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.

Exploring the Hinterland

Since many Thai holidays are clustered into the second half of the year, I'd become accustomed to an ample number of long weekends in my first term of teaching. So, when a four-day long weekend (August 1-4) rolled around,  it was both very necessary and welcome. Finally, we had time (and a ride!) to explore the depths of our province.

Perhaps because this region is not on the typical tourist route, the national parks of Ubon are not readily accessible without private transportation. When a Thai teacher offered to take us foreign teachers on a day trip around Ubon, we jumped on the opportunity.

We set off early in the morning to make the most of the day, returning just after dark for the beginnings of the Candle Festival. Enjoy some photos from our one day exploration of the hinterland...

Kaeng Saphu Rapids (It's rainy season, so the rapids are submerged)

The End of an Era

This past weekend, my closest friends in Thailand gathered in the university town of Khon Kaen for our usual escapades. This time though, it would be our last weekend all together, as two of my best friends are leaving the semester early to travel before their September flights back to England. Bidding them a farewell has marked the imminent end of a very important era in all of our lives.

Last October, we arrived in Thailand as strangers and created steadfast friendships as like-minded recent university graduates looking for an adventure. Although a few of our close friends left after the first semester, a remaining five of us from our original cohort stuck around to build a nice little life for ourselves in Isaan. Not only will our routine be altered with the departure of two of our own, but their leaving has reminded me that the rest of ours is not too far off, either.

With two months of the semester left, this chapter is coming to a close. Although I will travel for many months after the semester ends, at ages 22 and 23 years old, it is getting to be time for all of us to go home - at least for a while.

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.