard to get my own bedroom because sharing a room with a stranger does not sound apealing to me. Anyway, then there's a very long staircase that goes up 4 stories, 2 bedrooms on each floor--they're all double rooms. Shoes aren't allowed inside, you take of your sandels before going inside. You can carry them in if you want, which is what I do because I don't wnat them to get stolen.
I'm in a province called Pathum Thani, pronounced Pah-toom Taw-nee (I think?). It's supposedly a very nice suburb, upper middle class, but that means something tooootally different in Thailand... it's dirty and smelly. The nice thing is that we are about a 5min. walk from the university, and even less of a walk from a long strip of convenient stores, internet cafes, and restaurants/food stands. Basically everything I need is VERY close!
Oh, and of course it's hotter than Hades here. You walk for 2 minutes and you're drenched in sweat. Not fun! But cold showers have proved to be amazing.
I guess that's it for now... we're getting Internet in our apartment within the week and I hope to be able to share some pictures soon.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Traveling.
So this is how my trip began:
Nashville to LA, 4.5 hour flight.
LA to San Fran, 1 hour flight.
Arrived to San Fran to find out that I completely missed my flight, but someone else on my study abroad program did, too. Very relieved!
So now we're travelling together (his name is Tyson, fyi).
San Fran to Hong Kong, 14 hour flight.
Now I'm sitting in the ultra-nice Hong Kong airport, waiting for my flight to depart to my final destination: Bangkok! And apparently the airport in Bangkok is brand new, built in 2006, and is the largest airport in the whole world. With our luck, I'm betting Tyson and I will get completely lost trying to find our way out...
ps. There's a food stand in the airport selling squids in a bag.
pps. My Google homepage is in Chinese and it's funny.
Nashville to LA, 4.5 hour flight.
LA to San Fran, 1 hour flight.
Arrived to San Fran to find out that I completely missed my flight, but someone else on my study abroad program did, too. Very relieved!
So now we're travelling together (his name is Tyson, fyi).
San Fran to Hong Kong, 14 hour flight.
Now I'm sitting in the ultra-nice Hong Kong airport, waiting for my flight to depart to my final destination: Bangkok! And apparently the airport in Bangkok is brand new, built in 2006, and is the largest airport in the whole world. With our luck, I'm betting Tyson and I will get completely lost trying to find our way out...
ps. There's a food stand in the airport selling squids in a bag.
pps. My Google homepage is in Chinese and it's funny.
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