HOME :)
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)