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Published: September 16th 2006
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setting up for thai dance
this is one of the many outfits worn in Lom Thai (thai dance) it is very pretty and very restricting. So I’ve been in Thailand for about 3 weeks. Every one I had met before I came here said "it's beautiful, it's nice and so on" but no one can actually tell how beautiful or perfect Thailand is. It is an experience that must be lived through not told about.
When I arrived it had been a long trip. And I was tired. (to put it lightly) I was also a little afraid. This is because the airline had lost my biggest suit case and no one could do anything about it. When I arrived in Bangkok I had not been aware that the rest of my luggage was being checked. So without any one able to actually translate I ended up (briefly) thinking that the rest of my bags were gone. That was my moment of absolute fear. When no one can speak your language and you need help all I wanted to do was sit down and cry. But it wasn’t all bad. In fact it was very nice people in Bangkok were trying to help the best they could. And another exchange student, a friend of mine, (Nicole) was doing her best to tell me that every
durian (the yummy Thai fruit)
this picture is my Coun Paw which is the Thai way of saying "dad". Technically he's my host dad but I call him Coun Paw. He's opening a durian - tastes live heaven, smells like... thing would get sorted out. She really helped. Finally someone was called (my councilor) who spoke English and I was handed the phone to find out my luggage had been checked through to Krabi (Yay) ! Arriving in Krabi was quiet (so I thought) I got off the plane and every one was very subdued. I was better after a nap. Walking down the stairs, however, I found out it was not so quiet after all. In fact it was very loud. There was a bright yellow banner and MANY people; (Somewhere around 35) all there to greet me. Talk about shock value. I was warmly welcomed and hugged. A lot! Then I was introduced to all my host parents, they welcomed me home, and then a cell phone was shoved in my hand “call your parents”. What do you say in a situation like that? It was amazing. If I thought the airport was surprising outside was awesome. The kind of awesome that is defined as Awe inspiring or unbelievable. Every thing was new. People, places, sights, birds, trees. Everything!
There was an even better addition to it. My host family. My first host family could be
my first sight of krabi
I was so excited to be in Thailand I had to get a picture of a sign welcoming me to thailand. called a visit. Due to the duration being only a week. (But I get them as my last family for 3 months.) They are amazing. And were so nice to me. Coun Paw ( the thai name for dad) is a man who loves to smile and is serious making a perfect anti-shock-factor for an exchange student like myself. While Coun Ma (thai name for mom) has a mothering quality and was willing to show me as much of Thai culture as she could within a week. Within the first week we had gone to temple, where you take off your shoes and go to the different areas offering 3 lit incence to each area. Another day was Buddha Day. This is a truly spectactular event for a farange (foreigner) because , one has to wake up at 5, prepare food, and set up a table on a street in the town you're in (in my case Krabi) This is all done before Krabi wakes up and it was the only time I saw Krabi in a truly quiet state. While most of the city is still sleeping , the monks come out. I saw at least 50 and they
Buddha Day
On this day (once a week , day according to moon position) the Buddhist community goes to give food to the monks. So did I. are spectacular. With different color robes for degrees of age they walk in groups of 2- 10 and after receiving their food (they have little pots they hold out so no one (especially females) touches them, they chant. It is amazing to hear and is worth the whole experience if nothing else happened. But it does. After the last monk filters past (they're normally the young ones who have slept in) my host mom and I went home and used the alter at home. It had many figurines and pictures of Buddha. And we prayed. There were two books to read through. So it took about 30 minutes. In which my legs went numb. Then we offered incence and tea, and fruit. Completing the ritual by bowing to the alter.
Eating with this family was also amazing. Coun Paw loves spicy so he always looks likes he's crying when we have dinner. And you never eat at home with this family. So every day I got to see a new restaurant with new food. There is a lot of food, since Thai people eat in a communal fashion, with all the food in the center of the table
a real thai wedding
it was beautiful and to fully understand the wedding i would either have to let every one look at the 40 pictures i have or trust they will read my blog. and a large bowl of rice (at every meal) there is a lot of chilli so for foreigners it's best to order food to be pit nit noi (a little spicy) instead of risking a serious case of heart burn.
Coun Ma also took me to her hotel where we were greeted with strawberry juice in the lobby (it was beautiful) and I was shown all the bungalos. (I highly advise the Tai Pai resort) They are currently building "houses" - larger bungalos with teak furnature. I was so shocked to see all this at once along with all the greenery all I could do was stare.
Soon after, Coun Ma and I went to a wedding. It is by no means a North American wedding. It is a Thai wedding at its best. When entering, there are no bulky gifts like our culture. Instead, the guests (there's at least 300 - a few thousand) will give an envelope to the soon-to-be married couple and a small token, like a small jar, is given to the guest. Inside is utter pandemonium with guest finding their tables, and food being served. (there is a lot of food)
a real thai wedding
this is the actual wedding with the bride and groom it came in about 7 courses sometimes with 2 large plates coming at once. And every one insists on finishing it all! The ceremony is done over the din, with a man (I didn't understand him) talking about the couple and how much they love each other. Then garlands are placed around the necks of the couple and they light candles. There is no kissing like in North American culture. Then the food continues!
I did not mention another person who didn't really speak English but was wonderful any ways. That is Pee Tan (Pee being a respectful name) who was the equivalent of a live-in maid. (apparently most successful Thai families have them) she was very nice and always had a smile on.
After that it's been kind of a blur. So much has happened. I met my next family and they are really nice and the accommodations were really cool (they own a resort) Since it is such a tourist-dependant country there are teachers who own resorts, doctors who own resorts, lawyers who own resorts and so on.
The best parts have been learning Lom Thai (Thai dancing) which doesn't look too hard. Lom Thai is actually very difficult, since Thai girls learn it at a very young age. I luckily had the benefit of a personal instructor (who didn't speak English) She was one of the staff at the hotel. It got a little confusing with her gesturing as to what I was supposed to do; while talking quickly in Thai. At that point I didn't know any Thai. When you’re in a foreign culture though, the best thing to do is point or gesture until they understand what you are trying to say. While not the quickest means of communication, one sometimes finds that it is the only way.
The next best part has been the food. And the beaches (not necessarily in that order). At the beaches, no matter how gray the sky is, the water is always warm which I found out in the best way possible. My host mother was telling me what a perfect day it was. It really looked like a tropical no-sun-day so I quietly didn't truly believe her at the time. Until she pulled over in front of the beach (the picture is in my blog pictures) and we went in the water. While it didn't look entirely warm to me it was a pleasant surprise to find that even on the most dingy Thai day, the water is still perfect.
And the Food! In Thailand eating is a national past time. I have recently learned why. The food is amazing. Cooking it, however, is just as fun.
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