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Published: August 18th 2008
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Toddler on Bike
So mom wears the helmet...not the kid? So here it is my last blog and to tell you the truth I am extremely excited about that. As you all can see, I am not the most eloquent writer. Writing does not come naturally, I fumble with words and I never seem to really paint the picture of what I am feeling and seeing. I am thrilled that I don't have to publish another blog until next summer. By that time, I hope to have graduated from Ms. Bonanno's (Columbia graduate) School of Lucy Calkins, with a degree in Writers Workshop! My third graders and I will learn together. Tomorrow morning I leave for New York and by Tuesday night I will be in the secure arms of my state.
Here it goes....
Observing Thailand's means of transportation has been one of my highlights this trip. The last couple of days I sat on corners to watch traffic as a form of entertainment, hoping that my camera was quick enough to pick up on some of the things I saw. Transportation has been something I vaguely mentioned throughout the other blogs, but today it gets a full blog, because in my opinion it is just so mind-blowing
and worthy of it. Transportation here is far from what Americans would believe to be safe. I traveled with five people in tuk tuks, in the back of trucks, in taxis that hit over 100mph, and on a moped. I survived all of these experiences (at times I had my doubts) to share with all of you what I learned. At no point did I ever see a seatbelt to put on.
The most interesting form of transportation that I saw was the moped. Considering it is similar to a motorcycle in America many of you are probably curious as to why this is so interesting. Throughout my three weeks here I made a list of the various people and things I saw on mopeds: a family of four, a mother with her infant in front of her and toddler holding on tightly in the back of her, a jewelry seller carrying a 4 ft by 3 ft board, a driver holding a laundry basket under one arm, a driver holding a computer under one arm with a child in front of him, children as drivers, a driver delivery a pizza without the pizza box- holding the hot pan,
a driver smoking a cigarette, the passenger sitting sideways, the passenger eating ice cream, a lunch cart attached to the moped, an ice cream cart attached, and a women driver holding an umbrella are to name a few. Rarely would you find drivers or passengers wearing helmets, not even the little infants, toddlers, or children. As I sit and watch the transportation, I notice that these Thai natives are fearless and that is something that I truly admire.
Americans must be the most fearful individuals on the planet. We take every necessary precaution before we are willing to take any sort of chance or risk. We never trust that everything will work out. On this trip I realized there is no need to be so fearful. Now, I am not implying that we should drive cars without seat belts, or exceed speed limits, or even pack our Civics with ten people. I just think maybe we shouldn't allow our fear to prohibit us from experiencing.
Before I left to come to Thailand, I was extremely nervous and admittedly scared. Scared of what I would eat, where I would sleep, who I would be meeting, will I get sick,
and the list could go on. Basically, I was a ball of fear. At times this fear was allowing me to debate whether or not I really should take this journey. Since being here, I've realized that the ball of fear was extremely foolish. There was nothing scary about this trip and at no point did I ever feel unsafe to be in this country. I think I have been more nervous walking from my car to my door at 3am than I ever did here. In my opinion, there are far braver things than traveling. There are many beautiful sights, people, and wonders in this world that people need to explore, and allowing the ball of fear to stand in the way, in my opinion, is rather foolish. I have experienced many things on this trip, but one thing I will take from this trip is the fearlessness of Thailand's drivers and passengers. Take chances even if you are afraid and trust that everything will be alright. I am glad I did!
I had a fantastic time on this trip. I thank Kristin, Macaela, Courtney, Eric and the rest of the people I encountered for really making this
trip entertaining, but I do have to say I am extremely anxious to be home. I miss my family, friends, and my bed. I hope everyone enjoyed following my journey. I did try to keep it as entertaining as possible. I'll be seeing you on the East Side!
Until next summer~much love,
Christina
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Mom
non-member comment
Fear is bad, but safety not so much.
I am glad that you found the Thai's lack of concern for safety so enlightening. Those who do not have a choice or do not know any better may get a pass, however it is aways a good thing to use common sense. When confronted with the "ball of fear" it maybe better to ask ones self " is this a silly fear" rather than throw all caution to the wind. We all have silly fears that we should work through but we all should remember to evaluate dumb risks also. That is my lesson for the day. I love you and can't wait to have you home again.