Weird things part 2

I'm approaching the end of my fourth full month living in Thailand and life seems pretty normal for me. I wake up and the day is already soaring into the 80s (high 20s in celsius), I coat myself in bug spray and get ready for my day which consists of very little English and a lot of rice. Recently I've felt that I don't have much to blog about, and then I realize that even my morning routine is something completely different than life in America. And so, the list continues: weird things I've gotten used to, part 2.

- As mentioned above, weather in Thailand is always hot. My travels up north to Chiang Mai have given me a glimpse of cooler weather, but daily life in Pattaya has consistently presented me with hot and humid weather since day one. It's common chatter among expats that people move here for the weather, I however am on the opposite end of that spectrum; I moved here despite the weather. I am a lover of all things Autumn: scarves, hats, jackets and tights. After deciding to come to Thailand the one concern that continuously crept into my head was if I would be able to handle such warm temperatures on a daily basis. I still don't know if I have an answer to that concern. Obviously I'm living through it, but the heat is still something that gets to me. I drink at least a gallon of water each day at school and am always the first to notice if the fans aren't on. Although my school doesn't have AC they are pretty well equipped to handle the heat. Each classroom has ceiling fans and rotating fans on the walls, and all classrooms have an entire wall of windows which are kept open throughout the day, so although it's hot, it's still breezy. I think I'm still sweating as much as I was in the beginning, but at least now I'm more accepting of it. It's no longer startling to be hit by a wall of heat when stepping outside and it's common practice to shower 2x a day. At this point I think that my body isn't used to the heat, but my mind is. I guess I'll take what I can get.

- I would bet good money on the fact that I've gotten more mosquito bites in these last four months than I have in the rest of my life combined. I've established a decent schedule of bug spray application 2-3x a day but I still get bitten. The kids at school remind me of little kids with chicken pox; they show very little self-restraint when it comes to itching, and they've got the scars to prove it. And now, so do I. For some reason the mosquitos love my feet and ankles and I find myself scratching at them without any forethought. Needless to say, bug spray has become part of my daily routine and I never leave home without a small bottle in my purse.

- One thing that I think I've previously mentioned is that Thais mainly function on cash, not cards. In the states I use my credit card for any purchase I can and I rarely carry more than $50 on me. Because things in Thailand are cheap I don't usually have much cash on me unless I'm traveling, but that's something I had to get used to quickly. Whenever leaving town I have to make sure I have enough cash on me to cover buses, hotels and food during my time away. However, the currency here is pretty crazy and I get a small thrill from withdrawing money on pay day, pretending that 1000 baht is a lot of money (it's about 28 USD). I find it interesting that their highest bill is only 1000 baht; buying a motorcycle would only be about $2,000 USD, but that turns into 71,000 baht! That's a whole lot of cash.

- Anyone who has spent a lot of time with me has definitely seen my cry and sweat over spicy food, because for some reason I just can't say no the torturous yet delicious taste. If there's one thing I can say I'm proud of from my time in Thailand, it's my new ability to eat spicy food. No joke. Each day at school the teachers used to poke fun at Emiliya and I as we got warmer and redder while trying to eat lunch, and many times we were straight up denied food because it would be too spicy for us. Well, those days are over my friends! After painfully eating my way through endless Thai dishes I am finally adjusting to spicy foods, and even willingly add chili sauce when I'm served bland foods. It's a weird accomplishment, but I'm excited about it nonetheless.

Our pad thai lady! 

- While on the subject of food, I'm realizing that most Thai people I've talked with really only enjoy Thai food. In the US basically anyone you meet will tell you they love italian, mexican, chinese and various other foods. I can't think of a single person I know that strictly eats burgers and fries (my idea of American food). However, Thailand seems to be the opposite of that. It appears that Thais really only cook and eat Thai food and don't care to expand their food options. Even those who have traveled or lived outside of Asia have said that they haven't loved any of the food that they've tasted while abroad. Whenever we're traveling with our friend Pupae we make sure to find a restaurant that offers both western and Thai food so she can get her rice and we can have some fresh veggies and carbs that aren't rice.

A normal dinner: pad thai and fruit

- One thing that I quickly got used to is not having a kitchen. All of our food comes from the local market, already warm and ready to eat. At times it can be convenient, but sometimes I wake up hungry and tired, just wanting to have a quick bowl of cereal or some toast, but instead I have to get dressed and head to the market. At this point I'm definitely used to it, but I'm pretty excited to come home to a fridge and kitchen.

- I'm a really big fan of planning and organizing; before a trip I have everything researched, tickets purchased and hotel rooms booked. Asia knocked that lifestyle right out of me, reluctantly at first, but now I kind of enjoy it. Never have I found it so easy to book things last minute, or not even book things at all! As long as it's not a holiday or special occasion it's completely possible to show up at your hotel/hostel of choice without any notice and get a room. This past weekend I went to Bangkok with practically no plans. I showed up at the bus station and was able to buy a ticket for a bus leaving in 15 minutes. Once in Bangkok I walked towards a hostel in mind and was able to get a room there without any problem.
Once summer starts (mid to late March) I'll be taking about 8 weeks to travel Thailand and surrounding countries. Although I have a general idea of where I want to go I'm not too concerned with booking things or figuring out a set plan. In Asia it's a lot easier to go with the flow and plan your travels on a day to day basis.

- I figured that the Thais might have some problems pronouncing "Michelle" and I was curious how my name would sound in their language. It turns out I didn't need to think about that because everywhere I go I'm known as "teacher." There are a handful of students that have learned my name throughout the last few months, but beyond a small group everyone else simply calls me teacher, including the Thai teachers. That also includes random people in town and the people working at the markets. Wherever I go I am followed by shouts of "Teacher! Hello!"

- As a neat freak I struggled at first with living in Thailand, because no matter where you are in this country there is dirt everywhere. Our apartment bathroom has a small window that doesn't close and as a result our bathroom counter is coated in a thin layer of dirt and dust on a daily basis. Each Monday morning at school I take a wet rag to my desk, because it always collects a layer of dirt while I'm away for the weekend. I have gotten used to scrubbing surfaces far more often than I ever have in the past. On top of that, Thais don't really seem to be a huge fan of soap. The kids at school wash their hands at a large sink that's outside, but there is no soap to be found. In our teacher's lounge we have a small container near the sink but it's been there since day one, so I'm pretty sure I'm one of the few that use it. There is also no heating system in Thailand. No heat in houses and no hot water coming through the pipes, so everyone is washing their hands with cold water and no soap. I just keep reminding myself that hopefully Thailand is making my immune system nice and strong! 

A motorbike with a 'car seat' attached to the front!
(Also note the monk in the background)
Photo props to Yavette 

- As I mentioned in the previous post, Thais love their motorcycles and can squeeze an absurd amount of people on one bike. I have adjusted to seeing children driving these bikes alone and seeing newborn babies strapped into their "car seat." Life in Asia is faster if you have a bike. They weave in and out of traffic and are always ahead of the cars.

A herd of motorbikes at the front
of stopped traffic 

Construction workers at our apartment wearing
crocs and protective hats from the sun 

- There are many construction workers out on the streets in my town and they usually wear similar reflective vest like workers in America, however one thing that is startlingly different is their shoe choice. Almost every construction worker I've seen wears sandals or a knock off version of crocs. It doesn't matter if they're driving machines, digging, jackhammering or mixing cement; they're almost all in sandals. I can't figure out if this is just a comfort thing or if they can't afford the proper footwear. Outdoor workers are often wearing protective clothing to prevent themselves from getting tanner. Tan skin basically implies that you spend your day outside, which would make people presume you're working class. As a result, Thais don't like tan skin and find it to be ugly. Most workers wear hats that have fabric that comes around the back of their necks as well. They also often wear long sleeved shirts and pants. The parking lot of our apartment building is currently being cemented and we have a collection of workers outside each day (including weekends).

- Asian cultures usually stick to a heirarchy, which is something I've gotten used to but something I'm not very fond of. In our school there's an order of superiority: the director is the highest role, followed by his office staff, Thai teachers, student teachers, English teachers and ending with students at the bottom. Each person knows their role and essentially bows down to those above them and acts superior to those below them. The traditional Thai greeting of a "wai" is usually initiated by the lower social status person, so it's always my job to wai the director and his staff first, they would never initiate it. Students are expected to wai all of the teachers but because they are so low below us we aren't supposed to wai them in return. 

Our director comes first for anything, which was weird to observe at first. When we first arrived he never introduced himself to us and for the first few weeks we just saw this man being treated like royalty, and we had no idea who he was. I think because he's so high above us, we were expected to introduce ourselves to him out of respect, but with 60+ staff we basically stuck to the ones who made an effort to speak to us, and the director wasn't one of those. 

He gets the highest treatment and always gets served by others during lunch. We recently had a student teacher who finished her stint at the school, so we had a big lunch for her on the last day. I thought the head of the table would be reserved for her, but that's where the director sat instead. When it came to meal time he was served first, followed by the student teacher. The weirdest part for me is that the student teacher did all of the dishes. Because she's so low on the totem pole (below the director and other teachers) she's usually doing a weird amount of favors and chores for the other teachers, and her last day lunch was no exception to that. She cleaned up the bulk of the meal on her own, while others sat around munching on the leftovers. 

At this point I'm used to this treatment. I realize that my social status is very low at school but it's disheartening to think that no matter how hard I try I will barely be given any more respect. I'm learning that in general, Thais stick to their social classes. Men are almost always more powerful and people always obey and respect their father, no matter the circumstances. I'm more of a fan of respecting people for who they are and how they treat others, but it's been interesting to observe this lifestyle as well.  

- Thai kids love high fives. Any time I'm walking through the halls of school I have kids running up to me asking for one. On a daily basis I probably get over 100 high fives. 

- There are many days where I'll be sitting at my desk in the teacher lounge and a random person will come in with a briefcase full of items they're selling. I've seen everything from eye glasses to massagers. Who knew I would be able to shop from my desk?!          

                                                                                                                     

- Because I'm teaching younger kids (kindergarten through third grade) I've gotten extremely used to pretending to understand Thai. Many of the kids can't grasp the concept that I don't speak the same language of them, so they've taken to rambling in Thai at me, explaining who knows what. I originally tried using Thai phrases such as "I don't understand" or "I don't speak Thai" but that just left them even more confused. So now I just nod and smile and hope I'm not approving something I shouldn't be. (There was one time I allowed my entire class to leave early without meaning to) 

Our hallways at school. Part tile and part cement

- The kids at school are usually without shoes, and I can't quite figure out why. Instead they spend the majority of their day in just socks, which includes going to the bathroom and walking across the gravel parking lot. It seems that the more conscious kids put their shoes on when walking outside the tile halls of the school (to prevent holes), but there are still plenty that only wear socks all day, even when walking through puddles. The kids always have their shoes off in the classroom, so I figure it has something to do with cleanliness, but the teachers usually wear shoes, so it seems to defeat the purpose. I've noticed that the majority of my kindergarten teachers switch to slippers in their room, so I've taken to being barefoot in those classes because their floors are usually very clean and I don't want to go in with shoes. 

A songtaew in Pattaya 

- I've gotten used to public transportation and all of it's flaws. Although Thailand has a decent system set up of buses and songtaews, you are at the mercy of their schedule and wishes. Around town Emiliya and I hop on a Songtaew to go wherever we need, such as downtown Pattaya or the mall. We just walk to the main road (a minute away from our apartment) and wait for a songtaew to drive past, sometimes one will already be waiting, other times you have to stand there for 20 minutes until one shows up. When leaving the mall there's usually a herd of songtaews parked out front, but in order to get their money's worth they won't leave until they're full, often resulting in a 10-30 minute wait in the mall parking lot. It drove me crazy in the beginning but Thailand has taught me how to wait and be patient. I've been on numerous buses that will randomly pull off the highway so the driver can take a cigarette break or use the restroom, and it's always the foreigners who complain about these unnecessary stops. The Thais take it in stride and have the patience to wait it out. 

A fancier songtaew in Chiang Mai, it has real walls and everything! 

I've also noticed that many Thais are often content just sitting with nothing but their thoughts. If I'm alone on long bus rides, songtaew trips into the city or waiting in line I almost always have my kindle or phone out, doing something to keep myself entertained during the journey or wait. But Thais almost always just sit. They are known as a culture that doesn't read, so I don't expect them to pull out a book (I often get weird looks when reading in public spaces) and many of them don't have smart phones, so they are content with their thoughts. Growing up in the States during a digital age I have gotten so used to smart phones. Wherever you go people are checking facebook or listening to music and it's refreshing to see that that culture hasn't hit Thailand. 

One of my most energetic classes! They've taught me a lot of Thai
 and are really great at handling the language barrier between us 

Each day in Thailand is something new. I learn some new Thai vocab, try a new food or discover another city or attraction of this huge country. Thailand is much more than just Bangkok and beaches and I'm grateful for the time I have here because it's allowing me to see a side of this country I wouldn't have discovered otherwise. Being at school each day has given me a huge insight into Thai culture and even though I spend my days speaking broken English sentences I've still learned so much from my students.