Goodbye Southeast Asia, Hello South Asia

It's been 14 and a half months since I left Southeast Asia. In my final days in Thailand, I've been trying to figure out how to say goodbye to a place that has changed my life.

Steaming hot Hoi Tod (fried mussels with egg)

Ingesting as many meals as my stomach will fit, I'm trying to savor every last bite of Thai food. I'm especially flaunting my broken Thai, because, who knows when I'll be able to communicate in a language other than English again. I'm smiling at every stranger and giggling at all the cultural quirks I've grown fond of. I am remembering the 10 Things I'll Miss About Living in Thailand that I wrote when I left for traveling two months ago. My departure is rapidly approaching and it's hard to believe I am really leaving this place.

Phi-Phi: Is it Pee-Pee or Paradise?

Living and traveling in Southeast for over a year, the name Koh Phi Phi (or Phi Phi Island) came up enough times to make me realize I had to see what the hype was all about.

Phi Phi (pronounced Pee-Pee) was made famous by the backpacker book and movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio "The Beach".  Since then, hoards of tourists flock to get a piece of what once was the undiscovered paradise as described in the story, making it not-so undiscovered anymore.

Typical Phi Phi backpacker tales involve drunken escapades amongst an idyllic setting. While some claim Phi Phi has been ruined by the crowds, most travelers would agree that despite the hot commodity the island has become, it would be a crime to skip over such a paradise.

Sisters do the South

I could not have asked for a better way to kick-off my extended travel than with my sisters and best friends.

Having not seen my sister, Morgan, in over a year, 10 days in Thailand with her and her long-time best friend, Kendall, (who has always been a sister to me) was a trip of a lifetime for all of us.

Morgan, myself and Kendall on Karon Beach, Phuket

After a couple days playing tour-guide around Bangkok's temples and markets, we headed the furthest south I'd been in Thailand -  the country's most talked about beach destination: Phuket.

As is the nature of travel, not everything can go smoothly. But, it's such sticky situations which require the ability to have some faith and laugh a little - and that we did.

10 Things I'll Miss About Living in Thailand

In many ways, this challenging semester illuminated for me that I could never permanently settle here and it was time to wrap up life in Thailand. Despite the occasional aggravations in my final months, words fail to articulate how difficult it is to say goodbye to a place that changed my life. At the end of my days living in Thailand, I reflected on what I'll miss most & certainly reminisce about for years to come.

1. An Ode to Thai Food 

If you missed my pathetic attempt at poetry, check out my last post dedicated to my love affair with Thai cuisine. Besides my number one true love, the rest are in no meaningful order...

An Ode to Thai Food

This is Thailand: walk down the street

and you'll get whiff of that distinct chili heat

At any place, any hour on any day,

the woks will surely be clinking away

When the pangs of hunger do appear,

without a kitchen at home, most would fear

But walk a few feet north, south, west or east

and you'll find yourself a memorable feast

Ba Mee Moo Daeng - Egg noodle soup with
barbeque pork topped with peanuts

Thai people eating everywhere,

An empty street stall would be rare!

At only thirty baht for a delicious meal,

Your taste buds will be dancing at a steal

Anecdotes from Exam Week

With two weeks left of school, I'm desperately trying to complete the semester grades of my 700+ students. While I've certainly had better weeks involving less chaotic and redundent busy work, a couple of anecdotes from testing week have made me giggle.

"The Plight" in Action

I wrote about the conundrum of government schools in Thailand both in a detailed blog post and the article The Plight of Government Schools in Thailand for a website called AsiaPundits, but I thought I might provide some first hand examples of the backward system straight from testing week.

After a semester of receiving zero instruction or materials for teaching yet again, I am expected to test my students. Fair enough. The test doesn't serve to actually evaluate their knowledge, but more as a formality to provide the necessary evidence for the (laughable) Ministry of Education, which in turn will keep the funds coming so long as everyone looks busy.

So, I devise the easiest possible test because, as I wrote about in "The Plight...", all students must pass. Whereas last semester I was instructed to senselessly handwrite "pass" next to 1200 students' names, this semester I was given six poorly translated objectives that students must receive a grade for.

After running up and down the stairs between the grade five and six offices trying to sort out unclear and contradictory instructions, finally someone told it how it was.

Thailand is a culture that is all about saving face. This usually involves stepping on eggshells so as not to bring attention to problems or corruption. 

Oraya, the head of English for grade five, probably speaks the best English in the school. She knows of my familiarity with Thailand after a year of working here, and she is also smart enough to realize that things are done differently here than in other places. Despite our lengthy English conversation, she finally spoke words that I recognized as my language when she stated what is implicit in Thai culture:

"This is Thailand. Make it up!"

Thai Language Defeated Me

A few months ago, I was regularly making small talk with any local willing to spare a few minutes to let me practice my Thai. While running errands around town, I'd point at objects I didn't know the Thai for and ask strangers to kindly tell me the vocabulary. As I taught English in the classroom, I often requested my students to exchange their language with me, providing the children with a source of comedy at my butchered attempt to mock their pronunciation. When out with English-speaking Thai friends, I would pester them to teach me phrases as they came to mind whilst speaking some silly version of Tinglish over our noodle soup dinner. Come weekend, you'd find me at the local bar in my prime, confidently making new friends using only Thai, thanks to the flowing alcohol having removed any inhibitions of self-doubt.

Sometime between then and now, this all faded away. I can make a million excuses about getting absorbed into my busy routine, being surrounded by farang, barely finding time for myself between multiple jobs and feeling comfortable enough with the Thai I already knew - but what it really came down was this: I was not willing to make the necessary sacrifice.

Universal Healthcare: Is the Chaos Worth the Cause?

Fact: According the the World Bank, 99.5% of Thailand's population is covered under their medical system.
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Due to my apparently weakened immune system, I've fallen victim of trivial illnesses far too often in the past few months. Multiple times I found myself at the dreaded Sappasit Prasong Hospital in search of an English-speaking doctor to cure my ailments.

My very first week in Ubon, plagued by a recurring sore throat, I braved the government hospital in all its language barriers on my own. Back then, this was an intimidating task considering the challenge of navigating the numerous steps and employees without a lick of English language. Having sinceforth been back with the aid of a Thai teacher, Bhinya, I definitely waited a couple hours too long on my own. Four months in Ubon and one too many visits later, I could comfortably navigate that place now being deaf and blind.

The Art of Living Slow

Many people have asked me my preference of the two locations I've lived in Thailand.

While I miss the seaside comforts and accessibility of my first home in Sriracha (an easy 1.5 hour commute from Bangkok), I've grown fond of my current residence in Ubon Ratchathani, nestled deep in the traditional region of Isaan.

Last term, my Thai co-workers shrieked in awe of my decision to move up to Isaan. "But, Bangkok is so far! There is no sea! And the food is NOT as delicious!"

It's true that Bangkok is no longer an easy weekend trip; the 10-12 hour bus ride has kept me from making more than one trip this term. And there may not be a sea nearby, but who knew the monotony of rice paddies could be so breathtaking? Just outside of Ubon city, the fresh air and well-irrigated lush green fields (thanks to monsoon season) nourish your soul in ways you didn't even know could feel so good. I'm convinced that everyone needs some natural green in their life.

แห่เทียน (Hae Thian) - Candle Festival

Asanha Bucha Day is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the beginning of Khao Pansaa, or Buddhist Lent. Also known as the "Rain Retreat," this is a three-month period where monks are meant to stay inside monastery grounds for a period of study and meditation.

The most famous national celebration, the "Candle Festival," takes place right in my town, Ubon Ratchathani. Weeks in advance, workers prepare downtown Ubon for the event by building structures and cleaning the park. Massive wax sculptures are intricately carved and displayed at the local museum in anticipation of the festival.

I Think I'm Turning Thai

A couple of weeks ago, it was brought to my attention that I may be turning Thai.

It was another hundred degree (38+ Celsius for those that don't speak American) Sunday afternoon in Northeast Thailand. Unlike Arizona's dry heat I grew up in, this is a nauseating type of humidity that makes sitting in an un-airconditioned room unbearable. So, I head to the local grocery store to catch an hour of air-con and pick up a few bits.

I wait on the street to catch songtaew number three to the grocery store. I wear long jeans and a conservative polyester short-sleeved shirt, an outfit I'd once deemed unfit for such brutal heat. With no nearby awning for shade, I pull out my umbrella for a momentary relief of the beating sun. The pink songtaew approaches, I wave it down using the Thai hand motion that symbolizes "come here" - a hand formation that closely resembles "go away" in my culture.

[My Take on] Being Gay in Thailand

By day, the Thung Si Mueng Park of Ubon may appear as any old standard park in Thailand, but by night, it transforms into a magical place. For high school students, it is the paradigm of the social hang out; for the health-conscious it is the public fitness center; for families it is the backyard they don't have; for vendors it is their shop; for skateboarders and bikers it is where they hone their skills; it is home to aerobics and ballroom dance classes; for singers and dancers it is their rehearsal room; and it provides the evening entertainment for those with nothing better to do, like us foreign teachers after a long day of work. Night after night, the people-watching and eclectic slew of activities never ceases to amaze.

Nearly every evening, a group of 9 homosexual males who coin themselves "The Beat Generation" gather outside of the park temple to rehearse a modern hip-hop dance routine. They are talented, flamboyant and inspiringly proud of it.

Government Schools in Thailand

There is no education system without flaw, and it's improbable that such an ideal even exists. Certainly, though, there should be some type of universal educational standard. After nearly nine months of teaching in Thailand, I must make this bold, but long overdue statement:


The government school system in Thailand is horrendous.

I don't claim to be an expert, but after working at two different schools across the country and comparing notes with teachers around Thailand, that is my opinion. I admit to generalizing, as there are some decent government institutions and extremely intellectual people, but they are far and few between. I might mention that I mean no disrespect; I hold the utmost regard for this country and its people. I have here outlined what I see to be some major faults of Thailand's Ministry of Education. 

Have You Eaten Rice Yet?

As I watched my favorite street vendor whip up the usual thirty baht (approximately $1 USD) shrimp Pad Thai, I noticed that she added more love into it on this particular evening than usual. Devouring the perfect blend of sweet and sour rice noodles, it dawned on me what separates Thai cuisine so greatly from others: that extra bit of love that comes in every dish.

I have always been inspired by all things food, so it was only natural that my appreciation for the Thai cuisine (at least the Americanized version) influenced my move abroad. After 8 months in Thailand, I feel at home in a culture that prioritizes their unique food culture. My body has accumulated to the Thai diet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – so much so that I can no longer taste food if it isn’t spicy.

Songkran

Songkran is a quintessential Thai holiday that I had the pleasure of experiencing last month.

Songkran, derived from a Sanskrit word literally meaning "astrological passage," is considered the Thai new year. Although, the Thai calendar year (currently the year 2055) changes in sync with the Western calender. The origins of Songkran may come from a similar Buddhist holiday in India. Buddhist countries in the SE Asia region such as Burma, Laos and Cambodia celebrate a similar festival around the same time as Thailand (April 13 - 15).

Although officially the festival is three days long, in reality it often encompasses a 5 or 6 day period in which you can expect to be perpetually soaking wet given one step outside.

6.5 Random Musings

1. What you do now? Shoot, I mean...what are you doing now?
I am beginning to notice the longer that I teach English, the worse my own English is becoming. It has become such a habit to speak in the simplest manner to convey understanding to my students and Thai friends/co-workers, that I often find myself omitting verbs or tenses. While this is usually done purposefully in certain situations, I have caught myself unintentionally speaking improperly many times.

2. Slow down everyone, you're moving too fast!
I've always been a very fast-paced walker. Perhaps because of my short stature, I feel as if I need to compensate. My father and I always naturally walk 300 yards ahead of my slow-paced sister and mother. My friends constantly have to remind me to "stop running!" The first two months of being here, I had no patience for walking behind the painfully slow Thai locals. For such small people, they manage to take up the entire sidewalk, making it impossible to pass.

No one is ever in a rush here. Nothing, and I mean nothing, starts on time. My 50-minute class periods are never actually that long. Students (and teachers) are always 10-25 minutes late. The class schedule seems to be a mere suggestion. This is commonly referred to as "Thai" time. A Thai co-worker told me they say "Farang time" (foreigner time) for a strict appointment.

After nearly three months here, I find myself moving slower, happy to walk at a comfortable pace behind the natives. And you know what? Life is so much more enjoyable when are aren't in a rush all the time! I actually have time to look around, enjoy my surroundings and appreciate life a bit more. What is the rush anyway? Why is everyone in the Western world always running around everywhere?

Loi Krathong

I experienced my first Thai festival, Loi Krathong, last Thursday. This takes place annually on the evening of the full moon of what is usually November on the western calender. 'Loi' literally means 'to float' while 'krathong' is the lotus-shaped float often made out of banana leaves. The festival is often referred to as the "festival of light" or "floating lantern ceremony". On this evening, all over the country, thousands of Thais gather at a local river, canal or lake to light a candle on their hand-made float, make a wish, and let their float be carried away by the current. The flame is supposed to signify a release of sins.