Dear Auntie Louise and Uncle Bert:

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Yesterday we went to the JJ Market aka Weekend Market aka World Market aka Chatuchak. It was nice, it was interesting, it was basically a Thai-style Minnesota State Fair. So...eh, it was alright. Once you've walked the fair for 8 hours and seen a porkchop, a Snickers, and spaghetti-and-meatballs on a stick...well, two hours is plenty of time at a market selling hats, silk, and knock-off Ralph Lauren t-shirts. I've been to the Dili Haat, I've bought silk before. Plus it was blistering hot. I sweated through my knee-pants and they started saggin badly. It was not a pretty picture; thus, no pictures from the Weekend Market.
My biggest adventure so far has been in the eating department. Can't really stick to Jillian here. Everything is fried, oiled, and greased 1000x over before it gets to your plate. Unlike in India where I was on the rice, nan, and dal diet, I'm on a rice, noodle, and fruit diet I think. I'm adding cuttlefish too, so squeeky and chewy. Yesterday, we came across a small lady sitting on the sidewalk with a boiling pot of curry over coals and a basket of greens and cooked noodles on eitherside of her. She plopped a handful of noodles in a ceramic bowl and ladled the broth over them. I added fresh dill and bok choy; and, it was perfect. Sitting on a tiny stool near the lady, I watched Kahoua devour her bowl in 3-5 seconds, Sarah sweating profusely from the chilis, and Kyle overtaking his tiny seat, knees to his nose. We paid the lady twenty baht and walked away as she washed the bowls in a stainless steel bucket of plain water. A memorable quote from India came to my head at that moment: "That looks clean."
Also, I've enjoyed a few new fruits, dragon fruit and the flesh from a coconut today, and I'm still in love with guava and papaya--my favorites from India. I've been able to buy fresh fruits a few blocks down from my apartment and I'm trying to scope out the new ones that arrive each day. A few things I want to try but haven't yet had the courage: stinky fruit (aka durian...I know, I know "Don't eat it," Auntie Lou said. But Auntie Lou, I think I must do it to really become an honorary Asian haha), and a tapioca-jelly drink (You drink it with a straw. It looks like mass of green and pink noodles in buttermilk which makes me question why Kahoua slurps it down like its a chocolate malt.)
Today we visited our schools and the faculty we'll be researching with. I'm at Mahidol with Kyle, Justin, Nadine, Alisa, and Michelle while Kahoua and Sarah are at Chula. I'm working with Kyle in a microbiology lab under Dr. Padungsri. http://www.sc.mahidol.ac.th/scmi/padungsri.htm Its a small lab, much smaller than Dr. Seelke's where I worked at UWS. I was disappointed that it wasn't "state of the art facilities" like I had somehow assumed it would be, but I think it will be fine. We tried to prepare the gel for an SDS gel electrophoresis, but screwed up and have to do it again tomorrow. So...at least I know they'll be some work to do even if its minimal. The best part about the job so far is working with Dr. Padungsri's student assistents A and Tukata (not sure of the real spelling for either name.) Neither speak English very well, and we've made a deal with them that we will help them with our language if they help us with theirs. So far I've used "Hello" and "Thank you" in Thai and nothing else, but I think that both of those are helping me to make friends with the door man at Starry Place where I live. I'm trying to use your advice, Auntie Lou, and trying to be a smart traveler. Being smart also means getting some sleep and thats what I'll do now. Its only 8:30 but the heat really takes it out of me.

Until we meet again,
Amy

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Photos

Rangnam Rd
We cross over this to get to our motorcycles before and afterwork. Traffic is fine until about 5, 6:00 when people start coming out of their lairs.

Mahidol University
My home school for the next 10 weeks. Except, thats not my building. I'm standing behind the camera in the doorway to the micro building. We're on the 6th floor.

Flower
I have a flower obsession here. They are everywhere and they are blooming. I could have used this 2 weeks ago when I was putting together my plant tax project.

The Round Building
I'm not exactly sure what is in here, but A said something about there being "5 picture rooms in there." I think this means photo galleries or movie theaters, not sure.

Snack Box
Two packaged pastries: a chicken filled cressant and a slice of marble cake. Oh those Thai...they stereotype too, but I do appreciate the gesture.

Dressed to Impress
From front to back: Michelle, Nadine, Alisa, Sarah, me, Kahoua, Kyle, and Justin

At the Canteen
An open air cafeteria. It was really just a bunch of consession stands each one for a certain type of dish: noodle, rice, soup, beverage.

Weird Fruit
So this is the weird fruit I chose for the night. I think it was under-ripe. The white part was sweet and slimey, and the reddish part was sour and hard.