1 month down

I've been in Thailand for 1 month come tomorrow, and I've been teaching for 3 weeks. I'll take this occasion to give my top 5 list of first impressions. Here it goes.

Top 5 biggest differences between US and Thailand

1. Thailand doesn't worry about time. The US is very time-oriented: don't be late, put a rush on that, drive through, 12 items or less lane, carpool lane... I could keep going.

2. Transgender students run the show. The "lady-boys" are the usually the smartest in the class, they have no reservations about anything (they dance, they sing, and they participate in class), and lastly, they are generally an accepted part of society. As socially conservative as Thailand can be in certain areas, "lady-boys" can get jobs, and often go to represent their schools in academics.

3. Discipline. American kids have a good healthy fear of authority. This makes trying to control them in the classroom easy. If students don't respect the teacher, at least there are checks in place to ensure the leverage is clearly on the teacher's side: detention, lunchroom duty, etc. On the contrary, Thai kids have a different relationship with their teachers. The smiley-natured culture coupled with the huge Buddhist influence turns the teacher into something of a really really lax babysitter. Students can get away with just about anything, and the teacher will forgive them without fail. There is also no detention and no lunchroom duty. Students 1, teachers 0. As you can imagine, the school is a mess and the classrooms are in pretty rough shape without the discipline. But hey, the kids aren't exactly mopey.

4. Sanitation. Flies are plentiful. Weather is always warm. Poultry, pork and meat is a gamble. Kitchens and open air markets are a free for all. FDA, huh? Microwaves are your friend. The communities are pretty run down just about everywhere you go. I'm gonna chalk this one up as a developing country issue, not a Thailand issue.

5. Fun! Thai people have more fun in general. Their relaxed attitude with just about everything makes everyone less stressed out. I've also noticed that there is generally more time set aside for fun. Exercise, relaxation, family time, whatever your bag is. The US , being rushed all the times tends to have a reputation for depriving some of the most important things in life. Exercise, eating right, and spending time with the ones that matter. That's what it seems like on the surface at least. This whole smiley, fun-loving thing could just be a smokescreen to hide their sheer misery they call their personal lives... but i kinda doubt it.


Top 5 things I miss about the US... foodwise:
1. Chips and salsa
2. Grilled cheese
3. Pizza
4. Fresh potato foods: mash, bakers, fries, tots.
5. Subway

Top 5 small surprises:
1. Students take their shoes off when they enter academic buildings. Think Cardinal Newman.
2. No dancing in Thai night clubs, unless its westerners dancing.
3. Milk most commonly comes in juicebox form.
4. Wheres the cock-sauce. No sri racha... hmmm.
5. After performances its not customary to clap... crickets.

Top 5 biggest adjustments I've made:
1. Hand-washing and air drying my laundry.
2. Smiling when I get irritated. Sarcasm helps.
3. Tucking in my shirts and ironing my clothes daily.
4. Instant coffee in the mornings.
5. Living with chickens as my daily alarm clock.

Favorite 5 favorite foods in Thailand:
1. Som tom (spicy papaya salad)
2. Fried chicken (Thawangpha style)
3. Pho noodle soup (not exactly, but a close relative to it)
4. Khao Soy (delicious curry soup)
5. Stir fried morning glory (local shrubbery)

That's all I got for my top 5. A few things I'm excited about:

1. Sports day on Monday (23rd). Its like field day in the middle of the term. The class is divided into 5 teams based on shirt color. I'm on the yellow team. There's also blue, green, red, and purple.

2. Chiang Mai this weekend (20-22nd). Woo! Gonna get me some Mexican food and a Starbucks.

3. Thanksgiving feast in Nan with fellow whitey. All you can eat with South Africans, Scots, Brits, and Yanks.

4. New Years reunion in Ko Phi Phi. A small island by Phuket.

5. Getting a motorcycle. At least one to share with the other couple Americans.

6. A private kitchen facility for the 6 language teachers to be built soon. Gas stove, sink, and counter space in a little shack adjacent to our building. 'Coming Soon' is a relative term. This one might be anywhere from a week away to 8 weeks away.