Did That Really Just Happen?

So for the past few weeks I have turned my head to things that I feel that are only acceptable in private that seem to be the norm here and written them off to simple cultural differences, but something happened tonight in a cab that finally crossed the line so I must share.

First off, here are a few things that are common, everyday sights both on the streets and in schools:

1 - Nose Picking. I inquired about whether or not I could teach my kids not to pick their nose in class and I was informed that that's actually standard practice here. I then started noticing people doing it all the time without even trying to hide it. Walking down the street, on the river taxi, at a restaurant, even while teaching a class. But fine, I was willing to let that go.

2. Ear Wax Picking. Ever seen an Asian man with short fingernails except for an exceptionally long pinkie nail? I for one figured it was for some sort of drug use. A fellow nosy volunteer who is less shy than me asked a male teacher at her school what it was for, and he was perfectly blunt with her. He said some people probably use it for drug use but that he and the people he knows use it to get the wax out of their ears. A few days ago a security guard outside the mall was sitting on a motorcycle not 5 feet in front of us when he just went at his ear for a good 15-20 seconds. Horrifying but whatever, I'll look the other way.

3. Ball Scratching/Adjusting. Young and old, guys here do this anywhere and often. From the little 5 year olds in my day care to older shop owners and everyone in between, I witness this several times a day. Being a girl I guess I will never understand the need/purpose of this activity, so I can pretend not to see and let that go too.

4. Hacking/Coughing. If you want or need to do this in public, I understand that sometimes there are emergencies, but at least cover your mouth or get a tissue or something. PLEASE do not just cough up some random phlegm or object and then spit it out like it's something as benign as a watermelon seed. Again, I think you're gross, but I will try not to let my disgust show on my face as I walk by you on the street.

For those of you who know me well, you must know that witnessing all of these things and not reacting has been eating at me. I've been pretty proud of myself as well, but I can't pretend it's all okay anymore.

Today I was stuck in a taxi during a traffic jam for more than half an hour with a driver who was continually belching so loud that most of them ended with a gag. NOT OKAY! Thankfully Hannah was with me so that I didn't have to experience this atrocity alone, and also so that I have a witness. The first time it happen our driver had just pulled into a gas station to fill up, which I thought was a rude way to begin the ride, especially since we were already running late for a movie. I was going to ask Hannah if our driver just burped in front of us but on the off chance that he spoke English I didn't want to offend him in case one slipped out.

My internal question was answered not two minutes later when the burping/gagging sound happened again. I'm not just talking about your average burp here. Have you ever been so hungover that you need to make yourself throw up just to feel better, and a gross part burp/part gag/part dry heave happens when you're unsuccessful? Of course not, me neither. Anyway...it's gross. I don't want to hear myself make that sound and I certainly don't want to overhear a stranger directly in front of me do it either. And I kid you not, this went on REPEATEDLY for the better part of half an hour.

At first I tried not to giggle and I got out a funny English for kids book that I have to try and distract myself. Then the situation got so absurd that I didn't mind laughing every once in a while. By the end of the ride though I was getting really pissed because I thought it was so rude. He MUST know that that is not appropriate. It was so outrageous that then I wondered if maybe he was doing it on purpose because he was annoyed with us for some reason, so then I would try not to get so mad every time cause I didn't want to give him the reaction he was fishing for. Finally the traffic mercilessly parted and we made it to the movie theater just in the nick of time, barreling out of the cab laughing hysterically and wondering WTF just happened? Honestly, the only thing that could have made that situation worse was had he actually thrown up on himself while driving us.

Sorry to vent but I needed to get that out and hey, who doesn't love a hilarious gag story every now and then?

A Fabulous Night in Thailand

I haven't talked yet much about the actual work that I am doing here in Bangkok because I wanted to wait and get more familiar with my responsibilities and the children before I jumped to any (published) conclusions. Now half of my program has flown by so I promise this week I will write all about my work at the daycare center. For now that I just want to talk about how much I love my kids and how freaking adorable they are.

This past week I have been watching 12 kids from my class practice a dance routine. I thought it was for some sort of recital or performance of some kind, but since none of the teachers or administrators at my school speak good enough English to tell me any details, I haven't known exactly what was going on. I was invited attend and was not told much else until the day of the event, which was last night. I brought my housemate Hannah with me and it turns out we were in for a very important night.

I knew as soon as we pulled up and saw a ton of police officers and security that this was not your average day care center party. As it turns out, this was a huge event for the Democratic Party here in Bangkok. Unfortunately no one there spoke good enough English to tell us what was going on, but from what I gathered there was a formal sit down dinner, the Prime Minister of Thailand was the guest of honor (hence the security detail), several school groups gave singing and dance numbers, and there was also an auction of some sort.

First off, we felt pretty important to be invited to an event that the Prime Minister would be at. We saw him come in and everyone stood up as he walked to his table. He walked by us and I did make eye contact with him and I waied and said "Sawadee ka," which he also said back to me. While that was exciting, the best part of the night was being there with some of my kids and the other teachers from the school. There were actually two dance groups from my school, the first one which I hadn't known about was more of a traditional Thai dance and only two girls from my class were in it, the others were from other classes.

Then there was the big number which I've watched being practiced all week. It went along to what I'm guessing is a popular children's song here in Thailand as the kids at my school sing it almost every day in our morning assembly. There were ten girls dressed as fairies/butterflies, and two boys who were dressed as flowers, and they all had makeup and glitter on. Afterwards as a thank you they all sang the Barney song, which I hate much less now that it's not actually associated with the show and these tiny kids who I love so much all sing it so cutely. I cannot even describe how adorable the performance was and these pictures don't really do it justice but it's a start.

The kids are all so sweet and loving, I wish I could take them home with me. They all call me Teacher Amanda and I got lots of hugs and kisses. They were also so sweet with Hannah and excited to have us there, it was so cute. They kept coming over and bringing us roses and shiny paper chain necklaces that they had been given after their performance.

As hard as it can be sometimes to not always be able to effectively communicate with the teachers/staff at the school and the kids, a night like this when there is so much love and appreciation going around is so rewarding. While we are here to teach English, we are also here to help foster the children's self-esteem and give them love and attention which can often be lacking when they are in a classroom with 50 other kids during the day, and who knows what their home life is like. I left feeling so happy and any of the frustrating times I've had at the school these past few weeks have definitely been pushed to the back of my mind.

To top the night off, I can now say I have Thai friends and I had my first girls night out and sleepover! Over the past couple of weeks we have become friendly with Wassana, one of the female teachers at an elementary school that one of the other volunteers who has since left the program was placed at. Last night after the party Hannah and I met up with her and some of her friends who she is in school with getting another Master's Degree in either English or teaching with and they took us out for a night on the town. They were so much fun and at the end of the night we all went back to one of their houses for a sleepover. All in all, definitely one of my favorite nights of my whole time here.

Being the Minority

Nothing like a trip to the Big C (Thailand's equivalent of a Wal Mart Superstore I guess) to let you know you're really out of place. While it occurred to me last week that in the course of my daily life here in Thailand - unless I go into a touristy part of the city for a field trip or out to dinner - I don't ever see any other white people besides my housemate, I never really noticed it until today. I mean, it makes sense since both the neighborhood we live in and the day care I work at are out of the city center and deep in communities, but it's still a strange sensation to feel all eyes on you and not be imagining it.

Hannah and I were grocery shopping with our program director and other staff at the Big C when we noticed that EVERYONE was staring. And the children couldn't even be subtle about it. We would walk by and their eyes would open wide and their heads would turn and follow us until we were out of sight. We found it pretty comical and had a good laugh about it. We just smile and say sawadee ka to everyone (hello). People in Thailand though are incredibly friendly and everyone is very welcoming (sometimes overly so) so it's not an issue. And it's not like in Kenya where people would come up to me in markets and touch me or pet my hair. People are intrigued by blondes here but only one person has actually tried to touch my hair and that was at a club. Ah well, just an amusing anecdote I thought I'd share.

Spirituality and Sparkle - The Ultimate Combination

Last week Jen and I went on an amazing tour of the Grand Palace, Wat Po, and the Emerald Buddha. We had the greatest tour guide and learned so much. Starting off with the Grand Palace, WOW! The grounds were stunning. I had no idea that the royal family of Thailand is the wealthiest royal family in the world. It was not hard to believe once I saw this place, which hasn't even actually housed the royal family for over 60 years, yet there is more gold, jade, artwork and temples on the grounds than I've ever seen in one place.

The murals on the walls were so intricate and beautiful, I can't even imagine how long it must have taken to paint. And they extend across several meters worth of buildings, it's truly impressive.

More amazing than the Grand Palace though was Wat Po, home of the famed Reclining Buddha. While there are hundreds of smaller Reclining Buddhas in Wats across the country, this one is 151 feet long and 48 feet high and covered in gold leaf.

It was nearly impossible to get a shot of it in one frame but I did the best I could.

The soles of the Buddha's feet are made from mother of pearl. The entire Wat is decorated beautifully, with mural on the walls and drawings intricately carved into door and window panels.

Unfortunately you are not allowed to photograph the Emerald Buddha (which is actually jade), or even inside the Wat Phra Kaeo that it is kept in. The picture I took through the front door is so distorted it's not even worth posting here. It's no matter though, the outside of the Wat is what I loved the best, everything is gold and VERY sparkly!

Here are some other shots that I love just from the grounds and terraces around the Wats.

Wish you were here!

Fabulous Field Trip #1 - Riverboat Tour Through Klong Mahasawat

I definitely intended to write more often than I have been but my first two weeks in Bangkok have been so busy I haven't been updating the blog, pictures on Facebook, or even journaling as much as I've wanted to. But one of my main goals in to live in the moment while I'm here so I never want to pass up an opportunity to do something just so I can have more time to do my own thing. So much has happened these past two weeks that I haven't written about, but I think I'll start with my favorite field trip thus far.
The organization I am here with is called Cross Cultural Solutions, and they have 2 amazing in-country staff here who take care of all of our needs. From planning our field trips to making sure we get to work safely and on time, and to helping us plan our own private excursions/travel plans, they really are an incredible support system here. The past two weeks have been full of amazing cultural field trips throughout the city. Here's a shot of one of the directors, Jack, who is all business even on our boat ride.

The second field trip we went on was another boat ride, this time through the Klong Mahasawat.

On this trip we visited a gorgeous lotus field. I can't even imagine how incredible it must be when they all are blooming, but it was pretty powerful nonetheless when we were there. We were taken in a little paddle boat all through the field. There was green everywhere and I wish I could have stayed alone in that boat for a while. Everything was so quiet and serene.

Our guide did find a few that had already bloomed and peeled them and presented them to each of us beautifully.

One of my favorite stops on this trip was to visit a women's group where they make this delicious rice cake type snacks. We got to see where they make the ones that get packaged and sold to stores across the country, but best of all we were taught how to make our own. There's two kinds, one that has pork on it or in it, something like that. Obviously, I went for the vegetarian option which according to Vicki who tried both, the vegetarian ones were better.

Basically, you take these dry flattened rice crackers that have already been made and you put them in oil. After 20 seconds you turn it once in the oil, and after another 20 you take it out. Then you rub on a delicious chili paste (I discovered the more you put on the better) and sprinkle sesame seeds over it. Voila! You have the best rice cake ever, and we got to eat them warm! They sell them packaged in stores and I am determined to find them when I return to the states.



We also visited a breathtaking orchid farm. I did not know that most orchids are grown in Thailand. This particular farm had two wings, one that grows and exports around the world, and one that grows specifically for local use. I saw some incredible varieties and was very grateful for the macro setting on my camera to capture some of the beauty.



Equally as beautiful was our tour through a fruit orchard and rice patty. We had the craziest wagon ride ever, unfortunately that was not able to be captured on film but I do have a great shot of the rice patty that makes me incredible excited to spend a few weeks in Bali when I leave Thailand.

Bangkok is pretty incredible. Similar to LA, it is very crowded and congested, but there are so many gorgeous areas that you never would have thought existed if you just went to the city. Now, Bangkok is much worse than LA. The traffic and pollution are a million times worse, the streets reek of sewage and food carts, and the bathroom/toilet situation is atrocious. But somehow, in places that you never would have known about had someone not taken you, there are some of the most naturally beautiful and peaceful places imaginable. I feel so fortunate to be here and to have the opportunity to experience an entirely different world and culture than I have ever known. I'm actually kind of sad that my program is 1/3 of the way over already. At least almost wherever I go here there's always a stunning Wat to remind me of the bigger picture, no matter where I am. And on this trip I was lucky enough to see one right on the river bank.

For more stunning images from this excursion, check out Facebook or email me your address and I can send over the link to my Kodak Gallery album.

Ko Samui Part II: Penis Rocks, Lady Boys, and Parenting 101

Besides being attacked by bugs, which I knew what would happen here at some point, our time in Ko Samui was fabulous. That's not to say we didn't see our share of WTF moments.

One of the sights on our tour of the island was to see something called the Grandfather and Grandmother rocks. When we got there, we were told the tide was too high to see the Grandmother rock. The Grandfather rock though was on full display.

The worst thing I saw this weekend was at the lady boy cabaret show. It became very apparent to me that people in other parts of the world really treat/raise their kids recently than we do back home. Jen and I arrived around 20-30 minutes prior to showtime to make sure we got decent seats. We got seated in the third row, and already occupying the first row across the aisle from us was a FAMILY, and the parents had the two little girls - who couldn't be more than 3 or 4 mind you - sitting in the front, and they were behind them (not even next to them). I was shocked, never once did I see the parents talking to their kids about what they were seeing. I won't go further into it, but I will say that in the States you could probably have your kids taken away for taking them to watch something like this. Not to mention it was 11pm and these girls were drinking Coke and eating chips, all while having their eyes glued to the performers. We were not the only ones shocked by this. We noticed multiple other people taking pictures of this bizarre scene as well.



In another bizarre act of crazy parenting, at the airport back in Bangkok I literally helped carry a toddler off the transit bus from the plane to the gate to keep from getting trampled since the dad couldn't be bothered to help the mom (who by the way was pregnant and carrying a baby) get the children off the bus. The fact that I was the only one on this bus who helped the little boy out and grabbed him when I noticed his parents take off is also scary. Everyone else just stepped over and around him trying to get off the bus themselves.

So yes, people are crazy. Luckily people of Thailand, I am the responsible one here and children left in my care are guaranteed to be taken care of. Cheers!

Ko Samui Part I: The Basics

This weekend my friend Jen and I from my program jetted down to the southern island of Ko Samui for some fun in the sun.

We got in late Friday night, and after waiting for an exceptionally long time for our tiny bags that we were forced to check because of sun screeen sizes, we made our way to our hotel.

The hotel was gorgeous! After a week of sleeping in bunk beds with tiny pillows and without proper sheets, we were ready for some indulgence. And since the price of a 5 star hotel on the beach here is the same price as the simplest hotel you would find back in the States, we went for it.



We had been wandering the streets looking for somewhere to go after dinner for drinks and commenting on how surprised we were that it was so quiet. We had heard it was such a party town and we were about to give up when we passed a street and looked left and saw a street packed with people. There's a triangle of bars and clubs that are overflowing with people, the music at each place louder than the one before. We stopped in a smaller bar for a couple of cocktails where the crowd was interesting to say the least. Once I noticed the shot list and found that even I was grossed out by it we moved on.

We made our way to the corner club that was really two clubs in one, one side was hip hop and one was Euro/techno music, where we danced until 4am and then called it a night.

The next day we slept late and headed out to the beach. We took a long walk up the main strip of beach and back to our hotel beach. We laid out for hours in the sun, enjoyed some fruity cocktails, and had amazing massages right on the beach.

For dinner we had an amazing meal at a restaurant on the beach, where each table was a cabana with beds for seats.

After dinner we wanted another Thailand-specific experience, so we headed to a Cabaret-themed "lady boy" show. Thailand is known for their advances in the sex change industry, thus there is a variety of shows featuring what they refer to here as "lady boys." We headed to the cabaret where the show girls belted out tunes from Broadway shows like Fame and Chicago, as well as numbers from singers like Diana Ross, Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera.

Some of the performers were gorgeous with enviable bodies, some had confusing bodies that I liken to Barbie dolls, and some were downright questionable with Muppet-like features and awful teeth.

After the show we decided to be good girls and head back to the hotel to go to sleep since we planned a tour of the island for Sunday morning. We saw the best of the best of Ko Samui including a waterfall, a cute elephant, an 18 armed Buddha, and a stunning Wat on the water.

After our tour, we had 2 hours til we had to leave for our flight, so we got $5 pedicures on the beach, followed by a happy hour cocktail and late lunch. Once we got to the airport, we were just as impressed as we were with the sights on the island (since it was dark when we arrived we had no idea what the airport was really like).

The Ko Samui airport is supposed to be the most beautiful airport in Thailand, but it might be the most beautiful one in the world. Everything is outdoors, including the domestic departure gates. There's shopping on "Park Avenue," restaurants, coffee shops, gardens and waterways. You are transported to your colorful airplane by open air trolleys. All airports should be like this.